When I saw Romuleus, the god whom Mul served, in the Dream Demon Manor, it didn’t feel divine enough to be called a god, nor was it cunning enough to be called a demon.

However, considering its immense presence and overwhelming power that allowed it to even consume the Dream Demon Manor, it would be lacking to call it a ‘demonic monster’.

In the end, it was a being that was neither a god nor a demon nor a demonic monster.

If I had to use a term from my previous world to describe it, it would be something like Cthulhu.1

A gigantic, ferocious looking mouth filled with disorderly teeth, numerous tentacles, and an indiscernible shape.

I had the feeling that Mul was serving something rather bizarre and wondrous, but were there really such types of existences on this continent, something that even I was completely oblivious to?

I couldn’t help but question that.

Aria was undoubtedly born as a hero, with the destiny to save the continent.

When I played her character, I traveled to countless places and uncovered various secrets.

No matter how secretive an existence was, I didn’t think such a massive monster would remain unknown.

Besides, the words Mul had said to me back in the Dream Demon Manor:

- We exist because of you, but we truly hate you.

Considering that they existed because of me, it meant these entities had appeared on this continent because they disapproved of some of my actions.

Those entities had sent irregularities like Mul or Romuleus, hoping to make Aria a hero again.

While it was quite absurd, my thoughts returned to the starting point.

In conclusion, didn’t it mean that this creature was a god?

“The gods of this land are not really omnipotent.”

Feeling that he had just been insulted, Mul’s eyes trembled, but he didn’t interrupt me.

“Are you babbling about Aria’s destiny because you truly know how it will end?”

It was impossible to reach the happy ending in the first round. Only after seeing the definite destruction of the continent could she achieve a happy ending in the second round.

However, even the ending of the second round was a so-called happy ending only in name.

Because peace and safety would only return to the continent at the cost of the protagonist, Aria Rias’ sacrifice.

“I will not stand by and simply let you burden this child as you wish.”

I spread my arms and stood between Aria and Mul. It was my way of expressing my determination.

“Professor…”

“Huff.”

Aria, too, held onto the hem of my coat tightly, indicating she wouldn’t let go of me, while Mul sighed with an exasperated expression.

“Deus Verdi, it seems you and I are indeed incompatible.”

“…”

“In the end, it’s a fight that will only end when one of us dies.”

“Think whatever you want about it.”

Sorry, but I had no intention of agreeing with a crazy cultist regarding his statement on fateful entanglement.

With or without Mul, I would live my life just fine.

However, more importantly, there was one thing that puzzled me.

“When did you enter the Dream Demon Manor?”

“I have no reason to answer you.”

Mul firmly refused to answer me. However, despite his refusal, I continued to question him.

“Lehric said that I was the only human to escape the Dream Demon Manor on my own.”

- Congratulations, Deus Verdi. You are the only human to successfully escape the Dream Demon Manor on your own.

The important phrase here was ‘on your own.’ I thought Lehric probably passed it off as something natural to say, but was it really necessary to include that phrase?

“Did you escape from the Dream Demon Manor?”

At my words, Mul responded with forced laughter.

“Did you think that I’d get lost in a maze created by a mere Demon Lord?”

He declared it as if it were obvious, but it seemed that he misunderstood something.

“Really? But your past self remains in the Dream Demon Manor.”

If someone left behind a fake image of themselves, it meant that they failed to escape and that their memories were stolen by the Dream Demon Manor.

However, the man in front of me showed no such signs of that happening.

“Don’t blame me for what you were unable to figure out.”

It meant that he had no intention of explaining how he managed to escape.

However, I didn’t care about his means of escape. I was not curious, either.

Because, in my opinion, Mul failed to escape.

“Do you know?”

A sneer escaped from my lips.

The foolish being before me still hadn’t realized that through our conversation, I was slowly closing in on his true identity.

“In the Dream Demon Manor, Mul spoke to me formally. His manner of speaking was completely different as well.”

- Haha, everyone. You probably haven’t experienced the mercy of God Romuleus yet. Please come to the dining hall and have a conversation with me.

- Who can grasp the truth from the beginning? Come with me. I’ll tell you more about him.

- Ah, it’s impossible not to know. You are a presence we love and hate at the same time.

His previous behavior and the current him, who immediately displayed hostility and sneered upon seeing me, were completely different.

Back in the Dream Demon Manor, Mul was rather intent on converting me into a devotee of Romuleus.

“…”

“I see that you finally shut your mouth.”

Again, I predicted that Mul had failed to escape the Dream Demon Manor.

However, there was a being who knew the truth about the Dream Demon Manor, or more precisely, a monster that had sensed the presence of the Dream Demon Manor through Mul and sought to devour it.

Romuleus was different.

“You can play the role of a fanatic pretty well. However, it seems like you were unable to let go of your pride.”

Pointing towards his lower body, which had tentacles instead of human legs, I asked.

“You parasite, did you take possession of that body after leaving Mul’s memories in the Dream Demon Manor?”

Eventually, Mul, no, Romuleus, poured out his wrath in a desperate struggle to hide the truth.

“How dare a mere human!”

His voice changed.

The sweet voice of Mul that I heard until now twisted into a grotesque and monstrous voice, as if hundreds of people were speaking simultaneously.

Thick, blue veins bulged and pulsated on his face. His eyes contorted grotesquely, looking like shattered glass.

“Do you dare defy our will? You, outsider! Just kneel and be grateful to us! You, girl chosen by us, fulfill your calling!”

As Romuleus revealed his true presence, the faint blue flames surrounding him disappeared.

Along with a fierce storm, it felt as if the world itself was pressing down on us with hatred.

“P-Professor!”

Panicking, Aria summoned her greatsword, Duathane. I stopped her and held her tightly with one arm.

“Do not waver.”

Even if Romuleus were a god whose existence was unknown to me, ultimately, he was an entity I had to fight against.

As I mentioned earlier, the gods in this world weren’t really omnipotent.

“Have you descended to this land?”

If they were stepping on the continent’s soil instead of where they usually resided, it was all the more doable.

It seemed like my words had triggered something within Romuleus, as he roared in a fit of rage.

“Yes! You are simply a mere outsider! And because you crawled into the body of a completely broken man and disrupted the flow of the continent…!”

“…”

“I tore my wings, shed my radiance, abandoned my greatness, and fell to this land.”

So, in other words…

“You are now a fallen god.”

He stripped away his godly title and had transformed into this grotesque form.

I think I finally understood it now.

Why it felt insufficient to call him god, strange to call him a demon, and too grand to call him a demonic monster.

In order to restore the twisted flow of this continent caused by me, or more precisely, to make Aria Rias a hero once again, a god had directly descended to this land.

“Remember, this is also our mercy. A god has personally become an apostle for your salvation and the salvation of the continent.”

“…”

“You will save this land in place of Aria Rias? I’m sorry, but we won’t allow an outsider like you to interfere.”

“I do not intend to seek your permission.”

I heard everything I needed to hear.

I had learnt of Romuleus’s true identity as a fallen god, and I had confirmed the reason he was doing this.

“You should just disappear now.”

I snatched Duathane from Aria’s awkward grip. As I infused mana into it, Duathane floated in the air and rushed towards Romuleus.

Crusssh!

Duathane struck Romuleus squarely in the head.

Even though he was turning to dust due to the impact, he did not avert his gaze from us.

“Are you abandoning the continent, Aria Rias? Everyone’s lives rest on your shoulders!”

Poof!

With those words, Romuleus turned into black dust and disappeared, leaving Duathane embedded in the ground.

I slowly walked over to the place he had stood and pulled out Duathane. The blade, which had been shining with a black light after devouring the souls of the dark mages from Dante, was now slightly twisted.

“Professor.”

Aria approached me cautiously, wearing an uncharacteristically frightened expression.

The fact that a god had descended to the continent to restore her to her original destiny was a shocking event for a 17-year-old girl to accept.

Even though this was her second round, she still didn’t possess absolute perfect mental strength and was unable to handle everything calmly.

“I-It’ll be fine, right?”

The 17-year-old girl’s eyes trembled.

The girl, who had decided to lay down all burdens and live an ordinary life, was terrified of the fate being forcibly thrust upon her.

“There is no need for you to worry.”

Aria wasn’t scared because she would have to fight as a hero again.

She was afraid that others would bear the consequences of her choices. And that the continent might face destruction again, just as she had seen before.

That was what she was worried about.

“There is no reason for you to fight as a hero.”

If it were just a game, it would have been understandable. After all, Aria was a being created to progress through the game’s story.

However, it was no longer the same.

This place was not a game but reality.

The reason for Aria Rias’s existence was not to follow a predetermined story, save the continent, and ultimately sacrifice herself.

But like everyone else, she existed to be happy.

Therefore, I hugged her, who was trembling, and whispered.

“I am here.”