TRUE ABILITY Chapter 58.5

(Note: Previous chapters are available on Europa's Website.)

Interlude 8 "Malphus"

Luxurious.

Indeed, that is the only word fitting to describe the room. On the table, there is a single candlestick with a blood-red candle. Every time the flame flickers softly, the various jewels adorned throughout the room emit mysterious lights, creating a fantastical atmosphere in the dimly lit space.

“….”

Paying no attention to the beautiful jewels, a man in black aristocratic attire sits in a chair, resting his cheek on his hand with his eyes closed, doing nothing in particular.

—Or so it seemed, but,

That man—Malphus, one of the Heroic Gods, was contemplating.

Malphus was an intelligent god. While inferior in terms of combat power compared to other gods, it was not an exaggeration to say that he excelled in intellect.

Filling his mind was the immense joy of confirming his assumptions, a slight unease, and the guiding principle he should follow.

【Stray Gods】

The moment their existence was confirmed, Malphus was immediately intrigued.

It happened almost simultaneously when he began to be called a “God” himself.

The birth of a new god. That fact alone was sufficient for Malphus to be interested.

Malphus was an intelligent god, but at the same time, he was a cautious one. Therefore, if possible, he had to nip the bud of unease.

—To prolong his own respite even a little.

“Well, this is rare… What brings you here today?”

Malphus said so on his own and opened his closed eyes. He then turned his gaze to the darkness on the other side of the table.

At that moment, the flame on the red candle flickered as if touched by the wind.

“Hey. Long time no see, Malphus. How have you been?

In the darkness, a slightly crimson twin-tail swayed. Sitting on the supposedly vacant chair, exuding an elegant aura, was the renowned beauty among the gods, the Heroic God Astaroth.

“Well, you know, I’m reasonably well. It’s been a while, Astaroth-sama. You seem unchanged.”

“Oh, come on, cut the formal talk. Aren’t we friends?”

Malphus awkwardly smiled in response. ‘Don’t kid around’, was his honest thought at the moment. Even among the gods referred to as supreme, there existed hierarchies. That has not changed since ancient times. This made him wonder how many beings could talk lightly to the goddess in front of him. Thinking of a few names among those scarce beings, Malphus halted his contemplation.

“…So, Astaroth-sama….”

“Hmm?”

“Anything you need from me?”

To Malphus’s question, Astaroth responded with a cheerful smile.

“Oh, come on~ You already know, don’t you?”

After saying so, as if teasing, Astaroth’s lightly opened gaze made Malphus stiffen.

It hit the mark. There was some premonition-like feeling. 

Malphus himself felt the need to contact Astaroth sooner or later. However, there was a miscalculation. He never imagined that Astaroth, of all beings, would willingly come to him so soon.

“You truly are something, aren’t you? Well, it’s been like that since old times, but could it be that you can foresee the future or something?”

“Not at all”, Malphus shook his head slightly. “I do not possess that kind of power.”

“But still, you’re amazing.”

Astaroth directed her gaze at Malphus. The tone of her voice. While it didn’t show on his face, there was undoubted admiration there. Malphus wasn’t oblivious to it. He wasn’t a character to take everything at face value, but it was certain that the tension he initially felt towards Astaroth had diminished.

“So, from when exactly?”

To that confident inquiry, Malphus promptly responded.

“From the beginning, I suppose.”

This time, even Astaroth couldn’t hide her surprise.

“From the beginning!? That’s a lie.”

“Unfortunately, it’s true. I don’t have lies to tell you.”

It was the truth.

—What are Stray Gods?

Malphus first confronted that question and now he has come as close as possible to an answer.

“In the first place, it’s difficult not to have questions.”

*Snap*

The sound of fingers snapping resonates in the room. In an instant, a bottle filled with liquid materializes in Malphus’s hand. Pouring the blood-like red drink into a glass, he places it in front of Astaroth and begins to speak quietly.

“We are gods. That means we are now at the pinnacle of omniscience and omnipotence, absolute beings. In this world, there are no beings that can stand on equal footing, let alone disturb us. So the question is who exactly are these existents called [Stray Gods] “

As if recalling his own questions up to now, with each word, Malphus’ excitement grew.

“Are they an existence created by our own kind?… probably not. I fail to see any need for us to pay a price to create these failures. It’s meaningless. We, who love ourselves and detest waste, would never engage in such a thing. Then, the possibility of a supernatural occurrence… No. Well, if I were to insist, this possibility would be the most understandable. But if that’s the case——”

Questions arising from doubts.
Joyous satisfaction of solving one’s questions.
Wrath emanating from an unacceptable possibility.
And — fear.

“Yes… No matter how you think about it, there’s only one answer. At least that’s the only one I can think of.”

Astaroth’s eyes light up at the sight of Malfas, who looks like a storyteller standing on a podium. There was a definite power behind his words that captivated even the easily bored Astaroth.

“And that is? What is the answer, Malphus?!”

Astaroth smiled innocently and happily, like a jester. Because she knew that she would not be able to contain her delight after hearing his next words.

“Our Crusade—it’s not over yet.”

“…….”

Astaroth hugged her body tightly as if to savor the words that were spoken to her quietly and succinctly, revealing an expression of ecstasy on her face.

“Even without me saying it, you must have already realized. Because of one fact. It provided answers to all the questions.”

“…The goddess, Athena, right?”

In response to Astaroth’s question, Malphus nodded slightly and smiled confidently. 

“It’s too good to be just a coincidence. Or should I say I expected as much? However, in any case, what I must do remains unchanged.”

“…Are you talking about the stray god hunt?”

“Calling it ‘hunt’ is a bit barbaric, don’t you think?” Saying so, Malphus stood up and turned his back to Astaroth.

“It’s simply research. To satiate my curiosity.”

“Hmm… But, are you sure it’s okay?”

“…….?”

Malphas, who had already thought the conversation was over, stopped his attempt to move forward in response to that question.

“If the name of the Stray God has become Athena, that means there’s a contractor, right? I don’t know where it started, but if this was planned out, it might not be so easy to deal with, don’t you think?”

“I’m not sure what prompted them to name her as such. But, in any case, there is no issue. They certainly did well for a human, but…”

Malphus directed his gaze towards Astaroth over his shoulder, carrying a smile that exuded absolute confidence.

“They are no threat to me.”

With these parting words, Malphus melted and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye. Astaroth’s small laughter echoed in the now-empty space.

“For a human…huh…”

Muttering to herself, Astaroth leaned deeply against the back of her chair as if contemplating something, picked up the glass from the tabletop, and raised it to the darkness where Malphus had disappeared.

“That’s unusually careless of you… You must be aware of it, right? The new mysterious god that has emerged, I mean.”

Astaroth gulped down the blood-red drink in one gulp, and then, with a hideous smile unbecoming of the goddess of beauty――

“Bye-bye, Malphus.”

She said, gently blowing out the candle.