“Rest easy. Dungeon malice will never appear before you again. You have my word.”
“Seriously?”
“A god does not lie. Though we may at times refrain from telling the whole truth.”
“So dungeon malice won’t appear...but something similar might show up instead?”
“No, no. I promise we will not take such extreme measures. Besides, you have not realized it yet, but you are receiving considerable preferential treatment regarding blessings. Compared to ordinary people, the blessings you can receive are set to be one tier higher.”
“The blessings are stronger?”
“What a great look on your face, indeed!” she cackled. “I am fond of those who are honest about their desires. Simply think of it as receiving higher-quality blessings than normal humans. After all, if you hunt enough demons, it is possible even to steal the power of us gods.”
“Huh? What do you mean? If we defeat demons, we can even kill gods?”
“Not quite. You two were granted the abilities Demon King Slayer and magical cooking, allowing you to absorb demonic power. And we gods, having absorbed the power of demons, have become half demon ourselves. In other words, depending on the circumstances, it is possible for you to devour us. Though you would need achievements on the level of hunting countless level-ten Demon Kings!”
Indeed-Missy spoke with an oddly delighted tone.
“Why tell us something like that? If you didn’t say anything, we wouldn’t even think of trying it. Or do you have some way of knowing that we won’t?”
“I have no such assurance, indeed. I simply thought you had the right to know. And besides, is it not more interesting this way?” She laughed. “Knowing that you might one day reach even godhood—does that not motivate you?”
“Can’t say,” I said. “I got no interest in becoming a god.”
“Ha ha ha! You understand well! It is no great thing to be a god! Well, no matter. You will indeed continue diving into the dungeon. In that case, our paths shall cross again. Now then, until next time, in the depths of the dungeon.”
Immediately after, dungeon malice vanished instantly without a trace.
“Can we...really trust gods...?” said Ares, dazed.
The god he’d just met was so different from his personal image of gods that he seemed completely lost. His identity as a hero might’ve been starting to crumble.
Shiro and Kuro glared angrily at the empty space where dungeon malice had disappeared.
“I don’t really get it, but next time we meet, Shiro’s gonna beat her up! So Thor, don’t you worry!”
“Kuro will punish anyone who makes Thor angryyy.”
“You guys...”
I can’t believe you can say that about someone who nearly killed you! And she’s a god on the inside too! Well, they probably didn’t understand most of my conversation with Indeed-Missy. I don’t even think they realize she’s a god.
Then Kuro suddenly made a gloomy face.
“Arf...”
Is she hurt? Come to think of it, we just had a brutal battle. She might’ve been pushing herself because she was worried about me.
“Kuro, are you—”
“Dragon meat...”
Kuro’s gaze was fixed on the lower half of the desert dragon lying on the ground. It had been caught in the fight between Ares and Machina of Pride, and more than half its body had been destroyed. You’re just sad the meat got ruined?!
“Oh! So much meat’s gone!” said Shiro, looking just as shocked.
“Awoo...”
“Myah...”
Dammit! Stop cryin’! You should be celebrating that we all survived! And why aren’t you happy that I survived? Besides, that’s still a huge hunk of meat! There’s still dozens of kilos still intact! Watching Shiro and Kuro, my tension faded, and my fear and anger melted away. And this meat isn’t ours alone, you know?
Godlord had delivered the finishing blow, and the trouble with Ares had all started because I’d stolen the heaven dragon materials. I couldn’t repeat the same mistake.
I glanced at Godlord to see that he was smiling more brightly than I’d ever seen him.
“Ha ha ha... You guys are something else. You want that big lizard’s meat? Take it all, if you can carry it.”
“Really?” said Shiro.
“Yeah. I don’t have a way to cook it anymore...”
“Yay! This person was a good person!”
“Storrrage. Storrrage.”
Pushed by the two excited girls, I started storing the desert dragon’s lower half, when suddenly, the goddess statue positioned above us began to shine.
“The goddess statue...!”
A soft white light poured down, and the pain and exhaustion in my body faded away.
“Whoa...”
It was just a gray stone statue glowing, yet I found myself deeply moved. So this is what “divinity” feels like.
The suffocating tension from moments earlier had vanished in an instant. The goddess statue shone with a soft white radiance, and I found myself genuinely moved by its beauty. Even the negative emotions I’d felt speaking with Indeed-Missy weren’t able to diminish how divine this sight was—that was that, and this was this. Sure, it had a bit of a stage-prop vibe, but it was probably meant to make the god seem more holy.
“It’s so beautiful...” said Ares.
“Whoa...” followed Godlord.
They stood frozen, barely able to breathe. It seemed they, too, had decided to forget about Indeed-Missy for now.
The statue’s light grew stronger, and rainbow hues blended together, illuminating the entire room.
“I commend you for overcoming the trial. I shall grant you blessings.”
“Blessings...”
“Speak your wish,” the woman’s voice echoed.
Even though this was the moment we’d been waiting for, it didn’t feel real. Probably because it was all so sudden. I felt like I was floating, like I was dreaming.
“Your wish.”
Oh, right... My wish. Drawn by the voice, I opened my mouth. I promised Ares. That I’d wish for his friends to be revived...
“I wish for Ares’s party members—”
“Wait!” interrupted Ares, grabbing my shoulder firmly. “Hold on. You don’t need to think about my party members.”
I turned to see the young man donning a completely exhausted expression. His face looked deeply sorrowful, and in the eyes looking down at me, I felt both kindness and grief.
“You’re always thinking of others, aren’t you?”
I didn’t get it. What’s that supposed to mean?
“Sorry. Forget it. You came here to get rid of your curse, didn’t you? You should do that first.”
“Huh? Um...?”
As I hesitated, Shiro and Kuro approached, both looking warily at Ares. He had helped us midway, but they hadn’t forgotten that he’d attacked us. Perhaps understanding that, Ares slumped his shoulders and shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter anymore who stole the heaven dragon core. I’m not thinking of doing anything to you. Actually, I want to apologize. So please, grant your own wish.”
From the look in his eyes, it didn’t seem like he was lying. He had come to help us, after all. It really seemed he had forgiven us.
“Are you...sure?”
“Of course. Reviving my party members is something I should wish for. I’ll accomplish it without relying on you guys, so take care of yourselves first.”
“Understood...”
Swallowing my distrust of the dungeon, I looked up at the goddess statue. First, we had to accomplish our main goal.
“Um! Can you break the curse placed on us?”
“Please break the curse!”
“Break the cuuurse.”
“Verifying achievements.”
My body began to glow faintly.
“Reincarnator’s soul—special invitee. Level-three dungeon trial, level-three Demon King subjugation, confirmed.”
The tone suddenly became stiff and mechanical, like an automated announcement.
Next, Shiro and Kuro began to glow.
“Verifying achievements. Level-three dungeon trial, level-three Demon King subjugation, confirmed.”
So does “achievements” mean the trials we’ve overcome since we entered the dungeon? The goddess statue called me a “reincarnator’s soul.” So are reincarnators really treated differently? And Indeed-Missy talked about hunting a bunch of level-ten Demon Kings but...that’s gotta be impossible. Well, maybe if we clear a ton of dungeons and become insanely strong.