Chapter 39

A very long time ago, it was believed that the gods lived in the heavens, watching and benevolent to the things that lived on the earth.

“As I said it earlier, the gods were a bunch of beings that didn’t know what to do.

In a drunken state, they tried to hit the war within the human world and thus make a massacre; tried to cause a great flood because some were begging for rain; granted a power to some always-hungry guy to turn everything he touched into sugar. But humans, apparently, can’t disregard eating vegetables and meat. Hence, that dude died in about a year.”

“Hey Weiss, now that I know the story, I feel like it’s only natural that the previous gods were defeated…”

“Yeah. They underestimated the human race. They couldn’t beat us.

Well, what happened next is even more terrible. The human race broke the door leading to another world, seeking for salvation. That’s how that damned sage Asklasua appeared, the true villain of the story.

After being summoned by the king of the country and avoiding all the suspicions, he managed to execute the loyal retainers one after another. Finally, when he slaughtered the king himself in the guise of suicide, he blamed the gods for the sins he had commited.

After that, he declared: ‘I can’t forgive the gods who play with human hearts as if with toys. Fight me if you dare.’”

The damned sage’s plan was to unite the human race and start a war with the gods.

Was it 10 years, 20 years, or 100 years? My memories are a bit vague, but either way, it was a long battle.

Normally, the gods would have won. It wasn’t a big deal for them to just drop a meteorite or cause an earthquake. However, that Asklasua guy scattered the Philosopher’s Stone here and there. I don’t know what the reason was, but the gods could no longer exert half of their original power. Thanks to that, the front was in a stalemate.

“What did the damned sage do next”, you ask? Some wicked things, I shall answer.

A dying warrior, a village girl who lost her parents, and a kid who was persecuted because their father was a god — that asshole sneaked into the gaps in their hearts, instigated them, and watched their ruin with joy in his eyes.

….. Well, that’s about it.

At one point, he suddenly came out to the front line alone.

It was an opportunity that the gods couldn’t miss. Such a perfect chance that would let them defeat the damned sage. They gathered all their strength there.

…… It was a huge mistake, however.

That damned sage’s magic annihilated the gods at once. Ridiculous, isn’t it? He could end the war whenever he wanted to.

Just what was he thinking, that asshole…? Even such a smart being like me couldn’t understand him at all.

Anyway, at that time, all the gods were deprived of their status, eventually turning into spirits.

….. So, how was it?”

In short…

Those humans who could not withstand the gods’ violent behavior summoned a savior from another world. However, Asklasua, who was as terrible as the gods themselves, appeared, and because of him, the human race and the gods would endlessly fight.

And at the end, the curtain was pulled by none other than the sage himself.

There are some points that I would like to confirm, so I will ask.

“You know, Weiss, you also were a god.”

‘Yup, that’s right. I was originally a fluffy, rounded being.”

I had no idea what to say at this point. But somehow Weiss seemed proud of himself, as if waiting for some praises.

“Hehe. I’ll show it to you in my dreams someday, so look forward to it.

Okay, let’s get back to the story, shall we?”

Weiss continued with a bouncy voice, as if he was in a good mood.

“Spirits have existed since the time we were still gods. Alti, remember when you helped the redhead dude before? His soul was about to come out. What do you think would have happened if you had left him alone?

A soul that has left the bond between body and memory becomes an ambiguous existence that floats around the earth while blending with other souls. Such a spirit is called an “original spirit”.

That sage dude smashed the gods there.

Those who had a high divinity like me managed to keep themselves safe, but others were miserable. Being mixed with other spirits, they even forgot that they were actually gods. I think it’s even worse than disappearing with me.

Now you see, Alti, that the damned sage was the god of the gods, and above all, my sworn enemy.

Thank you. It felt awesome to see his face being kicked off. I think I fell in love with you, yeah. If I can return to the gods, the marriage…… Hey Kajero, don’t stare at me like that! It was a joke, a joke.”

Now Kajero is back in the stuffed animal.

His facial expression did not make any movements, so I doubt there was anything to look at, but… Is it a way of communicating that is unique to old acquaintances?

Nevermind.

What worries me more than that is…

“Hey Weiss. What did the sage want to do in the first place?

I know he had been doing a lot of bad things, but I can’t see the purpose of it at all: fighting the gods with the humans, turning the gods into spirits, and then trying to deceive me and the others…”

“Well… As I said earlier, even though I’m smart, I can’t give you the answers you want.

Kajero, how about you?”

“Umm… Based on My Lady’s story, the sage Asklasua was driving the ‘Altiria Wisp’ to ruin in a number of similar worlds. Maybe there is some key in this.”

“Maybe I fell in love with Altiria in one of the worlds and relieved my hunger in another world.”

Weiss laughs as if he made a funny joke.

“Well, the damned sage has been defeated, and you in other worlds won’t get any worse.

By the way Alti, can I brag for you a tad more?

Even if we, the gods, were bundled together, we were the only ones who could somehow compete. Unbelievable.”

Indeed.

When I think about it again, I have done something quite “ridiculous.”

The most decisive factor to me was… probably because I didn’t know that the opponent was the sage. If I knew it, I would have given up saying, “I can’t beat the legendary hero.”

The battle in the inner world was all about strength, and if I had shown my weaknesses, I would have been defeated.

It may have been possible for him to win if he showed his Asksu-the-self-proclaimed-theologian-and-a-scammer side.

It’s kind of weird. Arrogance is not the cause of defeat, but the cause of victory, huh…

No.

Did I really win…?

――Let me give you a souvenir at least. It’s quite old but still pleasant. Please enjoy it.

The sage left an unexpected thing at the very end. It was a souvenir that could turn me into the Princess of Dolls.

Looking back on the story touched on in modern Japan, this kind of development was seen here and there. It was a situation that was often used in the story of heroes of this world.

The present me can’t move a single thumb-sized doll properly. I can’t even call a spirit even if I suddenly shed blood.

I lost the doll magic.

Fortunately enough, it is still possible to use telepathy at a short distance, and Saboten-kun, Kajero, Weiss, and Walf are still loyal to me.

But what about the children left in the Wisp Mansion?

Tomorrow, I will be using a regular method of communication. I think it’s going to be alright because there won’t be any magical power used. Even so, I can’t help but feel a little uneasy.