Yormilia of Sallengette removed the pump from her chest and pulled her dress' strap back over her shoulder.
She put a wooden bottle cap into a glass bottle filled with milk. She headed over to her Cooling Unit artifact. It's a large magic item that can be used to store food. Humans from other worlds apparently came up with this technology so she copied what they did but instead of what humans used—something called helektracity or whatever—she uses magic crystals found in the forest and sometimes she even uses her mana to store her foods.
Storing her food retains their freshness which is quite convenient.
A cold breeze hit her face when she opened the Cooling Unit.
Besides the vegetables and meat, there were several bottles like the one in her hand already in the Unit. All of which were filled with the same contents—her breastmilk.
Of course, Yorm isn't and has never been pregnant before. In fact, she'd been a virgin for thousands of years. The reason she can lactate without the natural phenomenon known as pregnancy is unbeknownst to her but some of the residents have said that it might be as a result of a disease.
Seeing as how the milk is healthy and always fresh, how could it be from a diseased breast?
Speaking of milk, she lactates more than once a day, even while standing guard at the Realm Gate so it's quite an inconvenience for her. Luckily, she can use her magic to teleport to and from her house to "empty the tanks" and give the bottles away to villagers.
Yes, she gives them away because the milk has healing properties, which makes sense since Yorm is from both a magic race and a divine race. Her mother came from the High Elf race and her father was the last living Sallengette Giant from the previous generation.
Yorm inherited both the magic potential of the Elves and the strength of the Giants.
The breast milk can be consumed as is or mixed in healing potions. The villagers come to her house twice a week to pick up the supply outside her house. Since it's just a quick interaction, Yorm usually teleports back to the house (but never stays to rest, of course).
There had been quite a lot more requests from villagers to receive her milk ever since they found out where it comes from…
In any case, she was happy to help them even if no coin was rewarded to her.
Yorm headed over to the kettle and started brewing tea for herself.
She then sat down on one of the chairs in the kitchen. Perhaps subconsciously, her eyes were drawn to a portrait hanging on her wall.
There were two people in the portrait. One was her, the other a red-haired woman, judging by the dress she wore and her breasts.
The portrait was old and its canvas had cracks and patterns similar to that of the wrinkles on an old person's skin. One of the faces was unrecognizable since the cracks had sullied the works of the master who painted this piece, leaving one to wonder what that person looked like.
"Oh, Guinevere… Why can I not remember your face…" it didn't matter how much she tried, she couldn't remember all the time she spent with Guinevere.
The two of them were inseparable as children and that continued all the way until they became leaders ruling their very own armies.
Were it not for the diary that Yorm wrote when she was little, she would've never remembered who that red-haired woman was.
The problem is that she can't remember what the red-haired woman looked like. She only knew her name and which one of the main families she was born into.
Yorm glanced down at the dirty book on the edge of the table. Judging by appearances alone, it had seen many years of use. Most people throw their old diaries away for new ones. It's only the most sentimental folk who keep old diaries whenever they want to remember a special moment in their life.
Yorm opened the book.
There were quite a lot of pages that had been torn out. Whether it was her or someone else who did it, she didn't know.
All the pages were filled and she had reread them hundreds of times so she didn't bother to read them.
Finally, she stopped turning pages once she reached the end.
She stared blankly at the last page.
Judging by the wrinkly and out of place paper on the last page, it was pasted there with some sort of glue.
It was a letter, one that Yorm did not write.
-'I'm sorry, my dear friend, I cannot oppose him. He said that he will take me to a faraway world where I will be forced to give him children like him. I do not know why he wants me in particular when there are many women who would willingly give their bodies to him… To him I am just a birthing vessel, an object for him to fill with children. I… I cannot refuse him… If I show the slightest resistance… He will kill my whole tribe and… even you…. I don't want that… How could someone be so cruel? Why did the gods ignore everything he's done… everything he would've done if things did not go his way…? He is no champion… He is a monster with too much power… Why can I not fight this sort of evil I swore to vanquish…? I'm scared--"
It stopped there.
Yorm knows that there was supposed to be more to it than that but she had forgotten what happened to the rest of it…
"Yorm." A man's voice came from the door.
She had forgotten that she left it wide open so anything could get in here if she wasn't paying attention.
But a person besides Arnold and the recruits all the way out here…?
The voice was familiar and so was the man's face. It was a face she hadn't seen in over a century.
Yorm stood up calmly.
"…Welcome, Gederick."
The silver-haired young man walked over to her table and sat down. For some reason he was wearing full plate armor.
"…I see you've attained your former strength and youth…"
"I am far from attaining all my strength but yes, I, the Golden Majestic, am returned. Fiannei made me realize that Mother did not abandon me, after all. Of course, it is a mere gift to help me survive outside the divine realm. Despite this, I still loathe her—no, the whole populace of gods—for what they did to me when I was no longer useful."
"…How did you use this gift to get your power as a god back?"
Gederick turned his head and looked out the window. After a few seconds of silence, he replied to her.
"Fiannei killed me."
"...Your loyal subject… killed you?"
"That is the requirement from what I currently know. I have died twice so far which gave me most of my power back."
Gederick clenched his fists, "The second time was someone else. Someone who you should know—" Gederick glared at Yorm, "Where is the human boy?"
"…I know what you are looking for… But killing the human boy is much too cruel—"
Gederick destroyed the table with his hand.
"Do not tell me who I cannot kill, woman. I will get that artifact back no matter what."
Yorm narrowed her eyes.
"And what if I stood in your way? Would you still go through with that? Would you fight me just to kill the boy?"
"Why would you protect a demon factor!? Have you no shame!?" Yorm jumped a little from the ferocity in his voice but she kept her composure.
"No, I suppose I don't," Yorm closed her eyes for a second, "I know where the artifact is—or rather where it is headed. I went through his memories to understand what happened moments before he was sent here."
Yorm didn't know what started Arnold's battle with Gederick, only the seconds before the fight ended. She was trying her best not to break Arnold's mind while he was asleep at the time. Using that caliber of magic on a living person is dangerous so she only skimmed certain parts. The most important thing for her was to find out what happened for him to end up here on the brink of death.
"It turns out there is a gap between the time he was vaporized by the dungeon storm and somehow ended up alive, but barely, in my lands. I suspect another divine entity is blocking certain information from being seen in his head."
"Tell me where it is."
"I will not."
"….." The two stared into each other's eyes, "If your mother were alive, she would call you a traitor to your race. You hold the meaningless lives of mortals above the safety of a World-Ending artifact."
"You lack a clear purpose, my dear friend."
"What did you say?"
"You latch onto the purpose your mother bestowed upon you. You did not question it, only accept it. Is it because you want to impress her? Or are you truly just loyal to the gods and want to show them how much loyalty you have in hopes that they accept you back? Is your contempt genuine at all? Nothing will change, Gederick. Times have changed, war is no longer left in the hands of a single man when there are multiple gods who can put their minds together to overthrow our foes."
"What… I had numbers! Millions of demigods and mortals fought for me, respected me! They revere only the strong! And I was the strongest!" he shouted with vigor, showing how passionate he was about his glory days, "I had the power to singlehandedly march into the demon world and kill the demon lords but those… those bastards sitting on their high seats didn't let me because of some prophecy! I am and will always be the strongest! Strength is all I need!"
"Such a shallow way of thinking, my dear friend. But indeed, the strong are both feared and respected. However, that's not the only trait you need to be in service to the gods. Why does someone as hated as Aedri still control the dark forces that keep the Between Realms separated from our own? She serves a purpose even if her powers terrify the very gods who should be her allies. The fact that she still has her powers means that the Timeline Gods recognize her as the most suitable for that heavy burden. If her dark magic was not shielding us from the Between Realms, it would've been much harder for me and all the other Guardians to protect our Realm Gates and the divine realm's worlds. We would be invaded non-stop. You remember why our fellow brethren hate her, yes?"
Aedri aided the Demon King in her conquest to destroy the mortal world that Arnold was from. As a being on the level of a god, Arsnoria must've promised Aedri something very valuable.
From what Yorm knows, Aedri hastened Arsnoria's birth by strengthening the magic of the Monarch Watcher that was nurturing Arsnoria's cocoon.
"What this teaches us is that no one is irredeemable, Gederick. I know he hurt you, but you hurt him back twice, no three times as much. Forgive Arnold for what he's done. He was only trying to survive. I will speak to him myself regarding this issue."
"...Where is he?"
"Gederick. Please let me handle it." Yorm used a spell to restore the table back to its original state. She then placed something on the table, "I have something here that will be of more use to him than the artifact, without the danger involved with using it."
It was a ring with a thin vine surrounding it. There was also a blue crystal that glistened with magic power. A drop of blood flowed inside it like a human body in a pool of water.
"This is a magic item prototype that will allow instant teleportation across great distances."
"…" Gederick picked up the ring and looked at it closely, "…Why would he need this when he has the fragment in his possession?"
"The only reason he wants it is because it will allow him to teleport. I heard him say this to a white-haired woman in his memories. He handed the fragmented ring to her and told her to go to his city."
"…What you're saying is that… the boy did not mean to use the fragment to conquer the divine realm or destroy a continent? Enslave his people? Wage war on those who oppose his ideals?"
His doubt was expected. That's exactly the kind of things demons would do but Arnold is different.
"Where did you get that idea from? Ah, well, I do admit he does come off as the type of person who would do all of that for his goals. To answer your question: he has no interest in conquering any world or destroying our realm. He is simply a human boy chasing after wealth and strength."
Gederick leaned backward.
"Arnold is not your enemy. Yes, he was trying to kill you but only because you attacked him first. Killing a demigod rewards you with lots of experience points. He was trying to get something out of the fight that you started."
A deep wrinkle formed on Gederick's brow.
Yorm was about to ask him if he was done with this stupid chase but she heard someone's footsteps on the cobblestone walkway outside. It sounded like the person was running.
"Lady Yormilia! Eh!? Sir Gederick!? He's still alive!?"
"Neena?" Yorm looked at the chestnut-haired girl in confusion, "What's wrong? Why are the others not with you?"
"S-Something else appeared when we were tracking down the divine beast—something strong and dangerous!"
Yorm glanced at Gederick.
"Gederick, I must apologize for not greeting you with any ale to quench your thirst but I must head out now—"
"I'll handle it," Gederick stood up, "You're a Gate Guardian. Go do your job. I'll visit you once I sort everything out."
"Mm, I understand. Wait, the ring." She noticed that Gederick was still holding it.
A smirk appeared on his face, "I'll give it to the boy and personally go get the Fragment."
'Why are you smirking…? You won't kill Arnold, right…?'
Before she could stop him, he was already out the door following after Neena.
Yorm watched from the kitchen window as the two ran into the forest.
"I had forgotten how handsome Gederick was in his youth."
◇◇◇
'I don't get it.'
Vatria, while still pouring her divine power into a "Combined Skill", thought to herself.
Her eyes focused on Arnold who was holding off the faceless monster as if he had experience fighting opponents stronger than himself.
How is he this strong? Is he higher-levelled than her? Is there some kind of item on his person that allows him to enhance his physical strength and speed?
Surely he has to be close to level 80 with that strength, speed and the amount of raw aura that was constantly surrounding his body.
He deflected the monster's attacks with either his sword or bare hand depending on the attack.
'What is he doing!?'
Vatria noticed him lowering his sword when the monster charged at him with its dozens of tentacles.
He got hit!
He flew into a boulder but quickly sprang to his feet as if nothing happened.
Vatria could see a serious expression on his face as if he was studying his opponent.
He lowered his hands again, leaving himself open to attack.
What is he thinking, thought Vatria.
The monster charged at him again, while laughing and shooting pikes at him and trying to strike him with its tentacles.
However, Arnold managed to dodge all of them while keeping his eye on the monster.
Such incredible speed…
Vatria recalled their first meeting. He was able to subdue her in just under a minute without much difficulty. Would things have been different had she used her full power?
Maybe, no definitely. Even if she surpasses him in raw strength at full power, she could never imagine herself besting him in speed. While he would be weaker than her in some aspects, a strike to the back would be fatal if it came from him.
Maybe he doesn't even need to be full power to beat her.
Vatria could feel something odd in her stomach. What is this? Butterflies?
No way, does this mean she thinks of him as a suitable mate?
The strongest males are the most desirable by the people from her tribe. She is no exception to this. Usually, the High Valkyrie (head of the tribe) gets to lay with a man first before other women can have him.
As High Valkyrie, she must birth strong daughters who she can send out into the worlds to start more families who will ally themselves with the Valkyries in the future. This is how many warrior tribes in the divine realm started.
It's rare for males to be born and even if they are, they're forced to become part of the divine realm's main armies by order of the human gods. The High Valkyries of the past agreed to do this because of the benefits of allying themselves with the gods during times of peril.
Males have gotten so rare in their homeland that the mere sight of one is enough for them to lose all reason and lust after men. Some even break into human villages, kidnap men and rape them in forests or abandoned houses. If their blood is strong enough, a child will be born.
If the child is male and he becomes of age… Well, the rest needn't be explained. The cycle will repeat itself.
Vatria caught herself looking at Arnold's face and subconsciously thinking to herself:
'He's so handsome…'
She didn't care for his looks before since she only has experience with other women but after seeing his strength…
I must mate with him…
I must have his child…
"Vatria, that's enough divine power!" Kellene's shout broke her out of her stance, "You're gonna make me dizzy with all that energy!"
"A-Ah, right," Vatria wiped the saliva on the side of her mouth, "Is the skill ready?"
"Yes. To be honest, I'm worried that we got rusty after not using this joint skill after so many years…"
"It'll be fine," Ruene, who was sweating profusely, gave a thumbs up, "You can do it, Kellene."
"…How should we signal that guy?"
Vatria smiled wryly, "I don't think a signal is necessary."
For someone as fast as him, he could just get out of the way before the attack reaches the monster.
Vatria looked back at the fight.
Arnold was slapping away every tentacle thrown at him and dodging other attacks without a hint of exhaustion on his face.
Just as she thought, he was studying the monster. Perhaps he's under the impression that there are more of them out there so this would be the perfect time to get information on what they're like.
'Will he share what he learns with us?'
This will be very useful if another one of these things show up.
'It's odd how it showed up at the same time that the divine beast was corrupted by demon energy.'
There had never been an incident like this before.
How did it get here? Where is it from? Are there others nearby?
'I must warn the High Valkyrie when we go back home.'
That will allow them to warn the human gods as well. They can then send their armies across the realm to guard every inch of the lands. If the other Faceless are as dangerous as this one, it should warrant that much caution.
"Are you certain you can do this, Kellene?" Vatria spoke to her friend.
The joint skill requires one person to use it. This also requires the person to be able to handle the amount of divine energy used to conjure it.
"Of course I am!" Kellene smiled widely.
A golden glow surrounded her the moment she closed her eyes. Two golden spheres spawned above her head. Feathers flew around the spheres before taking the form of wings.
[Seraphim's Imitation] – a joint skill that allows its wielder to use 2% of the power of a Seraphim angel. Shooting the skill at an individual with a pure heart will grant them boosted stats that can last days. On the contrary, using this skill on those with hearts drowning in wickedness and evil will be obliterated from existence. Back when they still roamed these lands, it was said that Cherubims and Seraphims were used to either heal or eradicate entire armies. Of course, the latter conflicts with the myth that pure angels are harmless beings that will only protect, and not attack.
In any case, the monster they were facing should be vulnerable to this kind of skill. Vatria didn't even have to seek advice from a shaman or seasoned warrior, she could tell from her eyes alone that the monster is evil incarnate.
It was strange how she got this feeling from Arnold as well…
Kellene's eyes shot open. The two spheres also had eyes which were observing the battle.
Kellene held out her arms, pointing straight at the monster and Arnold.
"Take this, monster!"
'Why are you shouting, you idiot!?' Vatria wanted to chastise Kellene for blurting out loud. That'll only alert the monster. If only by a few seconds, they could've caught it off-guard.
Three golden beams of energy shot in Arnold and the monster's direction.
Arnold suddenly teleported behind the monster and kicked it in the back!
It was sent flying towards the incoming beams of energy.
A screech came out of the monster. It shot one of its tentacles towards a nearby tree, wrapping it around the tree.
It was unable to pull itself out of harm's way in time. An explosion ruptured the air with a deafening roar. Shockwaves rippled through the surroundings, rumbling the ground beneath their feet.
A golden cloud spread over the surroundings, casting a shadow over the grassy plains.
Kellene collapsed on her knees.
"Are you okay?" Vatria put her hand on Kellene's shoulder and asked.
"Y-Yes… I just… need a little bit of time to recover my strength." Kellene let out a loud sigh, "It feels like I've been running for hours without stopping."
"I didn't expect it to be this strong…" Ruene pulled out a potion with green liquid inside. She gave it to Kellene, "Isn't it way more powerful than the last time we used it?"
"Mm, that means we've gotten stronger." Vatria smiled, "Lady High Valkyrie can use it all on her own without even breaking a sweat. We should strive for that kind of power."
"You're forgetting that Lady High Valkyrie is also a pureblood demigod…" Ruene smiled wryly, "There's no way we're reaching her level…"
If anyone can reach her level, it would be Kellene, thought Vatria.
Kellene is the High Valkyrie's daughter, after all. She has the blood of a demigod running through her veins.
Arnold suddenly appeared next to Vatria.
Is he using some kind of item to do that? Or is he just that fast? Whichever the case, Vatria has underestimated what he can do. He's no ordinary mortal.
"It's not dead yet," Arnold said monotonously, "Get ready to use that skill again. From what I've seen, it dealt a heavy blow to the monster so it wasn't entirely useless."
"W-What!? That didn't kill it!?" Kellene's face paled.
"Did you expect the fight to be over that quickly? That's a naïve expectation to have. That thing isn't like any of the demons your people have fought in the past. It's a true monster, probably on the level of a Greater Demon." Arnold looked down at Kellene, "Don't tell me you're tired already."
There was a certain disgust in his voice, as if he was addressing a weakling.
"…." Kellene bit on her lower lip, probably thinking the same thing.
Arnold looked at Vatria, "Can the two of you do the skill on your own?"
Vatria shook her head.
"I have several other skills but I'm not sure if they'll be enough to deal even half the damage that our joint skill dealt."
"Alright…" Arnold looked back at the golden cloud, "Yorm should be on the way if she knows what kind of threat this thing is. In the meantime, the three of us will attack together. Got it?"
Ruene and Vatria nodded.
"Remember, it's weak to divine energy." Arnold took out a pouch from his magic bag. He put his hand inside the bag. On his hand was a golden powder which he sprinkled on his sword's blade. Golden lightning sparked on the sword, "Since its body resembles a slime, it should be mildly weak to lightning. I'll try and make it focus on me. The two of you use divine-oriented skills."
"Ah, yes…"
"Roger."
Vatria and Ruene answered respectively.
The cloud of smoke cleared at that moment.
The monster was standing in the middle of a crater. Only the bottom part of its body was there. From the looks of it, it was regenerating.
"Eh?" Vatria blinked once then noticed that the monster was missing.
Fast!
She hurriedly held up her shield.
"Your back, Vatria!" Arnold shouted at her.
"!" Vatria noticed a shadow looming over her. She looked up.
Its hideous smile sent a chill down her spine.
'Am I going to die…?'
The monster's arms took the form of pikes, probably sharp enough to rip apart human skin.
Given how fast the monster is, she'll be torn apart by it in mere seconds.
Vatria closed her eyes shut and bit her lower lip.
There was suddenly a gust of wind that blew her hair, followed by the sound of something crashing against a tree.
Huh? What happened?
Was it Arnold? Did he save me?
"G…Ge…"
Vatria could hear the quiver in Arnold's voice.
She opened her eyes.
"Eh?"
She could see a young handsome man in fully plate golden armor calmly walking towards them. She then looked behind her. The monster was impaled into a nearby tree by a golden spear.
"Gederick..." Arnold's eyes were bloodshot.