The Goddess' Champion

There was silence; with the capacity of hearing nothing but their own palpitations, the four humans and the half-elf remained silent.

Constantine considered his options for a long time, but as much as he wanted to come clean and erase all possible threats, there were more reasons to leave them alive than reasons to slaughter them in this hellhole.

He removed the spear and Zamira sighed in relief like she had never done before in her life.

"B-Brother, we won't do anything to you either, in fact… we won't even ask…" One of the bulky guys who had underestimated his complexion before now regarded him with a completely different light.

"No asking about my origin, no asking anything… you will all answer my questions and once we're outside, we part ways, understood?" His voice was firm, the failure to comply with these demands was... death.

"Yes…" Zamira answered after dusting herself off and rubbing her bleeding neck.

"What is this place, where are we?" His questions didn't make themselves wait, without the need to keep pretentious, his main objective was to get information about this place.

However, his question once again produced a round of shivering.

"This is the mythical Netherdepths of Sandork… I can't tell you that much about this place as we ourselves happened to coincide with this, please believe us, it is the truth!" Zamira answered with apprehension, aware that it would only increase his suspicions due to its insidious nature, she might not be wanting to reveal anything.

And indeed, Constantine's glare made them know he wasn't happy with that answer.

[Sandork...?]

"She's saying the truth! we were going through the Lindom Forest when we found the entrance to the cave, it wasn't there before… or at least, I, the one that has spent the most time in that forest hadn't seen it ever. We entered to investigate and were captured by those ants shortly after! We only know this to be the lair of that Joker God due to the stalactites!" The scared trio immediately started to wave their hands back and forth in front of his glaring, trying to explain the situation.

"And how do you know how this place is called if you have never been here, do you think I'm stupid?" He growled trying to find their lies.

"I told you, we have records in the Community Library, those stalactites are 'Blood of Sandork' the Joker God, we saw them first in possession of those ants, that's how we know where we are, but... we have no idea how to escape..." Zamira said with dejection, hoping his explanation would be enough for him.

"..."

"Do you know any 'Sandork' Zebellia?" He mumbled for the Valkyrie to hear.

[I know of a Sandork... a renowned Higher God a few hundred thousand years ago... but he would never be depicted as a 'joker'... so it must be someone else, they seem to be saying the truth, however, the stalactite those ants had before did seem like a shard holding divinity, and it is also the same one that exploded upon contact.] Zebellia didn't have much to say on the subject either, except for what she could analyse by watching his movements.

The four humans awaited their verdict, but just going by his softened gaze, they knew they'd make it alive out of here, or at least, that's what they hoped.

"How are my cores?"

[1st Ether Magic Core: 100%]

[2nd Ether Magic Core: 100%]

[3rd Ether Magic Core (Wind): 92%]

[4th Ether Magic Core (Wind): 91%]

**

**

"Prepare yourselves, we're leaving... and if you're going to cut your faces down, do it after we leave for god's sake..." He groaned, with his cores already replenished, there was no reason for him to stay here.

They all nodded in relief.

Constantine wanted them to go first, but it was impossible, the one that has to dig the hole is himself and hence, whilst groaning, he gave his back to a bunch of strangers, feeling relief only in the fact that they needed him to survive and hence wouldn't pull out any nonsense.

While his imagination ran amok, the expression of humans was totally opposite to the wicked mask he seemed to place them in.

They crawled through the channels, he had already known where the exit tunnel was, only needing to reconnect them, it would take a few hours, but he had enough mana to do so.

"Why do you want to scar your face?"

He asked suddenly even if to not remain in this awkward silence along the way, the bulky guys were struggling to go through, but they eventually managed after he made the holes a little wider.

"There are many reasons... the main one is that... you're likely to be discriminated as a human if you don't look 'rude'..."

"Ah?" He stopped abruptly, what kind of nonsense is that?

"Yes, if you have a beautiful face and frame such as yours... people will think you're just slacking... our years of life are so short, you will be seen wrongly for not using them adequately, also... the best way to help our families, if you're not a magus, which we are not, is to be a knight or a mercenary... and if you're not looking like us, you're not in." Zamira explained with gritted teeth.

"There are also the ones from the scarred cult... if you're caught wandering by them without at least ten... they will 'scar' you... that's how I got most of mine." Andre explained too with poison coming out of his mouth.

"I-If you don't look rude y-you won't be getting chosen to procreate either, nobody wants weak children with a bad genealogy." Anne said with shyness.

"..."

'What the fuck kind of world did I end into?'

"Of course, everything is different if you're a magus, although you might still be disdained for looking 'pretty'... everyone will still want you as magus are simply rare, and some like you... dual elements... that's just one in a hundred magus, however... all magus tend to head to the Empire's Royal Capital and never stay in the outskirts..." She said and all the others nodded in acceptance, this seems to be common knowledge.

Constantine and Zebellia were simply processing everything.

"There they're chosen to marry with the imperial family, or if they're stronger and have a lot of potential... they're sent to marry anyone in the Elven Kindom or the Wolf Empire... everything for the sake of producing half breeds, those bastards only want our magic of the elements!" Zamira explained, gauging his reactions... but by the end of her sentence, there was clearly wrath in there.

"I see..."

Constantine thought that this world was quite complicated, completely different from the world he was in prior, the home of his empire.

'So in this world, you're discriminated if you're pretty? that's why she was trying to scar her face? moreover... scarred cult?'

"Can you tell me more of this scarred cult?"

"They're a group of psychos that have existed for several thousand years, their group's size has vastly decreased, they worship the Scarred God, Dior... sadly, due to their leader always being an individual of great strength, usually at the peak of the Grand Magus; they're allowed to do as they please in the Empire, saying that scarring us will 'please' Dior and he will assist us In the war against the Demons, pure trash!"

Anne took it upon herself to explain, but by the time her words finished, it was as if she realised the words she said and started to shiver!

"P-Please, don't tell them I said that..."

"I won't..." He assured the lady, tempted to actually do so when the time comes just to see what reactions would he garner from the infamous cult.

[I haven't heard of any God called Dior. He, she or it... must be some runt wannabe Higher God ascended in Sandoria. Hmph! He's likely dead and those fools are worshipping a dead god.] The valkyrie mocked heartily.

"..." He said no words, the woman talks about Gods as if they're infants.

'What's the point of acting all mighty if you don't even know maths..' He mocked inwardly, making sure to not say a single word, the guys had already been looking at him weirdly as if he has some narcissistic complex to talk with himself.

[*SNORT!*]

[-20 Karma Points]

'So... I have no privacy?'

[You don't...]