[…So rat is a Vicegerent and a G.o.d is a cat? What a pitiful parable.]

"G.o.ddess, isn't it about time to tell me now?"

[Huh? What?]

"You said he was a G.o.d right the moment you saw him. You know something that I don't, right?"

A G.o.d was still a G.o.d. They were beings that had knowledge and information that no human could possibly obtain. If that G.o.d was certain, then there must be a reason, even if it was hard to explain.

[Runald, have you heard the story called the 'Strong Mouse Story'?]

"…What?" Runald asked confusingly.

'Strong Mouse Story? What is that?'

[Once upon a time, there was a mouse. He was a strange one. But as the t.i.tle said, he was a strong mouse. He didn't scavenge leftover food, but he went out to hunt. After hunting and eating, he became really strong. He was a mouse, but he refused to stay as a mouse and became something more.]

Runald concentrated on Andersen's story.

[After a while, he was now strong enough to even fight against a cat. He also realized that other mice were afraid of him. He then saw it was those cats who saw him as equals, not the other mice. That's when finally realized…]

"W-what?" Runald asked. Andersen continued in a dreamy voice.

[Oh… I'm not a mouse anymore….]

Runald became silent.

"…You just made that up right now, didn't you?"

Andersen didn't answer but Runald realized something. This wasn't just some old fairytale.

"Wait, G.o.ddess. The story right now…"

[I call these mice Awakeners.]

Awakener.

Runald felt a sudden jolt. He knew Awakeners very well. Rupture, the infamous terrorist group who opposed the Lords of the , was comprised of Awakeners.

[Those beings broke their limits as humans and became G.o.ds. They created their own worlds and became the Vicegerent of their own worlds. These are mice that, through their hard work, had allowed them to even hunt the cats.]

It all made sense now. One that had its spirit body but also was a G.o.d. Only Awakeners were able to do that.

"I-is he an Awakener then?"

[Probably. And besides, if he's from …]

Andersen remembered what she heard from the network that Awakeners were appearing in . She thought it was a hoax, but it seemed like it was true. Runald asked with a shaky voice, "Maybe he's from Rupture?"

[No, those ones never travel alone. He can't be from Rupture.]

The appearance of unaffiliated Awakener. Runald wasn't sure what change it would bring to .

"So, what are we going to do with him?"

[I don't know… It depends on if he is a G.o.d or not.]

"Depends?"

[Either he will become our ally or…]

Then Runald felt weird sensation coming up. It was similar to the urge to eat. After spending a long time with Andersen, Runald understood where this feeling came from. Vicegerents were beings who understood their G.o.ds best. They understood them so well that they were influenced by their G.o.ds' feelings.

"…G.o.ddess?" Runald asked. And she answered,

[Runald, there's a way to make sure whether he will be our ally or not.]

Runald didn't want to know how, and she didn't care.

[Let's eat him.]