"Are you both alright?"

Dispelling the power of dreams, I rushed over to the two fallen gods.

From the start, they had been my precious patrons. Seeing them risk their lives to protect my secret only made my worry deepen.

"Help me up."

I grabbed the Magitech Engineer’s arm and helped him to his feet.

"Are you injured?"

"I’m fine. Thanks to you, the core was unharmed."

The Magitech Engineer brushed his chest with his hand.

"A god’s core, sustained by divinity, forms their identity. As long as the core remains intact, a god can heal from any wound."

"I see..."

Well, it made sense. They were gods, after all. Self-healing seemed like a given.

Though talking directly with him felt strange—almost awkward—given how he normally communicated through those system-like messages.

"Thank you for saving me. My divine core nearly shattered."

"No need to thank me. This happened because of me."

"If I hadn’t asked for your help, you wouldn’t have been targeted by the Demon God. My apologies."

"No, no! We both acted of our own volition. Besides, I sought out Constellations who could be part of my story. It’s mutual."

"...I see. Thank you for thinking that way."

As his mechanical arm began to automatically repair itself, the Magitech Engineer asked, "But how did you manage to reach the divine realm? Did you achieve divinity?"

"What? No, of course not! My Constellation projected my mind here using their power."

"Ah, a power... I see. I sensed the energy of dreams. Then you’re still human?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"Strange."

"...What is?"

"Do you know why Constellations typically don’t speak directly to mortals, opting for system-like declarations instead?"

"Uh… I don’t know."

"It’s because their presence is so overwhelming that direct communication could cause a mortal’s brain to fry."

"...Excuse me?"

"But you seem perfectly fine. It’s unusual. Even the strongest humans struggle with it."

"..."

Was it because I could perceive Constellations and read their thoughts through the terminal?

I considered explaining this but decided against it.

Telling him I could read thoughts would probably make things awkward.

"Sniff."

Ren held one finger to her nose, blowing out the blood that had pooled there.

"Thank you, Dream Apostle."

Though she was covered in blood, her wounds were healing rapidly, likely due to her divine regenerative abilities.

As she approached us and leaned against a nearby surface, she muttered, "Sacrifice, you’re unexpectedly frail."

Ren’s brow twitched.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Unlike me, a scholar, you’re a warrior knight. Being one of the Seven Heroes, I had higher expectations, but you couldn’t even hold your own against the Demon God."

"...Wasn’t it because she was too strong? Besides, didn’t you also get taken out by a single magic bullet?"

"True, but I’m a Magitech Engineer. If I’d been in my domain with all my equipment, I wouldn’t have fallen so easily. But you, in your own domain, were defeated with barely any resistance."

"T-That’s..."

Ren’s lips trembled, her frustration evident. Tears welled in her eyes, though she tried to hold them back.

She wanted to argue, but it seemed she had nothing to counter with.

It was as if her thoughts read: He’s right, but it’s still infuriating.

"Don’t be too harsh on her. Ren’s abilities were dulled because she had been consumed by Indolence. With training, she can regain her prime form. Isn’t that right, Ren?"

"You..."

Suddenly, Ren lunged at me, wrapping her arms around me tightly.

"You’re the only one on my side!"

Waaahh.

Overwhelmed by her defeat and stung by the Magitech Engineer’s comments, Ren was clearly struggling to process her emotions.

I gently patted her back.

"I’ll get back to training, and I’ll be strong enough to cut down that Demon God! After all, I’m the Sacrifice Overcoming Indolence!"

Was she always this childish?

Her outward appearance was that of a dignified older sister figure, but seeing this childlike side of her made me think her followers would be in for a shock if they saw this.

More importantly, why was the Magitech Engineer suddenly picking a fight with his own ally?

Ding!

At that moment, a message from the Magitech Engineer appeared on my terminal.

[The Magitech Engineer Who Cast Off Wrath writes with his finger: "Can you tell me what happened with the Demon God?"]
[The Magitech Engineer writes with his finger: "For yes, raise one finger. For no, raise two."]

!!!

I finally understood why the Magitech Engineer had been provoking Ren.

The Demon God had imbued me with a portion of her power, claiming she would keep an eye on me.

She was likely monitoring our current conversation as well.

I raised one finger.

The Magitech Engineer smiled in satisfaction.

Without me needing to say a word, he had deduced what had happened and used the system-like communication to avoid the Demon God’s surveillance.

He had even exploited her overconfidence and arrogance to do so.

Was he truly one of humanity’s greatest geniuses?

[*The Magitech Engineer writes with his finger: "Did she order someone to be resurrected for her?"]

I raised one finger again.

With my index finger, I subtly traced the words Previous Demon King on my thigh.

The Demon God’s gaze was focused on Ren, making this approach highly effective.

The Magitech Engineer’s eyes widened slightly as he grasped the significance of my message.

Nodding as if everything finally made sense, he processed the information quickly.

[*The Magitech Engineer writes with his finger: "Did you promise to create an episode for her?"]

I raised one finger.

Then, on my thigh, I wrote: When this is done, the Demon God will be trapped.

The Magitech Engineer’s eyes gleamed with understanding.

[*The Magitech Engineer writes with his finger: "I trust you because of what you’ve done for us."]
[*The Magitech Engineer writes with his finger: "But if things go wrong, she’ll come after you."]
[*The Magitech Engineer writes with his finger: "It could be incredibly dangerous."]

On my thigh, I wrote: Don’t worry. Once the episode is complete, she won’t be able to escape.

The Magitech Engineer looked at me with concern.

"You possess something extraordinary, even beyond Constellations. But remember, Constellations have transcended their limits to achieve divinity. They might have contingency plans we can’t even imagine. Be cautious."

He genuinely worried about me.

To have someone as brilliant and renowned as the Magitech Engineer showing concern for me...

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

More than that, his quick thinking and ability to divert the Demon God’s attention while analyzing the situation amidst his injuries were remarkable.

"Hmph. There’s no need for such obvious statements. This child is clearly more capable than you," Ren interjected, glaring at the Magitech Engineer while pulling me into her embrace.

Her soft chest pressed warmly against my face.

"Brainy fool."

At first, I thought Ren’s hostility toward the Magitech Engineer was just an act, but…

No, she was dead serious.

"Bleh!"

"...Are you a child?"

Ren stuck her tongue out at the Magitech Engineer, who clicked his tongue in exasperation.

***

[The Dreamteller yells, asking if I have any idea how worried they were.]

“Haha, I’m sorry, Constellation. The situation was urgent—I had no choice.”

When your patrons are in danger, the ones you consider brothers-in-arms, how could you just stand by and do nothing?

[The Dreamteller asks, "Really?" while making what they think is an intimidating expression.]

“The Demon God has something she wants from me. She won’t harm me.”

[The Dreamteller stomps their feet with all their might, asking what they would do if their only Apostle were lost, but only a soft thud echoes from the effort.]

“I promise I won’t do anything that reckless again. But this time, I was sure the Demon God wouldn’t harm me. Trust me, I value my life too.”

After promising to offer a sweet dessert as a sacrifice to appease them, I finally managed to calm my Constellation down.

Then, activating developer mode, I began crafting a new episode.

This time, the story would delve into the past of the Demon God.

Its protagonist? Her mentor—the previous Demon King.

A tale of a mentor who cherished their student is a common theme, even in this world.

But…

What about a story where the mentor willingly played the villain, posing as a mass murderer, all to protect their beloved student, only to hide the truth and accept their own death?

It’s a trope often seen on Earth, but here? It would be groundbreaking.

Yes, let’s create another tale of noble villainy.

My vision began to unfold through the power of dreams.

The story of the Demon God’s forgotten past, a truth buried beneath layers of arrogance and pride, was taking shape.