“This feeling…” Sara looked around, as if sensing something, her expression serious.
“Lady Sara!”
“Master Shafney!”
“Master!”
“Your Highness!” After a few seconds, the demon executives in the Supreme Castle were also alerted, appearing one after another. The surrounding demons also rushed towards the plaza before the Supreme Castle, filling the area.
However, the Demon Lords ignored them.
“What happened, Airi?” Led by Sara, some restrained the almost berserk Lilith, while others questioned the agitated Airi.
“…Sorry,” Airi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, “Shien seems to have been taken away.”
These words made everyone’s expressions change.
“T-Taken away?” The demon executives were also shocked and stunned.
“Who!?” Kamina asked anxiously for the first time, “Who took him!?”
“Could it be him?” Shafney thought of the Half-Demon, anger appearing on her face as she gritted her teeth, “He’s courting death!”
The Demon Lords were shocked and enraged, all losing their composure because of Shien.
Even Kamina, who had been hostile towards him before.
Only Airi calmed down.
“No, it’s not him. That guy isn’t capable of silently taking my person away right under my nose,” she said coldly.
“Then who?” Lid asked in a deep voice, “Who could take Shien away without you and Lilith even noticing?”
Airi naturally couldn’t answer this question.
Until Sara, who had been pondering, looked up.
“I think I know who did it,” she said, her eyes flickering, “If it’s really as I suspect, then it would explain why Shien was summoned to this world as the Hero.”
“What?” The Demon Lords looked at Sara in surprise.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Sara shook her head, “Don’t worry, that Hero has heaven’s luck and Mother’s treasure on him, he definitely won’t die, and he might even return soon.”
She looked up at the full moon, her voice reaching everyone’s ears.
“Let’s wait and see.”
“——”
It was the familiar sensation of the world spinning, a dizziness that made Shien lose consciousness for a few seconds, like being tossed into unseen currents, drifting aimlessly.
Fortunately, the feeling was brief.
As his dizziness faded, Shien looked up and saw a familiar building.
It was the solemn and sacred temple, the same sight he saw when he first arrived in this world.
And in the center of the temple, that eternally beautiful figure stood, a helpless look on her face.
“So, my existence has been exposed,” the goddess, Nien, murmured, seemingly displeased.
Shien stared at her, speechless. It had been a long time since he last saw her.
“Don’t blame me,” Nien, as always, saw through his thoughts, her expression still helpless, “If I could, I wouldn’t have done this.”
Before this, Nien had been excitedly preparing to “learn” something and then “do” something with Shien. But then she suddenly disappeared without a trace, making Shien suspicious.
But Nien had to temporarily reduce contact with him.
“The God Race has started investigating the Hero summoning. Although Anima, the Goddess of Life, isn’t troublesome, she’s been patiently investigating. I have to monitor her, which already takes a lot of effort. And then, that troublesome Moon Demon also started investigating, without anyone noticing, and I was careless, it seems she discovered something. I had no choice but to completely disappear, not daring to show myself.”
Nien sighed repeatedly.
“Who would have thought that Moon Demon could actually investigate to this extent? Since that’s the case, even if I’m unwilling, I have to act.”
In other words, by bringing Shien here so abruptly, Nien had exposed her existence to Sara.
Her existence was no longer a secret.
Of course…
“Stop talking to yourself about things I don’t understand,” Shien protested, “At least explain the situation to me.”
Shien’s displeasure was obvious. No, it wasn’t just displeasure, but a mix of complex emotions, leading to frustration. Things had changed drastically since they last met. He had not only grown stronger, but also learned some secrets unknown to most, such as the true reason for the God Race’s birth: to cultivate Heroes; that the Human Race was created in the image of Heroes; the existence of an incomplete Demon Lord; and the story of the first Hero.
Perhaps sensing his thoughts, the helpless look on Nien’s face gradually disappeared, replaced by calmness and indifference, just like when Shien was first summoned, before his reincarnation, when he first met her.
“I know you have many questions,” Nien said calmly, “But if possible, I don’t want you to know too much.”
“Why?” Shien stared at her, “Are you playing the riddle game again?”
Nien’s deliberate concealment irritated him.
Nien sighed softly. “Don’t overthink it,” she murmured, “I’m not trying to hide it from you. It’s just that, for me, it’s not a topic I can casually talk about.”
“Not a topic you can casually talk about?” Shien was taken aback.
“Yes,” Nien said coldly and indifferently, “Just thinking about it makes me want to destroy everything. How can I casually talk about such a topic?”