Chapter 332: Twin Stars
--This Chapter is written in Maya’s POV--
All eyes turned to Miwen, mine included.
His disappearance was unlike anything I had ever seen, even from his Gift.
It was as if he had been erased from existence. I could almost feel him gone.
My chest felt unbearably heavy, and my heart wouldn’t stop racing.
But then, a second later, he returned.
Only... he wasn’t the same.
It was still my lovely little brother; I would never mistake that.
However, there was something else in him I couldn’t recognize.
It was a thin layer. So much so that I almost missed it.
I wanted to ask him about it. I wanted to make sure.
But seeing the panic in my eyes, a breath escaped him and, just like he’d always do, Miwen smiled gently.
He shook his head once, resigning himself to my desperate hug and brushing it off as if nothing had happened.
Even though I knew he was scared, too...
?????: "...Why?"
The woman kneeling beside the dead god stood up.
Even though the floor was completely dry, her steps made a squelching sound, as if she were walking on wet mud.
As she approached us, I noticed puddles formed beneath her feet, her sandals not even touching the tiles.
?????: "Why would you kill him!?"
She appeared before us in the blink of an eye, holding Miwen by the collar of his shirt.
Her eyes were watery, her voice failing.
She gritted her teeth, shaking my little brother with trembling hands.
Asdrea: "Azure, wait. I wasn’t finished talking with him yet."
His voice was heavy and stern, but for a brief moment, I saw him flash a slight smirk.
He grabbed the Goddesses’ wrists, pulling her away from Miwen, but his posture remained relaxed.
Azure: "I thought we weren’t supposed to play favorites?"
Asdrea narrowed his eyes at her words, but the woman answered in kind, going as far as to raise her head.
For a moment, the two stubbornly faced each other, creating a silent yet crushing tension.
????????: "...Regardless of circumstance, killing a god is an unforgivable crime. I’m sorry that you’ve taken a liking to this mortal, old friend, but you must uphold the rules."
A giant suddenly stood behind Asdrea.
His beard was as long as my forearm; the shadow he cast reached from one table to the other.
He was one of the few Gods in the hall who didn’t turn his eyes at Asdrea’s every word, and when he spoke, the King of the Gods himself turned to listen.
Miwen: "If you’re looking to execute someone, I’ve got a suggestion."
With an unamused smirk, Miwen pointed his thumb back at Erik.
Erik just adjusted his glasses, not even bothering to entertain him, but Miwen was intent.
Azure: "Admit your crimes already, mortal!"
Upon hearing her shout, Miwen’s grin grew wider.
It was an expression I knew well.
One that I shivered at seeing.
Miwen: "Don’t worry. I’ll take the fall for us."
He spoke clearly enough that everyone could hear him, wrapping an arm around Erik’s shoulder and knocking on his chest as if they were best buddies.
A second of silence passed, both Asdrea and the giant God behind him holding back their chuckles.
Even Azure briefly faced away.
Azure: "Asdrea! He confessed!"
She stepped hard on the floor, causing a splash to echo.
Miwen: "Oh, yeah. And I did it alone. This guy just planned it."
Erik pushed Miwen away, but the damage was already done.
The Gods now faced him with the same intensity they did Miwen.
Asdrea: "Ythyleon is right. If you’re truly behind Abdure’s death, I’ll execute you myself."
The pressure around him changed.
It was almost suffocating.
I knew it was just another senseless game for them, and Asdrea didn’t seem to care enough about it to execute Miwen, but at the same time...
He was having fun, and Miwen sensed an opportunity to get Erik killed.
That was a combination far too dangerous.
Maya: "...Catherine told us sixteen gods were participating in this Event. Is that correct?"
Hearing her name, Catherine stopped staring at nothing for a second.
Instead of protecting her Champions, she stayed quiet.
But Asdrea was kind enough to confirm my words, nodding silently.
Maya: "Then... Why can I only count fifteen?"
It wasn’t hard to discern Gods from Champions.
They were clad in white armor or dresses, all far too luxurious compared to what the mortals that surrounded them wore.
But even if that wasn’t the case, the numbers didn’t add up. There were at least eight missing Champions and, presumably, one God.
Azure: "...What does that have to do with anything?"
Ythyleon: "Lazo left early with his champions. Seems he-"
Upon the mention of the missing God’s name, Miwen’s sword turned into a woman.
Despite being unfocused, her eyes looked incredibly sharp.
She had an almost dazed expression and a chilling smile.
Cassandra: "Oh, is he feeling shy?~"
Even though she didn’t shout, there was an edge in her hoarse voice that cut through everyone else’s.
For a moment, Miwen narrowed his eyes at her, but she paid him no mind and even took a step toward Asdrea.
Cassandra: "Why don’t you tell me where he is? You see... I’m an old friend, and I’ve been dying to repay a favor~"
She licked the corner of her own lips, sending a chill running down my spine.
When I first met her in the Kingdom, I thought her unhingedness was funny and harmless, but...
I might’ve been mistaken.
I had never seen someone so focused before. It was as if her entire being existed for just one thing.
The way she talked, moved, and... existed... It all felt threatening.
Yhthyleon: "Why is it that the young ones always surround themselves with dangerous women?"
Asdrea: "You say that, but back in the day..."
Despite giving the tall god a friendly nudge with his elbow, the two weren’t treating the situation as leisurely as they made it seem.
It was much harder to notice than the brief smirks and held-back chuckles, but all four Gods had fixed their postures slightly.
They weren’t ready to attack at a moment’s notice, but that slight change made them able to react a fraction of a second faster.
Cassandra: "Hmm?~ I don’t think you’ve answered- Awwh~"
Before she could take another step forward, Miwen grabbed her by the hair, pulling Cassandra toward him.
The look in his eyes was one I had only seen him give to a select few. Something I’d never thought he’d show someone he loved.
I hadn’t raised Miwen to be a brute, but before I could scold him, he hit me with a "Wait and watch" look.
After whispering into Cassandra’s ears, her cries turned to moans, and she returned to her sword form.
Azure: "That was a mistake."
The Goddess stretched her hand, launching a beam so thin that it almost looked like a strand of water.
However, before her magic could reach Miwen, it got redirected.
Toward Asdrea.
He didn’t raise his hand, or even his guard, for that matter.
Azure seemed to pour more mana into her magic, dozens of strands colliding against Asdrea’s chest, and yet...
Nothing.
He didn’t even flinch.
Asdrea: "She was raising a point. I want to hear it to the very end."
He glanced my way and, acting as if nothing had happened, gestured for me to continue.
Maya: "...Well, if you’re going to accuse my brother simply because he wasn’t here during the murder, I think this God should also be a suspect."
Azure: "Hah! You’re kidding, right!? Not in a million years could Lazo kill Abdure."
Her hair swayed in a circular motion, as if caught in stormy winds.
However, her swirls began to come undone, water vortices appearing beside her.
Maya: "And yet, you think my brother could?"
Azure: "With foul play? Yes."
She picked the knife from Erik’s hand, and after cleaning the blood off with her magic, she stabbed her own hand.
The knife went through her skin, the blade showing on the other side as blood dripped out.
Miwen: "...Oh?"
Seeing that Abdure had another knife stuck in his back, Miwen decided to try it for himself.
He grabbed one of the knives on the table and threw it toward Erik.
However, Erik was too fast and dodged it by just moving his head slightly.
Erik: "...What are these things made of?"
Asdrea: "A special metal produced in our forges. It’s one of the few materials sharp enough to cut the meat of Divine Beasts... Or Divine Beings."
He looked at me with a teasing smile.
I didn’t mind apologizing for my assumption, but there was another, more pressing implication.
Maya: "That means anyone could’ve-"
Azure: "Not on my watch! Not even Lazo could get through me. Your brother was the only one unaccounted for."
Erik: "...So now you can see in the dark? What about her, then?"
He pointed toward the first corpse, the Champion with hands and fingers for hair.
However, Azure simply clicked her tongue.
Azure: "She was a mortal. I wasn’t paying attention to her-"
The lights flickered.
When they returned, there were more corpses.
This time, there were five corpses.
Four were Champions.
One was a God.
Miwen: "Maya. Can you handle it?"
He leaned in closer, whispering into my ear.
Maya: "Mnm."
As everyone’s attention returned to us, Miwen raised the card Asdrea had just given him.
Miwen: "See y’all soon."
His body faded from view.
But this time, everyone knew exactly where he’d gone off to, and Asdrea wasted no time giving the order for the guards outside the hall to find Miwen and bring him back.
Though he did insist on personally punishing Miwen for his crimes...
Maya: "If I can clear out my brother’s name... Will you-"
Asdrea: "Return him home? No. He’s still a participant in the Divine Event."
He sat in a chair, sharing a bottle with Ythyleon.
Asdrea: "But if you can discover who’s behind the murder of these Gods, I’ll give you a reward of your choosing."
Erik: "...Is that on the table for me, too?"
Asdrea: "It’s on the table for everyone. Gods included, of course."
His voice spread throughout the dining hall.
He wasn’t even hiding his amusement anymore.
I wanted to believe he wouldn’t hurt Miwen, but...
There was a chance Asdrea would lose interest in him if we didn’t perform well enough, and I wasn’t strong enough to stop the Gods the same way I could stop Erik.
Even though I hated making these senseless games more entertaining...
Taking care of my little brother would be my top priority.
So, it was time to investigate.
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