CHAPTER 46

Prospects

I, Ristarte, narrowly escaped death thanks to the overly cautious Hero Seiya Ryuuguuin, who used his quick wits to save me from the Vengeful Empress Celemonic’s persistent curse.

…And by quick wits, I mean he hid under my bed like a stalker and waited for his chance to strike.

I wake up early the next morning and head straight to Great Goddess Ishtar’s room to tell her about the brindle-haired demon that somehow appeared in the depths of my mind.

“It is very possible that this demon you speak of is actually a Dark God,” exclaims Ishtar with a solemn expression after hearing my story. I was hoping she would be able to identify this Dark God from her unique hair color and come up with a plan, but just as there are countless deities in the unified spirit world, there are apparently also many Dark Gods as well. There’s nothing Ishtar can do until we figure out her name.

“This Dark God possesses great power. She has not only hindered my foresight but was also able to invade your mind. While she may not be able to directly harm you or Seiya Ryuuguuin, you mustn’t let your guard down.”

“I—I know.”

After a deep bow, I retire from Ishtar’s room. When I arrive at Cerceus’s café, Seiya’s already there with Kiriko and Jonde, who are packed and ready. I wave Seiya over to tell him about the Dark God.

“Hey, Seiya. I was just talking to Ishtar about the brindle-haired demon, but—”

Hiss!

Out of nowhere, there’s a hiss, and an earth serpent leaps out from under the lapel of my dress.

“Whoa?! What the…?!”

“I know. I was listening in on your conversation the whole time.”

“…?! You say that like it’s not a big deal, but that’s a crime, you know!”

“I’m not always eavesdropping on you. I was simply keeping tabs just in case Celemonic’s curse hadn’t been completely lifted. Overhearing what you two discussed was a bonus.”

“R-really? I—I guess that means you don’t need me to tell you what she said then, right?”

“All you figured out was that the brindle-haired demon we keep hearing about in Ixphoria is a Dark God. In other words, we have no new info.”

“Wait! You knew she was a Dark God?!”

“I considered the possibility. Normally, no ordinary monster would be aware of what we were doing. Nor would they be able to grant any sort of power to Grandleon, Oxerio, and Celemonic. This Dark God appears to be a supervisor who can’t fight on her own and delegates instead. While this poses a number of problems, I can’t take any specific measures to deal with something that exists in another dimension.”

Seiya then throws his bag over his shoulder.

“Regardless, it’s time to return to Ixphoria. Open a gate to Little Light.”

“O-okay.”

I call Jonde and Kiriko over and summon a gate, which can now lead directly to the plaza in the underground settlement since the spell stone is gone. Seiya is the first to go through, with Kiriko, Jonde, and I following closely behind.

“Hmm… It’s hard to believe this is underground.”

“I can’t believe such a huge town exists beneath the surface!”

Jonde and Kiriko gasp in admiration as they survey the countless houses and the people working in the fields by glowstone light. This area’s residents used to live in Galvano, but when beastkin took over the town, they were forced to create an underground settlement and go into hiding. Even though Seiya was able to defeat Grandleon, he recommended they continue living underground for now.

Before long, the people of Little Light notice us. We made Kiriko wear a hood that almost completely obscures her face. The hope was that we’d be able to prevent potential panic at the sight of a Killing Machine. In just a few moments, we’re completely surrounded. The young Eich and the settlement’s leader, Braht, are among the crowd.

“It is a pleasure to see you again, Hero.”

As Eich offers a deep bow, Seiya gets straight to the point without bothering to return her greeting.

“I defeated Oxerio in the north and Celemonic in the south, so I think it’s about time you returned to the surface.”

The crowd gasps in unison. Before I realize it, there are people weeping around me as well, and I can’t blame them. They’ve had no choice but to live underground day after day ever since the beastkin took over their town. Now they’ll finally be able to bask in the sun again.

“A few golems that I created are patrolling the town, but don’t worry about them. They’re there to protect you from monsters. And, Eich, don’t seal off this settlement. Think of it as an emergency shelter you can send the people to if the need arises.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. Thank you so much for all you have done for us.”

“All right, let’s get you all back to the surface. Rista.”

I open another gate leading to the surface just above Little Light. After Seiya passes through, the villagers follow. Although we find ourselves standing among ruined houses, still in the same partially destroyed state the beastkin left them in, the villagers…

“Light…! Sunlight…!”

“We’re free! No more beastkin!”

“We can finally live on the surface again!”

…are overjoyed to be home. I even notice Braht rubbing his eyes.

“Oh, Braht. Are you crying?”

“I—I am not! My eyes are just adjusting to the sunlight!”

Heh! Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, tough guy. I thought he was an arrogant jerk when we first met, but it looks like he’s got a soft side as well. It isn’t only Braht, though. Men and women of all ages are shedding tears of joy. Even Jonde and Kiriko seem touched by the sight.

“It warms my heart to see them like this.”

“I’m so happy for them!”

Before long, the townspeople gather around Seiya and me.

“Hero, Goddess! Thank you! Thank you both so much!”

“How can we ever repay you?!”

Now that I think about it, the people of Little Light cursed and insulted us when we first met, but now they’re practically worshipping the ground we walk on.

I’m so happy! This is amazing!

The hard work we put in freeing the people of Little Light has finally paid off. Right as I start to get choked up, doing my best to fight back the tears, Seiya suddenly puts on a serious expression and snaps his fingers.

“Iron Dome.”

The ground shakes as stone walls rise around the entire town, curving toward the center of Galvano.

“…Huh?”

I stare blankly as the ceiling of the dome spreads across the sky, completely blocking out the sunlight and enshrouding the town in total darkness.

“Whoa?! Where’d the sunlight go?!”

“Wh-what’s going on?!”

“Mommy, I’m scared!”

The townspeople cry out in terror. I scream at Seiya:

“Why are you using Iron Dome?! It’s even darker now than it was underground!”

“The sudden exposure to sunlight isn’t good for their eyes after living so long in the settlement.”

“But this defeats the whole point of bringing them back to the surface!”

“Did you not see them tearing up? The sunlight was clearly burning their eyes.”

“Their eyes weren’t irritated or anything! They were just shedding tears of joy!”

“Sigh. These villagers are such a pain in the ass.”

“The only pain in the ass here is you!”

The townspeople grieve and shout in the darkness until Seiya finally removes Iron Dome. Their faces light up again immediately.

“Okay, that should do it for this place. Rista, Termine’s next.”

“O-okay.”

I open a gate to Termine as requested. We’ve had our share of challenges, but in the end, Eich, Braht, and the people of Little Light see us off with a smile as we depart from Galvano.

After arriving in Termine, Seiya starts barking orders at Jonde.

“Jonde, go get the queen.”

“Very well. What for, though?”

“We’re going to have a meeting.”

After sending Jonde off, Seiya heads toward the conference room in the palace, so Kiriko and I follow him. There’s a large, rectangular table in the center of the room, likely for holding strategy meetings. Kiriko and I find seats at the sides of the table while Seiya sits at the head.

“Rista, why are we having a meeting?”

“Beats me. He didn’t tell me anything.”

Before long, Jonde enters with the queen, and they arrange themselves across from us. After taking a look at each one of our faces, Seiya speaks up with a solemn tone:

“We no longer have to worry about being outflanked now that Oxerio and Celemonic have been defeated. You could say that the continent of Rhadral is relatively safe now, so I’d like to discuss future prospects.”

Seiya rises from his seat and walks over to a map of Ixphoria plastered on the wall. With his back to the map, he quietly stares at us like a teacher standing at a podium.

“Our next opponent, the Death Emperor, is the last general-class enemy in Ixphoria.”

I whisper to Jonde, who’s sitting across from me.

“Is that true, Jonde?”

“Yes. Now that the Beast Emperor, Machine Emperor, and Vengeful Empress are dead, the Death Emperor Sirrusht is the Demon Lord’s last general.”

“The Death Emperor Sirrusht… So after he’s taken care of, the only threat left is the Demon Lord!”

“Hey, you. Did I say you could talk? Keep your mouth shut unless I call on you.”

“Y-yes, sir…”

Jonde and I lower our gazes, feeling like we’ve been scolded by a teacher. Wait… Why am I being treated like a student?! I’m a goddess, dammit!

Oblivious to my feelings, as per usual, Seiya points to the map with his sheath.

“The Death Emperor is across the ocean on the western continent of Aeris. Furthermore, to the north of Aeris is the continent of Gustraid, which is where the Demon Lord’s castle is. If the Demon Lord is currently sleeping to accumulate more power, then this would be the ideal time to strike. However…”

Seiya uses his sheath to circle the continent of Gustraid as well as the continent of Aeris to its south.

“The only thing separating the two continents is a small ocean. Trying to cross it by ship would take no more than a few days. Even if the Demon Lord is hibernating, though, going straight to Gustraid could put us in the middle of a pincer attack, so we’ll have to deal with the Death Emperor before killing the Demon Lord.”

“Well, that sounds reasonable. Shall we set sail for the continent of Aeris?”

“No. We’re going back to the spirit world.”

Jonde, who was in the middle of packing his belongings, explodes.

“What?! We’re going back already?! Then what was the point of even coming to Ixphoria?!”

“To free the people of Little Light and inform the queen of our plans. Now, it’s time to head back to the spirit world and train for the battle against the Death Emperor. Is there a problem?”

“No, but… D-dammit!”

Jonde grumbles. I understand how he feels. I really do. Even so, I open a gate to the spirit world at Seiya’s request. Although his mood is shot, Jonde follows us.

“Oh, you’re coming, too, Jonde?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?! I’m one of you now, aren’t I?! We’ve been fighting side by side this entire time… M-my queen! I—I can go with them, too, can’t I?!”

“I don’t mind, but do the Hero and goddess really need you?”

Jonde turns to me with a desperate look.

“G-Goddess, I’ve already come this far! I want to devote myself to saving the world! The Death Emperor’s attributes are most likely the same as the Vengeful Empress’s. Surely someone like me, who can’t die and is immune to curses, would be useful to have around, right?!”

“Hmm… Let me think about it.”

While weighing the pros and cons in my mind, I feel Kiriko tug at my sleeve.

“I—I think it would be better if Jonde came with us!”

“Kiriko…! I knew you’d understand! All that time working together in the spirit world really helped us get to know each other!”

“Yeah, but…Jonde smells like rotten eggs.”

I hesitate, but Jonde cries:

“Then I’ll just make sure to carry some tea leaves with me to mask the odor!”

Pffft! Jonde’s so desperate that he’d even douse himself with tea just to come with us!

“Ha-ha-ha! Fine, you win! Hey, Seiya. How about we take Jonde with us?”

Jonde, however, doesn’t seem to like how I’m treating him and gives me a stern glare.

“Listen, you seem to be enjoying insulting me for my odor…but your stench makes even me gag!”

“What the…?! H-how dare you say such a thing to a lady, you dirty, lying zombie! Kiri, I don’t smell, right?!”

“Right! I’m a machine, so I don’t really mind your stench at all!”

Ack… So I do stink! This is no different than when we were in Gaeabrande! The fact that this innocent little girl was trying to be nice makes me feel even worse. I mean, I’m a goddess. Do I even have a smell?

Kiriko notices I’m still depressed and tries to cheer me up.

“Your smell doesn’t bother me at all when Jonde’s with us!”

Apparently, Jonde smells even worse than I do. I grin and place a hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, Jonde. Let’s go.”

“You can’t be serious! I’m not your own personal air freshener!”

Seiya clears his throat in the middle of our argument.

“Normally, I would leave you all behind to let you deal with your putrid odors yourselves, but I have to bring Rista with me, since she’s a goddess. I also need Jonde around because I want to try something out on his rotting flesh in the spirit world.”

“Th-then that means…?”

“Yes, Kiriko. It means we have to bring them with us.”

Kiriko gives an excited shout.

“Yay! Rista! Jonde! I’m so happy we get to go together!”

“Y-yeah, me too…”

“Y-yes, I guess…it’s a good thing… I hope.”

It appears that somewhere along the way, Seiya started to rank both Jonde and me below Kiriko.