The Mastermind

Several days had passed since Ann joined Ernesto’s faction. While the three of us were hunting monsters in the forest as usual, Seremees-sama’s voice suddenly echoed in my head louder than ever before.

“Luca! I finally figured it out!”

“…!”

Startled by the voice, I almost dropped my sword, but I managed to grip it again and took a deep breath.

Seremees-sama was usually calm, so it was rare for her to raise her voice like this. Something must have happened.

“…What happened?”

When I asked with some tension, her voice returned again, slightly quieter than before. However, there was a strong emotion in her tone.

“You remember the man named Caesar that you told me about? I’ve been watching him all this time, and I’m certain he’s the one responsible for bringing the Empire to ruin. First of all, that man… is a divine servant. And almost certainly a servant of the God of Destruction.”

The information delivered through Seremees-sama’s words, tinged with anger, was shocking. I never expected a divine servant to be involved… and one serving the God of Destruction at that.

“…Are you certain? Could he possibly be a servant of the God of Death instead?”

“Well… I think the possibility of him serving another god is extremely low. He is stirring up conflict within the nation and destroying it from the inside. He is destroying relationships between people, destroying the lives of the citizens, and now he’s even trying to invade other nations. Doesn’t it feel as though he’s enjoying destruction itself? The only god with such vile tastes is the God of Destruction.”

Now that she said it, the Empire’s recent actions really did make sense if someone was enjoying destruction.

I had always wondered what the Empire’s leadership hoped to achieve by creating a situation where the country could barely continue to exist—but if destruction itself was the goal, then it made sense.

Of course, I couldn’t understand the desire to destroy things at all.

“If it were the God of Death, things wouldn’t be this roundabout. When the God of Death acts, everyone simply dies without question.”

…Wow, that was just as terrible. Both the God of Destruction and the God of Death were the worst possible gods from humanity’s perspective.

And just like with the God of Earth before, it was hard to accept that there were humans who willingly assisted such gods in destruction and killing.

Why would anyone help a god like that…?

“Did you discover he was a divine servant because you saw him entering the Divine Domain?”

“Yes, that’s right. Just a little while ago. And something else I discovered from observing him—Caesar seems to be controlling the Empire’s leadership using curses.”

The moment I heard that, I froze. Because curses were supposed to be abilities that only monsters possessed… and the only time something like a curse had ever appeared from something other than a monster was when my hometown village was destroyed.

Could it be that the servant of the God of Destruction was involved in the destruction of my village—

The moment that possibility crossed my mind, a surge of rage welled up inside my body. I clenched my fists tightly and bit my lip to hold it back.

“Luca, you must not lose yourself to anger.”

“…Yes. I’ll be careful.”

Seremees-sama must have understood what I was thinking, because she warned me in a serious tone.

Her voice helped me calm down a little, and I took a deep breath.

Alright… I just need to stay calm.

“Luca, if our enemy is truly a servant of the God of Destruction, we should discuss how to defeat him. We also need countermeasures against curses. Can all of you come to the Divine Domain right now?”

At her suggestion, I remembered that we were still in the forest and noticed Ann and Rebecca nearby looking at me with worried expressions.

“Luca, are you okay?”

“You look scary.”

I forced my stiff facial muscles to move and gave them a small smile.

“Sorry for worrying you. I was talking with Seremees-sama about something important. So… I’d like to go to the Divine Domain now. Will you come with me? It seems we’ve discovered the mastermind behind the Empire’s current state.”

“Really!?”

“Then we should hear about it right away.”

Since both of them nodded immediately, I took Rebecca’s and Ann’s hands and activated Divine Domain Interference.

When we landed inside the Pavilion and greeted Seremees-sama, Ann looked around the Divine Domain with interest. Come to think of it, this was her first time visiting this Divine Domain.

“Seremees-sama’s Divine Domain looks quite different from Lady Milora’s Divine Domain.”

“Yes, a god’s preferences strongly influence their Divine Domain. Actually, perhaps we should call Milora here as well.”

“That’s true. Lady Milora would surely be pleased.”

Ann contacted Milora, and within a few minutes she arrived in this Divine Domain. Seremees-sama instantly created a sofa for her and invited her to sit.

“Seremees, thank you. I’m glad you included me.”

“Of course. Your servant is involved in this matter as well.”

“That’s true… so did you discover something new this time?”

At Milora’s question, Seremees-sama slowly looked at each of us before speaking.

“The reason the Empire has become what it is today… is almost certainly the work of a servant of the God of Destruction.”