Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Mural of the Gods
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The mural, large enough to overwhelm both Victoria and me, was so immense it could be mistaken for a gateway to another world.
On the left, eleven figures with grave expressions stood ready for battle.
On the opposing right side was a giant, shadowy figure that looked like a shattered mirror.
This was clearly a mural related to the gods.
I could see the image of the long-bearded old man I'd grown sick of seeing countless times during my stay at the Magic Tower.
"The chief god... It's Odin. Why is he in a place like this...?"
Looking at Odin, the leader of the gods also known as the God of Magic, fighting alongside other beings against something, I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
First, the location was problematic.
This was the forbidden library of the Holy Kingdom of Aurelium.
It was meant to store books that shouldn't be made public and documents considered taboo.
That meant this mural was also that kind of item. If it were just a picture of gods being worshipped, it wouldn't carry much meaning, but now it did.
"Heavenly God Lumina is here too. What could this possibly mean?"
Victoria, who also recognized the Heavenly God, added a comment as she looked at the mural.
She too kept tilting her head, realizing something was amiss.
"...And why eleven people?"
Second, the two beings depicted in the mural were problematic.
Because the figures of the evil gods Selena and Avisus, which had been drawn in Victoria's document, were clearly visible.
Beings called the Monster God and the Demon God, respectively.
I had clearly seen succubi and incubi in the demon realm imitating the appearance of clergy to worship them, and monsters offering prayers to idols made of stone and grass.
"Something's strange. Why are the evil gods we heard about and saw being worshipped in the demon realm fighting on the same side as something?"
Why did it look like they were joining forces with gods from the opposing camp?
Even though they were beings fundamentally different from other gods—ones who loved the ugliness of life and encouraged evil deeds as doctrine.
"...If the opponent is strong enough that they have to fight together, it's not entirely impossible."
I made a sphere of light float above my palm and began examining it carefully.
The fragments, which looked like shattered glass pieces, were forming the shape of a giant, human-like figure.
I'd never heard of a god or monster with that appearance. Just in case, I rummaged through the ancient texts around here, but nothing similar came up.
I couldn't even guess its identity.
"Could it be a monster from mythology or another god whose name hasn't been revealed yet? Aren't murals like this found everywhere?"
Victoria tossed her hair toward me and shared her hypothesis.
Of course, this kind of interpretation couldn't be called wrong.
The continent we lived on had an enormous diversity of gods believed in, depending on region and race.
For example, beastfolk with animal ears believed in Fenrir, a god in the form of a great wolf.
The Beast God Fenrir, called the god of war and survival, revered strength and bravery. Each god had different appearances and different domains.
"Even if gods are described as having ever-changing forms and their myths vary by region..."
I added, thinking of my assessment of the gods from the demon realm. Even the same being could have its meaning or value flipped depending on the region or faith.
"...This is something wrong. I've never seen a mural with this many gods appearing at once, even in the grand cathedral."
Therefore, for this many gods to be gathered in a single painting, there must be some message embedded in it.
If they deliberately gathered gods of different religious colors to depict them fighting something together, then this was clearly...
"...It's likely a prophecy of the future or something that actually happened in the past. An interesting speculation. As expected of my lover."
"Of course you're smart. A child born from marrying someone like you would surely be brilliant...? Just imagining it is so cute I could go crazy..."
"Was that last part really necessary?"
I flinched slightly at hearing Victoria's inner thoughts and retorted. After all, maintaining this relationship with her was only for the sake of defeating the Demon King.
It would be very troublesome if one of us became serious.
"I don't think that's something the person who declared me his girlfriend in front of the Holy Kingdom's knight order should say..."
"There was a reason I had to do that then. You didn't believe me."
"My, my. Could it be you've developed a desire to claim and monopolize a beautiful woman like me?"
Victoria spoke with a relaxed air, but the constant disparagement and hateful looks she used to give were gone.
"I have no such feelings."
"You could be a little more... greedy."
"Make me your woman, Astal. Cover me with the scent of a male, paint me over with thoughts of only you..."
Victoria's figure, whispering sweet words into my ear to the point where her inner thoughts and outward appearance barely differed anymore, was becoming burdensome.
"Anyway, this is definitely something worthy of being in a forbidden library."
I stepped back to create distance from her and voiced my impression.
It was the first time I'd ever seen a mural depicting good gods and evil gods together driving something away.
It was the kind of fact that, if told to others, could get you burned at the stake for heresy or captured by inquisitors to rot away for a lifetime.
"Victoria, can you pray to the Heavenly God and ask what this is?"
"...I've been trying since earlier, but there's been no response."
"What on earth is this that she's acting like this? Normally she's so talkative..."
Heavenly God Lumina wasn't giving any answer, and I scratched my chin as I watched.
I thought she might know some clue. After all, heroes and saints are chosen because gods cannot directly influence the mortal world.
"Well, isn't it fortunate that this isn't showing our future?"
"At first, I even mistook it for our children fighting the Demon King Ergothum. There are exactly eleven people, after all..."
Was it truly a coincidence that the number of children Victoria had previously imagined in her inner thoughts matched exactly the number of gods depicted in the mural?
"Children combining a dragon's mixed blood and a genius mage's talent would be the fruit of love created by you and me together."
I clicked my tongue slightly and felt goosebumps rise on my skin at Victoria's mysterious transformation.
Her expression was as cold and icy as usual, but her inner thoughts were more passionate than anyone's.
"...It's uncomfortable, but should we head back to our comrades now? They're probably waiting for us."
I needed to rejoin our comrades quickly, before Victoria got any more strange ideas. Once we defeated the Succubus Queen, this fake relationship would come to an end anyway.
Moreover, there was insufficient evidence or clues to interpret that mural. Discussing opinions with our comrades was another method.
If we spent more time here, the fact that we'd violated the imperial decree might be discovered.
"I'd like to stay with you a little longer..."
"I don't want to be apart. If we rejoin the comrades, you'll try to keep your distance from me again, won't you?"
Victoria was now expressing with her body that she didn't want to be separated from me.
The soft, pliant sensation wouldn't leave my arm.
"...My arm's going to cramp."
If this continued, it felt like my arm would lose blood circulation and become necrotic. I tried to free my arm from her grip by force, but...
"I can heal it with divine power, can't I? For now, please fully enjoy the greatest chest on the continent."
Victoria opened her eyes wide as if I were strange and used her divine power to promote blood flow in my forearm.
"This is awkward. Can we stop? You didn't even ask for permission before making physical contact."
"You recklessly saved a nation's saint, and is this kind of repayment insufficient? Very well. Tonight in the bedroom, we'll engage in more passionate acts..."
Thwack!
"...Ouch."
"A saint who says things she shouldn't. I have no intention of doing that with you in the first place, okay?"
I flicked Victoria's forehead as she spoke. If I didn't draw a line like this in advance, her emotions and actions seemed likely to cross boundaries.
"You're a coward. Even if it's a fake one-month relationship, wouldn't it be nice to enjoy a little deviation like this?"
"Do that later with someone you truly like. We have to go back to being comrades after a month."
"...Hmm. I wonder if you have someone else in mind."
"You were my first love, you know? I've never liked another man before you, nor will I ever like another man in the future..."
Anxiety flowed from Victoria's inner thoughts, but she gave a playful smirk, trying not to show her uneasy feelings.
"How could there be? Love is ultimately a kind of drug. When its effects wear off, you return to a state of indifference."
To push Victoria away, I deliberately made up something I didn't really mean.
The reason I don't fall in love now is because I think I'm a human who has no value in living if it's not for my parents' revenge.
"An interesting theory. The emotion of love is certainly connected to sexual desire. After all, all the men who said they fell for me were interested in my body."
"Of course, you were the only exception. You were the first man who treated me well without falling for me or having ulterior motives." "For your information, I'm not interested."
"Is that so? The staff in your lower half seems rather honest, though."
Victoria chuckled and made another lewd remark. Being next to her like this kept distracting my mind elsewhere.
"...Or perhaps, I just don't make it hard? This is a bit frustrating. I have confidence in various aspects, you know."
— Victoria Should I check with my hand when Astal is asleep...?
↳ Reply I agree. Making someone fall in love like this and then trying to run away is cowardly, I think.
↳ Reply N-no, I'm against it! How could you do such a shameless thing! That kind of thing should be done after confirming love... S-slowly!
↳ Reply Hmm, but you're not saying you won't do it? You're just postponing it for later, right? ↳ Reply Pervert. Pervert. You're completely filled with thoughts of mating. Sharing love like two beasts, engaging in passionate acts until your whole body is soaked with sweat...
"Could you please stop that obscene talk?
The ideal image I have of you is gradually disappearing.
Historically, saints were originally..."
Unable to put it into words or find a way to point it out, I gave her a warning like this.
But,
"And just which bitch... I mean, which saint is that? Are you daring to think of cheating on such a beautiful girlfriend right now?"
Her eyes grew colder than ever upon hearing my statement, grinding her teeth audibly between twisted lips.
"No matter what anyone says, you are mine. Don't even think about running away anywhere."
The emotion called jealousy.
Now Victoria was emitting a murderous intent as cold as a blade just from me mentioning another woman.