No matter how powerful the ability, the goddess is a machine.

And machines are written by humans.

Let’s try to deceive the Duke of the North by borrowing the name of the goddess, a mechanical device. Create a setup and integrate it into the worldview. From now on, I am the goddess’s angel.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

●

The goddess is indifferent.

She spreads the light of divine power in this world and maintains order, but she seems quite cold as she pursues values that surpass human hearts.

If one thinks of the absurdity when an absolute being of a world harbors blatant desires like a human and arbitrarily manipulates the world── the goddess’s indifference is indeed a virtue as a god.

Because the god is silent, humanity has finally gained a degree of free will.

However, this inevitably raises one question.

‘If we respect human free will, must we simply watch as they move towards their own destruction?’

The goddess answered this question as follows.

‘I will grant you a mysterious cup. This golden cup has the ability to dry when people laugh and fill when they cry. When the cup overflows, I will rise from silence and purify the earth──.’

Cross the line, and there will be punishment.

The goddess has set the baseline for corruption.

——–

“And this is the Holy Grail.”

As Hart gestured, a cup appeared smoothly on the table.

The splendid cup, shining in gold, was filled with a pitch-black liquid that swayed precariously. It seemed that even the slightest shake would spill its contents and dirty the table.

This is an object that metaphorically represents the goddess’s patience. Just by looking at it, the swaying waves are designed to be dizzying.

—

Moreover, the shape of the cup is significant.

If it were an hourglass or a snow globe, there would be no room for external interference. But a cup is an object designed for someone to tilt and spill.

If Heart is truly an angel, it is a metaphor that she holds the trigger of the “Divine Punishment.”

Heart held the base of the cup, playfully tilting it this way and that, gazing intently at the Northern Duke Elbillion Julius as she spoke.

The emphasized points are mystery and a hint of cuteness. They may seem like disparate elements, but when combined well, they can create synergy.

She slightly lowered her voice.

“Now that you’ve seen my abilities and ideals, it’s time to show my faith. If I were to demonstrate the act of gathering a priest’s divine power, would that serve as proof of my angelic nature?”

“That would be sufficient.”

“You already trust me?”

“I do. But that alone would disappoint you. You… you have always been terribly uncomfortable with blindly following your own words.”

Do you remember the days of conversation at the tavern? Heart was like that. She despised the young men who devoted everything to her. More precisely, she hated those who did so without considering the consequences.

If a courtship that sacrificed all one’s wealth fails, that person literally loses everything. Afterward, they are likely to succumb to rage or choose death.

Thus, if one cannot bear the aftermath, they should not attempt such a thing in the first place. I dislike ‘bad endings.’

That was the reason I imposed a limit, saying I would only accept 1% of the wealth.

The Northern Duke spoke with a seriousness and coolness that enveloped him.

“Since you desire it, I will speak of gains rather than faith. What will you propose to the North, and what will you take in return?”

“Indeed, Daisy is smart, which I appreciate.”

Heart rested her chin on her hand, giving a proud smile as she looked at the Northern Duke. Then, playfully, she blurted out.

“I’ll propose the prosperity of the North and liberation from obligations.”

“……..”

I knew his desires well.

Elbillion Julius had taken the prosperity of the North as his mission. To atone for the desecration of his father’s corpse and to see a time when all of winter would proclaim his father’s name as great.

His dream must not have changed. And with the power of the Goddess Church, it would be sufficient to achieve that.

When both sides’ interests are clear and they know each other well, negotiations can proceed surprisingly quickly.

“Then what will you take in return, Heart?”

“Assistance in the Hero Selection Tournament, and help in the eradication of the Cardinal faction. Once the ‘Reformists’ seize control of the Goddess Church… the light of the Goddess will reach the North as well.”

“I will assist. The great warrior of the North will participate in the ‘Faithfulness’ tournament.”

“Then I can rest easy. Let’s proceed with that.”

Perhaps due to old ties, the Northern Duke did not show any sharpness as he concluded the conversation. Indeed, the saying that friends are good is not without reason.

A contract was established between the Northern Duke and the angel. The detailed terms were formalized into a document, and signatures from both sides were affixed.

—

—

It’s done. The story has concluded in the flow I desired. Everything turned out well. It’s a resolution! I smiled broadly behind the mask of Heart.

Then, suddenly, a stray bullet came flying at me.

“I knew that the birth of the hero was being suppressed by the goddess church. That’s precisely why I visited the holy city. I wondered if there was something I could extract under the condition of confidentiality.”

“………”

I was taken aback behind the mask of Heart.

…What did you just say?

——–

Elbillion Julius had a piece of information that others did not know. A crucial secret of the goddess church obtained from his younger brother, Dakiten Julius.

It is said that heroes appear when a great threat emerges in the world.

And that threat already exists. The Eastern Front and the dark sorcerers.

The princess of the massive empire that has seized control of the continent is fighting on the front lines, while the empire’s sword master, who should be protecting the royal family, is roaming the nation, slaying dark sorcerers.

It’s a scale that cannot be dismissed as ‘not a threat.’

I poked at that information at a moment when Heart seemed to let her guard down.

“It’s already been several hundred years since a hero has appeared. My brother Dakiten said that the cardinals are using some method to prevent the birth of heroes, and the empire is managing to fill that void.”

“That’s right. I knew that too.”

She didn’t know.

Elbillion Julius was convinced based on his long-standing foundation. Heart didn’t know. Her mask was perfect, but she couldn’t hide the surprise rolling around in her true feelings beyond the mask.

It’s been a long relationship. Just as Heart had grasped Elbillion, he had also deeply understood her. So he could tell.

She doesn’t lie about promises—but—

In other aspects, she was quite the liar. Lies would naturally spill out as soon as she opened her mouth. Most of what she rambled on about was probably fake or deceptive. The story about angels must also be a lie.

Heart… sometimes has an overly rich imagination. Angels, a concept I had never heard of. Her acting and direction were so outstanding that it was easy to believe, but if you looked at the story itself, it was utterly absurd.

If it were a story about an internal spy of the goddess church, I might have believed it.

However, I pretended not to notice.

“The exclusion of heroes. The very structure meant to maintain and preserve the goddess has completely collapsed, so I have no choice but to come down and resolve everything myself, right?”

“I see.”

I just went along with it.

Because I know.

Regardless of the surface of a person named Heart, I have a vague understanding of what her inner self is shaped like.

Even if the words she babbles are lies—her genuine intention to lend strength for the North if things go well, or her concern for Elbillion, would be 100% sincere.

So, truth and lies had no relation whatsoever. Beneath the illusion, he and Heart were connected by a solid and unwavering friendship.

—

“How delightful to meet again.”

“⋯⋯Suddenly?”

And once I acknowledge that most of the heart is made of lies⋯⋯ a slightly different scenery begins to unfold.

Pretending to be the goddess’s representative, thinking I’m not caught.

Putting on a facade as if I had known all along, despite being utterly flustered.

Isn’t it amusing?

The Northern Duke smiled behind his cold mask, enjoying the one-man play of the heart with a cheerful heart.

However, even the Northern Duke had no idea that the goddess was, in truth, complaining of a malfunction⋯⋯.

——–

No, damn it.

After finishing my negotiation and mind-reading game with the Northern Duke ‘Daisy,’ I returned with fire in my eyes, immediately searching for Akshin-chan.

“Akshin-chan, come out!”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯??”

Akshin-chan was sprawled on the sofa, scratching her belly while reading a comic book (brought to life by fantasy magic). When I shouted, she peeked her head out, curious about the commotion.

I picked up Akshin-chan and shook her by the collar, venting my frustration and anger.

“What the hell are those Cardinal faction idiots doing?!”

“You crazy little brat, why are you suddenly yelling at me──?!”

“They messed up the goddess without a care, and now they’re making it so that no hero will appear at all. They said they turned off the vaccine program themselves!”

“Ah⋯⋯ what? So it wasn’t me messing things up?! I don’t remember, but logically I thought I was the mastermind⋯⋯ No, then why the hell are you yelling at me!!”

I had discovered the astonishing and mysterious fact that the Goddess Church, the Cardinal faction, was preventing the birth of heroes with their own hands.

The frustration of seeing those who turned off the vaccine and ruined everything surged within me, and I wanted to vent it on someone, so I shook Akshin-chan vigorously.

I let her go when her clothes had ridden up enough to reveal her belly button. By the way, her panties were red. Akshin-chan quickly tidied her clothes and shot me a sharp glare.

Well, so what. What now.

I plopped down next to Akshin-chan. She then shifted her butt over to sit a space away from me.

The Northern Duke had been successfully recruited. I had used the goddess’s authority to secure a blank check, and ‘Daisy’ believed it. The next tournament should be a piece of cake.

“So, you’re just going to take everything you can and wipe your mouth clean afterward? The North, which hasn’t received the promised support, will slowly wither away⋯⋯.”

“No. I will keep my promise. In the future, I will gain control over the goddess and the goddess’s church, so out of old affection, I plan to make the North livable again.”

“Then why is it a blank check?”

“Because right now, it’s a lie.”

But the moment I gain even a little bit of control over the goddess⋯⋯ all lies will turn into truth. The goddess’s representative (true), the goddess’s angel (true).

“Liars.”

“Who are you calling what?”

For now, shall we raise a toast to the half-success of the plan?

From noble mtl dot come

I utilized Elid’s power to win the first tournament, and I plan to use the Northern Duke’s power to win the second tournament as well. So far, it has been easy.

But from here on, the difficulty is expected to rise.

Because things will start moving soon. They won’t just sit back and watch the hero candidates get picked off one by one; the Cardinal faction and the Red Flavor clan will soon jump into the tournament.

This means it’s an all-out war from now on.

That ‘Puppeteer’ will also start making waves again, and the Cardinal faction, which has been suspiciously inactive, will begin to show its strength. Perhaps even the Goddess System will start to mobilize.

From here on, I plan to use the Bennett party.

Their power is considerable. With just a little support from behind, they should be able to slice through most opponents and rise to the top. The problem arises when the winning candidates start to clash.

Bennett’s fairy tale is stable, but it lacks a decisive blow. If the opponent has an outstanding fairy tale, I might get caught off guard and be eliminated. In that case…

It might be good to use the ‘Fairy Tale Extra Module.’

Creating ‘Awakened Dual-Wielding Fallen Bennett’ in reality, not just in fantasy.

While preparing for the tournament, it wouldn’t hurt to dig a little deeper into the secrets of the Goddess Church. There are still mysterious and incomprehensible aspects to their movements.

Take the restriction on hero generation, for instance.

Upon reflection, the absence of heroes is a loss for the Goddess Church. Even if it’s to solidify their power, it’s a rather radical method to have started with.

It’s highly probable that there was at least one previous attempt to control heroes.

They might have tried to put a leash on the heroes, but when that backfired, they prevented their very birth. Doesn’t this sound a bit more reasonable?

I spent my time doing various things. Failing to ask Bennett for relationship advice, investigating the Goddess Church, tracking the movements of the Red Flavor folks…

After that, time flew by.

The meeting with the Northern Duke bore fruit.

“The tournament of ‘Faithfulness’ has concluded! At this moment, four out of the eight hero candidates have been decided! They are── the mercenary king’s scout, Wolfhild, and the great warrior of the North, Cavalle Lycan!!”

One ally, one neutral. Success.

Four hero candidate spots remain.

Two tournaments left.

——–

The tournament of ‘Faithfulness’ ended without incident, and the subsequent tournament of ‘Immutability’ was… a spectacle.

“A sudden misfortune as the ground collapses, a sudden stroke of luck as a flash of light shines from the sky, a sudden misfortune as the wind blows at just the right moment, and suddenly a dead bird falls from the sky, obscuring the opponent’s vision…!! The knight of Redburn, Soze, is defeated, and the priest, Kilio, wins the match-!!”

As a result of the clash between Red Flavor’s ‘Prophetic Lantern’ and the Cardinal faction’s ‘Gear,’ a chaotic situation unfolded where the backing power was stronger than the players’ skills.

Is this really a tournament…?

I shouted from the audience in frustration.

“Fight honestly! What kind of cowardly act is this, messing around outside the ring—!!”

“Hey, is that something you should be saying…?”

But my voice was drowned out by the cheers of the surrounding crowd, reaching neither the heavens nor the earth. It felt unjust. What are we, the Bennet family, supposed to do if we’re trying to compete fairly with our skills?

This won’t do.

If it’s going to be this dirty, I’ll rev up my engines too.

The tournament of the ‘Unchanging’—the outside match begins.