"Ah, um... I can..."
"Don't be nervous. Take your time." Watching the Priestess girl grow tense under everyone's gaze, Raiden Mei poured her a cup of hot tea and spoke gently.
She was a woman older than her, with a mild and elegant temperament. Her long hair was tied into a neat ponytail, clean and efficient. Her features were delicate, her figure graceful.
With the tray cradled in her arms and that soft smile on her face, she radiated even more feminine charm. She would probably make a wonderful wife, the Priestess thought.
"Oh... thank you." Feeling the warmth of the cup seep into her fingertips and catching the faint fragrance of crushed tea leaves drifting upward, the Priestess felt her tension ease slightly. She swallowed.
"The faith I follow is the Earth Mother. I grew up in the temple since childhood. I'm an orphan and have had no contact with other religions..." She paused here, her expression dimming a little.
"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to—"
"It's alright..." She shook her head. After choosing her words carefully, the Priestess looked at Kiana and continued, "After I turned fifteen, I left the Earth Mother's temple and chose to become an adventurer. So I only know some of the Earth Mother's scriptures. My understanding may not be very deep."
For an orphan raised in the temple, the fifteenth birthday meant adulthood. It meant choosing what path to take in the future.
To remain in the temple and serve the gods, or to leave and live in the secular world—whether as an ordinary person, a merchant, or an adventurer... the temple would not interfere.
The Priestess chose the latter. To do so, she went to the Adventurers' Guild and, during her very first quest, formed a bond with Goblin Slayer—after being rescued by him.
"This is a mythic epic passed down orally among the sisters. Legend says that long, long ago, the gods of light, order, and destiny waged endless war against the gods of darkness, chaos, and chance over which side would rule the world... And the Earth Mother belongs to the side of order."
"Until one day—perhaps tens of thousands of years ago, or maybe only thousands—they decided to stop warring and instead determine victory by casting dice. At the same time, they established a covenant: 'They shall not directly interfere in the affairs of the mortal world.'"
"And so, the gods cast dice again and again, day and night, without pause from ancient times to the present... During this period, they created all kinds of living beings, as well as the worlds those beings inhabit, as pieces and boards for their game."
"It is said that humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, lizardmen, as well as trolls, demons, and goblins, are all creations of the gods..."
The Priestess slowly recounted the mythic epic as she understood it.
Transcendent lifeforms...
Kiana and Raiden Mei exchanged a glance. They felt not the slightest reverence toward the so-called gods described by the Priestess.
In their understanding, weren't these "gods" simply beings who wielded extraordinary power—no different from high-ranking Honkai Beasts or Herrschers?
And judging by Sister Selene's temperament, since this world had already been marked and enclosed by the Imperial Army for observation, why hadn't these gods come out for a stroll? Were they disdainful of involvement, or...
"Miss Priestess, has the Earth Mother you worship bestowed any divine blessings in recent years? Can the sisters you mentioned still contact the Earth Mother?" Kiana suddenly asked.
"Ah?"
The Priestess froze. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Now that you mention it... it does seem like there hasn't been anything for a long time..."
"Before I left the Earth Mother's temple, the senior sisters said that the Earth Mother had not responded for a very long time. No more blessings descended, and there were no new miracles for us to learn..."
Generally speaking, although the gods could not directly interfere with mortal affairs, they could still bestow certain blessings upon devout followers who worshiped them.
In previous years, among the faithful of various gods, someone would awaken powerful abilities every so often. But in recent years, not only had blessings within the Earth Mother's church vanished, they had also disappeared within the kingdom and other religions.
"Understood. That means we can act more freely." Under the Priestess' bewildered gaze, Kiana suddenly wore an expression of realization and thanked her.
Although they were not afraid of these transcendent lifeforms, they were still operating in the gods' "home turf." Caution was not excessive. As the saying went: despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically.
The Priestess blinked in confusion. Um... what exactly did you understand?
The next moment—
"The Earth Mother you worship is probably dead," Kiana said bluntly.
Smack!
The Priestess shot to her feet, raising her tin staff with both hands, her teeth clenched and anger flashing across her face.
"Apologize!"
"Apologize to the Earth Mother! Even if you don't worship Her, Miss Kiana, please do not insult Her!"
Even clay figures have a temper. The Earth Mother's church had raised and nurtured the Priestess. The "Minor Heal," "Holy Light," and "Protection" she used all came from miracles bestowed by the Earth Mother.
And yet Kiana had said the Earth Mother was dead. In her anger, the Priestess lost her composure.
"Sit down." Goblin Slayer spoke in a tone like delivering a threat.
"But..."
"You can't beat them."
"Sigh..."
Looking at the Priestess standing there in a daze, clutching her staff and at a loss, Kiana let out a soft breath and stood.
"I'm sorry. I spoke too harshly."
But in the next instant, her tone shifted.
"However, it's the truth. Aside from death or imprisonment, I can't think of any other possibility. And compared to imprisonment, it's far more likely that They have already been killed."
On this point, Kiana had absolute confidence in her sister.
Once she learned what those "gods" had done, she did not believe they could possibly remain alive.
Without giving the Priestess a chance to refute her, Kiana asked, "In recent years, have there been frequent rumors in various places about strange people and strange events?"
"No—" The Priestess instinctively began to answer, but the next word stuck in her throat. Was there really none? "There have..."
If that were true, then when facing this reality... could she still continue believing in the Earth Mother?
"Yes! I know about that..."
The High Elf Archer, who had no particular fondness for the Earth Mother and had been sitting beside Goblin Slayer, raised her hand.
"There aren't many such rumors along the western frontier, but in the kingdom's core territory, in recent years there have often been reports of elite adventurers and knights disappearing along with their entire families. Some say they were chosen by the gods and taken away."
"Oh, and in our Forest Kingdom, quite a few warriors who went to the border wilderness for training said they encountered giants... After returning, they were completely out of sorts."
"Mm." Goblin Slayer nodded as well. He pointed at the goat-horned skull hanging on the warehouse wall and said:
"Speaking of giants, about a year and a half ago, when I was heading to the eastern mountains to complete a commission, I encountered several towering warriors in heavy armor—each at least 2.4 meters tall. I happened to join them and together we completed a quest to slay a demon that was controlling goblins."
"Judging by their strength, they were at least Silver-ranked. The strange thing is that after that, I never heard any news of them again. But along the northern frontier, I did hear a bard sing of another squad of giant warriors."
Creak—
Just as the warehouse door was pushed open, Fu Hua stepped inside and said with certainty, "Astartes."
"Class Monitor, are they all settled?" Raiden Mei handed her a cup of hot tea.
"Mm..." Fu Hua gently held the cup, blew on the steam, and took a sip. "For now, none of them have shown signs of self-harm again. Durandal and Rita are still outside watching over them, just in case."
"Trial World No. 5... native elite selection, new recruit training..." Fu Hua murmured, then shook her head. "Kiana, do you have a plan?"
"It's not mature yet. If possible, I'd prefer the Empire to simply send troops and occupy this place outright... but for now, that's impossible in the short term..." Kiana let out a faint laugh, her gaze turning cold. "We'll have to start with damage control."
"Class Monitor, Fenghuang Down... there's one target this time. I'll need your help."
Using Fenghuang Down...
Kiana was still soft-hearted.
The Eighth Divine Key—the Key of Sentience—Fenghuang Down. It manipulated brain signals and governed awareness itself. It possessed three thousand feathers, and each feather could create an illusion. Anyone who saw a "feather" would fall into an illusion crafted by its wielder.
Manipulation...
"Mm." Fu Hua nodded thoughtfully. She could already guess Kiana's intentions.
Although Kiana had resolved to eradicate the goblins and change this world for the better, she was still unwilling to shed the blood of fellow humans.
She merely intended to alter the consciousness of the human kingdom's upper echelon, then guide policy to protect the populace and eliminate the goblins.
A very naive, overly idealistic idea.
Even if the king were controlled, the generals and soldiers might not be willing to leave the comfort of the royal capital to venture into barren wastelands just to exterminate goblins—mere small fry.
In this world, unlike fighting against a Demon Lord and his army, subjugating goblins was a thankless task. There was no glory in it, no profit to be gained. If losses occurred, ignorant citizens would mock them.
The people living in the capital would not care about the harsh conditions of battle. They would only see that tax money had been spent sending troops to remote backwaters to meddle in the affairs of rural peasants.
Under public outrage, even a king's authority could waver. Subordinates might comply on the surface while resisting in secret.
Still, making a decision was better than nothing. One step at a time. Adapt as things came. At worst, a few more would die.
I am only a soldier. I execute orders.
"When do you plan to depart?" Fu Hua asked.
"Within three days at most. Once they're settled, we'll head for the human royal capital immediately."
"Alright."
As for the others listening in—including Goblin Slayer—they were utterly confused. What were they even talking about?
"Though this may be presumptuous, I have a question. Where exactly do you come from? Astartes, Fenghuang Down... Empire. I've never heard of any nation called an Empire in this world."
Goblin Slayer placed both hands on the wooden table, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Kiana and the others.
"At first, I thought you were nobles from the royal capital, traveling to the countryside to experience life. But clearly, that isn't the case..."
"Those giants—they're connected to you, aren't they?"
"Mm. We come from the Holy Selene Empire. Just think of it as a very distant land—a nation whose level of civilization surpasses this world," Kiana replied.
Under the puzzled gazes of the Priestess and the High Elf Archer, she suddenly placed a large bundle of gold bars on the table.
"Rest assured, it's a human nation. I intend to persuade your king to mobilize the army and eradicate the monsters threatening humanity's safety. Sir, if possible, we'd like to continue hiring you to guide us to the royal capital."
"No problem."
"This is also for—wait?" Kiana's prepared speech choked in her throat.
He agreed just like that? Without even asking why?
Goblin Slayer ignored her reaction, stood, and walked toward the warehouse exit.
"As long as it's a request to eliminate goblins, I accept."
Goblins naturally fell within the category of monsters threatening human safety.
And at that very moment—
"So that's your plan? It's acceptable—but only that. Far too naive. If you ask me, you should simply slaughter the royal family, seize control of the key vassals, and use overwhelming force as leverage to replace them outright."
"Isn't that the simplest method?"
A pale violet flash of space-time sparks flared within the warehouse. A pair of icy blue eyes swept across the room sharply.
Goblin Slayer, the Priestess, the High Elf Archer—everyone froze instantly.
Bzzzt—crash!
Because the ranch warehouse offered too little open space, the trans-spatial teleportation field carved away nearly half of the building's structure. Cold night wind howled in through the gap.
Beneath the twin moons, the newcomer possessed long, ice-blue hair cascading to her thighs, trimmed neatly like silk. Beneath her cold, arrogant expression, a black-and-white uniform strained to contain her impressive figure—beautifully feminine, yet packed with explosive physical power.
Under that violent pressure, a massive tree trunk that would normally require two people to encircle shattered instantly. Stone fragments and wood splinters burst outward, sending chickens and livestock into chaos.
"What happened now?!"
"Rancher! Your warehouse exploded!"
...
"General Esdeath, please restrain your aura." Seeing the Priestess nearly shrinking into herself like a quail, Kiana quickly stepped in front of her.
"Well? Will you consider my proposal?" Esdeath asked calmly.
"Uh... I'll pass. I'd like to try my own method first," Kiana replied tactfully.
"More importantly, General Esdeath—what brings you here so late at night?"
Ignoring the surrounding adventurers who were scrambling in panic because of the warehouse commotion, Esdeath patted the folder in her hand.
"I have something interesting to show you."