"Your chat with little Lilith was rather fascinating."
Sol's expression flattened as he looked at Edea, unimpressed by how casually his teacher mentioned her habit of eavesdropping. Still, he gave a small nod. Truth be told, he enjoyed those talks—every time, he walked away having learned something new he hadn't fully understood before.
Edea smiled softly and waved her hand. Mana shimmered at her fingertips, coalescing into a glowing sphere before them—a detailed, three-dimensional map slowly spinning in the air.
"But she's right," Edea said. "You need to have a better grasp of the world you live in."
It wasn't the first time Sol had seen this map. It was, after all, a map of the known world.
"As you know, our world is composed of about 30% land and 70% water. Our population stands at nearly two billion, with a gender ratio of three men to seven women."
Every time Sol saw it, he couldn't help but drift into deep thought. Though the continents looked different, the map reminded him strongly of Earth.
'No… it's more like Earth's ancient Pangea, already beginning to split apart.'
He could even pick out shapes resembling Africa and the Americas. That resemblance was one of the main reasons he believed this world was either a version of ancient Earth—or perhaps a parallel one existing in another universe entirely, aligning with the multiverse theory.
"The habitable lands are divided among seven nations, each occupying a massive portion of the livable territory."
Green areas marked fertile, settled regions, while red marked uninhabitable zones. At a glance, the green was scarce compared to the red.
"Our nation—the Kingdom of Lustburg—is ruled jointly by the Luxuria royal family and the Castitas Church. With over three million square kilometers, we are among the largest realms, second only to Gluttony Foss, which spans eighteen million."
At that name, both Sol and Edea frowned. Gluttony Foss was an anomaly among nations. Its ruler, Echidna Gula, controlled both the royal family and the Temperantia Church—an unprecedented consolidation of power.
Echidna Gula—called the Mother of a Thousand Monsters.
A being nearly as ancient as the fourteen divine beasts themselves—some even labeled her the fifteenth. She was a figure of myth and terror; parents used her name to frighten their children. Some even doubted she was real.
But she was real—and her existence was the world's greatest curse. Every few decades, without reason or warning, she would launch an all-out war against one of the seven kingdoms.
No one understood her motives. She didn't seek conquest; the continued existence of all seven nations was proof of that. She didn't need resources or trade—her lands were rich and self-sufficient. Nor did she seek slaves or soldiers; Gluttony Foss had the largest population on the planet.
Echidna was simply chaos incarnate—an enigma of destruction.
Thirteen years ago, her rampage had fallen upon Lustburg. The result: devastating loss. Nearly every man sent to battle perished. The kingdom's gender ratio fell even further, to two men for every eight women. And the Hero King, Mars Luxuria, and his dragon wife, Blaze, were among the dead.
A heavy silence hung between master and student.
Sol clenched his fists, frustration burning in his chest. Echidna was no less than a natural disaster—but worse. Earthquakes and storms could be halted with magic. Echidna could not.
That had been true—until Mars appeared.
The Man of Miracles.
'For all his idiocy with women, Father really was a badass.'
Details of that final battle were scarce. Records were lost or deliberately hidden. What everyone knew, however, was that Mars sacrificed his life—and Blaze's—to trap Echidna in her own fortress, sealing her with a barrier that would slowly weaken her over time. He also annihilated much of her monstrous army in one of the most legendary victories in history.
Mars Luxuria—the Hero King. The savior of humanity. And yet… dead.
Was Sol proud? No. He wasn't.
If it were up to him, he'd sacrifice the world before losing those he loved.
He didn't hate his father; he barely remembered him. But to Sol, Mars wasn't a hero—he was a man who abandoned his family to die a martyr's death, leaving his son an orphan.
Selfish? Certainly. But Sol had never claimed to be selfless. He wasn't a saint—just human, half at least.
"Master, let's drop it. We should continue the lesson."
Edea's approving smile returned. Sol wasn't one to wallow in grief; there was too much to do and too little time to dwell on what couldn't be changed.
"This world's structure is simple," Edea resumed. "Fourteen goddesses, fourteen divine beasts, seven kingdoms, seven churches—and above them all…"
She summoned another hologram, this time a glowing pyramid. Her finger tapped its peak.
"…the Mother Goddess of Order."
According to legend, she was the world's creator—an omnipotent being who grew lonely in her perfection. So she gave birth to fourteen daughters, each born from her sins or virtues, paired into seven sets.
For eons, they lived peacefully. But eventually, the daughters yearned to create life of their own. Their first creations—the fourteen divine beasts—were flawless, too perfect to evolve. Dissatisfied, they turned their attention to the barren world below.
"What if we created imperfect beings?" one suggested. "Creatures who could grow and change?"
And so they did. Each pair of goddesses created one race. These seven races would one day form the seven kingdoms and their seven churches, each worshipping their creator goddesses.
Edea's smile deepened. "Of course, I don't have to ask which goddess created humanity, do I?"
Without waiting for Sol's reply, she continued, "The divine beasts, too, followed their respective creators, becoming the sacred symbols of their kingdoms."
Another image appeared—this one of a magnificent bird, radiant in light.
"The Sacred Phoenix of Chastity, Gabriel…"
Then a second hologram shimmered beside it—sleek, coiling, beautiful in a dangerous way.
"…and the Cunning Serpent of Lust, Asmodeus."