A woman named Muller.

She is called a beauty by hyumans, and even when compared to the people that praise her to high heaven, she not only isn’t inferior but surpasses them in beauty. 

She was a bit ambitious for a dark elf that lives peacefully.

But well, that’s as an elf.

For hyumans it would be regular in that regard.

She simply has slightly longer ears than a hyuman, and lives longer.

That’s probably why she is accepted in this society. 

Having her beauty acknowledged by the favorites of this world, and be loved by the god too. That’s Muller’s modest dream.

But for hyumans and the Goddess, a demi-human having that dream is excessive.

Her dream didn’t become reality. 

Even after 100 years or 200 years.

A world where no matter if you push or pull, it won’t change a single thing.

What does it have to change in order for hyumans to understand the beauty of demi-humans? 

Even when thinking about it, it didn’t lead to many places.

The result of those thoughts was…the Goddess.

If something is done about the god, the people will change too.

We just have to make her change. We can have her gone.

Who is going to be troubled by her being gone?

The Dragons or Spirits might be able to take her place.

They surely can.

And in this way…Muller met the Anti-Goddess Cult.

A group of people that have many doubts towards the order of the Goddess.

Comrades that challenge the rule of the god and don’t give up by any means.

Muller obtained a new objective after meeting them.

She obtained the answer for the question she has had for a long time.

“That thing isn’t an all-powerful God. It is simply one more existence that has power.” 

“Her power is overwhelming and gigantic, so she was able to rule over this world for a long time. You of the Anti-Goddess Cult also don’t know when to give up. You are finally even causing a war to overthrow a major power. Doesn’t look favorable though.” 

“Yeah, it doesn’t.” 

Muller agreed at what her conversation partner pointed out as if she didn’t care.

“…You admitted it so easily. I thought you would complain a whole lot more.” 

Rio didn’t seem to find it amusing.

Muller and Rio.

Aside from the part that they are living a spontaneous life in a hyuman settlement, these two have nothing in common, but are acquainted.

For Rio, Muller is a VIP.

Selling the kidnapped hyumans and demi-humans to the Anti-Goddess Cult brings out the best type of expressions from those kidnapped.

The same goes for the other side.

For Muller, Rio is a priceless asset to obtain slaves and comrades as well as special goods.

“It is true that I got a bit hurried there in retrospect. I wanted to make a way too big of a step like creating a major power that doesn’t follow the will of the Goddess. We remained in obscurity for a specially good while this time around, so everyone had high fervour.” (Muller)

“It definitely would be interesting if it were to come true. Well, we are talking about you here. Are you going to go into hiding again and play the long waiting game? I don’t understand your intentions, but I have fulfilled my part in the cooperation. We crossed a dangerous bridge here putting our public face in danger, so I am counting on you here, you know.” (Rio)

‘It would be interesting if it happened’, the words of Rio had dark expectations from it.

A country that doesn’t look favorably towards the Goddess.

Moreover, a major power. 

There’s no doubt people would sell well there.

It will most likely become a great country where many demi-humans that want hyumans as slaves, and many hyumans gather.

If you take one step out of Tsige, that kind of society could expand. 

Rio spread rumors as a request from his VIP customer and old acquaintance of his, and he found it worthy of helping out with that image in mind.

“…About how we will be associating from now on?” (Muller)

By the way, Muller has a number of hyuman slaves.

The happiness and taste of it was of course something that Rio taught her.

“Of course.” (Rio)

“I will properly tell the successor about you. Don’t worry.” (Muller)

“Successor?” (Rio)

“I am currently the Top of the Anti-Goddess Cult. At the time when we fail after making a big move like this, there’s no point for the executives and I that made conspicuous moves to be able to escape, right?” (Muller)

“…You are planning on dying?” (Rio)

The woman that has been living for several centuries and was talking about the beauty of demi-humans all the time without giving up and moved according to it is going to choose death.

Rio was honestly surprised.

His face was fluently saying how unbelievable it was for him.

“Of course. I can’t let the progress of the Anti-Goddess Cult stop. Also, there’s still the possibility that we could recruit the Devil-sama and make a comeback. That’s why this is not a definite decision but just a temporary plan.” (Muller)

“There’s no point in a leader, you say. Even though you finally managed to climb to the top. You can just slowly advance from now on, you know.” (Muller)

Elves have the weapon that is time.

When the same person can look after an organization for a long time, there’s times when it is more convenient to do things slow and steady.

“We are a colony, Rio. The Head is there to die when they fail and make the enemy lower their guards. There’s more and more hyumans as you go higher and higher in the influential powers of the Goddess. They will die soon. It is a repeat of replacing in a short span of time and they soon forget about things of the past, and their sense of danger also dims. That’s why us, the Anti-Goddess Cult, still exist.” (Muller)

The era that has been experienced and the era that hasn’t been experienced.

Personal experience and knowledge.

There’s a slight divide between these two.

From the eyes of a long-living elf, this is a decisive weakness of the short-living hyumans.

It is a deep rooted problem that will be an eternal issue in hyumans and demi-humans with low lifespans.

“…How tenacious. You hate the Goddess so much you are willing to melt your individuality for the sake of the swarm, huh.” (Rio)

Rio directs eyes of pity towards Muller.

If they were to just ignore the Goddess moderately, they could have lived peacefully. 

Because they are bothered by things like the Goddess and beauty, they are going as far as forsaking their selves to fulfill their roles in the organization. It is something unthinkable for Rio.

Even if you become the top, you are simply someone that serves the role of the top, but you are simply just a pawn with a different name.

Rio has also been in something that’s similar to an organization for a long time, but for him, an organization is simply a tool to efficiently fulfill your own ambitions. 

It is by no means something to sacrifice your own self for.

“The Goddess is simply an existence that possesses overwhelming power. That’s why, as long as us, the Anti-Goddess Cult, doesn’t give up, we will one day win. We have already placed measures for that aim.” (Muller)

Muller mutters in ecstasy.

“Thinking that you can win as long as you are stronger is so simple.” (Rio)

“And that day isn’t far. I do have a bit of desire to be alive to see that day come, but…” (Muller)

“……” 

“Speaking honestly, I want to bring the situation into more of a turmoil before the Devil-sama intervenes in this war.” (Muller)

“The Devil. Is it really a being that’s related to the Kuzunoha Company? I think their relationship with the Mist Town is a complete stretch, you know?” (Rio)

“At that time in Limia, there were also comrades of the Anti-Goddess Cult there. The power of the Devil-sama that charmed the people there completely without using brainwashing; I would also like to see what the people that left the Anti-Goddess Cult saw.” (Muller)

“The matter of the Seiko Lake, huh. Even though there’s no knowing if the enemy of your enemy is your ally. I am surprised you can put your hopes in something unclear.” (Rio)

“I have accumulated resentment prayers all this time for a long long long time in order to bring down that Goddess, since long before I joined this place. I feel something there that surpasses even the light of destruction that I have been concentrating to create for a mind boggling time.” (Muller)

“Then?” (Rio)

“I want to see it too. I want to see what kind of light, or darkness, or fire, or water…” (Muller)

Muller had gone into her own world and was lightly tripping there.

Her monologue continued, saying peculiar stuff like wind, earth, shadow, and stars.

“Good grief. Now that she has gotten like this, it is impossible to talk to her. Even so, I am bothered by the fact that there’s no change in those two of the Kuzunoha Company even now, and it is a good time to talk to them, huh… But really, I don’t understand. The haven for your hearts that you took your time to prepare, for that to be surpassed by the sudden appearance of a personage -that’s just a crazy concept for me.” (Rio)

“A difference in views, Rio.” (Muller)

“Uh?!” (Rio)

He already didn’t expect any reactions from Muller, so he was shocked at her normal response.

“An immense power that can suddenly destroy everything can conquer the Goddess too. There’s no story more exhilarating than this! Because there’s a power that is higher than even the Goddess, and they can press her head down by force. Isn’t that funny?! It is the most amusing story of them all!!” (Muller)

“……”

Rio was wondering why she can get so happy just by the fact that a new ruler has appeared in the world.

In the first place, there’s no assurance that the being that replaces the Goddess will be a better ruler.

It is not a being that weeds out the unfairness of the Goddess, but an existence that overthrows the absolute of the Goddess. The direction it is taking to deny it is warped.

Setting up several means to camouflage their meeting, there was no power in Tsige that knew about this meeting between Muller and Rio.

It is because they are sure of this that Rio is able to look at the change of Muller as if it were someone else’s business.

…Without knowing that there’s a person that has been sitting at a chair there from beginning to end.

(I see, so they were acquainted. But their connection with the Aion Kingdom hasn’t shown up. Is there another scheme ongoing that the two of them don’t know about? What problematic noxious insects…) 

It is Mio.

Thinking that there would be things she could learn from their expressions and the state of the conversation, she went there herself. 

Rio and Muller have no clue at all that there’s a third person in the room.

Kanta, who is guarding outside, and the group watching the room where Raidou and Mio should be in, also don’t have an inkling of an idea that Mio is here.

This is the result of Mio being into infiltration scenes.

Just like how her threads melt into a variety of things making it incredibly hard to detect with magic, Mio has also learned techniques to make it so that the people can’t detect her even when she herself is there.

Right, like the times when you suddenly look at the dark side of your room, and there’s a spider curling its body there. 

Does that mean that it was never present until that moment?

Is it really because they are more active at night so they show up at that time, or about prey and other stuff? There’s the chance that they just wanted to greet the owner of the place for a bit.

That special move of Mio made Makoto go as far as to think in that way.

Mio had obtained an advanced technique that could even be called one of the ultimate forms of  sneaking.

You can create a web, create a nest, and even chase and erase your presence freely.

There’s already no future for the prey. It is a nightmarish super spider.

This is the new side that was created from the synergy of Mio and phantom thieves, and it was performing well on this chessboard.

(We captured the people of the kingdom, but they killed themselves. I will have Tomoe-san revive them later. Anyways, I would like to confirm if the taste of the chicken meat has seeped before Waka-sama returns. I would rather be spared from things that are not related to cooking.) (Mio)

Mio brings the teacup to her mouth.

It is brown rice green tea <genmaicha tea>. 

She was having cold barley tea just a while ago.

“So, do you have an idea as to the reason for the powerful recovery of the kingdom? At this rate, it will just get worse and worse.” (Rio)

“Of course. It is also one of the reasons why I am fine with even dying here.” (Muller)

“Can I hear it? It would help me out a bit if you were to tell me.” (Rio)

“The Apostles of the Goddess.” (Muller)

“…Apostles. Those guys, huh. To think they would show up.” (Rio)

“Yeah, it is proof that the Goddess is being cornered. The demon race is also doing well after all.” (Muller)

“Instead of Limia or Gritonia where they have the Heroes, they are lending their strength to Aion? It is hard to believe.” (Rio)

“There are two Apostles currently. The two of them were supposed to meet with the Limia Hero, but one of them saw the distress of Aion and helped the Kingdom out as a present before heading to Limia.” (Muller)

“…..”

“If we could crush one of the Apostles here, the war between hyumans and demons will fall into deeper chaos. It will turn into a favorable situation for the Anti-Goddess Cult.” (Muller)

“If it is possible to crush the Apostle of the Goddess, that is. I feel like this is a fatal situation that doesn’t favor that scenario though.” (Rio)

“Rio, you are also an elf, so you should also try getting a view that sees further into the future. The reason why I have judged that this is a time to act is because I am certain that I can fulfill our objective to move forward. Hey, Rio, how about you actually become a comrade of ours rather than just helping us propagate?” (Muller)

“No intentions to.” (Rio)

“What a pitiful person. Even though no matter the shine a person shows at a moment’s time, they are simply ephemeral things of that moment.” (Muller)

This time around, Muller was the one pitying Rio.

Mio was watching these two with half-open eyes and letting out a yawn thinking ‘what a comical duo’.

Mio felt that Muller was a person that couldn’t be underestimated. 

That’s because she could feel intentions here and there of trying to drag Makoto into the war.

Mio had absolutely no interest in the desires of Rio and the wish of Muller.

What she treasures even now…no, even more than ever before is only one thing alone.

(It seems like they have spit all the information I could get from them. I guess I will be going back now.) (Mio)

Mio places a hand on her mouth as she stands up.

‘Hwaah~’, another small yawn escapes.

Mio passes by the side of the two, heading to the corner of the room, and she melts into the wall just like that and disappears.

Rather than calling it the peak of sneaking skills, the dexterous technique of Mio was already on the level of a horror movie.

There’s no way a criminal and a cult leader would be able to face that.

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