Extracting information from Thanatos' mind, Alex finally learned the names of the group of fools striving to sow chaos. But as he had suspected, someone was helping them from the shadows, and he didn't like it. Usually, such beings don't act out of charity, and most likely, Erebus was a pathetic puppet in the hands of this entity. Observing the gods and creatures of this world, Alex concluded that this world was quite weak, and the entity behind the scenes was probably just having fun. Alex tried to recall who it might be but couldn't come to a definitive conclusion as there were many such beings. Alex continued pondering, making guesses about who it could be, and all these beings were very dangerous. Therefore, he needed to prepare for their possible appearance.
While Alex was deep in thought, the goddesses watched him, seeing his face constantly frown.
"What are you thinking about?" Loki asked, wanting to pull Alex out of his thoughts.
"I was just thinking about who could be behind the scenes, and if it's the entity I'm thinking of, everything could be much worse than I anticipated," Alex said, looking at the concerned goddesses.
"And who could it be?" Freya asked, wanting to comfort Alex because with each encounter with this group of fools, he was becoming increasingly irritated.
"Let's just say, if this entity really came into this world, this universe would have been destroyed long ago," Alex sighed.
"Is it really that bad?" Hephaestus asked, trying to think rationally.
"Unfortunately, yes. And I don't know if it's possible to kill this entity or if it can only be sealed," Alex said, drawing conclusions after his thoughts.
"You're not sure if this entity can be killed? How is that possible?" Loki asked, not understanding.
"Well, let's just say, such entities exist outside of everything, and their very essence is chaos," Alex replied, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.
"Can you explain more?" Loki asked, raising her hand.
"I'll try to explain so you understand what I mean," Alex said wearily. "First, there was the creator of everything. Then he created everything, and that was the beginning. When the beginning appeared, so did the end. When he brought everything to order, chaos appeared. When he created something, destruction appeared as its counterpart. When he created the first life, death was born at that moment. Do you roughly understand what I'm talking about?"
The goddesses listened to him with open mouths, trying to understand where Alex got such information.
"How do you know how everything came to be?" Hestia asked in a trembling voice, pointing at Alex with shaking hands.
"In the world I come from, there are many theories about how everything came to be. From the Big Bang that created the universe to us being a delusional dream of a cosmic being," Alex said wearily.
"So, the place you come from is very advanced?" Freya asked, looking at Alex with shining eyes.
"No, of course not. The place I come from is quite miserable, and unfortunately or fortunately, I won't be able to return there," Alex said, grimacing, recalling his old world.
"Why do you say that? It's the place you're from," Hestia asked, not understanding why Alex was so irritated by his home.
"Because if I could return, I wouldn't be able to hold back and would accidentally destroy the entire planet," Alex said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Is it that bad there?" Hephaestus asked, looking at the relaxed Alex.
"Not so much bad, some people like it, some don't. I would gladly blow up that world," Alex said, looking at the goddesses, who only sighed wearily at his words.
"We've strayed a bit from the topic. If Erebus is being helped by an entity born from chaos, then things are bad. If he's being helped by someone else, it's not as bad," Alex said, making the goddesses break out in a cold sweat.
"So what should we do then?" Freya asked in a serious tone.
"Well, let's hope that Erebus is only being helped by an avatar of this entity. If not, I'm not sure I'll be able to handle it," Alex said, realizing that more preparation was needed.
"Oh hell! So we can only hope that Erebus is being helped by another fool or just an avatar of an extremely powerful being," Loki said, pulling out a bottle of alcohol and taking a swig.
"Something like that. In the worst case, I'll try to fight this entity in the void," Alex said, understanding that he had few options.
His words distressed the goddesses, who began to think that he was preparing to sacrifice himself if the entity he had to face turned out to be very strong. Hestia immediately made a fuss, trying to dissuade Alex from fighting. Alex tried to calm the goddess, who had already started crying. Hestia tightly embraced Alex, not wanting to let him go to face the danger.
"Hestia, stop, I'm having trouble breathing," Alex said, patting Hestia on the back.
"No, I won't let you sacrifice yourself!" Hestia cried, holding him even tighter.
"Hestia, I'm not going to fight this entity yet because I don't know who the enemy is," Alex said, gently pushing Hestia away from him.
"Really?" Hestia asked with tearful eyes.
"Yes. Plus, if this entity isn't as strong as its creator, there won't be any problems," Alex said, giving a thumbs up. Hestia, who had just been crying, began to get angry, wanting to strangle him. One moment he was speaking seriously, as if preparing to sacrifice himself, and the next, he was assuring her that everything would be fine and he could handle it.
"Stop! Don't even think about attacking me. I'm just trying to stay positive because the creator of this entity definitely can't attack, and that's a huge plus," Alex said, dodging Hestia.
"Don't even think about running away, mister! Your jokes have gone too far this time," Hestia shouted, starting to chase Alex. From the outside, it looked comical: the little goddess was chasing the child.
"Freya, help me!" Alex shouted, running around the workshop from the pursuing Hestia.
"Sorry, but this time it's your fault," Freya replied, also irritated by his words. Alex was even more upset because he had thought she would protect him.
"Hephaestus, Loki, help!" Alex tried to find support from the other goddesses, but they ignored him. Alex had no choice but to resign himself to the situation.
Thanatos, sitting in a chair, was still disoriented and didn't hear what was going on around him. He turned out to be not as powerful a god as he thought, as just a few minutes of torture had turned him into a helpless puppet with its strings cut. Alex continued to run from Hestia, hoping her anger would subside or that she would tire of the chase. However, he was gravely mistaken, not realizing that when a girl is angry, she will chase you to the ends of the earth to vent her fury.
Instead of Hestia tiring, it was Alex who became exhausted and decided to retreat to his pillow so Hestia couldn't reach him. But that too was a mistake, as Hestia became even angrier.
"Come down here immediately! Alex, I'm not joking! Get off the pillow and come here!" Hestia shouted, throwing another object at Alex, who was flying on his pillow.
"You know it's unfair to throw objects! They're dangerous, and if you hit someone—" Alex said, catching another item thrown by Hestia.
"I don't care, come down immediately," Hestia yelled, unwilling to seek reconciliation.
"Hold on, Hestia, stop throwing sharp objects at me. Can you tell me why you're so upset?" Alex asked, dodging a knife Hestia had thrown.
"Are you still asking? Get down here right now, and I'll show you why I'm upset," Hestia fumed, grabbing a mace and preparing to throw it at Alex. At that moment, the goddesses watched the situation with cold eyes, also wanting to throw something at Alex, who didn't understand why they were upset.
"Stop! Don't throw that heavy thing at me," Alex shouted, trying to stop Hestia, who was holding the mace like a real barbarian.
"If I understand correctly, you're upset because I was irresponsible about this situation and you thought I would be fighting to the death with this entity?" Alex asked. Hestia's hands stopped at this point, and she started looking at Alex.
"If you understand, then come down and receive your deserved punishment," Hestia said, still holding the mace.
"Hestia, I started preparing for such a situation the moment I realized that other beings might interfere in this world. I had plans for various scenarios, and I wasn't planning to sacrifice myself. I would simply accept who I am and fight this entity," Alex said, trying to calm Hestia. "Let me come down and explain my plans, and in return, you put down the mace and let's avoid violence."
Hestia pondered his words and nodded, putting the mace aside, wanting to hear Alex's explanation.
Alex cautiously descended, not wanting Hestia to attack him. He kept the pillow ready in case she decided to strike after all. Seeing that Hestia wasn't attacking, Alex began to explain his plans and preparations for fighting powerful beings. He always adhered to the principle: "Prepared means armed." Since Alex realized that beings from outside could interfere in this world, his old paranoia resurfaced, and he started preparing for battle or at least to fend off these beings from this universe.
Hestia listened attentively to his words but didn't let go of the mace in case Alex started joking again. Alex detailed his plans for when attacked and waited for Hestia's reaction.
"So, you've been working on this all the time, disappearing into the workshop for the last three months?" Hestia asked after some thought.
"That's right. I'm not a fool and I know what my recklessness could lead to. I've had enough of reading stories about heroes who defeat enemies with the 'Power of Friendship,'" Alex replied.
"What do you mean by 'Power of Friendship'?" Hephaestus asked, looking at Alex, who was grimacing at the words.
"That's what it means. These heroes usually win like that. They lose at first, then remember who they want to protect, and that awakens a power within them, allowing them to defeat the villain," Alex said with a twitching eye.
"I definitely don't believe in the so-called 'Power of Friendship,' and I'm not a hero to fight fairly. I'm a Demon King, not a hero. I'll use any means necessary to kill my enemies. I started preparing from the very beginning," Alex said, shrugging his shoulders.
"So, can you win?" Freya asked, looking at the nonchalant Alex. Her anger was rising, and she was already considering grabbing the mace from Hestia and attacking Alex herself.
"80% chance if it's an avatar of this entity, and 50% chance I can banish it if it's the actual body. If it's other enemies, killing them will be easier—I just need to make sure they don't use their power during the battle," Alex said, trying to lighten the mood.
"And what are you going to do now?" Hephaestus asked, trying to push away the negative thoughts.
"First, I need to set up 'Alarm' in the dungeon and throughout Orario. And deal with Ishtar," Alex replied after some thought, wanting to handle the smaller obstacles first.
"What do you want to do with Ishtar?" Freya asked, wanting to understand Alex's plans and possibly help him.
"First, I need to find a reason to attack her. I can't just do it for no reason," Alex said, to which the goddesses only rolled their eyes.
"Don't make those faces; I've always attacked only when there was a reason," Alex continued with a twitching eye, looking at the goddesses who didn't believe his words.
"As you say. And how will you find a reason to attack Ishtar?" Hestia asked, already putting the mace back in place.
"I'll provoke her!" Alex said, grinning madly.
"You're not going to do anything extreme, are you?" Hestia asked, reaching for the mace again.
"No, I'll just give her a reason to make the first move," Alex said, grabbing Hestia's hand and preventing her from picking up the mace again.
"And how will you do that?" Loki asked, wanting to participate as well.
"With magic," Alex said, transforming into a small fox with blonde hair and green eyes.
"What? How? Can I hug you?" Hestia asked, looking at Alex, who had changed form and become even cuter. She really wanted to hug and pamper him, and the other goddesses shared her sentiment.
"That's the charm of magic. I based it on a special skill of Lily's and used it on myself. And as for hugs, why are you asking?" Alex replied, and Hestia immediately wrapped him in her embrace, starting to rub her cheeks against his fox ears, which gave him new sensations.
"So this is what it feels like for animals when they get their ears scratched," Alex thought, experiencing new sensations.
"But you still haven't answered how you plan to provoke Ishtar," Freya said, trying to ignore Alex's new appearance, but failing. She started to get a nosebleed, which she quickly wiped away, not wanting to break character.
"I'll just walk around Orario with Haruhime, waiting for Ishtar to send her children to capture Haruhime," Alex said, trying to ignore the feeling of being petted. Hephaestus could no longer contain her desire and joined Hestia in stroking Alex's head. Loki wanted to pet Alex's tail but was immediately smacked on the hands by the other goddesses, who began to growl at her, trying to scare her off. Loki, frightened by the reaction, stepped back with pouted lips.
"Are you sure this will work?" Hephaestus asked, continuing to rub Alex's ears. Alex simply gave a thumbs-up.
"First, I need to go back and tell Haruhime my plan since she is an important part of it," Alex said, breaking free from the goddesses' embraces, who pouted at losing their cute thing. But Freya wasted no time and immediately grabbed Alex again, starting to rub her face against his ears, which made Alex sigh in frustration.
Seeing that they didn't want to let him go, Alex asked to be taken to the training grounds so he could talk to Haruhime. Freya, who was carrying Alex and continued to occasionally rub her cheeks against his ears and breathe heavily, fulfilled her role as a carrier. Not wanting to be seen in such a shameful state, Alex jumped down from Freya's arms. Her eyes darkened for a moment, and she wanted to grab Alex again, but he held up his hand to stop her. Freya gave up and sadly watched as Alex entered the training grounds.
As soon as Alex appeared on the training grounds, his presence first caused confusion, then shock, and then the girls, like hungry beasts, rushed towards him, eager to hug him. Alex realized he had made a mistake leaving Freya's embrace, as she could have protected him in this situation.
"Stop! Don't come near, or I can't vouch for myself!" Alex shouted, trying to stop the approaching girls.
"Little one, who are you?" Tiona asked, causing Alex to grimace again, not understanding how they could not recognize him with the goddesses behind him.
"He looks very much like a child who could come from Haruhime and Alex," Lily said, trying to figure out who was before her.
"My child with Alex?" Haruhime said in surprise, her face turning red as she tried to recall when it happened and why she didn't remember.
"So you're my son?" Haruhime asked, already wanting to accept the child as her own.
"Why is he your son? I could be his mother too," Tiona said, eager to claim the right to be his mother.
"Who? You? Don't make things up; I should be his mother," Lily interjected, ready to fight.
"Th-This is my child, and I won't give him up to you," Haruhime said, wanting to assert her right.
"Girls, stop this argument. You're too irresponsible to be mothers. I can take care of him," Riveria intervened.
"Get lost, old hag!" Tiona and Lily shouted in unison, angering Riveria, who began preparing a spell. Their words also upset the goddesses, who decided to intervene in the fight as well.
Alex watched the scene unfolding before him, where the girls were ready to fight for the right to be his mother. He rubbed his forehead wearily, not understanding what was going through their heads. Don't they know that Alex can do a lot more, and that changing his appearance is just a small part of his abilities? Alex rubbed his forehead in exhaustion until he felt someone petting him. He looked up at the person and saw Ais standing next to him, gently stroking his head, trying to alleviate his headache.
"How are you, Alex?" Ais asked with concern.
"I'm fine. At least one person recognized me, which is a relief," Alex said, looking at Ais with gratitude. Ais simply nodded and continued to stroke Alex's head.
As he observed the ongoing battle between the adventurers and the goddesses, Alex sighed again.
"Well, this is still better than 'KonoSuba'. I'd definitely have accidentally destroyed the world there," Alex thought, realizing it could have been worse.
"Okay, enough fighting!" Alex shouted, stopping the battle.
The girls stopped at Alex's shout and turned around in surprise, not understanding why they were stopped. They thought the winner would get to be his mother. But seeing Alex's irritated face, which they knew very well, they sheathed their weapons, lowered their heads, and approached him. Alex saw that the battle had ended and waited for everyone to gather so he could have a talk with the troublemakers.
When everyone had gathered, Alex began to look at them with a frown, and everyone lowered their heads, not wanting to meet his gaze.
"So, what was all this about?" Alex asked, looking at the girls who were unwilling to speak. "Can't you ever use your heads when something happens?"
He walked back and forth, staring at the silent girls.
"What's with these battles for the right to be a mother?" Alex asked, but the girls only looked away.
"And you guys, why did you intervene? Are you bored or do you want to go through another round of experiencing the power of youth?" Alex asked, looking at the guys who were covered in dust, not understanding how these girls became so fierce in this situation. Finn only gave a crooked smile, Allen arrogantly turned away, and Ottar didn't know what to say, as his goddess had joined the battle and he just wanted to protect her.
"And you goddesses, why did you decide to intervene in this fight? Don't you know who I am? You were present at the time," Alex asked, looking at the goddesses, who gave him guilty smiles.
"Riveria, you should be the most sensible one in this group. Why did you become part of this mess too?" Alex asked, looking at the elf who did not want to speak, realizing she had made a mistake. "Did you really catch stupidity from your goddess during all the time you've been with Loki?" Alex continued, looking at the elf. Loki wanted to argue that she wasn't stupid but immediately fell silent and lowered her head in guilt when Alex began looking at her.
"And girls, what's with this battle for the right to be a mother?" Alex asked, looking at them.
"But..." the girls wanted to argue.
"No 'buts'! Even if I were Haruhime's child, the most you could be is godmothers," Alex said, causing Haruhime to smile proudly as she looked at the girls, who gritted their teeth at her antics.
"But how did you become like this? I know you can turn into a child but not change races," Lily asked, looking at Alex and wanting to touch his ears, just as he had done with hers.
"I based it on your unique skill and applied it to myself," Alex replied.
"Alright, I still need to talk to Haruhime, so you all think about your behavior in the meantime," Alex said, approaching Haruhime and taking her hand, wanting to move away to talk. Haruhime continued to look proudly at the others, which only annoyed them more.
"Alex, did we forget something?" Hestia asked, remembering the god they had left in the basement.
"Right!" Alex said, smacking his forehead as he remembered the bag of trash he had forgotten to dispose of. "I'll deal with him later. Don't worry, no one will even know," Alex said, giving a thumbs-up as he left with Haruhime. The goddesses could only feel a little sorry for the poor creature, but just a little, as he had brought it upon himself.
Alex took Haruhime away from the other girls so they could think about their behavior while he explained his plan to Haruhime. Haruhime, holding a child very much like herself, was lost in her fantasies. She wasn't thinking about anything at the moment; she was just watching Alex and dreaming of a future where they had a family and children who would resemble them.
"If we have children with Alex, they will look just like him when he looks like this," Haruhime thought, gazing at Alex.
"Haruhime, I'll need your help starting tomorrow," Alex said, stopping and looking at the girl who was lost in her fantasies. Seeing that she didn't respond, Alex wanted to ask again.
"Haruhime, are you listening?" Alex asked, snapping his fingers in front of Haruhime's eyes to get her attention.
"What? I want three children!" Haruhime said loudly, breaking out of her fantasies and accidentally voicing her dreams.
"About the children, let's put that aside for now," Alex replied, causing Haruhime's face to turn as red as a tomato as she crouched down and covered her face.
"Don't be embarrassed. I understand what you're thinking, and it's normal. But let's set that aside for now," Alex said, starting to stroke Haruhime's head.
"Mmmm," Haruhime murmured, not lifting her head because she was still embarrassed.
"I'll need your help for the next few days," Alex said, trying not to further embarrass the girl who was currently dying inside from shame.
"What kind of help?" Haruhime asked, lifting her head and looking at Alex.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll be walking around the city with you," Alex said, causing Haruhime to tilt her head, not understanding what Alex wanted.
"Oh. So, we'll be walking around the city, waiting for an ambush from the Ishtar family, which might give us a reason to attack her," Alex said, seeing that Haruhime didn't understand what was expected of her.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Haruhime asked, not wanting to put her new family at risk.
"It's okay, I'll handle it. I just need a reason, that's all," Alex said, giving a thumbs-up.
"I just don't want to cause more problems for all of you," Haruhime said, blaming herself for bringing another trouble, and lowered her head, afraid to look at Alex.
"I'm telling you, it's fine. I'll protect you. If Ishtar is smart, she won't make a reckless move. If she's foolish, it'll just give us a reason to attack her," Alex said, taking Haruhime's cheeks in his hands to make her look at him.
"But..." Haruhime began to say.
"No 'buts.' I promised I'd protect you, and I will. And if Ishtar doesn't stop after my warning, no one will be able to help her," Alex said firmly.
"Then I'll do everything I can to not let you down," Haruhime said resolutely.
"You're a smart one," Alex said, looking into Haruhime's eyes, which were filled with determination.
Haruhime only smiled at his words. Alex and Haruhime chatted and laughed a little longer, forgetting that at that very moment, a certain goddess in the red-light district was going crazy because she couldn't gather any information about Hestia's family, as all the rumors reaching her were either ridiculous or exaggerated.
To be continued…