Chapter 25

Tempest had their invisible agents nearly everywhere, sprawling across the Western Nations like a fine-woven web. Luckily, his Goddess obscured their vision of him, making Yuuki's movements invisible to the enemy. With a casual stride, he approached one of Granbell's residences, located just outside the capital of Ingrassia, walking on a finely paved road. The stone plates were meticulously made, and on both sides of the road grew perfectly trimmed trees—no doubt taking an entire team of gardeners for upkeep around the year. The late summer wind was still warm enough to make it pleasant and cool without the chill of an autumn breeze. Yuuki carried his jacket over his shoulder, clad in white pants and a shirt.

'The Usurper's influence spreads. He is growing troublesomely powerful.' Ker commented as a shadowy creature owned by Nazarick moved past Yuuki, her presence a constant soothing companion for him. She walked beside him, invisible and intangible to the rest of the world. Her flowing visage was always a pleasant sight too.

'There isn't much I can do about it. Speaking of which, you still haven't revealed how we'll kill Momonga. I doubt Chronoa and Granbell will be enough.' Yuuki inquired.

'Patience. I am searching for peculiar souls that would be perfect foils for the Usurper and his ilk, these would make useful tools. Concentrate on what is now, don't speculate about the future,' Ker replied.

'I can multitask.'

'Yuuki, you know I am not just hiding things from you anymore. Trust me, I need to be discreet in case others are watching.'

'Fine. Let's go deal with the old fart. At least you could tell me what we are doing with the brat?' Yuuki relaxed. He had grown to trust, and in some sense, to even adore his Goddess, and they had agreed there would be no more duplicity between the two of them. It was hard for his arrogant side to accept that there were things he wasn't supposed to know for his own good until he was ready, but things changed in life. He had gone from an average Earth citizen to the owner of the largest international company in the world which he lost again. He could adapt.

'She is a poison for those who dabble in mortal affairs. Let our enemies have her. She will poison their wells even when trying to spite us.' Ker was very dismissive of the girl.

'Now that is devious.' Yuuki smirked. Mariabell was a problem and what better way to get rid of her than to make her think she was betraying him and Granbell for her own benefit? If Nazarick discovered her trickery, great, that was an economic powerhouse removed. If not, Nazarick would lose control over its economic sphere.

The girl was almost as smart as him, there was no doubt about it, but she was far too arrogant for her own good, comparable to Hinata, if not more. She let her skill take over and guide her actions instead of using it purely as a useful tool, letting it dominate instead of being the dominator. Greed was what made the world run, but unfortunately, Mariabell was already choking on her own ambitions and letting Tempest control her own company from within while thinking she was making progress. Even arrogance had its place.

'A shame really. Her soul, her very essence could have been so much more. Such waste,' Ker lamented.

'Don't tell me you feel sorry for the brat?' Yuuki couldn't help but be amused.

'It is always sad to see wasted potential. We gods best of all know that, having watched the rise and fall of empires. The Usurper could have been a powerful ally, but he chose to cut off my righteous prize, and justice needs to be exacted. I mourn for what could have been, I always do. To spill the blood of those who could have served does little to benefit me, only those who have wronged you. You are still young, you do not see things as they are,' Ker explained, her tone gently as if talking to a little child.

'Then why are we using Granbell as a sacrificial pawn? Wouldn't he serve you better as a long-term servant? The guy, despite everything, is competent and powerful.' Yuuki simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn from a person who knew more than him.

'Because he has worn his soul thin with his inability to let go. If he had let go of his love, he could have tutored Mariabell properly; both could have been so much more than they are now, a pair of powerful heroes to shake the world. He cannot be rebuilt and once he finds out the truth, and he will find out eventually, his soul will shatter for good. The grief ate away at his very being for far too long, and death should have claimed him a long time ago; alas, death is not yet fully present. That's why justice must be exacted before the Usurper becomes a god of death.'

'Wait, does that mean Momonga and Nazarick are a part of some sort of natural process happening?' There was something larger at play and Ker was still somewhat secretive about it with him. Yuuki knew she wasn't doing it out of malice or distrust, but merely thinking he wasn't ready to know of the larger reality and the divine theater of the Gods and beyond, but damn did it irritate him at times.

'Yes. The world you are in is incomplete and out of balance. The changes happening are the universe trying to set itself right, we are merely here to guide those changes if possible. Do not worry, should this world come to collapse, I will retrieve your soul. You are far too precious for me to lose,' Ker assured him.

'That's good to know,' Yuuki remarked. His instincts told him that Ker wasn't lying, not that he could do anything if she did.

He finally reached the mansion and walked right past the entrance guards, who were unaware of his presence and didn't even react when Yuuki opened the door. The house was as opulent as expected, even though Granbell rarely used it, another sign of how far the once noble and heroic man had fallen to waste his wealth on such needless luxury.

Granbell waited for him in the backyard, sitting by the table in a white gazebo surrounded by flower gardens with Mariabell by his side, both discussing recent updates on UTC actions and how monster influence was seeping into the western nations. The smell of the flowers and the lovely singing of the birds, specifically bred to sing all year around, cultivated a tranquil atmosphere, one he could appreciate.

"Ahh, Yuuki. You are finally here. Any progress on your end?" Granbell was first to notice and greet him, waving him over to take a seat.

"There's some news I think you'll be excited about." Yuuki joined the table, leaning back in the white wooden chair with a soft cushion and casually crossing his legs on the table.

"Do tell." Mariabell perked up. Lately, nothing had gone her way, and she was practically starved for a change of pace; she'd scrabble for anything at this point.

"I communed with the ancient Goddess I told you about before, and she taught me how to not only summon otherworlders in a controlled manner with her direct help but also how to call upon specific souls." Yuuki grinned, knowing what impact such information would have on Granbell.

"What Goddess? The one who let you summon those winged monsters? What do you even know about her?" Granbell asked.

"She is known as Ker, the Goddess of life force itself." Yuuki used a rather creative term to describe blood, which to a certain extent wasn't wrong.

"That sounds too good to be true. This Goddess you speak off, why are there no records of her?" Granbell was obviously skeptical.

"There are some records but they are sparse and appeared in ancient times, only buried in the most ancient of ruins, if at all. They had been present before Luminous and the Eastern Empire spread their religions, but times changed. You know, we can always just put it to the test so you can see with your own eyes that she is legitimate. We can even try to call your wife back," Yuuki offered.

"You are treading dangerous waters, boy," Granbell grumbled. Yuuki could tell that the siren's call to have his wife back was too strong for the old man.

"Indeed. Gods, real or not, are for fools to worship," Mariabell remarked. There was something about Yuuki she couldn't place her finger on, and she didn't like it one bit. He was too casual, careless even, despite arguably being the most wanted man in the world. Tempest, which was the most powerful political entity in the world at the moment, considered him the public enemy number one, and most nations nowadays were willing to bend over backward to accommodate their declarations to a certain extent.

"I would have agreed with you a while ago, but now I know better. If you don't want what I am offering, then we can do with what we have, us three and Chronoa… which leaves us against the majority of Tempest's elite. There is no way in hell we'll even catch Momonga without his bodyguard or his consorts." Yuuki stretched with an easygoing smile.

"You have a point. Very well." Granbell reluctantly agreed as the reanimated corpse of his long-deceased wife appeared in the gazebo with a slight shimmer. She looked no older than thirty with no visible signs of decay, looking just like she did on the day of her death, clad in loose black pants with a white shirt and a leather corset. At her belt hung a slim rapier.

It was the first time Yuuki truly saw and understood her and the similarities with Mariabell, who once was the actual Maria, were striking. It was like looking at the woman Mariabell would one day grow up to be if she lived that long. 'Despair and inability to let go are traps near impossible to escape. Let's start. The spirit of deceit is ready for her performance.'

Yuuki approached the expressionless woman, who was nothing more than a deceased puppet with no life or soul behind her empty eyes. 'You know one is truly lost when he satisfies his urges with a rotting puppet,' Ker commented.

'I didn't need that image in my head.' Yuuki dryly replied as he followed Ker's instructions projected directly into his mind as pure information, touching the walking corpse's forehead.

'Don't shy away from the actions of men. To understand them is to control them.'

'There are limits even for me.'

'Do not restrict yourself, my dear Yuuki. See the ugly side of what it is, a tool to use.'

'I guess you have a point there. I'll keep it in mind.'

"When I say, you will relinquish all control of her so the spirit can enter freely. Any interference could throw it off due to my limited capabilities," Yuuki stated to Granbell, a large magical circle appearing around him and the corpse of Maria.

"This better work." Granbell took a sharp breath, tensing up the moment Yuuki's fingers touched the top of Maria's head.

"It will. Now!" Yuuki ordered.

Granbell did as told and stopped puppeteering his wife's corpse, his presence increasing instantly as a large portion of power was held in Maria at all times. The magical circle grew brighter but his wife didn't fall. She staggered a bit and blinked, standing in place.

The old man froze, "Maria?"

Maria glanced down and inspected her hands, then touched her face, mumbling, "It…I am alive… I'm alive!" She exclaimed.

Yuuki took a step back, letting the spirit of deception do her job. The old man was clearly falling for the ruse, and how could he not? The crafty spirit has scoured the astral memories and learned Maria's behavior to the tee, imitating her perfectly.

"Maria, is that really you?"

"Gran…how long have I been gone? You look so…" Maria turned towards her husband, appearing confused.

"Far too long, my dear. Give me a minute." The return of Granbell's lifeforce was on full display, with the once old man de-aging before their eyes, his once-white locks regaining their golden color and the many wrinkles fading from the man's face.

"I wouldn't have minded your more… mature look." Maria approached Granbell and planted a kiss on his lips, putting her arms around his neck.

"I can't possibly feel old with you." He replied, returning the kiss in a heartfelt display of two lovers reuniting.

'It's time.' Ker, unbothered by the scene, called Yuuki to perform the next step.

"I hate to interrupt, but there is one more thing I must do," Yuuki informed them with a cough while giving Mariabell a glance, who stared at her great-grandparents with contempt.

"Can't it wait?" Granbell grumbled, breaking the kiss.

"I'm afraid we need to let this young man guide us. He is the one Ker has chosen. My return to you, my love, had a price, and we must pay it together." Maria turned towards Yuuki, who produced a pocket knife and cut his palm.

"What price?" Granbells expression darkened. He wouldn't let his wife be enslaved to some Goddess, legitimate or not.

"Rest assured, Hero, our goals align." The blood slowing from Yuuki's hand formed a bubble and then flew away from him, rapidly expanding. A mere moment later, a dark-haired woman with blood-red lips and snow-white skin materialized, her translucent form clad in a long flowing black dress with her shoulders bare, both elegant and seductive.

"You would be Ker I presume?" Granbell inquired.

"Correct. I will not mince words as my time in the material world is short. I want to exact justice upon Momonga and you will help me to eradicate him and his servants," Ker declared as she took flowing steps towards Mariabell.

"You want to destroy the monsters?" Granbell sought correction. It felt too convenient that the Goddess who gave him back his wife was after the same thing as he.

"Just Momonga and his servants. What denizens of the world do with the rest is not my business. Yuuki is my voice in this world; treat his word as mine, and we'll achieve our common goal," Ker stopped before Mariabell, who was glaring up at the Goddess. "Or get burnt to ashes by your ambition."

"I will work with Yuuki and work towards our common goal, but the boy better know not to push his own interests, Ker," Granbell warned her.

"He knows of my will and it is my will that drives him now. His rewards are for me to decide, not for him to take without regard. My time is done. We will speak again. For now, gather enough strength and stay in the shadows." Ker gave parting words and her visage popped like a bloodied bubble, leaving a small patch of blood on the white wooden floor of the gazebo that seemingly evaporated and went back into Yuuki.

"Don't worry, You are still in charge of the operation unless Goddess has specific plans which I, of course, will immediately tell," Yuuki assured him, nodding.

Mariabell watched the exchange in silence. There was nothing of value to input. Her situation had grown even more unfavorable and now her great-grandfather clearly wasn't looking to retire and the trade empire wouldn't be hers for a long, long time. If anything, this Ker seemed to be hostile to her for some reason, something she wouldn't accept hands-down.

For now, all she could do was keep a low profile and look out for opportunities. Greed was a mortal constant, it always prevailed when you harnessed it.

Editing by aidan_lo.

Proofreading by mfkz_rocker, aidan_lo, Omnax, fvvck, clagan, Alassandro, and IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO

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