~ Chapter 75: The el’doraw’s true fate ~

[Tamara’s point of view]

Master scared me that day... I tried to avoid him, to stay away from him because I was afraid of Master who wasn’t Master will come out and harm me again. There were two Masters in Master’s body, but one was evil, and I didn’t like him, while the other was the Master I knew.

Zoreya explained this to me, so did Nanya, Shanteya, and Ayuseya, but I was still afraid of the evil Master. My fur would stand at its end whenever I was around Master.

What if he came out? What if he hurt me? What if I was attacked by him? What if he killed me?

These were the questions that made me fear him, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

Then, when Master took Nanya out on a date, she was pretty... The dress was something I knew I would never get to wear. She was charming, but later that day, she returned crying. She wasn’t even hiding her demonic self. The people at the inn ogled their eyes in surprise when they saw her. Zoreya calmed them down with a glare.

At that time, I was being petted by Zoreya. The crusader lady was kind, she didn’t hate nekatars or non-humans as others did.

“I wonder if evil Master came out... nya.” I said as I looked down at the cup of warm milk in front of me.

“Maybe, but Illsyore isn’t evil, The Darkness is... Unfortunately, we can’t separate the two.” she let out a sad sigh.

The breath of air tickled the fur on the back of my neck.

About half an hour later, Master arrived. He looked sad.

Seeing him, I let out a mew and instinctively clung to Zoreya. He showed me a sad smile and then sat down at our table. I looked away.

“I’m sorry, Tamara... back then... I...” he began to say, but I flattened my ears and moved closer to Zoreya.

“It’s alright, little one.” she told me as she gently petted my head.

My ears twitched from her touch and then I slowly lifted them up.

“Tamara... The Darkness is the one you are afraid... most likely.” Master said.

I lifted my eyes up and let out a soft mew.

Zoreya nodded, and Master petted my head instead of her.

His hand... was gentle. His scent was the same. He was warm...

Tears gathered in my eyes, and I sniffled.

“Tamara doesn’t like The Darkness... Uhu! Tamara is scared of The Darkness!” I cried.

“I know, little one... and I’m sorry.” he showed me a soft smile as he continued to pet me.

Seeing him like this reminded me of the kind Master, the one I liked, the one who treated me well...

“In a few days, you won’t need to worry about him... he’ll be gone.” he told me.

“Really?” I asked innocently as I perked my ears up.

“Yes.” he nodded.

My ears twitched.

“Good... I don’t like him. It’s better if he will be gone!” I spoke harshly.

“I see...” he spoke softly, but his smile was sad.

Zoreya looked sad as well, but I did not understand why.

“Don’t worry, I’ll... I’ll make sure you’ll never see that side of Illsyore ever again...” she told me.

I blinked surprised and looked up at her.

“If you can, then please take care of that monster! I don’t like him!” I said.

She smiled softly and patted my head.

“Well... I’ll go over there and rest for a bit. Take care, little one.” Master said as he petted me one last time and walked away.

I was confused by his words, but I was happy to know that Zoreya was going to eliminate The Darkness... Unfortunately, I had no idea that my kind Master was going with him as well...

[Illsyore’s point of view]

Seeing Tamara’s reaction made me realize just how terrifying the thing inside of me was. Indeed, it was a monster, but unlike those we found scattered throughout this world, this one couldn’t be killed without killing me as well. Even with the power of the gods, it was useless.

I was destined to die in a few days by Zoreya’s sword. This way, Tamara wouldn’t have to be afraid of me anymore... or rather of the thing inside of me.

The alternative was letting loose a monster capable of destroying the whole world without showing a single drop of remorse. The Darkness... was the enemy of everything and everyone in this world, but also the other part of myself, the one I couldn’t cut off.

I slept that night on the chair, or rather... I just dozed on and off. My sleep deprivation was catching up, but if I fell asleep, The Darkness could take over me and run away with my body, then by the time I returned to my wives, its control over me would be completed. Or that was what I presumed.

There was no way I could determine just how much time I had left before it had me completely under its control.

[Ayuseya’s point of view]

With Nanya returning in that state, I was a bit afraid of how my own date was going to be. It was clear that Illsy was the one who said something to her and not The Darkness. There were very few things that could make the powerful demoness cry, but if I were to guess, I would say he revealed something about his current condition, something even I didn’t know about.

That or he decided to break off with her... This option, however, seemed highly unlikely even for me, but just like anyone else placed in a similar dilemma, I began to endlessly worry about it.

The following day, I woke up at an early hour and prepared myself for the date. I had but a few hours of sleep. Nothing a few touches of makeup couldn’t fix. The problem was the dress. If there was a chance this was going to be my last date with him, I wanted it to be a pleasant one, something I could remember, but at the same time, I was well aware of the fact that a woman’s dress spoke volumes about her wealth.

Thankfully, I had three coffers filled with not-so-fancy dresses to choose from. Illsy carried the rest of my things, but I didn’t want to get them from him because they mostly contained lavishing, expensive, and noble-fit dress. If I were to walk around the city wearing something like that, the number of stares and glares would end up to be annoying.

The demoness was sitting on the bed and looking at me as I sorted them out. Everyone was here except for Illsy.

“Too many colors. Not enough colors. Not enough frills. Too many frills. Too long. Too short. Why did I ever buy this? Definitely NOT this one! Oh, this one looks nice, but the color is too pale.” I spoke as I tossed away one dress after another.

“Nya~! It’s raining fluttery clothes!” the nekatar said as she ended up buried underneath the pile.

“They all seem nice to me.” remarked Shanteya as she picked up the ‘Definitely not’ dress.

I always knew these two had a bad sense of fashion, but only now it was revealed. Well, there was nothing I could expect from a nekatar who loved to play all day despite technically being considered an adult by her kind. As for the el’doraw, she had little to no chance to find out what was best suited for her. Even I had a few dresses which were perfect for her complexion. They only required a few modifications around the chest area, the sleeves, and the hem, which were too big for her.

“Sigh... I feel like I didn’t bring enough dresses... I can’t find the right one.” I let out another sigh as I looked back at them.

Nanya and Shanteya furrowed their brows, while Tamara merely tilted her head to the left. Zoreya didn’t say a single word as usual. The crusader was calmly sitting on a chair while looking at me.

“What?” I blinked confused at their strange reaction.

“Nothing, it’s just that ever since I met you, this is the first time I heard you complaining about not having something to wear.” Nanya was the one to speak.

I let out a sigh and pushed a strand of stray hair out of my face.

“I could have done so at any given time, but with great effort, I abstained.” I nodded.

“Ah~ the perils of high society. When one needs not to worry about war, fashion is the only alternative.” Shanteya said and then giggled.

“Fashion is just a hobby for me. Besides, as a woman, it’s a given that I should be aware of what I am wearing and how I look in front of others. The right dress and hairstyle can pull gazes of wonder or the chatter of mockery!” I declared, speaking from bitter experience.

Nanya and Shanteya looked at each other a bit confused. They didn’t seem to understand what I was talking about. I could understand Nanya, but Shanteya was a bit odd. She was supposed to be a skilled assassin. Just how was she supposed to infiltrate a noble’s party if she had no idea what to wear?

Leaving my stray thoughts aside, I turned around and continued to search for the right dress, but none of them felt right. I was at my wit’s end until Zoreya said something unexpected.

“How about this one and use a red silk shoulder scarf or maybe a shawl?”

The dress the crusader was pointing at was one of the few I wore leisurely back at the Fellyore Academy. With a light teal bottom part and a jade-colored top, the long sleeves and daring cut of the chest made it go perfectly with my red hair, golden scales, and red slit eyes. By itself, the dress wasn’t much, but if I were to add a red scarf...

Walking over, I picked up the dress and looked at it carefully. I threw Zoreya a gaze and then looked over at Shanteya and Nanya, the two were pondering about it as well. Tamara had no reaction, as expected.

“This might be the right combination... but I feel like its lacking something.” I said and then squinted my eyes at Zoreya.

Scratching the top of her head, the woman covered in full-plate armor cast a gaze at my other dresses. After a moment, she pointed at one of them.

“What if you take those five roses from the red dress and sew them on the green one?” she asked.

With eyes wide-open, I quickly ran the combination in my head. It worked. It was elegant enough to call it a noble’s dress and simple enough not to catch unwanted attention.

“Perfect!” with a high-pitched squeal, I gave Zoreya a hug.

“I have no idea what just happened...” said Nanya.

The demoness was slightly confused, but it mattered not. I had my dress now, so I was ready to go to ‘war’!

[Illsyore’s point of view]

We met around four in the evening. Ayuseya was stunningly beautiful as always, giving off the air of a refined woman who knew all there was to know about the high-class society. The green of her dress complimented the crimson color of her eyes and hair while pushing forward the generous mountains on her chest.

The way she walked. The way she gazed at those around her. The way she kept her composure and greeted me with a delightful smile. All of those things were signs of her noble background. Well, she was a princess after all.

“You look... beautiful.” I said the moment I saw her.

“Thank you, my dear.” she replied and made a courteous bow before me.

“Shall we?” I asked in a polite tone of voice.

She nodded and just like that, we departed from the inn.

We ate a decent meal at a good restaurant, a different one this time so as to not spread the rumors of me cheating on Nanya. Seeing how she was crying yesterday and how I was going out with a beauty like Ayuseya today, it would not be that wrong to assume that was the case.

For some reason, I felt really tense while walking around the city, and it wasn’t because of some suspicious fellows thinking that we were some sort of easy prey they could snatch on their way home. Shanteya was certain to remove them. What made it tense for me was to realize just how much of a difference in maturity and class was between me and the dragoness.

Up until now, I never did bother myself with such things. Even back on Earth, I had no idea what really made a noble woman so fancy. My idea of elegant was a suit and tie for a man and a pretty dress for a woman. Ayuseya proved to me that it was more than that. It was the way they carried themselves, the way they walked, and the way they glanced at those around them. It made me feel a bit more calculated with what I said and did around her.

Overall, Ayuseya felt like a completely different woman when compared to Nanya and Shanteya. If I were to think about her role in my Academy, it would be that of a vice-principal. She simply had that sort of influence and presence about herself.

Unlike Nanya, she was also a woman of few words, but the matters we spoke about were small nothings, memories from our journey so far, advice on how to get stronger, simple and at times a few naughty compliments. She also stuck quite close to me, never letting go of my hand and more than once showing me a love-struck gaze.

Then came the moment when I was supposed to reveal the truth to her. Just like it happened with Nanya, I led her outside. If I were to get slapped over there, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about having destroyed someone’s house by accident.

“Ayuseya... about this date...” I began to speak.

“It’s your way of saying ‘farewell’ to us, isn’t it?” she asked with a soft smile on her lips, yet tears forming in her eyes.

“Yes...” I looked down ashamed.

“The Darkness...”

“It’s winning...”

“The solution?”

“My death...”

A moment of silence was cast down upon us. I looked up and saw those beautiful red eyes of hers filling up with tears. Her fists were clenched, but she refused to break into a cry. Moving my arms around her shoulders I pulled her down into my embrace. Strength left her knees and fell before me.

“Uhu...”

She began to cry with her face buried in my chest.

“I’m sorry...” I said as I gently patted her head.

What was there left to say?

I allowed the moment to pass by while the tears of my draconian wife soaked my shirt.

What a worthless husband I am... I thought to myself.

Kill her then... whispered The Darkness.

Furrowing my brow, I pushed the thought away. It was useless to reason with this monster.

Some time later, when Ayuseya calmed down, she was resting her head in my lap, while I was brushing her red hair with my hand. Those horns of hers really got into the way of a comfortable position, but I endured it.

“There’s really nothing you can do about it?” she asked me.

“No... I tried.”

“Is it that powerful?” she asked.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“It doesn’t seem so to me...”

Just like Nanya, she refused to believe it.

“Maybe, but for me it’s an unbeatable enemy...” I said.

With her big red eyes, she looked up at me and gently touched my cheek with her fingers.

“There’s no one who can defeat you, my love... No matter what.” she showed me a soft smile and then continued to speak “It wasn’t The Darkness who defeat Dankyun, it was all you. It wasn’t The Darkness who created your body, it was all you. It wasn’t The Darkness who proposed to me that day, it was you...”

“Even if it was a ‘not not’ joke?” I asked.

“It was fate... and I don’t regret even a single moment I spent together with you. I prefer a month of happiness by your side as your wife than an eternity of suffering as Dankyun’s. Actually, I can’t imagine any other man besides you... and you... you aren’t The Darkness. In my eyes, you are the stronger one, my love.” she told me in a soft tone of voice.

“If only it was true...” I teared up.

“All of it is... you just have to believe it as well. Who knows? Maybe the key to defeating The Darkness is far simpler than you are left to believe?” she showed me a smile and then tears gathered in her eyes again, rushing down her cheeks, around the golden scales.

“Ayuseya...” I spoke softly.

“Illsy, I don’t want you to leave me... I don’t want you to go away from my life... I want you as my husband, as my lover, as you...” she covered her eyes with her hand. “I’m sorry, but... seeing you give up like this... so easily, it hurts. You aren’t a man who should give up so easily, Illsy...”

“What do you expect me to do, Ayuseya?” I asked her while I closed my eyes.

“To fight... To fight like you never fought before! To give it your all! To smash and rip apart to pieces all the rules, laws, fates, and gods that dare stand against you! Up to your last breath... up to the last moment... I want you to fight for yourself... and for us, your wives who love you so very much...”

With those words, our conversation ended, and only the sobs of a draconian princess could be heard in that endless desert. I remained with Ayuseya until she calmed down, but for me, it was hard to accept or even find the strength to follow that advise.

What good is there to fight when the outcome has already been decided? was what I thought.

[Somewhere up in the skies]

“HOW DARE YOU!” Melkuth screamed in anger as he tossed a punch at the god who looked like a senile old fool.

“Patience, youngling.” the man stopped the god’s punch with only a finger.

“Kuh! To have so much strength... even though you are joke of a god!” he glared.

“A joke? Ohohoho! I am being worshiped by all followers of all the gods without them even knowing it!” he smiled.

“Ridiculous!” he glared, but despite those words, he knew it was the truth.

“Calm down, will you?” the senile old fool flicked the punch and tossed the mighty God of War back a few meters.

“If only I didn’t listen to your words! I had the chance to fix this, to send my apostles to kill that thing before it grew too strong! Now all the three continents will be destroyed by that thing YOU created!” Melkuth pointed a finger at the god.

“Oh my! Don’t be so hasty with your accusations.” he smiled and rubbed his long beard.

“My most beloved Apostle will die, The Darkness will awaken, and there’s absolutely NOTHING we can do about it!” he glared.

“Oh my! Really now? It doesn’t look that bad to me.” he smiled and then looked down at the clouds between them.

A massive whirlpool formed, and a mirror was revealed. It showed a moment of the future. Illsyore was completely taken over by The Darkness, and a sword was stabbed in Zoreya’s chest.

“You were saying?” Melkuth asked raising an eyebrow.

“True, this is... saddening, but her future will also depend on your own choice. A stubborn mule, be it young or old, is still a stubborn mule.” he smiled. “You hold her life in your hands. You will choose what to do when the time is right, after all... only a god’s power can deny his.” he then looked back down at the scene. “As for him... there are differences between what’s happening now and the future foretold by the Dark Gods.” he pointed out.

“Such as?” Melkuth asked raising an eyebrow.

“First of all... Only the True God of this Universe can foretell the future, they can merely guess it.” he smiled.

“So far it was pinpoint accurate. Illsyore was born. He defeated a Supreme. He defeated a country, and he is now being taken over by The Darkness.” Melkuth retorted.

“Yes. But... He defeated him, not killed him. He defeated a country’s corrupt prince, he didn’t destroy its army and royal family. Thus, leaving the country at the mercy of its neighbors.” he smiled.

“I know, but even so... it didn’t change anything!” he glared at him.

“It didn’t it? Hm, I wonder...” he smiled.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“The Dark Gods spoke of many prophecies. Many of them turned out to be real. Many of them were feared, that’s why the Black Mages exist, but in this particular one, which we hid away from the mortals... nowhere... and I mean nowhere.” he squinted his eyes” was it mentioned that Illsyore would have a wife... or more.” he smiled.

“What use is there? All his wives were supposed to have died long before this journey! Only you and your stupid blessing are at fault for this outcome!”

“EXACTLY! THE GLORY OF BIG BOOBS SAVED THE DAY!” he shouted triumphantly as he raised his hands up to the sky.

At this remark, the God of War unsheathed his sword and tossed it at the god, hitting him straight in the forehead with the hilt.

“Ugh!” the senile old fool tumbled back a few times.

“You idiot! Just because you saved the lives of three petty mortals doesn’t mean you saved the outcome! IN fact, you made it WORSE! The Darkness wasn’t supposed to appear until years from NOW!” Melkuth shouted.

“Ugh... But, this way, he won’t be lonely... Besides, it’s true that if not for Illsyore having my blessing as the God of Big Boobs, he would have never saved or noticed Shanteya in the first place. He would have killed her without remorse BEFORE checking her. Sigh, such a waste in blissful bounciness that would have been...” the god seemed to regret the wrong thing about this whole situation.

As for Melkuth, he put up with it and listened to the words of a god ignored by almost all other gods... and mostly unknown to mortals. Despite everything, he noticed with his own eyes the changes brought upon by this peculiar god’s influence, and those weren’t something to ignore.

“This tragedy would have raised a barrier on his heart and further pushed him away from Nanya and Ayuseya. Sparing Shanteya’s life influenced the draconian princess’ life as well.” he smiled.

“How so?” Melkuth already knew the answer, but still asked out of courtesy.

“Well, Illsyore was able to learn of his incredible ability as a Godlike Dungeon Lord to heal those impossible curses and abnormal solution, thus, prompting him to believe and have confidence that there was a chance to do so for Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades!” he pointed at him “IF not for that, he would have NEVER proposed to help her out! He would have NEVER interfered with her life! Dankyun would have arrived and taken her away without a problem. At most, he would have said: ‘How unfortunate...’ right before she left with him.” the god smirked.

Melkuth squinted his eyes at him, but the outcome of such a tragic event was already clear to him.

”As a result, she would have died two years later after giving birth to her first child. Dankyun would have returned to Fellyore, and while at that time Illsyore and Nanya would have been friends, thanks to the incident with his dungeons and one of the teacher’s death in there, she wouldn’t have trusted him. Dankyun would have killed Nanya before she had the chance to release her seal, slaughtered the students and ONLY then would have Illsyore reacted!” the Holy God of Big Boobs shouted pointing a hand at Melkuth.

“Kuh, true but... that was all according to their fate. Their souls wouldn’t have minded such an outcome...” the God of War backed off, but then looked straight in his eyes. “Although, thanks to that, Dankyun would have been killed by Illsyore WITHOUT any help from The Darkness. Now, although relatively harmless, he is still an unstable psychopath with the ability to destroy a nation!”

“Well, he was an unstable psychopath to begin with, but you are forgetting the fact that he is now located in a specially designed prison guarded by two other Supremes he doesn’t stand a chance of winning against. If he takes one step out of there without permission, he is dead.” the senile old fool smirked.

“You are telling me to believe in Illsyore just because his predicted future was changed to an unknown one?” he asked.

“Yes! Besides, neither of us gods approved of that crappy future anyway.” he shook his head.

“Still, using our power like this... interfering with mortals. How do you know this isn’t abuse of power and that we aren’t acting just like them?”

“Because of the WAY this simple, unexpected influence changed ALL of their fates. After all, the only thing I did was to make Illsyore notice her, and she to think twice before instinctively killing him.” the senile old fool smirked again.

“Actually, both of those are a result of you deciding to put yourself as Illsyore’s god...” Melkuth grumbled.

“Yes. But that in itself was enough to allow me to work... my ‘magic’ without him becoming an Apostle!” he smirked and then made a twirl on the spot “That’s why so many souls were saved afterwards! So many lives were changed! Opinions about Dungeons was shifted! New Dungeons emerged! Heck, even your precious Apostle learned to smile!” he pointed at Melkuth “If she were to have taken that boring predetermined path, she would have fought to the death against Illsyore five years after the Fellyore Massacre!” he exclaimed.

“That was her fate... Then she would have joined me in Heaven! What was wrong with that!” Melkuth glared.

“You fearful old geezer! You are the one with a problem! When you see a beautiful woman, you just can’t let go of her!” the senile old fool pointed out.

“Because I’m a god! I have that right... partially... well... sort of.” he spoke quite aware of the limitations and laws placed upon their kind.

“Even like this, you are a good fellow at heart, Melkuth... I know you will be able to save that child. Well, even us can’t predict what will happen next... At most, we can guess, but so far... it seems that fate may change for Illsyore and the three continents.” the senile old fool spoke with a low voice.

“You are such a powerful god, yet... you are the weirdest among us all. The Holy God of Big Boobs, the one worshiped by many without them even knowing about it.” Melkuth let out a defeat sigh and slumped down on the ground cross-legged.

“Don’t be sad, old friend, Zoreya simply isn’t the one...”

“I know... but will we really be able to save the three continents with this? Otherwise, we’ll need to do that whole Hero Summoning mambo jumbo, mark The Darkness as the Demon Lord, yada yada, you know... that sort of stuff.” he let out an annoyed sigh.

“If it does not work, we’ll just be doing the summoning a few years earlier than expected. No harm done, and I’ll even lend you my power with this one, alright?” the senile old fool said with a smile as he walked over and sat in front of the God of War “Besides, unlike the other gods, you are restraining yourself too much with this non-interference pact. It’s not absolute, you know? My advice is to have a drink and relax! Maybe once in a while visit the mortal realm and have some fun! Sake?” he asked as he pulled out a bottle out of thin air.

Melkuth raised an eyebrow “Are you crazy? Give me Vodka!” he grinned.

Another bottle appeared.

“You didn’t tell the other Gods what we did, did you?” asked the senile old fool.

“Hm? No, but those who are connected to those mortals should be suspecting something by now.” Melkuth opened the bottle of Vodka and filled up a tankard.

“To big boobs!” one declared raising his cup up.

“For victory in war!” the other replied raising his tankard up.

They clinked and drank it all!

“Puha~! Perfect!” said the Holy God of Big Boobs.

“Haaa~! To think the lives of millions may be saved thanks to one woman...” the God of War shook his head.

“More accurately, thanks to her bountiful bosom and the love she carries for a Dungeon! In short, the love that sparked in that night managed to reshape the whole future... Even I didn’t expect it to be to this extent... Illsyore may just be exactly what this planet needs in order for it not to be a dungeon anymore.” the god smiled.

“Hey, that’s taking it a bit too far, don’t you think?” the god of war raised an eyebrow.

“Who knows? Let us drink my friend! As for the future, let it be written by the free will of mortals and guided by the kindness of us gods!” the senile old fool shouted as he raised his cup to the sky and then drank it all in one gulp.