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After a dignified conversation with the goblins, I learned about the nearby Temple of the Sun God.

As I proceeded further, I did indeed come across what appeared to be a temple.

Though it was all destroyed and engulfed in flames.

The halo symbolizing the Sun God lay half-broken, buried in mud, and the roof, perhaps in reverence to the setting sun, sported a beautiful gradient of orange and white—now collapsed.

Spearheads were embedded in the heads of the Sun’s priests, and prisoners shook in terror.

And in real time, looting and arson unfolded before my eyes.

Who did all this, you ask?

It was the Forces of the God of War, whose emblem consisted of crossed spears and swords.

“I’m gonna lose it.”

Unlike the authoritative yet relatively friendly temple of the Sun God, the temple of the God of War was nothing but a pack of rabid dogs.

Can you believe they picked a fight with anyone who seemed strong enough, regardless of race or faith?

That’s not the type of group that survived until the end of the War of the Gods for no reason. The God of War himself is powerful, but each of his followers is a hero in their own right.

They were assigned to the Seventh Floor of the Labyrinth, but given the Curse of Madness, their overall specs were probably a bit lower.

Most were at the level of the Sixth Floor. Occasionally, you might encounter someone with the strength of the Seventh Floor, so it wasn’t impossible to handle them, but…

The problem is that these guys are an army.

Usually, when you’re on the Seventh Floor, the top adventurers on the front lines can match a Sword Master or a Grand Mage in raw strength.

And the Forces of the God of War? Their squad leaders are basically Sword Masters or Grand Mages.

When it comes to Apostles of the God of War, you’d find it hard to find a worthy opponent among mere mortals.

Their only weakness might be that they’re all inherently positive about everything on the battlefield, making them vulnerable to madness.

It’s a historical fact that war drives people insane, as you know and so do I.

Yet the God of Madness, who could drive them all insane, remains unharmed.

“*Sigh.*”

I maintained my stealth and carefully observed the Forces of the God of War carrying out their plundering. But no solutions were forthcoming.

Only sighs escaped my lips.

Watching the line of male prisoners being dragged away, I realized any rash approach could land me in the same predicament.

But I couldn’t just do nothing. I only knew that this place was during the peak of the War of the Gods, but I didn’t know anything about the current situation.

Wandering aimlessly might lead me to a dead end or make me encounter even more dangerous foes.

As I pondered, I heard a faint gasping sound coming from the cracks in the collapsed rocks.

A sound so small that I might have missed it if I hadn’t been heightened by the powers of the Labyrinth.

Staying hidden, I made my way toward the sound, where I found a mysterious woman murmuring to herself, her abdomen pierced by a large hole.

With striking golden hair and features so beautifully sculpted, it was hard to miss. Pale skin and elongated ears gave her an ethereal appearance.

I couldn’t get a good look, given the hole in her belly, but she was definitely wearing something similar to the traditional elven garb that Eve favored.

For some reason, an elf had become embroiled in the battle between the Sun God and the God of War and was dying.

As I got closer, I could start to hear her murmuring against the crumbled wall. It was a kind of prayer.

“O Mother World Tree, please have mercy on this young soul that cannot close its eyes. Let me become a single breeze that brushes your leaves…”

“Oh, that might be a bit difficult, you know?”

“…!”

She jumped at my unexpected interjection, rolling her eyes around, trying to locate the source.

But it seemed she couldn’t find me while I was still hidden, so she fixed her gaze straight ahead and continued.

“Are you the servant of war, the harbinger of that cruel one?”

“It’s true that the God of War and his followers appear cruel, but strictly speaking, it’s war itself that is brutal. Had people upheld their humanity during war, many things would have changed.”

“Since you speak as if the will of the God of War doesn’t rest with him, you’re apparently not his servant. Then…”

“I’m not a follower of the Sun God either. Just a moment.”

I dropped my concealment and crouched in front of her. Her eyes, which had been dim, widened slightly in disbelief.

“Pink hair… are you perhaps a disciple of the Goddess of Love? How could one who never participates in any war find themselves in a front line like this?”

“I got lost. And now I’m looking for someone to guide me.”

With a cheerful smile, I began to channel my Divine Power. While maintaining quiet steps to avoid detection by the Followers of the God of War, I cast a healing Sacred Magic.

I had to manage my Divine Power carefully so as not to attract their attention, but… perhaps due to its high purity, it healed the wound much quicker than I anticipated.

I didn’t explain why I prioritized healing first.

Elves are a gentle race, as long as you don’t invade their territory or insult the World Tree.

Seeing this peaceful species venture out in such turbulent times likely indicates they are wandering or have some significant duty.

In either case, she probably has some knowledge of the terrain and the general situation of the War of the Gods.

And I am someone who is essentially loved by elves. Why? Because…

“This much Divine Power… a High Priest. Or perhaps even someone greater? Yet I sense the fragrance of the Mother… why is that?”

“It’s a long story, but let’s just say I’m well-loved by a number of gods.”

In the distant future, it would be brushed aside if I were to use powers from other deities, but in a world slowly on the verge of destruction due to divine wars, the source of one’s powers carries weight.

Thus, I could do nothing but say this. If I just later avoid the World Tree or her Apostles, I should be fine.

As the injuries on the elf healed almost instantly, she began to vacantly regard her now smooth belly and me, going back and forth in confusion.

“For now, let’s get out of here. We can discuss the details afterward.”

The Transparent Cloak works for one person, so it was impossible to conceal both of us at the same time.

But what if I added the muffler I received from the God of Thieves to it?

I should be able to manage with one person, at least.

***

I successfully escaped with the elf.

As I sat on the back of one of the relatively large trees growing sporadically along the road, catching my breath, I heard a bewildered voice next to me.

“With the Divine Power of the Goddess of Love, emanating the scent of the Mother, not to mention handling the legacies left by the God of Knights and the God of Magic so adeptly, and now even using the relic of the God of Thieves… who exactly are you?”

“I’m Jonah. And what about you, miss?”

“…I’m Olive.”

Olive, speaking slightly hesitantly as if unsure whether to be cautious or relaxed about me, was a name that somehow sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before?

As I pondered, Olive urgently added, “I’m also a branch much closer to the World Tree.”

“Oh! A High Elf?”

High Elf Olive. Once I put those two together, I recalled where I had heard the name: a mentor who had guided Eve during her childhood.

She was said to have been born a queen but had not learned her royal duties, thus teaching Eve a great many things.

Was it true that such a person was on the verge of meeting her demise there, and I had just saved her by chance?

No. That couldn’t be.

Because I saved Olive, she could become Eve’s teacher.

With a good teacher, Eve could gather and lead the confused elves who had lost their deity, resulting in our meeting after a long millennium.

This wasn’t mere coincidence or butterfly effect; it was an inevitability, a destiny.

At that moment, I finally began to grasp the unfolding situation.

This wasn’t some virtual world designed for trials. It was genuinely a thousand years ago, and I wasn’t merely possessed by an unfinished novel; there was a reason I was drawn back a thousand years.

If the Pan Continent was indeed the world from my story, that made even more sense. That was exactly how I would have written it.

I felt a strange sensation of seeing larger forces coming into alignment.

I had been thrown back into the past for a purpose.

After all, the reason I was sent back might very well be…

Before I could dive deeper into those thoughts, Olive continued in a graceful voice.

“First of all, I sincerely thank you for saving my life. I had a mission I must fulfill, so I couldn’t afford to die in such a place.”

“A mission? What kind of mission… oh, if it’s confidential, you don’t have to tell me.”

“… It’s confidential, but I think it’s okay to tell you. Given how strong your Divine Power is, you might have more favor than I do, being a High Elf.”

Nodding, Olive continued to explain.

The World Tree and the Sun God had sought to form an alliance beyond mere non-aggression pacts, and Olive was acting as an envoy in that.

“Well, I’d advise against doing that.”

“Excuse me? Why?”

“Well, the Sun God will soon be devoured by the God of Gluttony, you see.”

“???”

Olive looked taken aback by my sudden, prophetic proclamation.

Well, since things had turned out this way, it wouldn’t matter if I shared various bits of information with Olive.

If my existence were meant to be inevitable, then everything I said or did would resonate throughout history, for better or worse.

“Right now, the World Tree is nurturing a flower to prepare for some future event, isn’t she?”

“How do you…!”

Because a being created to become a disciple, like Eve, has to prepare from long ago.

If the elves, who had held strong until now, were suddenly seeking an alliance, it would be to buy time until that flower bloomed, allowing Eve to be born from within.

Well, even with all that effort, Eve would be born immediately after the War of the Gods concluded.

Had Eve been born a bit earlier, she would have become the vanguard instead of simply the leader of the elves.

Nodding, I said seriously.

“Make sure to tell the World Tree that she needs to make her bosom larger.”

“…Huh?”

“She needs to be bigger, you know?”

Eve’s cup size is a critical issue.

 

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