Shien agreed.
Although he didn’t know what Nien was thinking, nor her true origins, why even the Divine Race didn’t know of her existence as a goddess, and why she didn’t want the other goddesses to know about her, Shien still trusted Nien more than Anima.
Therefore, Shien agreed without much hesitation, making Nien smile with satisfaction.
Indeed, as a goddess with the same appearance as Omniis and comparable beauty to Lucy, the most beautiful human, her smile was truly captivating.
However, the words she said as Shien was leaving made him curious.
“I’ve almost finished learning, and I’ve also found the perfect method of seduction. Just you wait and see. I won’t fall behind anyone, and I definitely won’t be surpassed by your little princess.”
After saying these words, Nien sent Shien away.
Shien naturally didn’t know what these words meant.
When the day came that he understood, he would realize that the greatest enjoyment in life lay in this.
…
The flashback ended.
Looking at Anima, who still seemed to be staring intently at him, Shien faced her calmly.
He didn’t need to feel guilty.
Because this was originally his own business, and whether the Divine Race cared or not didn’t really matter to him.
Therefore, even lying in front of the Goddess of Life didn’t burden Shien’s conscience in the slightest.
The only thing he was slightly concerned about was that more and more people now knew his identity, and these people were all important figures who could decide the course of their respective races.
Anima, needless to say, as one of the Three Goddesses, a pinnacle of the Divine Race, was already preparing to investigate the Hero Summoning.
And according to Nien, Sara was also investigating the Hero Summoning, hoping to understand why a Hero would appear again after a thousand years.
They knew very well that this was a huge hidden danger.
If the world found out, the resulting turmoil would be terrifying.
“Phew…”
Anima, whether she had seen through Shien’s lie or not, exhaled after a while and looked at Airi.
“Since you already know about Mr. Shien, does that mean the Demon Race’s high-ranking officials also know about the Hero’s appearance?”
Anima’s expression was still serious.
Airi, on the other hand, still looked indifferent.
“If the Demon Race’s high-ranking officials knew, do you think the three realms would still be so peaceful?” Airi said calmly, nibbling on a dessert. “If they knew, they would definitely suspect that your Divine Race restarted the Hero Summoning Ritual, intending to use the Hero’s power against the Demon Race.” Ra₦ՕbΕŠ
“But the Divine Race doesn’t know about this.” Anima frowned. “Since even I don’t know about the Hero’s appearance, it means that no one in the Divine Race knows that the Hero Summoning was restarted. This has nothing to do with us.”
“Does that matter?” Airi retorted. “You claim to be innocent, but do we have to believe you?”
“…I know it’s hard to believe.” Anima was silent for a moment, then sighed. “But there are indeed many mysteries surrounding this. I hope the Demon Race can give us some time to investigate this matter clearly.”
Anima was worried that the Demon Race would become wary of the Divine Race because of this, turn against them, or even start a war.
She knew very well that for the Demon Race, the Hero was an extremely sensitive existence.
Because their power, which they were so proud of, was enough to overwhelm the Divine Race, but it was completely countered by the Hero’s Holy Sword.
Even Lilith’s power, as an evil god, was countered by the Holy Sword, let alone the Demon Race.
Therefore, the Hero and the Divine Race were two completely different kinds of threats.
The Divine Race was just a past enemy.
But the Hero was undoubtedly their natural enemy.
The words “natural enemy” were very sensitive and easily triggered excessive fear and vigilance.
Omniis, the Supreme God, created the Hero Summoning Ritual precisely because the Demon King, Claudis, was her natural enemy. Although she was an omnipotent goddess, indifferent to everything, she couldn’t ignore the Demon King’s existence and even personally intervened a thousand years ago, joining forces with the Hero to fight against the Demon King.
After defeating the Demon King, losing her natural enemy and the only threat to her, Omniis immediately reverted to her indifferent attitude, falling into a deep sleep that lasted for a thousand years and hadn’t ended yet.
The Demon Race’s natural enemy was the Hero.
Heroes of all generations had posed countless threats to the Demon Race, causing them immense losses. Even the Demon King had fallen to the Hero’s Holy Sword. It was evident how vigilant and hostile the Demon Race was towards Heroes.
Even Airi had killed two Heroes without hesitation in the past. If it weren’t for the fact that after the war, the Dragon Demon had realized that violence couldn’t solve everything, and that what people truly desired was peace, her bloodlust would have greatly decreased. If it were the past Airi, upon seeing Shien, the Hero, she would probably be the first to attack, sparing no effort to kill him on the spot.
Therefore, if the Demon Race knew about the Hero’s appearance, they would definitely be enraged and turn their hostility towards the Divine Race.
At that time, even another war breaking out wasn’t impossible.
To prevent things from getting worse, Anima had to quell the potential for conflict.
Of course…
“You should discuss this matter with my sisters.” Airi said, as if she wasn’t interested. “My other sisters don’t know about the Hero’s existence yet, but Sara already knows. With her personality, she will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly.”
“Then…” Airi looked at Anima and smiled. “If it wasn’t your Divine Race’s doing, there’s still room for maneuver. But if it’s confirmed that you’re scheming something, things might not be so easy to resolve.”
These words made the atmosphere heavy.
Anima’s expression was also serious because she knew that Airi was telling the truth.