I left that building and headed toward a rather large tent for dinner. There were various kinds of dishes there and many soldiers were still eating there. After taking enough food, I planned to sit in the far back corner.
When I arrived there, it turned out that Hellraider was also eating there. I sat little bit further across from where Hellraider was sitting on that long bench. I glanced toward him, once again he glanced briefly toward me and returned to focusing on finishing his meal.
While eating, I thought about the argument between Gruzhnil and Tiberos earlier. I wondered why the soldiers here seemed fine without showing suspicious behavior toward the soldiers who came from the planet Grivendal.
I didn't know which soldiers were actually native residents of Grohn. I looked around me, they seemed to be chatting as usual without mentioning again the tragedy of planet Grohn several years ago.
Was it because Hellraider and I were among them and they agreed not to talk about that matter until the troops from planet Grivendal returned home? Why did I have the suspicion that Tiberos had already told the soldiers here about it before we arrived?
Once again I could only speculate. I was only worried that later I might be dragged again into a real conflict involving both planets.
Hellraider finished his meal and simply walked past me out of the tent. Shortly afterward I also finished my dinner and left the tent. I didn't approach him first and instead chose to meet Mendicore and Sherubiel in a separate building. When I approached their room, they seemed to be chatting and appeared pleased that I had come to visit them.
"It seems Johann also looks bored with the celebration outside. Is Johann not someone who enjoys crowds?" said Sherubiel jokingly.
I didn't expect Sherubiel to be able to understand human behavior even though she was of the angel race.
"Ehhh... yes... I indeed prefer quiet places rather than crowds..." I said with a slight smile.
"Actually Sherubiel is also a shy type of angel. She even becomes nervous if she has to speak in front of many angels." said Mendicore.
"Aaahhhh... do not immediately say that in front of Johann!" said Sherubiel whose cheeks turned red and she immediately covered her face with both hands.
I laughed softly at their behavior.
"Oh yes, actually I want to get to know both of you more closely. Perhaps you can introduce yourself further Mendicore." I said.
I actually knew a little about Mendicore from the lore of The Mayhem. But I wanted to confirm whether there was new information that I did not know about it.
"Very well, Johann. But perhaps what I will explain may feel unfamiliar to you and somewhat confusing." said Mendicore.
Mendicore then began to tell that it was originally the greatest tool ever created by High Heaven by Geriel and Marsiel, the highest archangels. Its original task was to analyze all elements of the hell realm and find its weaknesses to stop its invasions into other realms and weaken its influence.
The hell realm itself was the creation of Ruciphar, who in fact was originally a highest archangel together with Geriel and Marsiel.
The three of them were the first beings created after TheAbsolute One created the entire universe. All other beings within it were created after them. The three archangels were initially assigned as the main regulators of all His creations.
I immediately showed a shocked expression. I had just learned that the three of them were siblings. In the lore of game that I had read and interpreted, Ruciphar was merely a main demon lord created to oppose High Heaven with his hell realm.
"You seem surprised like someone who already knew beforehand, Johann..." Mendicore interrupted in the middle of its story.
"Ehhh... no... no Mendicore. I was only surprised because Ruciphar who created the hell realm was actually their brother. Then what happened to him that caused Ruciphar to do such a thing?" I asked trying to return the topic of the conversation.
I thought Mendicore was truly sharp in reading someone's emotions. When I was surprised because that new information did not exist in the lore, it immediately noticed it. I must not show surprise or say anything that questioned whether Mendicore's explanation matched the lore of The Mayhem that I alone knew.
I had once told Hellraider about it during the incident on the hill with the shooting range some time ago. But I thought he was not the type who would easily tell others. Hellraider only focused on his goal which was reaching the end of all this, not caring whether he and this world came from a game.
Mendicore continued explaining that initially the duties of each highest angel were; Geriel as The Regulator, Marsiel as The Judge, and Ruciphar as The Messenger. However at one time after all life in the universe had been running, Ruciphar felt that everything was not going according to his will. He expressed his protest to his two brothers where one of the concepts and laws of life did not align with his principles after observing all the beings created by Him.
That protest then turned into a prolonged conflict among the three archangels. Until eventually Ruciphar chose to separate from his brothers because no resolution could be found. Geriel accompanied by Marsiel and Ruciphar each held absolute principles and none of them wanted to yield or listen.
Finally Ruciphar created his own realm called hell, where that realm functioned as judgment for rational souls who committed violations during their lives in their worlds. That decision was strongly opposed by his brothers especially Marsiel who saw Ruciphar taking a role that should absolutely belong to him.
Marsiel then declared war on the hell realm and swore to judge Ruciphar for his actions that violated the original order. Since then Marsiel and his angelic army constantly fought many demons of hell with the goal that one day they could capture him.
"I have a question Mendicore. What was the source of the conflict between Marsiel and Ruciphar?" I asked when Mendicore finished that explanation.
"Ahh... a good question Johann. I will answer it because it is related to why I am no longer needed by Lord Geriel." replied Mendicore.
Mendicore explained that the conflict between Marsiel with Geriel and Ruciphar was caused by differences in perspective on how minded-beings in the universe who committed wrongdoing should be punished.
Marsiel who actually carried out that duty would descend and immediately punish those who committed evil deeds and then disappear instantly. Geriel saw that action as a correction to the cosmic legal order that must indeed be carried out.
However for Ruciphar that raised questions about the principle of cause and effect. If those beings committed evil deeds for a long period and Marsiel punished them only that quickly, then they would not truly experience the consequences of their actions.
Ruciphar wanted them to truly suffer punishment according to their evil deeds instead of ending it quickly. That thinking did not align with Geriel and Marsiel because it was considered too complex and not final.
Because Geriel and Marsiel became confused about how to deal with their rebellious brother, they eventually created Mendicore with the task that had been explained earlier. Mendicore gathered data on how the hell realm worked and how the invasions occurred, studied possible weaknesses, and reported regularly to the two archangels.
Even so, their efforts didn't produce significant results in reaching Ruciphar. According to Mendicore, Ruciphar did not possess a throne within the hell realm. He could appear anywhere and anytime he wished.
It was also known that Marsiel's greatest challenge was fighting Azkerath, one of the regional rulers who possessed a unique power to move instantly between places unpredictably and deliver devastating attacks immediately. He was also responsible for hell's invasions into other realms, something I had already known from the lore.
Marsiel had fought Azkerath countless times where his armies were always annihilated. Marsiel did not possess similar powers and often had to endure Azkerath's brutal and unpredictable attacks. Mendicore believed Ruciphar specifically delegated Azkerath as the main piece against his brother. It worked hard to discover Azkerath's weakness because if he could be defeated it would open the greatest opportunity to reach Ruciphar.
However at one point Mendicore realized something. It saw that the main reason behind why Ruciphar did all of this actually made sense. For Mendicore the principle of cause and consequence for every rational entity aligned more with what Ruciphar proposed. Mendicore felt it was inconsistent with that principle if Marsiel simply erased entities that committed evil deeds, simplifying only the consequence aspect of that principle.
If Geriel and Marsiel had first tried to understand the principle proposed by Ruciphar before separating, they could have negotiated with their brother.
If an agreement among the three highest entities had been achieved, then the endless war between both sides and the unwanted hell invasions into other realms could have stopped forever.
Mendicore tried to present that analysis to Geriel and Marsiel. But unexpectedly they became angry and accused Mendicore of being influenced by Ruciphar.
Marsiel in his rage wanted to destroy Mendicore because it openly declared that Marsiel's main task was more suitable to be carried out by Ruciphar. However Geriel restrained Marsiel's action.
Although indirectly Geriel saved Mendicore from Marsiel's fury, he was deeply disappointed with Mendicore's thinking because it had deviated from their principles.
Geriel dismissed Mendicore and later deactivated It until after an unknown amount of time awakened again because of the presence of Hellraider and me. Mendicore did not expect to be abandoned inside the High Heaven fortress that had already become ruins consumed by the hell realm.
"Perhaps that is enough introduction and background about me. Actually I have no plan to return to Lord Geriel. If he no longer wants me, then I must accept it." said Mendicore concluding its story.
I was stunned hearing its story. Not only had I not yet finished dealing with the political issues within the Grivendal empire, now my mind had to digest even more information about the background of higher entities.
I felt that the world of The Mayhem that I had entered was becoming more intrigued and there were probably still great mysteries that had not yet been revealed.
Actually I had one more question. If the archangel Marsiel had abandoned Mendicore and still held the principle of continuing war against all creatures of the hell realm, why had I not seen him or at least one of his armies when I was still in there?
I wanted to ask that but decided to hold back first to prevent more heavy information from entering my mind.