Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Conversation (4)
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"You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you?"
The goddess Pyro appraised Jamie with a weary expression on her face.
"Humans really do shoot up like weeds. I wish my dear apostle would grow up quickly too."
Pyro wandered around as if strolling through her surroundings, hands clasped behind her back, muttering to herself.
Jamie tracked her movements with just his eyes.
His insides twisted and rotted away. The pressure radiating from her presence was crushing his still-immature body.
Yet the one responsible didn't even notice, taking it as the most natural thing in the world.
'This is what gods are like.'
They never look down on anything, never put themselves in others' shoes.
They have no need to.
They're the kind who believe everything persists only because they exist.
Just as humans ignore ants, Pyro was no different. To her, the boy Jamie was an ant.
'The good thing is, I'm no ordinary ant.'
An ant can't grasp a human's weakness, but a human can grasp a god's.
"Could you rein in your power a bit?"
What human would square their shoulders and make such a request of a god?
Pyro, who had been joyfully circling about in her rare descent, widened her eyes in surprise.
"What did you say?"
"I said I'm about to burst and die like this, so please hold back your power."
"Ah!"
Only then did the obtuse goddess realize her mistake.
'She won't even think of it as a real wrongdoing.'
She'd surely dismiss it as a minor slip-up.
That was as much consideration as Pyro offered. Among the 12 Gods, she was the kindest, so she spared some thought for mortals.
Any other god would have been merciless.
For instance, Zenith would have killed him on the spot for his insolence, weakness or no weakness.
"There. I've reined it in."
The pressure vanished.
Jamie staggered greatly but thrashed about desperately to avoid falling.
He wouldn't kneel before a god, even if his legs were severed.
He'd rather die.
"I wasn't considerate of you. Well, humans have fallen to that level of existence anyway."
The words grated on him terribly, but Jamie pretended not to notice.
Still, his boiling rage felt ready to erupt at any moment.
"Even so, I think you're not half bad. Feel free to take pride in it. After all, you've been acknowledged by a god."
'What nauseating drivel.'
The retort rose to the tip of his throat but he swallowed it back down.
As Jamie stared silently, Pyro smirked.
"Right. You must have plenty to discuss with me. And I have loads of questions for you too."
Pyro dropped her smile and approached Jamie.
At her gesture, two chairs rose from the surface of the water.
Not magic.
A god is master of all creation.
If she wished, she could build a castle right here.
Though it would consume divine power, as long as her followers' faith endured, her strength was infinite.
"Sit."
Pyro sat first and offered Jamie the other seat.
As soon as Jamie sat, Pyro spoke up.
"That day, you mentioned Diablo Volpir to me."
"Yes."
"And you said you'd inherited his legacy. Quite boldly, too."
She called it bold because he'd openly named him before a god.
Diablo Volpir had been such a tenacious nemesis to the 12 Gods.
They'd failed to kill him outright and had to seal him away for eons.
"That's right."
"Cheeky brat. If you've inherited that guy's legacy, you're my enemy by definition... Yet here you are, holding your head high. Is it because you trust my cute little apostle?"
"It's not Riki I trust."
Jamie replied with a cold smile.
"It's the leash I've put around that guy's neck."
This time, Pyro's face turned icy.
A moment of silence passed.
They glared at each other without averting their eyes even for a second.
Pyro was genuinely shocked by his demeanor.
'Setting aside whether he's truly inherited Volpir's legacy... has there ever been a human this defiant before a god?'
She was a god who'd lived through long ages, but since the dawn of this new history, she'd never encountered such a human.
There had been rebels against the gods before, but even they knelt before divine authority.
But earlier, and now too, Jamie Welton stood tall before a god.
Incomprehensibly so.
"You really think that's my weakness?"
"Not right now, maybe. But as time passes, it'll eat away at you. And by the time you snap out of it, there'll be nothing left."
Jamie's eyes held unwavering certainty.
The funny thing was, Pyro agreed with him.
That was why she'd created an apostle in the first place.
She'd been cornered into it. If her apostle died, she'd have nothing left.
"Such a reckless fool."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Whatever. But I'm curious. Where did you get Diablo Volpir's power from?"
"Before that, may I ask something first?"
"Reckless to the end. What is it?"
"What happened to Diablo Volpir?"
It was the one thing he'd wanted to ask her most upon meeting.
Diablo Volpir had been sealed in the eons-spanning void by the 12 Gods.
Yet he'd reincarnated here after 66,666 years. Reincarnation meant his original body had died, but did the 12 Gods know nothing of it?
Jamie doubted it. At least, not until he heard from Pyro.
"I don't know."
"Pardon?"
He thought he'd misheard.
Pyro was one of those who'd sealed Diablo Volpir herself. How could she not know?
"The eons-void we sealed him in ends the moment the seal is placed. No god, myself included, can interfere with that space."
"...So he could have escaped?"
"Diablo Volpir was impressive, no doubt. Enough to threaten our seats among the 12 Gods. But that's all he was. The eons-void is the 'primordial darkness' that existed before the world was made. An infinite space even gods can't touch. We threw him in there. Escape is impossible. Death, maybe."
"..."
"We sealed him in the primordial darkness precisely because we couldn't kill him. It amounts to mental annihilation... or death."
In other words, they'd planned to turn him into a complete vegetable.
It was bitter news for Jamie, but since they'd failed to kill Diablo Volpir physically, it wasn't all bad.
'The key point is, they don't know about my death.'
He'd suspected as much, but hearing it directly eased his mind.
"Your master is probably just a husk by now. Or perhaps he's ceased to exist. Either way, harsh words for you."
It was absurd how freely she said such things to his face, but that was exactly why no one could like the 12 Gods.
As Jamie masked his expression, Pyro asked again.
"Back to me, then. So how did you obtain that power?"
"Just luck. I stumbled across it in some mountain. Truly by chance, so nothing more to tell."
"...You expect me to believe that half-baked excuse?"
"But my power's already proven itself. No reason not to believe it."
"It's not about belief. We struggled to erase every trace of him from the world. We didn't get everything, but the big pieces? Completely wiped out."
For example, Ganon.
The powerful black sorcerer from 700 years ago had lost his life to a dragon.
Before he could spread the truth.
"But you claim you just found it on a mountain... Fine. It doesn't matter anyway."
How he'd gotten the power was irrelevant.
What mattered was that this reckless young human was indeed Diablo Volpir's spiritual successor.
Pyro gazed at Jamie, then noticed the bracelet on his arm and spoke.
"That bracelet... It's been ages."
Pyro's eyes fixed on 'Perfect Cell'.
Diablo Volpir's three divine artifacts.
She hadn't met the mighty black sorcerer often, but she remembered the three treasures he possessed.
Perfect Immunity 'Perfect Cell'.
Unyielding Pride 'All Might'.
God Slayer 'God Killer'.
"Such annoyances, resurfacing in the world."
Jamie rubbed Perfect Cell and posed a question to her.
"I know my spiritual master was your mortal enemy."
"Yes. A truly vile monster. Luckily, I never faced him much myself, but Zenith fought that black sorcerer endlessly. Hilarious how he kept losing, though."
"Yet you're acknowledging me?"
"Acknowledging...?"
Jamie had expected Pyro to snap back prickishly, treating him like trash.
But she didn't rise to the provocation, responding calmly even now.
The goddess of mercy and punishment couldn't lie. It would be a sin inviting her own retribution, defying her own divinity.
So everything Pyro showed now was sincere.
'Surprising.'
He'd known she differed from the other 12 Gods, but not to this extent.
Pyro spoke.
"Diablo Volpir ruined many plans, but since I never faced him directly, I can't quite feel it. So no real sense of acknowledgment or whatever."
"I see."
"More than that..."
Pyro crossed her legs alluringly and continued.
"I'm not in a position to be picky right now."
He knew her situation without asking.
"So you need my power?"
"This incident convinced me. You're still unripe, but grow a bit more and I can use you well."
Pyro revealed her desire without a hint of shame.
Unable to lie, her words spilled out uncensored.
Jamie wasn't naive enough to yield to her pressure.
"I'm Diablo Volpir's successor."
"So what? Ah, you hate the 12 Gods so much you can't ally with me? That's ridiculous. You mentioned Diablo Volpir precisely to reach out to me."
Jamie’s eyes widened slightly at Pyro's sharp insight.
He hadn't expected her to see through that.
He'd thought she'd just been startled and bitten the bait...
'A god is a god.'
Without such perception, he'd have been disappointed.
"So? No interest?"
"Hard to fully trust each other."
"Fair point. Then I'll just have to give you reason to trust."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"It won't be a bad deal for you either, black sorcerer. Hahahahaha!"
With that, Pyro laughed like some old man despite her innocent face.
Jamie gaped unwittingly at the goddess's bizarre sight. She had one of the most unique personalities among the 12 Gods.
"Let's hear it."
He felt dragged along her pace, but given her nature, it wouldn't be an unreasonable offer.
Pyro began her pitch.
In the distance loomed the grand estate of the Bell Marquis family.
[What an arduous journey.]
"Mm..."
Vena nodded at Philion's words, the hammer.
She'd lost track of how long they'd wandered in Mirene Forest.
The forest was a total wreck, like it'd been bombed, with all paths obliterated.
Few people ventured into that woods to begin with, and now with the massive battle erasing the trails, how many could find their way out?
They'd tried flying to escape, but for some reason, she couldn't transform into her previous form.
Philion had said, "You weren't fully awakened after all," suggesting it was temporary.
Vena had burst into tears right there in the forest heart.
"I'm exhausted."
Vena squatted before the estate, sighing deeply.
She stared blankly at the mansion, then suddenly glared venomously.
"Master's so mean!"
How could he not come looking for her!
He should have rushed right over once the fight ended.
Vena dragged her aching legs toward the estate.
"First, transform..."
She couldn't enter like this, so she shifted back to her pink squirrel form.
[What's with that appearance?]
"You transform small too."
[Why must I?]
When Vena explained, Philion sighed deeply.
[To think my new master endures such treatment...]
"I'm sad too, so hurry and transform."
[Something that suits that form well.]
Philion eyed the squirrel Vena intently, then with a puff, transformed.
Into a small blue scarf fit for a squirrel's neck.
"Wow! So pretty!"
[Put it on quick.]
"Thanks!"
Vena beamed as she wrapped the scarf around her neck.
Satisfied with her look, she chirped happily.
She bounded on all fours into the estate.
But upon reaching Jamie's room, she found it empty and grew despondent.
"Where's Master?"
Thinking maybe he was out for a walk, she checked outside, but the estate seemed sparsely populated.
It had only been a few days, but it was usually bustling with people.
[Must be out.]
"...Leaving me behind."
Vena's eyes blazed with fury.
Forgetting her was bad enough; going off to have fun?
Master or not, she'd give him a piece of her mind when he returned, she vowed.
That was when—
"Whoa!"
"Oh my, so cute~"
Someone scooped her up suddenly.
The world spun away in an instant, leaving her dizzy.
Vena flailed her limbs in panic as voices rose from behind.
"Isn't this the squirrel the young master from the lady's side carries around?"
"Look at that. Pink fur. Too adorable."
"Insane, insane. Look at that scarf."
'Wh-what?'
Vena twisted to look back.
The maids were eyeing her with sparkling gazes.
"It has a little ribbon too. Wouldn't it be cute on her head?"
"Young master would love it."
"A decoration on the tail would be too much cuteness, right?"
'No, no!'
Vena cried out desperately, but to ordinary ears, it was just squeaks.
"Let's make her super cute before he gets back."
"He'll definitely like it."
Vena shrieked as they dragged her off, but to them, it sounded like mere squealing.
Philion sighed again at his master's plight.
[To think this is my master.]
A foreboding sense that rough roads lay ahead washed over him.