Chapter 340: Hope is naive

Chapter 340: Hope is naive

Weak and wounded creatures have two options; find a hidden refuge where they can lick their wounds, or find a group that can accept them to build strength through fellowship.

This nature is something that rational beings share since suffering is something that we share with non-rational beings.

Seraph suffered from the depravity of a system user who took control of her world.

Sword Maiden was in hell after a Demon helped a goblin to ascend to a Higher Entity.

Eriko was enslaved, tortured, humiliated, and controlled by a system user.

All three women suffered tragic lives filled with physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. That pain allows them to have strong bonds that make them loyal friends.

Technically I have also been a victim of all kinds of abuse since I lost my virginity when an unknown woman abused me, my childhood was full of violence and I ate garbage to survive, but those are minor issues.

The point is that Eriko's story is somewhat simplistic and predictable, but that doesn't lessen the tragedy.

The start of her story in Paradise is similar to Daedalus.

She obtained the key to becoming a Higher Entity when Paradise invaded her world, though she did not immediately ascend and preferred to keep a low profile.

The difference is that Daedalus fought against the invaders and that's why she became a slave, on the other hand, Eriko gave up immediately and was accepted into Paradise by showing her talent in developing new technologies.

Although her world was conquered by the racist faction, she is technically part of the neutral faction since she decided to help the two main factions. She doesn't care about politics, she just wants to continue her investigations.

By chance, she met Seraph and Maiden of the Sword, so the three women became friends as they felt like defenseless animals in an environment full of predators.

Although the three women can be considered deities in low-level Worlds, within Paradise any soldier could subdue them with sheer force.

They distrusted the stupidity and depravity of the people of Paradise, so they decided to form a group to support each other.

That helped them a lot since Auriel became fond of them, especially Seraph and Maiden of the Sword. Seraph is totally loyal while Sword Maiden has a naturally kind heart.

Both women managed to hold important positions in the idealistic faction, Seraph as Auriel's direct advisor, while Maiden of the Sword became the supervisor of the Temple of Hope, the main temple for healing, exorcisms, and is the only place that is allowed to perform resurrections within Paradise.

Eriko doesn't fit with Auriel's ideals as she is in favor of experiments on sentient beings, so she remained in the neutral faction, but her own talent in alchemy made her one of the most valuable people in Paradise.

This brought a lot of unpleasant attention to her, but some people from Paradise protected her since she is an invaluable resource.

Up to that point, everything sounded good, but quickly everything went to shit.

Eriko thought she was safe from trouble thanks to the people protecting her, but the truth is that some of those idiots were spies for the Harem Emperor.

One day, Eriko went to a low-level World in search of special materials that she needed for her research.

She was protected by a powerful elite team, so she let her guard down.

The problem is that most of the soldiers who protected her were spies, so they assassinated the general and kidnapped Eriko to take her to the Free Agents base, the organization made up of veteran heroes seeking freedom, system users, and protagonists who got out of their stories.

In that place, Eriko met the Harem Emperor and was subjected to all kinds of brainwashing techniques to make her a puppet without a will, but that she retained her memories, personality, and knowledge.

Apparently, the Harem Emperor has a system based on sexual acts, so the basis of her skills is the subjugation of women.

Eriko had managed to resist the brainwashing thanks to all the modifications she herself had made to her own mind, soul, and body. The problem was that the Harem Emperor seems to have many problematic abilities, including the ability to force high-level Contracts into the souls of women.

Those Contracts are inferior to Lucifer's Contracts, but they are superior to BB's, so that's problematic.

Since then, Eriko has been the Harem Emperor's main spy and tool within Paradise.

In fact, Eriko had a role similar to System Goddess as she made many improvements to the Harem Emperor's body, soul, mind, and system.

The annoying thing is that the Harem Emperor is not a simple jerk who only thinks about sex, that bastard has a brain.

His system modifications have negated the weaknesses of a conventional system user, he even has abilities that could cause problems for Nyaruko, Abby, and Aotian.

Anyway, for the moment it was too much information so I will explain it in more detail later since at this moment I am once again inside the cage generated by [Phobia].

The Emperor of the Harem is the cause of Seraph having the stupid idea that it was better for her to sacrifice her own life for Auriel's sake.

Apparently, that jerk knows the structure of Paradise in detail and knows that the best way to get close to Auriel is to use Seraph, so he manipulated Eriko into putting stupid ideas into my wife's mind.

The plan was to make Seraph's mind and heart vulnerable in order to take advantage of the situation, but that jerk is too conceited and has too much confidence in his plot armor, so he didn't think that another idiot would show up to steal Seraph's heart.

If I think about it carefully, it all happened because Navi convinced me to approach the Paradise agents instead of killing them...

Navi is the most useful but problematic plot armor.....

Eriko felt so guilty that she started crying as she spoke, but Seraph forgave her because she is her friend.

Friendship... how adorable. It would have been a beautiful scene if it weren't for the fact that I went crazy knowing that an asshole without testicles caused all of Seraph's existential conflict.

The only thing that kept me from completely losing my mind was the fit of laughter I had upon learning that the Harem Emperor is a eunuch.

Apparently long ago he had attempted to kidnap and rape Yog-Sothoth. At that time he was still an impulsive and stupid system user with a sick desire to impregnate brats, so he overestimated his own abilities.

Abby once told me about a system user who tried to rape her, so she separated the soul fragment that represented that idiot's sexual pleasure and then sent that soul piece to an unknown part of the multiverse.

Basically, the system user lost his testicles and penis for trying to abuse Abby. It would have been nice if Abby killed that idiot, but she can't destroy souls, she can only split them into little pieces and spread them across the multiverse.

The Emperor of the Harem wants Auriel so that she can heal the wound in her soul, that way, he can abuse all the women of the multiverse.

That idiot is collecting women in a dollhouse, and when he can get his genitals back, he's going to start impregnating all the women.

That whole plan sounds so stupid that I can't even get mad, I can only sigh at how low the human race has sunk.

Now that I think about it, if I followed Navi's advice I would become just like that jerk...Thinking about it from another point of view, it wouldn't surprise me if the Harem Emperor is the true harem protagonist while I am the antagonist...

Oh well, that wouldn't be impossible. My character records come from a villain in a pornographic comic who blackmails women.

Actually, none of this matters, I just need to kill him... make him suffer until he wants to die....... He must scream and plead for death.................

....

Ah what a nuisance.

I must not let hatred consume me or the enemy will be able to escape or counterattack if I waste time torturing him.

I sighed and hit my head against the wall of the cage again........

I find Eriko an interesting woman, but I haven't developed feelings for her yet, so her tragic story didn't make me angry. What really made me lose my mind was that the Harem Emperor already sees Seraph as his personal bitch....

As if that wasn't enough, the fucking spy hiding in a space rift is affiliated with the Harem Emperor. He works for a high command of the racist faction, but in reality, he is a system user with strong stealth skills and is part of the Free Agents....

There is a lot of information hidden in his records, but I can't access all of the information since there is a powerful skill protecting his Core of Existence....

If I eat his soul and mind I won't be able to get all the information, all I can do is get superficial information....

Fortunately, the spy is a cocky jerk and thinks he has perfect stealth skills. He entered the [Anti-Rasen] cage and didn't even try to contact his allies for help... Well, even if he asks for help it won't help, now I just have to wait for Auriel to arrive to kill that idiot...... .

For now, Navi is keeping an eye on the idiot.

In case I lose consciousness or my mind goes out of control, Navi will remind me to kill the enemy.....

Anyway.

Auriel will be coming soon, so I must relax my mind...

Because...

Well, my mind doesn't work right.....

.....

....

...

I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE!!

LET ME OUT!

GO OUT AND KILL EVERYONE!

I MUST GO OUT!

........

.....

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(Auriel perspective)

(Author's Note: A reader recommended that I use Marie from 'Shinza Bansho' for Auriel's design. I did some research on the character and liked the idea, so I'm going to use Marie for Auriel's unarmored look. In armor, she It will still be Auriel from Diablo III. Sorry for the sudden change, if you guys have any other suggestion that doesn't affect the plot too much, I'll be glad to read the comments.)

Due to my power, very few people see me as a person and only value me as an object, I have even heard the insults and derogatory comments that many people make behind my back.

That doesn't really bother me, people are free to express themselves and if they hate me it must be because I haven't helped enough. Every day, I make sure to absorb the pain, injuries, illnesses, and curses of every entity in Paradise, but sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough.

I have long since stopped participating in wars to protect other Worlds since my brothers and friends insist that I must remain in a safe place.

Some people just want to keep an eye on me, but other people sincerely care about my safety, so I couldn't say no.

Actually, I hate war, I hate battles, and I hate fighting. Violence only generates more violence and we need the understanding to achieve a harmonious and peaceful society.

Despite my wishes for peace, I understand that the people who seek peace are the ones who risk the biggest wars.

I'm not afraid to swing my sword to protect the weak, but it hurts me to see my comrades hurting innocent people just because they belong to another species.

Despite everything, a part of my heart is happy that I no longer have to see the pain and tragedy of war. Even so, knowing that there are people suffering while I live a peaceful and luxurious life makes me feel guilty.

As long as people can be happy, I don't mind being the only person who isn't happy, which is why I care about the situation of the multiverse.

A lot of strange things have happened recently and everything has become dangerous. It's as if a never-before-seen disaster is about to cover the multiverse.

Every day I feel more worried, but right now I can't let my worries affect my abilities.

A few hours ago, my dear friend Seraph asked me for help. She is too selfless and has sacrificed a lot to help me, so she made me happy to hear that I can do something to help her.

I know my limitations and I know I'm not very smart, so I didn't ask questions and just followed her directions to go to a private place in the Temple of Hope. This place was built in my honor, but that name is embarrassing.

Despite the embarrassing name, I am very excited and expectant. Finally, I will be able to meet the brave hero who is willing to risk his life to protect the harmony between all races.

Seraph has told me a lot about the Hero of Harmony, so I'm very happy to meet him in person.

When I got to the place I tilted my head in confusion as I didn't see the Hero of Harmony, I only saw a big black box that looked like a sarcophagus.

"Lady Auriel!" – Seraph and Sword Maiden knelt down when they saw me arrive.

I sighed. – "Girls, I already told you not to do that"

"You know that's impossible, they respect you too much" – The Master Alchemist smiled wryly.

"Long time no see, Eriko" - I smiled happily.

I don't like experiments on innocent people and I hate the prospect of sacrificing lives for progress, but I'm glad to see she's okay.

huh?

"Is it my idea or do you look different?" I tilted my head in confusion. – "Umm, happy?... no, it's something else... You seem freer"

Eriko is the best alchemist in Paradise which has elevated her to a similar status to me even though she doesn't have powerful subordinates.

Because my power is needed for some of her inventions, we talk often, but usually, I feel like she's hiding a lot of sadness, guilt, and anger.

She doesn't like to talk about her problems so I haven't had a chance to help her so I'm glad to see her more relaxed and happy.

Eriko smiled wryly. – "You are always so perceptive towards emotions"

"Thank you?" - I don't know if that was a compliment.

"It's a compliment" - Eriko continued to smile ironically.

There is no falsehood in her words, so she tells the truth.

I smiled. - "Then, thank you"

I looked at the black box again curiously. – "Is it a new invention?"

That box is a bit strange.

I can't identify the material it's made of, I can't see anything special either, it just looks like a big box with no special abilities.....huh?...EEEHHHHHH?!

"Anyway, what do you want boy?" – Truth spoke to the boy with slight exasperation.

"I'm going to synchronize my soul with Auriel's, then I'm going to replace a piece of my mind with a copy of the Hope Concept" – The boy sighed and opened his own skull. – "I need you to use the principle of equivalence so that Hope is converted into a feature of the mind instead of a Concept"

The Outer Gods are strange.

"Your soul also seems damaged" – Truth nodded and smiled again.

"I can fix that on my own" – The boy extracted a piece of rotten meat from his brain.

That part seems to be something related to the senses, perception of reality, and impulse control.

"How come everyone acts like this is normal?" – A redheaded woman rolled her eyes.

"Well, inside the Temple all kinds of wounded have arrived, although it is the first time I see an Outer God repairing his Core of Existence" – Sword Maiden smiled slightly.

When I met her, I offered to heal her eyes, but she refused. Now she can see the world differently than other people.

I'm curious about what she's seeing right now.

"Yoko, behave, we have to help Luis" – A girl with black hair sighed.

The boy's feelings seem more intense for that girl.

Well, it's normal for people in a polygamous relationship to have more feelings for some people. The important thing is that the boy has a deep and endless love for the women who accompany him, it is as if he could do anything to make them happy. That is cute.

We started working and after a long time, we managed to repair the boy's mind.

The surprising thing is that the boy's soul began to heal on its own when his mind was repaired.

The dark-skinned little girl also began to heal.

The boy is better than me at mending minds, but I'm still better at mending souls.

I offered to help heal their souls, but something unexpected happened.

The boy and the little girl closed their eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Fortunately, I managed to hug them both so their heads didn't hit the ground.

"That concludes the deal" – Truth smiled and disappeared.

The black-haired woman sighed in relief. – "Luis hasn't slept since I've known him... I'm glad to see him rest"

"Oh really?" – Seraph frowned. – "Usually the Outer Gods sleep a lot to keep their own minds under control"

"This idiot has fallen unconscious a few times, but he doesn't know what it's like to take care of his own health" – The red-haired woman snorted with disdain, although I can see the deep concern in her eyes. – "He is always pushing himself to the breaking point..."

A pretty girl with pale blonde hair with dull blue undertones crouched down next to me with a kind smile. – "Thank you very much, without you it would not have been possible to help Luis, really, thank you"

Such a sincere thank you...

It's been a long time since I was able to help a person with my own two hands. It's such a nice feeling.

It makes me happy to see other people smiling.

"I think I'll take care of these two children a little more" - I carefully hugged both children.

I never thought that two Outer Gods could be so cute when sleeping.

"This is good?" - Eriko raised an eyebrow. – "Auriel, you are the most important person in the Harmonious Paradise, there will be a great scandal if someone sees that you are embracing two Outer Gods"

"I know" - I smiled softly hearing the soft breathing of the boy and the little girl. – "In the worst case I will leave Paradise"

"....." - Why did Sword Maiden turn pale? – "L-Lady Auriel, y-you have to be kidding..."

"No, I'm serious" - I sighed. – "I know that I am not very intelligent, but I am not totally ignorant, I know that there are several people who have used my name to do terrible things, but I cannot stop them because there are many people watching my movements..."

In fact, I'm surprised no one found out about this meeting.

"Hey Listen! Wake up you idiot dog, the damn rat wants to attack your bitch!"

Where is the boy? He was supposed to be sleeping in my arms.

"W-Wait!"

Hey? Since when is there a person on the roof?

If I couldn't sense his presence then he must be a high-level spy.... This is bad.

No, the most important thing is that his body is being held by chains of purple energy while the boy is holding his neck.

The boy opened his mouth and his teeth became sharp...

"No, stop!" – I screamed in panic when I noticed that the boy is a Devourer and he was about to destroy a soul.

"... Shit, stupid feelings of attachment" – The boy closed his mouth and put his hand on the spy's face, then a flash of red light appeared...

That...

That pain.....

It is awful......

What kind of horrendous skill is that?

"Luis is supposed to have regained self-control"

"Tch, the womanizing idiot is still stabilizing, besides, that idiot fell in love with this woman and that's why he's so angry"

"Yoko, it seems you know Luis very well"

"Wh-what?! I only know him because I'm looking for a chance to hit him!"

I couldn't hear the conversation. My gaze was fixed on the horrible skill that the boy had used.

Infinite pain, pain-capable of destroying people's minds, so much suffering... That ability is too horrible and cruel.

The boy released the still body of the spy and approached me.

"I'm sorry for showing you that" – The boy sighed. – "I didn't mean to scare you"

"Okay" - I held the boy's hands. – "I am not so ignorant, I can understand the situation... Even so, I would appreciate it if you never use that horrible skill in front of me again"

The spy is a Higher Entity, so killing him or destroying his body will not ensure that the information is destroyed.

The only two options are to destroy his soul or destroy his mind.

The boy seems to be similar to the leaders of Absolute Paradise. People who only think about the results without hesitating to destroy their enemies.

I don't like that way of thinking since destroying a soul seems to me one of the most horrible things that can be done, but what the boy did is not better either.

If I'm not mistaken, the pain caused by that ability caused the spy's mind to be destroyed on a conceptual level. Now, he won't be able to recover his memory and personality even if he revives.

Maybe I can heal him if I try, but...

I looked down.

It is not the first time that I have refused to help someone in order to achieve the greater good, but still, it hurts me not to help.

"Auriel, thank you" – The boy's voice is very kind. – "I am sorry for putting you in this dilemma, but I will find a way to make it up to you, I will also make sure to thank you for what you did"

I knew it. No matter how cruel or evil this boy seems on the outside, he is a kind boy.

"Thank you" - I looked up and smiled. – "Now it is better that you return to your home, things will be a bit noisy around here"

Even if the spy failed to deliver the information, the person who sent it will know that their spy was discovered.

Seraph, Eriko, Sword Maiden, and I weren't able to detect the spy, so that person will know that someone else was with us.

The boy's mind has already been mended, but his soul is still mending so he needs a long rest or the wounds in his mind might reopen. I can see that he's still in deep pain, but he seems to be trying hard to hide it so he doesn't make me worry...

He is too adorable.

I have to deal with this in some way that doesn't involve the boy.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it" – The boy smiled at me with such kindness that he made me smile.

"Ah shit, here we go again" – I don't know what the redheaded woman is referring to.

"Luis, remember you're on vacation" – The black-haired woman frowned.

"Hero, you're not fully recovered yet, you need to rest" – Seraph also frowned.

"It's true, I can't let a patient do things that could worsen his wounds" – Sword Maiden spoke kindly, but she was also strict with her words.

"Okay, okay" - The boy smiled wryly.

"Hey Listen! Ahahahaha you are a SIMP bitch who is dominated by a group of women who can only wash dishes! You stupid beta bitch!" – The fairy was laughing and I don't understand why.

"I thought an Outer God would be more intimidating" – Eriko also seemed to be having fun.

This is cute. Despite the fact that a spy appeared, no one seems concerned.

This kind of atmosphere is what I like the most. A peaceful and happy environment where people can smile.

I have to keep trying so that everyone can always be happy.

"Auriel..." – The boy sighed. – "Later we will talk about your messiah complex..."

Messiah?

I know many messiahs, but I am an archangel. I don't understand what the boy means.

Well everyone seems happy so I won't worry about the spy.

Seraph is very smart so she must have thought of something already.

For now, there is a small selfish desire that I wish to fulfill.

"Hero of Harmony" – I spoke slightly shyly since I'm not used to asking for things. – "Do you have any food by any chance? Seraph always talks about how delicious your food is..."

The boy smiled. – "It is not necessary to call me with that exaggerated title, you can call me Luis... And yes, here you have"

Several boxes of food appeared in the boy's hands.

It smells delicious...

"I have an idea" - I smiled. – "Let's go to my house, there we can eat at ease"

"Lady Auriel, I don't know if that's a good idea" – Seraph frowned. – "There are many people looking around..."

I pointed to the spy on the ground. – "There is no point in hiding it, we better enjoy some time together, and if someone comes to bother me I will take care of it"

The food smells delicious...

"Hey Listen! Good job dog, first you fill her stomach and then you fill her butt!" – The fairy yelled things I don't understand, but he was hit by Seraph and Sword Maiden.

"Don't desecrate Lady Auriel with your dirty words!" – Both girls are very energetic.

"Muahahahaha, my partner is going to desecrate her holes with his dirty salami!" – The fairy was having fun, I like happy people.

"So let's go to my house?" – Look at the group of people expectantly.

I haven't had visitors for a long time and I feel a bit lonely, so the idea of making new friends makes me happy.

"Fine" – The boy nodded.

All his gestures and actions are so kind, but I feel that there is something more than gratitude in his gaze...

ooh...

"Auriel? Why do you blush?" – Eriko began to touch my cheek with her finger.

blushing?

am I blushing?

"It's your imagination" – I ignored Eriko and hurried to open a space door to take my guests to my house.

".... It took you four hours to seduce her, you're rusting" – The red-haired woman sneered at the boy.

"...." – The boy rolled his eyes. – "It seems you don't want to eat"

"Just kidding!" – The redheaded woman panicked.

Such a cute and happy group. It's nice to meet such nice people.