Chapter 134

What on earth does Chaos want in a person? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

I could somewhat understand Jane. She was often labeled as a weirdo with a mind that transcended ages.

Plus, she was completely clueless about the world, showing a foolish side that some might find endearing. Her standards were just too high.

But Grace? No way. Even though she held a sliver of childlike innocence in her heart, she was nothing close to chaos.

I simply couldn’t fathom what Chaos saw in her to make that choice.

“Did you say I’ve been chosen by Chaos? What in the world for?”

“No, first of all, can you tell using Ragnarok?”

While Grace was flustered, Kara made a sharp observation.

She hadn’t been chosen by Chaos, yet she could wield Ragnarok.

Sure, being a follower of Gulrak might play a role, but it also meant she couldn’t be fully trusted.

“I might find it hard to blindly believe, but I can trust. Moreover, since I’m the one holding it and not someone else, the probability approaches 100.”

“··· ···”

What’s the problem when the Saint herself is doing the discerning? That’s the point behind it.

Kara must have realized the implication of that, as she fell silent.

But her expression still showed skepticism, and eventually, she spoke again.

“Then what about Luna? Why hasn’t she been chosen by Chaos? She embodies chaos itself with her words!”

“?”

At Kara’s question, Luna looked back with a baffled expression.

It seemed she had no clue about the impact her mouth wielded.

Honestly, just judging by her words alone, it wouldn’t be odd for Chaos to take a liking to her.

But the fact that Chaos didn’t must surely mean there’s a reason. After all, we’re talking about Grace here.

“Luna, Student.”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever had a clear goal in your life?”

“······?”

With that question, Luna flinched and began to think deeply. She looked pretty serious about it.

But even after mulling it over, she seemed to struggle to find an answer, eventually smiling weakly and saying,

“······No. Thinking about it, I’ve never had a goal.”

“As I said before, Chaos wants to see proof. So that when you say it’s not the world, you can boldly answer ‘Yes!’ But it needs to be a pure desire.”

Pure desire, huh? I compared Jane and Rize side by side.

Rize built her body on the conviction of what a true priest should be, and Jane doesn’t really need any explanation.

Perhaps Grace drew Chaos’s interest because she harbored ‘childlike innocence.’ It’s hard to find anything more pure than that.

‘Then what am I?’

Could it be that the act of struggling to unravel the story of this world is considered pure?

I even cursed the gods while I was in the forest. My faith was practically dripping away.

True to its name, Chaos’s standards were vague and far too unclear. There just weren’t enough samples.

“If Luna finds a true goal, maybe Chaos will take an interest in her. So please make an effort.”

“······I’ll take that to heart.”

“Good. Now, Grace, dear sister?”

“Yes?”

Rize called out to Grace and smiled invitingly.

“If you have time, could we talk separately?”

“Can Sivar come too? He’s my escort, after all.”

I didn’t care much. Just like with Jane, I might even be able to help Grace.

It seemed Rize felt the same, nodding along happily in agreement.

“It’s fine. But I’ll need to know what your goal is in order to help······”

“Then let’s talk just the two of us!”

“Eh?”

At the mention of needing to reveal her goal, Grace shouted in a panic, her face slightly flushing.

It seemed she found it hard to disclose what she had regarding her childlike innocence.

I guess I’d be embarrassed too if I owned something like that. Grace is, after all, an elegant noble.

Her situation was similar to an adult hugging a giant teddy bear while sleeping.

“Got it. Are you two going to eat separately?”

“Having a meal while talking isn’t a bad idea.”

She said while glancing at me. Was she asking for my help or not?

I chose to believe it was the latter and stayed quiet. With Rize around, no one would harm her.

Then the two went off to have their little personal conversation. On their way out, they entrusted Ragnarok to me.

“Every time I see the Saint here, it feels like a storm has passed.”

“Right?”

“··· ···”

I couldn’t agree more with Kara’s assessment. She really is a person who brings chaos with her, just as her title suggests.

I watched their retreating figures before shifting my gaze toward Ragnarok.

I couldn’t quite believe this was how I would confirm the favor of the Chaos god.

Although it carried the will of chaos, at its essence, Ragnarok belonged to Gulrak, didn’t it?

‘But why can’t Luna wield it?’

Could another god already have their sights on her? I subtly nudged Ragnarok toward Luna.

Crack!

“Ugh!”

As soon as it made contact with her recently toughened arm, sparks flew. Of course, Luna jumped in surprise.

From the looks of it, there wasn’t any thunderbolt of rejection just yet. I really hoped Luna would be chosen by Chaos so she could experience some hardships too—what a shame.

“······What are you doing?”

Luna stared at me, her expression a mix of disbelief. Rubbing her arm, she seemed to be feeling sore.

I scratched my head with the hammer part of the axe and replied gruffly.

“Just kidding.”

“······Hey.”

At that, she seemed incredulous. I couldn’t help it, Luna’s reactions were genuinely entertaining.

Few matched her in the reaction department. It was fun bullying her, as was the role of a protagonist, after all.

“Let’s also head off to grab a bite. We can leave Ragnarok at the dorm later. Nobody’s likely to steal it anyway.”

“Got it.”

“Still, it’s a bit funny that this can be used to determine one’s fate. Should I test it on Eli too? She’s quite formidable in her own way.”

I had no idea what she could be formidable at, but I found that hard to believe.

Eli, unlike Jane and Grace, clearly lacked a strong sense of purpose. That much was certain.

Even in the Soul World, she took on the role of supplying potions at a near balance-breaking level, but she didn’t significantly impact the storyline.

‘The difference between having and not having is large, but…’

If she possessed anything, it would merely indirectly affect the roots, not the branches.

As I progressed through the story, I’d need a variety of items, with potions taking the top spot.

Having someone stock those for me made things incredibly convenient as a user. This was true even with a lot of money.

Even if I had a ton of money, the market for rare potions was limited. But with Eli, all she needed to do was collect herbs.

‘Given how often she dies in absurd ways, Chaos probably dislikes her.’

As I repeatedly mentioned, Eli found herself included in every major death toll.

When left alone, she never followed the rules. Especially around places like forests or mountains.

Not to mention, the most absurd part was when she fell down the stairs and died.

For now, she was safe at the academy, but the moment she stepped outside, she always became a source of worry.

“Sivar!”

“Mm?”

Speak of the devil—the familiar voice pierced my ears as we headed to the restaurant.

Predictably, it was Eli. She was waving her hands and bounding toward us with a bright smile.

She must have come out to grab lunch and stumbled upon us.

It wouldn’t be hard to spot us from a distance; we were quite a noticeable pair.

“Oh, it’s Eli. Are you here to eat?”

“Yep! You guys too?”

“Yup.”

Eli glanced around before suddenly tilting her head. She looked slightly puzzled.

“By the way, where’s Grace? Aren’t you eating with her?”

“The Saint took her away for a bit. Said she had something to discuss.”

“Oh really? I can join you here, right?”

“Go ahead.”

Since they often hung out together anyway, it was simple for her to join us.

Eli thanked Kara for permission and naturally snuggled up beside me.

With Kara in the middle, Rize and I were on either side; there was no need for her to squeeze in.

Thud—

“Hm? Oh! Why did you bring that? Are you planning to head to the forest after eating?”

“Oh, that… huh?”

Kara was about to explain but got flustered. And honestly, I understood why.

It was because Eli was casually handling Ragnarok as if it were nothing.

So naturally, she was so nonchalant about it that I hadn’t even noticed. I just let it be.

“What? Can you touch that?”

“What do you mean? Wasn’t it always touchable?”

“··· ···”

Could it be that she didn’t know what Ragnarok could do? Eli genuinely seemed clueless, moving it aside subtly.

She moved it right to Luna’s arm. I placed Ragnarok back on Luna’s arm again.

Crack!

“Aah!”

How odd. The sparks flew just fine.

Regardless of whether Luna was clenching her arm or screaming, I directed it back toward Eli.

Yet when I had it touch Eli’s arm, there was no reaction whatsoever from Ragnarok.

From this, there was only one conclusion to draw.

‘What on earth is the standard?’

Eli was also chosen by Chaos for reasons unknown.

But more importantly…

“Why didn’t I… does Chaos really dislike me…?”

Why didn’t Luna, the protagonist, receive the favor of Chaos?

I was lost in thought, pondering this obscure standard when I proposed a hypothesis.

‘Could it be that Chaos simply chooses based on whims?’

Without that explanation, nothing made sense. But I also couldn’t figure out why Luna might be unappealing.

Sure, sometimes she stumbles while speaking, but she’s putting in the effort.

Moreover, she was actively working to thwart the devil’s schemes.

‘I don’t get it.’

For now, let’s focus on eating. Soon I’ll need to let Eli know she’s also gotten the favor of Chaos.

While I tried to push thoughts of Ragnarok aside and was about to eat, suddenly…

[Faith is increasing!]

This was the first time ever faith was said to be increasing while eating.

No, there had been instances before when I was idle, and my faith had increased.

‘Even the criteria for faith are beyond me.’

At this point, opting for ignorance seemed much easier.

******

Meanwhile, at roughly the same time…

“So, does that mean Chaos is supporting me? To achieve my goal?”

“Of course. The one representing that will is none other than me. I’ll do my utmost to help.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much! I was hesitant because of the Chaos god, but it was all just my misconception!”

Grace had truly become a devout follower, just like she did with Jane.

At first, she had held doubts, but Rize’s sly persuasion won her over.

Especially breaking down the desire she kept close to her heart, the ‘childlike innocence’, was pivotal.

However, Rize didn’t mock her; she earnestly encouraged her. This was the key reason for Grace’s surrender.

“Don’t be hasty. Brother Sivar is just now starting to adapt to civilization. If you force noble etiquette on him straight away, he might resist.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Then I should hurry up and get married. We can get connected before following etiquette and progress slowly afterward.”

“Will your family not oppose that?”

Rize asked cautiously, as it was more of a test.

If it were Grace before the incident, she’d have been tied by family constraints. But now, that was different.

“The family? Let them eat dirt.”

A statement unbecoming of a noble, especially one from a duke’s family.

Grace scoffed as if it were absurd, saying in an imperious tone.

“Dreams aren’t reality, and they should only crumble when facing limitations. Overcoming family boundaries is what will allow me to truly fulfill my dream, right?”

“Uh-huh. Uh-huh.”

Rize nodded in apparent satisfaction.

“That’s truly wonderful.”

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