[Gardis Blessing] fell into two distinct categories.
One side was simple buffs.
Boosting the overall stats of allies, or sharply increasing specific stats like physical or magical defense.
The other side was special buffs. These were closer to special abilities than typical buffs.
Making a specific party tireless for an hour, increasing the firepower of ally cannons by 1.5 times, raising the chance of item drops, or boosting the hostility of allies toward a specific monster race...
"What a variety," I muttered in amazement as I skimmed through the list. They all looked tempting. The downside was that only one could be activated at a time.
"Why add such a great feature just now...! What a lazy director!"
"I-I worked hard on it too, you know... A little praise would be nice..."
'Fine. Better late than never. Forget the past and focus on the future.'
"So, when can these be activated?"
"That's entirely up to you, Lord."
"So they can be used during a defensive battle?"
"Yes, just keep in mind that it's limited to once per stage."
'So I can delay activation until I see how the enemies line up. I should save it for a critical moment, then.'
"By the way, this Goddess. She actually exists? She even bestows these blessings."
"Of course she exists. She's my coworker, actually."
That didn't sound like something a deity would say.
'What? Coworker?'
"She's sort of the guardian deity of humanity. She doesn't have a direct conduit to wield her power in this world, so she works through me."
"'Sort of'? What do you mean?"
"Well... She hasn't been enshrined as a deity for very long."
"...?"
What was that supposed to mean?
"In this world, a representative deity is chosen for each race," Aider began to explain calmly.
"There are various cases. Usually, it happens when the members of a race unanimously recognize someone as their representative. So, most deities are the progenitors of their races."
'So the gods my father is fighting in the spirit realm... Are they the progenitors of their respective races?'
"Sometimes, in rare cases, if a race has no progenitor deity, a great individual who saved the race from peril is posthumously made a deity. Of course, the consent of many members of the race is required."
"And the Goddess is...?"
"Yes, she falls into this category. She saved humanity hundreds of years ago."
'Seems like she did something historically significant. But, is a few hundred years considered short by divine standards?'
"...And in very rare cases, if a race is extinct and only one member remains in the world."
Aider explained the last case with a dry laugh.
"That last member also has a chance to attain divinity. It's a strange concept, like a last-ditch effort or a conservation measure for endangered species."
'...'
I swallowed my words.
So Aider, you, who introduced yourself as a god, which of these three categories do you fall under...?
"Anyway, you can consider the Goddess to be on our side."
Aider spread his arms wide as he spoke.
"She also wishes for the true ending. Perhaps as much as we do."
'...'
I didn't know anything about gods and whatever happened in the heavens. All I cared about was that she was helping us strategize.
"Tell the Goddess for me. I'll gladly accept her blessing as a New Year's gift."
I grinned.
"And wish her lots of New Year blessings too."
For a moment, Aider looked surprised but then broke into a wide smile.
"She'll really like it. I'll make sure to pass it on."
We continued to chat about various topics afterward.
Particularly, the conversation often turned to Prince Fernandez. Naturally, since a special forces unit had just invaded Crossroad.
"What is Fernandez trying to achieve? Do you know anything?"
"Fernandez is a mystery to me as well. He has always acted with the ambition to become the Emperor, even instigating rebellions... but this time feels a little different."
According to Aider, despite countless game resets and repetitions, this was the first time Fernandez had dispatched a special forces unit to convey surrender intentions to the Demon King.
With a serious look on his face, Aider stroked his chin and hummed in thought.
"I've never experienced a game like this one, where unforeseen variables are popping up like an avalanche. Nothing can be easily predicted."
One thing was for certain.
Eventually, I would have to settle the score with Fernandez on the path to the true ending.
I wished that Lark's line could take care of Fernandez for me... but a hunch told me it wouldn't be that simple.
The civil war between the two princes was reportedly at a stalemate.
After discussing a few more topics related to city management, I finally showed Aider the terrarium I had brought.
"And Aider, this is the blue coral I received as a gift today."
"Ooh, blue coral? You've received something valuable."
"Do you know how to take care of it? I'm a novice in this area."
"Blue coral can thrive on photosynthesis alone, and it seems like there's some sort of maintenance magic on this terrarium."
Aider nodded his head.
"I'll occasionally change the water and feed it as well. Leave it to me."
It eats food?
I didn't know much about the ecology of coral, but since Aider seemed knowledgeable, I decided to entrust it to him.
"Alright. I'll keep it in my room, so please take care of it."
I'll observe what Aider does and then try my hand at it later. After all, it was a gift from Serenade, so I should take care of it myself.
"Ah, and also."
Suddenly remembering something, I added a request to Aider.
"Can you pack some of the New Year's stew we had this morning?"
Aider tilted his head in confusion.
"Pack it?"
***
Later in the afternoon, after lunch.
Lake Kingdom Dungeon. Base Camp.
"Happy New Year~!"
Holding a package of food, I burst into the camp.
As soon as I set the food down next to the campfire in the middle of the base, people began to gather one by one.
Kellibey, sniffing the air, approached and opened the pot's lid, exclaiming in delight.
"Ooh! What's this, young prince?"
"Today is the first day of the New Year according to the human calendar. So, I brought some New Year's food."
"Heh heh, has it been that long already?"
"Of course, I've also brought alcohol. Want a glass?"
"Absolutely! Hand it over."
Starting with Kellibey, I distributed food and drink to everyone.
When I mentioned that I'd be bringing the stew to the base camp, Aider prepared a whole new pot. Thanks to that, there was plenty to go around.
"Lord Ash! Hello!"
As Verdandi and the Holy Grail Seekers greeted me, I handed them something else I'd brought.
"Here, Verdandi. You guys can... also have this."
"Oh my, what is this?"
"It's pie with sunflower seeds and dried fruit. Lilly baked it."
It was something Lilly had given to Godhand to bake, and when I mentioned that I was heading to the base camp, Godhand gave one to me.
Lilly had apparently baked plenty, including enough for the Holy Grail Seekers.
"Woah! Sunflower seed pie!"
If it were just sunflower seeds, the five elves who couldn't afford to be picky happily flapped their ears(!) and eagerly accepted the pies.
"Enjoy... I feel awkward asking for a favor in return, but could I?"
Verdandi, who couldn't resist and was munching on the pie, looked up in surprise.
"Of course! Just say the word!"
"... A human has entered the Lake Kingdom."
I explained Mason's appearance to her.
"I'd like to put a bounty on this human. If you find him, capture him alive if possible... and if not, it would still be great if you could take him down."
Wanted: Dead or Alive.
As I spoke gravely, Verdandi also nodded with a serious face. Her cheeks were still puffed out from the pie. What, is she a squirrel?
"Understood. I'll look within our search range... nom nom."
I also distributed food and drinks to various residents of the base camp whom I had gotten to know, and informed them of the bounty on Mason.
Everyone cheerfully nodded in agreement.
After also giving a bottle of new wine to Coco the Severer of the Penal Squad,
I figured I had finished what needed to be done at the base camp and once again stepped into the teleport gate.
My destination was Sector 5, [The Flaming Colosseum].
Flash!
Upon arrival, the lively sound of a hammer striking stone resonated. Tap tap tap...
I saw a muscular man busily engaged in reconstruction work on a collapsed wall of the Colosseum. I called out his name.
"Jackal!"
The surprised man looked back at me. Beneath the stern Jackal mask, his mouth curved into a pleased smile.
"Your Highness!"
Jackal was the NPC boss of this Colosseum.
He had been guarding the base camp for a while but had recently returned here to begin the reconstruction.
"What brings you all the way here!"
I opened the pot I had brought with me to show Jackal.
"You've been working hard. Have some stew. It's New Year's outside, so I brought some New Year's stew."
"Wow, it's been ages since I've had something like this... Thank you, Your Highness! I'll enjoy it."
Jackal, apparently very hungry, began to gobble up the stew straight from the hot pot with a ladle. It's good to see him eat well.
"But where did your minions go?"
I looked around the empty construction site and mumbled in confusion.
Jackal had returned here because his monster minions had also returned.
That's why they were able to start the reconstruction, but now it was completely empty.
The last time I saw, dozens of goblins were also hammering away, but now the walls were deserted.
"Well... they were here until a few days ago."
Jackal tore off a piece of the bread I had brought, soaked it in the stew and stuffed it into his mouth, then answered while munching.
"The Goblin God-King issued a summons, so... they all left."
"God King? Who's that?"
"The Goblin God King, Kali-Alexander. He's a god and king to the goblins."
"Ah, the Goblin God-King!"
I snapped my fingers as it clicked in my mind.
God King means that someone is both a God and a King.
That's why the Goblin God King was mocked by players as the 'King Goblin'.
He had an impressive name, but he was the weakest among all boss entities, making him even more of a joke.
It was so bad that when this boss appeared in a boss stage, it was considered a breeze.
'So this stage involves goblins? This is good. It'll be easy.'
The boss is weak, and goblins generally rely on sheer numbers, but games have limitations in rendering such numbers, so it's usually only two or three times another army.
But because the individual goblins are the weakest entities,
A stage involving a goblin army was essentially a breather level in the game.
Unknowingly, I felt relieved and my face brightened up. That's when Jackal's expression hardened.
"Your Highness, you don't consider the Goblin God-King to be an easy opponent, do you?"
"Huh?"
Did I show it that much? I quickly straightened my face.
"You must never let your guard down. He is among the legendary monsters of this place who has inflicted the most damage on humans."
Jackal earnestly explained about the Goblin God-King.
"Kali-Alexander. His name is Alexander, and the prefix 'Kali-' is what the goblins add to the name of the god they worship."
Hmm, gods appear in this world too.
"To give such a title to a living king shows just how legendary he is among the goblins, don't you think?"
"Is he that remarkable?"
"He is the king who led the 'Great Goblin Invasion,' which swallowed up the entire western continent—about a third of the world. The damage was so extensive that they say the western continent still hasn't recovered from it."