<Nyantan Kikeepat POV>

The goddess finally finished reading my report.

[There were some things I never expected, but it seems that making the Heroes more powerful by going to the Golden Demon Zone was a success. The casualties were only two light-colored Heroes, whose presences dont change anything whether theyre alive or not These results are superb ]

The Royal Castle of Alion.

The Goddess Personal Room.

Inside this room were only the Goddess and I.

The Goddess is twirling her fingers between her hair.

[Levelling-up Everytime they kill a Golden-Eyed monster, we could visibly see growth within them. There is no such thing like an easy growth in this world. Before they notice it, raising these numbers itself would be a pleasure for them Fufu, maybe its in the humans nature to be a slave to numbers.]

The Goddess threw the report back on to the desk.

[But Nyantan I cant help but wonder why Sogou-sans precious friends are still alive. Do you know why? It cant be helped if I think that its really strange.]

[It appears that someone or something has stopped them.]

[Ehh~? D- Dont tell me that you didnt investigate who stopped them- Well, you probably did, right? Youre excellent after all. Im really sorry if I doubted you.]

[My apologies. I couldnt figure out who it was.]

[Ehh~? Thats absurd! Y- Youre lying, right? Youre not making light of peoples lives, right?]

I deeply lowered my head.

[My apologies.]

[Is that so Is that so.. Youre not just covering up someone, right?]

[Theres no one for me to cover up.]

[Ummm This is hard for me to ask but]

[By all means.]

[You didnt immediately submit Ashintos report summarizing the information you received from Urza, did you?]

[I was late from submitting that report. My apologies.]

As if shes confirming her own words, the Goddess muttered.

[Youre late even though youre excellent.]

The goddess rises from her seat.

She stood behind me.

[Youre not secretly in touch with the Ashinto, the people who killed the Humanitys Strongest and were planning some kind of nefarious plan, are you Fufufu. Well, you wouldnt do that, right?]

The goddess put her hands around my waist.

Her hand began to caress my belly.

[You wouldnt do that, would you?]

[I wouldnt.]

Then, the Goddess began groping around my body.

Its as if shes looking for something hidden.

[What about the Takao Sisters?]

The reason why I was chosen as the sisters mentor.

The underlying reason is she wants me to act as their watchdog.

The goddess still hasnt decided how to treat the sisters.

[I dared to give those sisters freedom to act. And theyre using that freedom to do something that causes me grief? Ahh Im very nervous just to hear your answer. I think I need to take a deep breath Hwooooooooo Haaaaa]

[Theyre not moving in any way that we need to be particularly concerned about. Theyre steadily getting stronger though.]

[But the other day, they asked me a question that seemed to defy me. Its as if theyre thinking Im being mean to Sogou-san]

[I thought that if I gave the impression that Im not alienating them, I thought that they would come to trust Vysis-sama just like the other Heroes do That question may also be for that reason.]

[Is Hijiri-san really a person like that?]

[Yes.]

[Hmm~ I thought Hijiri-san was more aggressive than that she looks awfully eerie. Arara Ah, youre not lying, are you?]

[Of course not.]

[, . ? , ? ?]

This is a unique way of cross-examining by the Goddess for those who refuse to speak.

In rare cases, the Goddess uses the silence to probe the other persons mind.

[So thats how it is~]

Its difficult to judge what she means with just those few words.

I dont know how to interpret that.

The Goddess hands stop moving.

[Umm, Nyantan If its really too difficult for you, its alright for you to betray me, you know? Please dont overdo it. I wont blame you. I will just dispose of you.]

[Theres no way I would betray Vysis-sama.]

[Then, that delayed submission is really just your mistake? E- Even though your cute little sisters life may be at stake Its amazing that youre able to make a mistake there. I cant help but respect your courage.]

[I havent gotten around to do it because of the continuous duties that I need to do those days. My apologies for the failed assassination towards the members of Ayaka Sogous group.]

[Fufufu Youre a responsible person, arent you?]

[]

[Am I too strict?]

[No.]

[Am I being narrow-minded?]

[No.]

The Goddess placed her hand around my lips and shoved her finger into my mouth.

[Even if you reflected about it yourself, someone would definitely complain about those who dont grow at all and you would have some nerve if you had grown to dislike the other party for complaining. Id like you to give me a break from that tendency for those with greater calibres to just easily forgive others. There isnt anyone in this world who didnt grow without getting hurt. Sniff Its a really tough world, dont you think.? Please do your best]

[Ill strive to be better.]

The hurt ones isnt the Goddess, nor is it myself.

Shutting off my senses, I let my gaze wander about.

One thing caught my eyes.

I think Its a large painting covered with a piece of cloth.

I hadnt been in this room before.

It appears that the goddess noticed my gaze.

[Youre curious about that?]

The goddess walked over to the painting and took off the cloth.

A blond High Elf comes into my sight.

[This is a portrait of Seras Ashrain.]

The former leader of the Holy Knights of Neia.

[It was an offering to me from Bakuos emperor. Now that they have lost the Humanitys Strongest, it seems that they wanted to be under the protection of the strong goddess. Fufu, as far as Im concerned though, I wanted the person herself here rather than this painting.]

It is said that this was painted while looking at the person herself.

It was apparently the work of the royal painter at that time.

Its also said that this was originally the treasure of the Holy King.

After they have captured Neia, most of the treasures fell into the hands of Bakuos Emperor.

However, this painting was kept by the Holy King until his end.

[It is said that the Holy King rarely allowed the others to paint the person herself face-to-face. It seems that he had a professional royal painter to paint some of them but Well, thats the reason why the authentic paintings of her were so valuable. Of course, it seems that forgeries would frequently come out in the market too Ah, I also heard that some of her portraits posted on the Mercenary Guild were stolen? What a frightening story Ah, how terrifying their thoughts must be Humans were really frightening, arent they?]

The Princess Knight, Seras Ashrain.

Shes already dead.

The public has already perceived her as such.

Her corpse still wasnt found though

[Ah, yes, I heard something amusing. Did you know that the items she personally used were being actively traded among the nobles of various countries? I heard that the value of those things has bizarrely risen since the rumors of her death began spreading around the continent.]

Her used items.

That alone created their value.

What strange people is what I only thought.

[If theyre worth that much If I could get my hands on the person herself, she would surely have lots of uses. For instance, lets see-]

Uses- I hate the sound of that word.

I could have earned a lot from lending her out to others.]

Lending her out

I know what she means.

There isnt any repulsion in the Goddess tone.

Yes, its as if shes treating her just as one of her pawns.

The same is true for Vysis Apostles.

They were only Gods pawn after all.

[Sniff Its too hard for me to reveal my true emotions. My heart is always crying as I continue to make tough decisions But Nyantan, please listen carefully. What you have in you is the courage to be hated by others.]

Following the Goddess command, I departed from Alion.

My destination would be Magnar Kingdom.

The Anti-Demon White Castle.

This time, the prided unit of the Thirteen Cavalries, the Sixth Cavalry was also sent out.

Why were we sent towards that castle again?

This is because the Great Demon Emperors army had finally begun a full-fledged march southwards.

The representatives of each country were once again gathering at the Northern Magnar.

The Anti-Demon White Castle.

The room where wolves gather.

The representatives of each country have been having a heated debate in this place for about half a day.

Nevertheless, most of them were just following along the Goddess intentions

A peculiar heat gathered within the room.

The Queen of Jonato rested her chin on her hand.

She had a weary look on her face.

[Please open the window, Curia.]

The Queen asked the Saint behind her.

The Saint calls out to the Goddess and White Wolf King.

[Would it be fine?]

The White Wolf King wordlessly nodded.

Holding out her hand, the Goddess showed her agreement.

The Saint Curia Gilstain opened the window.

Refreshing breeze came into the room.

The refreshing breeze gently ruffled the Goddess silver hair.

Their discussion paused.

Theyve run out of ways to deal with them.

Every country probably hasnt even revealed their hidden cards

Then, one of the civil officers entered the room.

He then directly approached the White Wolf Kings side and whispered something in his ears.

Making the civil servant step back, the White Wolf King crossed his arms.

[Their movements were slow but as we thought, their southward march werent just to have skirmishes with us.]

The White Wolf King closes his eyes.

A deep crease is etched between his brows.

Hes probably recalling the details of the Norths map inside his head.

As if he cant take the pause anymore, the Magister King asked.

[W- What do you mean?]

The White Wolf King opens his thin eyes.

[Their movements were perfectly organized West, south, east They must be planning to invade in all of these three directions at the same time.]

The Queen sank deeper into her chair.

It looks like she had difficulty accepting the situation.

[It looks like theyre moving in a way that theyd greatly stretch out towards our lands. From the way things are going It looks like theyre not going to stay in one place. I wonder what their aiming for, dispersing their forces like that?]

[I dont know. It must be something only these demons could think.]

The Goddess glances towards the empty sky.

[Will the army advancing towards the south split up later And later, join the army from the east and west? That could also mean that the army heading south is a reserve army that would act as reinforcements to areas where the war is not going well?]

[Or perhaps, theyre planning to push through this Anti-Demon White Castle and plunge straight towards the Golden Demon Zone.]

[No, I dont think thats possible though]

The Magister King sent a modest denial towards the White Wolf Kings words.

However

[Well, yeah.]

The White Wolf King easily accepted his denial.

[The monsters created by the former Root of All Evil and the monsters created by the new Root of All Evil the camaraderie of these two factions were surprisingly thin. Its probably their birth parents were different, that they even often act against each other]

The theory that rose up every time a new Root of All Evil appears.

A new Root of All Evils forces.

The monsters that gathered in the Golden Demon Zone.

The conflux of these two theories.

But just as the White Wolf King said, the camaraderie of the two sides were completely nil.

The information weve accumulated from the past proves it.

The White Wolf King lets out a rough sigh.

[However, if they were to attack towards all three directions, we may find some of our arrangements rather troublesome Is it alright to just entrust this to Vysis?]

The Goddess slightly nodded.

[Yes, leave it to me.]

Then, a new man entered the room.

A fearless yet graceful young man.

Hes quite tall and has a solid build.

The Great General of the Mira Empire.

He also used to be the first in line to the inheritance for the imperial throne.

In other words Hes the Mad Emperors oldest brother.

The Mad Emperors brother handed him a piece of paper.

The two of them also started whispering something with each other.

When they whispered with each other, the General exited from the room.

The Mad Emperor looked towards the paper he received and then threw it towards the table.

[Heres our latest analysis of the enemies capabilities First of all, their numbers itself were already quite extraordinary. It would be better for us to estimate the qualities of each monster to be worse than we expected.]

The Goddess quickly glanced at the paper.

[I see- This is quite unexpected]

Aside from the Mad Emperor, the other representatives stood up from their seats one after another.

All of them leaned their upper bodies towards the paper in the center of the table.

The Magister Kings white eyes opened wide.

[W- What the heck is thiiiiiiissssssss.!?]

[Its several times larger than the previous Root of All Evil]

The Goddess has an unusually stern expression on her face.

[Moreover, since weve lost the main force, the Black Dragon Knights I dont know who these Ashinto fellows are or where they are now, but they really did a great deal of trouble.]

Striking the table with both of his hands, the Magister King looks devastated.

[Uuuuuuuuoooo.!? The reason why theyre conducting simultaneous invasions to the three directions was all because theyre confident in their numbers huh!? W- With these numbers And all of their troops heading in any directions were the worst monsters they could possibly be. Guuuhhh What do we do What the heck do we do!?]

A streak of sweat ran down the Queen of Jonatos cheek.

[This vehement great march Now then, I wonder how I could react to this]

With a stern crease on his eyebrows, the White Wolf King stared at the paper.

[Its not likely that any country will be able to compete against them with just the strength of a single country alone Even if we do win, we must be prepared for the dizzying hours of reconstructions]

Filled with prudence, the Goddess narrows her eyes.

[I also dont think that the enemy would deploy all of their forces this early However, I dont think this is a situation where every country would be able to hold back their cards. This war All of us must join hands and face it will all of our might]

Then, the Goddess thrust the reality towards them with a decree.

[or everything will be trampled down.]