Chapter 330: Divine Banquet
All of us, Earth’s champions, entered a small door inside the white hall that led to a vast courtyard.
Just like in the arena, planets and stars aligned to faintly illuminate the otherwise pitch-black sky, their glow tinging the white tiles on the ground in a bluish color.
At the courtyard’s center, a massive tree sprawled upward, seemingly having no end, as if connected to the sky itself.
Winged beastmen, angels, and dragon hybrids flew around the tree, casting shadows beneath them as they made their way to one of the many exits.
On a nearby lake, I could see beastmen with fins flirting with sirens, while dwarves and elves of all kinds enjoyed walking and sitting on benches to talk.
After meeting the Merchant, experiencing the lives of the girls, and facing the Endless brat siblings, I had plenty of reason to distrust and dislike the Gods.
Especially after the first phase of the current Divine Event.
Yet, I admired the so-called Celestial Palace.
At least for a little while.
After walking through another maze of white corridors that could give the Infinite Hotel a run for its money, we reached a second courtyard.
It was almost identical to the first, except that the tree at the center had been replaced by a lake so deep that I couldn’t see its bottom, even with my [Sight Enhancement].
There were many new races to see, even some demons to my surprise, but with some of the novelty lost, I began taking a closer look at their faces.
Everyone was built differently, but the feeling I got from their expressions was always the same.
There weren’t any little rascals running around a bit too excitedly, nor anyone lazing around while giving others more work to do...
I couldn’t see anyone embarrassed, tired, or seemingly regretful.
No sense of hurry, no flaws exposed.
Even the friendly interactions always seemed slightly... acted.
It was as if everyone hid something.
Or hid themselves...
Maya: "Can you return to the Kingdom, Miwen?"
Her tone was somber, almost melancholic.
Walking beside me, holding my hand, she wore a peaceful smile.
Her hands still trembled; I could feel her heart racing.
It was contradictory; her feelings were all over the place.
I couldn’t find anyone acting like my sister in the courtyard.
Miwen: "Not anymore..."
As soon as we had entered the Celestial Palace through the golden door, the rules of this place cut my connection with the Kingdom.
Large amounts of Divinity were being used to enforce the Celestial Palace’s rules, according to the system message I got.
I couldn’t even send Cassandra back anymore.
But maybe that was a good thing. She was quieter than usual, clearly searching for something. Or someone.
Miwen: "...What do you think of this place, Maya?"
Maya: "It’s irksome."
She stared at the thing that had also bothered me the most, this place’s sky.
Every courtyard we passed by had a different one.
The first looked like a perpetual starry sky.
The second was a bright blue morning.
Meanwhile, the third was a golden afternoon.
Strange skies weren’t exactly something new to me; the Kingdom already had a twisted version of a natural sky, one that felt like an imitation. It wasn’t normal, but it was trying to be.
I could almost feel the First Son’s touch in it.
An idiot of an engineer searching for a compromise between how it should be and what he could do. His flaws were the very charm of his project, its personality.
The Celestial Palace’s skies felt more like a collection.
Stars, planets, and moons were organized into beautiful, perfect formations. It was grand and unfathomable enough, but at the same time, the hand behind it felt too clinical and detached for me to admire.
Reduced to decoration, the giant spheres lost their nature and meaning, shining brightly but not fiercely.
Perhaps this was what Catherine wanted by walking us through the courtyards. To make us feel inferior and unimportant, laughed at by the very sky above us.
However, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that we weren’t the ones being mocked.
But maybe I was just a mortal, reading too much into what the Gods enjoyed.
Still, seeing me chuckle, Maya narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on my hand.
We continued walking forward, passing by the same white corridors over and over again, staring at the same three skies...
Almost as if we were walking in circles.
Miwen: "Don’t tell me... You’re lost?"
Though Catherine didn’t bother turning my way, I didn’t miss the brief hesitation before she took her next step.
Erik: "You’re not wrong. In two minutes, we’ll reach the end of this corridor, and she’ll flinch when looking at the dead-end hall on the right. Again."
Pretending not to hear us, Catherine’s eyes remained completely fixed forward.
Once we inevitably reached the end of the corridor, she stared at the dead-end hall on the right.
After turning left, she opened her mouth for the first time since explaining the second phase of the Divine Event.
Catherine: "I’m not lost. Or flinching, for that matter. I simply found it within me to grace my champions with..."
Her eyes darted around for a moment.
Catherine: "An extended tour of the Domain’s gardens."
She led us through the same exit as the first time we traversed the starry night courtyard, and after so much meandering, we naturally split into three groups.
The first group was the most reasonable. It was composed of three humans from Earth’s most populated continent. With eighty thousand people chosen for this Divine Event, it was hardly anything curious.
Still, they stood between us and the other, much more interesting group.
That group had two beastwomen with jaguar-like rosette patterns adorning their sun-kissed skin, their eyes ferociously staring back at mine.
They reminded me so much of my cute wolf wife back home that I couldn’t help but grow a wide smile and wave at them.
The two answered my friendliness with quiet snarls, but after Maya pulled my cheek, we stopped messing with each other.
Despite Catherine’s unending journey through the same few places, I was enjoying my time with Maya.
Unfortunately, Erik cut my fun short when he approached us, seemingly deciding he’d fit better with us than with the other two groups.
Maya: "It’s fine. I doubt he’ll do anything."
The roles had reversed, and this time, I was the one tightly gripping her hand.
I tried pulling her closer, but Maya remained between us, refusing to retreat a single step.
Maya: "...Right, Erik?"
He didn’t respond, only adjusting his glasses before turning his attention to Catherine.
Just him standing next to us already had me provoked, but the same circumstances that stopped him from doing anything were also stopping me.
Perhaps they were what stopped all the Gods here from acting like real people.
There were too many sharks in this aquarium.
Maya: "You know..."
Leaning into my arm, Maya whispered just loud enough that both Erik and Catherine could hear her.
Maya: "She hasn’t taken the right on the second corridor past this courtyard..."
Sis’ nature hadn’t changed at all.
Despite still being angry at Catherine, all Maya saw was someone struggling, and she couldn’t help but offer a hand.
Though she did it in a roundabout way, giving me the cue by poking my arm.
Erik: "She said there are fifteen other worlds participating. I’d expect to see more footprints on the corridor leading to it... Unless other Gods know that the venue is closed for the event."
Seemingly satisfied that they had reached the same answer, Maya nodded her head.
The three of us stopped in the middle of the corridor, forcing the others to turn our way.
Miwen: "Oh, Great Catherine... I can’t help but wonder what lies beyond this path."
I pointed my thumb at the corridor she had yet to try, leaning harder into my monotone voice as Maya quietly chuckled.
A second passed.
Catherine stared at the white walls with a hand on her chin.
Catherine: "Nothing important."
Her voice was almost inaudible.
She swiftly turned away, a minuscule drop of blood leaving her nails and giving the white walls the smallest of red stains.
We did the whole courtyard circuit again, but this time, she acted like a proper guide, pointing at the statues and reading the names and descriptions.
Though "proper guide" was giving her too much credit.
Whenever I asked about something not written on the signs, she changed the topic and hurried us along.
It was petty retribution, but it was retribution all the same, and I enjoyed getting in her way as much as I could.
Eventually, we reached her red mark, and finally, she took the right turn.
Without an ounce of shame, she pretended to have always known the correct path, walking confidently right until the next turn.
She stood still for a second, briefly looking at both sides.
Just as she made her decision, a short, bouncy girl appeared on the opposite end of the corridor, running up to us while waving her arms.
?????: "Cathy! Where were you? I was looking everywhere!"
The cute little Goddess had bright green hair and light brown skin. She wore a simple white dress, not too unlike Catherine’s.
But in sharp contrast with our Goddess’ deadpan look, the girl who caught her hands had a beaming smile.
Catherine: "Lapis... I’m sorry. We were enjoying the sights."
She scratched her neck, avoiding the little girl’s eyes.
Lapis: "Oh! I see... You’re so considerate. But you’re late! C’mon!"
The girl practically dragged Catherine along.
Her eyes were almost sparkling, and unlike our Goddess, she had plenty of insights to give about the places we passed by.
A little too much, even.
Her constant talking was almost as tiring as Catherine’s meandering.
I liked that she didn’t behave like the other Gods. She had a smile as wide as Lily’s, and her energy was as high as Lana’s when the two rascals were together.
It was exactly what this place was missing, and yet, it still didn’t feel right to me.
Perhaps because of how used I was to my two little troublemakers, something about this Goddess didn’t sit right with me.
Her chaotic intensity hid it well, but her movements would sometimes stop a little too suddenly.
She was too in control of them, and it gave me the impression she was constantly holding back.
In a way, she felt like everything that was wrong with this place. Even more than Catherine herself.
Still, she happily guided our guide to the next golden door, where we were greeted with a sparkling silver dining hall full of Gods and their champions.
Naturally, all eyes fell on us for a second.
It almost made me wonder if that was Catherine’s intention. She seemed to always pay attention to how she came across, so perhaps she wanted the attention.
However, after taking a glass from one of the tables, she immediately retreated into a corner, casting doubt on my theory.
The jaguar girls with us wasted no time finding their meals, and the other group of humans also scattered somewhere after Catherine waved everyone away.
Maya: "Don’t eat the meat, Miwen."
Miwen: "...You think it’s from the arena?"
Maya: "I wouldn’t put it past-"
A shadow appeared behind Maya.
It was so fast that it almost seemed to teleport to us.
The only one even capable of reacting was Erik, but even he had his eyes widened.
??????: "Oh, please. We’re the furthest away from savages as you can get."
The man with night-black hair landed a hand on my shoulder and a hand on Maya’s.
He was the only person, God or not, wearing a black suit.
Even though I had already felt intense stares towards our group before, once he clung to us, every eye turned our way.
Unlike Erik and me, Maya didn’t turn to face him.
She simply handed me a plate with a piece of meat on it, cold sweat running down her face.
Miwen: "...Do I know you from somewhere?"
Our gazes met, and I narrowed my eyes.
Maya insisted on pressing the plate against me, her eyes fixed on the table.
??????: "So your world’s Goddess hasn’t introduced me, huh?"
Miwen: "That would earn her less Divinity."
??????: "Hahaha! That’s true."
Even though Catherine had secured her own corner, she suddenly appeared before us.
Again, I couldn’t even see a single step, and surprisingly, Catherine seemed to be in the same boat.
Catherine: "T-This is Asdrea. The one who rules the Gods-"
Asdrea: "No need to be so fearful, Cathy. I’m not mad or anything!"
True enough, he had an amused smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Sis and Erik had both gotten knives in their hands, and I had my hand on Cassandra’s scabbard.
Miwen: "Oh... That sounds impressive."
While I didn’t know the face, Asdrea was a name I made sure to remember.
He was the Merchant’s enemy. The entire reason why the Caravan existed.
Entire cycles of creation had come and gone, and he still stood.
If the Merchant and his people couldn’t kill him, Maya and I had little hope.
Of course, I had to act like I had no idea, and that called for a slightly less monotone voice than the one I used with Catherine.
Asdrea: "Hah... It’s more trouble than it’s worth!"
...Interesting.
He reminded me of the Merchant much more than I thought.
It made me want to probe a little.
Miwen: "Is it? Everyone seems so well-behaved."
Asdrea: "Hm? Is your kingdom different?"
His smile remained the same.
But his eyes took a different shape.
I knew playing games with Primordials was hard, but they were very entertaining.
Miwen: "...I’m sorry, but I don’t live in a kingdom. But maybe our Goddess has not explained the difference to you?"
Seeing me throw her under the bus, Catherine froze, staring blankly at the wall with a neutral smile.
Asdrea: "She’s yet to."
She slowly turned her head, but before she could open her mouth...
Asdrea: "But she’s not to blame. I should have asked."
Just like the Merchant, he seemed a little carefree.
It was hard to read him, and every God in the dining hall seemed to have a different reaction to him.
However, the Gods that caught my attention the most were all very careful when glancing his way.
Despite his attitude, he seemed to have gathered the respect of those who truly mattered.
Miwen: "Is that so? Maybe you two should communicate a little more."
I thought she’d be happy to be given a chance to suck up to her boss, but...
She stared at me with bloodshot eyes.
Asdrea: "Maybe. But right now, I have my eyes on you."
Miwen: "Oh... Sorry, I don’t swing that way."
It was a bit of a bet, but if he was anything like the Merchant-
Asdrea: "Bwaha! Yeah, you’re interesting."
He grabbed a glass from the table.
Unlike the other Gods I had seen, he felt genuine.
Considering his position, I started thinking that maybe I was wrong about this place.
Maybe I was reading too much into yet another idiot.
Asdrea: "All three of you had very interesting matches. But your power is the one I’m most interested in. It felt like summoning, but it didn’t use any mana. Or any of your Divinity and Demonic Power."
It wasn’t much of a surprise that he had watched our arena fights.
The thin screens around us already reflected that.
Asdrea: "Perhaps it was teleportation? If you want to, I can give you some tips. As fate would have it, my oldest friend so happens to be the best at it."
A friend who could go anywhere and anytime, unbound by space and time, huh.
I happened to have a friend like that, too.
Miwen: "Yeah? Seems like a cool guy. I’d love to be introduced-"
His smile grew, but before I could finish, the candles were extinguished.
A moment later, a scream pierced through the darkness.
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