Duke Yuma, after a moment of pondering, decided on what to request from the Celestial Beings.
Naturally, just one thing came to mind.
And it was the most important one.
To secure an environment where Bell and Cloney could grow.
There must be a place on this continent that could encourage their development.
However, Yuma needed a location with the greatest potential.
‘There’s not much time left.’
It had become a situation where the Gods could invade at any moment.
He needed to ensure that Bell and Cloney could face the Gods as soon as possible.
He didn’t think it was impossible.
‘If only there’s enough time…’
If they were given ample time to grow, Yuma was confident that they would develop to the point of being endless.
Yuma opened his mouth again.
“Is there a way or item in the Celestial Realm to quickly become stronger in a short time?”
In response to Yuma’s question, the Great Angel Garenmoon paused for a moment, then replied.
“Y-You wish to become stronger, Duke Yuma?”
The wide eyes of Garenmoon seemed to imply, “Are you trying to get even stronger?”
Yuma slowly shook his head.
“Not for myself.”
“I see.”
Garenmoon thought for a moment again before speaking.
“The most certain method is modification, but that would mean losing one’s self, which isn’t what you want. In the Celestial Realm, there are places created for Celestial Beings to train. There are beings that would be considered monsters in this Intermediate World on the outer paths. And there are training grounds that escape the flow of time, dubbed the Cycle of Time.”
A spark lit up in Yuma’s eyes. Wasn’t this the exact place he had been searching for?
Garenmoon continued.
“If you can absorb the Celestial Energy well, it will significantly enhance your physical abilities and mana. Of course, not every human can enjoy such enhancements… you must have the talent to understand the Celestial Energy.”
Yuma slowly nodded.
As for talent, he had quite a few exceptionally talented subordinates by his side.
Yuma fixed his gaze on Garenmoon.
“I’ll take a few companions to the Celestial Realm. Tell them to prepare for guests.”
At Yuma’s words, Garenmoon gulped.
“Understood. I will relay your message and then come back to escort you to the Intermediate World.”
Yuma nodded. Garenmoon spread his enormous white wings and returned to the Celestial Realm.
‘There should be some way for them on the Celestial side to bind me and the rest, including Bell and Cloney, without interference.’
“There should be one, right?”
“And since there’s that job of divine assassination I’ve carried out, they won’t easily make a move to harm me.”
Having decided on what he needed to do next, Yuma stood up and walked towards the imperial palace.
In front of the Emperor’s quarters within the vast imperial palace.
There were knights standing upright on either side of the door.
“Attention! We present Duke Yuma Your Excellency!”
The knights immediately stepped aside as Yuma appeared.
Yuma entered through the open door.
Brigitte was seated and handling some paperwork.
When Yuma approached, Brigitte’s eyes widened.
“Yuma.”
Her tone carried a strong sense of welcome.
“What happened with that Apostle from the Celestial Realm?”
“I told them to convey my business to the Celestial Sovereign and sent them off for now.”
“Is that so?”
“The message I asked them to relay was whether they could provide an environment for my comrades to grow in the Celestial Realm or not. I got a rather positive response, but I’m still not sure about the details.”
Even though Brigitte had just defeated an Evil God that had come down to this land three days prior, she looked at the urgently moving Yuma and spoke again.
“Is there a crisis in a continent I don’t know about this time?”
Yuma slowly nodded his head.
This morning.
As soon as he got up, he recalled the content of the alert window that suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Having eliminated two of the Eight Evil Gods, the remaining six must be on high alert now.]
[Not only them but also the potential risk of the Evil Gods’ monsters infiltrating this continent and all others in the Intermediate World, using their gods and their subordinates is highly likely. Please be cautious.]
Yuma couldn’t even begin to guess the number of questions he would unleash on this damn status window when the moment for mutual communication finally came.
“It’s not just targeting the Geharren Continent; there’s a risk of the Evil Gods’ beasts spreading to the neighboring continents. I want you to use the Empire’s intelligence to check if there have been any sudden disasters of a level or type that has never occurred before.”
Brigitte nodded vigorously at Yuma’s words.
“Okay, understood.”
“And about that Evil God that had possessed the nun I mentioned when I went to the city with Bell. Any leads on those suspected to be from the Evil God cult?”
Yuma spoke without much expectation. Even if they searched for clues, all they had was a small pendant containing a photo that seemed to belong to the nun, who appeared to have been sacrificed as a medium for the descent.
The item in her arms was nothing more than a small pendant containing a single photograph.
Empress Brigitte provided the same answer Yuma had expected.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no new information yet.”
“It’s fine.”
Yuma was already thinking it was only a matter of time before he encountered the god he had met back then.
‘That guy had been keeping a close eye on me ever since we met during the priestess’s possession.’
Malphas.
Yuma still didn’t know that name.
It was true that Malphas was extremely wary of Yuma. In fact, he was the being that worried him the most. After all, Yuma was the one who had gathered the remaining six Evil Gods and raised their alertness.
Yuma sorted out in his head who he should bring along.
‘If I leave Luke, the head of the White Night clan, in the Empire, it should be fine to stay in the Celestial Realm for about a month.’
Unlike the Demon Realm, he might be able to stay in the Celestial Realm for quite some time, so he needed to be cautious.
During the Demon Realm invasion, the Grand Master—Empire’s number one, Krevin, had also been staying in the central Empire. Plus, there was the Duke.
With three clearly capable Grand Masters gathered, there wasn’t much to worry about in terms of safety.
‘I should take nearly all the troops from the White Night clan except for the bare minimum… and while I’m at it, I need to select some useful mages to take along.’
If he could get the Scarlet Magic Tower Master and the Royal Magic Tower Master to collaborate, they could form a formidable magical army.
Just after Yuma decided to get up, Brigitte opened her mouth.
“You mentioned the Eight Evil Gods, Yuma. You’ve killed two, so now six are left.”
Yuma nodded.
“Exactly.”
Brigitte stared at Yuma with a serious expression.
Yuma felt a strong sense of worry from her expression—not about what was to come, but worry about him.
“Don’t worry, I can handle it all.”
Though he said that, there was no confidence as abundant as his words suggested.
It was more of a resolve. A determination that everything had to be resolved.
The Eight Evil Gods and the gods under the Evil Gods.
If they eventually attack, there was no choice but to sweep them away.
“I’m sorry.”
Brigitte said softly.
“I can’t help much.”
In truth, from Yuma’s perspective, the gap in power between Bell, Cloney, and Brigitte didn’t feel that significant right now.
If it had to be Bell and Cloney facing that brute, Barbatos, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Inevitable death.
Unlike Incrinew, who used powers akin to divine authority, the battle with Barbatos, who relied purely on brute strength, evoked a lot of emotions in Yuma.
Dali’s battle with Barbatos, who relied purely on brute force, evoked many feelings in Yuma.
Regardless of what would happen, he needed to strengthen his party’s forces far more than they currently were in this empire.
Yuma recalled Incrinew, the first Evil God he had killed.
“Incrinew, killing that guy was probably the first step in killing the Evil Gods. It’s something I had no choice but to do anyway.”
Yuma continued speaking.
“Your role is to ensure that as the Emperor of the Astes Empire, you work to prevent conflicts from erupting in the Geherhen continent. That’s all that’s needed.”
In a situation where the Evil God could show up any time or the demigod-level monsters that had taken root in the Intermediate World might cause chaos, if wars broke out within the continent, it would lead to utter madness.
“So there’s no need for self-pity.”
After saying that, Yuma decided to change the topic.
“Cloney went back to the Scarlet Magic Tower, right?”
She left without saying goodbye.
Brigitte chuckled.
“Yeah, she told me. She said she wouldn’t greet you before she left.”
“Did she say why?”
“Yep.”
Brigitte, thinking again, found Cloney’s words funny and let out a soft laugh.
“Yuma, she got so jealous of your skills that she felt embarrassed and said she would come back stronger.”
Cloney’s words to Brigitte must have been sincere.
Yuma knew Cloney’s personality. She was just as driven to grow as Bell.
And just this morning, Cloney hadn’t greeted him, but two days ago, on the same day he fought Barbatos, she had been the one to chatter the most with him.
With her dark hair and shining golden eyes.
-The price for the life I owe just went up again. It’s already piled too high. Once during our first meeting with the Seven Sins. Once when the first Evil God appeared… and now this. Ah, if I add the rest, it must exceed ten times.
Yuma also recalled the voice of Hestia, the Cat-Folk Swordsman, who had been chatting next to Cloney.
-Don’t worry, I’ve recorded all of Yuma’s achievements.
Cloney smiled brightly.
-All of them, without exception?
Hestia also beamed.
-Yes, yes, all of them, without exception!
As Yuma reminisced about that overly peaceful banter, he turned towards the door.
He heard Brigitte’s voice.
“Going to see Bell?”
“Yeah.”
Just like Cloney went to train at the Scarlet Magic Tower, Bell was also continuing her training. Ever since Barbatos was slain, even before the sun set that day.
Yuma headed towards the outdoor training ground where Bell would be.
