by Yuu Tanaka
Umm, the leftover EP I had is completely gone.
“Only because you’ve made such a mess of things. It was the least I could do to restore balance. You’re coming out ahead in this transaction. Trust me.”
Sorry about that.
No use looking a gift horse in the mouth. Complaining would only irritate her. With a satisfied nod, the goddess floated upwards, becoming more transparent with every inch.
“Oh,” she said. “One more thing. I have allowed you to tell the world about the conditions of Evolution. We had planned for this, as long as one Black Cat managed to evolve. Even if the methods were slightly crooked.”
The goddess was fading fast. I shouted a question before she could go.
Tell me! What am I? You said I was your vassal. Do you know of my origins?
I couldn’t help myself. She was the first person I’d met who had a chance of knowing my identity. The goddess looked thoughtful.
“You see…it’s not my place to tell you who you are. But I’ll give you a clue. Find the Godsmith in the Beastman Nation.”
There’s a Godsmith there?
I remembered Old Garrus, the one who made Fran’s Black Cat set, saying that the whereabouts of the Godsmiths was a mystery. Had the Beast King managed to kidnap him? Heading there would be a difficult journey. It was enemy territory, not to mention on a different continent. Endangering Fran for my own purposes was the last thing I wanted to do.
“You never know until you ask. Even then you might come up empty.”
You don’t know what’s going to happen?
“Of course not. The gods are as much in the dark as you are.”
But you’re supposed to be gods. How can you not know the future…?
“Because we don’t. You mortals assume that because the gods are stronger, we have infinite power. We don’t, despite what humans say about the good and bad things that befall them.”
I’d met those people. Honestly, even I thought my encounter with Fran was something like fate.
“Would I really bother to appear before you to fix this problem if everything in the world happened the way the gods wanted?”
I guess not.
“Fate does not exist in this world; just an overlap in coincidences. You are responsible for the bad things that happen in your life, and you only have yourself to thank for the good things. That’s all it is.”
Which meant my encounter with Fran was one such chance encounter.
“Indeed. You and the Black Cat met by chance. You were also suited to each other by chance. But that you would cooperate with each other to this point… I daresay that is a miracle.”
I blushed at the goddess’ compliment.
“I have said too much. Know that the Goddess of Chaos expects a great deal from you both.”
I didn’t know how to feel about that.
“Ha ha ha. How indeed? In any case, you are free to search for or ignore the Godsmith. I recommend seeking him out. It would make for better entertainment.”
Wait!
“May you have a chaotic day.”
With that strange benediction, the goddess vanished into the abyss.
We still need to talk about the curse!
“Curse?” Fran asked. “What curse?”
Huh, I’m back… Some stuff happened just now…
Lumina approached Fran before I could answer. “You’ve…evolved…” She stared at Fran. Her eyes were red with happy tears.
“Thanks.”
“Even so…this is—” Lumina fell silent. She examined Fran from the tip of her ears to her fingernails. “No… did you…? You’re a Black Sky Tiger!”
I didn’t know what the big deal was, but the Black Sky Tiger was legendary among beastmen. Lumina herself was a mere Black Tiger. She gazed at Fran with respect. The Black Sky Tiger Evolution was definitely a bigger deal than I thought.
What are the requirements to turn into a Black Sky Tiger?
“Hm? It looks like I can tell you, now that Fran has evolved.” The goddess had made good on her word. “Thunder Magic, along with sufficient Agility and Magic.”
Fran met those criteria as long as she equipped me. Then again, Skill Sharing allowed my skills to be her skills, to the point that they could be used for special Evolution.
“I didn’t think you could fulfill these requirements, even with Teacher’s help. You might be the first Black Sky Tiger outside the royal family.”
Okay, that’s impressive.
“Indeed. It is a miracle that Fran managed to meet you.”
You know, the goddess said the same thing.
Lumina’s eyes went wide in shock. “The goddess said…? Did you meet her?!”
“What happened, Teacher?” Fran asked.
“Yes! What happened?”
I told them everything as Fran and Lumina crowded over me. Lumina’s excitement was palpable, but she didn’t look like she held any resentment for the goddess. I thought she would’ve hated the gods for cursing her tribe…but I suppose they brought the curse upon themselves.
Lumina scrunched up her face when I asked about that. “I am not without resentment…but the minds of the gods can see further than man’s.”
There were gods who were fundamentally different from humanity, such as the nature gods. The punishment these gods dealt was inevitably inhuman. I had heard similar tales back on Earth, and it was magnified here, where the gods were unambiguously real. Their vast minds were too much for humanity to grasp.
“More to the point,” said Lumina. “The Goddess of Chaos is among the more humane.”
She is?
“She was the one who took away the Evolution of the Black Cats and wiped the memory of their crime and their curse from the other races.”
I don’t see how that’s supposed to be merciful.
“But it is.”
While the other gods were calling for the extinction of the Black Cat tribe, the Goddess of Chaos insisted on the lighter punishment of removing Evolution. Harsh as her punishment was, it was better than being wiped out.
Why wasn’t that knowledge passed on to the current generation of Black Cats?
“Because of the Blue Cats and the new royal family. They destroyed the chronicles of our Evolution, enslaved the Black Cat tribe, and forbade anyone from talking about Black Cat Evolution. The knowledge of the conditions was never passed down, and the new generation eventually forgot that they could evolve at all.”
The gods might have instigated their divine punishment, but the reigning royal family and the Blue Cats made the situation worse.
That doesn’t change the fact that the gods were the one who punished you. Don’t you resent them for letting the Black Cats be enslaved?
Fran looked at the floor. “I didn’t know.”
This was the first time she had heard the reason her tribe could not evolve, and she was conflicted. The Black Cats were partly to blame for committing such a great sin, but it was understandable she might resent the gods for burdening her with a debt she hadn’t directly incurred.
Lumina shook her head. “It’s a miracle that the Black Cats were allowed to exist after unleashing the power of the Evil One. The gods sealed him away for a reason, and the Black Cats endangered all living things. Remember that it has only been five hundred years.”
The world could’ve ended five hundred years ago. To an elf, that was a short time.
“Besides, the usurpation and slavery of the Black Cats were only the fallout of our transgression. If our rulers had been kind and just, the other beast tribes would’ve come to our aid. I am ashamed that our children have to bear the burden of our sin…but I do not resent the gods for what they did.”
If anything, Lumina felt indebted to the Goddess of Chaos for preventing the extinction of her race.
I told Lumina and Fran about the rest of my conversation with the goddess, although Lumina already knew most of the information. I skipped the part where the goddess took away Awaken, and talke
d about Evolution instead.
We’ve beaten an A-Threat Fiend before, but…
Linford of Bulbola was at least an A-Threat, so why didn’t Fran evolve?
“Did you do it alone?”
“We had help from other adventurers.”
“There’s the problem. To break the curse, you must defeat an A-Threat Fiend entirely on your own.”
Fran needed to solo the thing. Lumina suddenly bowed her head.
“I apologize.”
“Hm?”
“I used to be an advisor to the royal family. I was dismissed after failing to convince the king to refrain from his crimes. I became an adventurer, came to this land, and eventually became a Dungeon Master.”
“But it’s not your fault.”
“We wouldn’t be in this situation if I had stopped them!”
Lumina had been carrying this burden for five hundred years. The Black Cat tribe might not be in such a sorry state if she had stopped them. She blamed herself more than she did the gods, which was why she put her life on the line to help Fran evolve. She enjoyed Fran’s company, but more than that, I think she was looking for a chance to atone.
“I put your life in grave danger…” She knew that the gods might have punished Fran for the things that she had done. She turned pale and bowed her head.
“It’s not your fault, Lumina.”
“I wasn’t thinking.” Her expression was grim. “I care not for my own destruction. But if anything were to happen to you, even death would be insufficient penance!”
“Lumina, please don’t die.” Fran looked at her with sorrowful eyes. She had almost lost Lumina once already.
“But it’s the least I can do to make up for the things I’ve done…”
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“But—”
“Just be there for me,” Fran said quietly.
She wrapped her arms around Lumina and hugged her. Lumina looked down on her with bewilderment, but eventually started stroking Fran’s back.
“Kiara said the same thing. You’re so much like her.”
“Hm.”
“And I haven’t changed at all in fifty years.”
They settled down in a sort of awkward silence. Fran wasn’t used to asking for affection, and Lumina didn’t know what to do, either. Exhaustion soon took over. Lumina collapsed into her chair and stretched.
How are you feeling, Lumina? Better?
The goddess said she had expended a large amount of energy. Did she go beyond her limits?
“I’ll recover. I used up all my reserves of energy as a Dungeon Master…but I’ll make do.” The Dungeon would be easier to complete now, but with Dias’ influence, she didn’t have to worry about getting accidentally exterminated. “I’m more worried about you. The skill the goddess gave you should allow you to conceal your Evolution, but still…”
What’s on your mind? The gods?
“I’m not as worried about divinity as I am about flesh and bone. Beastmen, in particular. The Beast King and the Blue Cats will target you if word of the Evolution requirements gets out.”
True. We couldn’t go announcing it willy-nilly. We needed to be careful. Maybe if we found someone with channels to the Black Cat tribe…
Is there a community of Black Cats anywhere?
“There should be some in the Beastman Nation, although they mostly live in ghettos…”
The Beastman Nation again. We should think about going there, especially in light of the Godsmith…but the Beast King was too dangerous to cross.
“You said there was a Godsmith there. Do you have any plans?”
No. It’s far too dangerous.
“But we might find out where you came from.”
Yeah, “might”. We don’t know for sure, and I’m not about to put your life in danger on a hunch.
“But!”
It’s all right. It’s not the only option available to us. There are other ways of getting word of the Black Cats’ Evolution requirements out there.
“Hm…”
I’d be lying if I said the decision didn’t come with its own regrets. Still, the Beastman Nation was far too dangerous.
Or at least, I’d thought it was back then.
Soon after the first round, we found that the Beast King wasn’t our enemy, after all. In fact, he was downright chummy with the Black Cats, and was in the process of breaking their chains.
Lumina broke down and cried when we told her that Kiara was alive and well. The guilt lifted from her shoulders and brought her to her knees. She pulled Fran into an embrace, burying her face in Fran’s shoulder to suppress her sobs, and cried until she was spent.
“I apologize. That was overwhelming.”
Good to see you’re taking it well.
“Thank you. That was the best news I’ve heard in five hundred years.”
Lumina smiled. She still bore the burden of the tribal curse, but at least her guilt about Kiara was absolved.
“This will make it easier for you to broadcast the Evolution requirements.”
“Hm.”
We had already told Aurel, and the old wolf said he would get the word out to the Black Cats through his beastman network. This continent was taken care of, at least.
“You can freely enter the Beastman Nation now.”
Yeah. The Beast King might know the whereabouts of the Godsmith. The legendary figure would be hard to ignore. He might be hiding out somewhere in that foreign land.
“You only have to win the third round to receive an audience with the king.”
“We got it. We’ll win and ask him everything about the Black Cat tribe and Kiara. I’ll ask for permission to enter the Beastman Nation while we’re at it.”
“May I ask you to send a gift to Kiara?”
“Sure.”
You didn’t need to ask.
Next stop: the Beastman Nation. We had the third round to win, but I was feeling optimistic. With Fran’s Evolution, we could take on Rigdith himself if push came to shove. The Class Skill Flashing Thunderclap was tremendously powerful. It was a risky move which ate at its user’s life and mana, but it would allow Fran to move at the speed of an A-Rank.
Black Lightning was a force to be reckoned with, too. It endowed Fran with penetrative abilities and struck everything in its wake as long as she kept her focus. The Thunder element easily ignored metal armor, and it was destructive enough that leather and shell wouldn’t be a problem, either. It had gravely injured a High Ogre with one strike.
“Our immediate goal is winning the third round.”
But our final goal is—
“Complete victory!”
Yeah! Let’s win and brag about it to Kiara!
“Hm!”
A quiet fire burned in Fran’s heart, fueled by a new resolve.
Chapter 6:
Insurmountable Wall
THE BEAST KING summoned Fran to the VIP room immediately after our match with Gaudartha. She could have refused, but he’d said the magic words: “Refreshments will be provided.” I wondered how he guessed Fran’s one weakness, but perhaps it was one all beastmen shared.
The beautiful room was located on the highest floor of the colosseum. The sofa looked expensive, and the carpets and curtains were glamorous, bordering on ostentatious. At the end of the room was a balcony overlooking the stadium.
“Hey. You made it.” The Beast King greeted her with a friendly welcome. Rosch was there, too, standing by his side.
“Hm. What’s up?”
“Well, I wanted to meet the legendary Black Sky Tiger in person. Never seen one before.”
Just as I thought. The beastmen we passed on our way here had stared silently at Fran. Now the Beast King was examining her. He raised his eyebrows.
“Yep, I can’t tell that you’ve evolved…I knew it wasn’t a distance thing.”
“I agree,” said Rosch. “She looks like a regular Black Cat.”
“But you saw it, didn’t you?�
�
“That I did.”
Rosch was right next to the Beast King, and he couldn’t distinguish any signs of Fran’s Evolution, either. Stealth Evolution was working its magic.
“Don’t suppose you could just tell us the trick?”
“Your Highness! Manners!”
“I mean, come on!”
The beastmen were completely in the dark about Fran’s Evolution. They probably felt like they were losing their minds. Telling them the whole story would be asking for trouble, and it wouldn’t hurt to keep a few secrets to ourselves.
Or so I thought.
“Sure, I don’t mind.”
Fran!
I have a plan. Fran was confident in the face of my panic.
Can you share your plan with me?
I got this.
Sure, but…
Don’t worry.
Well, if she insisted.
“On one condition.”
“Yeah? Shoot.”
“I’m looking for a Godsmith. Do you know where I can find one?”
I see. The Godsmith might be hidden by the royal family themselves. Rigdith wouldn’t give him up so easily, no matter how much he favored the Black Cats. Although, knowing him, he’d probably end up telling us anyway.
Teacher, Essence of Falsehood.
You got it.
This was how she planned to figure out the Godsmith’s whereabouts. We would find out something about him, whether the Beast King lied or told the truth.
“What do you think?” Rigdith asked Rosch.
“I…defer to Your Majesty’s wisdom on the matter.”
“Hey, no fair! Help me out here. Royce is gonna yell at me if I mess up.”
“I am a mere bodyguard.”
“If you were, you wouldn’t be calling me ‘muscle-head’ and ‘dumbass’ all the time!”
Rosch was the Beast King’s bodyguard, but he also felt like a glorified babysitter. His superior was Royce, who was taking part in the tournament today. Rigdith consulted him for a while before finally coming to a decision.
“Get over here.”
“Hm.”
The Beast King signaled for Fran to come closer. She leaned in, and Rigdith whispered into her cat ear. “There’s one in our kingdom.”
