“He’s dead.”

In the Holy Empire, Eiros.

At the highest point within it, a man closed his eyes tightly.

An elderly man.

Yet muscles that could not be hidden beneath his loose robe rippled.

The Pope, Escarhel.

He mulled over the information that had just struck his mind.

“Jörmungandr…”

The guardian deity of the Trelinia Kingdom.

One day, he heard that an unheard-of name was being revered as a god in Trelinia. The moment aligned with the Saint’s desire to witness it firsthand, so he granted her permission.

But the outcome was this.

The Holy Empire had lost the Saint, as well as the precious power of the Cardinal and numerous Paladins.

Of course, it was the Cardinal who killed those Paladins, but that was of no concern to Escarhel.

What mattered to him was that the god Jörmungandr had inflicted harm upon his domain. That was the only thing that mattered.

“Is he unafraid of war?”

The Pope envisioned a colossal serpent.

It was big enough to be venerated as a god in Trelinia, but… well.

Strangely, information about the moment the Cardinal died had been cut off, leaving him without proper information.

Of course.

That was also not significant to the Pope.

What he considered was only war.

What would happen if the Holy Empire declared war on the Trelinia Kingdom using this incident as a pretext?

It was a foregone conclusion.

Even in terms of military strength, the Holy Empire was overwhelmingly dominant, and that wouldn’t change even if Jörmungandr acted as a variable.

“Even if you kill us all… the Holy Empire will not crumble.”

A god’s existence.

To break the most deeply rooted holy nation?

Would he ever survive as a god after that?

Above all, it was a fact that no one in the Holy Empire knew. The Pope was already connected to the Demon God. On the day he first became Pope, he chose to serve the great being that approached him.

Just a serpent that seemed to have become a god not long ago.

He was not scared at all.

Rather, it only made him think about how much he could exploit this situation.

Or how many kingdoms he could bring to ruin.

Jörmungandr’s existence posed no threat to the Pope.

“Hmm… what should I do?”

Waging war.

Or, using this as an excuse to strip Jörmungandr of his divinity and isolate the Trelinia Kingdom.

The disparity in standing between Trelinia and Eiros was immense, and it was also true that their god had kidnapped the Saint.

The unholy events that occurred in the Church?

Killing people at will and abusing the Saint?

Such things held no meaning.

In the holy nation where the Pope resided, there were no incidents he couldn’t cover up.

On the contrary, this was an opportunity.

An opportunity to overturn the world into chaos for the sake of the Demon God.

If a war were to break out, it wouldn’t be bad to engulf the Trelinia Kingdom completely in flames.

On top of that, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to erect statues for the Demon God in the surrounding kingdoms. Such statues would later serve as offerings for the Demon God’s manifestation.

“Yes, waging war would be best.”

Jörmungandr.

Indeed, he was the variable.

Naturally, he didn’t believe such an existence could harm the great Demon God, but still, a god was a god.

Once he participated in a war in the Human Realm, it was a given that the situation would change drastically.

But that was fine.

Using this as an excuse, he could also request help from other kingdoms or empires and gather them all in one place to wipe them out at once.

Just as Escarhel was about to declare war with a smile,

Kuuuuuuuuung——!

A pillar of light filled his sight entirely.

The Holy Nation was engulfed.

* * *

Eliserde could sense everything happening in the cave.

It felt quite astonishing to have her body turn transparent, allowing her to glimpse the entire situation at once.

But it was also unpleasant.

The brutal events taking place in the Holy Nation.

The ordeal the Saint endured, the Cardinal’s massacre of the Paladins.

Having experienced all of it firsthand made her feel nauseous. At the same time, as she recognized the corruption within the Holy Nation, her awe for Lord Jörmungandr, who had guided her to this place for her protection, swelled.

“……!”

Her perception twisted.

Again, she felt as if her body were being moved somewhere.

This was unlike Jörmungandr.

Had it been before, she might not have realized, but thanks to the divinity she accepted in becoming Jörmungandr’s priestess, she understood that what was happening now was not instigated by her lord.

In an instant, she considered resisting.

But then she entrusted herself to the sight of Jörmungandr quietly gazing at her.

If she were in danger,

Surely, Lord Jörmungandr wouldn’t merely stand by.

Eliserde fully believed in Jörmungandr.

Thus, she embraced the light that seeped into her.

“Where is this…?”

When she opened her eyes again,
She found herself in an extraordinarily mystical space.

The first thing she noticed was a tree.

Not just any tree—an enormous one that reached to the very sky.

Its leaves were vibrant with various hues, and the trunk appeared robust and unyielding.

Around this tree, countless other trees and flowers thrived beautifully.

It felt as if a colossal being had delicately cultivated its own garden. Despite the complex arrangement of colors, her gaze was not overwhelmed, revealing the effort and care the creator had poured into this space.

Birds flew across the sky.
On the ground, small animals like rabbits hopped about peacefully.

“Wow……”

Eliserde admired the scene in a daze.
It was incredibly beautiful.
And harmonious and mysterious.

Just as she was lost in the enchanting scenery,

[So, what do you think? How do you like the garden I made?]

“……!!”

A voice emerged from behind her.
Instead of a human voice, it sounded like a beautiful chime.

She turned around in a hurry.
There stood a radiant being in human form.

[Sorry, did I startle you? I just wanted to surprise you.]

“N-no, it’s fine… But who are you?”

[I have many names, but… can you call me Goddess?]

“G-Goddess…?!”

In the Human Realm,
There was no being who dared to not know the Goddess.

How could anyone not recognize the creator who directly shaped the Human Realm?

Especially if that deity intervened in the world with divine power, proving the existence of the gods, their majesty was overwhelming.

Eliserde’s blue eyes widened in astonishment.
It was simply hard to believe.

A goddess?
Was the being before her truly a goddess?

Unconsciously, Eliserde accepted the truth of her words.
An infinite pure aura—
A warmth, soft as sunlight, filled her completely.

[Are you curious why I called you here?]

“……Yes.”

That was a straightforward answer to a pointed question.

To her surprise, the Goddess hummed a little tune and lightly danced around Eliserde before gently resting a hand on her shoulder.

[I’m sorry for meeting you this way, but… could you do me a favor?]

“Request… you say?”

[Yes, you need to take this token to the Holy Nation.]

As the white hand reached towards the sky,
something soft, resembling paper, drifted down from above.

She gently caught it and handed it to Eliserde.

“What is this?”

It felt remarkably special.
As if it were the very manifestation of the lights shimmering in the sky.

The translucent paper-like object glowed gently in her hands, radiating a warm light.

[This… Simply put, it’s a part of me.]

“Eh?!”

Eliserde jumped in surprise.
A part of the Goddess?
And she was holding it carelessly?

A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind, but the Goddess smiled softly, as if understanding her worries.

[You don’t need to feel burdened. This was meant to reach your world all along….]

The Goddess spoke with a hint of melancholy.
Certainly, her expression must have been obscured by light.

She continued her explanation.

[If you bring this to the deepest part of the Holy Nation, the empty space in its core… you can purify the remnants of the Demon God that have engulfed the Holy Nation.]

“The remnants of the Demon God?”

[Yes, as you just saw, the Holy Nation is rotting. All of it is the Demon God’s influence. It’s something I was supposed to prevent, but…….]

Her head hung low.
And her form flickered uneasily, as if about to shatter at any moment.
Instinctively reaching out toward the seemingly fragile being, the Goddess took her hand and beamed brightly.

[Would you… help correct what I could not?]

“Why… me? Surely the Saint could do it too….”

[With that child… I’ve committed many sins. It would feel hypocritical for me to show myself now.]

The soft smile held a myriad of complex emotions.

Eliserde didn’t know what those sins entailed, yet she gazed at the light resting on her palm.

A multitude of thoughts filled her mind.
Was it truly right for her to accept this request?

Could she be sure that the Goddess was on the side of the Human Realm?

And more than that,
the complicated reality with several issues lingered in her mind.

Currently, Lord Jörmungandr had killed the Holy Nation’s Cardinal and kidnapped the Saint.

Of course, he likely hadn’t truly kidnapped the Saint.
But looking at it from the outside, the Trelinia Kingdom wouldn’t earn any favorable evaluation.

Rather, they might have to question Lord Jörmungandr about the alleged abduction of the Goddess’s representative.

In such circumstances, having to go directly to the Holy Nation to place this token felt impossible at first.

Yet the Goddess smiled lightly.

[Don’t worry about public perception. I’ll take care of that.]

Eliserde pondered.

But there was still the crucial question at hand.
“You… are you a being that helps Lord Jörmungandr?”

[Hmm…….]

The Goddess pondered for a moment.

[Of course! That child is one of my most wonderful creations.]

She said with a bright smile.
“Ah, really…?!”

[Ah… you wouldn’t believe how much I struggled giving birth to that child… But seeing how well they’ve grown makes me proud.]

Eliserde’s mouth fell open in surprise at this unexpected revelation.
It felt like she had stumbled upon the secret of Lord Jörmungandr’s origins.