[Vol. 7] Chapter 21: The Evil God
"Factions? You mean..."
"Take a look at this, and you'll understand."
With a simple gesture, the goddess summoned a scroll from the wooden table. It floated into the air and unfurled itself before the two women.
It was an intricate and highly detailed map of the entire civilized world of the Origin Realm.
The known world was typically defined by its borders:
West: The wildlands of the Beastman Kingdom
South: The floating islands at the edge of the Azure Sky Kingdom
North: The frozen tundras beyond the Snow Kingdom
East: The vast ocean leading up to the Storm Sea, the furthest explored waters
Of course, in this world without electronic communication or other modern conveniences, most people had only a vague understanding of geography. The majority of common folk didn’t even know how large their own country was, let alone the entire world.
Because of the primitive transportation and communication methods, obtaining a detailed and comprehensive map of the Origin Realm was nearly impossible. Even if such a map existed, it would usually exclude less inhabited regions like:
The endless snowy plains covering most of the Snow Kingdom
The deserts west of the Beastman Kingdom
The scattered floating isles on the outskirts of the Azure Sky Kingdom
The distant seas beyond the Eastern Ocean
But this map was different.
Not only did it extend to the very edges of known civilization, but it even included details about the [Great Whirlpool] and the Emerald Sea, located over 10,000 kilometers east of the mainland. The most striking feature, however, was how over 70% of the civilized regions were clearly divided into two distinct colors.
Blue: Representing the Human United Kingdom, the Holy Empire, the Azure Sky Kingdom, and their allied territories, such as the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains
Red: Covering the Beastman Kingdom in the West, the unruly southern territories, the nations surrounding the Austre Empire, and most of the Snow Kingdom in the north
These two colored regions were almost equal in size, yet the contrast between them was as stark as water and fire. The most volatile area was the small nations situated between the Holy Empire and the Austre Empire, both of which were massive powers in the center of the world. Each of these smaller countries was marked in a mix of red and blue, a clear sign of constant conflict.
It was obvious. These were the two great alliances that the Goddess of Life had just mentioned.
Even without considering the division of factions, this was the first time the priestess had ever seen such a precise and comprehensive map of the Origin Realm.
She carefully examined the map, which was so detailed that even the coastline of the [Ghost Sea] was fully outlined. Her curiosity was evident on her face.
“Wow… This is a priceless treasure! Sethlin, where did you even get this?”
The green-haired girl couldn’t help but smile.
“What do you mean ‘where did I get it’? I am a deity of this land, after all. Ordering something like this to be made isn’t exactly difficult for me.”
“You’re always complaining about how the existing world maps are too outdated and don’t match reality, causing you all sorts of trouble. So, I figured I’d make a new one for you. The Winged Ones can fly, giving them some of the best mobility of any race, and with my help, we finally managed to complete this updated version recently.”
“As it happens, the situation in the Origin Realm is shifting, so I marked the territories of the two great alliances for easier understanding. Take this with you when you leave. It should be useful.”
“…Why are you staring at me like that? I’m done checking you over.”
As always, the goddess provided help in her own quiet way. She lifted her hand, withdrawing the flow of life energy from Violet’s body. She didn’t pay much attention to the complicated expression on Violet’s face. Instead, she simply smiled before murmuring thoughtfully.
“I did sense two Divinities inside your body. How interesting… Normally, once a Divinity forms, it’s impossible for two vastly different ones to coexist. A god can only possess one divine essence, and even if they assimilate another, it usually has to be something closely related to their original concept, merging into a greater whole.”
“Even Life and Wither, which are naturally linked, struggle to remain stable due to their opposing nature. But you… You have two completely unrelated divine powers inside of you… How is that even possible?”
“How would I know? If I did, I wouldn’t have come to you for help…”
“…Fair enough.”
After a moment of thought, the goddess offered a few words of reassurance.
"You don’t need to worry too much. If something exists, there must be a reason for it. At least for now, I don’t see any signs of conflict between your two Divinities. In fact, they seem to be coexisting quite well. There’s probably some hidden factor influencing this that we haven’t noticed yet."
"From now on, come back every six months... No, every three months for a check-up. That way, if anything does go wrong, we’ll catch it early and handle it right away. What do you think?"
The priestess nodded silently. After a brief pause, she suddenly chuckled.
"Sethlin, you’re really reliable. It always feels like you can handle any problem perfectly. You never get mad for no reason, you’re not petty, and you’re incredibly smart and knowledgeable…"
"How should I put it…? Hmm, you’re kind of like a devoted little wife supporting her husband’s career from behind the scenes. Being with you gives me such a strong sense of security. I might just end up spoiled at this rate~"
"Three sentences in, and you’re already talking nonsense, huh…"
It was obvious that Violet was joking to lighten the mood, but if it were anyone else, they’d probably end up blushing at such a comment. However, for the goddess, who had lived for tens of thousands of years and had an unshakable temperament, this kind of teasing had no effect.
Without hesitation, Sethlin reached out and knocked Violet on the head, earning a playful yelp of "Ow!" before she spoke seriously again.
"Jokes aside, I need you to take this seriously. You understand how important Divinity is to beings like us. If something goes wrong, the consequences could be severe. You wouldn’t want to end up like Seth, would you? That’s why you must come for regular check-ups. Got it?"
"Yes, yes, Doctor Sethlin! I’ll follow all your medical advice~"
"Hmph..."
Seeing that the topic had run its course, the goddess decided not to press further. With a wave of her hand, the massive several-meter-wide map folded itself up and floated back into Violet's grasp. She casually handed it to the priestess and continued.
"I’ve already marked the location of your little dragon on the map, though its position might shift, so you’ll still have to search for it yourself. As for the continent’s current situation, the tensions haven’t escalated to full-blown war yet, so there’s no need for you to rush back immediately. Other than that, is there anything else you need help with?"
Understanding the goddess' good intentions, Violet didn’t hesitate. After stowing the valuable map into her bag, she nodded slightly and spoke.
"Actually, there is one more thing. Sethlin, do you know anything about the [Great Whirlpool], the [Ghost Sea], or the [Ghost Ship] that appear in the Eastern Sea?"
"Hmm… And also, is there any way in this world to teleport a living being over long distances without using spatial magic?"
"That sounds interesting... Let's go over them one by one."
The goddess wiped a strand of her green hair from her temple and suddenly brought up a name Violet had heard before.
"I’ve heard that, nowadays, the name of the Sea Goddess, Vier, is being passed around in the ocean. How much do you know about her, Violet?"
"Uh... I know… a little bit?"
What she knew was really just what she had recently heard.
It wasn’t her fault. Though Dawn had traveled across many worlds in her youth, she hadn’t spent much time in the Origin Realm, the legendary origin of all things.
Or rather, the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden had never willingly entered worlds where gods directly ruled, because doing so often led to unnecessary conflict and trouble. The relationships between gods from different worlds were never friendly.
So, aside from those gods who had visited the Ancient Spirit Realm, she didn’t know much about the others.
That obviously didn’t include the Sea Goddess, Vier. In fact, Dawn had never even heard such a name or title before.
Realizing this, the priestess suddenly looked shocked.
"Could she be... a fake god?"
But Sethlin just shook her head with a thoughtful expression.
"If it's really who I think it is, then she's probably an... evil god.”