The Goddess’s Scolding and a Startling Revelation

Sevilya had always been brimming with confidence.

She, Sevilya, was the Life Goddess’s Emissary, a seven-time champion of the Human Empire’s martial arts tournament, and the cherished daughter of the imperial noble, Sevillas.

From the moment of her birth, the Life Goddess had cast her gaze upon her.

Empowered by the Life Goddess’s [Blessing], she had triumphed over countless formidable adversaries, secured victory in numerous martial contests, and slain an untold number of beast-tier bloodkin.

As an Emissary, every life she had cut down transformed into raw material for the Life Goddess’s propagation.

Such immense contributions naturally made Sevilya a favored confidante of the Life Goddess.

However, everything changed a few days prior.

While idly visiting the Krieg family, she had chanced upon a destitute noble.

“I… I’ll give you a lot, a lot of money! Please, help me kill someone!”

“A human? Hah, I don’t kill humans.”

It wasn’t that she refrained from killing, but Sevilya had no intention of fulfilling the plea of a common scoundrel.

“No! Not a human! It’s a bloodkin from the Blood Manor!”

‘Bloodkin?’

They were the species Sevilya despised most.

Born with the Life Goddess’s gift of [Longevity] and nearly infinite lifespans, bloodkin possessed inherent, transcendent advantages. Yet, they had not surpassed humans significantly in terms of [Life Sacrifice].

Especially that other Emissary… the True Ancestor of the bloodkin…

The Life Goddess had once placed immense hope in her, entrusting her with a [Fragment] of [Propagation] and expecting her to bring forth a bountiful field of life.

Yet, that ‘rat’ had not only failed to spread the [Fragment]‘s influence, but she had even been overthrown by her own kin. Now, she pitifully parasitized her descendants, lacking even the ability to overcome a [Fragment] of [Propagation], or even one that was [Incomplete].

‘She truly couldn’t fathom how that being had fallen so low.’

‘Kill a bloodkin? That held some intrigue.’

Thus, harboring the purest disdain for the bloodkin race, Sevilya accepted the commission.

And then… just as the story unfolded, Sevilya, too, unexpectedly met with an accident.

After a humiliating defeat, the narrowly escaped Sevilya was consumed by indignant rage.

For three days and three nights, she knelt in the Life Goddess’s temple, clad in a pristine Athenian robe, her feet bare, her form unencumbered beneath it. She prayed ceaselessly, day and night, vehemently denouncing the atrocities she had endured.

“Those damn immortal rats, those damn pointy-eared vermin! Bullying a lone man and woman like me… no, a respectable maiden…”

“Don’t say that… elves also have pointy ears, you know.”

“Goddess, how dare they disrespect Your Emissary so! This isn’t just hitting my backside; this is clearly a slap to Your divine face!”

“Wait, wait, wait… you said my face was your what?”

“My… backside?”

“Blasphemy!”

“Yelp!”

Suddenly, the bushes lining the temple sprang to life, their resilient branches stretching and twisting into thin ropes. Then…

One after another, they rose high before descending heavily upon Sevilya’s ‘phoenix tail’, which was only separated by a single layer of gauze.

“Use your head when you speak! Next time, choose your words carefully!”

“Yes, Goddess! Ow, ow, ow-ow-ow!”

“However…”

In the center of the temple, the Life Goddess’s statue shed its stony gray hue, becoming flesh and blood.

Crossing her legs, the Goddess sat upon the divine throne beneath the statue, gazing down at her Emissary with a hint of surprise.

“Are you saying there’s someone like you, who can use a super-upgraded version of the [All-Seeing Eye], and whose own status cannot be spied upon?”

“Yes, yes, yes! And… she’s also like me, able to use skills without cost… even divine-tier skills!”

‘Goddess… we absolutely cannot let such a person go! We must flay her skin, pull out her tendons…’

“Sevilya.”

‘…We must make her writhe in the rivers of hell…’

“Sevilya?”

‘…We must ensure she reincarnates as a mere goblin in her next life!’

“SEVILYA!”

“I’m sorry, Goddess!”

Sevilya hastily performed a prostration, barely daring to breathe.

To a devotee, failing to respond to the Goddess’s call was a grave sin indeed!

And she had ignored it a full three times!

“Your state today is quite unusual.”

“Unusual? No, no, no, I’m not unusual… I’m just… feeling a bit wronged.”

“There’s no need to feel wronged, Sevilya.”

With a serene voice, the Life Goddess revealed a startling truth.

“That person, Sevilya, is fundamentally the same kind of being as you.”

“And you were not disgraced.”

Upon hearing this news, Sevilya felt as though her world had crumbled.

“The same kind of being? Like that rat? No—”

Shaking her head hysterically, Sevilya sprawled across the Life Goddess’s lap, tossing and turning.

If any temple staff had witnessed this scene, she would likely have been dragged out as a madwoman.

“…Stop with the childish antics, now!”

“Yelp!”

Unable to tolerate the antics emanating so close, the Life Goddess delivered a swift hand chop to Sevilya’s head, instantly resetting her to her ‘factory settings’.

“Tsk, you fellow, weren’t you just talking about that black-haired bloodkin? How did you suddenly bring up that Scarlett?”

“Don’t you find it strange? Black hair… isn’t that the standard hair color for Easterners? That’s a place tens of thousands of miles from here.”

“If Eastern bloodkin were to cultivate retainers, wouldn’t they do so according to Eastern standards? This kind of overly East-meets-West combination looks highly suspicious, I tell you!”

‘Now that you mention it… that’s true…’

Like a certain renowned detective, Sevilya raised a hand to cup her chin.

One must know… the Eastern lands were famously rich in resources and beauty, a vibrant hotbed where all things flourished, and any species that ventured there would invariably evolve into subspecies.

An unknown time ago, a wave of bloodkin had migrated to the East.

After millennia of integration… they had braided their long hair, adorned themselves with official caps and peacock feathers, donned dragon robes and phoenix dresses, developed unique gaits, and utterly transformed into a different kind of creature—zombies.

As for their retainers… they would undoubtedly become bouncy and lively, just like their masters, utterly unlike their Western counterparts.

So, the reason for this situation…

‘Could it be… that ‘rat’ has some peculiar fetish, and specifically went to the East to capture one?’

“No, buddy.”

Covering her eyes, the Life Goddess began to regret her poor judgment, wondering how such a dim-witted soul had ever become her Emissary.

“Did it never occur to you… that it might be a human from the East, who happened to arrive in the Western lands and encountered that Scarlett here?”

‘Oh, right.’

“Right your head, you battle-crazed simpleton.”

“And then… as for how this human arrived in these lands… how should I put it? It’s primarily my fault.”

The Life Goddess appeared quite embarrassed, clearly reluctant to delve into this past affair.

“To be precise… that individual, like you, is an Emissary I personally selected, a divine retainer bearing My [Blessing].”