“Would you answer my questions, Erbau?” I kept looking at my protagonist, who was sleeping. She continues to be watched by Gina.

“Well, I’ll answer as best I can.” Erbau chuckled.

I took a breath. “You have servants, right? Like Anja? Where did you get them from?”

“It turns out that much information wasn’t transferred to you from the previous god of hopes, huh?” Erbau’s tone changed slightly. “Well, the answer to your question, we got it from the souls of the people who died in Levidna.”

“So, you got them from the goddess of death, huh?” I nod. “I didn’t get any servants from him. The reason is that it will upset the balance of nature.”

“Yes, the imbalance occurred because of the servant used by the previous god of hope. And the servant I’m referring to does that imbalance in Levidna.”

“Ah, my predecessors also sent servants to Levidna. And they were obtained from the goddess of death in this realm.” I made a guess. “However, the goddess of death no longer wants to send the souls to me anymore. I have to get a soul from another world, you know.”

“Another World?” Erbau was silent for a moment. “I see…. No wonder this woman named Elise behaved a little odd. Long ago, you were the only god who was blessed by Levi and Edna to be able to send servants to earth, to give hope to those who need it. As for what the servant did that is considered an imbalance, I honestly don’t know. Only the goddess of death Heila, Levi, and Edna know that.”

“I see…” I smirked a little, feeling the mystery in this game just getting more interesting._.

Erbau sighed. “As one who is considered a minor god, there’s a lot of information that I don’t know.”

“But, do you know the cause of death of my predecessor?” I glanced at the god.

“Perhaps you have heard this from Anja. Long ago, there was an entity that attacked the realm of gods.” Erbau continued his speech as soon as I nodded at him. “That entity was so powerful, and we were overwhelmed by it. It was then that we realized that we too could die. We’re called gods, but we’re not really mighty.”

“Don’t tell me I sacrificed myself or anything.” I’m joking because the atmosphere is too serious for me

“That’s what happened.” Erbau sighed again. “With your abilities, you granted the wishes of other gods to defeat that entity.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Easy as that?”

“No, it’s not easy at all.” Erbau’s tone turned more serious. “The proof is that your predecessor died from using all his divine energy.”

I looked back at the pond, watching Gina already in the sleeping bag. Honestly, I can’t imagine myself sacrificing myself like that.

“So, who exactly is that entity?” I asked again.

“We call him the unknowns.” Erbau hissed. “That’s because until now, we didn’t know who they were.”

I don’t know how to respond after hearing that information.

“Please, sir Erbau,” Anja whispered while covering her ears. “That information should not be heard by servants like me.”

“That’s because the other gods are afraid of the servants leaking sensitive things to the enemy. The law was only made after the arrival of the unknowns. The gods don’t believe the souls of the mortals will be loyal.” Erbau put a faint smile. “But I trust you, Anja.”

***

Elise came out of her room with heavy eyes. And in the hallway, she immediately met someone she didn’t expect.

“Good morning. Can you sleep with Gina’s loud snoring?” Dani asked while leaning against the wall. “That’s why I don’t want to share a room with her.”

Dani’s words made Elise confused. Or maybe because it was still morning and Elise had trouble sleeping last night, she had difficulty processing the information she got.

“Dani is a girl.” Gina jumped up and put her arm around Elise’s shoulders. “Because of her build and almost non-existent breasts, she is often mistaken for a man.”

“Shut up, skeleton body.” Dani mocked her colleague but didn’t sound serious.

“Come on, I’m already starving. We didn’t have dinner last night.” Gina rubbed her stomach.

Along with the other women, the three exited the building and walked down the dirt road. Several female guards were still staring at Elise, which made her feel uncomfortable.

“All of you, please gather at the village square, except for the guards who got the morning shift!” A man tapped two wooden sticks, which made a loud sound. “There is an announcement from Don Jorge!”

“Damn it!” Gina grumbled. “Why at a time like this!”

“Don’t complain too much, Gina,” Dani replied. “You just need to postpone your breakfast for a while.”

The guards changed course towards the workers’ village road. Several times, Elise saw small children running in the same direction. They laughed out loud.

“What will be announced, huh?” A male villager asked his partner, also walking towards the village square.

“He might announce another feast!” The partner laughed.

Since yesterday, Elise noticed that almost all the people in the village smiled so often. They also continued to greet the guards and thanked them for their protection.

“It feels so peaceful, doesn’t it?” Dani asked in a flat tone. “They all seem to have no burdens to live with. A very ideal village. No one is hungry, and the sick are well cared for.”

Yes, the village does look perfect, even though the clothes and houses of the people look so modest.

Gina chuckled. “Well, if only my hometown was like this.”

Elise felt that there was something strange about Gina’s way of speaking. However, because her social skills weren’t that great, Elise didn’t ask any further.

By the time the three women arrived at the village square, a large crowd had already gathered. Whispers were heard here and there, and they didn’t indicate anything good. Those who came looked worried.

“We climb this tree to see more clearly,” Dani suggested while pointing to a large tree. Without asking for approval, she threw a rope that immediately entangled one of the large branches. Then, she uses the rope as a tool to climb. Her movement is so fast, like a ninja.

“Eh?” Gina grumbled. “No, thanks.”

Elise climbed the tree at Raymund’s orders, using Dani’s rope. Since Elise didn’t have Dani’s technique, the female warrior climbed up at a much slower pace.

“Thanks.” Elise caught Dani’s hand. Dani then helped Elise up the branch.

“Well, the show is about to start,” Dani said while looking at that open area.

Three people are tied to wooden stakes in the middle of that vast vacant lot. They were all writhing like animals about to be slaughtered.