บท 174: Effortless Thorn Removal
Seated atop his monster bone throne, Vidar rubbed his temples, trying unsuccessfully to dispel the heavy headache that was plaguing him. His demeanour made him appear somewhere between constipated and incredibly vexed as a dark shadow shrouded his face. His usually upright posture had become sluggish. Evidently, he didn't have enough surplus energy to maintain his professional image now that he was left all alone.
'How did this happen?! Did the Loki Familia discover them? Did they make some sort of foolish mistake, perhaps? Why did nobody make it back?'
Around an hour ago, six of his Executives died simultaneously, assaulting him with a very unwelcome wave of grief. Because of how sudden this occurrence had been, he had hastily sent out Esja to search out the survivors and inquire about what had taken place. If necessary, she could also support them during their retreat, safeguarding their lives in the process. His own personal wellbeing was important, yes, but he couldn't just let all of his children die off without doing anything, right?
If everything had gone according to his expectations, then Esja should have returned long ago, bringing the remaining five Executives with her. However, that hadn't happened. What made the situation even more confusing was the fact that neither Esja nor the Executives had died. He could still clearly sense their Falnas, letting him know that they were alright.
'This doesn't make any sense! If they had been imprisoned, surely one or two of them would have attempted to self-destruct in an attempt to help the others escape, or even just as an act of defiance. What else could have held them up for this long? Were they all knocked out? Or is it mind control, perhaps? But there shouldn't be anyone capable of that in Orario…'
As he was lost in thought and considering any and all possibilities that he could imagine, a familiar knocking sequence reached his ears. Usually, Esja would use that exact combination of knocks to signify her return and ask for an audience!
"You're finally back! Please enter, hurry!"
Showing a smile again after this prolonged period of anguish, Vidar felt a heavy burden disappear from his shoulders. He straightened his back and looked at the entrance of his temple-esque room expectantly, waiting for his reliable Captain to come in.
A second later, however, his smile froze on his lips and his eyes widened in disbelief as well as anger.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Sorry for the intrusion. Quite the nice place you've got here."
The opened door revealed a person that he never would have expected, especially not at this moment! And even worse, all of his remaining Executives, including Esja, were lined up behind the self-invited 'guest', following along as if they were his well-trained, obedient servants.
"Isaac Blackshaw!? How dare you come here? And all of you… why aren't you stopping this brat? Did you betray me?!"
In his stifling rage, Vidar jumped to his feet, ready to grab his rarely-used axe from the nearby stone table… or rather, he attempted to do so. To his horror, he found himself unable to move any part of his body aside from his head!
"W-What is happening?! WHAT IN TARTARUS DID YOU DO TO ME!!?"
Experienced as he was, Vidar immediately realized that Isaac was the cause of all of this, and his focus shifted to him. He now suspected that his children had met a fate similar to his own, so he stopped blaming them.
"Nothing much, I just restrained your movements. If you'd like to continue retaining the ability to speak, you'd better be a bit more polite, though. If it wasn't for the advice of a friend and the fact that I've observed you all for a period of time, then I would have already eradicated you completely."
Pulling out his most comfortable sofa from his inventory, Isaac sat down facing the mostly immobile Vidar, an entertained grin on his lips. There was no ounce of caution or seriousness that could be found in his features, causing Vidar's instincts to sound the warning bells.
On a more thorough second glance, the expressions on the faces of all of his children that had been brought along were unchanging, only their eyes were continually darting around. Some of them showed clear fear and despair, while others' gazes felt lifeless and hopeless.
Seeing them all in a state like this, Vidar felt a pang of guilt for having accused them of betrayal previously. But now wasn't the right time to worry about his misstep. Refocusing his attention on the intruder, Vidar tried to remain calm. If he blew his top here, then everyone might just die. While he would merely return to Heaven himself, he didn't want to throw his children's lives away if he could help it.
"You certainly seem to be capable of doing something like that. It seems as if we have all underestimated you. Have you always hidden your strength, or did you just grow unfathomably quickly?"
A bit impressed by Vidar reining in his emotions this rapidly, Isaac raised an eyebrow and his smile widened. He leaned back on his sofa and stretched a little, appearing completely off guard as he responded.
"It's a bit of both, actually. I've indeed hidden parts of my capabilities from the public eye and your group for a while, but I've also grown far quicker than you could have ever anticipated."
Feeling chills down his back because his enemy was being so forthcoming with him, Vidar subconsciously tried to clench his fists, only to again be reminded of his current immobile state. Taking a deep breath, he slightly furrowed his brows and decided to press on with his questions while he had the chance. After all, what else did he have to lose?
"I assume that you did something about my children's self-destruct mechanisms? They wouldn't just be standing next to you without putting up a fight otherwise."
Smiling gently, Isaac pulled out a handful of small bead-like devices from midair. Recognizing them for what they were and how they should have been obtained, Vidar paled, despite having already expected this development.
"It is as you have guessed. I already attempted to extract one of these at an earlier date, so I found it comparatively easy to do it properly this time. Don't worry about your children - I fed them some Mermaid Blood, so they're in perfect health again!"
Feeling that the saint-like, warm grin on Isaac's face was turning more and more terrifying by the second, Vidar momentarily averted his eyes as he rephrased one of the first questions that he had asked.
"I suppose I should thank you for keeping them in one piece. But pleasantries aside, what brings you here?"
Chuckling a little, Isaac shook his head, as if lamenting his conversation partner's stupidity.
"Do you really not know? Do you think I'm unaware of you ordering your children to kill my students on multiple occasions? I'm here to deal with that situation, and to get some well-deserved answers. You've asked me so many questions already, so shouldn't it be my turn to do the same?"
Cold sweat had already drenched the back of Vidar's undershirt and he found it increasingly difficult to retain his collected mental state. Ordinarily, he wouldn't blame someone for seeking justice for their people after someone tried to kill them. It was only natural, after all. However, now that he was in the position of the guilty party, it felt extremely uncomfortable. And yet, he couldn't do anything but comply - or die.
"Go ahead. What do you want to ask?"
His benevolent expression turning a smidgen less relaxed and a bit more professional, Isaac began his interrogation.
"Why did you try to kill my students?"
Heaving a somewhat helpless sigh, Vidar determined that it wasn't a big issue to reveal this, especially because Petbe should have done so already anyway. That woman couldn't keep a secret for the life of her.
"It was an order from above. I don't know why we were tasked with doing so, though."
Nodding calmly, Isaac continued.
"What is the goal of Váli's Pantheon? Or do you prefer the name 'Váli's Blades'?"
'Did that bitch really spill that much!? Even our children only know about Váli's Blades at most, but nothing about the pantheon!'
Clearly taken aback, Vidar's eyes widened, but he chose to remain silent. Apparently having anticipated this, Isaac didn't dig any deeper and asked another question instead.
"What other members are there outside of you, Petbe and Váli?"
Yet again, Vidar didn't speak.
Shrugging and heaving a sigh, as if bemoaning his helplessness, Isaac shook his head. His amiable smile turned even more radiant, as if trying to outshine even the sun itself. By now, goosebumps had formed all over not only Vidar's body, but over those of his children as well.
"Your loyalty is admirable. But don't you think that your thoughts are a little bit too easy to read? I know that you were only probing me for information, trying to buy time or the lives of your children, if possible. In the worst case scenario, you would be locked up for some time and kill yourself when I'm not looking. You can then bring more intel about me to your organization. In the end, even if you 'lose' here, you won't leave with empty hands."
A bit of true fear began to settle within Vidar's heart, but he was primarily just confused. If Isaac knew all of this, then why did he still play along? Choosing to put up at least a bit of resistance because it appeared that he had no other option available any longer, Vidar's gaze turned sharp.
"So? What can you do about it? Even if you kill my children, even if you torture me… you won't get anything else out of us. I won't tell you anything, and as for them… they don't know anything vital. In the end, all you can do is temporarily restrain me. Even if I'm humiliated, I'll have the last laugh!"
In response to the fur armour-clad, noble-looking deity's struggle, a vigorous chuckle escaped Isaac's lips. In his eyes, a combination of mockery and pity could be made out momentarily, in complete contrast to the otherwise warm-hearted air around him.
"Oh Vidar, you really underestimate me far too much. If only you had listened to Ivan, then none of your children would have had to die. It's such a shame…"
Before the restrained god could retort or inquire about anything at all, Isaac had already temporarily sealed his ability to speak, evidently not in the mood to get interrupted at this juncture.
"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I won't kill you or your remaining children. After all, I don't want to have a complete falling out with your organization. I've been told that not everything may be as it seems, and that we shouldn't be enemies, so I won't take the grudge that has formed between us due to what you have attempted to do to the kids too far."
Pausing for a bit, Isaac casually waved his hand and put the self-destruct devices, all Executives aside from Esja, as well as all other Vidar Familia members in Orario into his inventory. Feeling his connections with so many of them getting cut off, Vidar's eyes turned heavily bloodshot, and both the hatred as well as the terror within his core grew to further heights. Isaac, however, seemingly paid no attention to that.
"Don't you worry, they're not dead - I just put them somewhere else where you won't be able to sense them. As for the bad news… Well, I hate to say it, but you won't be able to send any news back to your companions in Heaven. I'll keep you safely stashed away, unable to do anything at all. I've already set everything up so that your absence temporarily won't be questioned. Nobody will miss you - at least for a while. Lastly…"
Turning to face the only other person still remaining in the temple-esque room, Esja, Isaac looked directly into her cold, dark-blue eyes that stared back at him with unconcealed murderous intent, as well as a hint of fear.
"You're quite capable, reaching Level 6 at such a young age. It would be quite a pity if you're not put to work. So I'll make you an offer. In exchange for fighting for me until I release your dear Lord Vidar, I will treat him well. He'll get three sumptuous meals per day, a nice home furnished with a bathroom, as well as any other basic necessities. He'll be cared for splendidly, and merely unable to return to Heaven for a time. Additionally, I won't end the lives of any more of your fellow familia members. What do you say?"
Despite noticing that she had now become able to speak again, Esja stayed silent. She was still glaring at him with animosity, but due to the overwhelming oppression that she felt in front of the immeasurable gap in power between them, she couldn't help but at least mull over what he had said. Eventually, she opened her mouth.
"Why should I believe you?"
The voice that came out sounded quite raspy, as if her vocal chords hadn't been utilized for many years, which was actually the case. Even when she had given Vidar her reports, she had usually submitted them in written form. Now that her only option was to speak, though, she reluctantly did so, despite being very unhappy about it.
"Realistically speaking, what other option do you have? I could technically make you do my bidding by manually controlling your body as before, but I feel that would be a waste of my energy. It would be much better to have you obey me out of your own free will."
Standing up from his sofa and stretching a little, Isaac clearly laid out exactly how desperate Esja's current straits were. Then, before she could turn him down, he gave her what he felt to be a satisfying response.
"I'm aware that you won't just take my word for it. So, instead, how about I let you visit your darling Lord whenever you're free? You can check in on him to see if he has been mistreated, and spend your time with him. Do whatever you want, tell him about anything you've seen or experienced - I won't stop you. The only thing that I ask is that you work for me for a time and don't make trouble. I'll be showing you where Vidar will be staying now, so make up your mind after this."
By the time that the last words had left his lips, both Vidar and Esja found themselves in an entirely different place, which seemed to be surrounded by an endless void. They felt a pleasant, gentle gust of wind caress their faces and the light of a nonexistent sun shine down on them from an unknown place above.
In front of them, just a few tens of meters away, there was a quaint cottage that was situated next to a small lake bordered by a grove of trees. It appeared a bit like a countryside vacation home. If it wasn't for the fact that the world itself just… ended around 100 meters from it, then it wouldn't have seemed out of place. They would still have been puzzled about how they had been transported here, but they wouldn't have had as many unanswered questions about what this place actually was.
Vidar nearly instantly suspected it to be a different world, but there were far too many details about it that simply made no sense to him, so confusion clouded his eyes. He did take note of the fact that he still felt a connection to his powers in Heaven, but when he tried to utilize them to get out of here, or attempted to use them in any way whatsoever, he found there to be an unsurpassable resistance restricting him from doing so. Which shouldn't have been possible!
"Wait a minute… I'm able to move again!?"
Whilst he had been distracted, he had plopped to the ground. With both his restraints removed and his throne left back at the Vidar Familia home, nothing had supported his seated position in midair.
"Make yourself at home. That right there is the house that you'll be living in from now on. You'll get enough food to get by and nobody will go out of their way to bother you. You'll have to cook for yourself, though. Feel free to wander around, just don't be a nuisance, alright?"
Looking back at Isaac, who had a completely unconcerned expression on his face while he introduced this gorgeous plot of land, Vidar stayed silent for a bit, then he jumped to his feet. Esja had already positioned herself in front of him and put her guard up, ready to defend him with her very life whenever necessary.
"Aren't you worried that you might not be able to control us once you're away from here?"
Eyeing the god with pity overflowing from his gaze, Isaac shook his head.
"Of course I'm not. This is my private world. Everything in here is permanently and completely under my control. The very laws of the world have been fashioned by me. If I don't want you to harm anyone, then I can simply make it impossible for you to do so. How about you try to attack me to test it out? I promise I won't resist."
Initially, Vidar wanted to deny Isaac's claims, but the current situation was already odd enough. He couldn't debunk anything his captor had said without evidence, merely relying on 'common sense'. After all, no matter how unfeasible it sounded to him, what if it actually was the truth?
As he was busy contemplating, Esja had chosen to throw caution to the wind. She set out to unsheathe her sword and charge at Isaac, but the very moment that she tried to do so, she felt an inconceivable pressure bearing down on her from all sides, as if the entire world was resisting her. She found it impossible to breathe or move, restrained to a far more severe degree than previously. Pure, intense killing intent could be felt from literally everything around her - whether it be the air, the blades of grass or even the rays of light. An instinctual terror unlike any other gripped her heart, squeezing it so tightly that she worried it might get crushed from emotion alone. Her inexpressive bearing broke down for the first time.
"Esja? What's wrong? Why are you crying!? You bastard, what did you do to her?!"
Seeing his treasured Captain shed tears while unable to move even an inch, more pale than ever before, snapped Vidar out of his thoughts and made him angrily rebuke Isaac. But when he wanted to stride towards the young man to grab his collar, he also experienced the same overwhelming resistance from the world itself. It rejected him and threatened to kill him, to erase him in his entirety, if he made even one more move…
'How is this possible?! Even my Divine Soul wouldn't be able to escape?? If I died in this way, then wouldn't that mean that a new 'me' would be born from my leftover powers after a few tens of thousands of years, a me that doesn't have my current memories? Would that even still be… me?'
Observing the two of them with amusement written all over his face, Isaac snapped his fingers, causing all of the sensations that had assaulted their very beings to dissipate completely.
"That should suffice as a demonstration. You should now be aware that here, nobody can defy me. Although I lifted your restraints, you've merely been put into a bigger, more secure cage. Now, Esja. About my previous offer. Do you still have trouble believing me? I'll really treat your Lord Vidar well, I promise."
Trembling in response to his words, Esja's watery eyes looked at her god, her empty gaze signifying that she felt lost. Wouldn't agreeing to Isaac's request practically make her a traitor? She didn't want to betray her Lord, ever! But… if she refused to submit, what terrible things would happen to him?
Seeing her in this state, caught in a medley of hesitation and dread, Vidar eventually heaved a reluctant sigh and walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Somewhat out of character, he showed a gentle smile, trying to make her feel just a tiny bit of relief, if possible. She was the last of his children to still be with him at this stage, so he truly didn't want to see her break down like this - especially when he had no way to escape from this situation. That didn't mean that he would simply give up, but he didn't want her to suffer any longer.
"It's fine, Esja. If he had wanted to kill us, then he would have done so already. I don't think we can do anything but comply with his wishes for now. I won't blame you for choosing to submit temporarily for my sake, alright?"
Before she could open her mouth, he turned to face Isaac with a never-before-seen glint of solemnity in his eyes.
"I'm warning you. I know that I can't do anything at the moment, but if you lay your hands on Esja, or do anything unspeakable to her… no matter what I have to suffer through, I will do everything in my power to resist. We'll be irreconcilable enemies for all of time."
Showing the first truly genuine expression ever since he had entered Vidar's home, Isaac sighed and rubbed his forehead, annoyance evident on his charming features.
"What the hell do you think I'll do to her? I have no romantic or sexual interest in her! Why does everyone always assume my intentions to be this sort of impure? This world is seriously messed up. Or rather, people in general are, in most worlds. Vidar, the only reason that I want Esja to work for me is because I see great potential in her and want to make use of her as a worker ant. That's it. Now stop it and don't waste any more of my time, I've got more important things to do."
The sharp glare that was sent his way at the very end made Vidar subconsciously shiver in fright, almost triggering his flight response. However, he more or less held his ground and merely averted his eyes.
"... your offer, I accept it."
After the two of them had finished conversing, Esja finally made up her mind. She wanted to earn a good life for her Lord, even if she had to suffer in exchange. What she had been worried about the most was how Vidar would view her, but now that he had given her his approval already, she didn't feel conflicted any longer. Initially, she had still harboured thoughts of rebellion against Isaac, but ever since the very world had threatened to end her… she didn't entertain these ideas any longer. Even if she reached out to her allies in the Lower World, or to Vidar's comrades in Heaven… they wouldn't be able to protect her Lord at all.
"Good. I'll let you know when I need you. For now, feel free to stay here."
With a small smile and a wave, Isaac disappeared from in front of their eyes, leaving the two of them alone in an unfamiliar world that, to them, was akin to a giant prison cell.
Back in the Lower World, he swept all valuables and other items that the Vidar Familia might take with them if they left the city into his inventory, before locking the property from the outside. Pulling out a book, he casually strolled through the streets, blurring his existence partially to avoid getting recognized. People would still be able to tell that someone was there, but they wouldn't be able to determine who it was. He appeared just like a random passerby in the background of others' lives.
In this manner, he bought a few plates worth of salad and meat-rich dishes that caught his interest, as well as Ais' favourite kind of potato snacks - those filled with red bean paste. All the while, he was observing everyone's magic training that was taking place back in his private world, as well as many other matters.
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"Lady Adikia, we've gotten new intel from the White Blade! Please check it out as soon as possible."
Looking up from behind her mountains of paperwork, the scarred goddess rubbed her tired eyes and stretched out her right hand, taking the sealed, high-priority document from one of her secretaries. After reading through it, she furrowed her brows and stayed silent for a while, deep in thought.
'So they temporarily retreated from Orario after their significant losses in Knossos, as well as the Loki Familia's threat? They actually managed to evade our network and slip out undetected. This is… concerning. It looks like I misjudged Vidar's capabilities.'
Not even for a moment did Adikia doubt that the text on the paper had been written by her fellow deity, because she had read his handwriting far too many times in the past. An expert like her wouldn't be tricked by a forgery, unless it was entirely indistinguishable from the real thing.
After passing down the order to search through the Vidar Familia's home to make sure that they left nothing incriminating behind, just like that, she added the following piece of information to the already long list of intel that she would have to report back to Heaven in the next few days:
'White Blade's Vidar Familia left Orario on the 21st of March. They will be out of contact for approximately two weeks until they can resettle at an appropriate location. Their forces will be unable to provide support during the Isaac Blackshaw Eradication Campaign.'
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
Shiro_the_Hero
Shiro_the_Hero In case any of you are wondering why Isaac didn't continue pressuring Vidar for intel... it's because he didn't truly care about it. Most of this was just a formality to him, rather than a serious effort.
That aside, yes, they use the same months over there as we do. I saw no reason to change this, especially because parts of the world are already inspired by real-life stuff - so there we go. Now you at least have a frame of reference xD
All of that aside, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! \o/
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Shameless self-promotion aside, I hope you have a wonderful, fantastic day!! o/
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