Chapter 38
Interlude 2: Dark Goddess's Curses on this Dreadful World!
Proofreader: Lord VTP
…
...
"Regina-sama, are you sure that we should interfere? If Maouko finds out…"
"She already has a pretty good idea that we betrayed her at this point. She's not dumb."
I said to my worried follower, Celestina.
The others in town know her better as Serena, the mysterious and beautiful priest who works part-time at a certain destitute shopkeeper's magic item store.
We were headed to the fighting going on outside of the town walls.
Celestina was wearing her priest robes, and I wore my purple robes.
"I'm fine with fighting, but Regina-sama still hasn't recovered her powers. Must Regina-sama really come with me to the battlefield?"
This child worries too much.
I understand her concern, but I want to remind her that she's a follower of a dark goddess. It won't do to behave in this affectionate manner.
"We're starting to build a stronghold here in this town. I can't just sit by and let Maouko capture it."
"If that is your command, Regina-sama."
As we neared the battlefield, I saw Vanir and one of the guild receptionists walking together. He noticed us without even sparing a glance our way,
"Oho? If it isn't the dark chibi goddess and her faithful dog. If thou hath arrived earlier, thou would have ran into an old 'acquaintance'..."
As he said this, I caught a familiar scent in the air.
"...Aesir was here? Well, what of it?"
"Moi thought thou would have a more delectable reaction to hearing that thou's old lover was here! How heartless of thou to not even react at all!"
I shrugged off this devil's provocations.
"It was just a fling, nothing serious. What is that guy doing here at such a time?"
"T-That devil is after Kazuma-san's head!"
It was the guild receptionist who answered.
"What does one of the Arch-Dukes of Hell want with Kazuma-san?!"
I really must drill into Celestina's head that she is a follower of a Dark goddess. She mustn't show such obvious concern for others.
Although I must admit that I am a bit worried as well.
"Is that Maouko brat using some illegal means to bring powerful Devils and Demons from Hell? If she breaks the rules of the treaty between Heaven and Hell, she'll be in a lot of trouble…"
"Oh, no, no! Aesir is here solely because the brat hath broken the laws of Hell! Thou former lover cares not for the war at all!"
"Ah, then I guess that boya has it coming. Come, Celestina. Let's not waste time here."
"Err… If you say so, Regina-sama."
"This chibi Dark goddess is really quite heartless!"
"A-Are you all really going to leave Kazuma-san to die?!"
That receptionist lady is starting to get on my nerves. Doesn't she realize exactly who she's in the company of?
"Listen, what's your face…"
"It's Luna..."
"Luna, dear, that boya is more capable than you give him credit for. He'll be fine on his own."
"But…"
"Isn't he the leader of the party who defeated several Devil King generals and the Devil King himself? They've even beaten the commander of the army we are facing right now."
"I… I get that. I guess it's just a bit hard to believe sometimes. Kazuma-san's party started out as hapless rookies, so I guess I can't get that image of them out of my head, no matter how much they've grown since then…"
"..."
Influenced by Luna's words, I thought about a certain country.
An impoverished country that was constantly pillaged by barbarians and rival nations.
Over time, thanks to a certain goddess's forbidden interference, that country grew into one of the most powerful nations in the world.
Despite this country's rise to power, when this certain goddess reminisces about that country, memories of the early days of its development is the first thing that comes to her mind.
"...I guess I can sympathize. But you just have to let him go. He's not yours to look after anymore. Don't you have anything better to do?"
I gestured to the command post, where the other guild staff were diligently relaying messages to the forces based on the reports they received from scouts.
"You're right… I have a job to do. Thank you for your guidance."
Luna bowed to me and to Vanir as well before returning to her post.
So she did know who we are. And she still spoke up like that.
What a headstrong girl.
"Oho-oho. Perhaps thou is not so heartless after all?"
"Shut it."
I ignored Vanir's taunts as Celestina and I headed to the battlefield.
…
…
"Jiiii… I wanna fight. I wanna blow something up."
"You can't, Megumin! There's nothing wrong with your body, but you've used explosion magic too many times at once! You have to give your mana system a rest!"
"Can't Aqua just heal me?"
"Healing spells don't work on the mana system…"
"Tch. Maybe Kazuma is right about Aqua. How useless."
"?!"
The first thing Celestina and I saw as we approached the battlefield is the explosion brat and Aqua bickering.
They were bickering beside the prone body of the defeated Treasure Island.
There was still smoke rising from the Treasure Island's shell.
Oi, when we heard those explosions earlier…
Don't tell me this little girl knocked out the Treasure Island by herself?
I'm proud that the Crimson Demon project turned out so well. At least some part of Noise's legacy remains and still thrives to this day.
"Well! Look who decided to help!"
Aqua chose to compensate for her wounded ego by harassing us.
"Zip it. Shouldn't you be healing injured fighters? Why are you all the way back here?"
"I just remembered that I could cast Sacred Break Spell on this giant guy to free him from the mind-control! But Megumin already beat it before I got here. I still broke the spell, though. Now he's a friendly guy!"
"Muhogoh…"
The Treasure Island let out a weak growl as Aqua patted its head. It was now rested on its undershell, its large legs splayed out.
Leave it to this useless goddess to forget about her own abilities.
"I guess you can't really heal this thing and ask it to fight for us, huh?"
"No. Even my great and wonderful powers have a limit."
"You have all sorts of limits, don't you?"
"I don't like the way you worded that, Megumin!"
I surveyed the battlefield. There is a stalemate for now, but Maouko's empowered Demons have the advantage in a prolonged fight.
The frontline for our side was comprised of the Crusader, Darkness, who was leading the way, and the golems that the boya was bragging about.
The fact that I can see the frontlines so clearly from the back is indicative of our numerical disadvantage, and how far the enemy has pushed us back.
Maouko can be seen in the air, amplifying her voice with a magic item.
"Go, go, mookies, let's go! Fight on! Fight on!"
Her singing was inspiring her troops while also giving them powerful buffs.
There is also another winged entity hovering beside her. It appeared to be a male figure with black wings.
Don't tell me… A fallen angel?
Maouko has even more secret weapons she's hiding. We need to make a move, fast.
"Oi, Aqua, how long are you going to stand around here? Let's join the fighting already."
"Ehhh? Can't I take a little break first? OK, OK, fine! Don't look at me like that!"
I averted my judgemental gaze from her. To think that a Dark goddess would have to keep a real goddess accountable. It's a miracle how Aqua has managed to keep her divinity despite her many flaws.
We made our way through our own troops easily enough to the frontlines.
Behind the golem troops that made up the first line of defense, there was an attack troop comprised of Crimson Demon girls, and a blond youth who wields a spear and commands a wyvern.
The spear wielder used the golems for cover as he struck his spear out from the gaps around their heads and shoulders. He pierced the enemies who have foolishly engaged the golems in close combat.
The golems were emitting curses and debuffs to enemies within range, nullifying Maouko's buffs. It was then made easier for the blonde youth and the Crimson Demon girls to deal damage to the Demons who were trying to breach the golem line.
Among the attack troops were also black haired and black eyed youth who shared physical features to the boya. These must be the top ranked adventurers who arrived from the capital.
"Cursed Sword Gram! Hiyaaaah!"
"Ugoooh?!"
A rather flashy youth vaulted over the back of a golem and struck his sword before the Demons. A shock wave of raw power was released from the blade and repelled the demons, the bludgeoning force lacerating the demons at the same time.
"Did you see that, goddess-sama?!"
He said, while looking Aqua's way, seemingly anticipating a favorable reaction.
"Eh? Who's that idiot who jumped into the enemy's frontlines? I'm not going in there to rescue him!"
"G-Goddess-sama?!"
The eager youth was then surrounded by the enemy demons.
"Sacred Sword… Ah, gack! There's too many!"
Is this guy an idiot?
Before the Demons could completely overwhelm this fool...
"Decoy!"
The Crusader, who spearheaded the golem defense line, used the Decoy skill to attract the bloodlust of the enemy to herself.
"Come, Demons! Ravish my body all you like!"
A red golem pulled the reckless youth's body back to safety as the Crusader said some questionable things, although she did perform her duties splendidly, to her credit.
Their strategy is simple but effective. But we can still help and try to give our troops the advantage.
"Celestina, do your thing."
"Yes, Regina-sama."
As Celestina walked past the attack unit, the blond spear wielder grabbed her shoulder as she passed.
"Oi, what are you doing out of position? Oh, it's the beautiful priest nee-san. Ne, I wouldn't go out there if I were you. See what happened to that tough looking guy with the legendary sword?"
"I'll be fine. Now please make way."
Celestina forced her way to the front. She stood beside the Crusader, who was taking a beating… rather enthusiastically, if I may add.
The Demons eyed the two ladies with perverted eyes.
"Oho! There's a lot of pretty ladies here, and they're even making it easier for us to capture them! We'll have a lot of fun at the victory celebration! Buwahaha!"
"...! Finally! It came out! The dialogue that all hot blooded Demons must utter when they engage in battle with beautiful lady fighters… I finally heard such sweet words with my own ears! W-What are you planning to do with this Crusader and the beautiful priest who foolishly stand before you?! Are you gonna spitroast us?!"
"Err… Nevermind. I suddenly lost all of my carnal desires."
"Yeah, best not touch that crazy lady."
"Who knows what kind of nasty things we'll catch from this freak?"
"...E-Eh?"
The lust in the Demons' eyes subsided after the Crusader's disturbing rant.
"Let's just kill these weirdos! Hiyahh! Eh? There's some kind of barrier… Buwah!"
The demons who attacked Celestina received deep wounds.
The wounds they received took the form of the wounds they would have otherwise dealt to Celestina if their attacks struck true.
The demons tried to strike her again, only to have the damage seemingly reflected onto them. Celestina stood calmly and received their intent to kill with nary a scratch.
They finally stopped attacking and even retreated from this inexplicable phenomenon.
Taking that chance, the golems advanced forward and occupied the relinquished space.
"The golems are pushing us back! Mugoohh!"
"S-So fast! The red one is 3x faster!"
What's up with that red golem, anyway? It's movements are a bit weird. There's a lot of random hip thrusting.
The stalemate that persisted for a long time was broken by Celestina's damage reflect ability.
This ability stems from my 'Vengeance' aspect.
Since Celestina is my sole follower, all of the benefits of serving a goddess has been imparted only to her.
This is why she's so powerful.
"Rise, and fight for Regina-sama's sake!"
Celestina ordered the fallen Demons to rise. Barely visible, violet strings connected her fingers to their bodies, and she raised the corpses into animation.
Manipulation and Vengeance… My faithful follower can exercise these accursed aspects of mine quite beautifully.
"Tch! Why are there so many undead everywhere? Turn Undead! My spell isn't working?!"
Why is this idiot goddess trying to diminish her own fighting forces?
Not like her holy magic will work. These aren't undead. They are puppets.
With Celestina's help, the frontlines advanced through the once impervious Demon forces.
Maouko finally descended from her flight as we pushed through her army.
She stopped just above me, that smug, gloating smile on her face as always.
The Crusader glared at her and drew her sword, but I held my hand out.
Maouko is not the type to fight directly. She just wants to gloat.
I'll use this chance to provoke her into giving us information.
"I should have known you'd betray me, Regina."
I just shrugged my shoulders and said,
"I didn't think you'd have a chance, so I joined the boya's side. Simple as that."
At this rate, we'll eventually whittle down her forces. The Treasure Island is down. The fallen angel might prove to be a problem, but he's not enough to shift the tides of battle.
A wicked grin formed on her lips.
"Since you downed that big oaf of a creature, you presume that already have an advantage over us? Hah! The Treasure Island's arrival was a fortunate event for us, but it wasn't even originally part of our plans! That dumb creature's migration coinciding with this place was just a lucky accident, one I was happy to take advantage of. We have another secret weapon! Hey, intern! Tell Feydrick it's time for that!"
"M… My name is Duke, Maouko-sama. And rather than an intern, I'd like to be considered as a full-time Devil King army general and…"
"Oh, and get me a coffee while you're at it."
"...Yes, Maouko-sama. Sniff…"
The figure with black wings nodded his head and followed Maouko's orders.
I guess that fallen angel isn't going to be a threat.
"What are you planning, Maouko?"
"I'm not planning anything bad. I'm just returning some of the toys you lost before~!"
"..."
She can't be talking about…
Before I could question her further, she flew away with a flap of her wings.
I'm getting a bad feeling.
"Hey, Crusader, tell the troops to retreat a bit."
"...My name is Darkness. D-Did you forget? Well, this kind of play is good, too."
Really, what's wrong with this girl?
I'm starting to feel bad for the boya. His party is full of weirdos.
But despite her eccentricities, she has a way of commanding the troops.
At her word, the overeager rookies gave up on their quarries and took a tactical retreat. The Golems covered the retreating fighters by linking their arms and forming a flexible, jointed wall.
The retreat was successful and the Demon troops did not pursue.
However, the threat of the Demons was soon surpassed by the appearance of another.
The ground trembled as metallic objects the size of small houses stalked through the battlefield, the Demon troops parting way for their entrance. Armored hulls supported by six arachnid-like legs…
Although they were smaller than the original machine, with numbers, they are no less destructive.
They are mini-destroyers, one of the many weapons and technology that had gone missing, no, had been stolen from my country, during the confusion and chaos of the Destroyer malfunction…
...No, it's not a mere malfunction. It was a sabotage.
And now, in this moment, it's apparent to me that it was the Devil King army who had orchestrated that entire event. It's made clear by Maouko's choice of words and the irrefutable evidence before me now.
From above, I could hear Maouko's amplified laughter, taunting and victorious.
"Look what I found in the castle's attic! Haha! And to think you've acted as the Devil King army's pawn for so long… Now die at the hands of your own creation!"
…
…
I was originally a nameless goddess, one without form and without a defined purpose. I was born from the collective wish of a small community. Their wish was that their home should thrive, grow and prosper.
Perhaps this is what fueled my ambition.
As the community steadily advanced, I was given form and purpose. I was also given the liberty to influence the mortal world.
Such liberties are not without limit. I ignored those limits, regardless of the consequences.
I influenced and orchestrated the workings of my country to an extent no lawful deity should ever resort to.
Shortly after, I had become a fallen goddess, a deity who had repeatedly broken the rules of Heaven.
I lost my original aspect and gained the aspect of Manipulation.
A fallen goddess can theoretically regain the favor of heaven by returning to a righteous path, but I did not care for my own salvation.
I continued to cultivate my country, the country of Noise. I did not forget the wishes of the original generation of countrymen who had given me form and purpose, and sought to make my country thrive.
And thrive it did. Noise soon became the most technologically advanced country in the entire world, hundreds of years beyond what the other nations had.
But this was at the cost of my own divinity. Each day, I became even more corrupted.
The beings of Hell are attracted to the rejects of Heaven, such as fallen angels and goddesses. In this manner, I received the romantic attention of an Arch-Duke of Hell, Aesir.
My union with him finalised my deviation from my intended purpose. I became a Dark Goddess.
I did not concern myself with the change. My powers of Manipulation had grown stronger ever since I became a Dark Goddess. Thinking that my union with Aesir was the trigger, I entangled myself in relations with even more denizens of Hell.
This was my first mistake.
I won't mince words. I became addicted to my… 'involvement' with the entities of Hell.
Devils, Demons, Incubi… Even Succubi.
Ever since my union with Aesir, I began to lose track of my purpose and spent every day in salacious indulgence.
I neglected my country and my followers.
Without my guidance, my followers, who had grown dependent on the intervention of their goddess, made some very… questionable decisions.
They hired a man with a strange power to create matter with his imagination alone.
This power is very useful, but the wielder of the power himself didn't seem to have all of his faculties with him.
Using this power of creation, they tasked the man to create powerful weapons in fear of the neighboring countries, who were growing increasingly jealous of the splendor of Noise.
This includes weapons like the Destroyer.
The same Destroyer whose controls were sabotaged, leading to its frenzied rampage and eventual destruction of Noise.
When I returned from a night of debauchery in Hell, I found that I didn't have a home to return to.
Not only was my country reduced to ash, but everything was stolen from us.
The technology, public and secret, new and old, even the data our scientists have collected throughout the years, they were all stolen.
There were enemies from all fronts. I didn't know who to blame.
This directionless anger grew, fueled by my desire for revenge.
It gave birth to my second aspect… Vengeance.
And now, with the successor of the perpetrators revealed before me, with Maouko flaunting these stolen treasures...
"Daaammnnn youuu!"
"Regina-sama...?!"
All the anger I've been harboring in my heart was released all at once.
As I was about to charge forward, the desire for revenge burning in my heart…
"Oi, chibi goddess, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Gurk!"
My collar was pulled by a certain blue haired goddess.
"L-Let go of me Aqua, damn you!"
She was holding me up by the scruff of my robe. I hate this chibi form!
"Listen to senpai… You need to remain calm."
A silver-haired thief suddenly appeared beside me. Was Eris here the whole time?! Damn sneaky thieves…
"How can I retain any semblance of calm! They razed my country to the ground just to take our treasures for themselves!"
I can't believe I even sided with these bastards.
How frustrating… and humiliating.
"Regina-sama… I understand that revenge is what you seek, but at this moment you need to remain calm!"
Celestina's words resonated with me. I took a deep breath.
"You're right. Sorry, I lost my cool. You can let me down, Aqua."
Aqua placed me down. I readjusted my robes.
We have more important concerns.
The mini-Destroyers were on their way. The Demons seem to have eased on their aggression for now. They intend to let the mini-destroyers replace the frontlines and let the mobile weapons lead the charge.
"The first thing we have to deal with are the forcefields…"
While not as effective as the main Destroyer's, the mini-Destroyers are also equipped with anti-magic shields.
"Heh! Easy enough! I can use Sacred Break Spell to take the shields down, like I did with the last Destroyer!"
Aqua said, proudly describing how she took down my country's precious weapon.
"The second thing we have to do is deal with their mobility. The mini-Destroyers are fast…"
"We can have the mages and Wiz-san use Area of Effect spells."
Darkness suggested this as she joined our semi-circle. The fighting had stalled as soon as the mini-Destroyers appeared.
The Demons were arrogantly smirking at us while our own troops were watching the mini-Destroyers approach with apprehension in their gazes.
There was no point in launching spells from afar since the anti-magic barriers will just neutralize them, so all we can do is wait and come up with a plan as they make their way here.
"Where is Wiz, anyway?"
"Last time I saw her, while I was running back to deliver a message to command post, she was giving away potions and crystals to exhausted adventurers as a way to advertise her store..."
Chris said, as I looked around for Wiz.
It's good to advertise, but why is she giving away all her expensive items for free? Vanir will kill her later.
I let Darkness gather the mages. The mini-destroyers are drawing near.
"Regina-sama, I swear to you, we will retrieve what is rightfully ours, and you will have your vengeance."
As I listened to Celestina's reassurance, I looked up at the triumphant figure of Maouko floating above us.
"I have a bad taste in my mouth with helping a Dark Goddess like you, but I suppose I can help out if you beg me~!"
"...Although I don't approve of your methods, it's obvious that you cared a lot about your country and your followers. I can sympathize, to an extent."
My fellow goddesses stepped to either side of me in a vague show of support.
I really want to remind these guys, Celestina included, that I am a Dark Goddess.
Geez…
"Oh? Is this chibi goddess smiling? Ne, if you feel touched by our actions, you can just say so, you know?"
I feel sorry for feeling even a bit of gratefulness towards this idiot goddess!
…
...
It didn't take long for Wiz and the other mages to gather.
The Crimson Demon girls were among the mages gathered.
"There's so many mages from the capital, so make sure you don't embarrass us, Arue, you country bumpkin!"
"Yeah! Make sure you don't slow any of us city-folk down!"
"You know, I've actually been to more big cities than you guys have in order to promote my book…"
"P-Please don't fight, everyone! As the future leader of our clan, I order you to stop this infighting!"
"Why is Yunyun bossing us around?!"
They seem capable in a fight, but their personalities are a cause for concern.
They are the proud torch bearers of Noise's legacy, I wish they'd stop bickering so much.
Everyone turned to Darkness and waited for her instructions.
She took a deep breath as if readying herself for the heavy burden of leadership.
She turned to Aqua first,
"Aqua, hit as many mini-Destroyers as you can with your Sacred Break Spell. The other priests will support you, but you are our best hope. I'm counting on you."
Aqua gave a cocky grin, completely impervious to the weight of the responsibilities given to her.
"Piece of cake! Make sure to tell Kazuma how awesome I am in this fight! He'll stop calling me useless once he learns that I'm the MVP! Oh, and make sure to tell Megumin, too. She had a bunch of mean words to say to me earlier, and she believes that she's the true MVP. Make sure to correct her misunderstanding!"
"R-Right…"
Darkness chose to go along with Aqua for the sake of brevity. She turned to the mages next,
"Once Aqua has disabled the shields, at my signal I want the mages to coordinate their AoE spells. Please aim for the mini-Destroyers legs to reduce their mobility."
The mages nodded after receiving their assignments. The instructions were simple, but execution and timing were vital.
"After the mini-Destroyers are immobilized, those who are confident in their defense will rush past the mini-Destroyers and stall the Demon forces who will surely rush in after seeing that their precious weapons have been disabled. Don't do anything reckless! Just hold them off! In the meantime, the attack forces will finish off the immobile mini-Destroyers. Their weak points are their vulnerable joints. Please aim for that!"
The black haired and black eyed individuals nodded their head. The blond, spear wielding youth nodded, too, after a hesitant pause. He doesn't seem very enthused about this predicament he's found himself in.
"Good. Once the mini-Destroyers have been dealt with, please convene with the defense troops and work on pushing the Demons back. I expect that their morale will be low after seeing that their prized weapons have been swiftly dealt with. Does everyone understand their orders?"
Everyone nodded as Darkness finished her concise but effective instruction.
"Um, yeah, I have a question."
Aqua raised her hand.
"...What is it, Aqua?"
"Should we really go through with this plan? It's a plan Darkness made, so there's a high chance it might fail."
Darkness blushed deeply as Aqua swiftly ruined her cool moment.
"I-I'll have you know that I've been studying military strategy since I was young! I know what I'm doing, even if my tactics aren't as crazy or out-of-the-box as Kazuma's! This will work! I promise!"
"I'm just saying maybe we should just get Kazuma to come here and have him come up with a plan like he always does. Where is that guy, anyway? Did he run away? Tch… He should have taken me along if he was planning to escape…"
Aqua looked around for the boya while muttering these despicable things under her breath.
Again, how has she not become a fallen goddess by now?
"If you really must know, the boya is fighting a Devil right now…"
"Aha! He finally decided to eliminate that suspicious Vanir fellow? I really wanna join him and beat him up together!"
Wiz squeaked at Aqua's words.
"V-Vanir-san might be suspicious, but he's a good guy! Please don't pick a fight with him!"
These two are vital in the upcoming operation, but they don't look so dependable right now.
I know Wiz can be relied on once she gets serious, but I have serious doubts about Aqua.
While I was thinking about all the ways this can go wrong, Darkness worked to get Aqua to settle down. Then, Darkness regarded the troops again.
"Ahem. I don't have much to say, but I will say this. Regardless of where you come from, please remember that you are fighting for this town, for Axel. You are fighting for your home. Fight well!"
Home… huh?
I felt Celestina's presence behind me,
"Regina-sama, we weren't given a specific task. What shall we do?"
"I feel that Celestina will be of better use with the defense group. I'll hang back just in case they need my advice."
They were designed and constructed during my absence, but I did receive plenty of reports about them.
I'm not an expert, but every bit of knowledge helps.
"Very well. Please look over me, Regina-sama."
Celestina bowed to me, but I stopped her before she could lower her head.
I'm a forgotten goddess, one who couldn't protect her country, her home.
I've been blessed enough to have even one follower after everything I've done.
I'll never tell her this, but rather than a follower or a minion…
...I've already come to view Celestina as my equal, as my peer.
"Go, and be safe."
I gave her a wan smile. She nodded and joined Darkness and the defense troops. I noticed that Eris snuck along with them as well. Perhaps she's worried about Darkness.
Unlike me, Eris is a popular goddess who has thousands of followers, and yet she clearly has a favorite among them. What a naugthy girl.
"Heh. I guess you can't do much in that chibi form of yours, huh, Regina? Just hang tight and let a real goddess show you how it's done! Hahhh!"
Aqua stepped in front of me and casually released a large amount of godly aura.
Even if Eris is a naughty girl, this one over here is a poor excuse of a goddess who doesn't deserve the amount of power she's casually displaying right now.
Seriously, how is she so strong?!
How is she drawing this much power from a city full of cultist crazies?!
I once ruled over the most powerful nation in this world, and I don't think I was able to generate so much power, even in my prime!
With her eyes glowing bright blue, Aqua stepped forward without any trace of fear. She faced the approaching mini-Destroyers.
"Thank you, my children! After I requested for your prayers, you dropped whatever you were doing and all simultaneously prayed to me! Even the family who was in the process of a funeral procession heard my call and started praying to me! Ah, be careful with that casket… Oh, they dropped it. Ah, the young mother who is in the middle of labor, please properly push the baby through before you start praying to me. Wait… this baby. It seems the soul of that follower who is currently having his funeral procession has already been reincarnated as a baby! That was fast! Instead of choosing to reincarnate into another world, he chose to come back here and serve as my follower once more!"Aqua-sama, please let me be born to a sexy MILF who will 'ara, ara' me when I grow up" It seems this was his last wish before he reincarnated. What a passionate man! Since you're such a faithful follower, it seems you have been gifted a beautiful mother who has incestuous tendencies! Good for you! Goddess bless you!"
I don't even want to understand what the hell she's talking about.
And did her city literally drop whatever it was they were doing, in the middle of a work day, just to heed their goddesses's call?
This is simply outrageous. I have no words.
Maybe all of Aqua's braggadocious statements have an element of truth to them.
"With this much power… Come, you imperfect Destroyers! I have more than enough juice to deal with all of you! Sacred… Break… Spell! Hahhh!"
A beam of pure, holy magic surged forth from Aqua's outstretched hands.
But her aim was off.
"...Gah!"
She missed the mini-Destroyer she was aiming at, but managed to hit the one directly behind it.
"I-I meant to do that! Sacred Break Spell!"
This time she managed to hit the one in front.
The other priests did what they could to assist Aqua with lesser versions of the spell, but she seems fine on her own. Following Aqua's cue, the Wiz-led mages aimed their magic at the mini-Destroyers that had their barriers broken by Aqua.
"Follow my lead, everyone! Cursed Crystal Prison!"
Wiz grasped the air as she stared down a mini-Destroyer that had it's barriers shut down by Aqua.
Sparkling, crystalline ice locked its arachnid-legs in place as its movements halted to a pause, skidding and slipping as it attempted to recalibrate its balance after the ground beneath it was frozen in permafrost.
"Bottomless Swamp!"
"Zone of Entrapment!"
"Light of Holding!"
The Crimson Demon girls and the other mages followed Wiz's lead and focused their magic on the other mini-Destroyers.
As soon as a large amount of mini-Destroyers were made immobile, the attack troops dashed in, weapons drawn.
"Cursed Sword Gram! Hiyahhh! Goddess, are you watching me? Witness me!"
"...Dragon Thrust Spear."
The legendary sword user was enthusiastically launching a series of sword beam attacks, while the spear wielder had a much more lackadaisical approach, but still efficiently took down his targets.
"Dust-san! Watch out for that one beside you! Light of Saber!"
"Hey, Yunyun! Don't break formation!"
The Crimson Demon girl, the one who was claiming to be the future leader of the clan, charged forward from the line of mages as she saw that the spear wielder failed to perceive an attack from his blindspot.
She cut down the mini-Destroyer that was about to attack the spear wielder, but doing so got her in range of another mini-Destroyer.
"...!"
Before I could even think about it, I leapt out and extended my hand towards her.
Violet puppet strings emerged from my fingertips and attached themselves to her body. I pulled the young girl out of the way just in time before the mini-Destroyer launched a beam projectile at the place she was standing on.
"W-Wah! That was close! T-Thanks for saving me…"
She looked up at me with grateful eyes. I glanced away.
"Don't mention it. You said you were the future leader of your clan, right?"
"Um… T-That's right! I'm the future leader…! I-I guess!"
What's up with her uncertainty? Is she the future leader or not?
I helped her up to her feet.
"...As a leader of your people, you can't make reckless decisions like that. Be more mindful from now on, OK? A lot is riding on your shoulders."
"R-Right. Thank you…"
"I entrust the flames of my fallen country to you, young one. You may not be aware of it, but the forgotten legacy of Noise is embedded in your blood. Do us proud."
"...! I'm still not very good with these things, but even I can tell how cool those words are! Megumin will be so jealous!"
She seemed to take my words seriously, but also seemed to think that I was just saying random things to sound cool.
…
…
It took some effort, but we soon disabled all of the mini-Destroyers.
The defense line held by Darkness held on and gave the teams in charge of dismantling the mini-Destroyers enough time to do their mission.
I expected to see Maouko throw a fit as soon as she saw that her little toys were dispatched, but it was disconcerting to see her with the same smug smile as always.
If she's that confident even after we took the mini-Destroyers down…
…! It can't be!
My fears came true when the Mini-Destroyers started glowing red.
"...Self-Destruct Initiated."
All of the fallen Mini-Destroyers looped this warning with a robotic voice.
Those who have faced the Destroyer before immediately evacuated from the glowing Mini-Destroyers.
The defense line that kept the Demons at bay fell apart, but the Demons didn't pursue as they were also worried about the warning messages.
"Come on my lovelies! Ignore that message! It's just a bluff to scare the cowardly enemy away! Feel free to move forward!"
"Yes, Maouko-sama…!"
Maouko is using suggestion magic through her voice amplifying device.
The Demons broke through the defense line that once held them at bay.
"Comrades! Don't break your position! Kuh!"
Darkness was the only one who didn't move from her position, but she's a rather special case. Those with sane minds chose their own self-preservation and kept their distance from the Mini-Destroyers.
Even Celestina broke off from her position. She ran to my side, panic in her eyes.
"Regina-sama! We must retreat! With this many mini-Destroyers here, there's no way we'll survive the explosion!"
"No, I'm not gonna move. Celestina, you should go."
"Huh?! Could I have misheard?! Regina-sama, it's clear that this side is losing! We can still cut our losses! If we leave now, we can hide our tracks and Maouko won't be able to pursue us! We can start over!"
Certainly, that has always been our Plan B.
I'm not terribly loyal to any one cause. I prioritize my own self-interests above all.
If Maouko hadn't revealed her family's treachery to me, I would have done as Celestina said and run away without looking back.
But I can't run now. I have to make them pay.
"If I remember correctly, there's a master code that will shut off the self-destruct feature. You only need to input it into one mini-Destroyer's console and the rest will follow."
"Master code? T-Then does Regina-sama remember what this master code is?!"
"No, not really. I wasn't really around much when they were constructing these things."
"Then why is Regina-sama heading to the mini-Destroyers now?!"
Celestina said as I walked over to the nearest mini-Destroyer.
"Celestina is free to run away. I'm not binding you to me as a follower, not like I have the power to do so. You can even be free to worship another goddess should I perish. I don't mind if you worship Eris, but I'll be a bit annoyed if you decide to worship Aqua."
I have a bit of a complex towards Aqua now. To think I'd actually feel inferior to her.
Still, to think those two brats would grow into such wonderful goddesses. Not like I'd tell them that.
Celestina stared at me for a long time. Her features softened and she smiled,
"You know I won't leave you, Regina-sama. Never."
"Oh, really? Then be a dear and stand in front of me while I try to disable this thing. If it goes off, your damage reflect ability might save me."
"You're going to use me after all?! W-Well, I don't mind, but I thought we were having a moment there."
"How many times must I remind you. I'm a Dark Goddess and you're the evil follower of said Dark Goddess. Cut this sentimentality!"
I turned away and focused on the limb-less mini-Destroyer in front of me, hiding the blush that was forming on my cheeks.
I felt around the armor plating, which was getting hotter by the minute. I found the hidden button and a compartment opened up. A touch-screen console was revealed.
"...Looks like the Devil King army figured out the basic commands, even if this was written in the ancient language. At least they don't know the master commands. Hey, how much time do we have left?"
"We still have time until the mini-Destroyers blow up, but I'm more concerned about the Demons…!"
I spared a glance at Darkness and the defense line. It seems that Eris stayed with her follower, but she was darting around everywhere and it was hard for me to keep track of her.
They were also accompanied by Wiz, the Crimson Demon girls, the spear wielder, some of the black haired and black eyed youth and others from the general forces.
It looks like Darkness is rallying those who retreated and they were coming back to reinforce the defense line.
...Aqua was there, but she didn't seem very happy to be.
"Those guys should be able to buy us some time. Now, let's see…"
I remembered how to access the master controls easily enough, but when I tried to access the self-destruct controls…
It was password protected.
"..."
There seems to be a hint for the password, but it was in the form of a vague riddle:
What is Noise?
"If we answer incorrectly, the self-destruct sequence will quicken. We only have one shot."
"W-What do we do, Regina-sama?"
Celestina's panicking isn't helping me concentrate at all.
It could be a trick question. The obvious answer would be to say 'it's a country'.
But it could also be asking about auditory noise, as in, an unpleasant sound.
The sort Celestina is producing right now.
Or maybe, there could be another meaning…
What is Noise…
A powerful nation?
No, the golden age of Noise lasted briefly, during the tail end of its history.
It started out as a humble country that worshiped a newly formed goddess.
A goddess that had just earned a name and an aspect…
Come to think of it, what was my original aspect, before I was corrupted?
"..."
Oh, that's right.
I touched the console.
Celestina waited with bated breath as I started typing in my answer.
Contrary to its name, the country of Noise had humble and quiet beginnings.
It started out as a small community of people who banded together to create a home for themselves.
They wanted this home to thrive and grow and become a safe place for their children and their children's children to one day live in.
And they worshipped a goddess. Regina, goddess of the Home.
A guardian deity charged to look after their home, their country.
"What is Noise? Answer: Home. Self-Destruct sequence deactivated."
I let out a sigh of relief as the mini-Destroyers started shutting down one by one.
"You did it, Regina-sama…"
"Un."
I looked up at Maouko. She doesn't look very happy.
When she saw me looking up at her, she glared at me and started stomping her feet even though she was floating in the air.
"Regina… You old hag!"
Seeing her throw a fit was oddly satisfying.
I looked down at the mini-Destroyers. They laid on the battlefield, defeated and broken.
The black smoke that rose from them reminded me of the ruins of my old home.
It just occurred to me that all this time, instead of trying to rebuild, I spent the years idling away while brewing my plans for revenge.
Pouring my hatred on an invisible enemy, and in my blindness, I ended up siding with this very enemy.
Things like vengeance… Even if I get my revenge, what will that change?
If I get my vengeance, will that bring back my home?
No, of course not.
For once, I won't rely on shortcuts.
I'll rebuild, piece by piece, no matter how long it takes.
I will rebuild my home.
"R-Regina-sama…! Your form is changing!"
"...Eh?"
Just from the mere act of letting go.
Just from the desire of wanting to return to the way I used to be.
Just like that, the darkness that clung to me was washed away.
"Ehe… Ehehehe…!"
I couldn't help but giggle as my divinity returned to me.
All this time…
It was such a simple act and yet it eluded me.
I grabbed a lock of my hair. It was still violet, but there was a radiance and lightness to it.
I looked down at my hands.
"...Wait, why am I still a chibi?"
W-Well, I guess I can't complain about that. I still have only one worshipper.
But what's important is that I'm back.
I've regained what I lost.
Images of Noise flashed through my mind.
From its beginnings, to its golden years, and to its untimely end.
I embraced all of it, using all of the painful lessons I learned as building blocks for the future.
"Celestina…"
"Y-Yes? Regina-sama?"
I turned to my faithful follower, who was staring at me in awe.
"I'm home."
…
...
A/N: This chapter took a while to write since this is the first time in this story that I've written a full chapter in the perspective of another character who isn't named Kazuma. I had to tweak around with how I wanted Regina's voice and narrative style to look like, and this took some time to figure out. I'll continue to experiment with the POV of one or two more characters before switching back to Kazuma's POV. The war is wrapping up and the story is as well. Thanks for the continued support!
-BoringBone