While Souta and Chelsea were heading to fetch the Lord of Path of Peace—
In a VIP room near the audience hall,
Najenda and Bulat sat facing each other, grim-faced.
"Boss, we've been waiting for half a day now... and still no one's co. Could it be..."
Bulat finally broke the heavy silence.
"Let's wait a little longer,"
Najenda said, glancing toward the door, worry etched on her face.
"If she doesn't et us today, we'll sneak into her room at night. Negotiations can wait. First, we must gather intel."
Najenda knew Chelsea well.
As soone overseeing assassination activities for the Revolutionary Army,
she was technically Chelsea's superior.
Although they rarely interacted,
when Najenda first heard that Chelsea had beco the Saintess of Path of Peace,
her first thought was—
Did she cozy up to the cult, the Lord and climb the social ladder?
After all, she knew Chelsea's old dream:
marry into a rich family and live a life of luxury.
Given that, the possibility wasn't small.
But still—
Najenda couldn't afford to only think positively.
"Boss... if Chelsea was bought off by the Minister..."
Bulat's face twisted with conflict.
The Revolutionary Army's orders were clear:
If Chelsea gained her position thanks to the Path of Peace, the Lord,
then they should use her to approach and negotiate.
If she was being controlled by the Minister's forces, they were to rescue her.
But—
if she had genuinely betrayed them and now served the Minister...
they were to eliminate her.
Bulat absolutely hated the thought of killing a comrade.
Even after years as an assassin, he still valued bonds.
"Don't jump to conclusions yet,"
Najenda said, casting a steady glance at the Pompadour-man, Bulat.
"The odds of Chelsea being bought off are low.
If she'd been captured, her intelligence value aside, her Teigu isn't exactly the kind that's useful for public appearances.
Making her a Saintess would be pointless."
Najenda smiled faintly:
"Honestly, I'm more inclined to think she fell for the Path of Peace's the Lord.
And if that's the case, her position could be very useful to us."
"But she's making us wait for so long..."
Bulat said, face darkening.
"Maybe she's not the one who can make decisions,"
Najenda sighed.
Then, a thought struck her.
She quickly warned:
"By the way—
even if negotiations fail, we must not act recklessly.
Especially not against the Path of Peace, the Lord!"
Bulat looked surprised:
"Boss, you're being... unusually cautious."
"There's a reason,"
Najenda said, glancing at Aka, who was currently devouring the food the maids had brought in.
"Aka, stop eating. We're talking serious business," Najenda said.
"Wogotit, Bosshu,"
Aka mumbled, putting down Murasa and continuing to stuff her face.
"...Anyway,"
Najenda warned in a serious tone:
"The god Path of Peace worships... might actually exist.
So we can't ss around."
"Wait—
I thought that was just a rumor?"
Bulat said, stunned.
Even Aka slowed her chewing.
"The intel from our spies is solid,"
Najenda said grimly.
"Healing diseases. Creating forests and new plants.
Even reversing aging.
Our agents witnessed a full divine descent."
"Boss," Aka wiped her mouth, "could it be so kind of high-intelligence Danger Beast?"
"Possible," Najenda admitted.
"But it's too risky to investigate, and that's not our mission this ti."
Najenda shook her head, warning:
"Aka, seriously—no unnecessary actions."
Aka looked disappointed, suppressing her... curiosity (and hunger).
At that mont, the door was knocked.
But no one entered.
Instead, a female voice called out from outside—
crisp and filled with awe and fervor:
"Esteed guests, our God wishes to et you. Please prepare yourselves."
"Our God"...?
Najenda and Bulat froze.
Najenda's heart instantly filled with dread.
"Aka, be ready to—"
She tried to warn Aka.
But before she could finish, a sudden vertigo overwheld them!
The feeling of free fall seized them—
Aka lunged and grabbed her Teigu instinctively.
Just as the three scrambled to stabilize themselves,
solid ground returned beneath their feet.
Relief washed over them.
"Where... are we?"
Najenda imdiately surveyed her surroundings.
They were no longer in the VIP room.
They stood in an enormous hall,
its polished floor reflecting their figures.
The grand, lavish decor left them montarily stunned.
It felt like an audience hall, sothing out of a royal palace.
Najenda recovered quickly, turning toward the staircase and throne at the front.
There, she saw three figures.
Chelsea.
The Path of Peace, the Lord—
and seated on the throne between them—
soone she didn't recognize.
Chelsea and the Lord stood respectfully at either side of the throne.
aning—
the one on the throne was...
Najenda's heart pounded violently.
She looked up at the figure seated above them—
and a heavy pressure crashed down on her.
It felt like a mountain had suddenly pressed down into her mind,
forcing her body to bow instinctively.
The figure lounging lazily atop the throne had an astonishingly beautiful face,
long hair cascading over his shoulders.
One hand propped against his cheek.
His pose was casual, almost bored.
Yet his cold, indifferent gaze made it impossible to et his eyes.
It was the kind of gaze that treated all things as ants beneath notice.
At that mont, Najenda was overwheld by two clear sensations:
Nobility and Divinity.
A wild, absurd, yet exhilarating thought flooded her mind:
She was looking at a real god.
The aura from the figure on the throne was too overwhelming.
He wasn't sothing that should be walking the earth.
From his seat, Souta lazily glanced at the three people he had just transported with divine power.
He stayed silent, maintaining his god-tier presence.
The Lord of Path of Peace stepped forward and spoke in a calm, reverent voice:
"Apologies for keeping you waiting.
Preparing for my Path of Peace's descent took quite so ti."
"The Lord... that person is...?"
Najenda asked nervously, unable to et Souta's gaze.
The man's eyes made her feel like a bug—
like sothing so lowly it wasn't even worth noticing.
"Of course,"
the Path of Peace, the Lord said, casting a look of pure worship at Souta,
"this is our Path of Peace. The Supre Being we serve."
He then turned back to Najenda and her companions:
"Please relax.
My Path of Peace is very easy-going.
There's no need to be so tense."
Sweat beaded at Najenda's temples.
Are you kidding ?
This really is a god!?
Behind her, Aka and Bulat stood rigid, barely able to muster the will to resist.
Both kept their heads lowered, hiding their shock.
Najenda had no choice but to steel herself and speak:
"Um... Path of Peace God, may I ask...
for what purpose did you summon us?"
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