The tranquil heavens, the Temple of Light.
There I was, quietly sipping tea.
The cloud sea visible through the window looked more beautiful than usual today.
“Seraphina and Beatrice will soon meet Lycoris…”
I could see Seraphina and Beatrice heading toward the Shia Kalt Great Dungeon as clearly as if they were on the palm of my hand.
It was bound to be an incredibly important meeting.
With a mix of nervousness and excitement, I took another sip of tea.
Suddenly, the day I first met Lycoris came to mind.
A faint prayer had softly reached me.
Upon looking, I saw a small seed with willpower on frozen ground praying to me for water!
“Ugh… it was so cute…”
As much as I wanted to give it water right away, no selection prompt appeared…
For months, all I could do was watch helplessly.
“I’m sorry! I truly am sorry! I couldn’t use the system properly…”
Then finally!
After several months, a selection prompt appeared, and conveniently, there was an option to move the corpse of a Frost Drake, who had died nearby, next to the seed!
I quickly chose that option.
“And so our cute little seed sprouted…”
But what’s this?
As it grew, it started to believe I was the god of blood and slaughter!
“No! I prefer peace! I dislike blood and slaughter! …Still, the flowers were truly beautiful when they bloomed.”
A smile spread across my face.
My little seed grew into such a beautiful flower.
“But that stupid Prostia…”
Suddenly, she showed up, took my flower, and froze it for three years!
Seriously, who puts flowers in a freezer?
“Not only that, she even named it Lycoris… Phew!”
Not only did she take the one I had my eye on first, but Lycoris also fell deeply for Prostia!
“Ughhh! I’m getting angry just thinking about it!”
I jumped up and paced around the temple before sitting back down.
By the way, when I lured monsters to the mountains to create a slaughter scene, I was really surprised.
And yet, they ended up saving a small village in the process!
“That’s why I was so happy! When the selection prompt appeared right then, I even gave it the trait of Mickel’s flower…”
A sigh escaped me naturally.
The child also mistakenly believed that she had received that for holding a slaughter festival…
“Even the red moon is a skill you obtained yourself… Why do you keep calling me the god of blood and slaughter…”
“Hm… Should I have another cup of tea…”
I sighed while pouring tea.
“If only I could just go there and tell her…”
Hm…
“All of this is because of that incident five thousand years ago!”
Sipping the tea, my mind drifted to the distant past.
There was this suspicious god that suddenly showed up!
An interdimensional god who came to spy on our world claiming to be the god of replication called Nirrats!
What a… difficult name to pronounce…
So what did I say back then…
“Oh, right, yes. I said, ‘Why are you spying on our world?’”
Then that god started saying that he liked this world and was going to copy everything…
Even wanting to replicate our powers and take them away…
Seriously, is it right to steal someone else’s world?
All the gods, good and evil alike, gathered their strength and barely managed to repel him.
I was responsible for healing from behind…
The gods who fought at the front were truly amazing.
However, that god of replication hurled a final curse…
Thanks to that, the gods can no longer directly interfere in the human realm.
“Seriously, it was too much! I was about to go down to the human realm for a festival!”
Now, the only way we can interfere is through this system we’ve newly gained.
But it doesn’t appear when I want it to, and it doesn’t offer the selection prompts I want…
Ding!
“Aaaaah! You scared me!”
Just then, an eerie sound played and a translucent selection prompt appeared.
I almost spilled the tea again.
After five thousand years, I still can’t get used to this sound!
The children have all met!
“Good…”
“1. Bestow the skill ‘Radiant Light’ upon Lycoris. (2,000 divine power consumed)
2. Bestow a random buff (one-time use) on Seraphina’s ‘Oath Crystal’. (500 divine power consumed)
3. Bless Beatrice’s ‘Silver Radiance’. (15,000 divine power consumed)
4. Do nothing.
※ Divine Power Remaining: 4,961,720”
“Ah, why does the sacred sword blessing appear at a time like this…!”
It was truly an extremely rare probability for the hero’s sacred sword blessing.
But if I bless the sword now, she’ll definitely interpret it as me telling her to defeat Lycoris.
Sigh…
There’s nothing I can do.
1!
The moment I selected, Lycoris started shining after receiving the skill.
Soon after, Seraphina knelt down, tears streaming down her face as she began to pray.
“Yes, Lycoris is also my follower, so let’s all get along!”
Under normal circumstances, the selection prompt would never appear at such a perfect timing, but this time, I’ve been lucky~
…Or so I thought.
“Uh!? What, what are you doing!?”
Why are they starting to fight all of a sudden?
Fortunately, the battle ended quickly.Seraphina seemed to have gained some enlightenment as she lifted her head.
“Seraphina’s voice is heard.”
“Huh?”
“To preserve peace, an overwhelming force is needed. You were not Mickel’s tool but a guardian for peace.”
“Uaaaaa! Why does this always happen!”
“No! It’s the opposite! I asked you to change Lycoris’ belief!”
I ran around the temple, pulling my hair out.
This is serious!
If Seraphina returns to the Light Sect as is, the believers will end up believing I’m the war god.
No!
I am a benevolent god of peace!
Why does it always end up this way!
I always choose the best option!
“Haa… the tea got cold again.”
I gulped down the cold tea with a sigh. Now what should I do…
…
“Solaris! Solaris!!”
I shouted as I burst into the golden palace, ignoring the gatekeepers and formalities.
It was that urgent.
“Why so much noise?”
The Sun God Solaris lazily turned her head, her crimson hair flaring like the sun.
“Why is this happening?! My believers…”
“Isn’t that the flower story again?”
Solaris sighed.
Her golden eyes clearly showed her exhaustion.
“No, it’s different! It’s serious!”
“This is the how many times you’ve complained about the flower being taken by Prostia…”
“No! This time even the holy maiden misunderstood!”
I jumped from my seat and grabbed Solaris’ arm, shaking her.
Under normal circumstances, she’d be angry about being touched, but today she just had a tired expression.
“So… what is it this time?”
“I’ve become the god of war!”
“…What?”
“I! The benevolent god of peace Mickel! I’m about to be regarded as a war god who loves blood and slaughter!”
Solaris’s eyes widened, then she burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! You, the god of war?”
“Don’t laugh! It’s serious!”
“So, how do you plan on resolving this?”
“So… when can we directly interfere in the human realm again?”
Solaris stopped laughing and spoke calmly.
“Mickel, just give up. There’s nothing we can do until we can go down ourselves.”
“Then! How long do we still have to wait?”
“Hmm…” Solaris rested her chin on her hand as if in deep thought.“The evil gods in the Demon Realm are trying hard to create a portal. If they succeed, we could follow their method, right?”
“No! Then the evil gods will go down first! Do you have any idea what would happen to the human realm!?”
“Then is there any other way?”
Solaris’ words left me speechless.Among the heavenly gods, there’s no one who can solve this problem…
“Ugh… you’re all so stupid…”
“So, will you go now? I’d like to take a nap.”
Solaris grinned and said.
“What!? How can you take a nap in a situation like this!”
“You can flail all you want, but there’s nothing we can do right now.”
“But…!”
“You can come complain again tomorrow, right?”
Eventually, I was almost kicked out of Solaris’ palace.The floating Solar Palace felt hotter than usual.
“This irresponsible… sigh!”
*
“Do you think we’ve talked enough? Let’s go now?”
Bea started preparing to leave.
《Wait! There’s one more gift!》
Lycoris’s roots moved slowly, gathering the root fragments cut off during the battle.
《Take these! They contain a very potent poison. It didn’t work very well on you guys, but if you have someone you don’t like later… Hehe, you get it, right?》
It was hard to believe such words came from a holy being.
But strangely, there was no sense of rejection.
《Just adding a little to food will deal with them quietly! Or you could make it touch clothes…》
The swaying roots writing letters seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Bea looked at me worriedly.The silver armor glimmered faintly in the dungeon’s greenish light.
“Are you sure… it’s okay?”
Bea’s voice was full of hesitation.But now, I realized.For true peace, sometimes darkness is necessary.
“Yes. This is what Mickel-sama has taught us.”
I nodded in response.
《Come on, what! You guys could win with your strength alone, but this is just… insurance in case!》
As Lycoris’s roots slowly wrote, a new enlightenment blossomed in my heart.
The root fragments cradled in my arms felt heavy.But that heaviness made my heart stronger.
《Go well! Come again next time!》
Looking at the last words left by the roots, we slowly walked out of the dungeon.
“O god Mickel of light who grants everything for peace…”
This new enlightenment completely changed my beliefs.What should I preach first when I return to the Church?
This truth, this enlightenment…
“Seraphina…”
Bea’s worried voice sounded, but I was no longer confused.Because for the first time, I felt like I understood the true will of Mickel.
“O god Mickel, I have now understood the true meaning of peace.”
My prayer echoed softly in the icy cave.
And perhaps, that prayer was flowing in a direction completely opposite to Mickel’s will.
