Advent of the Three Calamities - Chapter 800: Kidnapping a Goddess [3]
Chapter 800: Kidnapping a Goddess [3]
“…..”
“…..”
“…..”
The faces that everyone was giving me were anything but kind. In fact, I could even see genuine hatred in some of them. But where was the shock? The disbelief…? I just arrived with a Goddess in hand.
Did they really believe me that easily?
’It can also be that they’re thinking that I’m joking and they’re angry at the thoughtless joke. That makes sense…’
“I’m actually not joking. This really is the Go—”
“We know.”
“…We’re not that stupid. We can easily tell with just a look.”
“Do you take me for a fool? I’m not the brightest, but I can tell that you’re not lying.”
“…..”
I turned towards Leon.
He was staring at me in disappointment, holding his hand to his face.
What sort of reactions were these…?
Eventually, I turned towards An’as and Anne. The two were staring at the Goddess with gaping mouths.
’Finally normal reactions!’
“That’s….”
I could tell from An’as’s reaction that he was well aware of the fact that I wasn’t lying, and the Goddess was indeed in my grasp.
His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, like a goldfish struggling for air, and after watching him fumble for words, I decided to give him an explanation.
“I was trying to negotiate with her for some stuff, but the deal didn’t go through.”
Looking at Panthea, her face was even paler, and before I knew it, she had passed out in my grasp. Most likely from the pain.
“…..”
“….”
An’as turned even more speechless, his gaze falling back onto me.
He looked surprisingly calm despite the actions that I took against the Goddess that he worshipped.
“And so you decided to kidnap her?” Aoife’s voice sounded from her side, her brows furrowed tightly as she looked at me. Staring at her, I nodded.
“Yes, pretty much.”
The situation was actually a lot more complicated than that.
However, now wasn’t exactly the time for me to tell them everything.
“The Seats and the Living Saint are all aware of the situation. Given how the Goddess is in my grasp, they can’t do anything, but I think it’s best if we leave.”
I turned my attention towards Anne as she raised her brow, looking back at me in surprise.
“What? What do you want from me?”
I just offered her a smile, but the moment I did, she shook her head.
“Absolutely not!”
“Look, you’re the only one with a ship. I wouldn’t be asking if I had any other choice, but right now, you’re the only person I can rely on to get us out of here.”
“That’s not the problem!”
Her voice rose.
“You’re essentially a wanted fugitive at this moment! If I were to help you out, I’d essentially be turning everyone around her into my enemy. What will happen to me after I leave you? What about my crew? I’m sorry, but I absolutely cannot accept. Even if I owe you.”
Her words were reasonable.
Indeed, helping me was the same as making an enemy of everyone around her, but there was something that she forgot to take into account.
“You’re a pirate. You’re already an enemy of everyone present.”
“….”
Anne turned speechless at my retort. She wanted to argue, but found An’as stopping her.
“To be honest, I want to help you. However, like Anne said, this would put her and her crew in a lot of danger. Even if we let’s say we manage to get out of this, it’ll mean that she can never set foot in the Crimson Sea again. While it’s also true that she’s wanted at the moment, there’s still a tacit understanding between her and those from the Temple of Light. If she burns all her bridges, then…”
An’as’s face turned complicated, especially when he looked at the Goddedss of light.
“Well…”
I scratched the side of my face.
I honestly didn’t want to force them to come with me. I already caused them quite a bit of trouble by doing what I did, and in reality, the truth of the matter was that they were already implicated by my actions.
Still, it wasn’t like I was going to just ask them for help for nothing.
“I understand your current concerns. However, even if you don’t wish to be implicated, you’re already implicated to some extent. At the very least, you won’t be having a good time here.”
An’as’s expression soured a little.
I could tell that he was proud of the house that he had managed to buy.
Seeing him like this, I felt even worse, but there really wasn’t too much time.
“I don’t know if you’ve already figured it out, but I come from the world outside.”
“Hm?”
“…World outside?”
Both An’as and Anne struggled to keep up.
“Are you saying that you come from another domain? Or do you mean…” An’as was the first to realize, his breathing coming to a brief pause. The shock didn’t last long as he pinched his chin, “Now that I think about it, I’ve always suspected something considering the items that you managed to bring with you back then.”
“Yes.”
I tapped my ring and took out several goods that could only be found in the world outside the Mirror Dimension. Primarily vegetables.
“We indeed come from the world outside, and…”
I turned my attention towards Aoife, who raised her brow as if to understand my intention.
I pointed at her.
“She’s the Princess of one of the largest Empires in the world outside of the Mirror Dimension. I know that the two of you might not be able to come back here, but why don’t you instead come to the World Outside?”
“….!”
“What…? She’s a Princess?”
Anne and An’as gave the expected reaction upon hearing about Aoife’s status, their eyes widening at her presence.
Aoife just raised her hand.
“I am, but it’s complicated.”
She then turned towards me.
“Are you even sure they can come? Their bodies are adapted to this place. I don’t know if they’ll be okay outside.”
“I think they should be fine.”
An’as and Anne weren’t ancient beings who were imprisoned in the Mirror Dimension. They were most likely descendants of people who came from the Outer World and came to the Mirror Dimension in order to establish a force.
The two of them could very easily go out.
It could take a bit for their bodies to adjust, but they were both strong enough not to mind it.
The problem was that leaving the Mirror Dimension wasn’t easy. Mirror Cracks weren’t common, and the nearest one was far from here. On top of that, they were heavily guarded by the Empires from the Outer World, making entry almost impossible.
Thankfully, this wasn’t an issue for us.
“I’m sure Aoife can help the two of you find a nice place to stay. The same goes for your crew. I know that both of you are happy here, but the Outside World is much better compared to this place.”
I was honestly trying my best to convince the two of them. Not just because I needed their help, but because they were both capable. Anne was incredibly powerful, and An’as was a great assist-ehm, helper.
“…..”
“…..”
An’as and Anne both stood in silence, their brows furrowed as they tried to think about the situation.
I wanted to urge the two of them to hurry up, but didn’t rush them.
’It should be fine.’
I could feel several dozen eyes locked in our direction. Of course, because of my grip over the Goddess, none of them reacted, but the moment the opportunity presented itself, I was certain they were going to do something.
It felt like I was standing on the edge of a blade, doing everything I could to keep my balance.
Eventually—
“…Fine. I’ll help. I think it’s about time that I leave this place.”
Anne relented.
Seeing her like this, An’as had no choice but to follow along with her.
“I guess I also don’t have a choice.”
I clenched my fist.
“Great!”
Anne turned around, motioning me to follow along.
“Let’s go. I’ll lead you to my ship. I’m starting to feel uncomfortable here.”
Holding onto Panthea’s passed-out body, I looked at the others before following her along.
“Let’s go. We might actually die if we don’t hurry.”
***
Splash! Splash!
Crimson waves crashed against the city’s port, the docks eerily empty as a lone ship pulled away, drifting farther into the depths of the Crimson Sea.
A couple of figures stood by the edge of the port, staring at the moving ship with cold eyes.
“…What should we do?”
A deep voice drifted through the air, and the man turned his head toward the figure standing at the center. The Living Saint’s gaze flickered, settling on the distant ship as it moved farther away. Gathered around him were the Seats of Solas.
Despite looking for any openings in order to snatch the Goddess back, the perpetrator had been extremely careful, not leaving them any chance to do so. To add insult to injury, every moment he felt something odd, he’d squeeze onto her injury and cause her to flinch.
The Seats and the Living Saint were all left helpless, unable to do a single thing, and watch as their own Goddess was brought into a boat and moved away.
“Your Hol—”
“Don’t do anything just yet.”
The Living Saint interrupted the burly man.
With his gaze fixed on the distant boat, his usually warm voice turned cold as his eyes turned slightly hazy.
“We will act the moment he leaves the Domain. Once we’re certain that the Goddess is away and that there’s no one around, we’ll eliminate them in one go. We can’t let them figure out that the Goddess is injured. That would cause the other Domains to attack us.”
“Huh?”
“What…?”
A few let out startled sounds.
“But what about the Goddess?”
“If we attack her, then that would put her life at risk. We can’t afford to—”
“The Goddess is dying.”
The Living Saint cut through the voice, his back turning away from them as he moved back towards the Cathedral.
“She’s told me so explicitly.”
“…..!”
“…..!?”
The faces of the Seats changed dramatically. The Goddess was injured? This…! It was no wonder the Saint didn’t do anything rash. If such news spread, it would cause the entire place to fall into an uproar. Those from the other Domains would also, without a doubt, become bolder and attack them.
“That’s why we have to attack them when no one is around. This is to ensure that nobody finds out about the Goddess’s injury.”
“But what if we hurt her? That would—”
“It’s time.”
The Living Saint stopped, his eyes flickering once more as everyone stopped speaking.
“…It’s time for her to leave this world. I’ve already talked this through with her. Following her death, I’ll become the new God. ”
A smile crept on the Living Saint’s lips.
“I’ll become this generation’s God of Light.”
