Sychia frowned as she observed the mortals in the nearby settlement. As someone who was orphaned from a young age and had personally experienced starvation, Sychia could not help but feel pity towards the mortals of this Secret Realm.
If this were the Mortal Realm, she would have not hesitated to send resources to the settlements they traveled past; however, her current circumstances did not allow for such a luxury. Nevertheless, as a Thousand Blossom Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Sychia could not ignore those in need.
Even she was not so foolish as to believe that she was a hero who could help everyone. However, at the very least, Sychia did not want to ignore those right before her eyes.
“It may take a few minutes, but if I can collect some nearby food and water, I should be able to help them. If the pillars or anyone else wants to find fault, then they can do so with me.” Sychia stated.
Izroth inwardly shook his head after he listened to Sychia’s words.
‘This girl is too kindhearted. Her master’s situation is not good, yet she still has time to worry about others who are complete strangers to her. I could somewhat understand if it was the Mortal Realm, but this place is not one that she calls home.’
Izroth did not believe that it was a bad thing to be kind in one’s heart. But, naturally, it had its drawbacks. For one, such a person was typically easily taken advantage of by others. There was also a good chance that they would be betrayed by those who answered to their kindness to further their own goals.
Most likely, Sychia had been shielded by her master from the darker side of humanity throughout her life. Unfortunately, this was a double-edged sword. No harm or cruelty would befall Sychia, but it would cause her view of the world to become warped.
Still, the fact that she was able to see through Luxia’s plan and sped through the portal into the Secret Realm—in this regard, Izroth knew that Sychia was not completely hopeless.
Perhaps a part of her already understood that the world was not a kind place. But, if she accepted that, the brightness of the world she envisioned would become dimmed.
“If you wish to help them, I will not attempt to stop you. However, will you stay and take responsibility for them after doing so?” Astratis said solemnly.
“This… It would not be possible.” Sychia replied with a troubled expression.
Sychia was prepared to turn any anger or fault towards her; however, she could not stay in this Secret Realm and take responsibility for them.
For the first time since she was taken in by her master, Sychia had to choose between her values or her own selfish desire, which was to save her master.
Though what surprised Sychia and caused her to feel somewhat frustrated was not how difficult the choice was, but rather how quickly she decided with little to no struggle.
As soon as Sychia was reminded of the last look on her master’s face before she secretly snuck off to the Secret Realm, it was only a brief moment, but a single thought crossed her mind—”If my values would have me forsake my master, then it is my values that must be forsaken.”
In that moment, Sychia was willing to throw away the values that she placed such a high importance on if it meant her master had a chance to survive.
“Since you are not prepared to go that far, then I suggest you give up. It is not that I wish to waste your resolve—just that I feel that it is misplaced. If you want to truly change their circumstances, then there is only one way. We must remove the pillars from this world. If we don’t solve the core problem, these mortals will only end up in the same situation tomorrow.” Astratis explained calmly.
“…I understand. I was too simple in my method and ignored other aspects. It is as you say. As long as the core problem still remains, ultimately, nothing will change. In order to give everyone an opportunity to survive, I cannot allow my resolve to be taken away by only looking at what is in front of me.” Sychia stated.
…
Izroth noticed a shift in Sychia’s mindset as they continued along their journey. Even as they passed by the human settlements, she kept her gaze set forward.
It was not that she disregarded her values. Instead, Sychia came to terms with everything—including the priority she had to place on each matter at hand.
‘This is a good experience for her. If she is able to grow from this lesson, it will benefit her in the long run.’
As this thought ran through Izroth’s mind, Astratis’ voice sounded.
“We are here. Everyone, no matter what happens, you must remember to stick to the plan.” Astratis reminded.
At the same time, Izroth received an alert from the system.
〈System Alert: You have entered the «Celestial Battlegrounds».〉
‘This is the Celestial Battlegrounds? It’s different from what I imagined.’
The Celestial Battlegrounds were split into four separate regions. The first region at the bottom right of the Celestial Battlegrounds was where Izroth and the others were currently located.
The scenery was not that different from the grasslands; however, the trees here were more abundant. Though it was not quite at the level of a forest, calling it a grassland at this point would be a stretch.
Though it was not all grasslands. At some point, the grasslands cut off and a field of snow came into view.
That’s because the top right region was a completely different landscape. It was a slightly mountainous landscape filled with snow. But, where things got strange was that the top left region located next to it was a land of blazing infernos and volcanos.
As for the land on the bottom left, calling it land would not be accurate. Instead, it was a sea with numerous small man-made islands.
‘Such drastic changes in landscape within a confined area… It reminds me of the Sky Palace.’
Back when Izroth participated in the second team’s selection on the Sky Palace, there were four separate regions. Each region had its own unique elemental aspect. In addition, Izroth and the participants were constantly shifted around by a grand teleportation array, having to constantly survive on their toes in a harsh environment.
Izroth extended his Energy Vision Sense to full range and immediately scanned the surroundings.
“There are more than two hundred lifeforms up ahead. They appear to be gathering something. They have not noticed our presence.” Izroth said calmly as he deactivated his Energy Vision Sense.
Maintaining his Energy Vision Sense at max range for too long would consume too much essence; therefore, he only used it to briefly scout the area.
“What nonsense are you saying? There are no such enemies ahead.” One of the celestials spoke up as he stepped forward.
It was a young man with forest green hair that stopped halfway down his back and aureolin color eyes. On his back was a sleek longbow and a quiver filled with arrows encompassed in Ethos.
This young man was called Tox and he was in charge of keeping tabs on their surroundings during the journey. He possessed a special ability that allowed him to see things that were hundreds of meters away—three hundred, to be exact. Yet, he had not seen one lifeform, let alone the two hundred that Izroth mentioned. How could he let Astratis be fooled by an outsider on his watch?
Astratis frowned and said, “What is going on? Are their enemies or not?”
With his own power, naturally, Astratis had a way of knowing this answer. However, if he used his power here, there was a high possibility that the Heaven’s Son Ourami would immediately detect his presence in the Celestial Battlegrounds. Once that happened, they would lose the element of surprise and the difficulty of their plans would increase severalfold.
“I know that you helped the Son of Thunder in his time of need, but there is no need to ring false alarms in an attempt to further gain his favor,” Tox said with a displeased expression.
He then turned to Astratis and continued, “The Son of Thunder knows about my ability, Expanded Gaze. When it comes to detecting people, at least among this group, I am certain that I have no equal. I can guarantee that there are no signs of life within 300 meters of our current position.”
Tox spoke firmly as he glanced over at Izroth. From the beginning, it bothered him that someone dared to cling onto the Son of Thunder’s leg. They even had the audacity to bring a mortal with them on such a serious mission! Tox wanted to see what kind of excuse they would come up with.
“I see. 300 meters…” Izroth said as he released a small sigh.
“If you understand, then apologize for wasting our time-“
“I think you’ve misunderstood something. 300 meters—isn’t it too short of a distance to claim that you have no equal?”
