Acquisition requirement fulfilled. [Dagger Mastery Lv. 1] gained Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Mana Efficiency Lv. 9] [Unarmed Mastery Lv. 5] [Dagger Technique Lv. 4] [Lupine Fangs Lv. 3] [Air Walk Lv. 2] [Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 4] [Bloodlust Lv. 3] [Battle Mind Lv. 6] [Humanize Lv. 8] gained

How beautiful.

A four-winged, rainbow butterfly. That was the insignia engraved on the party bracelet Tasianna possessed in her fairy form. It was the symbol most would associate with the Origin Goddess of Wind and Patron Goddess of the Fairies, Zephira. Made with elven craftsmanship, the emblem enchanted me when I first saw it on Tasianna’s bracelet.

So, what about the real-life version? Well, she was, without a doubt, breathtaking. Numerous little butterflies flew inside a small, weak twister, flapping their radiant wings around as they swarmed around a lime green haired elven woman. Igniculus, the small light elemental, playfully followed these butterflies like a duckling following its mother.

Silva, the woman in question, currently had rainbow glowing eyes and her hair shined like a small torch. Her clothes might be in tatters and blood smeared on her face and hands, but, at this moment, she looked as graceful as a blooming flower.

“Findul-silik, Silva,” Silva spoke, no, the person possessing Silva spoke. “Findul-silik, Tasianna irre Saori. Thank you very much, Tasianna, Saori. It is a shame that I cannot show my thanks to Hestia personally too. However, I do not have a lot of time to speak.”

The voice was unquestionably Silva’s, but the aura and charisma radiating from her was somebody else’s. After defeating the zombie garms, Silva performed the “Rite of the Fading Winds” and permitted Zephira to use her body as a vessel in order to descend to the mortal plane. Which meant, the person addressing us right now was the Goddess of Wind, Zephira.

When the rite was performed, Tasianna quickly bowed when the butterflies began to manifest, while I gave a respectful bow before sitting down, the wounds in my thighs causing me too much pain to remain on my feet. Tasianna was bowing still, making Zephira smile wryly before placing her hand on Tasianna’s chin, raising the fairy’s head to reveal the tears dropping from her face.

“I-I am so sorry. I am so sorry,” Tasianna apologized, anguish clear on her face. “I couldn’t protect her, hic, it was my fault for being a failure of an attendant. I could have been stricter, I could have stopped her from going, I could have given her more comfort and care when we were imprisoned. I could have done something; I know I could have. Neither protected nor attended. I am a failure.”

Tasianna was breaking down emotionally. Although the subject of Princess Schuri, Tasianna’s previous mistress, has been brought up a lot since we started traveling together, she never cried this much until now. This sudden meeting with Zephira probably reopened her past wounds. The floodgates wouldn’t close.

“I gave up on you. I gave up on my race. I ran away from all of it because I lost faith…and hated myself,” Tasianna confessed. “…Why did it happen that day; what did we do to deserve it? It should have been me! Princess Schuri didn’t deserve to die. Somebody as young as she was shouldn’t have lost her life there…”

No, don’t say that! Saying any of that will only shame the memories of your loved one. Live. Live for them and continue their memories in their stead, I wanted to shout out, but stopped when Silva’s mouth let out Zephira’s words.

“I apologize,” she said, a sorrowful expression clear to be seen. “By the laws we Origin Gods set for ourselves and our subordinate gods, I am not allowed to personally intervene in any mortal matters. Whether it was the event you all call the ‘War for the Faefolk,’ your plight…or even theirs.” Zephira turned her head around to the lonesome orb sitting on its pedestal for a moment before turning back to Tasianna. “As a patron Goddess, I have failed you and the fairies. The followers who needed my help have suffered, and now seek to stir chaos and hatred to those around them. Tasianna, your pain is due to my incompetence.”

“No, no! Goddess Zephira, the Wind Mother, is not at fault. It was my actions alone that caused everything to collapse. I could have said ‘no’ to Princess Schuri’s request to go out of the castle, I could have brought her home earlier, I could have been more vigilant and called for escorts, I could have taken care of her instead of letting out my anger on the situation. So many mistakes. Goddess Plesia would have been able to see it all.”

Was it considered rude to name Plesia in this situation? Definitely. It was like comparing your current boss with your previous one. Nobody liked having their flaws pointed out and criticized, especially when you then compare them with somebody more competent and able. Zephira was a Goddess, so I expected her pride as one would be scratched.

However, Zephira stayed silent and listened to Tasianna’s confession intently.

“I despise how fairies always hide their negative emotions away by ignoring the evils in the world — staying inside their little fairy tale, like every day is just a festival. I despise it so much. I hate being part of their race,” she admitted with a disgusted face. “How could they forget Princess Schuri so easily. How could they forgive me so easily? How can they not be angry at me? Do I not deserve punishment for what I did? I wish one of them would just say, ‘Princess Schuri should have lived, instead of you.’”

“Now that is enough!” Unable to hold it in anymore, I stood up despite the pain in my legs and walked over to Tasianna. “I know you believe your life is less valuable than your previous mistress, but you are wrong, Tasianna! Never, ever say that you wish to die in front of me, ever again! Your words not only hurt me, but they will crush Hestia if she ever finds out about it.”

“Miss Saori…”

“Every life is precious, Tasianna. It’s a tragedy about Princess Schuri, and I can relate to the loss you felt for losing somebody precious to you. Every pain is different, I know, but it doesn’t mean we can’t sympathize with each other,” I said, holding my hand against my chest as I remembered my father and mother. “However, cherish your life, Tasianna. Neither your previous nor your current mistress would enjoy seeing you so crushed by all this baggage. Do you understand?”

“B-But-” Tears continued to flow from her eyes, but I ignored them. I couldn’t help but speak my mind.

“The people you leave behind are the ones suffering the most!” I bluntly expressed. “You know this too well, right? So do I. So does Hestia. We miss our lives on Earth. If you were to disappear too, we would 100% cry for you. So, stop hating yourself, Tasianna. Relearn to love yourself, just like how Hestia and I can do it. We might have only known each other for less than a year, but we are a close-knit group of friends, right? Like a family.”

“M-Miss Saori?! Sa-Saori! Waaaaaaaaaah!” Burying her face on my chest, Tasianna’s wailing was ceaseless. It felt like a river of tears was flowing down, soaking my clothes. Similar to Hestia, Tasianna is also a child with issues, huh? Wait, she’s over 80 years old, I shouldn’t be treating her like a child despite her mental age.

Petting her head, I smiled as I let her cry out her sorrow.

“…You have found happiness, I see. Thank you for caring for this young fairy, Saori,” Zephira smiled as she looked at us, before turning her back to us. “…I couldn’t help this young one, but you, I will help.”

“Staaaaaayyy baaaacckkk!” For the first time since we fought, the onnikai boss spoke. How considerate of it.

“I cannot. It is either I free you from your anger and turn you back into a sprite, or Aurena’s champion will destroy you. You will still live if I finish the ‘Rite of the Fading Winds.’ As a small fragment of myself has been summoned here by Faemancer Silva, her wish to purify you will be upheld,” Zephira declared. “Ever since I created this rite and bequeathed my knowledge of it to mortals, I have always intended to support my followers with it. It is one of the few ways for a god to personally interact with her people without angering Plesia.”

Admittedly, as the patron goddess of fairies, I always imagined Zephira to be more the fun-loving, carefree type, similar to how Tasianna described fairies. It made sense for me that a god would be similar to their supported race, especially if I took the saurian, Mister Kushlek’zar, as an example.

Maybe she was more whimsical in private, and she was merely putting up the façade of a serious and competent goddess due to the situation. Hestia and I have two personas for our private and professional lives, after all. Most people do.

“Youuuuuu! Haaaaveeee abaaaaadonneedddd usss. Fooorssaaakeeeened! Usss damnnneedddd! Haaateeeeee…” the onnikai continued speaking in defiance. “Gooddeeeesss Illsssaaaaaphooneee gaaveee usss neeeeewww liveesss. Poooweeerrr! Hoooopeeee! Weee can geet veeeeengeaaaance. Goooddeessss Zeeeeephiraaaa…leeeftt usss…”

Without being swayed by its words, Zephira raised Silva’s staff, commanding her butterflies to swarm around the orb containing the onnikai. “…It is true. I didn’t do enough. For somebody of my status…not being able to protect the few faefolk intelligent enough to revere me is…embarrassing. So, allow me now to rectify that mistake.”

The wind began to move. Like a smooth breeze, it moved past us, merely touching my hair for a moment, before it accelerated around Zephira. A green aura surrounded Silva’s staff, probably due to Zephira empowering the wind around her. The aura then flowed towards the orb and attached itself to the butterflies like a banner.

The onnikai kept shrieking and crying out in desperation for Zephira to stop, but she didn’t blink an eye as she continued her using her powers. The butterflies then shined like a rainbow as the wind began to turn into a small vortex. The black slime surrounding the pedestal slowly disappeared and a dark-red haze slowly escaped the orb, clearing it from its previous black color.

It lasted for a couple of seconds more until the green wind-dispersed and gathered around the zombie garms like flies. It was quick compared to the onnikai boss, but the wind eventually moved away from the garms to escape the room. With my sensitive hearing, I heard the wind rushing through the hallway and up to the stairs. It was like an echo. “Where was it going?” I thought.

The onnikai, on the other hand, slowly lost its hazy form. The black tint disappeared and, similar to how Silva purified the onnikais, the onnikai boss vanished for a moment before returning in a yellow form. This was unlike the other onnikais who were invisible to my eyes.

“With the purification of the leading onnikai, I have also sent my wind to the others. Every living onnikai will be turned back into a spirit,” Zephira said.

At this moment, Tasianna had already stopped crying and watched the whole event first-hand. She saw the former onnikai boss in its new form. Compared to its mist-like form from before, it now looked like a ball with wings attached to it. I wasn’t sure how to describe it outside of that.

“…Thank you,” it let out to Zephira. I was a bit flabbergasted to hear it speak, though. “I…I feel light-headed…in a good sense. It’s like…I can think properly again. Thank you…Goddess Zephira. Thank you for saving us.”

Zephira gave a small smile before speaking. “I am glad…however, you have changed, no? I can feel it. Your form, your senses, your intelligence. You have the form of a spirit, but you feel more like an elemental. A question for you: What do you desire right now?”

“…Vengeance.”

Huh?!

“I…I still feel hatred towards humans. The anger and uncontrollable rage inside me are gone. I don’t want to destroy everything anymore, but I cannot get rid of this feeling of seeing the one who did this to me — who did this to us — pay! I need vengeance before I can find peace,” the former onnikai boss admitted.

“I see, so you have adapted your wants and feelings to a new form. Haaaaa, is this what Aurena and Crustacia feel whenever their race evolves? The faefolk’s ability to adapt to their environment is fascinating,” Zephira said with a wry smile. “So…what about them?”

Zephira then turned her gaze back to us, no, she wasn’t looking at us but at something behind us. Curiously, Tasianna and I did the same, just to witness the four zombie garms approaching us. Their bodies were still in terrible shape from my attacks, as their wounds haven’t healed yet. The black slime was gone, so how could they move?

“This is Goddess Ilsaphone’s gift to us. The ability to solidify our mana into an ooze to control a body similar to humanoids and beasts. It allows us to repair the corpses and make the body our own,” it explained. “…Ahhh, I can feel it disappearing. My condensed mana dispersed. We onnikai have lost it seems.”

Aside from the onnikai beast, I bet she also mentioned the rest of the zombies. I was sure Hestia would be alright, but I can’t help but be worried about here.

Noticing me looking up, Zephira spoke to ease my worries, “There is nothing to worry about, Saori. I’ve already sent Hestia a message to inform her that the Divine Quest has been fulfilled and that you three are safe. From what I can currently see through the faefolk in the forest, she rushed to the human castle instead of the ruins. She is probably worried about the humans.”

“Hie hie,” I giggled. “That girl is such a hero.”

I wonder how the castle is holding up. They should be alright with Hestia’s bombs, and once she arrives, her healing, too…Huh?

[“Pack…Le…ader.”]

By the divine System, individual [Young Shadowstalker Cadejo, Saori Segawa] is granted the title: [Pack Leader] Pack Leader A title given to the designated Alpha of a group of beasts or beastmen. While fighting with the Alpha, the pack members’ Strength and Intelligence will gain 5% of the Alpha’s current Strength and Intelligence. The Alpha will unconditionally gain 25% of all received experience from its pack members. A list of members can be seen with this title

WHAT?!

[“P…ack Le…ader.”]

[“Anc…estor’s…Success…or.”]

[“F…enrir. Pack…Leade…r.”]

“W-What is happening?” I stepped back from the approaching garms, confused at the sudden System and telepathic messages.

“Ahhh, Ilsaphone, that girl has been active it seems. Creating a patron race like her sisters, I see. A bit unconventional but creative. I wonder, have I indirectly helped her finalize her spell’s formula? Hie hie, that girl is far too cute, sometimes~” Zephira muttered.

“Goddess Zephira what is going on here? I wondered this when we fought, but how are these onnikai-I mean, spirits able to use the [Telepathy] from these dead garms?” I asked, still flustered from the voices in my head.

Zephira began explaining the special circumstance concerning these onnikais. ‘Faefolk adapt to their surroundings’ was what Silva had originally explained to me, and supposedly, Ilsaphone, the Goddess of Death, put this theory to the test by granting the onnikai here with a bit of her power. Similar to how a dragon can use breath attacks or how a faefolk cannot accumulate arcane corruption, these onnikais can solidify their mana as a natural ability.

With this slime, they can heal their possessed body and even control it like a nervous system. However, according to Zephira, Ilsaphone wanted these onnikai to completely take over the corpses. By staying inside a body, these onnikai were supposed to adapt to their body and “acquire the body’s memories through their soul,” or whatever that meant.

“I am not familiar with how souls work, so I cannot give you a more detailed explanation. Aurena knows more on the subject, so have Hestia ask her,” Zephira nonchalantly stated. “Plainly said, the onnikai were supposed to become the corpse’s new ‘soul’ and acquire the body’s skills and abilities. Ilsaphone wanted to create a new race. And before you stand four of these members…but...”

[“P…ack Le…ader.”]

[“W…e…follow, Alpha.”]

“They are imperfect,” the former onnikai boss answered in Zephira’s stead.

Due to what I did to them — with my ruthless attacks and Hestia’s venom — the bodies of the onnikai were severely damaged and, as Zephira turned these onnikai back into spirits, they lost their ability to produce the black slime. This meant the garms couldn’t heal their bodies without Hestia’s healing magic.

“No, even with little Hestia’s spells, these bodies should be abandoned entirely. It is already a feat for these onnikai to have salvaged this mess. They are far too old, which makes them incompatible to be used anymore,” Zephira said.

“We found these garms’ bodies as skeletons close to the Belzac forest after I, and few other onnikai, were imprisoned here…is what I can still remember. According to what I heard from the onnikais possessing them, these corpses are seven years old and were withering away when we found them. It took us ten months to bring them to this state.”

And they still looked more like zombies than living beings. Flesh and fur were missing, and I could see their bones. With my actions, I’ve set their efforts back nearly a year.

Seven years old, huh? That can’t be a coincidence that it aligned with the garm subjugation Quest, right?

“Please, wait, that does not make sense. Hestia can heal them. Even if they are as old as seven years, could we not give these faefolk a new life?” I pleaded with Zephira.

“Miss Saori, it isn’t that simple,” Tasianna stepped in to clear up my misunderstanding. “Faefolk adapt, yes, but Goddess Ilsaphone’s targets were onnikais, faefolk most familiar with the concept of death. They were born from the negative emotions of when they perished, so they made great vessels for her powers as the Goddess of Death and Souls. Even if Lady Hestia were to heal the bodies, they wouldn’t be able to adapt to them anymore without Goddess Ilsaphone’s blessing.”

Hmmm, this is really a foreign concept for me.

From what I could surmise, the onnikais were supposed to become a “soul” by turning into spirits before repairing their bodies; the onnikais in their new state couldn’t fit the bodies anymore if Hestia were to heal them. It was like a key with its keyhole, I believe.

Besides, as the bodies were corpses, Zephira worried that they would continue decaying without healing magic now that they couldn’t use the black slime anymore. As the bodies were seven years old, she also believed they would decompose even faster.

Through the process Ilsaphone worked on to create a new race, the onnikais “inherited” the dead garm’s skills and spells. That was why they were able to use spells and [Telepathy] during our fight. This process also brought the onnikai closer to their garm body’s memories, and they were slowly influenced to believe they were the garm’s original “soul,” which explained why they were acting like I was a pack leader or something.

This also explained why my wolf side went wild when they shamed me. The pride of being [Belzac’s Successor] made me angry at them…even if it was against my will.

“Then what should we do for them?” I asked, worried that these onnikai might have wasted all their efforts due to me. The damage was warranted as we were fighting, but I felt a bit saddened, as I valued hard work leading to well-earned rewards.

That was when the garms spoke up.

[“P…ack Leader.”]

[“You…r spe…ll. Vessel…for us.”]

[“We…follow Alpha…everywhere.”]

[“We…hunt together. Ancestor’s descendants hunt…together.”]

The garms then struck a pose as if they were howling, but whether they were missing a head or had their lungs and windpipe destroyed by me, no voice escaped. They were energetic despite being…well, zombies.

“Hmm, that is a workaround,” Zephira commented. “Similar to how they possessed these corpses, these ‘new’ onnikai or spirits may be able to possess that shadow wolf I saw through Silva’s eyes, Saori. That familiar is made completely out of your mana, correct? It might work, although I cannot give a precise answer. Haha, and mortals believe the gods are omniscient. Cute and funny, they are.”

…I think her true personality just shined there.

“Would you like to try, Saori?” Zephira asked. At that moment, everybody’s eyes focused on me. Well, real and imaginary eyes.

…

Truth be told, I didn’t like the idea. Until now, I’ve been trying to reject anything to do with my bloodline as a wolf. Yes, I was a child of a garm, but I didn’t want it to influence my life. And now, a quartet of garms was asking to follow me around as their “Alpha.” It was beyond crazy.

I felt if I accepted and they succeeded somehow to possess my [Shadow Pack], then they would be the catalyst to drive me to learn more about Belzac and what happened seven years ago. My intuition was telling me this. I don’t want to know anything about my garm mother, father, siblings, and family. Nothing! I wanted to deny Belzac…

How embarrassing of me, huh? I am a grown woman, but I was currently fighting over something so…insignificant. However, I wanted to be selfish and childish. I am fucking zero years old! I have the right to throw a tantrum.

…But I didn’t. Whether it was because of Hestia’s disposition influencing me or my wish to see their efforts see fruit, or maybe I was seeing my students in these garms, I considered Zephira’s words. That was what a “good” person should be doing, right?

“…On one condition,” I stated. “Before I can even answer this request, I want to know more about you. Onnikai, why are you here, and who placed you inside these ruins? For what reason are you in this place?”

And that was when the past of this group of onnikai was revealed and the plot behind their existence.