Chapter 302: I, Usurper.

Chapter 302: I, Usurper.

Welcome, children of Aurora. You certainly took your sweet time coming. A haughty-sounding woman welcomed us into the room, attracting our gazes as she wafted her blond hair around and looked at us with her ruby-colored eyes in interest.

On the other hand, a muscular dark elven woman nodded as a welcome. Not a single member of Aurora died despite facing an enemy beyond your levels so early. Admirable, she said, showing us only a reserved smile as a sign of acknowledgement.

The Night Sisters, the daughters of Marsven and Edna. Ilsaphone, the eldest and the Goddess of Necromancy and Death; Vivachel, the middle aged one and the Goddess of Vampires; lastly, the Goddess of Grudges and Vengeance, the youngest of the sisters, Kronnaz.

Because of their status as gods, everybody aside from me was mostly listening to either gibberish or some weird accent whenever they spoke. This was a safety measure, since the words of a god could harm a mortals soul. Due to my circumstances, I could hear them perfectly and acted as everybodys translator with [Telepathy]. Pretty similar to when I did the same for Mother and Kramps.

Hmm? Where is the fairy? The blond, noble-looking Vivachel questioned after counting us up.

Shes We left her behind, I replied.

Emil and Tasianna were with Reajaen for obvious reasons. Our end of the bargain was now complete, and so it fell to Tasianna and Emil to do what they needed to do. Closure for Tasianna. As her friend, I didnt know if that was the best path for her, but we couldnt stop her anymore. Even Reajaen herself accepted her death.

Dont worry too much, Kronnaz suddenly spoke, somehow noticing the atmosphere around us. Vengeance and grudges are part of life. To overcome them, regardless of your methods, is to pass a trial in life. It will mold you. To deny somebody this chance would be folly.

[Oh? Is that why you actually let me live, Kronnaz?] KleaHatmas voice appeared in our heads, sounding as if she was teasing the goddess. Was she actually trying to pick a fight? [Well, whatever. Glad to be around Ellaine for a bit longer. In any case, look at this! Seems like those princes of sin arent slacking on their training. An aberration of indulgence, and it looks like it was growing pretty well!]

After we gave Parilostro a new heart, Ilsaphone led us into the dungeons core room, as that was where the Resclaves stored the demonic item. Here, now, our attention was drawn towards two places, beyond the goddesses. First, right in the middle was a clear, crystal ball floating above a pedestal, protected by a pillar of mana, while on the left, in a small room, lay our primary reason for coming here.

Looking very much like a safe with all the metal fortification, Reajaen told us they built the walls around it to make sure the demonic object wouldnt escape. I was confused by what she meant by escape, since I thought the thing was a ball or something, but now that we were here, we could see what she meant.

Kruuuukyuk! It growled at us as we looked through the small window.

[Awwwwww, look at the thing!] KleaHatma sounded like a girl fawning over a small dog or cat. [Look at the small aberration. Such an adorable little bugger.]

This is cute?

As Reajaen mentioned, the object was indeed in the form of a sphere. In fact, it looked pretty much like an eyeball. The problem was that it had flesh surrounding it which formed into a mouth and a bunch of tentacles. It looked less like an inanimate object and more like a monster.

Mana Eyes.

Aberration of Indulgence (Envy)

A semi-perfect gargoyle created using the blood of a demonkin prince of sin, a being who has gone down the path to assimilate themselves with their progenitor, the Demon of Envy. This gargoyle acts as a source of power similar to a catalyst, but also as a phylactery and anchor for their owners life force. Due to the chaotic demonic mana inside the blood, the gargoyle transforms into a true monster, evolving over time depending on the amount of mana embedded into it. Rank E

Owner: ThalsYond

And it was a monster. A demonic one, even.

The Prince of Envys name is ThalsYond, huh? Ill remember that.

This is the object you wanted me to destroy, Goddess Ilsaphone? Saori asked wearily.

Ilsaphone wobbled her head around. No, to be exact, my Quest detailed you to destroy this dungeon here. What you do with the dungeon core or this demonic object is left to your discretion. You can do whatever with them.

Didnt she also have to kick out the two demon associates here? Asaka asked. OBloom is bye-bye, but what about Parilostro?

Most likely it should still work. He and his mother hadnt had any contact with the prince of envy in years, and if we destroy his chest plate, that would mean all the demonic influences are gone. It should count. Correct, Goddess Ilsaphone? I turned around where Ilsaphone still kept her face hidden under her hood. I expected her to answer me, but her younger sister was the one to do so.

Clapping her hands with a wide smile, making it seem like she was patronizing us, Vivachel spoke out in her sisters place. Elsa probably would agree. She is not a pedant and I think she would just like to give Saori her blessing. She wont admit it, but she would like to make you her champion no matter whaWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Sisteeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

White silhouettes looking like ghosts suddenly appeared behind Vivachel before they picked her up and threw her outside the room. In the next moment, a wave of blood entered the room like a slime before forming itself into Vivachel. She didnt look too pleased.

Ilsaphone ignored her younger sisters pouting to explain the details. What Vivi wanted to say without all the fluff, is that yes, I will grant you your reward. A blessing, although you wont be officially recognized as my champion, as well as information related to Belzacs true intention for calling you. Oh right, have you retrieved all the pelts of your garms, yet, Saori?

I have three.

One from the Layavete cartel, another from the OBlooms bandit base, and the last one from one of Reajaens potion shops. The last one, according to the intel we received from Gael and the Shaturein folks, was among OBlooms pelt collection inside his mansion. Once we returned to Gleisvale, we should have Gael pick it up for us.

Good. Once you have them, bring them with you. They will be needed for your garms with what Belzac is planning. Let that be your crumb to entice you. The Goddess then turned to Asaka. Asaka, have you already figured out a place for the onnikai to live?

Huh? She looked surprised. I thought after the onnikais and Tasianna deal with their source of anger, wouldnt the former, you know, just disappear? Didnt that happen with that Kiiro fellow, Hestia?

I nodded, but Ilsaphone had something else to say.

If you are speaking about the onnikai leader in your time in Firwood, then I will say that Kiiro was already weakened from his fight against that human, Davison. Onnikais arent like ghosts or yokai, as you Japanese would know them. They cant be exorcised or appeased like that. Ilsaphone used her knowledge of our world to explain it to us. Yes, over time, an onnikai can turn back into a spirit once its source of vengeance is gone. They can pray to Goddess Zephira for that. However, these onnikais have fully converted to my faith. They want to remain onnikais since Ive managed to adjust my blessing after what happened in Firwood. I thank you for helping me with that.

Which means Asaka sighed. No I havent found a haven for them yet. I guess they cant stay here, huh?

Hmm. That probably would be quite a bit of a problem, I commented. The onnikais despise the Resurrection member. Even if Reajaen died, they wouldn't like being here, nor would the Resurrection appreciate their presence. The primary religion in Estralia is God Mercurias, but the seat of the Church of Aurena borders them. I dont think they would accept the onnikais inhabiting corpses.

Everybody nodded. The Church of Aurena only tolerated the Church of Marsven since hes an Origin God, but that was about it. Conflicts still happen between their followers which could lead to wars. I mean, grimgarians are technically the descendants of Kronnaz but they were treated as nothing more than monsters, so what would they think about onnikai-controlled undead?

Nothing good, thats what I would predict.

Hmm, then how about we ask Lady Duchess Morgiana? Ellaine suddenly brought up as we contemplated on a way to solve Asakas Divine Quest. Onnikais are faefolk, and the Morgiana Duchy is the closest to Saelarial. We can ask her and Lady Thyra for help. Or, we can even default to Muraina. As a Saelari, she could bring the onnikais into elven territory. Regardless, they would feel safe in either case.

That was a good suggestion. We could probably talk with Artorias or Muraina for help in this matter. Migration shouldnt be a problem with my nexus.

[Hmm, it seemed like the four of you figured something out. Now, how about you direct your attention to the aberration?]

I agree with the demon. Has Ilsaphone not told you to make haste? Kronnaz chastised us. The aberration is about to evolve into a D rank.

[Mhmm.] Klea sent us an image of her nodding her head. [Aberrations are us demons lovable pets. Not only are they the protectors of our life force cores, but also an incredible force of nature once they mature and manage to evolve. They can take on so many forms. So many cute and very grotesque figures, unnatural to the world of Peolynca. Ooooh, this brings tears to my eyes. I miss my little ones so very much.]

I squinted my eyes and turned to the growling eyeball with sharp teeth and tentacles.Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Yup. Eldritch. Nothing to see here. Her tastes can remain her tastes.

So how do we destroy it? Saori asked.

[Hmm, destroy?] Our demon sounded like she was about to object. [You dont need to do that, Saori. As Ilsaphone mentioned, you can do whatever you want with it. Its a phylactery. Perfect to safeguard your soul like a lich. Give you a second chance. It would be a waste to simply get rid of it.]

If you are trying to trick us, demon, I can end you now. Words wont get you anything here. I scowled at Ellaines rings.

[No, no, not for me, dear! Whatever amount of my soul I could give it would be worth next to nothing. At best, I could transfer my mana into it and make it my new home, but that would be about it. Not to mention, if I tried that, Aurena would probably kill me before you could. No, my suggestion would be for Ellaine.]

Me? Ellaine raised an eyebrow.

[Yes, Ellaine. You are not a demon contractor, but you could grant the aberration your mana while in [Assimilation] form. You can make your own aberration to protect not only your soul, but also yourself once it evolves into an A rank. You wouldnt need to fear death any longer.]

Like a lich, Ilsaphone added.

Excuse me, but shouldnt you say something against this? I mean, you three are goddesses and this sounds like such a bad move to do, Asaka pointed this out, prompting Vivachel to answer her.

No. We are gods. We are watchers and guides, but we arent your mothers. We cannot interfere if your actions are abiding by the rules. We can only suggest. And, in this case, Kroza can explain it better than me.

Kronnaz looked Ellaine straight in the eye, intimidating her a little bit due to their height and stature difference. Let me reiterate once again what I said after you, Tatsuya, and Kyouya fought me I will trust your judgement.

It was short and to the point, fitting for somebody stern and aloof like the Goddess of Vengeance and Grudges. It reminded me of what Ellaine told me after their first meeting.

Their fight was pretty one-sided, where Kronnaz dealt with them as if they were small children. While Ellaine and the boys went at it seriously, Kronnaz treated it as if she was drilling a mortal champion. Although the goddess said she would destroy KleaHatma if she failed, she actually couldnt follow through with that threat due to Aurenas protection.

In fact, the test was just a way for Kronnaz to understand Ellaine better. It was a trial to see if Kronnaz would aid us in our Divine Quest, or if she would stay neutral about it. In the end, she chose the former. Fortunately.

Outside of Kronnazs trial and Ilsaphones Divine Quests, the Night Sisters goal was to assess our fates as they called it. To analyze two specific people in this, and those were Asaka and Reajaen and their positions in the sisters plans. Asaka, as she was considered a saint candidate of Aurena by the demonkin-controlled Church of Aurena, and Reajaen, given her relationship with the demonkin prince of sloth, were both suspicious figures to the goddesses.

I didnt know what they were thinking with Asaka, but Reajaen was probably dead at this point. I did hope Tasianna would find it in herself to forgive her, but I had no idea what Emil would do. That onnikai was an old one, having been born during the War for the Faefolk. His hatred for humans and fae hunters was the most intense, similar to Kiiros in a way.

As such My mind returned to the present with Kronnazs strict tone. What you do with the aberration is your issue. You can not keep it here. Even after destroying the dungeon, a new one would form around the aberrations mana. Choose wisely.

I see Ellaine nodded after I told her all of that, then immediately gave them an answer. Alright, lets destroy it then.

[Hold on, stop!] However, before any of us opened the door, KleaHatma voiced her disapproval. [First off, if you tried to destroy it like that, you would just unleash a wave of demonic mana into the surroundings, dears. Macula plants wont cut it to cleanse the ground. Second, you would waste a valuable tool in this phylactery.]

Klea, while I trust that you arent trying anything weird and this is for my own benefit, I dont think keeping something like this around is anyway good. This is the life force of the prince of envy, right? Thats why OBloom and those two demonkins were sent here. If we keep it, they will target us even more, Ellaine argued, seemingly undeterred by the demons request.

Proud of you! Dont let that demon whisper you sweet nothings!

[The answer is obvious. Destroy the mana in it before using the phylactery for yourself.] But, of course, KleaHatma still continued to defy our wish and give us another suggestion. [Once the mana is no more, the demonkin whelp will believe he lost his phylactery altogether. If he will hunt us, it will be for being a threat to his plans. Not to take a hold of the aberration. It will also prevent him from having any control of it once the aberration evolves enough times.]

I scratched my head in annoyance. Hearing the demon continue speaking was giving me a headache. KleaHatma, while Ellaine can trust you, the rest of us can

[Foxian, Reajaen Resclave] have received the title [Hestias Retainer]

Foremost, I am Her Imperial Highnesss attendant, maid, and shield. I turned back to Tasianna, who had kneeled down, too. As punishment for her crimes, Reajaen Resclave will serve my Mistress until the day she dies. She will follow your orders and become President of Estralia to control the region and the trade in eastern Altrust in your name! Once her duty has come to an end, she will personally visit the Fairy village and face her judgement for stealing away the royal family of Iggdrasils daughter, Princess Schuri Estria Iggdrasyl.

That sounds like a lot of problems, I remarked at the last sentence.

Yes, and I apologize for that, Lady Hestia. If we inform Muraina, she will do the same for Saelariel. If Reajaen comes anywhere close, archers will try to shoot her down as the sentence is death, without a doubt. If that happens, we will require your aid to assure her survival, Lady Hestia, just enough so she can reach a court of law. Vigilante justice is not justice. As a follower of Goddess Plesia, I am ashamed to have only come to this realization now.

What a drag Still. Tasianna, good job.

Come. I pulled Tasianna up before embracing her. Im proud of you. Thank you for also persuading Emil.

She clenched her fingers on my back hard enough to the point I could feel the pain, but I allowed it. A little irritation was irrelevant after seeing Tasiannas growth.

Yes Tears began to fall again. It was hard to do so.

Please, promise us, Emil spoke up from the corner, still crying. A new life. Away from all of this. I never want to meet this woman ever again! If you can do that, I will make sure all the onnikais will follow your wish, Tasianna. We just peace.

Dont worry about that. Asaka moved over to him. Well resolve this. Dont worry.

And so, the conflict in Estralia had finally ended. The merchant republic would probably still face more challenges in the future with Auroras influence over Shaturein and the Resurrection, but that was just another day for them. Merchants trying to vie for power was nothing abnormal, compared to what we faced today.

For now, rest was on the plan. R&R and also some time to let things settle down. The enemies loomed over our heads, but Aurora couldnt fight nonstop, at least, not for now. We still had injured and other issues to handle.

Regardless, a week passed by quickly. The introduction of the Divine Systems new feature woke everybody up.

System Update: Triple Job System has been implemented into the System and all profiles. To read more on the details, please continue reading. Once you are finished, please visit your nearest [Crystal of the Divine System]

And there was something else, just for me.

A note from AbyssRaven

Tasianna's character just took a strong end for now. It took nearly 300 chapters for Tasianna to find some closure after Princess's Schuri's death, helping her develop more as a person and into the maid Hestia needs for the future. Hope you guys liked it! N

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 20 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

For two dollars, for the cost of a coffee, you can read up to four chapters for the whole month! You will have my eternal gratitude for any support you can give me! Please.

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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Friday, May 20, 2022 4:34:02 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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