Chapter 420: A Naive Plan

“Ah, um… I can…”

“Don’t be nervous, take your time.”

Seeing the young priestess tense up under everyone’s gaze, Raiden Mei poured her a cup of hot tea and spoke softly.

She was a woman with a gentle and elegant demeanor, her long hair neatly tied into a ponytail, giving her a clean and refined look. Her features were delicate, her figure graceful—clearly older than the Priestess.

With a soft smile as she held the tray, she exuded a sense of warmth and femininity. She must make a good wife, the Priestess thought.

“Oh… thank you.”

Feeling the warmth of the cup seep into her fingertips and inhaling the faint fragrance of the tea leaves, the Priestess felt her nerves ease slightly. She swallowed and continued.

“I follow the teachings of the Earth Mother. I grew up in the temple as an orphan and have never had contact with other religious orders…”

She paused at this point, her expression dimming slightly.

“Apologies, we didn’t mean to…”

“It’s alright…”

Shaking her head, she carefully chose her words before continuing to look at Kiana.

“At fifteen, I left the Earth Mother’s temple and chose to become an adventurer. So I only know what’s recorded in the scriptures about the Earth Mother—I may not have deep knowledge.”

For orphans raised in the temple, their fifteenth birthday marked adulthood, the moment they had to decide their future path.

They could remain in the temple to serve the gods, or they could leave and carve out a life in the secular world—whether as commoners, merchants, adventurers… the temple would not interfere.

The Priestess had chosen the latter, and to do so, she joined the Adventurers’ Guild. It was during her very first mission that she crossed paths with Goblin Slayer—by being saved.

“This is the myth passed down among the nuns. It is said that long, long ago, the gods of light, order, and fate waged an endless war against the gods of darkness, chaos, and chance over who would rule the world… The Earth Mother was a deity aligned with order.”

“Then one day, perhaps tens of thousands of years ago, or maybe just a few thousand, they decided to cease their battles and instead settle their disputes by rolling dice. At the same time, they established a covenant: they would no longer directly interfere with the mortal world.”

“And so, the gods continued rolling their dice, over and over, from ancient times to the present, without pause… In the process, they created various living beings and the worlds they inhabited, treating them as chess pieces and the board.”

“It is said that humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, lizardmen, as well as trolls, demons, and goblins—all were creations of the gods…”

The Priestess slowly recounted the myth as she had learned it.

“Transcendent beings…”

Hearing this, Kiana and Raiden Mei exchanged glances.

For the two of them, the so-called gods mentioned by the Priestess elicited no reverence whatsoever.

From their perspective, weren’t these so-called deities simply beings possessing extraordinary power, much like higher-tier Honkai Beasts and Herrschers?

And considering Selene’s personality—if this world had already been marked and cultivated by the Imperial Military, why hadn’t any of these gods made an appearance?

Was it because they disdained getting involved, or was there some other reason…?

“Miss Priestess, has the Earth Mother you worship bestowed any divine blessings in recent years? Can the nuns you mentioned still contact the Earth Mother?”

Kiana suddenly asked.

“Huh??”

The Priestess was momentarily stunned. Then, after a brief moment of thought, she muttered, “Now that I think about it… it really has been a long time…”

“Before I left the Earth Mother’s church, the high-ranking nuns in the temple had already mentioned that the Earth Mother had not responded for a long time. She no longer bestowed divine blessings, nor did she grant any new miracles for us to learn…”

Normally, though the gods could not directly interfere with worldly affairs, they could still bestow blessings upon their devoted followers.

In past years, it was common for believers of various deities to awaken powerful abilities from time to time. But in recent years, not only had divine blessings vanished from the Earth Mother’s church, but they had also disappeared entirely from the kingdom and other religious sects.

“Understood. In that case, we can act without restraint.”

Kiana’s sudden look of realization left the Priestess dumbfounded and at a loss.

Though they had no fear of these transcendent beings, given that they were operating in the ’home turf’ of these so-called gods, a degree of caution was warranted. After all, as the saying goes: “Despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically.”

The Priestess blinked in confusion. Uh… what exactly did you just understand?

The next moment—

“The Earth Mother you worship is probably dead.”

Kiana’s words were shocking.

Bang!

The Priestess suddenly stood up, gripping her tin staff tightly, gritting her teeth, her expression filled with anger.

“Apologize!”

“Apologize to the Earth Mother! Even if you don’t believe in her, Kiana, please don’t insult her!”

Even a clay figurine has a temper.

To the Priestess, the Earth Mother’s church had practically raised her. Every miracle she could use—Heal, Holy Light, Holy Barrier—had been granted by the Earth Mother.

Yet Kiana had just said the Earth Mother was dead.

The Priestess was so furious that, for a moment, she lost control of herself.

“Sit down.”

Goblin Slayer’s voice was cold and firm.

“But…”

“You can’t beat them.”

“Ugh…”

Frozen in place, clutching her tin staff in frustration, the Priestess didn’t know what to do.

Kiana let out a soft sigh and stood up.

“Apologies, I was too blunt.”

But in the very next instant, Kiana’s tone shifted.

“But it’s the truth. Other than being killed or imprisoned, I can’t think of another possibility. And between the two, the most likely outcome is that they have already been killed.”

On this point, Kiana had absolute confidence in her sister.

After learning what these ’gods’ had done, she doubted any of them had survived.

Before the Priestess could refute her, Kiana continued.

“In the past few years, have there been rumors about strange people or occurrences throughout the land?”

“No…”

The Priestess instinctively tried to answer but found herself unable to speak the next word.

Was it really no?

“Yes…”

If that were true, then could she still continue to believe in the Earth Mother in the face of this reality?

“Yes! I know about this…”

The High Elf Archer, who had been sitting with Goblin Slayer and held little regard for the Earth Mother, raised her hand.

“Though there aren’t many rumors here in the western frontier, in the kingdom’s central regions, reports of elite adventurers and knights disappearing along with their entire families have become frequent in recent years. Some say they were chosen by the gods and taken away.”

“Oh, oh, oh! And in our Forest Kingdom, many warriors who ventured into the border wilderness for training claimed they encountered giants… When they returned, they were completely out of it, like their souls had been drained.”

“Mm.”

Goblin Slayer nodded as well. He pointed at a goat skull hanging on the warehouse wall and said:

“Speaking of giants—about a year and a half ago, while traveling to the eastern mountains for a commission, I encountered a group of heavily armored warriors, each over 2.4 meters tall (Astartes recruits undergoing secondary development, not yet officially inducted or granted armor). By chance, I joined them in completing a mission to exterminate a demon that was controlling goblins.”

“Judging by their strength, they were at least of ’Silver’ rank. Strangely, after that, I never heard any news of them again. However, while in the northern frontier, I did learn from a traveling bard about another song of praise for a team of giant warriors.”

Creak—

At that moment, Fu Hua pushed open the warehouse door and stepped inside, her tone certain.

“Astartes.”

“Squad leader, are they all settled?”

Raiden Mei handed her a cup of hot tea and asked.

“Mm…”

Fu Hua gently ran her fingers over the cup’s surface, blew away the rising steam, and took a small sip before replying:

“So far, none of them have shown signs of self-harm. Durandal and Rita are standing watch outside, just in case.”

“The 5th Trial World… native elite selection, recruit training.”

Muttering to herself, Fu Hua shook her head.

“Kiana, do you have a plan?”

“It’s not fully developed yet. Ideally, I’d want the Empire to deploy troops and directly occupy this place… but as things stand, that won’t be possible anytime soon.”

Letting out a cold chuckle, Kiana’s gaze turned sharp.

“We’ll have to take matters into our own hands first.”

“Squad leader, I need Fenghuang Down… and a target. This time, I’ll need your help.”

So she was going to use Fenghuang Down…

Kiana was still too softhearted.

The Eighth Divine Key, Key of Sentience, Fenghuang Down— a relic capable of manipulating brain signals and governing the mind. It possessed three thousand feathers, each capable of creating illusions. Anyone who saw these ’feathers’ would fall into the hallucinations created by its wielder.

Manipulation, then…

“Alright.”

Fu Hua’s expression turned contemplative as she nodded. She could already infer most of Kiana’s intentions.

Even though she had resolved to eradicate goblins and change this world for the better, Kiana was still unwilling to slaughter fellow humans.

Her plan was likely to alter the consciousness of the kingdom’s high-ranking officials, then use policy guidance to protect the people and eliminate the goblins.

It was an innocent and idealistic approach—almost naïve.

Even if they controlled the king’s mind, would the generals and soldiers willingly leave the comfort of the royal capital to hunt goblins in remote, barren lands?

In this world, unlike fighting the Demon King’s army, goblin extermination was a completely thankless task.

It carried no glory, no wealth, and if losses were sustained, the uninformed citizens would mock them for it.

The people in the royal capital wouldn’t care about the hardships of combat. All they would see was tax money being squandered to send troops into the mountains to help some backwater peasants.

Under the pressure of public opinion, even the king’s authority could be shaken, and those below him would pay lip service while secretly resisting orders.

Still… at least she had made a decision and taken action. One step at a time, dealing with problems as they arise.

At worst, it would simply mean killing a few more people.

I am just a soldier. I only need to execute orders.

“When do you plan to set off?” Fu Hua asked.

“No more than three days. Once we’ve settled them in, we’ll head to the human capital immediately.”

“Understood.”

As for the others who had been listening in—Goblin Slayer included—they were completely lost.

What the hell are they talking about? Why can’t I understand any of it?

“Though it may be a bit reckless, I have a question—where exactly are you from? Astartes, Fenghuang Down… the Empire… I’ve never heard of a nation called the Empire existing in this world.”

Goblin Slayer placed both hands on the wooden table, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Kiana and the others.

“Previously, I assumed you were nobles from the royal capital, here to experience rural life. But as things stand now, that doesn’t seem to be the case…”

“Those giants—they’re connected to you, aren’t they?”

“Mm, we come from the Sacred Selene Empire. It’s… well, you can think of it as a place far beyond your reach—a nation far more advanced than this world.”

Under the puzzled gazes of the Priestess and the High Elf Archer, Kiana suddenly pulled out a large package of gold bars and placed them on the table.

“Rest assured, it is a human nation. What I want is to persuade your king to mobilize his army to exterminate the monsters threatening humanity’s safety. Brother, if possible, we’d like to continue hiring you to guide us to the human capital.”

“No problem.”

“That’s also for… huh?”

Hearing Goblin Slayer’s immediate agreement, Kiana choked on her prepared speech.

That easy?! Not even a single question?

Goblin Slayer, however, paid no attention to her reaction. He simply stood up and walked out of the warehouse.

“As long as the request involves killing goblins, I’ll take it.”

After all, goblins also fell within the category of monsters threatening human safety.

Just then—

“So this is your plan? Not bad, but that’s all it is—too naive. If it were up to me, I’d just wipe out the entire royal family, seize control of key vassals, and use overwhelming force to impose submission. A direct takeover.”

“Isn’t that the simplest approach?”

Inside the warehouse, a faint purple spatial distortion flickered, sending sparks of teleportation scattering.

An icy blue gaze, as sharp as a blade, swept across the room, and in that instant, Goblin Slayer, the Priestess, the High Elf Archer, and the others froze in place.

Bzzt—Crash!

Due to the limited space inside the ranch warehouse, the energy surge from the interdimensional teleportation field directly carved away a large section of the building’s structure.

Cold night winds rushed through the gaping hole, howling as they swept inside.

Under the twin moonlight, the newcomer stood tall. Her long, silk-like ice-blue hair cascaded down to her waist in a perfectly trimmed style. Beneath her cold, arrogant features, her black-and-white uniform struggled to contain her imposing figure, a balance of refined feminine allure and overwhelming raw power.

Under the sheer tyranny of her presence, massive wooden beams, thick enough for two men to embrace, shattered effortlessly. Splinters and debris sprayed in all directions, sending the nearby animals into a frenzy of squawking, flapping, and galloping.

“What now?!”

“Rancher! Your warehouse just exploded!”

…

“General Esdeath, please restrain your aura a little.”

Seeing the Priestess shrinking back in fear, nearly curling into herself like a frightened quail, Kiana quickly stepped in front of her.

“So? Are you going to consider my proposal?”

“Uh… I think I’ll stick with my own method for now.”

Kiana tactfully declined.

“But what about you, General Esdeath? What brings you here at this hour?”

Ignoring the adventurers scrambling outside in response to the warehouse’s sudden destruction, Esdeath clapped a folder against her palm.

“I have something interesting to show you.”

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