Still, a new question arose. If the ones chosen or bet on were people like Lilith and Alba, who were originally members of the Hero Party, then why had she been chosen as well? She could not figure this out at all. Aside from her Pure White Book, her only special trait was her unusually fast leveling speed.
In just a few decades, while constantly traveling around, she had reached Gold with very little resource consumption. For anyone else, it would have taken hundreds of years of work. But did that really matter? She was still just a mere Gold. The aftermath of a casual clash between God level beings could crush such ants countless times over.
Overwhelmed by these thoughts, Fei'er Li rubbed her head and decided to stop thinking about it for now. These questions did nothing but make her miserable. She was alive and fine, and that was enough. After taking two big gulps of tea and forcing the pressure down, she let out a long breath.
"We might not need to be that nervous for now. We can even temporarily define that pitch-black god you mentioned as an ally."
She paused for a moment. Anyone standing against Abyss could be considered an ally, since the Evil God truly intended to destroy World outright. Even if they were using her and the others to deal with matters related to the Evil God, at least there was always a safety net. That alone made it acceptable.
"After checking the materials again, I found that the original story might actually mention such a god. One who could easily interfere with the plot and had an appearance related to Dragon."
"There really is one? Who?"
So this was not some outside demon, but a local powerhouse. That was reassuring. Alba listened carefully, eager to learn more.
"Based on some past research I did on Dragonkin and bits of side material, the many pushes and coincidences prove that this god clearly understood the original plot and had the ability to interfere. The Dragon appearance suggests a link to Dragonkin, and their attention to members of the Hero Party points to a connection with the God of Light's Three-Aspect Deity. After all, the Hero Party were chosen by the God of Light, so acting on them would require agreement."
Fei'er Li explained it clearly and logically, while Alba listened closely. It turned out that Otherworld really did have more than one God. Her mind was filled with amazement at how deep these connections went.
"Taking all of that together, this god should be one of the most primordial God of World mentioned in Dragonkin legends. The Dragon God of Fate, Bahamut."
Fei'er Li finally gave her conclusion. "Fate?"
"I think so. There is a very high chance, and only this one fits."
This clue came from a side story related to Nefit. That Dragon bone Greatsword had always been mysterious, and the name Dragon God of Fate: Bahamut was traced back to there. He was not only the creator god of the Dragonkin race, but also bore an even greater responsibility, though he never appeared in the later parts of the story.
Perhaps the answer had been here all along. He had not failed to appear, but had been laying plans in the shadows. His Dragon appearance fit. His knowledge of the plot fit, since he held Fate. His opposition to Abyss and the Evil God proved he was a native god. Even his hidden connection with the God of Light was hinted at in the story.
There was also the source of Alba's Holy Light, which now made sense. He had direct ties with the one above Holy Light, the God of Light himself, so obtaining some Holy Light was hardly difficult. Though the story claimed this Dragon God of Fate had gone missing thousands of years ago, missing did not mean dead.
As a God from the dawn of creation, it was natural for him to possess such methods. Pulling people across World would not be strange at all. The Authority of Fate alone sounded powerful enough, and only a true God could stand against the horrors from Abyss. The story had even hinted that Bahamut stood on the front lines against the Abyss.
Based on this, Fei'er Li continued her analysis. "If it really is this God, then your role going forward will be very important. That Pope is basically the antagonist tied to your Saintess identity. Bahamut's plans will likely revolve around key elements like Saintess, Pope, and the God of Light. The next selection ceremony is probably critical."
Fei'er Li's expression grew serious, and Alba nodded. Her anxiety had already burned out, so none of this was surprising anymore. If someone like that was backing her up, then maybe there really was no need to be afraid.
"I might also be one part of that plan. I may be able to help you somehow, so to make sure we can stay in contact, take this."
"Wait, where did this come from?"
When Alba saw the familiar rectangular object Fei'er Li pulled out with Proficient, she almost lost her composure. Fei'er Li casually bent it, splitting what looked like a single piece into two, and handed one half over.
"Lilith probably arranged this for me too. In any case, just keep it. You already know how to use it."
"If you have any doubts or need help, you can come to me."
After who knew how long, Alba accepted this familiar item again and nodded. The two of them reached an agreement to cooperate. Although both still kept some things unsaid, for some reason they each felt that the other could be trusted.
… "…!" "Today's performance ends here. Next time!"
After smashing a Shard diamond against her chest and nearly wrecking the entire foundation, Nefit and Luna finally packed up their things. Icelis made shaved ice and ice cream nearby, earning a small fortune. They did not lack money, but this was all just for fun.
While cleaning up and buying snacks on the way back, Icelis ate her spicy skewers and glanced behind her. A figure followed the three of them openly, making no effort to hide. Even when they slightly sped up, they could not shake her. She was far too strange, vanishing at corners only to appear at the next intersection.
There was no sense of any Spatial Magic fluctuation at all, yet that gaze stayed fixed on them without restraint. After quietly letting the two smaller ones move a bit ahead, Icelis turned around without hesitation and faced the girl walking toward them.
"Hey, who are you? Why are you following us?"
"What do you mean following you? I'm just passing by."
Ham glared back and retorted without any politeness.
In the past, if an ordinary person dared to do something like this, Icelis would have stepped in and thrown a couple of punches without hesitation. Now she did not dare to act rashly, and could only glare back with stubborn, unyielding eyes. The reason was simple. This person was extremely strange.
She had already secretly used an extremely fine thread of cold air, trying to freeze the person's bones from the inside and take control. Ham stood there with hands on hips, openly arrogant and showing no resistance at all. Yet the controlled cold air passed through as if it had touched nothing.
Even the cold air she was sure had entered the body vanished in the next instant, then appeared elsewhere, scattered along every place this person had walked past. It was as if what she faced was not a simple humanoid lifeform, but a tangled maze with no clear entrance or exit. Only then did Icelis realize she seemed to have done this before, or something very similar.
She raised her head and looked at the still arrogant Ham, her brows knitting as her gaze grew heavy. Had this person even thrown her power into the past. It felt like there were many versions of herself doing the same thing, with the result selected and placed into the present.
No matter which explanation was true, it proved this person was not simple. As Icelis calculated how long she needed to stall so that Luna could get to a distance where striking would not mean instant death, she suddenly noticed something off. The two who should have been ahead, including Luna, walked up from behind instead.
Both wore natural looks of surprise. Luna paused, stared with wide eyes, and her forehead seemed to light up with realization. Nefit, on the other hand, casually stepped forward and greeted them.
"When did you get ahead of us?" she asked. "You did not even say anything. Icelis, who is this?"
"...Tch. You had better keep it up and do nothing," Icelis muttered. Her eyes stayed locked on Ham, ready to flee with everyone at the first wrong move. Whether they could escape or not was unclear, but they had to try.
"Do not be so tense. I have no ill will toward you," Ham said calmly. "Let us sit nearby and talk for a bit. How about it?"
"Sure. Let us grab something to eat," Nefit said brightly. She walked straight into a nearby barbecue shop, Luna following with a smile, and Icelis could only nod in reluctant agreement.