Volume 9, Chapter 14 – The Deal

“I refuse.”

Without a shred of hesitation, Fia cut her off.

The Emerald Angel showed no surprise; it was as if she had long expected Fia to answer this way. She lowered her hands and shrugged.

“As expected, humans are selfish. But do you truly not care about the survival of this world? If the World Tree Continent is destroyed, you and that Miss Claire certainly won’t survive either. Between sacrificing everyone or sacrificing just yourself, the choice is quite simple, isn’t it? Don’t worry, you’re different from the gods; you’d be an individual offering yourself voluntarily. I would make sure your deeds are proclaimed to all the inhabitants of the World Tree Continent. You would become the God who saved the world.”

“No. Why should I offer myself? I’ve tried saving the world once before. In this life, I don’t mind helping people if it’s convenient, but if saving people I have no connection with comes at the cost of my own life, then I’m afraid I won’t be joining you. Besides, didn’t you say the Goddess of the World Tree is still alive? In that case, how about burning her instead?”

Fia spread her hands, offering a “friendly” suggestion.

The Emerald Angel looked at her as if she were a fool.

“To speak of burning the World Tree Goddess right in front of the World Tree Angel… you certainly have guts. I understand what you’re thinking, but that method won’t work. The Goddess already anticipated that she might be targeted—if her actions were discovered by the other gods and they united to use her as fuel, it would be more humiliating than being killed outright. So, she prepared a backup plan when constructing the World Tree barrier. The barrier uses the Goddess’s divine power as its core; if she dies, the barrier ceases to exist. Honestly, is your brain broken? Even if you’re powerful, aren’t you afraid I’ll turn on you for speaking ill of the Goddess, and deactivate the barrier so everyone dies together?”

As she finished, the Emerald Angel circled Fia like a ghost, her gaze constantly appraising Fia’s body.

Although she felt no hostility, Fia couldn’t bring herself to like this self-proclaimed Angel. The act of forging Claire’s death was repulsive. If the girl’s attitude were any worse, Fia would have already grabbed her by the throat to force an apology. Being rational didn’t mean she was a pushover; everyone has lines that cannot be crossed.

Fia tilted her chin slightly and spoke coldly.

“Just because you fear Chaos doesn’t mean I am helpless against it. I am just as capable of dragging everyone down with me. So-called ‘gods’ are no different from powerful humans; they simply occupy the advantage of being born first. I don’t want to waste words with you. I have only two questions. Answer me truthfully, and I may grant you clemency for your crimes.”

“Clemency? You are strong, but as long as I hide, there’s nothing you can do—”

Before the Angel could finish, Fia was in front of her in an instant. Her ruby eyes were as striking as the sun, yet they gave off a bone-chilling cold, as if the very air had frozen solid. An intense sense of suffocation gripped the Angel’s throat, making it impossible to breathe.

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Fia’s gaze made the Angel feel the scythe of death brushing against her neck. The sharp pressure and stinging aura left her unable to move. The playfulness in her eyes vanished like a receding tide, and even her voice softened.

“I… I’ll talk! I’ll talk, okay?!”

Whether they are Angels or Gods, they’re all fools who won’t learn until they see the coffin.

Thinking this, Fia released the Angel and stepped back silently.

“First question. Why did you forge the illusion of Claire’s death? What benefit did you get from provoking me?”

“Uh, didn’t I say? It was to test your strength and character. I know she’s important to you, but that girl was intended by the Goddess to be the next fuel. If I didn’t know your capabilities before acting, I’d be dead for sure.”

“…”

Being this honest actually makes it hard to stay angry.

“You should be glad my self-control is decent.”

Otherwise, this entire tree would have become a torch.

“Second question. Where is the Goddess now, and how can I see her? How do I break Claire’s curse?”

“No, no, no! Shouldn’t you be asking how to save the world without hurting Claire? The World Tree barrier is already in critical condition!”

“The disappearance of the barrier doesn’t mean the end of everything. You only need to answer my questions.”

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“Guh…”

Like a pigeon being choked, the Angel looked utterly defeated. Her face fell, and she answered reluctantly.

“I told you, right? The existence of the barrier depends on the Goddess. If there is no fuel to burn, the barrier consumes the Goddess’s own mana. Currently, the barrier is fragile, and the Goddess must remain in a deep slumber to ensure her own survival. Therefore, it’s impossible to see her. What I mean is, even if you found her, she couldn’t grant you an audience.”

“As for that girl’s curse, only the Goddess might have an idea once she awakens. I am a familiar created by the Goddess; you can’t expect me to know everything.”

At this point, the Angel’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had hit upon an idea.

“Wait! I have a solution! You share your mana with the Goddess. That way, she won’t have to sleep constantly to survive, and you can get the answers you want from her. A perfect solution for everyone, right?”

“Share mana? My mana can be transmitted to the Goddess?”

“Not directly, no.”

The Angel denied it flatly, then held up an index finger.

“You can inject your mana into this tree. I will then channel the mana from the tree to the World Tree barrier. That way, the barrier won’t consume the Goddess’s mana, and she can slowly awaken. It will take some time, but surely you can afford to wait?”

The pretty Angel peered cautiously at Fia’s expression, her fear of rejection written clearly on her face.

Fia fell into deep thought without giving an immediate answer.

The thing she had most of was mana. Channeling it into this tree wouldn’t be a burden. The problem was whether this Angel was trustworthy; since they met, the Angel hadn’t actually given her any groundbreaking conclusions.

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If she can provide an answer that’s actually useful, I’ll try to trust her.

Regaining her composure, Fia asked one last question.

“Last question. Why was there an earthquake just now?”

“Because of that girl’s curse.”

Fia’s brow furrowed instantly. Claire’s curse was supposed to be being forgotten and feared, not causing earthquakes—that was the result Claire feared most.

“Do you guarantee you’re not mistaken?”

“I guarantee it. She has three curses: to be forgotten, to be feared, and to be destined to make the land fall. The Goddess summoned her to be fuel; if she weren’t restricted, she would live too comfortably in this world and wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice herself. Ah, I should say this upfront: the curses weren’t proactively added by the Goddess. Rather, when Claire was summoned, she was already cursed by the world itself. So don’t go blaming the Goddess—glaring at me won’t help. I’m telling you the truth as a matter of fact. If you were in the Goddess’s position, you would also summon an outsider to be fuel.”

“Hmph.”

Though the words were unpleasant, Fia had to admit the Angel had a point. Because Fia was so powerful, she didn’t have to choose between survival and conscience. For a Goddess to summon a replacement to survive could, in a sense, be called becoming a demon to preserve the world.

That said, it didn’t stop Fia from feeling disgusted toward the World Tree Goddess. She knew all too well how much the curse troubled Claire. To be summoned to this world only to be a sacrificial offering and bear a curse of alienation—where was the justice in that? If the Goddess were right in front of her, Fia would have grabbed her by the collar and punched her right in the face—no matter, she could settle that debt later when they met.

The more she thought about it, the more indignant she felt for Claire. As Fia’s aura grew more pronounced, the Angel’s own presence rapidly withered. She subconsciously backed away from Fia, her expression growing increasingly tense.

“Have… have you made up your mind? If you don’t help, this world is truly finished. The Goddess can’t summon a second person.”

“I’m not helping. See you if fate allows.”

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Fia turned to leave. Of course, she didn’t actually intend to refuse. Outputting mana cost her nothing, and it could both extend the barrier’s life and potentially get her a solution for the curse from the Goddess. She refused simply to increase her leverage; agreeing immediately would make her look too easy to deal with.

“Wait! Wait! Hey! Hey!”

Seeing that Fia had no intention of stopping, the Angel flew toward her in a panic. Fia felt something soft like cotton collide with her back. When she turned around, she found the “playful” Angel was now hugging her leg tightly. Her pretty face was full of a desperate, tearful plea, and the fairy wings behind her were fluttering frantically, trying to pull Fia back.

“Don’t go! Don’t go! I beg you! If you don’t help, we’re done for! Help us, we’ll give you anything!”

Fia raised an eyebrow, looking quite amused.

“Hoh? Give me anything? Like what?”

“Uh… I don’t know.”

At least make something up.

Fia sighed heavily, crossing her arms.

“Then we’ll treat it as a debt for now. I’ll help you, but under one condition: you must take me to see what the World Tree Goddess looks like—the actual body. Otherwise, I cannot trust you.”