Every now and then, a fool comes along. A fool who praises me for my life. Who thinks that because I have lived so long, I know all there is to know. A fool annoying, and a fool I silence every time. Even if I did know the secrets of the world, I would not share them simply because I was asked. I am not that cheap.

I do not think my survival is impressive. I am simply overpowering and immortal. I cannibalize souls to keep myself alive. I have nothing else to say about this. For me to survive is about as impressive as it is for an adult to kill a child. It is like praising a bear for devouring an injured rabbit. I cannot even say that I am put in much danger anymore, Divines flee before me and mortals kneel as I walk by.

It is often said that the best way to protect yourself against something is to avoid the situation in which it can happen in the first place. I have achieved this state in perpetuity out of the sheer fear I foster in others. Survival is nothing. Though there are some of us out here that should be respected simply because of the company we attract and the fact we are still walking. There are many of us like this: Irinika naturally attracts foul company, Fer dances with dragons and beasts and still has all her limbs, Fortia and Maisara are naturally terrible beings and have plenty of fools out for their heads. Helenna walks a fine line by keeping her puppets on a tight-rope of control before they fall into a pit of utter, obsessive delusion. Kassandora, of course, needs to jump feet-first into fire in the same way that mortals need to eat.

Yet there is one person I am in awe of. A person whose entire life mission it seems to be the angering of everyone around them. A person who will cause disagreement for the sake of disagreement. A person whose sense of humour can be described as sadism. Who deals in poisons and subterfuges and assassinations and does it so openly that I am shocked she has not fallen victim to the same webs of deceit that she weaves.

Malam. Whose powers are meaningless, whose strength is pathetic, whose demesne is repulsive in itself. Malam, somehow, is older than most other Divines. It baffles me that mortals and Divines both will idly step over the library’s worth of knowledge within Hatred to try and seek answers from Death instead.

As if whatever Death could teach them would matter after they died.

– Excerpt from “Thoughts on my sisters”, written by Goddess Neneria, of Death.

Malam entered Iliyal’s tent to the swishing sound of her coat ruffling over her skirt and shirt. Black coat, white shirt, black skirt, white hair, black boots, white gloves, black belt, white socks, black eyes. A holster for a pistol topped everything off. She wanted to look presentable and she wanted to make an impression. She was Arascus’ propagandist after all, one of the pillars of the Empire a thousand years ago. Without her, there wouldn’t have been a Great War. She couldn’t waltz in with the same uniform everyone else had. But she did like the cap, it was fashionable and it fit.

And Malam entered the tent. The three girls were here: Paida, Olonia and Saksma. The former and latter with golden hair that would sparkle in sunlight, although now it only glinted in candlelight. Then Olonia, with her fair hair of snow. Malam inspected it for a moment and decided that her own hair was a far richer shade of white than the Goddess of Lubska’s. All three National Goddesses stood in uniforms. All three had weapons. All three looked much how Malam had expected them to be. Cold, but only slightly. They were girls who had been sent into battle and had not yet accustomed to it.

Nothing like the two other side of the table. Helenna and Iliyal. The Goddess stood in the Imperial Dress, the long black coat and the cap adorned with a rose of thorns. And Iliyal in a similar style, although his cap had no such emblem. The elf was the shortest being in the room by more than a head although Malam doubted he cared much. Some people, like him, were simply accustomed to Divinity. “Speak of the devil and she appears.” Iliyal said as the five people in the room turned to Malam. Helenna’s hair briefly changed from the serious black, to a slightly surprised crimson, and then back to the black.

“I am Malam, of Hatred.” Malam introduced herself to the three nationals. “It is the first time we meet, although it won’t be the last.” She took charge of the room immediately, her voice loud and clear and her legs briskly covered the distance between her and Saksma.

“I am Saksma, of Doschia.” Saksma said politely. She had a decent handshake, nothing strong, but she didn’t test too much.

“Pleasure.” Malam said, she turned to Olonia.

“I am Olonia, of Lubska.” Olonia said, staring at Malam half surprised, half excited.

“Pleasure.” Malam replied and turned to Paida.

“I am Paida, of Rancais.” Paida said as Malam took her position at the head of the table. Iliyal knew the plan, he immediately pulled out a bottle from a nearby cabinet and some glasses. The three national Divines stared at the alcohol in surprise, but none of them said anything. Helenna rolled her eyes as Malam looked over the map of Epa. It was one of the whole continent, with the ocean around Allia marked in various locations to indicate Alanktydan forces, and then a line splitting Lubska in half, and another doing the same to Rilia.

“Normally.” Malam said. “I would invite you for a drink first, but we don’t really have time for becoming friends.” From what Iliyal told her, these girls were already friendly with Helenna and Iliyal. In fact, their relationship was so friendly it went to an almost unprofessional level. At least that’s what Iliyal had said. So Malam would need to show a serious side of the Empire as a counter-balance.

The Goddess of Hatred picked up the Lubskan vodka and downed her glass in one go. The three national Goddesses looked at the elf, and then at Helenna, who only shook her head. “Don’t worry about this.” Helenna said.

“That’s a lot.” Paida said.

“I’m the Goddess of Hatred Paida. I have to live up to the title, don’t I?” Malam said. There, that was something that wouldn’t make her totally unrelatable to them.

“I…” Paida said.

“It’s good vodka.” Olonia said as she drank her glass. Malam immediately grew to like that girl.

“I have one question to the three of you.” Malam said. “Consider this a test, but know that I have a good sense of whether someone is lying or not, I want a truthful answer. Even if you think I won’t like it, I want to hear it so I know who I’m working with.” Malam took the bottle from Iliyal and poured herself another full glass. “Why do you fight the Pantheon?”

Paida looked to Saksma. Saksma looked to Olonia. Olonia looked to Paida. The three National Goddesses looked as if they didn’t know what to say. They would need a push to get started then. “Well?” Malam said in an accusing tone. “Do you fight because you’re told to? I can’t assume it’s that.”

Paida sighed and answered first. “I fight because Rancais deserves to be free. Because the White Pantheon does not hold the interests of my people at heart.” Malam nodded and turned to Saksma.

“Me too?” Saksma asked.

“Same or different reason, I want to know.”

“Because I am Doschian.” Saksma said. “And because Doschia is Doschia, it is not the Divine Mountain.”

Malam smiled at that answer. That was a good one. She nodded to Olonia. The Goddess of Lubska took a heavy breath and actually surprised Malam. “I fight to see if I can.”

“I like that answer.” Malam answered as she raised her glass. “Very well, all three of you, your answers are good.” She almost began to continue when she saw Saksma’s mouth quiver. “What is it?”

“What would have been a bad answer?”

“Something moralizing.” Malam answered immediately. “Or melodramatic, such as fighting because it’s the right thing to do.” She pointed to Paida. “Revanchism.” Then to Saksma. “National Pride.” And to Olonia. “Self-Assurance. Those are three very real things I can work with. If you had moralized to me, I would have sent you home because you wouldn’t be fit for what I am about to propose.”

“And what are you about to propose?” Paida asked this time as Olonia leaned to grab the bottle. Malam glanced at the slightly shorter Goddess and realised that Olonia was treating the drinking as a challenge. She would have to slow the pace down then because she couldn’t be drinking one of these under the table tonight.

Tomorrow, maybe. Next week, definitely. Tonight? No. There were plans for tonight.

Malam took a deep breath and looked at the three Goddesses. “Because for us to win, the lethargic meandering governments of peace-time have to step aside for the goose-stepping war-economies that are needed.” That took the three Goddesses aback, but Malam only continued. Helenna and Iliyal both had orders to let her do the talking, and that would be the best way to handle this. “I know what you are about to say.” Malam continued. “We have almost won the war in Epa. We’ve ground them down to a stalemate, we’ll soon be able to go ahead and initiate a counter-offensive. Within two months time, Lubska should be reclaimed entirely. Rilia will be more difficult because of the terrain, but six months is realistic.”

It was actually going to be a week for both because Fortia was pulling the Guardians and Paladins out. So Malam had to act now. The Goddess of Hatred continued. “Paradeisius is going to join the war. We have a year before they mobilize, maybe even less time than that. Tartarus can also be expected.”

The three Goddesses looked to each other. “Excuse me?” Paida asked. “Tartarus and Paradeisius are going to join the White Pantheon?”

“You mean this is going to be a second Great War?” Saksma asked.

“This is why I asked why you are fighting.” Malam said. “Because if you were simple moralizers, I would have thrown you out of here.” The Goddess of Hatred lied through her teeth. Whatever reason they would have given would have been enough, it was simply to make the three Goddesses feel as if they were exclusive because of their choices, and not because of their stations. “You three are dead already, just so you know.”

“Excuse me?” Paida asked and Olonia chuckled to herself.

“Allasaria has gone off to secure Paradeisius’ assistance already. Arascus told me already, we have ears in the Pantheon.” That was also a lie, but these three did not need to know about, as Arascus had put it, Fortia’s rather dismal state.

“Wait wait wait.” Saksma said. “What?”

“Everything Malam just said is true.” Helenna said. “It was my spies who found this out.”

“And why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Paida asked.

“I found out this morning.” Helenna said.

“And I wanted to tell you myself.” Malam said. “Because I’ve thought about it, Kassandora is drafting up plans now.” That was a lie too. Kassandora did not even know, but Kassandora was leading the UEL, she was busy enough as it was. “But there is precisely one way we see for survival. For all of us.”

“I did not fight the Epan War only to become a vassal of Arascus.” Paida said sternly. Her face then grew smattered with panic, she looked to Iliyal. “I am thankful for the help Iliyal. I really am, and I do treat you as a friend, but this is not…”

“I understand politics are not relationships Paida.” Iliyal said. “There are no hard feelings.” That was a beautiful save by Iliyal, Malam quickly took over the reins of the conversation before it could get side-tracked.

“The way is to win against Paradeisius.” Malam said. “And as things stand, it is better to stand together than to stand apart.”

“But…” Paida trailed off. “You… You lost last time.”

“You learn from mistakes.” Malam said. “Last time, we legitimately did not think that other worlds would be called in.”

“I can attest to this.” Iliyal said. “We actually did not know.”

“We did…” Helenna said. “Well, it took about twenty years for us to decide that we needed help.”

“We spent more than six decades fighting three worlds.” Malam said. “And back then, we did not have guns. We did not have Elassa. Leona was alive. Maisara was alive. The Pantheon had Kavaa, Helenna here and Iniri. The situation is not the same.”

“You mean to say you think there is a chance of victory?” Saksma asked.

“Of course there is.” Olonia said, there was some excitement and some optimism in her. That was surprising honestly, Malam had expected these three to be wholly against the idea.

“There is if we move fast.” Malam said.

“And what does that mean?” Saksma asked. “Beat the Pantheon now? Destroy Olympiada before Paradeisius joins?”

“We prepare for the long haul.” Malam explained. Diplomacy really was a simple thing, especially with those who had never had to actually negotiate for their own survival. What did these girls actually know? They had fought a few battles, but they hadn’t led anything. They didn’t know what they were actually doing. They may have given reasons before, but did they actually know what they were fighting for? Malam doubted it. “There is just one issue in that, and that is that the governments you ladies have now will not accept the goose-stepping war-economies. Even if they had the will, they don’t have the knowledge on how to do it.”

“You’re going to say Arascus does.” Paida said and Malam smiled.

“Just as no one can out-war Kassandora, no one can out-power Fer, no one can out-manage Arascus. It is because of him that Kirinyaa had anything to stand with during the Pantheon Invasions. He changed a failed state ever on the verge of economic collapse to the leading powerhouse on the continent. It is the only country in the world right now with a baby boom. That alone should tell you he knows what he’s doing.”

Paida had no response to that. Nor did the other two, so Malam continued. “However, whereas he can help manage, we ultimately do have a partnership. These are your nations, we do not plan to steal them from you.” No, stealing was not necessary. By the time they had won, these girls would hand them over willingly. They thought they were mascot-Goddesses in the past? They did not even know the meaning of what a mascot-Goddess was. “Arascus can help but we want you to lead them.”

And the three national Goddesses looked at Malam, utterly stunned. Saksma’s mouth fell open. Olonia smiled widely. Paida’s eyes widened in surprise. “You want us to lead them?” Paida asked.

“I will do it.” Olonia declared proudly.

“Us?” Saksma asked.

“Who, if not you?” Malam asked. “Even if I told this news to anyone, would they believe me? You three have seen Tartarus in the Dwarven Highway first hand. You know they are here. So I ask, who, if not you?”

“I’ve never led Rancais.” Paida said.

“Yet there is no one else.” Malam didn’t tell the woman she had to do it. She simply closed off all other avenues of escape. “If it is not you, then give me a name I can go to that will prepare your country for a war.”

“I…” Paida said. “Prepare?”

“During the war, it is a different entirely. But if we do not prepare for it, then there is no hope of succeeding in it.” Malam said. “So I ask, give me a name.”

“I’ll do it.” Olonia said.

“You’ll do it?” Saksma asked.

“It is my country. I am the Goddess of Lubska. Blood was spilled on my land. Blood will be spilled on my land. It’s going to happen one way or another.” Malam kept her composure and didn’t beam a smile at the other white-haired Goddess. From the moment that Olonia took a drink, Malam had known that the woman would be good.

“But we are…” Saksma said.

“As Malam said.” Olonia lifted her arm to indicate Arascus’ chief propagandist. “We are dead already. Do you think the Pantheon will let us live after what we did?”

“They let Kassandora live.” Saksma said and Malam nodded.

Helenna stepped in to cover. “As ex-Pantheon, I can explain the reasoning.” She said.

“Go on.” Saksma confirmed.

“Kassandora is unique as a Goddess of War and with her, it is more that we don’t know what would happen if we killed her and she reformed. Another of War would eventually appear but Kassandora, as she is, we know, so we can work around her.” Helenna shrugged. “If we killed her and the next of War turned out to be a Goddess of Trade Wars, of Cold Wars, of Technological Wars, we… Well, it was simply safer to lock Kassandora away than risk rolling the dice on another incarnation.”

“And that wouldn’t happen to us why?” Saksma asked.

“Because a Goddess of Doschia will always be a Goddess of Doschia.” Helenna lifted her hands up into the air in an apologetic manner. “I do not mean to insult, but there are few as unique as Kassandora.”

“Oh.” Saksma seemed to get it. “I see.” Her face turned dour as she seemed to realise just how replaceable she was. “Then this is the only way?”

“Unless you are confident you can convince Wissel Ellenheim to start full war production. Then you will have to lead.”

“So I will lead then.” Saksma said.

“But I want something else.” Paida said. “Before, I want Arascus to openly help Epa. I don’t want this to be…” She looked at Iliyal. “Well, I always had this bad feeling because you can leave whenever you want and no one would know a thing.”

The elf answered flatly and confidently. “This is the job I was sent to do. Just as we are old enough to know that relationships and politics should be kept separate, we know that relationships and work should be too.”

“Arascus will negotiate a retreat with Fortia.” Malam said. He already had, but they didn’t need to know that. Or rather, Fortia declared she would retreat herself.

“He will?” Paida asked.

“It will be the end of the Epan War.” Malam said. “If it isn’t, then I will leave you be. If the Epan War is running by next week, I…” Malam shrugged. “Whatever you wish for me to do, I will. That’s how sure I am he will succeed.”

“And will he help with the Allian situation too?”

“That depends on Alliana.” Malam answered.

“And what would it entail exactly? For me to lead Rancais?” Paida continued. Malam always liked girls like this, who thought they knew so much, that thought they were being so careful, when in reality they were simply wriggling about in the quicksand and sinking faster.

“An end to politics.” Malam answered confidently. “A return to temporary Divine Rule, a preparing of the industry for war and, in your case, it would mean ending the Anarchian problem once and for all.”

Paida took a deep breath. “What does that mean?”

Malam turned to Iliyal. The elf answered. “It means ripping out the weeds by the roots. We are not Maisara, we aren’t here to kill off as many people as possible. What it means is finding Anarchia, finding her leadership and close contacts and killing all the heads of the hydra at once. Then cleaning up whatever remains.”

Malam let out a wicked smile. “We’ve put down rebellions in the past and it doesn’t seem to me like your government is quite capable of it.”

Paida once again sighed as the candles and torches made shadows that danced on her golden hair. “I…” She started and then stopped. “Once and for all?”

Malam answered. “They have caused you enough of a headache. It is time we take off the kid’s gloves and apply some proper medicine to the problem, isn’t it?”

“And Maisara wasn’t proper medicine?”

“Did Maisara succeed?” Malam asked and Paida shook her head.

“Then what will it take?”

Iliyal came in. “Anarchia has brought ruin to Rancais. The country in the matter of a few days has descended into a state of civil war. In that regard, it will take treating the situation as the war it is, and not the mere anti-government protests that Artois pretends they are.”

“And that is?” Paida asked and the elf answered with total dead-pan seriousness.

“Sending me and ECCLA to deal with the situation.”

Paida said and looked down at the table. “So it comes to this then?” She asked no one in particularly, then looked up and locked those purple eyes with Malam’s dark ones. “Very well Malam. I agree. What do we need to do?”

Malam made a flourish of a movement now that she heard the hunger in the woman’s tone. Hunger and excitement, as if she had just cast some chain off herself. “We invoke the right to re-election.” Malam expected it to be Paida. She didn’t know why, but from the moment she saw the woman, she knew that this would be the one that would be the hesitant to take the first step. And she knew that the moment that first step was taken, then Paida would set her eyes on the target with such a burning determination and will that there was nothing that would be able to stop her.

“I…” Paida began, then looked Malam straight in the face as she built up confidence. “Well, as we said, we all agree here.” Paida sighed. “But an election in this day and age isn’t something you can just call.”

“Is it not?” Malam asked. “Why not?”

Paida explained something so obvious that Malam almost recoiled. It was only a few moments she realised that the Goddess of Rancais wasn’t talking down to her, she simply lacked imagination instead. Paida, as diplomatic as she was, had actually taken Malam at face-value. “Well, for one, we need to set a date so that people know when to vote. We need to print ballots, we need to organize an election-watch, we need to recruit volunteers, it’s a big effort.”

Malam pulled the pistol out from her belt and took out the magazine. “Iliyal provides the ballots and the voters, you girls are just here to lead the election committees.” She pushed a bullet out of the magazine and into her palm.

“What are you talking about?” Paida asked. “It’s not something we just…”

Malam’s tapping of the table shut Paida up. “These are your voters.” Malam said as she tapped over one of the divisions held in reserve. “And this”, Malam said as she threw the bullet to Paida. The Goddess of Rancais caught it without any over-reaction, her hand simply shot forwards to grab the round out of the air. And she stared at it in her hands. “That’s the ballot you’re going to cast a vote with.”

“When?” Paida asked. Definitely this time, it was unmissable. The woman wanted to do it. Olonia was smiling too, it was only Saksma who looked as if she was uncomfortable with the idea. Either way, comfort did not matter. Saksma would fall in line because the other two did, because there was no one to raise counter-argument against Malam. Because by the time Saksma caught herself, the damage would be done and it would be too late.

“Tonight.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep