Chapter 6: The Evil God Asmodeus
While Ryuu and Keyaru were trapped in Syr's basement, a deity with a relatively handsome face but unkempt stubble expressionlessly walked out from the base of the Ganesha Familia.
Asmodeus...
Though he believed himself to preside over the most fascinating aspects of existence, in the heavens he was merely an obscure figure hardly known to anyone.
The topics among deities always revolved around what mischief Loki had gotten into or whether Hestia remained pure—but what Asmodeus was doing... who cared?
Not even many goddesses were willing to indulge in his domain alongside him. Was the gap between lust and the beauty governed by the Goddess of Beauty truly so vast?
Unwilling to accept this, Asmodeus seized the opportunity to descend to the mortal realm, hoping to find among humans the answer that had eluded him in the heavens.
Descending around the same time as Loki, Asmodeus fared far worse than his counterpart...
In truth, Keyaru was not his first Familia member!
It was just that those he favored always met untimely ends!
One perished in the lands of Telskyura—a charmingly insane Amazon!
Another fell in the Elven Forest—a lustful elf who resisted worldly norms to the very end!
And the last was a young boy he encountered during the Great War of Orario. For some reason, from the very first glance, Asmodeus knew this lad would eventually build a grand harem, embodying his domain of lust!
Almost instantly, Asmodeus decided to bestow his Falna upon Keyaru. And when he saw Keyaru's skills, Asmodeus understood!
His chance to make his name resonate across both the mortal realm and the heavens had arrived!
Though he held no particular fondness for heroes, Asmodeus, who considered himself somewhat perceptive, saw in Keyaru the potential to slay the One-Eyed Black Dragon!
Without fanfare or guidance, Asmodeus silently burned the paper recording Keyaru's skill information and walked away from the young boy without looking back.
He knew he wasn't qualified to guide him.
Moreover, the activation conditions for that skill were too stringent—Asmodeus needed an opportunity!
To lie low...
To commit misdeeds...
To craft a harsh environment for the boy's growth while discarding divine dignity to interfere arbitrarily during life-threatening crises!
Day after day, Asmodeus accumulated lust bit by bit, adding shades of pink and trouble to Orario, until the exasperated Guild officials successfully listed him among the Evil Gods!
But that wasn't all. He subtly created growth conditions for Keyaru, knowing that even if his level didn't rise, the boy's "essence" was continuously transforming!
Finally, the day arrived!
The seedling he had nurtured successfully attracted the Goddess of Beauty, who governed "beauty"—a concept inherently conflicting with his "lust"!
Only the sincere, maddening desire of one who presides over beauty could irrigate a skill fruit delicious enough!
At the entrance of Ganesha Familia, Asmodeus, like an elegant artist, used his finger as a wand to play an unknown melody in the void.
The headquarters of Ganesha Familia was named "I Am Ganesha," a majestic structure over thirty meters tall shaped like the seated deity Ganesha himself. Beneath the mask of the god enshrined there lay an expression of solemn gravity. Following his gaze, Asmodeus concluded his performance and bowed to Ganesha as if sensing something.
After bidding farewell to Ganesha, Asmodeus returned to Northern Street.
As if nostalgic, Asmodeus wore an intoxicated expression, savoring the scents and admiring the mundane street life he would normally never pay much attention to!
Arriving at a fried potato ball stall, he met the vendor's disgusted look as if he were a pervert. Asmodeus took out his last remaining valis.
"I've never haggled before..."
"This is all the money I have. Could you please give me one extra cream-flavored fried potato ball, miss?"
An inexplicable sense of desolation welled up in her heart, as if this god before her was heading toward his end. The vendor, almost spellbound, agreed to his request—even if he was a perverted god!
Accepting the bag of fried potato balls, the scalding hot oil stung Asmodeus's hand, but he paid it no mind, taking small, deliberate bites to savor the hard-won delicacy.
Strolling leisurely, he crossed Northern Street and headed west...
Noticing many people along the way casting disdainful glances his way, Asmodeus suddenly realized—he had become so famous!
It seemed his accumulated perverted actions had finally paid off!
The god cheered himself on like an innocent child, if one ignored his unkempt, bearded appearance.
Halfway there, Asmodeus paused.
The bustling clamor not far away caught his attention!
Had there always been a tavern here?
The rustic wooden cabin, meticulously crafted by architects, possessed a unique beauty. Asmodeus read the signboard word by word:
"The Hostess of Fertility? I never noticed it before..."
"What a wonderful place!"
"My child will surely radiate charm here someday, indulging in lust!"
Asmodeus nodded in admiration before continuing onward.
Finally, amid the ruins surrounding an abandoned clock tower, the feeling in Asmodeus's heart grew increasingly intense!
He knew his only Familia member was very close by!
Struggling through piles of discarded wood splinters with his mortal body, he pressed on.
Just then, pitch-black clouds shrouded the sky above Orario, occasional thunderclaps echoing loudly. Yet Asmodeus found it strangely elegant and pleasant.
A wooden splinter from a discarded plank scraped his knee, drawing bright red blood from the god's flesh.
But Asmodeus had no time to care. He knew his child was right before him!
But...
A tall, gray-haired woman suddenly emerged from behind a ruined wall. Behind her stood the King who stood at the pinnacle of Orario, accompanied by four dwarves clad head to toe in heavy armor!
Syr was no more. Now, standing before Asmodeus was the Patron Goddess of Orario's undisputed top Familia—the Goddess of Beauty, Freya!
"Ara ara~"
"Freya, your actions truly make this god feel flattered~"
"Ottar plus the Gulliver Brothers? Anyone unaware might think this god is incredibly powerful..."
Her purple eyes glared arrogantly at the bickering figure before her. Disdaining to converse with such a minor deity, Freya coldly spat out a single word:
"Scram!"
Asmodeus showed no anger whatsoever, instead grabbing his hair and chuckling.
"I know Lady Freya is interested in my little Familia member. This god wants no part in such matters, so I've come specifically to remove his Falna!"
"Might Lady Freya... grant permission?"
"Or perhaps you fear a minor, unknown god like myself might try something?"