Chapter 85: Chaos (8)
Chapter 85: Chaos (8)
Laysia, who had fallen into a peaceful slumber, slowly fluttered her eyelids open.
"Mmm..."
Her mind felt refreshed, as if she had enjoyed a truly deep sleep, but a faint, lingering warmth still clung to her body.
Laysia realized she had been sleeping cradled in Han Shin’s arms.
His firm, muscular arms were wrapped around her, and she had drifted off with her face pressed close to his chest.
Naturally, both were stark naked. They had been sharing the warmth of a thick duvet, their bodies pressed tightly together, when Laysia finally woke.
In truth, she had only been asleep for about two hours.
'Ah...'
Her thoughts were sluggish at first, but she soon remembered why she was here—she had given herself to Han Shin for the sake of a level up.
As she had told Grace, her original plan was to have the mana from the dungeon cores collected over two days converted into Tiamat’s holy power, receive the injection from Han Shin to level up, and then leave the room immediately.
But that plan had proven utterly meaningless.
Laysia recalled how, after being held by Han Shin for the first time, a switch of pure lust had been flipped within her, leading her to seek his embrace over and over again.
Her face flushed crimson with shame.
And yet, despite the embarrassment, she didn't want to pull away from her current position—wrapped in Han Shin’s dependable arms, held close to his chest.
She had entered this room vowing not to stay long, but the sight of herself having indulged in his embrace to her heart's content before falling asleep in his arms made her feel bashful.
'But... I’m happy...'
Even through the shame, being held like this felt wonderful. It made her feel truly happy.
Han Shin had given her a level of intense pleasure she had never experienced before, and seeing him display such possessiveness toward her...
In a way, his actions could have been seen as offensive, but Laysia didn't find herself disliking him at all.
If anything, she liked him even more.
Before Laysia became a Follower of Tiamat, she had been a renowned and exceptional martial artist in Bürg, the world where she was born.
At the same time, she was a priestess who worshipped Tiamat. She stood at the very pinnacle of martial artists in Bürg and held the rank of a high priestess.
With her stunning beauty and extraordinary abilities, she was the envy of all.
Naturally, she had many suitors, but she chose to marry Zeroni, her childhood friend from the equally prestigious Morrow family.
For her, it was a natural progression. The Access and Morrow families were close, and both had grown up assuming they would eventually marry. They considered themselves each other's perfect halves.
Zeroni enjoyed a successful career as a prominent politician, while Laysia made a name for herself as a martial artist.
The two were seen as a perfect match—a handsome, talented couple that drew the envy and jealousy of everyone around them.
However, three years into their marriage, Bürg was invaded by the Evil Gods.
While Grace’s world, Nippur, had been reduced to ashes as a battlefield between the Benevolent Gods and the Evil Gods...
Laysia’s world, Bürg, fell before the Benevolent Gods could even act. It was a full-scale invasion by demons serving the Evil Gods, followed by the direct descent of an Evil God.
As the demons conquered Bürg, Laysia fought with everything she had, but against the descended gods, her resistance was a futile struggle.
She was forced to watch as countless people were slaughtered, left with no choice but to wait for the help of the Benevolent Gods.
However, the Benevolent Gods were hesitant to intervene, as the Evil Gods had struck first and seized control of Bürg. It had been a lightning-fast invasion; by the time the Benevolent Gods could respond, Bürg was already tainted by the power of the Evil Gods, its inhabitants dead or corrupted. Any battle at that point would have been a meaningless waste of resources.
Instead, they chose to relocate the few remaining survivors to another planet.
The survivors of Bürg who moved to this vacant planet numbered a mere 300 million.
Considering Bürg’s population had been nearly 12 billion, it was a devastatingly small number.
They began anew in a new home.
One might expect that after such immense hardship, everyone would cooperate and work together for a fresh start...
But human greed persists even in the direst of circumstances.
Especially in a situation where most things had been destroyed by an overwhelming disaster and chaos reigned.
The desire of those who craved power burned even brighter during such times.
They saw it as an opportunity to become a king who reigned over everyone else.
Those consumed by political ambition gathered their forces in the shadows, vying to become the king of the 300 million survivors. No, they wanted to be called Emperors.
One of those people was Laysia’s husband, Zeroni.
He was a politician to his core, but until then, he had known his place and hadn't openly displayed much greed for power.
However, in a situation where anyone could become Emperor depending on their moves, Zeroni’s hidden ambition manifested.
He calculated that it would be possible if he had his wife, Laysia—the strongest Awakener among the survivors—by his side.
Contrary to his plans, however, Laysia rejected Zeroni’s demands.
She had no desire to involve herself in politics, nor did she have any intention of becoming an Empress.
She was still suffering from the guilt of failing to protect her world, Bürg, and the citizens she couldn't save when the demons invaded. Zeroni had failed to consider her feelings entirely.
When Zeroni demanded her help for his political gain, she did not take it well. To her, it was nothing more than a pointless pursuit of power.
Hearing that Laysia had no intention of helping any politician—contrary to his expectations—sounded like the sky was falling to Zeroni.
He had never had a reason to make such a request before, but now that he had, Laysia had rejected him flatly.
This incident drove a massive wedge between them... and became the catalyst for Zeroni to discard her.
Realizing that Laysia would not move according to his will and might even become an obstacle, Zeroni felt the need to remove her.
But for Zeroni, getting rid of Laysia through force was impossible.
She was a Battle Priest and had been famous as the top martial artist in Bürg before the conquest. The idea of subduing her with martial power was unthinkable.
So, Zeroni found a way to use Laysia to bolster his own reputation while isolating her from society.
Although the survivors of Bürg had started over on a new planet with the help of the gods, they never knew when the demons might strike again.
The fear that the demons would find them again drove the need for a solid defense system, and they pleaded with the Benevolent Gods for help. They had already learned that their own strength was not enough.
To protect them, the Benevolent Gods intended to station their respective followers there and create a system of magical barriers.
In that process, using the justification that she was the strongest martial artist, Zeroni urged Laysia to become a Follower of Tiamat.
Unlike his previous power-hungry demands, this had a clear, noble justification. Laysia, who felt a responsibility to protect the survivors, accepted the proposal.
And then...
Laysia could only watch as Zeroni changed completely the moment she became Tiamat’s Follower.
Becoming a Follower of a Benevolent God meant gaining great power through the god's choice... but it wasn't all good.
Literally becoming a god's follower made it difficult to mingle with ordinary people; she had to fight solely according to the god's commands.
Zeroni began a media campaign, playing the part of a tragic hero who had to separate from and leave his wife for the greater good.
In Bürg, Zeroni and Laysia had been famous as a beautiful, talented, and devoted couple. His "sacrifice" had a massive impact on the public.
Zeroni’s popularity skyrocketed, and he received overwhelming support.
The public opinion grew strong: if someone were to lead them, it should be a self-sacrificing and devoted man like Zeroni.
He was seen as a man who would even sacrifice his beautiful, exceptional wife for the cause.
Before Laysia could even react, Zeroni was naturally acclaimed to a position equivalent to Emperor.
By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late. As a Follower of Tiamat, Laysia could no longer act on her own whims.
She realized she had been deceived, discarded, and used by Zeroni, but there was no way to turn back.
Breaking a contract with a god was unthinkable, and someone had to protect the survivors of Bürg.
Even knowing she had been played by Zeroni—who had even predicted this sense of duty—she had no choice but to remain silent and comply.
For the next ten years, Laysia fought demons and protected the people.
However, seeing Zeroni—the man who had discarded her—remarry under the pretext of needing an heir and continue to thrive in power filled Laysia with an indescribable sense of loss and betrayal.
At first, Tiamat didn't pay much attention to Laysia’s situation, but sensing her suffering, the goddess took pity on her and suggested she go into a long slumber.
Neo Bürg, the new settlement, was now protected by dimensional barriers installed by the Benevolent Gods, making it difficult for powerful demons to cross over. The other Benevolent Gods were fine with her stepping back, so it was acceptable for her to be absent.
While there was some competition among the Benevolent Gods to expand their influence over sentient beings, Tiamat—who was originally a dragon before ascending to godhood—was relatively free from such concerns.
And so, after ten years of fighting demons as Tiamat’s Follower, Laysia had remained in a deep sleep within her sanctuary until now.