Chapter 259
Chapter 41
The border that divided the lands of humans and demons.
At its center floated a huge island that had once been the beautiful banquet hall of the gods, known as Symposion.
But.
“They really made a complete mess of this place.”
The goddess with deep blue hair and eyes like the sea quietly spoke as she looked around the open area that seemed to have been destroyed a very long time ago.
Until only a short while ago, sweet music and the laughter of the gods had constantly filled this place, while fruit wine had flowed endlessly from the fountains.
“……With things having turned out like this, expecting this place to remain unharmed would be too much to ask.”
The goddess Lunicus swallowed a bitter smile as if complaining and soon turned her gaze away.
There, two tall gods, Yuellos and Nox, were silently looking down at another god who was kneeling before them.
“Cough… Ugh… Haa…….”
His limbs had been torn apart in several places, and he was gasping for breath.
However, his sharp, murderous gaze was still clearly fixed on the two higher gods.
“You worked hard, Alderbeth.”
“Thanks to how desperately you tried to interfere, we ended up losing Minis after all.”
Nox patted his shoulder as if encouraging him, but his eyes were as cold as ice.
Seeing that unpleasant expression, Alderbeth only gave a crooked smile.
“……Even now, you still can't take your eyes off that woman.”
“You're truly disgusting… You.”
Nox had always hated the gods who supported Minis.
Most of the gods who had met Minis privately and had several deep conversations with her eventually became fanatical supporters of hers.
Of course, the Alderbeth in front of them was somewhat different from those spineless lower gods.
He had been a god who often spent time with Minis ever since she and Nox were lower gods.
Of course, that was all.
“Do you really think Minis will favor you because you did something like this?”
“She doesn't look at anyone.”
“That was how she had always been.”
She only used her friends and believers as tools for her own power and safety.
Even if Alderbeth thought of himself as her closest friend, and even if Minis agreed with him, that woman's true thoughts would have been about how to use the god standing before her for her own benefit.
“You're no different from the other gods.”
“Still, since you saved her life, you might at least become one of her prized possessions.”
“Of course, she won't live long in that condition either.”
“Kukuku… Keuheuheuheu……! Cough!”
“……What's so funny?”
Nox's black eyebrows twitched.
“Hoo… Nothing.”
“It's just funny, isn't it?”
“I mean, what's so funny?”
Alderbeth raised his head.
“What else could be funny?”
“The first victim of that bastard is saying something like that.
If you were me, wouldn't you laugh too……?”
“…….”
“Just like I would expect from my senior.”
“You know a lot about him.”
“Kukukuku… Cough!”
“Ah… Since we're at it, how about you come back under Minis?”
“My position is empty.”
“……Don't push your luck too far, Alderbeth.”
But to someone who was already on the verge of disappearing, that threat no longer meant anything.
The emotionless look in Nox's eyes gradually became more intense.
Soon, killing intent appeared in them.
“Don't get too cocky.”
“Even now, it's not too late…….”
BOOM-!
However, it was not Nox who stopped Alderbeth.
It was Yuellos, who had been standing beside him.
“Judging by the situation, I don't think there's any need to hear any more of your words.”
Particles of blue light emitted by Yuellos tore Alderbeth apart and scattered him.
Alderbeth turned into tiny particles of light and completely disappeared from the world.
“Or perhaps you enjoy being mocked by an old friend for your shameful past, Nox?”
“……Hmph.”
“Of course not.”
Nox turned his gaze away from the particles of light disappearing into the air and stood up to face Yuellos.
“You're the impatient one.”
“I think we could at least have questioned him about where Minis went.”
“We failed to capture her, but even Minis won't be able to escape the fate of extinction in that condition.”
“There is no need to worry about a woman who will soon disappear.”
“Are you certain that she will disappear?”
Nox's black eyes stared sharply into Yuellos's dry brown eyes.
Yuellos tilted his head in confusion.
“You saw it too, didn't you?”
“…….”
Just before Alderbeth sacrificed himself.
The power of fate released by Yuellos had clearly torn open her abdomen.
“What are the chances of her recovering?”
“The moment my power reached her core, she could no longer escape the fate of extinction.”
“Unless a power capable of going against fate reaches her.”
“But there is no need to worry about such a variable.”
“Either way, my next plan is to find and eliminate the unknowns and variables remaining in this land.”
“Nox, you should continue with what you originally intended to do.”
Yuellos turned around.
Then Nox spoke.
“But why didn't you lose any power?”
“……Hmm?”
Yuellos stopped where he was.
“What do you mean?”
“All the gods who fell to the surface lost part of their power.”
“But when you fought Minis, the power you displayed didn't seem to have weakened as much as ours.”
“Who knows?”
“Perhaps you were mistaken.”
Yuellos gave a small, joking laugh, but Nox's gaze remained serious.
The eyes of a god that could see through the essence of things could not be mistaken about something they had clearly seen.
“Do you not want to answer my question?”
“Of course not.”
“Just like you, I lost half of the power I possessed.”
“It's simply that additional power was added to restore the distorted cause and effect to its original state.”
“So the power of fate works like that.”
“There is one more thing I want you to answer.”
Yuellos raised an eyebrow.
“You have quite a lot of questions today.”
“That is because I once suffered greatly after trusting a friend without question.”
“Ho…… Is that so?”
“So, what are you curious about?”
“You told me that you wanted to correct the flow of fate so that this world could reach the future it was originally meant to have.”
“But what exactly is the future this world was originally supposed to reach?”
“…….”
A brief silence descended.
Yuellos slowly turned around and met Nox's serious gaze.
“Nothing in particular.”
“…….”
“It is no different from before.”
He lied to him.
Normally, a lie should have been easily exposed by a god's eyes.
But.
“I see.”
“I understand.”
Nox did not suspect him in the slightest.
He turned around and joined Lunicus and the other gods who followed him.
“…….”
Yuellos quietly watched Nox's back.
He did not think he would be able to use those words for much longer.
As if on cue, the party members returned.
Even Rowen, who had never been with them before, had come back with them.
For the first time, Glenn's party had become a complete group.
The reception room, where Glenn had been alone with Silpherinne, was instantly filled.
“I thought you went alone…”
“So you had joined up with Rowen?”
“No wonder you seemed to have something to rely on.”
“Anyway, it's been a long time, Rowen.”
“How have you been?”
“It is good to see you again, Rominia.”
“But do not worry.”
“Nothing happened.”
Rowen said this so calmly that Romina became flustered and her face turned red.
“W-Why would you say that?”
“I thought you might dislike seeing another woman beside Glenn.”
“So I told you that nothing like that happened.”
“D-Dislike it?”
“Why would I dislike it?”
“I don't care who that guy travels around with……!”
“Is that so?”
“Then again, your gaze at the woman sitting beside Glenn seems rather sharp.”
At Rowen's blunt words, Romina's face became even redder.
