Chapter 195

CHAPTER 30 A Goddess of Character “Okay, that’s enough. You can stop now, Rista.” I promptly stop using my ability the moment Seiya gives the word, then I stand in a daze before the white wall. I feel as if I have a weight on my chest. Does this mean that Mash is killing both humans and demons to save Elulu from her suffering? Because that would be so cruel… “All right. This proves that Mash cannot move for at least a day after using Igzasion.” “I never expected the Dragon Lord to have such a weakness! That must be the recoil from using the holy sword while not being the Hero!” “Looks like you can win if you capitalize on this!” Seiya was calmly analyzing Mash just like he always does. Both Rosalie and Cerceus seem thrilled that he discovered the enemy’s weakness, but I guess that’s because they can’t see Elulu the way I can. Rosalie suddenly grabs my hand in joyful exuberance. “Goddess! You are amazing! We would have never known any of this if it were not for you!” “O-oh, you really think so? Ha-ha-ha…” Being complimented isn’t all that bad. Cerceus and Seiya seem to be impressed as well for a change. “For a crystal ball with a pulse, you managed to be slightly useful today for a change.” “Good job, Crystal Ball!” “Heh! …Hey, wait! Don’t call me that!” “Hero! Shall we start preparing to invade Bahamutros?” “I told you that was too dangerous. The Dragon Lord understands his weakness, which means he is either surrounding himself with powerful guards…or he is using a magic barrier to protect himself.” “Y-yes, I completely agree!” “Currently, our best bet would be to reduce his forces as much as possible while he is resting. Namely, we must dispose of the Great Mother. At first, I thought it could have been a trap, but Mash is temporarily incapacitated. Therefore, we should be able to dispose of the Great Mother without having to worry about him suddenly teleporting behind us.” “I see!” The cautious plan sounds exactly like something Seiya would do. Even after learning Mash’s weakness, Seiya wants to avoid heading straight into the enemy’s base for battle. Nevertheless, Seiya places a hand on his chin and begins to ponder as if he suddenly realized something. “Hold on. On second thought, let’s head to Bahamutros to scout, first.” “What?! But that’s where Mash is!” “Turn invisible—all of you. Rosalie, link your teleportation circle to the farthest place away from Mash’s castle as you can.” I stand on Rosalie’s teleportation circle after turning invisible, but I start to feel butterflies in my stomach as she chants. “Th-this was all so sudden. This isn’t going to lead to the final battle against Mash…right?” “Mmm… I’m still not mentally prepared… Urgh. My stomach hurts… I don’t wanna go.” “I’ve finished the spell! Bahamutros, here we come!” Rosalie’s voice reverberates as the magic circle illuminates. When the blinding light eventually fades, we find ourselves in a dense forest. This is Bahamutros…? This is Mash’s base. In other words, this is what we called Dragon Village in the original world. Dragonewts are not demons, and yet a provoking, ominous aura fills the area. I swallow my breath, worried that there could be armed dragonewts close by. “S-so we’re going to Mash’s castle now, right?” But right as I am about to step foot outside the magic circle, Seiya says: “Rista, open a gate to the underworld. We’re heading back.” “Huh? Did you forget something?” “Hurry.” “O-okay.” I create a gate, and just like that, we return to the Uno residence’s living room after being in Bahamutros for only a few seconds. “Perfect. Mission complete.” While Seiya seems as content as could be, I shout: “That’s it?! Don’t you think that was a little too quick?! I got all worked up for nothing!” “A-are you sure that was enough, Hero?” “Yes. Good work, Rosalie.” “Ah…! Thank you…!” Rosalie looks thrilled, but seriously…what the hell was that?! What was the point of scouting for only a few seconds?! I have no idea what’s going on, but Seiya collapses into the sofa like someone who just got home from a long day at work. “We can afford to take our time here, since time flows differently in the underworld. Rista, I want to watch that scene from a few moments ago one more time.” “You mean…Mash’s current state?” “No. When he was fighting the Demon Lord. While the footage may be old, I want to see Mash’s skills and abilities he used to defeat the Demon Lord. I need to confirm the Great Mother’s powers as well.” “That was already the climax, though. If we’re gonna watch it, let’s watch it from the beginning. Rista, rewind it for us, will ya?” “What do I look like, a VCR?!” Nevertheless, they stand me in front of the wall again. After doing it so many times, I can now simply snap my fingers to change my magic type like Seiya. I turn into a demonic goddess, then begin to focus so I can show them the vision they want to see…until Seiya suddenly hits me. Whack! Bwah?! Arghhhhhh! This is the one thing I just can’t get used to! And with the pain, a vision is suddenly projected onto the wall from my eyes. It’s a vision of a kind-looking old woman who is knitting with great enthusiasm. “Phew. What a wonderful bandanna this turned out to be.” She mirthfully holds the green bandanna. “Rista, turn it off.” I hear Seiya’s voice and turn off the footage, then turn around to find Seiya grouchily glaring at me. “Who asked you to show us how his bandanna was made?” “That’s weird. I…” “Focus, okay?” Whack! Gwah! M-my head…! The next vision appears to be of Nakashi Village. Mash, even younger than when we first met him, is standing on the footpath between two rice fields while surrounded by kids his age. “That bandanna is so cool, Mash!” “It’s amazing!” “Heh! Right? My grandma made it for me!” I decide to shut off the video myself, but Cerceus shouts by my side: “Enough already! We don’t care about the bandanna!” “I—I know! But this is the only vision that’s appearing!” That’s when I notice Seiya is glaring at me. “This is starting to get on my nerves. Stop messing around.” “I’m not! But I can’t do it anymore! My head hurts way too much!” “Oh, come on. So that was just a fluke earlier when we saw the final battle?” Seiya and Cerceus stare at me with a distant gaze until Seiya mutters: “I take back what I said earlier about you being useful. Piece of junk off-brand crystal ball…” “What the hell?! I take all those hits to the head, and now I have to be insulted?!” “We will continue gathering information later. For now, we will move on to our next task.” “Really?! Because my head was about to split open if we kept this up!” “H-Hero, may I ask what this task is?” “I need to finish training while Mash is incapacitated and prepare for the battle against the Great Mother.” “Y-you’re going to train?! Again?! You’ve been training nonstop since you wanted to learn Invisibility! I mean, we’ve barely made any progress in Gaeabrande!” “Hmph. This will be my last training session in the underworld for Warped Gaeabrande. The only thing left after this is defeating Mash with certainty and perfection.” “What…?!” Does that mean we won’t be returning to the underworld after defeating the Great Mother? Seiya always goes back to our base to train after defeating each enemy, but now he wants to go straight to the final battle with Mash after defeating his right-hand woman?! I have no idea what he’s thinking! Then again, I’ve never understood him, but he’s being even more confusing this time! Despite my bewilderment, Seiya leaves the living room and briskly walks away. “Hey, wait! What kind of training are you going to do?” “Since Mash has probably gained divine power due to the Demon’s Blessing, I’m going to obtain the opposite power to counter it and the Great Mother.” “Y-you mean like a dark power?!” “Precisely. I figured something like this would happen, so I already found someone.” Oh yeah… I remember seeing something like “a move that curses the enemy without their knowing” on his move list. He must have been talking about dark-type spells, but… “The power of darkness, huh? I’m starting to feel like you’re slowly distancing yourself from the average hero.” “The magic type doesn’t matter as long as I can safely win.” “But Seiya, can humans even learn such magic?” asks Cerceus. “This is the underworld. What may be common sense in the spirit world doesn’t apply here. Besides, even if I can’t learn it, one of you could learn a dark-type move in my place. You and Rista can already turn into a demonic deity while Rosalie harnesses the power of the demon, so it might even be easier for you all to learn it.” “Ew. I dunno. That doesn’t sound safe.” I’m worried, too, but I end up following Seiya because I don’t have any other choice. We walk for a bit before eventually reaching the heart of the underworld. I can see the ruler of the underworld’s home, the Shrine of the Six Realms, up ahead. “…? Is this…?” A dweller of the underworld, whose entire crystalline body is pointy, holds a spear before the entrance of the shrine. He speaks in a robotic monotone voice when he notices Seiya. “You must make a request in advance if you wish to speak with our lord.” “I didn’t come to speak with Hathies. It’s the basement I’m interested in.” “The Infinite Corridor? You need permission to enter there as well.” “I only want to talk with the watchman Natosus. I have no interest in the Infinite Corridor itself.” Seiya speaks fluently about things I’ve never even heard of. I-Infinite Corridor? Watchman? This is starting to sound really fishy! After thinking for a few moments, the guard gently taps the spear’s shaft on the ground. “Very well. You may enter.” After walking inside, Seiya immediately heads in the opposite direction of Hathies’s throne room. He trots down the unfamiliar hallway as if he had been there before, then begins walking down the staircase at the end of the path until we arrive at a dark, damp place illuminated only by a few candles. Only the place we’re standing is faintly lit, and I can’t see anything up ahead. However, when I use my divine vision and strain my eyes, I notice that the long hallway only continues from here. I-is this the “Infinite Corridor”? I look hard until a light suddenly appears within the darkness. Something small has emerged with a lantern, and I can slowly see its face under the hood the closer it gets. “Eep!” cries Cerceus softly. But I probably would have been the one who screamed if Cerceus hadn’t been here…because hidden under the hood is a skull. “You—you two must be the Hero and Goddess.” I feel slightly relieved after hearing their voice as they look back and forth between Seiya and me, because their voice sounds pure and innocent, unlike their appearance. If I had to describe them, I would say they were like a mini, childlike grim reaper. Seiya asks: “Are you Natosus, the watchman of the Infinite Corridor?” “Yep. Need something?” Natosus holds their lantern out at the darkness, and I hear a growl coming from the depths of the long, dark path. “H-hey, just what is the Infinite Corridor anyway? Is this like an underworld prison or something?” “Hmm… It’s more like an exit. An exit after the entrance.” “…Huh?” “My friend was sucked in as well. The world isn’t stable right now, so I’m not even sure about that reality, though. Besides, I could meet him if I wanted to. Somewhere other than here, at the very least.” When I glance at Cerceus, he shrugs as if he’s just as confused as I am. Sometimes, I have absolutely no idea what these underworld dwellers are talking about. Seiya doesn’t appear to seriously understand, either, and he presses them for answers. “More importantly, is your dark spell effective against angels and deities?” “Dark is the opposite of holy, after all. It should be able to damage an opponent who is guarded by a divine aura as well.” “In other words, it is equivalent to Chain Destruction. Does using the power of darkness affect the human body in any way?” “It’s dangerous, since humans have a lower resistance to dark-type moves compared to other races. It could even shorten their lifespan. But you should be fine if I shared some of my aura with you. It would protect you from the negative effects.” For the most part, humans can’t use dark-type weapons and moves like Chain Destruction. They’ll either be cursed or it will affect them physically if they try, but it looks like Seiya will be okay if Natosus shares some of their aura with him. Hmm… He’s going to be able to use both holy and dark magic now… I’m starting to feel like the underworld is kind of cheap! “Will I share some of my aura with you, though? That’s the question.” “Of course, I am prepared to offer something of equal value.” Ack! He’s talking about my HP, isn’t he?! I’m trembling, worrying that he is going to make me do something weird again, but Natosus starts pacing back and forth. It looks like he’s hesitant. No matter how much HP the underworld dwellers receive, it won’t change the fact that there is only a limited number of times they can share their aura with someone. It’s only natural he’d hesitate. “Eh, whatever. Sure. After all, yesterday’s enemies could be today’s friends, as they say.” “Huh?! We’re not your enemies, you know?” “Yeah, and our lord did tell us to help you, so sure. Let’s do it.” “Then let’s do this. Slauri said everyone has their own kind of HP that they like. Tell me yours.” “Hmm… I’ll go with that goddess.” “M-me?! Again?!” “Yes!!” cheers Cerceus with his arms in the air. Dammit! Why is it always me?! “Could you show me the dirtiest, most embarrassing thing you can do?” “A-are you asking me to do something lewd?!” I shiver at the thought and step back. Natosus then tries to hand me a thick, long purple object! I-is this…?! You’ve got to be kidding me! “It’s an underworld potato. Eat it.” O-ohhh… That’s it? Don’t scare me like that! I totally thought he was going to ask me to do something weird with it. A-anyway, I guess just eating it wouldn’t be too bad… Hold up! I don’t want to eat this weird “potato” if that’s what it really even is! Oh yeah! Why don’t I use Appraise on it first? “Rista, eat it.” But Seiya stuffs the underworld potato into my mouth before I can even try! “Bfff?!” I—I can’t believe him! He’d at least check it for poison first if he had to eat it! I have no choice but to chew it, since he’s stuffing it into my mouth. An indescribable sweetness and richness slide down my tongue after my first bite. What the…?! This is delicious! It takes only a few moments for me to devour the entire potato. Wow. That was good! I could probably go for seconds, even! That’s when all of a sudden… “Burp!” Air escapes my stomach. “…Huh?” I’m surprised. I can usually tell when a burp is coming, but that powerful gust of wind came out of nowhere, escaping my stomach with a vengeance. Even after that… “Burp! Burp! Burrrrrrp!” I continue to burp, one after another like some sort of drunk at the pub. Wh-what’s going on?! A goddess such as I shouldn’t be burping so vulgarly! “Underworld potatoes are extremely gaseous. Once you finish eating them, the gas immediately tries to expel itself from the body.” I am so embarrassed that I can feel my face burning. The belching has stopped, but the true disaster is right around the corner. “…Bfft.” Air suddenly escapes my rear to my disbelief. I can usually feel when a fart is coming, but this one just came out of nowhere, esca—(omitted for brevity). U-u-unbelievable! I am a goddess! And yet… And yet…! “Pfft. Prrrt… Pweeet. Brbrbrbrbr… Badoom!” The choir ends with a bang, and I sink to my knees. “Ew… Gross…” Cerceus furrows his brow, Rosalie looks away, and Seiya pinches his nose. “Ugh, just kill me now!” I have never been so disgusted that goddesses couldn’t die until today. I can’t believe a goddess just ate a potato and farted up a storm. I’m in hell. Despite my depression being deeper than the sea, Seiya ignores me and asks Natosus: “So? Was that enough HP?” “Yep. I’m completely full now.” “Then please give us some of your aura. Start with Rosalie.” “My pleasure!” Natosus holds out his hand, which is nothing more than bones, in front of Rosalie. A black aura wraps around her before slowly being absorbed into her body. “Hmm? This one already has the Blessing of Darkness.” “I signed a pact with a demon long ago.” “How do you feel, Rosalie? Is Natosus’s aura affecting your body in any way?” “I—I don’t really feel any different.” “All right. Then give me some of your aura as well.” I have been watching with my head hung low for the past few minutes, but I just can’t take it anymore. I yell: “Did you just use Rosalie as your guinea pig to make sure you’d be okay?! You’re the worst!” “Shut up, Stink Bug.” “Excuse me?!” I fall into an even deeper state of depression. Please stop bringing up the farting!! After Seiya is granted the dark aura, he unsheathes his sword and begins staring at it until a black mist eventually swallows the blade. Maybe he turned his sword into one that harnesses dark power. He should be able to damage the Great Mother or Mash now, even if they have obtained divine power. But even then, Seiya doesn’t stop there. “How about teaching me a dark move as well, since I’m here?” And just like that, Seiya’s training for darkness officially begins in the midst of my depression.