The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time Chapter 197

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Ricklent, the genie of time and magic, was the creator of the G.o.d of Statuses, the G.o.d of Jobs and the G.o.d of Skills - the G.o.ds who ruled over the Status System.

The Demon King had taken advantage of an opening that Ricklent had left and added an unknown G.o.d to the system, the G.o.d of Ranks. This allowed monsters to be included in the system.

Through this process, t.i.tles had begun to appear in Statuses, something that neither Ricklent nor Guduranis had intentionally included in the system.

To Ricklent and the Demon King, t.i.tles were unknown factors, but a hundred thousand years had pa.s.sed since then, and even humans had learned how they worked to some extent.

t.i.tles could be gained by a being if a certain number of people… at least several thousand, referred to that being by the t.i.tle. The more exaggerated a t.i.tle was, the more difficult it was to acquire; such t.i.tles became easier to acquire if influential or well-known individuals referred to the being as those t.i.tles.

For example, the 'Hyena' t.i.tle could be acquired by an individual by being referred to as such by a considerable number of ruffians, that individual's victims, the government officials and adventurers trying to control them - about a thousand people in total.

However, a t.i.tle such as 'Greatest Swordsman on the Continent' would be hard to acquire even if acknowledged as such by tens, hundreds of thousands of people, unless one also had the acknowledgement of the ruler of an enormous nation covering half of the continent, or the acknowledgement of a G.o.d.

There was also a reactionary effect, related to the conditions required to acquire a t.i.tle.

Even if one who possessed a t.i.tle and gained fame was a worthy, just individual, some would hold resentment against them and others would spread false rumors out of jealousy or for their own gain.

Adventurers working in certain nations, famous knights, generals and army strategists in particular were commonly exposed to these. They would be praised as heroes in their own nations, but others in enemy nations would resent them and consider their military achievements to be evil deeds.

However, it was rare for this infamy to become t.i.tles for such heroes. The fame they possessed in the form of the t.i.tle they already held cancelled that negative reputation out.

It was not known precisely how much fame was required to cancel out a certain amount of infamy. However, it was because of this reactionary effect that the 'Divine Spear of Ice' Mikhail who was a hero of the Mirg s.h.i.+eld-nation two hundred years ago and the 'Light-speed Sword' Rickert Amid who had been one of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords had not gained t.i.tles through their negative reputation among their enemies.

Of course, some t.i.tles were ones that many called an individual for their everyday deeds, and nothing could be done about the individual being called by such t.i.tles.

This was true for the 'Thunderclap' Schneider's 'Seed-Provider' t.i.tle and the 'Demon King' t.i.tle of Vandalieu, who was also the 'Holy Son of Vida.'

However, Heinz's everyday deeds were those of a n.o.ble and just S-cla.s.s adventurer, an honorary n.o.bleman. He was renowned for many things, and no infamy had manifested on his Status.

Until now.

"W-what?! I'm the 'Holy Mother Killer?!'"

Heinz, who had been preparing to head to the next floor of his trial, stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded by the sudden announcement in his head. He hastily checked his Status.

He had thought that there must be some kind of mistake, but a new t.i.tle called 'Holy Mother Killer' was clearly displayed in his Status.

"How can this be…" he muttered.

"Oi, Heinz, what's the matter? What do you mean by 'Holy Mother Killer'…?!" Edgar began, but he suddenly fell silent.

"Heinz, Edgar, what's wrong -?! This is… You two see it as well?" murmured Delizah.

"Oi, what's wrong with you three?" asked Jennifer.

"Did something happen? Your expressions are very alarming," said Diana.

Heinz, Edgar and Delizah were lost for words for a moment… They looked at each other and nodded before speaking.

"I, and probably Edgar and Delizah as well, have acquired a t.i.tle called 'Holy Mother Killer.' I checked my Status… It doesn't seem like I'm daydreaming or that I misheard," said Heinz.

"Holy Mother Killer?! 'Holy Mother' means a mother who is sacred, right? That's a totally evil t.i.tle!" Jennifer exclaimed, before hastily covering her mouth. "… Sorry," she apologized.

"It's alright," said Heinz, shaking his head.

The party was currently on a path inside the suburbs of this Dungeon's 'town,' the one that led to the staircase that would take them to the floors that contained more trials for them. Thus, it was possible that someone might overhear them if they spoke too loudly. However, this 'town' was inside a Dungeon that Alda, the G.o.d of law and fate, had created as a trial to challenge the one who wished to succeed Bellwood.

Heinz and his companions had traveled to each floor through this path for over a year now, and they often exchanged conversation with the people of the 'town.' Through these interactions, they had noticed that these people were illusions of people who had lived peaceful lives… probably during the age of the G.o.ds.

In other words, they were similar to the monsters, Pure-breed Vampires and Majin that appeared as a part of the trials.

Even if the people of this 'town' learned of this scandal, news was unlikely to leak to the outside world.

"I see… Phew, I panicked a little," Jennifer said in relief.

"Still, this is not something that should be spoken in loud voices. 'Holy Mother Killer' is not a t.i.tle to be proud of, unless this is some evil G.o.d's trick," Diana said sternly, her face pale.

This was a serious situation.

In the religion of Alda, the G.o.d of law and fate, there was a pope and holy women, but none known as a 'holy mother.' Many of the G.o.ds of Alda's religion were male, and many of the churches that wors.h.i.+pped them were patriarchal societies.

Thus, most people would a.s.sume that a 'holy mother' would be an important figure of a religion other than Alda's… They would likely think of Botin, mother of the earth and G.o.ddess of craftsmans.h.i.+p, or… Vida, the G.o.ddess of life and love.

Heinz was a leader of Alda's peaceful faction, who recognized the existence and rights of Vida's races. Him and his companions Delizah and Edgar possessing a t.i.tle called 'Holy Mother Killer' could become a fatal scandal for them.

"Wait, Diana. There is no 'Holy Mother' position in Vida's Church either. I don't know about the past, but I'm sure there's no figure called that now," said Jennifer.

Indeed, there were female figures known as holy women in the Churches of Vida and her subordinate G.o.ds in the Orbaume Kingdom, but there was no official position called 'Holy Mother.'

There was surely n.o.body who even possessed the t.i.tle of 'Holy Mother.' Thus, it should have been clear that Heinz and his companions had not killed any Holy Mother.

"Jennifer, you're right. But the problem is that the fact that we've killed a holy mother has been recognized. By a large group of people or even G.o.ds, no less," said Edgar.

"That's impossible!" Jennifer exclaimed immediately, but her face fell as she realized that this could not be denied so easily. "… No, I suppose the t.i.tle appearing on your Statuses means that's what's happened."

"But what kind of group? At the very least, it has to be a group on the scale of the Orbaume Kingdom and the G.o.ds of Alda's religion that granted us their divine protections… The Amid Empire?" Delizah guessed.

"No, that's not possible. We've definitely moved our base of activities from the Amid Empire to the kingdom. The people of the empire won't think positively of that, but that doesn't mean they'd consider us 'Holy Mother Killers,'" Heinz pointed out.

He was right. No matter how negatively the people of the Amid Empire might think of Heinz and his companions now that they were S-cla.s.s adventurers, they would not become 'Holy Mother Killers' just for having moved nations.

"At the very least, it means that we have killed a being that a certain group of people recognize as a 'Holy Mother.' I cannot think of any, however," said Diana.

"You're right… I can't think of any, either," said Jennifer, digging through her memory. "Most of the enemies we've defeated up until now were monsters, and we haven't even been a part of the war against the Amid Empire. I can't imagine that there was some bandit or a.s.sa.s.sin known as a 'Holy Mother,' either."

"It's Holy Mother, so it has to be a woman… Ternecia? That female Pure-breed Vampire?" Delizah suggested, naming the first prominent female enemy they had defeated that came to her mind.

To be precise, the party had merely finished off a Ternecia who had barely managed to escape from somewhere, but the world did acknowledge them as having defeated her.

But Edgar shook his head, a dispirited expression on his face. "Delizah, that's not possible. It's true that she's a woman, and she probably made a bunch of children in the sense of being a Vampire. Maybe the Vampire society wors.h.i.+pping the evil G.o.d of joyful life is large and influential enough to be the cause… but surely you can't call that a 'holy mother.'"

"Well, that's true," Delizah agreed.

Ternecia's image was one of a purely evil woman; there wasn't a shred of anything resembling a 'holy mother.'

"But then… could it be, that female Majin? If I recall, she wors.h.i.+pped an evil G.o.d and called herself the 'holy woman of darkness,'" said Jennifer.

"That one got away from us, remember? Who else…? I don't think there were any women among the Kijin group we exterminated, and we've only defeated a few small-fries after Ternecia," Edgar murmured.

n.o.body could come up with an explanation.

But Heinz, who had been silent and deep in thought, finally spoke. "There is one that it could be," he said.

There was a thick crease between his brows; it was clear that he was suppressing a wish to deny the possibility that he had thought of.

"No way," Edgar muttered with a sigh. "You're not going to say it's that Dark Elf woman we captured in that tiny village in the Mirg s.h.i.+eld-nation, are you? I'll tell you now, it's definitely not her."

"Why do you think that?" Heinz asked him.

"Why? It's obvious. I do think we did a bad thing back then, and it was a tragedy. Even more so now that we're raising Selen," said Edgar. "But that Dark Elf was known in the Mirg s.h.i.+eld-nation as a 'witch,' and even in the Orbaume Kingdom, people would consider her a mother who met a tragic end, not a 'Holy Mother.'"

"You may be right if she was called 'Holy Mother' in the hidden Dark Elf village that she was born in, but… judging from your expressions, that was not the case," said Diana, looking at Edgar and Heinz's faces.

She had never encountered the Dark Elf… Darcia, herself.

Heinz and his party had not seen Darcia's Status back then either, and they could not imagine that being proficient in combat would be a requirement of being called a 'Holy Mother.' However, if she really had been such an important figure, she would have had multiple Dark Elf guards or guards of Vida's other races.

Thus, the fact that they had captured Darcia to fulfil a request from the Adventurers' Guild had nothing to do with gaining the 'Holy Mother Killer' t.i.tle.

"But there's a reason I think it's true, Edgar. The only ones who have acquired the 'Holy Mother Killer' t.i.tle are me, you and Delizah. Jennifer and Diana don't have it," Heinz pointed out.

The other four looked at each other. Indeed, neither Jennifer nor Diana's Statuses displayed the 'Holy Mother Killer' t.i.tle, even now.

"Heinz, that just means that we killed someone known as a 'Holy Mother' sometime before these two joined the Five-colored Blades. That doesn't mean it has to be that Dark Elf Darcia… Well, not that I have any other ideas," Delizah mumbled.

The old Five-colored Blades had been famous as notable young adventurers, especially Heinz, who had been a B-cla.s.s adventurer at the time, wielding a magic sword wreathed in blue flames that he carried even today.

However, they had been incomparably weaker than they were now, and although their accomplishments as adventurers had been incredible, they were small in comparison to those of the 'Thunderclap' Schneider, an S-cla.s.s adventurer.

Of course, they had not defeated any notable enemies, either.

Heinz's expression remained bitter.

"Delizah, everyone, she might not have been called 'Holy Mother' when we captured her," he said. "But what if she came to be known as a 'Holy Mother' after her death? It's not historically rare for deceased figures to be given t.i.tles."

"That's true, but that only applies for influential figures like knights who died in battle, or n.o.blemen, or adventurers who defeated calamity-designated monsters at the cost of their own lives. So -" Delizah began to argue.

"What if her son went on to become an influential figure?" Heinz pressed on, cutting her off. "The Dhampir born between that Dark Elf… Darcia, and the Vampire Valen - Vandalieu, the one who appeared in the city of Niarki."

Everyone fell silent. In other circ.u.mstances, someone would be denying this idea - perhaps Edgar would even burst into laughter.

But every member present here had witnessed Vandalieu appearing alongside Pure-breed Vampires on the 50th floor of this Dungeon, freely wielding two - no, four fragments of the Demon King as well as incredibly unusual spells.

Edgar had guessed that it might be a monster that changed its own appearance to cause agitation in its enemies, but now… everyone realized that this had been nothing more than an attempt to escape from the truth.

This convenient escape from the truth was no longer convincing after hearing Heinz's theory.

"… It's true that he might be able to lead monsters and the Vampires who wors.h.i.+p evil G.o.ds if he's that powerful, even if he is a child. It might even really be him that Ternecia was escaping from," Edgar muttered.

"So that means it's no coincidence that the G.o.ds recreated an illusion of him in this Dungeon," said Jennifer. "To think that he would give you guys the 'Holy Mother Killer' t.i.tle…"

"That's right. Vandalieu is still alive and becoming even stronger. I don't know whether he's planning revenge against me or whether he's trying to pull off something bigger, but… he's likely to harm the G.o.ds and this world. That's what Alda thinks, which is probably why he made Vandalieu one of this Dungeon's trials. If these a.s.sumptions are correct, he should appear one more time as an enemy further into the trials," said Heinz, wiping the cold sweat that had formed on his forehead and beginning to walk towards the staircase once more. "Let's go," he said to his companions. "If he appears before us again, we need to see if this is true, even if it's an illusion."

In a Divine Realm filled with a bright blue, several G.o.ds whispered amongst themselves.

"It seems that the ill news brought by the G.o.d of reincarnation was true."

"To think that G.o.ds such as Zuruwarn-sama and Ricklent-sama would side not with Alda, but with Vida… I cannot believe this."

"Were they afflicted by a maddening poison when they were wounded by the Demon King? Just like Zantark?"

"No, it is possible that they are still sane."

"What foolish things are you saying? If they are sane, why are they not working with Aldsama!"

"I have heard that Zuruwarn-sama has always been known for his blasphemy since the age of the G.o.ds. Ricklent-sama is a G.o.d who perceives things not as good and evil, but through other criteria, is he not? They may be great G.o.ds, but we must not a.s.sume that they think in the same way as Aldsama."

"How disrespectful! It is only natural for any great G.o.d to think about what is best for this world! In fact, both Zuruwarn-sama and Ricklent-sama joined forces with Aldsama to fight against the Demon King Guduranis!"

"Then let me ask you this. Why did their subordinate G.o.ds act in that way during the battle that took place a hundred thousand years ago! Almost all of those with individual personalities sided with Vida, and the rest hid away in their Divine Realms, spouting nonsense about maintaining the attributes, not even showing their faces as this crucial event took place!"

Finally, this argument between the G.o.ds was interrupted.

"This is good," said a G.o.ddess who had been sitting silently in a corner of the Divine realm.

"Pargtartdono!" one of the other G.o.ds murmured in surprise.

The younger G.o.ds who had risen to G.o.dhood after the battle of a hundred thousand years ago turned to face the G.o.ddess who had interrupted. This G.o.ddess had been ordered to watch over the resting grounds of Peria, the G.o.ddess of water and knowledge, and protect them from Vandalieu. Other than initial greetings, she had not spoken a word up until this point, so the G.o.ds were surprised to hear her speak now.

She was Pargtarta, the G.o.ddess of flow. She was the first familiar spirit that Peria had ever created, and she was now a G.o.ddess. She was the most closely-trusted among all of Peria's subordinates. As the G.o.ddess of flow, she was a senior subordinate G.o.d who had not moved from this place so that she could keep the wounded, slumbering Peria safe.

"I am not blaming you. G.o.ds too need recreation, after all. Youngsters being full of curiosity is nothing out of the ordinary, and lively discussion will deepen your own viewpoints. You may continue," Pargtarta said to the G.o.ds.

Realizing that she was indirectly telling them to speak calmly rather than argue angrily, the young G.o.ds remained uncomfortably silent, avoiding looking at each other.

Though Pargtarta was a subordinate G.o.d like them, she was as important to Peria as Curatos was to Alda. Though she was not wors.h.i.+pped independently, every Church deifying Peria would contain statues and sculptures depicting Pargtarta as well.

She was on a different level from the others.

Seeing the other G.o.ds fall silent, Pargtarta spoke to them quietly.

"I understand your feelings of unease," she said. "There is news that the Sun Giant Talos has been revived, is there not?"

"Y-yes. According to the G.o.ds that were keeping watch, the Pure-breed Vampires conducted a blasphemous ritual, and shortly after that, Talos roared as he rose from the earth," said one of the other G.o.ds.

"The marks on his neck made by Nineroad-sama's whip still remain, but it seems that he has been fully revived," said another, his words gradually becoming more fluid as he spoke. "However, he remains charmed by Vida's beauty just as he was a hundred thousand years ago; I have heard that he is staying inside the Boundary Mountain Range and has created a Divine Realm there."

Alda's forces believed that the Pure-breed Vampires had conducted some blasphemous ritual to revive Talos, and also that the Pure-breed Vampires had acquired the Sunlight Resistance Skill or something else that allowed them to conquer the sun.

However, the truth was that Talos had had enough of Dragan and Erpel fooling about on top of his head and shouted angrily at them, "Enough! I cannot get out if you are making so much noise on my head!"

Of course, Alda's forces were also wrong about how the Pure-breed Vampires had conquered the sun; it was because they were now Abyssal Pure-breed Vampires.

But it was true that the revived Vida was regaining her forces. Even the young G.o.ds who had not experienced the battle of a hundred thousand years ago were shaken by this fact.

With Pargtarta having pointed out their unrest, the young G.o.ds suddenly realized that they had never exchanged proper conversation with her, so they began talking to her about their worries.

"Judging from the present situation, what is happening on the Dark Continent? If Talos has been revived, then Deeana and Tiamat should have been revived as well, as they were less heavily wounded than he was. Farmaun-sama… Farmaun, is showing no signs of returning to Aldsama."

"And Aldsama is hiding something from us. He was apparently very shaken by what he was told about Vandalieu by Rodcorte. There is no mistake that it is something grave, if it is enough to cause unrest even in Aldsama."

"According to the rumors I heard, he was in a fit of anger rather than being shaken… Vandalieu is someone who was reincarnated here by Rodcorte from another world, and there are approximately a hundred others who will be reincarnated here as well. Is it not likely that Alda was enraged by that?"

"From another world, just like the champions… but from Earth. If Vandalieu was born there, it is no doubt a h.e.l.lish world filled with blasphemous people with no fear for G.o.ds."

Now that the topic had s.h.i.+fted to Earth, Pargtarta joined the discussion once more. "It is only natural for you to feel unease. Our lord Alda himself is shaken, after all," she said. "But you must calm yourselves. It is true that Vida's faction is organizing its forces; it may eventually become as powerful as it was a hundred thousand years ago, or even more so. But that will be hundreds or even thousands of years from now, will it not?"

Vida had been freed from Alda's divine authority and revived. She would likely gain more familiar spirits and heroic spirits, made from the souls of her believers.

The powerful members and ancestors of Vida's races such as the Pure-breed Vampires were on the move once more.

Two of the great G.o.ds had sided with Vida, and Vandalieu was currently moving behind the scenes in the Orbaume Kingdom.

However, Vida and the other great G.o.ds had not completely recovered from their wounds. They would not be able to gather new familiar spirits and heroic spirits right away.

And many powerful enemies, such as the Vampire True Ancestor, had been buried or sealed away a hundred thousand years ago by Alda's forces. These enemies would never return.

"Meanwhile, Aldsama is raising a new vessel to become a champion who would succeed Bellwood, and attempting to awaken Bellwood himself. The other G.o.ds are finding and nurturing new heroes. We are not partic.i.p.ating in this process as we must devote ourselves to protect this place, and if it is done poorly, we will end up with low-quality heroes. But we can trust the others' efforts to ensure this will not be the case," said Pargtarta. "Furthermore, through some strange turn of events, we have Rodcorte's full cooperation, do we not?"

"Now that you mention it, you are right. In terms of number, Vida's side has four great G.o.ds including the Zantark who has lost his mind, but none of those G.o.ds are in their ordinary states," one of the young G.o.ds murmured.

"That's right. I do not know how trustworthy Rodcorte is from what I have heard, but we will become a st.u.r.dier rock once Perisama is revived. Is that not right, Pargtartdono?" said another, looking up to Pargtarta with bright hope on his face.

Pargtarta nodded, providing the young G.o.ds with a great sense of rea.s.surance. "Once our master is revived, I am sure she will do her utmost for this world's sake, too," she said.

"Yes, she is the G.o.ddess who is praised for knowing the hearts of G.o.ds."

"Perisama's knowledge will be of great support to Aldsama, whose heart pains over the betrayal of his brothers."

With those words of praise for Peria, the young G.o.ds returned to their observation and guard duties with the desire to protect this place at all costs.

It seemed that the diversion had succeeded.

Pargtarta smiled at the G.o.ds as they left, then returned to her own position, holding her spear and s.h.i.+eld.

The thoughts of beings with emotions are complex, so leading them is troublesome, but it is good that they are simple. Whether they stay to protect Perisama or not does not make a difference, but thanks to them, I have a good understanding of the outside world, she thought to herself, staring coldly at the young G.o.ds while still wearing a fake smile. It seems that the information is correct. My true master, can you hear my voice?

Pargtarta's master was not Alda. She showed respect for him for appearances' sake, but she was a G.o.ddess who belonged elsewhere.

To begin with, the current situation in which Alda controlled G.o.ds who managed multiple attributes was unnatural and irregular.

Pargtarta did not think anything of the young G.o.ds who had not noticed that the current situation was unnatural and irregular. It was only natural to be swept into an easier path; this was true for both G.o.ds and mortals.

Even Pargtarta herself was no exception to this.

My true master, my flow will go in the direction in which you point.

"I was watching as if I was dreaming. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for rebuilding this destroyed nation and saving my children, but… please stop making so much noise on my head."

These were the words Talos spoke after his revival, and ten days had pa.s.sed since then.

An increase in Blood Potion production, a lecture by Darcia and the other idols to celebrate Talos's revival, and the taking over of the criminal organization had all been completed, so Vandalieu was trying to officially enter the city that he had set his sights on.

But as he stood in the line outside the city's gates, his consciousness suddenly faded away. The next thing he knew, he was being held in the mouth of one of Zuruwarn's heads.

Ah, a midday dream, he thought, but he couldn't do anything as he was carried off somewhere.

After they crossed a background that resembled a night sky, they arrived at their destination and Vandalieu saw a nostalgic sight.

A blue planet - Earth.

It had more clouds than Vandalieu had often seen in maps or on TV, but it was certainly Earth.

"There's someone that I want you to meet," said Zuruwarn.

"Before that, is it alright if I go and look up the recipe for Cola? Also, I'd like to taste the cheese and branded meats so I can have a reference," said Vandalieu.

"Hmm, that might be difficult. Descending on the planet as you are now would cause problems both for you and for the planet. Especially for the people on the surface," said Zuruwarn, shuddering at the thought of what would happen if a great monster and himself were to descend onto Earth.

Vandalieu then realized that he was small in comparison to Zuruwarn in his current form, but he was still the size of a multistory building.

"… Never mind, then," he said.

Hesitant to descend upon j.a.pan in a building-size state, he reluctantly gave up on his idea.

"But if there is someone you want to know about, we can observe what they are doing now," said Ricklent, whom Vandalieu had only just realized was present.

Vandalieu thought for a moment, then suddenly realized that there was something that he wanted to know.

What had happened, approximately thirty years after his own death?

"I'd like to know what happened to the business that I would have had a live-in job at if I hadn't died, and the person who interviewed me," Vandalieu said.

Zuruwarn laughed loudly. "Is that what you want to know? I thought you'd want to know what happened to some idol or actress that you liked, but I was wrong! … Ah, sorry," he said, realizing that his mouth had accidentally let go of Vandalieu.

"Zuruwarn, he may be only a soul at the moment, but that does not mean we can simply release him into outer s.p.a.ce," Ricklent warned him.

He reached out to catch Vandalieu, who was helplessly flapping his arms and legs in silence as he floated about in s.p.a.ce.

"Vandalieu, it seems that the construction company that you would have joined is still in existence. However, the person who was in charge of your interview has moved to another company, and has risen to become the head of a department. He will reach the age for mandatory retirement next year," said Ricklent.

It seemed that the person in charge of Vandalieu's interview was still alive. He had remained in the corner of Vandalieu's memory, as he was one of the rare people who had complimented Vandalieu for enthusiasm. It was good to hear that he was doing well.

"I'm not interested in anything else," said Vandalieu. "Kanako and the others apparently checked on their family and friends before they were reincarnated in Lambda."

Kanako and the others had apparently learned about their family and friends through s.h.i.+mada Izumi, who had been the cla.s.s representative… though it had apparently been difficult to ask, as they had betrayed Izumi and the others in their previous lives; they had been vague with their words when they told Vandalieu about this.

Suddenly, Vandalieu remembered something - he, too, had a family, though only in the sense that they had lived in the same house as him.

He remembered them, but he didn't feel any desire to ask about his uncle, aunt or cousins.

I don't care, after all.

Now that he had a real, warm family, these people had become incredibly insignificant to him, even more so than before.

But I never ended up being able to get them back for anything… I suppose I'll just wish them misfortune, he thought.

"Ah, if you're thinking about your uncle's family, they've had plenty of misfortune, so let's not go and curse them," Zuruwarn said hastily, stopping him.

"We probably won't be noticed here, but this world is under Rodcorte's jurisdiction. We can't do anything too conspicuous," said Ricklent.

"Huh? Is it conspicuous for me to wish misfortune on them?" Vandalieu asked.

Zuruwarn and Ricklent's combined seven heads nodded.

It was apparently best for Vandalieu to refrain from wis.h.i.+ng misfortune upon others in his current state.

"The people of Earth have so little Mana that they may as well have none, so they would not be able to resist even the weakest of curses," said Zuruwarn. "Now then, shall we get going? We'll visit the G.o.d of Earth first, then the G.o.d of Origin after that."

t.i.tle explanation:

Holy Mother Killer

A t.i.tle that marks criminals who took the life of someone praised as the Holy Mother. Unlike t.i.tles such as Dragon Slayer and Colossus Slayer, it is not a t.i.tle of praise to celebrate a great achievement, but a negative t.i.tle given for the commitment of an evil act. It is a brand that marks criminals.

For that reason, it does not provide any positive effects. If it has been given forcefully, it may create some unwanted connections that might prevent one from living a respectable life, such as drawing attention from organizations that are hostile to the Holy Mother that was killed.

There are no negative effects to speak of, either… However, those who wors.h.i.+p the Holy Mother would hate and wish to take the lives of those who possess this t.i.tle, and even those who do not wors.h.i.+p the Holy Mother would not think positively of such a t.i.tle.

One could consider these to be the t.i.tle's negative effects.