Chapter 19: A Story of Noble Evil

"Are you both alright!"

After deactivating my Dream Power, I rushed to the two fallen gods.

They were precious investors from the start, and seeing them risk death to protect my secret made me even more worried.

"Help me up, would you?"

I helped the Magi-Engineer stand by supporting his arm.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thanks to your intervention, my Core wasn't damaged."

The Magi-Engineer rubbed his chest.

"Gods have a Core established through Divinity that defines their identity. As long as this Core remains intact, a god can recover from any injury."

"Ah... I see."

Well, I suppose self-healing would be natural for a god.

More than that, it felt awkward transitioning from dialogue like [The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath says something] to speaking directly with him like a normal human.

"Thank you for saving us. My Divine Core was nearly shattered."

"No, this happened because of me."

"If I hadn't made that request, you wouldn't have become the Demon God's target. I apologize."

"No, no! This was mutually beneficial! I also needed Constellations willing to be subjects of my stories when I recruited you!"

"...I see. Thank you for thinking of it that way."

The Magi-Engineer's mechanical arm moved automatically, repairing itself.

"By the way, how did you come to this Divine Realm? Did you achieve Divinity?"

"What? Oh no, not at all! I projected my mental form here using our Lady Constellation's Divine Power."

"Divine Power? ...I see. I can sense the power of dreams. So you're still human then?"

"That's right."

"How strange."

"...Pardon?"

"Do you know why Constellations don't speak directly to earthly beings and instead communicate through forms like [~~~ does ~~~]?"

"Um... no."

"It's because a Constellation's status is so high that direct conversation could burn out a mortal's brain."

"...What?"

"Yet you seem perfectly fine. Strange indeed. Even the most exceptional human would struggle."

"..."

Could it be because I can perceive Constellations through the terminal and read their thoughts?

I started to tell him this but stopped myself.

Better not mention the uncomfortable fact that I can read thoughts.

"Sniff."

Goddess Ren put a finger to one nostril and made a snorting sound to clear the blood.

"Thank you, Dream Apostle."

Though she was covered in blood, her wounds were healing rapidly thanks to her self-regeneration ability.

She came over and leaned against a nearby surface.

"Sacrifice. You're surprisingly fragile."

Goddess Ren's eyebrow twitched.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Unlike me, a scholar, aren't you a warrior Knight? One of the 7 Great Heroes no less - yet you were no match for the Demon God."

"...Wasn't that because the opponent was too strong? You yourself were knocked out by a single Magic Bullet!"

"I am a Magi-Engineer. Had I been in my domain with all my equipment, I wouldn't have fallen so pathetically. But you were invaded and defeated helplessly in your own domain."

"T-that's...!"

Ren's lips trembled.

Her eyes even glistened with tears, seemingly deeply frustrated.

She appeared to want to argue back but couldn't find the words.

The feeling was probably something like 'It's frustrating but true. Still frustrating.'

"Please don't be too harsh. Lady Ren hasn't been able to train properly since being consumed by Sloth. Once she regains her edge through training, her peak abilities will return. Right, Lady Ren?"

"You...!"

*Whoosh-*

Ren rushed forward and hugged me.

"You're all I have!"

`*Waaah-*

Having been beaten by the Demon God and then having her weakness confirmed by the Magi-Engineer while still processing that defeat - it must have been incredibly hard to bear.

I patted her back gently.

"I can cut down a Demon God of that level too if I train with my sword again! I am the Sacrifice who overcame Sloth!"

Was she always this childlike?

Seeing this childish side so different from her cool big sister appearance, I thought her believers would be shocked if they saw this scene.

More importantly, why is this Magi-Engineer suddenly criticizing an ally?

*Ding-*

Just then, a divine message came through the terminal from the Magi-Engineer.

[The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger 'Can you tell me what happened inside with the Demon God?']

[The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger 'Show one finger for yes, two fingers for no.']

!!!

Now I understood why the Magi-Engineer deliberately provoked Goddess Ren.

The Demon God said she would watch me and implanted some of her power in me.

She's probably monitoring our conversation right now.

I held up one finger.

The Magi-Engineer smiled with satisfaction.

To realize what happened without me explaining and create a diversion to secretly communicate via divine message away from the Demon God's surveillance...

He even utilized the Demon God's extremely proud nature that makes her confident in her superiority.

As expected of one of humanity's greatest geniuses perhaps?

[The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger 'Did the Demon God order you to resurrect someone for her?']

I held up one finger again.

I pretended to scratch my thigh with my index finger while writing 'Former Demon King'.

Though finger writing might be illegible to me, a god's eyes should be able to read it easily. This was very appropriate given that the Demon God's eyes were focused on Goddess Ren right now.

The Magi-Engineer's eyes widened slightly as he watched the tip of my finger.

He nodded as if finally understanding.

[The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger 'Then did you agree to create an Episode for her?']

I held up one index finger.

Then I put my finger back on my thigh.

'If I complete this, we can trap the Demon God.'

The Magi-Engineer's eyes flashed.

[The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger 'I trust you because of what you have done for us, Benefactor.']

[The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger 'But if things go wrong, the Demon God will target you.']

[The Magi-Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger 'It could be very dangerous.']

I wrote on my thigh again.

'It's okay. Once the Episode is complete, the Demon God won't be able to escape from it.'

The Magi-Engineer looked at me with worried eyes.

"You possess something special that surpasses even Constellations. However, Constellations are those who have transcended their limits to reach Divinity. They too have hidden trump cards that others cannot imagine. You would do well to be careful."

He was genuinely concerned for me.

A genius renowned in human history and the representative god of Magi-engineering was worried about me.

It didn't feel bad.

Above all, his composure was remarkable - quickly grasping the situation and diverting the Demon God's attention to question me while dealing with injuries from the Demon God.

"Hah. No need to state the obvious. This child is more exceptional than you."

Goddess Ren glared at the Magi-Engineer while holding me in her arms.

Her soft chest enveloped my face comfortably.

"You bookworm."

At first I thought she was just pretending to be angry as part of the WWE act with the Magi-Engineer...

But it seems she's actually serious.

"Blehhh-"

"...How childish."

The Magi-Engineer clicked his tongue in disbelief at Ren sticking out her tongue in what she probably thought was an insulting gesture.

* * *

[The Dream Storyteller shrieks about how worried she was.]

"Haha, I'm sorry Lady Constellation. The situation was too urgent, I had no choice."

Our investors are like brothers walking shoulder to shoulder with us.

How could I just watch when such investors were in danger?

[The Dream Storyteller says 'What if?' while making what she considers to be a fierce expression.]

"The Demon God wants something from me, so she won't harm me."

[The Dream Storyteller stomps her feet with all her might saying what will happen to her if she loses her only Apostle and is left alone, but it only makes a pitter-patter sound.]

"I won't do anything dangerous like that again. But this time I was certain the Demon God wouldn't hurt me. I know my life is at stake too."

After barely placating my Lady Constellation with a promise to offer sweet desserts as tribute next time, I activated developer mode and created a new Episode.

This story would be about the Demon God's past.

The Former Demon King who was her master would be the protagonist.

Stories of masters caring for their disciples are common in this world too.

But...

What about a story where a master deliberately acts like a mass murderer and hides the truth for the sake of their beloved disciple, only to be executed?

It's a common tale on Earth, but not here.

Let's tell another story of noble evil.

My vision unfolded through the power of dreams.