A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

Chapter 488: An Unconventional “Vacation.”

“Specifically, we’ve talked about your next [The Light] milestone, the one granting you an improved solar core,” Tasianna continued after unveiling that bomb of a suggestion. “Goddess Aurena hadn’t specified exactly how she would improve it yet, only that it would be improved. Seeing as your solar core is your second heart, we’ve been pondering if we could somewhat alter it before your next evolution. It would be similar to Miss Saori ingesting your blood, or my quest to acquire a suitable catalyst to alter my mana body.”

[“I have checked your family tree,”] Mom stated. [“Including your current half-siblings, every Kargryxmor spawn had been born with the attributes of a fire dragon, usually overwhelming their non-Kargryxmor parent’s bloodline. Yet, every single one had manifested their second bloodline eventually.You may thank the dutiful dragonewts for writing everything down, especially for Eltharion’s siblings.”]

[“Didn’t it show up for me, though?”] I argued. [“I am a fire dragon with the Nordor dragon’s silver dust ability, manifested in the form of explosive scale-dust. My tail and horns even resemble yours. I am, however, very weak to water and ice, which you even stated saddened you.”]

[“Don’t you have the option to buy [Water Magic], though, your highness?”] Shay brought up, causing me to flinch.

Right, I forgot about that.

Mom nodded. [“I am still not overly familiar with the SP system since I am not your retainer, but from what I have heard, the skills you are allowed to buy depend on your affinity to them. The price is also affected by your affinity, correct?”]

Mom was too prideful to become my retainer. Even if she were to feign it, the System wouldn’t be able to be fooled. She saw herself not only as my mother, but also as one of the most powerful beings in the world. Why should she bow to anybody but her emperor?

“That has been the case for me!” Tasianna agreed. “I could buy both [Ice Magic] and [Cryokinesis] before I leveled water and wind magic up to level ten. Not only that, but they were far cheaper than any other skills.”

We then turned to Vifi, seeing as she “recently” became my retainer. To be honest, I was the most curious since I didn’t know how the SP system worked post level 150. How much SP would she get for a level?

“I’ve leveled up five times in the one year I’ve been here,” she said. “First, [Hestia’s Retainer] is absolutely crazy of a buff—faster leveling and better skill acquisition is a warrior’s dream. Second, the skill point gain is abysmal compared to the lower levels apparently. It’s 250 SP per level, right now.”

She only has 1250 SP? … That’s the amount I remember getting when I was a rank E.

She continued, “I can buy all of the elemental magics, but it would cost me 3000 SP. So, while I can buy them, it’s just a giant waste essentially.”

[“That’s my conundrum. I just rechecked and [Dark Magic] costs 3000 for me, while [Water Magic] is 2100,”] I stated after opening my SP shop.

“That means you have a better affinity for it. It does mean that you’ll have to work twice as hard to level it up, though,” Vifi added. “Let me guess. You’ve gotten your general combat kit figured out, so adding more won’t help? Same applies to me. I don’t need more elements to kill people, my voltaic lightning is enough. If it isn’t, then I’ll rely on my physical training.”

I nodded, agreeing. Which was why I was questioning the idea behind this plan.

[“I don’t really need another power set. I am plenty satisfied with my current repertoire, and wouldn’t it be better to improve on them? Everybody has seen what I can do with my current spells and skills, and I’ll only get better with them as I use them more,”] I argued, yet everybody wasn’t nearly as convinced as I thought they would be.

Tasianna frowned, shaking her head. “This isn’t about whether you would grow in power or not, Lady Hestia, this is about making you a legitimate candidate to the title of the Dragon Ruler of Ice. It is about gaining the authoritative power that comes with your Nordor bloodline, allowing you to be accepted by the ice dragons in a way other than brute force. My lady, I personally wish you didn’t have to risk your health with that tedious bout against Lord Alextraxus’s son.”

[“Brother and I agree, my lady,”] Beth chimed in. [“Unless necessary, true dragonkin must prove their prowess against themselves without the help of us lesser dragonkin.”]

[“If they could accept you as something other than just a ‘fire dragon,’ it would ease your attempts to make allies inside Frozen Nest,”] Shay added. [“Regardless, it wouldn’t hurt to attempt this method, no? Maybe in the process, we could completely eliminate your weakness to water and ice. That alone should be worth it.”]

I couldn’t disagree. [True Draconic Barrier] improved on [Draconic’s Barrier] defensive power to the point even attacks from a sin heir couldn’t fully penetrate it, making me far tankier than my less-than-ideal vitality would allow. Sadly, that wasn’t the case for water or ice, as proven in my fight against Rhekk.

Ice elemental attacks couldn’t be fully reduced, and unless I dealt with this issue, I would always be in danger when facing the myriad of ice monsters on this continent or fighting against a leviathan in the sea. It hadn’t been a problem up until now, since I rarely faced my natural enemies in mainland Altrust, but the situation had turned around for me.

Speaking of the milestone, how is my current fan counter? No notification for it appeared when I woke up.

Total followers of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 47897

… After searching through my memories, my previous number was 48480. Meaning, I had lost 583 fans during my sleep, unless I somehow gained a few fans despite being in a coma. In over a year’s time, I lost about 583 people … It actually stung.

It wasn’t that I didn’t expect it. Among my fans, a ton of them were adventurers, nobles, and soldiers. Accidents during battle could easily snuff out a life and this wasn’t even including unfortunate situations reaping the lives of normal citizens. Thousands of people die every month even back on Earth, so why should it be surprising in this world where monsters and brigands were just natural parts of life?

I should be happy I didn’t lose more, yet, I couldn’t bring myself to be glad. Being unable to see the System message inform me of their deaths made me feel like such a bad idol. My fans, those who loved my music or saw me as their savior, hadn’t heard from me in over a year and, during my “break,” some of them died.

I was a fan myself of so many different musicians, bands, and idol groups and every time any of them went on a hiatus, I always worried if they were okay. Idol groups in particular were pulled through the wringer like disposable assets by their agencies and, as an aspiring idol, I could sympathize with them.

What if one of my favorite artists had died during their hiatus? What did my fans feel when their lives flashed before thier eyes as they met their end? These morbid thoughts floated through my head and Hikari couldn’t stop me from thinking about them. She was tormented by the same fears and sorrows. I could only give them a small, silent prayer.

[“I need a little over two thousand more followers to reach the next milestone. Would it be possible to plan a concert in any of the dragonewt cities?”] I asked.

[“Are you not intending to pull the true dragonkin to your side, your highness?”] Beth asked, but Mom shook her head.

[“Through her singing and dancing? That is reserved for mating calls with us dragons,”] Mom stated with a frown. [“Besides, I do not think your human singing would please them as much as you think. Unless they married into or appreciative of humanoid society, like your uncle and I, most dragons do not see the appeal of the ‘shrieking of the little people.’”]

I raised an eyebrow. [“Then what do you mean about singing?”]

[“Throat singing.”] Mom raised her head up to gurgle, performing an example of dragon throat singing as she grumbled words out in a deep, rumbling manner. The sound bounced off the walls, creating an echo that almost sounded like a harmony. [“I have had no practice in it, so you are better off asking a dragonewt throat singer.”]

It wouldn’t hurt, that was for sure. I had heard about it when Midirn, that Loatryxian representative during the Aureolis raid, showed it to me, calling it a motivational speech in a style I would like. As in, music.

[“Nevertheless, worry about it afterwards. I heard from Tasianna about the Pantheon of Light. The penalty should be over, no?”] Mom said before pointing at our mansion. [“I managed to acquire a statue dedicated to Aurena from the dragonewts and placed it in our basement. You should ask Aurena about the details of your next milestone. If our plan isn’t possible, we’ll think of something else then.”]

A plan was a plan, I guess.

In any case, after our feast was over and, with it, this discussion, Mom stated she wanted to take a bath, leaving the rest of us some time until dinner to do whatever we wanted. Hearing that was more surprising than I thought, as I had thought this feast was our dinner, but it turns out it was just a bit past lunchtime. I guess I didn’t really pay attention to the sky when we were having that heavy talk mid-flight.

I already feel tired enough to go back to sleep … Nevertheless, I decided to endure it to maintain my circadian cycle and followed everybody into our mansion.

[Humanize (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Although our mansion did look quite spacious, it actually didn’t have many rooms inside. It had five bedrooms in total on the second floor, perfect for our six household members, with the twins sharing one room. Each of the rooms had a bathroom, giving us plenty of privacy, with modern manatech to keep everything comfortable with little maintenance. Even if something broke, we always could call some dragonewt artificer to fix them for us.

The ground floor was where our living / dining room was, which was the largest, and then a kitchen and storage room right next to it; otherwise, nothing else was here. Which left us with the basement where my training room was.

Tasianna stated, since I couldn’t leave Miononbolax, not even the subspace, Mom specifically had this room crafted to my taste. A roomy area to dance and sing in, a small section of a corner where a lonesome instrument stood, and also a small prayer room with Aurena to make it look authentic. There was even a resting area with a bed, for when I just wanted to fall asleep after a hard day of work.

Heading over to the instrument section and to pick the lonely instrument up—a geigler—I began to stroke the brown, Altrust wood it was made from. The Peolyncian violin was well-made, clearly made identical to the one I usually used, only that my name was engraved on this one. “Hestia,” it said. As it was finely chiseled into the wood, it wasn’t distracting and only noticeable from up-close. Perfect.

I picked up the bow and played a tune on it, warming my fingers up before I began tapping my tail on the ground to help me follow the beat. Once I was ready, I took a deep breath and sharpened my mind as I played the solo violinist part of Amadeus Mozart’s violin concerto No. 3.

Split into three parts, this piece of music was an absolute mood uplifter as it entraps you in a fantasy between two lovers walking together inside a city. The violin was like a silky whisper, tickling your ears like a tease, wanting you to listen to more of it. Sadly, without the accompanying instruments, my rendition was only a shadow of the original.

‘I got this, no problem.’

Which Hikari simply could not accept. Without the flutes, the horns, the oboes, and the other violins, the “conversation” between the lovers couldn’t be emulated! It was like the catharsis without the build up; the game OST without a proper boss fight; the peanut butter and jelly without the bread!

Ah, it only became a performance when Hikari used [Aerokinesis] to simulate my orchestra. As I played the violin, leading the piece, Hikari would echo my playing by building me up to create this story-like flow! From the fast and energetic allegro in the beginning as we sprinted through the wonderfulness of life filled with both joy and drama—the spice—as if nothing in life could stop these two lovers.

Yet, when the second part came in, played in adagio, you could really tell the first part was simply the wonder of youth. The story told the growth of these two adolescents too in love to care about the rest of the world, but the slightly lower pace of the second phase told the drama and hardship of their marriage, forcing the two to set aside their childish love to embrace the nuances of having another person share their life with you.

It was a clash of emotions but also the best chance for the virtuoso to add a cadenza! My own interpretation between these two lovebirds and how they faced their trials. I saw hope here, and that led me into the finale. Far shorter than the rest, I led the song through the end of their life and how they faced both the results of their parenthood but also their fear of death. The looming threat of being seperated for a moment made the piece cooling, but this wasn’t a tragic song, it was about life. The surreal but wonderful travel through life.

As I finished my performance, I curtsied and bowed, prompting Tasianna and the twins to clap, celebrating my play. I couldn’t help but smile as I confirmed the long sleep didn’t diminish my skills. Almost made me feel like playing more, honestly, but I could do it later.

“Lady Hestia, there is another reason why we should visit Loatryx,” Tasianna said. “The luthier responsible for this geigler actually lives there. If you wish, we could use our time here to prepare for your ‘piano?’”

I gave her a thumbs up and agreed to the plan, thinking it would be fun to actually buy some instruments. From the looks of it, this place really was mine to decorate however I wanted. It felt too sparse, and maybe splurging some money now that I was on a “vacation” could be fun. I should really use my shopping time with Mom well, and do as much as possible.

As I was thinking and planning on how to make this place more homely, Tasianna suddenly pulled out her [Room] runes and opened a portal. I flinched, asking her what she was doing.

“I have work, my lady.”

“Work?” I raised an eyebrow before the sound of numerous people streamed out of the portal. Unable to hold back my curiosity, I rushed over, only for Vifi to step in between.

“You know you can’t,” she said. “However, nobody said you can’t watch, right? Twins, we’ll be counting on you to stop this little girl here. I’ll be at the training field; say hello to the rock, don’t forget.”

My eyes widened as she walked inside, followed by Shay and Beth standing guard in front of the portal, reminding me I couldn’t leave Miononbolax yet, not even through a subspace. Despite knowing the situation, this still felt so unfair. Why exactly was my dragon father forcing such a stupid rule on me?

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‘... Hey, Hestia, shouldn’t you have mentioned me during our discussion?’ Hikari stopped my line of thought. ‘I know it probably didn’t have a place in the discussion, but the whole fact we can switch places probably should be explained to them. At this point, only Vifi knows.’

Ah, good point. Sorry, I forgot about it with all the heavy talk. Let’s start with—

“Lady Hestia!”

I jerked as I suddenly heard somebody shout my name, yet the most surprising thing about it was that it wasn’t Tasianna or the twins, no, it was somebody I knew but that shouldn’t be in Frozen Nest. It was then that my eyes saw what was behind the portal—a large tavern filled to the brim with people eating and drinking.

The rustic wooden floor and walls gave the place such a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere that it made me almost want to jump inside myself. Yet, I stopped myself not ‘cause of some stupid rule but due to a woman in a maid dress dashing toward me. Somebody I was quite familiar with.

“Svena!” I shouted, recognizing my second maid.

The chestnut-haired human woman stopped right in front of the portal with teary eyes and a reddened face. She showed me a bright smile before bowing deeply, as if she had been bottling this up for a year.

“I hope you have had a brilliant sleep, my lady. Good afternoon, ehe.” She pressed her hand on her mouth, unable to stop herself from sniffing. “You’ve grown so much, my lady. You’ve grown even more beautiful.”

It was the same reaction Tasianna showed me, yet the sentiment still made me feel emotional. And she wasn’t the last.

“Lady Hestia!” A human and katzune dashed towards me as well, before a young, silver-haired dragonewt girl followed along them,

Lorena, Haati, and Priscilla, my little cousin that I didn’t know how much (and didn’t care) was removed. Her silver-glistening scales on her tail and arms were proof of her Nordor heritage, and I couldn’t be happier to see her in this form.

Svena’s brown hair, Lorena’s dark green locks, Haati’s dark brown fur, Priscilla’s snow-white ponytail fluttering around, and, ha, as if I could even forget Tasianna’s blue twin braids. These girls were my team of “servants,” a term I only loosely used, as I preferred to call them my employees.

To me, it hadn’t felt like more than a few weeks since the Aureolis raid, but to all of them I was gone for an entire year. I couldn’t imagine what all of them would feel if Tasianna hadn’t expressed herself, yet I had to deal with it four more times? Ha, how cruel but I deserved it for falling into a coma. Hearing their voices again was enough to placate me.

“Hestia? Champion Hestia?”

However, these four weren’t the only ones who wanted to reunite. Numerous customers inside our tavern began to notice me through the portal, with some of them even recognizing me. They charged forward, eyes filled with wonder while others burst in laughter.

“Hey, where have you been, eh, lass? Heard the damn story over and over from the priests about what you did in Aureolis. Nice work kicking that demonkin out!”

“Your employees kept saying you were okay, but couldn’t appear for some reason. I thought something worse happened, but from the look of it, you really just went back home to your dragon house or somethin’ like that? Rested well, I hope?”

“My lady, probably a bad time to ask, but when is your next performance? My little sister had been waiting dreadfully long for your next!”

People were crowding so much around the portal that they forced Tasianna’s hand, pushing everybody to the side with her ice magic. With a stern voice, she ordered everybody to go back to their seats, but the look of their faces told me they were awaiting something for me.

“Hehe, my lady, I think they are waiting for you to play your music,” Svena giggled.

Lorena agreed. “Your music is part of the tavern, after all! They still want it even after a whole year of you being gone!”

“Oh, but don’t push yourself!” Haati interjected. “Didn’t you just wake up? Did you eat yet? Priscilla, let’s get something for her!”

“O-oh, no, no, it’s okay. I just had a huge feast where—” Yet, before I could end my sentence, Priscilla jumped up and crossed her arms. Just like me, she had grown quite a bit during the one year and she’d turn into quite a respectable young lady.

“No can do, cousin! You had your turn to celebrate with your Mom and Tasianna, but now it’s time for us to do the same! I’ve leveled up my cooking skills when you were gone, so you just have to taste it! Tamae and Saori taught me a ton, not to mention the chefs from House Helvas and Aureolis, so you must try some!” Priscilla declared. “Tasianna, serve them for her, please! We can’t do it.”

“Before you do that, take care of the customers!” Tasianna complained with a chuckle, before she turned back to face me, her eyes widening as she looked at me. “My lady, did you get something in your eyes? Why are you crying?”

Huh? I touched my face, noticing a stream of water flowing down nonstop. Pinching my damp fingers, I had to ask myself the same question. What was causing this?

I missed out on a whole year with my friends. How much do I have to catch up? How much have they all done? Yet, none of them have forgotten about me.

Cleaning up my face, I rushed over to grab my geigler before dashing back in front of my portals. I smiled and placed the bow on my instrument, causing the entire tavern to explode in cheers, crying out for me to do my best.

Your wish is my command!

And I played and sang. It didn't matter which song came to mind, I would play all of them to the excitement of the people inside, finally granting me a moment of bliss that I hadn’t felt since I fell into hibernation. It felt better than hearing that all my friends were doing well, it felt better than flying on Mom’s back and head, it felt better than knowing Hikari was forever with me now.

Sadly, all of the people listening were already my fans, but that was okay for my comeback. I was happy to deliver them music, and that was enough to please me before I was forced to take a break and eat Priscilla’s meal.

As I did so, Svena took this time to explain that this was Tasianna’s daily routine. She would wake up to take care of my sleeping body, cook and clean the mansion, before entering the tavern at around afternoon time for us. Due to the time difference, it was in the middle of the evening for western Altrust.

“Our eatery has completely transformed into a ‘wandering eatery’ as the adventuring members of Aurora travel around and share the entrance,” she explained. “Especially Tatsuya, Kyouya, Tamae, and the others, they’ve been visiting dungeon cities and towns to train, so they’ve been able to garner us plenty of customers.”

“Then why couldn’t I make any fans today?” I asked.

“That is because the ‘wandering eatery’ is only open in Firwood, Griffonpeak, Gleisvale, Elyonda, and Inkoran-Tazul at all times, my lady. If our adventurers haven’t opened their portals, we usually only receive our usuals. After all, the eatery is only open for those Aurora accepts, right?”

I nodded, thanking her for the explanation before finishing my meal. After I was done, I decided to look through the different rooms inside my subspace if I could meet anybody else. Since I was the owner of [Room], doing something like this was easy even from outside the subspace, yet, it sadly yielded no results. The subspace was practically empty.

Fortunately, there was one place that wasn’t and it was where Vifi was training. I didn’t disturb her as she drilled her movements and attacks, I turned to the multiple farm fields away from where she was training, impressed at how large they had become since I last saw it. Tasianna was always our financial backbone with her garden, and she had expanded it to the point it looked more like a farm.

… I’m never ‘hibernating’ again. Weeks? Sure, I need to rest after a tough battle. A month? That’s stretching it. A year? No. Absolutely not. No, no.

If I reached rank S, I would have infinite time in my lifespan, as confirmed by Mom. I would be immortal as long as I kept my physical and spiritual bodies intact, yet that wouldn’t be the case for some of my friends. Ellaine, Gimnir, and Vifi were susceptible to old age, and this wasn’t even mentioning my employees, Saori’s students, or even the many “outsider” friends I’ve made in Altrust.

Saori, Tasianna, and my monster allies could probably remain with me forever, but what then? I was only three years old, but the sound of living for only 100 years sounded so … little. I just hibernated for a single year, but as a dragon I was supposed to do this more often and longer? I couldn’t accept this.

Yet, “haste makes waste,” and I knew that perfectly. It made me wonder how Mom handled the fact she had all the time in the world but still had to hurry to become a rank SS. Maybe it would be better to ask Tasianna about it? The blessing, or perhaps curse, of immortality.

I shook these thoughts away as it felt more harmful to think about, and instead, I turned to a small rock creature slowly walking up to me. Gravy, my little dungeon “core,” was strutting over to me. I smiled as its form hadn’t changed one bit since I went to sleep, in fact, it couldn’t even speak to tell me how much it “missed me.” I wanted to pat him so much for not having missed me, but stopped and checked the mana it had accumulated, only to be astounded by how much it had.

Mana: 104789

I let out a small giggle as the dungeon core had more total mana than I did, but then again, it couldn’t do anything with all this mana unless I, its dungeon master, used it. I had to find some time to get some helpers to help realize my dungeon fantasy, but that could wait for next time.

For now, I had to speak with Aurena.

I turned away from the subspace to the Aurena statue Mom spoke about and kneeled down in a praying manner. Thinking only about her, I waited for a moment before I opened my eyes again, this time not to the white wooden walls of my mansion but to a clear expanse. Everything around me was white with not a speck of shadow, even on the cloudy ground I was standing on.

“Hestia.” A woman’s voice tickled my ears, causing me to compare them to the way Mom just did when we had our fun.

I turned around with a small smile and bowed. “Goddess Aurena, it’s good to see you again. It’s been too long, no?”

“Without a doubt, my Champion. Sit.” Once I followed her into her aristocratic, white-gold room, I sat down at her tea table as the angel-winged goddess produced a full tea cup for me. “I know you have much to ask and talk, but first, I would like to congratulate and thank you for a Quest well done. Once again, you have my gratitude.”

I showed her a thumbs up, before noticing that my red soul had also grown to fit my new dragonewt form. “Well, it’s not like I’m done yet, right? The restructuring is happening right now, but I recently heard something about the eastern Church of Aurena.”

“Don’t be like that. Bask in your success for a moment! There is always time for the rest, and it isn’t like you can act on those rumors now that your parents have grounded you,” she said, causing me to groan. “However, yes, your Divine Quest to restructure my religion is still on-going due to Folschreck causing a religious schism. Still, by defeating the Prince of Envy and allowing Fleindia to take up the mantle as my religion’s leader, you allowed a change to happen. The rot infecting the very foundation is now slowly disappearing.”

“I’m glad to hear that … not the part about the Folschreckians and demonkin sabotaging my opportunity to, you know, visit my Earthen parents. Haaa … but it isn’t like I would accept it even if they hadn’t.” I let out a deep sigh before straightening my back. “You’ve seen me make a demonkin into an ally, correct?”

“Of course.”

“Do you have a problem with Vifi?”

“None at all. How you solve the issue of your Quest is your right as a blessed. As I said, I do feel disgruntled about how the demonkin despises me, but they are still mortals. I am not petty enough to prevent you from granting them salvation; in fact, you helping them integrate into Peolynca might fix this issue permanently,” she stated with a wide smile. “As such, do not be bothered. In fact, ignore any of my subordinate gods if they express their displeasure on the matter. They have no right to interfere in your actions, nor do I wish for them to manipulate their blessed to question you. Do as you will.”

“Thank you, then you should also know that I cannot just stop even if I fix the situation in the Empire. I will also tackle Bole’Taria, and remedy the relationship between the demonkin and humans. Only then would I feel like I held up my part of the bargain, as I kept my promises. Please amend my Divine Quest.”

“Putting more work on yourself? I’ll allow it, but do be careful, though. This diplomatic path will be harder than simply fixing my religion’s issues. Yet, I will entrust you with it.” Aurena then brought up her administrative window. “As I stated before you hibernated, I wanted to grant you a reward. I cannot grant you skills or levels, since only the subgoal was fulfilled, but I have something else. Do you remember [Providence’s Will]?”

I nodded. The catalyst was still in my [Storage Magic].

“Good. As you couldn’t usurp it, I have unlocked its function and made you its owner as your reward instead.”

“E-eh? Will Goddess Andira be okay with this? That catalyst only chooses the ones it deems worthy, no?”

“I’ve asked, do not worry. She too agreed the strongest holy elemental catalyst should be with our best chance to free the rest of the Pantheon of Light’s blessed from the demonkin’s grasp. Use it well. Its an ancient artifact from the time of the demon wars; a weapon able to wipe out armies in its owner’s stead. You are already stronger than your peers, so I wonder how much you can continue growing?” Aurena giggled. “My part is over. Now it is your turn. Ask, Hestia.”

My first question concerned the punishment Plesia placed on the Pantheon of Light due to Yeostar’s meddling during the Elyonda siege. Aurena explained that aside from the silence, nothing else was imposed on them as a group. Yeostar, though, received the brunt of the punishment since he was responsible and most of it was already known to me, so I left it at that.

As such, I changed the subject to what Tasianna and Mom just spoke about me about and asked Aurena about what would happen to my solar core. She thought about the answer, before giving me it.

“I had planned on fortifying your solar core and helping you walk further down the holy-fire evolution path, but if you wish to customize it yourself, then I wouldn’t have an issue. I can alter your milestone reward to allow your solar core to absorb an external catalyst,” she said. “However, do note, the original reward will allow you to reach even higher heights as a sunfang dragon. It will be your decision on how to proceed.”

“I’d prefer that, I’ll be honest. I’m at a point where branching out would probably hurt me more, but it isn’t like gaining new skills is a bad thing. However, I’ve already told Tasianna and Mom that I don’t want this power boost to be caused purely due to my birthright. I don’t care what they think about that. I want people to acknowledge me for my own worth. My actions and achievements, and not celebrate me just because my parents are important.”

Aurena chuckled. “You still haven’t outgrown that part of your past self.”

“Speaking of which, where is Hikari? Shouldn’t she have come with me?”

“No, I didn’t allow her to come. The perks of having a split soul is that Hikari is currently in possession of your body and I also warned her about this. Do you know what this means?” Aurena smirked, causing me to flinch a bit. Did she always have this sneaky personality? “It means you aren’t completely reliant on each other. You truly are two individuals trapped in one body, and that allows you to be creative. Interesting, no?”

I wanted to ask her what she meant by this, but from the look of her eyes, she was telling me to figure it out myself. I should remember she usually hid her real personality from others through a serene and graceful mask. That sadistic side of hers, though, was a bit unnerving even if it made me trust her more.

Which honestly felt like the perfect segue to my last question.

“Gel’Glariri,” I simply stated.

Aurena nodded. “Yes, he was the third god responsible for your reincarnation. As the Prince of Envy stated, he is an Edjurian god.”

“Couldn’t you have, you know, told me about him? I think this is pretty important information for me to know.”

“Do you want to guess when the information became relevant enough for me to tell you?” Aurena smiled, but I could see her face tense up, almost as if she was furious at the idea of remembering it. “Exactly when you were sent through that otherworldly portal by that little demonkin, Vifi. When you were sent to the Prince of Envy when he made a deal with Gel’Glariri to entrap your soul, when I made a counter-offer to force him to help me save you from the Edjurl gods coming to consume you. Yet, when I finally had the chance to tell you about him, Yeostar got us into a mess!”

… Ah, okay, that’s why she’s so angry.

“That shameless god forced me to accept his proposal, despite being the one responsible for it! He is, for your information, a space-time expert. He is superior to me when it comes to that particular magic, so I didn’t really have any choice since none of my seniors wanted to help me. ‘It’s a mortal issue,’ they said, despite the problem being caused by a god! The nerve!” Aurena pouted, looking like she wanted to say some choice words about somebody, but kept her tongue still. I guess she didn’t want to get in trouble with the concerning person. “… I apologize. I didn’t want to be so crude.”

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less. We women have to let loose sometimes.”

“Haha, such concern, but I am a goddess, dear. I should show you some courtesy as one. Ahem, now, I can’t tell you too much more, as I am treading on the thin line, right now.” Aurena became serious. “After what happened with God Yeostar, Goddess Plesia had become far stricter with what is allowed. Even Elder Marsven’s daughters have been forbidden from entering the mortal plane for the foreseeable future. You remember the skeleton hand, correct?”

I nodded.

“The whole ordeal actually led to an invasion by the Edjurian gods, forcing Elder Plesia and Marsven to return to our original world to stop them,” she said, causing me to feel a shiver run down my back. “Three Edjurian gods were slain by my elders, with two being absorbed by Elder Plesia and one by Elder Marsven. Unfortunately, when they returned, we learned that Elder Plesia was seriously harmed by another ‘ancient god.’ As such, she is currently resting.”

Aurena pressed a finger on her lips. “Do not even tell this to your closest allies, do you understand? This information cannot leak to her followers. The panic would only cause trouble. I am telling you this, as I want you to understand the situation for the future, but if you speak up about it, it will only make Elder Plesia question Goddess Crustacia and me. Keep quiet.”

I nodded.

“Good. Elder Plesia is currently extremely paranoid while she recovers, fearing that the Edjurl Gods might use this time to launch a full-scale invasion. I, too, agree, as one of the Princes of Sins currently is a staunch devout follower of theirs and considering Gel’Glariri’s actions, we cannot guess what he will do,”—Aurena let out a deep sigh—“This is all the information I have. I will not repeat myself. Beware of your cousin.”

I gulped as my heart sank. The fear I felt actually came true.

This information was supposed to inform me about Gel’Glariri, but why did she suddenly mention Franz? There had to be a connection between the two and it only made me more fearful.

“That is all we have time for. Use your time in Miononbolax well, Hestia. This is your chance to find a rank A evolution to become the threat I need you to be against the demonkin. Two more years. That is your time limit. Keep yourself safe and assure your campaign against the demonkin will succeed, and that nothing will inconvenience it.”

Shit … The succession crisis. I quickly understood the underlying tone of her warning. Was it really impossible for me to ignore my paternal family?

“I wish you luck, my Champion. Use [Providence’s Will] however you wish, as long as you become stronger with it. An artifact has no use if you cannot utilize it to the best of your abilities.”

With those last words, I left the divine realm. As my soul returned to my body, Hikari expressed her shock over how she had suddenly become the sole “resident” in my body.

‘I accidentally made a fool of myself when that happened, and I was forced to explain everything to Shay and Beth. Sorry.’

Don’t worry. I got worse problems than just that …

“Shay. Beth,” I called them over. “I need you to deliver a message to Saori. I need her or somebody to find and keep an eye on my human cousin, Franz.”

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