Evening.
Under the cover of shadows, two figures clad in black robes moved swiftly through the undergrowth.
One in front, one behind.
Elise ran ahead at a speed ordinary people could scarcely hope to match, occasionally glancing back at the figure behind her.
The goddess Astraea.
After watching the earlier battle between the bandits and the villagers, Elise had formed a rough estimate of the strength of ordinary people in this world and that of a Level 2 adventurer.
The gap was enormous.
Yet Astraea had completely overturned Elise's assessment of a god's strength.
Wasn't it said that gods could not use divine power in the lower world?
And yet this...
It didn't seem like she was using divine power at all...
Was her physical ability really that strong?
Based on Elise's comparison, Astraea was clearly stronger than the previous bandit leader. She might even possess strength comparable to a Level 3 adventurer—or perhaps even beyond that.
Which made it strange.
Why hadn't Astraea used her own strength to crush those bandits earlier?
Was she restricted, or did she have other considerations?
But now was clearly not the time for Elise to think too deeply about such matters. She merely kept a slight watch on Astraea's pace behind her, making sure the goddess could keep up.
"By the way, there's something I've been curious about."
At that moment, the goddess behind her spoke.
"I've been observing you for quite a while, Elise."
"Your movements clearly aren't hindered by your lack of sight. Why do you cover your eyes?"
In Astraea's view, Elise's speed was astonishing. Not only did she run swiftly, but even when obstacles suddenly appeared ahead, she could dodge them in time.
Such reflexes could not be formed without years of accumulation. And judging by her appearance, Elise looked only around sixteen years old, with no traits of elves or beastfolk.
In other words, a young human—under twenty—possessing such astonishing ability.
A true genius.
As for Elise, upon hearing Astraea's question, a trace of difficulty appeared on her face.
Astraea naturally noticed this and continued gently, "What is it? Is there something hard to speak about? If so, then forget I asked."
"No, it's not that I can't speak of it."
Elise shook her head. "It's just that my eyes possess a very special ability. Many who have seen them have met with terrible misfortune. In order not to affect others, I chose to cover them."
Elise knew that gods could see through lies, so she chose her words carefully.
At the same time, she also wanted to understand what kind of effect her eyes truly had—after all, they had effortlessly slain even the Holy Spirit King of the Elementalist world.
If the gods of this world could perhaps give her an answer...
"A special ability?"
The goddess was puzzled. Just what kind of ability would compel Elise to cover her eyes?
"When we meet the one behind all this later, could I ask Lady Astraea to bear witness?" Elise said. "I only know the general effect of it. I can't control it perfectly."
Astraea considered for a moment before agreeing to Elise's request. She was also quite curious about this so-called special ability.
Even a benevolent god was still a god.
Were not the gods of this world drawn to the lower realm precisely because they had grown bored of the heavens?
"No problem. I accept."
Thus answered the goddess Astraea.
...
"Stay sharp. Don't forget our mission!"
"The villagers of Kate Village aren't so easy to deal with. And recently, someone spotted a beam of light descending from the sky. If nothing unexpected happened, a god likely descended near that village!"
The kingdom's army had gathered here. Clearly, they still had designs on that settlement.
"Captain, isn't it just a small village? Do we really need such a large mobilization?"
Some of the soldiers felt the same. Deploying so many troops for a single village—wasn't that excessive?
The captain's eyes narrowed. He clearly knew certain inside details, but there was no way he could reveal everything to the men below. He could only brush it aside.
"That's not for us to think about."
"As soldiers of the kingdom, we only need to faithfully execute the orders given to us."
The squad captain glanced at the sky, frowning slightly. "It's been quite a while. Why haven't they returned yet?"
Thud!
Suddenly, a soldier collapsed to the ground mid-step.
Seeing this, the squad captain flew into a rage.
"What is going on? Has someone become so weak that he can't even overcome a bit of drowsiness?"
Before he could finish speaking, another soldier fell right in front of him, in almost the exact same manner.
After that, every second, another soldier dropped to the ground. It was as though they had been struck by some strange technique—eliminated without knowing how.
"This is bad. There's an enemy! Retreat!"
Realizing something was wrong, the squad captain hurriedly mounted his horse, preparing to flee.
What kind of joke was this?
The kingdom's soldiers were falling without even seeing the enemy. Even he, a Level 2 warrior, had seen nothing. If he didn't run now, was he supposed to stay and wait for death?
But when he turned around, all he saw were bodies strewn across the ground. Aside from himself, not a single person remained standing.
"How is this possible?"
His eyes widened. Someone capable of such strength was certainly no ordinary person. They must have received a god's blessing, and their level could only be higher than his.
He had to leave immediately and report the situation to the king and his patron deity.
Otherwise...
The squad captain tugged on the reins, ready to depart. But the moment he lifted his head, he saw two azure objects directly before his eyes.
These were... eyes?
In that instant, his gaze met those sapphire-like pupils.
"So... beautiful..."
The moment he saw them, he felt as though his soul had been hooked away, leaving behind nothing but infatuation with what he beheld.
Slowly, his consciousness faded completely...
With the matter concluded, Elise put her blindfold back on, intending to properly interrogate the kingdom's squad captain.
But when she turned around, she froze.
The goddess Astraea stood behind her, her expression grave.
At this point, even an ordinary person could sense that something in the air had changed...