"The three followed the undead to the next location, where they saw the souls of several soldiers whispering."

"“Have you heard? King Eurypon's advisors are drafting a plan; it seems they intend to launch a general offensive against Okhema.”"

"“With our current strength? That is utter madness...”"

"“It's a long-term strategy. For now, the first priority is still to complete the... 【Project】 for the God-King.”"

——

The Legend of Qin.

“That bastard! A total bastard!”

Tianming slammed his fist onto the low table beside him with a dull thud. He gnashed his teeth in anger, wishing he could punch King Eurypon in the face... even though he didn't even know what the man looked like.

“How can he do this? To treat the lives of his clansmen so lightly—why doesn't he go himself? Does a person like him, who hides in the back and expects his subjects to die for him, even deserve to be called the King of Suspended Blade City?!””

“Hmm... I guess he's probably just like other kings, fearing Death?” Duanmu Rong sat by the medicine stove, her cattail fan pausing slightly. “From ancient times to the present, from emperors and generals down to peddlers and servants, how many have craved Changsheng? Although this King Eurypon possesses supreme power, he still sees himself aging and unable to escape Death, so he must have become afraid. He wants to steal the God-King's power through the Project... to make himself like Aglaea.”

At this point, Duanmu Rong's tone carried a hint of subtle sorrow: “It's pitiful that the common people rush to their Deaths one after another for the sake of an emperor's selfish desires. As expected... it's the same everywhere.”

“Fortunately, he has already died at the hands of Mydei, and no further disasters were caused,” Ge Nie said deeply. “However, one point is worth noting: exactly how much time has passed since the end of the Golden War and the present? Mydei looks to be only in his twenties, and Caenis, who has remained since the Golden War, only looks like a middle-aged woman. Could it be that this war isn't that far in the past?”

“Probably only a dozen years or so?” Tianming also felt it was strange. “Mydei is a Chrysos Heir, not a demigod. How could he live that long?”

“No, God-blood flows through the veins of the Chrysos Heirs. It's hard to say if the secret to Aglaea and Tribbie's longevity comes from the Fireseed or the Chrysos Heir lineage.” Ge Nie lowered his head thoughtfully. “If it's the latter... then Mydei, Phainon, and Castorice might already be hundreds of years old, no younger than those Long-lived species of the Xianzhou.”

——

"Castorice looked up at the drawings on the wall, finding it somewhat unbelievable: “Did the plan to attack Okhema already have a prototype in such a distant era?”"

"Star: “The Instigator has probably long since turned to ash.”"

"“Indeed.”"

"“...Lord Gnaeus?”"

"Gnaeus looked at the two before him seriously: “I have long since discovered that you are out of place with this land... no, with this era. Is it Oronis? No... even it does not possess such powerful divine authority.”"

"“You haven't guessed wrong... *cough*... Lord Gnaeus—we indeed do not belong to this era,” Castorice admitted frankly. “One day in the distant future... a maddened Nicadori will push our companions and our home to a dead end. We returned here... precisely to find a way to prevent the apocalypse.”"

"“...Its madness will continue for thousands of years? The destruction that human stupidity can cause is immeasurable. In the end, it turns out our goals are completely aligned.”"

"Guided by the soul, the three came to the next location, where they saw the soul of a woman who looked like a priestess with her hands clasped together, praying devoutly."

"“Courage. Glory. Tenacity. Sacrifice. To divide its divinity into five parts... but one petal is still missing.”"

"“O God-King... where have you discarded your Reason? We will continue to search. We will definitely find it...”"

"The soul dissipated halfway through its sentence, replaced by Castorice's violent coughing."

"“...Cough, cough-cough, cough!” Guiding souls for a long time had made her face pale. She supported her body with difficulty, holding her forehead. “Cough... guiding souls trapped between the realms of life and Death is actually so painful... if only there were no Death in this world. Then, they wouldn't have to wander here... and I wouldn't have to suffer this torment.”"

——

God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!.

“Eh? Wishing there was no Death in the world?” Aqua let out a “ha” and laughed, spreading her hands. “That kind of thing could be done just by finding Yakushi. But if the Abundance were truly allowed to take root in Amphoreus, everyone would definitely be unhappy then. In the end, it might even attract the shooting stars of The Hunt, turning the whole planet into dust!”

“That's just something Miss Castorice said in passing.” Kazuma turned his gaze to another figure on the Celestial Screen—Gnaeus. Since he started using the Oronis Prayer, Kazuma had begun to focus on him. “Don't you guys think this person is a bit strange? This guy who has the same clothing style as Mydei.”

“True, his physique is quite good.”

“Hey, hey, you idiot goddess, where exactly is your focus?” Kazuma rolled his eyes speechlessly. “I'm talking about this guy's level of knowledge about the Nautiluss. Not only does he know the Titan of Strife inside out, he even knows Oronis very well. That tone of sharp commentary on Oronis... it's as natural as me complaining about you.”

“Hey! Kazuma, what do you mean by that?!” Aqua grabbed his collar.

“Does Kazuma mean that he thinks Gnaeus is a Chrysos Heir?” Darkness guessed. “...Perhaps a senior from even earlier than Mydei? After all, the history of Suspended Blade City is so long; it wouldn't be strange for a few heroes who know the secrets of the Nautiluss to have appeared.”

“Hmm, if he's a fellow Chrysos Heir, then the goal of this trip is very clear—we only need to find the 【Reason】 part of the Nautilus, and its weakness should be revealed.”

Megumin also breathed a sigh of relief for Castorice. If she kept guiding souls aimlessly through memories, Miss Castorice might run into trouble even before the Titan of Strife... her body seemed to be at its limit.

“After wandering around in memories for so long, some decent clues have finally appeared.”

——

"“...There is no need to listen to the voices of the dead anymore; the information we have is enough. The people of Suspended Blade City have tampered with Nicadori's soul; we only need to find the scene of their sacrilege,” Gnaeus encouraged. “Don't fall—we haven't reached the end yet.”"

"After sending the soul before her to the underworld, Castorice pulled herself together. Gnaeus sensed the aura coming from the path ahead and sharply warned: “The place where souls were cast and cut... we are very close. During the festival, I fear no one has ever set foot here alive. Do not let your guard down.”"