[Darned mortal!!!] A world-shaking roar shook the ground and dispersed the clouds. The roar was filled with godly rage, enough to fill the hearts of mortals with fear.
But for the girl that was seated in the cottage, the god's voice was just a small breeze.
"What happened, Ancestor?"
[That man injured me, Alice.] The voice answered. [He managed to injure my divine aspect! I'll need months to recover!]
Alice put on an expression of interest. "Oh? He was that strong? It's bad then... Did you manage to learn what is his identity?"
[I didn't. The capital is the territory of the Goddess of Order. She would have attacked me if I stay one second longer there.]
"I see... How is uncle Aaron?"
[Don't worry, he will survive. I promised I would save him, and a god keeps his promises.] The voice then willed, and a small breeze was created. The breeze carried the injured old butler to Alice. The butler was gravely injured, and his mana was mostly spent. He had fallen unconscious after the god rescued him.
"That is good. When I foresaw the fate of death over him, I knew I miscalculated about tonight's operation. Thank you, ancestor."
Alice bowed down respectfully. She then touched the old butler and a dim glow appeared on her hand.
Calling upon her powers of fate, she reversed the injuries on him back to normal. Something like that was not hard for her.
"Ancestor, how strong do you think that man is? We needed to make plans for him."
[... I don't know. His cultivation was not too high, around the twelfth layer, but his mana was unusually pure and his understanding of laws was incredibly high. His last slash... Even I fear an attack like that.]
Alice nodded and fell deep into thoughts. "It will affect our plans greatly... First was an unaccounted powerful prince, and now an unfathomable powerhouse suddenly appears... As expected, overthrowing an empire so powerful as the Arcadian Empire is not easy... Ancestor, are you confident about killing him?"
[100%]
"Oh? So confident?"
[You don't understand Alice. I'm a god, so our natures are intrinsically different. Even although his attacks can hurt me, his power level is too low to be a threat. If not that I'm afraid of the old hag and her church interfering, I would have killed him in the capital.]
Alice nodded. "Good then. However, we will need to realize some changes to our plans. Is it alright?"
[I trust you, Alice.] The mysterious god replied. [Your talent over fate makes you unequaled when it comes to this kind of plan. Even if true powerhouses can escape your [Fate], it continues being very powerful.]
"I understand. Thanks for your trust."
[Remember, you must hurry up your plans. If I can replace the Goddess of Order as the main human god, our family will create a true eternal empire. The Ferret family will reign over the entire world.]
Alice nodded in understanding.
A soft wind caressed her cheek and the divine presence left.
With the god gone, Alice's expression turned serious. She started to think about the results of tonight's battle and tried to find answers to some questions.
A few seconds later, Aaron opened his eyes.
"Cough... Young miss..." The old butler tried to stand up, but Alice stopped him.
"Uncle Aaron, I'm happy you are alright. Stay put, you need rest for a while." Alice smiled.
"... Sorry, young miss. I failed the mission and lost the men you gave me."
Alice shook her head. "Don't worry, it was my mistake. I estimated the enemy strength wrong."
"But..."
"Not buts, uncle Aaron. I told you it was my mistake, and it's final. Such a mess... The Riea family and the Carmell family must be fuming in rage."
"... We lost seven peak powerhouses today. It's a heavy blow for our alliance."
Alice nodded and fell silent.
After thinking for a moment, she looked at Aaron.
"Uncle Aaron, can the boss of the Red Skull Gang be Prince Claus?"
"Huh?" Aaron was stunned. "It's impossible, right?"
"I don't know. What do you think?"
Aaron put on a pensive expression before shaking his head. "Impossible. Prince Claus is a swordsman, and his aura feels sharp. It feels as though he is going to cut the world with his next slash... But this man... He is heavy and unfathomable, as the sky you can't see the end of. Besides, I never saw him using a sword. He only used his fist."
"Is it so?" Alice nodded thoughtfully. "Could it be that I'm thinking too much? But, the ancestor said that he suffered a slashing injury." She said to himself.
Shaking her head, she decided to stop thinking. Even she knew that it was impossible for the prince to be strong enough to injure a god. Even although she admitted that the prince was a monster, it was impossible for him to be at that level yet.
But at that moment, she remembered something.
"... Uncle Aaron, the Riea are planning to get rid of the prince during the next month's outing, right? If I'm not wrong, they will send two twelfth layer to kill him and his 'master'."
"You are right. I fear they will not succeed though. Prince Claus's strength is definitively higher than that."
"... Yes, but it will be a good opportunity to learn more about him. Aaron, follow Prince Claus that day and try to see if he and the man of tonight are the same person... Also, if Prince Claus is disadvantaged, help him without revealing your identity."
"Young miss?" Aaron was surprised.
"... Just follow my orders." Alice shook her head without explaining anything.
The old butler looked at Alice strangely before finally nodding. "I understand."