My spirit of experimentation surged.
I felt an irresistible urge to analyze and identify the Goddess.
The Goddess was like a vast net stretched across the sky. Beyond her divine majesty, her sheer scale was overwhelming. After all, Divine Power was accessible anywhere in this world.
It operated as an underlying principle of existence, like how gravitational force was universal.
Divine Power itself was both enigmatic and formidable. It bypassed the realms of medicine and pharmacology, delivering the simple outcome of “healed.” Its strangeness was such that even a seasoned doctor would be left dumbfounded.
Of course, in a world abundant with concepts like souls and mana, it strayed far from the boundaries of science but⋯⋯ Even for a wizard, Divine Power held a mesmerizing allure.
The healing magic of the Red Tower was more of a showpiece. But it had a basic foundation—they used heat to accelerate the body’s natural healing processes. However, if someone asked how and why it worked, they could only respond with, “It’s magic.”
The mechanism of Divine Power was even more ‘magical.’
There was no talk of cells or observable biological logic and whatnot. The way Divine Power healed was simply summed up as, “It just works.”
And healing was just the beginning. If you looked at the various divine spells Tara had used before, she had cast a variety of different kinds and types of buffs. I remember her using body reinforcement and summon shield and other stuff like that.The Goddess’s Metamorphosis utilized, 『Cogwheel : Homeostasis』 —an ability that allowed her to be near-immortal.
So if I could establish positive communication and cooperation with the Goddess, then my battle against the “thing” would become significantly more manageable. But, the aspect that I was most excited about was⋯⋯.
The Inherited Sublimation manifested through the Evil God’s Sculpture.
『Heroine』 —the power the Queen wielded—originated from an external force. When the Queen used it, it felt like a satellite in space had fired the beam, rather than the Queen releasing an arrow herself.
This power was dissolved into the fabric of the world itslef, moving it with the sound of cogwheels turning.
It was this part right here.
If I could understand how it worked—and, more importantly, harness it—what could stop me from installing a TRPG simulator into reality itself?
I shared this idea with Evil God-chan.
It was nighttime. She was perched on a tree branch, lounging half-reclined. The moon rose behind her, outlining her silhouette.
Although her face was obscured by shadow, her expression remained oddly visible, as did the strange glint in her eyes. She had no reservations about showing herself.
There was an unshakable confidence about her—the kind you’d only see in an apex predator.
Evil God-chan wore a mocking smirk(嘲笑) tinged with sorrow. Her figure seemed to cast the shadow of an evil dragon.
“Yes, that’s the path I walked, Mima. That’s the final destination. There was no point in distinguishing between the virtual and reality—they were one and the same when I could do whatever I wanted.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“To me⋯⋯ can you even understand? How the world looked like a mere toy?”
To that, I responded firmly.
“Draw a clear line. A game is a game, and reality is reality. And⋯⋯ don’t pretend you were initially some kind soul corrupted by power. Isn’t it the other way around?”
Evil God-chan liked to portray herself as having fallen into darkness after gaining power, but the truth was the opposite. She was pitch-black to begin with, long before she reached her destination.
“Heu⋯⋯.”
Busted.
Her expression seemed to be saying that as she stuck out her tongue playfully, lightly biting it with a calm laugh.
===============================================================
Shudder shudder.
A man-powered carriage creaked its way through the city gates. The peculiar sight drew stares from guards and murmurs from the crowd, but who were we to care?
“⋯⋯ Why is a person pulling the carriage?”
“Yes, because… Our very own Pink-Haired Lesbian can effortlessly haul a carriage with three passengers!”
“He’s right. I’m unbelievably strong. However, I won’t be giving autographs. Please enjoy the show from a distance.”
We had decided to embrace being shameless. Since there was no horse, someone had to do the job, so what could we do about it? We were a true sigma duo who wouldn’t be fazed by the mere gazes of people.
Evil God-chan was indifferent as well. She was easily embarrassed by her own stuff, but she really had no interest in others.
Yuna, on the other hand, had transformed into a butterfly, clinging to the carriage roof, while our temporary companion—the young lady—sat inside with her eyes tightly shut, overwhelmed by secondhand embarrassment.
“So, this is the Elmest Estate? The inside is cleaner than I expected.1 ”
“You thought it was going to be dirty?”
“Well, it used to be the domain of the Succubus Queen, didn’t it? I thought it would have a more… corrupted vibe.”
“Ah ah, you’re right about that. But think about it. If she openly drained pleasure, she would have been caught and executed ages ago.”
Fair point.
Had the Queen been too blatant, the Empire’s problem-solver, the Boy Knight, would have split her in half. In that regard, I had to complement the Queen’s managing skills. She had taken over and managed an entire city without being caught for years.
Maybe she wasn’t just a master of seduction but also a political genius.
“The cleanup isn’t complete yet, is it? Maybe I should help tidy up—for Irid’s sake⋯⋯.”
“If you’re serious about cleaning, the Extermination Squad has already investigated and identified several key areas.”
She began listing suspected hotspots tied to the Queen’s influence: a brothel in a shady location, another in a conspicuously bright area, and one built entirely in secret.
“⋯⋯There’s a lot of types?”
“Succubi have their preferences.”
Our first stop was the local Church of the Goddess in Elmest Estate. We would honor Evil God-chan’s promise first and then erase every trace of the Queen’s remnants.
But before that, there was something else.
I poked my head into the carriage and asked the young lady,
“So, what’s your plan now, milady? We’ve reached the city.”
“Ah⋯⋯.”
“I, well⋯⋯ I happen to have connections with the current Grand Duke of the North. We’re quite close, you could say. I could offer some assistance if you’d like, Lady Erbasillion.”
“You have connections with⋯⋯ my father?”
The young lady’s sky-blue hair shimmered as she seemed to think for a moment. The flicker in her eyes was not relief but wariness. That wasn’t the reaction you would expect from someone meeting a friend of their father.
It didn’t feel like she was lying or scheming, which likely confirmed her identity as the Grand Duke’s daughter. If so, could it be that they just had a bad relationship?
‘Daisy’ was⋯⋯ yeah, his temper wasn’t exactly really good. He seemed to have plenty of complaints about his fiancée back in the day. So it looked like there was some family discord.
The Grand Duke and the young lady most likely wanted different things.
I adjusted my tone, to empathize mode.
“That man… he’s got a bit of a difficult personality, doesn’t he? Should I say stubborn? Or maybe a bit bullheaded?”
“Pardon⋯⋯?”
“Let me apologize on his behalf. Someone should’ve straightened him out years ago. Does he still scold the maids if there’s even a speck of dust on his shelves?”
“Ah, uh⋯⋯ I suppose that does sound like him. A bit.”
The young lady looked a bit confused. My words might have confirmed that I was a close friend of her father, but she still found it hard to believe. Let’s press a little further. I observed her eyes, her movements, and her mood⋯⋯.
This was──
“You’re wondering how someone as unhinged as me could possibly be friends with the stoic Grand Duke of the North, aren’t you, Lady Erbasillion? Hmhm, I get it.”
Evil God-chan interrupted and tossed in a spoiler just as I was piecing it all together.
“Hey, I was this close to figuring it out.”
“Too slooooow. You were dragging it out so much I couldn’t stand it anymore. Whose fault is it for being dumb and slow?”
“Want me to send you down the Jordan River2 real quick? My apologies, Lady Erbasillion. This girl has no patience.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
She was unconsciously protesting, urging me to hurry up and find that boy she had made the promise with. Watching me take my time and being so laid back was clearly making her anxious.
She did have a point—we needed to go. I told the Young Lady one last thing before I left.
“I’m willing to grant you almost any favor, so think carefully about what you’ll ask of me.”
“⋯⋯Sure, thank you for your kindness. Mr. Wizard.”
“No problem. You’re my friend’s daughter, after all.”
With a hearty laugh, I stepped out of the carriage.
===============================================================
The Church of the Goddess in the Elmest Estate looked like it had about 45% of its structural integrity left. I made a simple observation.
“Is this supposed to be a shrine or ruins?”
“Wouldn’t it be closer to ruins⋯⋯?”
“We did use explosives to topple the statue of the Goddess, but the destruction wasn’t nearly this severe.”
“When I came up from the underground after being abandoned, it was already this trashed. The kid I met here said estate knights had been coming and going. Looters, maybe?”
Looting, huh.
After the Extermination Squad beheaded the feudal lord, the Imperial Family sent a temporary administrator to govern the estate.
It seemed the Estate Knights had used the resulting power vacuum as an opportunity to satisfy their greed.
As examined the desolate remains of the Church while gathering data for our session, Evil God-chan strode inside and called out:
“I brought someone to fix your sister, so get out here!”
That was quite the loud declaration.
Evil God-chan’s voice carried an unusual excitement. I couldn’t see her expression from this angle, but I could easily imagine it.
If she was already like this, how would she react when the boy actually showed up?
If she truly felt the warmth of personally saving someone, received the boy’s heartfelt gratitude, and saw him reunite joyfully with his sister…
If she caught even a glimpse of goodness in the world…
If Evil God-chan found joy in doing good deeds, I might feel genuinely proud of her. I might even elevate her status to something like “half-human, half-beast.”
But that was for later.
For now, I was fully prepared to tease her mercilessly. I was going to mock her for being an “Evil God” now finding happiness in doing good deeds, and maybe I’d even start teasingly shipping her with the boy.
Both Evil God-chan and I had hearts brimming with our own expectations.
“Come out, hey! Can’t you come out already?!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“This is your last chance! Save your sister and turn your life around, do you hear me?! If you don’t come out right now, I’ll⋯⋯!!”
Expectations could sometimes sting.
Like a bubble, the bigger your hopes, the louder they pop when they burst.
Like a child eagerly awaiting a Christmas gift, only to find nothing under the tree the next morning. The disappointment would cut deep.
And after that disappointment, the thought might arise: I should never expect anything again. I should never dream again. I should never⋯⋯.
That kind of thought was bad for children.
So before Evil God-chan’s expectations could crumble entirely, I placed a hand on her head and casually said,
“Hey. Would you want to live in a place like this wreck?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“They probably have left this place already. Stop yelling and come over here. If the customer has left, we’ll just have to go find them, won’t we?
“⋯⋯⋯⋯Eung.”
Her response was muted.
Evil God-chan was smart, so of course⋯⋯ she would think that something must have happened.
She probably didn’t stop there, and probably thought a step further. If she had leaked the Queen’s information here, and if someone retrieved that⋯⋯ That meant the heretical zealots must have visited this place.
And from what the corrupt Paladin had said, those zealots wouldn’t hesitate to use people as sacrifices.
So, it wasn’t impossible that the boy and his unconscious sister, who had been hiding here, had been taken away⋯⋯ by someone.
Seeing a being who once spread malice across the world now feel pain and regret for her own evil deeds could be… thrilling, maybe even exhilarating.
But…
Who was I? I was the Happy Ending Maker.
“To Beauty Mark Guy and Senior Scarface, who dropped you off at the Magic Tower and left—guess what I asked them to do as a favor.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
Evil God-chan snapped her head toward me, her wide eyes filled with confusion. It was as if she was silently demanding to know what I was talking about. Deep within those enormous eyes, I saw a flicker of hope.
Her small fists clenched tightly at her sides. She seemed unsure whether I was joking, lying, or serious, so I added,
“Why would I be so laid back without any reason?”
“⋯⋯Hey!!”
Evil God-chan shouted and swung a solid punch at me. I was tempted to let her hit me and laugh it off, but then I remembered—unlike Yuna’s harmless punches, hers kind of⋯⋯ hurt!
While I was running through the ruins after dodging her punch, I sent a message to Senior Scarface.
===============================================================
“Esteemed Junior, Rowillen has been⋯⋯ kidnapped along with the boy. But they both still seem to be alive.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
I silently demoted Beauty Mark Guy to Beauty Mark Gay.
Footnotes
1. Korean meme. Cliche where a character says that line, usually something bad happens, or he dies. 2. Biblical reference. Korean mainly uses this term as "'Crossing' or 'Going down' the Jordan River" to talk about death or someone dying. ***
https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken