Raising Villains the Right Way

[Do you really think that makes any sense?]

After a brief silence.

Risen One let out a snort of laughter at Arm-Spitting One’s remark.

[You can’t believe it?]

[Isn’t that only natural? The abilities a divine-blood uses are practically identical to their very identity. And you’re saying those can just be absorbed and then used again at will? Do you really think that makes sense?]

[But didn’t you also hear about the Star Eater from Him? About why He descended to this world in the first place.]

[That’s true, but…… wasn’t that only about absorbing power?]

At Arm-Spitting One’s counterquestion, Risen One nodded several times, as if in understanding.

[I’m not saying I don’t understand your reaction. Honestly, even a divine-blood absorbing the power of another divine-blood is already a peculiar ability.]

[............Knowing that, how can you be so certain?]

[Because—]

At that question, Risen One answered without hesitation.

[—I saw it.]

[You saw it?]

[Yes. It was a bit rude, but the last time He visited, I asked Him to show me His divine power.]

[Surely not there—]

[He possessed two divine authorities. Cleanly so—the authorities of the ‘Devourer’ and the ‘Poison Eater.’]

[...............This is insane—]

Arm-Spitting One was left momentarily speechless.

Black tentacles writhed with a skin-crawling motion.

Arm-Spitting One opened its mouth once more.

[Hah, but even if He can absorb power, whether He can pass it back on is something no one knows.........!?]

[True. That might be the case.]

Risen One nodded again.

The Star Eater’s ability was clearly an irregularity even among the divine-bloods.

Though Risen One had seen Him display two divine authorities.

He had not been told whether the Star Eater could actually transfer those authorities to others.

And yet, the reason Risen One could still speak with certainty was—

[But, I heard it.]

[You heard it.........?]

[Yes. From the very one who issued orders to us.]

Because he had heard it directly, Arm-Spitting One’s single eye widened as if it might split.

[Did He truly say that Himself?]

Risen One recalled that moment.

The words spoken when He summoned him, the one most likely to fall first among the divine-bloods.

‘Serve the Star Eater well, and without fail, great fortune will come to you.’

‘If it’s great fortune,’

‘He’s a being who can make you as strong as you like. And on top of that, He’s rather moody.’

A short exchange of only a few words.

Yet that brief conversation—

[Th-then, is it really true?]

[Yes.]

—was more than enough to convince Arm-Spitting One.

[Now, think carefully. In the first place, He abandoned Himself for the sake of achievements and donned the shell of a lowly human. And to someone like that, abilities amounting to no more than our level of power are—]

[Nothing more than a stepping stone to cross over?]

At Arm-Spitting One’s response, Risen One curled the corner of his lips into a grin.

[Correct. To someone heading to the same place as the one we serve, anything gained along the way would be nothing but unnecessary clutter. And those unnecessary things—]

Risen One stopped speaking there and stared into the white eye gazing at him from the abyss.

Then, as if bewitched, the   Arm-Spitting One murmured.

[—Are handed down to those below?]

[Yes. And if that happens—]

At Risen One’s nod, the   Arm-Spitting One’s tentacles began to twist strangely.

Tentacles writhing as if seized by a thrill.

And then.

[Even if we don’t go through hell gathering faith, it wouldn’t be strange for us to reach the Heavenly Law.]

With those words spoken with firm conviction.

Among the divine-bloods, strange gears began to turn.

Gears forged from a delicate mixture of truth and falsehood.

***

The banquet on the second day was, as expected, held in a much quieter atmosphere than the first.

That was certainly the case, but.

‘Isn’t this… way too few people?’

Alon was bewildered.

Unlike yesterday, when the hall had been so packed it felt genuinely overheated, today the number of attendees had noticeably dropped.

“I expected there to be fewer people…… but the difference is really obvious, isn’t it?”

At Penia’s words, Alon nodded in agreement.

“It certainly is.”

“Hmm~ Well, that’s usually how it goes, but it still dropped more than I expected.”

Penia tilted her head after a moment of thought.

“But it does feel a bit strange.”

“What does?”

“Normally, for it to be like this, there should’ve been a lot of people leaving midway through yesterday, but hardly anyone left then.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

What is it then……? Alon tilted his head briefly, then shrugged.

Honestly, regardless of why so many people were gone, fewer people was far more comfortable than more.

“Godfather.”

While Alon was thinking that, a voice came from beside him.

When he turned his gaze, Rine was standing there.

However.

“Rine?”

“Yes.”

“......You changed your hairstyle.”

“Yes. I realized I haven’t really paid attention to my hair lately.”

With her hairstyle changed.

Rine had parted her hair to the right and even pinned it with a small, delicate hairpin.

At her appearance, Alon made a low “Hmm~” sound and nodded.

“It suits you.”

“Does it?”

“Yes. It doesn’t look bad at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

Rine let out a small breath at Alon’s approval.

But only for a moment.

“Chief—!”

“Did you change your hairstyle?”

“Yeah, how is it?”

Ryanga, who had changed her style just like Rine, approached.

Alon tilted his head.

‘Why does it feel like everyone’s suddenly changing their style?’

Just today alone, Penia, Rine, and Ryanga had all done so.

As Alon wondered what kind of day it was.

Evan was moving under Alon’s orders to check on Sili’s situation.

And he was able to find Sili in the annex where she had been waiting when Alon began the procession.

“......”

However.

Even so, Evan couldn’t easily speak to Sili.

The reason was—

“What is this?”

Because the distance between him and Sili was enormous.

No, more precisely—

Beyond the distance itself, there were an overwhelming number of people staring at Sili as she stood on the stage.

A suffocatingly silent stillness.

Pressed by the strange atmosphere, Evan also fell silent and observed the situation, and at that moment.

“First of all, thank you so much to everyone who gathered here today.”

Sili’s smiling voice spread out.

Even the faintest murmur disappeared, and the stage fell silent.

Within that stage, Sili appeared utterly peaceful—

“I’d love to greet each and every one of you personally, but unfortunately, everyone gathered here is terribly busy, so I’ll get straight to the main point.”

She soon pulled out a sheet of paper from her bosom.

A plain piece of paper, folded into quarters, with the number ‘1’ written in the center.

But when that paper appeared, the crowd began to murmur, and a question mark popped up over Evan’s head.

What is it? A paper infused with mana?

Just in case, Evan channeled mana into his eyes.

But he couldn’t see anything in particular.

What Sili held was nothing more than a sheet of paper, completely devoid of value.

And so, just as Evan was wearing a puzzled expression—

“Now then! From this moment on, we will begin accepting donations! And the great first donor shall be—”

Sili shouted.

“—the King of Palatio himself! I, Saintess Sili Makalian, acting in the name of that great one, guarantee you the right to purchase the ‘first’ statue of the Great Sage God!”

From Evan’s perspective, it was a statement that instantly froze his brain.

And then.

“I-I’ll donate!”

“M-Move aside, it’s me! Me!”

“I’ll donate! I wish to donate!”

“I’ve been waiting for this very moment!”

“You fool! You have to call out the amount! 5,000! 5,000 gold coins!!”

Here in the annex, without any tangible goods.

With nothing more than the ‘order’ to receive a statue, Sili instantly stirred up massive chaos under the name of ‘donations’—

‘This is............... the creative economy............?’

Evan found himself recalling that phrase anew.

***

“Hoo—”

Hidan let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

To be honest, when thought about calmly, guarding the Great Moon was not an especially exhausting task.

He considered it only natural to act for the Blue Moon.

And, in the first place, the Great Moon didn’t truly require Hidan’s protection.

Those gathered around Him were of a level that would tolerate no harm unless even a divine-blood attacked.

And yet, Hidan was tired.

The reason was pure tension.

Ever since yesterday, right after the Great Moon mentioned someone He had taken an interest in.

A strange tension had begun to circulate around Him.

Hidan had even witnessed the clash between the Red Moon and the Green Moon from afar before, so he couldn’t help but feel on edge, leaving him more fatigued than usual.

‘I trust that since the Great Moon is nearby, She won’t go that far..............’

Even so, anxiety was unavoidable.

He maintained his tension throughout his work.

Though he honestly wanted to rest a little, he moved toward the Red Moon’s chambers.

It was to deliver a report he hadn’t been able to give earlier, taking advantage of the lull in the banquet.

‘Is the Red Moon all right?’

As he walked, concern suddenly crossed Hidan’s mind.

The Red Moon wasn’t afflicted by any serious illness.

She was still acting nearly flawlessly, both as the Red Moon and as a close aide to the Great Moon.

However, because a strange change had recently occurred in her, Hidan found himself quietly worried.

A very subtle change, yet one that Hidan, who frequently received direct orders from her, could clearly sense.

‘Lately, it feels like she doesn’t remember things very well.’

The Red Moon’s memory had always been frighteningly sharp.

Meticulous in all matters, she never forgot an order she had given.

But recently, she had begun to forget things in an odd way, which struck Hidan as unsettling.

Before he knew it, he arrived at the door to the room where the Red Moon was staying.

After briefly checking his surroundings, Hidan quietly slipped inside, careful not to be noticed.

Then, he saw it.

The Great Red Moon, standing before a full-length mirror.

Holding her white hair in both hands, forming twin-tails, and tilting her head in contemplation.

And then.

As his mouth fell open in a daze at that sight.

The next thing he saw—

Was those crimson eyes clearly reflecting himself.

Very clearly.

“......Ah.”

Hidan experienced his life flashing before his eyes.