Bonus chapter thanks to @Alan and @drew from Ko-fi!
Leaving the fuming Laurie behind, I fell into deep thought for a moment.
If I were to fully believe her words, then Laurie was unrelated to the Fragment of Helheim. In fact, she had come to investigate its identity.
I inquired, “What do you mean by you thought it was your father’s doing?”
“Yeranhes is Enfer’s domain. It's only natural to suspect the lord of the closest region beyond the barrier, wouldn't you say?”
When a major incident occurs, suspecting the nearest lord is standard procedure.
Laurie continued, “Moreover, the timing of the monsters starting their worship and Enfer’s return to Yeranhes isn't that far apart. Of course, it could be a mere coincidence, but Enfer brought his second son, whom he had never brought before.”
“So you suspected that the second son might be involved somehow.”
I knew about the existence of the Fragment of Helheim from the original Etius game, but I was unaware of its true nature.
This was partly because Esther, who provided that information, didn't have much interaction with Aster, and even if I knew, the area beyond the barrier was vast.
The extent of my knowledge from the game was limited to the territories within the Empire. Beyond the barrier, I was no different from the inhabitants of this world.
‘Beyond the barrier, everything is unknown to me.’
This was my first time seeing the Fragment of Helheim, and my first time hearing about monsters worshipping something.
However, even amidst the unknown, there were things I could speculate on.
‘If black monsters are created from the Fragment of Helheim, and those black monsters taint other outside monsters with the Obsidian…’
Naturally, those monsters would have mixed with the monsters migrating south during winter.
However, I had never heard of ‘black monsters’ while playing the game.
In other words, this was an event unique to this world.
And the trigger was probably me.
Here, at the northernmost tip, a place I had never been before, seemingly unrelated to me, if some event had occurred because of me…
‘It’s hard to believe, but it seems like a god intervened.’
Considering that Hephaestus had blabbed about me to Hestia and Ares, most of the Greek gods would be aware of my existence.
If other gods shared similar sentiments with Hephaestus, they would probably want me dead.
However, for a god to descend into this world, several conditions were needed. The first god I met, Thanatos, who attached a trigger to a skill, could serve as an example.
However, descending in such a way came with various limitations. If it were Thanatos’ full power, he could have killed me instantly without me even having a chance to speak.
The fact that I could even move my mouth at that moment was proof that Thanatos’ power had weakened significantly.
‘If this really is divine intervention, then it makes sense that the monsters are worshipping the fragment.’
Another way for a god to descend.
A multitude of followers, a place for those followers to gather, and a medium connecting this world to the god.
With these three, a god could descend. Of course, depending on how many followers there were, how long they prayed, and how close the medium was to the god, the power they could exert would diminish, but it would still be better than the anomaly of using a trigger.
The most compact version of this method was the ‘sanctuary’ I found in the first dungeon. The statue in front of the sanctuary, called the ‘Guardian of Truth,’ was a medium for all gods and the sole follower of that sanctuary.
That's why a god could appear in the sanctuary, even if it was just for a few words and a little bit of help.
‘So, a god led the monsters to worship in order to descend…’
What a touching display of affection.
Having finished my thoughts, I spoke,
“What is your identity?”
“Th-That, I cannot say.”
Laurie stammered and became visibly tense.
Having just been through an ordeal, she was probably wondering what I would do next.
But I had no such intentions.
“Well, I figured as much.”
When I said that, Laurie relaxed her expression and blinked.
“Y-You’re not going to torture me?”
“I never tortured you.”
“What are you talking about! You restrained me with weapons, suddenly hung me sideways…”
“You call that torture? A Manggot assassin would laugh at that.”
“Ugh, th-then locking me up for a month…!”
“I didn't lock you up.”
Had that one month already been etched into Laurie's mind? It must have been quite frightening for her.
“Anyway, you guys have a clear distinction between information you can and cannot disclose, right? I know it's a waste of time beyond this point.”
One thing I learned while spending time with Selena was that there were things to be cautious about when trying to extract information from someone in the underworld.
There was such a thing as information that would never be divulged.
Information that wouldn't be revealed even under torture, threats, or even the brink of death. I shouldn't touch upon such things.
Of course, as humans, they might open their mouths if subjected to some incredible and novel torture method they hadn't been trained for.
But I didn't know such methods, and attempting them would require considerable time and resources.
‘And regarding her identity, the Analysis skill would be faster than me torturing her.’
I wasn't using it now because it consumed a significant amount of mana, but the Analysis skill would provide much more reliable and superior information.
Of course, I wouldn't know what information would come out until I used it, but the Analysis skill had a tendency to focus on the essence of the target.
‘I have a rough idea of her identity anyway.’
Even though she initially tested my skills using goblins, Laurie wasn't my enemy. She said she came to investigate the sudden anomaly, so in a way, the current situation arose from a series of misunderstandings.
However, it was an organization that had to hide its identity and was prepared to oppose me or Enfer if necessary. But if they came to investigate the fragment, they must have been concerned about the barrier.
‘…The Empire’s Secret Service.’