Villainous Tale: "Are You Both Alright?!"
"Are you both alright?!"
I released the power of dreams and rushed to the two fallen gods.
They'd been precious investors from the start, and seeing them risk death to keep my secrets made me worry even more.
Engineer Who Cast Off Rage writes with his finger: 'Could you tell me what happened with the Demon God inside?'
"Help me up, will you?"
I grabbed the magitech engineer's arm and helped him to his feet.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Thanks to you blocking it, my core wasn't damaged."
The magitech engineer patted his chest.
"Gods have a core that establishes their identity with divinity. As long as this core is intact, a god can recover from any injury."
"Ah... I see."
Well, duh—they're gods. Self-healing is a given.
But hearing [Engineer Who Cast Off Rage does this and that] turn into casual chit-chat like we were regular humans felt kinda weird.
"Thanks for saving me. I nearly had my divinity core shattered."
"No, no—this was all because of me."
"If I hadn't asked that of you, the Demon God wouldn't have targeted you either. Sorry."
"Ah, no! We both wanted this! I needed a constellation willing to be part of the stories anyway."
"...I see. I'm grateful you see it that way."
As his mechanical arm whirred, automatically repairing itself, the magitech engineer asked,
"By the way, how did you end up in the Divine Realm? Have you achieved godhood?"
"Huh? Oh, no! Nothing like that. I projected my spirit here using my constellation's power."
"Power...? ...Ah, I see. I sense the power of dreams. So you're still human, then?"
"Yes."
"That's strange."
"...Pardon?"
"Do you know why constellations speak to mortals on earth in that format—[So-and-so does such-and-such]?"
"Uh... no."
"It's because their dignity is so exalted that direct conversation could burn out a mortal's brain."
"......Pardon?"
"Yet here you are, perfectly fine. Most peculiar. Even the mightiest humans would struggle with it."
"......"
Is it because I perceive constellations through my terminal and read their thoughts?
I almost told him, then stopped.
Better not mention the mind-reading thing. Too awkward.
Engineer Who Cast Off Rage writes with his finger: 'Yes is one finger from a fist, no is two fingers.'
"Hmph."
Goddess Ren pressed a finger to one nostril, snorting out the clotted blood inside.
"Thanks, Apostle of Dreams."
She was covered in blood too, but her wounds were already healing rapidly—must be her innate regeneration.
Just as she walked over and leaned against us—
"Sacrifice. You're surprisingly frail."
Goddess Ren's eyebrow twitched.
"What nonsense is this?"
"Unlike a scholar like me, you're a martial knight, aren't you? I had hopes as one of the 7 Heroes, but you weren't even a match for the Demon God."
"...That was because the enemy was too strong. You're the one who got knocked out by a single magic bullet!"
"I'm a magitech engineer. In my fully equipped domain, I wouldn't have fallen so easily. But you? Invaded in your domain and crumpled just the same."
"Th-that...!"
Ren's lips quivered.
She was furious—tears even welled in her eyes. She wanted to retort but had nothing.
'It's true, but it pisses me off anyway.'
"Don't be too harsh. Lady Ren was consumed by Sloth for so long, she couldn't even train properly. Once she gets back into it, she'll regain her prime. Right, Lady Ren?"
"You...!"
She lunged at me, hugging tight.
"You're the only one!"
Pwaaaang~
Getting beaten by the Demon God had already crushed her, highlighting her weakness. The magitech engineer's follow-up just salted the wound.
I patted her back soothingly.
"I'll pick up the sword again and train! I can cut down a Demon God like that! I'm Sacrifice Who Overcame Sloth!"
She seemed so childish.
Her cool big-sis looks clashed with this kid-like side—if her followers saw, it'd be chaos.
But why was this magitech engineer picking on an ally like that?
Engineer Who Cast Off Rage writes with his finger: 'Did the Demon God order you to revive someone for her?'
That's when a divine message from the magitech engineer came through my terminal.
!!!
Now I got why he'd provoked Goddess Ren.
The Demon God had planted part of her power in me to watch me.
Our conversation was probably under surveillance.
I held up one finger.
The magitech engineer smiled, satisfied.
He'd figured it out without me spilling, staged a distraction to dodge the Demon God's eyes via constellation speech.
Exploiting her supreme arrogance, assuming we'd never betray her greatness.
Truly one of history's greatest geniuses.
Engineer Who Cast Off Rage writes with his finger: 'Did she say she'd make an episode for her?'
I held up my index finger again, pretending to scratch my thigh while writing "Previous Demon King."
I couldn't read my own finger-writing, but a god's eyes could. Perfect, with the Demon God's gaze on Ren via me.
The magitech engineer's eyes widened slightly at my fingertip. He nodded, understanding.
Engineer Who Cast Off Rage writes with his finger: 'I trust her because of what our benefactor did for us.'
Engineer Who Cast Off Rage writes with his finger: 'But if things go wrong, the Demon God will target you.'
Engineer Who Cast Off Rage writes with his finger: 'It could be very dangerous.'
I wrote on my thigh again: "It's fine. Once the episode's done, she won't escape it."
The magitech engineer eyed me worriedly.
"You possess talents surpassing even constellations. Yet they are beings who transcended limits to reach godhood. They hide trump cards beyond mortal imagination. Be cautious."
He was genuinely concerned for me.
A genius legendary in human history, pinnacle of magitech—a god worrying about me.
Didn't feel bad at all.
Even more impressive: Amid patching wounds from the Demon God, he'd sized up the situation, diverted her gaze, and questioned me—all with calm precision.
"Hah. No need to state the obvious. This kid's sharper than you."
Goddess Ren glared at the magitech engineer and pulled me into her embrace.
Her soft, pillowy chest enveloped my face warmly.
"You book-smart monk."
I'd thought she was faking anger for some WWE-style banter with him...
But it seemed real.
"Baa~."
"...A child, are you?"
The magitech engineer clicked his tongue in disbelief at Ren sticking out her tongue like a bratty insult.
Dream Storyteller shrieks, asking if you know how worried she was.
"Hahaha. Sorry, Lady Constellation. It was too urgent—I had no choice."
Investors are like brothers-in-arms, right?
How could I stand by while they were in danger?
Dream Storyteller says 'eoseo?' while making a scary face she thinks is tough.
"The Demon God wants something from me, so she won't touch me."
Dream Storyteller stomps hard, asking what happens to her if she loses her only apostle and is left alone—but it just goes 'thud thud.'
"I won't do anything that risky next time. But this time, I was sure the Demon God wouldn't harm me. I know my life's on the line too."
With a promise of sweet desserts as offerings next time, I finally soothed my constellation. Then I activated developer mode and created a new episode.
This one's the Demon God's backstory.
Her master, the previous Demon King, would star.
A tale of a master cherishing her disciple? Common enough here.
But what if he calls himself evil for her sake, acts the butcher, hides the truth, and gets slain?
Cliché on Earth, novel here.
Time for another villainous tale.
My vision unfolded through the power of dreams.