[Vol. 8] Chapter 57: An Invitation from the Council
That strong and unhidden surge of powerful law energy, he could feel it very clearly.
Even though he was still fighting fiercely in the sky against the dragon girl, [Wild], being a god, always kept part of his attention on the battle below. From the moment he sensed the energy of laws coming from the black-haired woman, he already knew that Carlos and Vog were no match for her. He had long since prepared to send a part of himself to rescue his followers.
The reason he waited until now was partly because he wanted to test the two women’s strength and confirm their identities. On the other hand…
By now, the preparations on the other side should be complete.
As he looked at the two mysterious girls slowly descending from the sky, who also hadn’t rushed to attack again, [Wild] raised his hand to signal his badly injured follower, who had just lifted a broken battle axe and taken a fighting stance, to stand down. His eyes, made of black crystal, showed no emotion, but his voice was calm and deep.
[Is your name... Violet?]
The priestess, who had her name called out so directly, didn’t seem surprised. She just spun her staff lightly and smiled.
“Hmm? I don’t think we’ve met before, have we? Wow, am I really that famous now?”
She didn’t deny it, so that meant she admitted it.
Not long ago, the God of Wilderness had only just realized who she really was. Now confirmed, he fell silent for a moment... then actually nodded.
[You… are indeed quite well-known. After all, before you, it had been over a thousand years since any god had crossed the world barrier and entered the Origin Realm in person. Your sudden appearance was like the first ray of light breaking through a thousand-year blockade. In just a few short years, this world has changed completely. One god after another has appeared. Even the fact that I’m able to return to this old world is partly because of you.]
[The Twilight Council has been watching you, watching you and everyone around you. Especially that dragon over there, who, even without a divine soul, broke the rules and trained her body to a god-like level, defeating [Flam] all by herself. It’s a shame we’ve investigated for so long and still haven’t found much valuable information. No wonder the [Chairman] personally helped me with this. So it was all for you... how interesting~]
“Eh…”
Violet tilted her head, as if she had caught quite a few hints from what he just said.
“So, you’re part of the [Twilight Council] too, huh? I’m starting to wonder, have all the surviving gods in this world joined the Council already? What exactly are you all trying to do? Can you at least give me a clue?”
[Oh…? So you really don’t know the Council’s goal? Even though you possess such deep divine power and laws, even crossed the world barrier carrying countless secrets… That’s a bit different from what we expected.]
[Wild] lowered his head, and the long, tail-like crystal “antennae” growing from his head lifted slightly and moved, as if he were thinking, or like a radio antenna tuning into a signal. Somehow, it gave Violet a strange, hard-to-describe feeling.
Wait a minute, did he just mention... something about a [Chairman]?
But before the priestess could speak or react, the God of Wilderness had already turned his gaze back to the two women.
[For certain reasons, I can’t explain everything about this matter. But you, and that strange dragon by your side, have both met the requirements to join the Council and become part of the plan. If you're interested in the answers, you can choose to join us. Then, you’ll be told the “truth” in a different way, a way that’s… relatively “safe”.]
“Oh?”
This response was honestly a bit beyond what the priestess expected.
That the [Twilight Council] was observing and keeping an eye on her in some way. Violet had already vaguely guessed that a long time ago. Whether it was Hen's clear warning to be careful of the Council, or the hints dropped during the conversation between the so-called [God of False Faces and Ecstasy] and the “Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden,” there was enough proof to support that idea.
Violet had also guessed, during a conversation with Sethlin, that the God of Wilderness might be connected to the [Twilight Council]. After all, every ancient god from the Origin Realm that they had encountered so far seemed to have some link to the Council behind the scenes.
But what she hadn’t expected… was that these gods, who all seemed wild, evil, and difficult to deal with, would actually invite her to join them?
Wasn’t the [Twilight Council] supposed to be a group of evil gods?
“I can join the Council too? I don’t have to swear any oaths, or follow any rules? Like… obeying orders from your leader or anything?”
[……?]
Apparently annoyed by her question, [Wild]’s voice, coming from an unknown source, suddenly became lower and more angry.
[You actually asked such a foolish question… Don’t you have any sense of what it means to be a god? We are gods, beings above everything in this world, the highest of all. Even though gods may differ in their concepts or forms, in essence, we are all the same.]
[Main gods, higher gods, middle gods, even lower-level law spirits, these are all equal in nature. No one can command another. That is the most basic form of respect and the bottom line. We created the Council because of shared goals and needs, not because anyone is submitting to someone else. Even the [Chairman] is no exception.]
[Ridiculous… You see yourself so lowly, full of divine power yet completely lacking the heart of a god. Violet, you truly disappoint me!]
“Uh? No need to get so angry about it…”
Scratching her head awkwardly, the priestess couldn’t figure out why he was suddenly so mad. She felt a chill, and quickly glanced to the side. Only to find her dragon girl baring her teeth, as if she was about to shout something like, ‘Who the hell do you think you are to talk to my master like that!?’
Yikes. Better change the topic quickly before a huge fight breaks out...
“Ahem, well, I’ve never gone around calling myself a god, right? Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do have divine power but don’t act like a god. But are gods really so high and mighty? Even the ones who claim to be above everything… don’t they also avoid speaking freely because they’re afraid of certain things?”
“God of Wilderness, I, Violet, don’t need approval from others to prove my worth. Whether you’re disappointed or pleased doesn’t matter to me. But I won’t join the [Twilight Council].”
“It’s not because I’m afraid or worried. I just really dislike being trapped by rules or limitations in a group. And honestly, the impression I get from you Council members… isn’t very good. I doubt we’d work well together~”
“I am interested in some of the secrets the Council seems to know. But if I have to join to learn them… then I’ll politely say, no thank you.”
After her clear refusal, the already unhappy voice of the God of Wilderness turned completely cold.
[Then… you may not be able to leave here alive today.]