The Sacrifice of the Goddess of War was a group of fanatics who viewed war as a form of salvation. In reality, they were a bunch of lunatics and psychopaths who loved conflicts and believed that violence was something worthy of worship. And their goddess was not much different from them. Eris enjoyed watching wars unfold before her eyes as if she were following an action story, always eager to discover what would happen next.
'Is this goddess the voice that's always inside my mind?'
Enrico had left a secret message on a piece of paper that he gave to Seraphina before departing. The document contained several keywords related to stories about the gods. By gathering the main information mentioned in those narratives, she had managed to discover the name and title of the entity that existed within her.
'Eris, the Goddess of War... If that book is telling the truth, then she's a bitch.'
At that moment, Seraphina was in the library, reading a book about the deity. Enrico hadn't mentioned what Eris's personality was like, probably because he had been in a hurry to save them. Therefore, she had to research on her own to discover what kind of existence shared her body with her.
'How cruel.'
'Are you really like that?'
'Just a little.'
'Then I have nothing else to discuss with you. Disappear. I don't want Enrico to see me as someone even remotely like you.'
Ever since discovering Eris's existence and speaking with her for the first time, Seraphina had managed to block communication between them. Therefore, this was the first time in a year that they had spoken again.
Facing the goddess, Seraphina crossed her arms, clearly showing her irritation.
"So you didn't know? Please, from what I've read in those books, you can see future wars that haven't happened yet."
Eris seemed surprised for a moment. Shortly afterward, she burst into laughter, amused by Seraphina's certainty that she should have known what would happen to Enrico back then.
"Hahaha! You've done quite a bit of research about me during all this time we've been out of contact... But you still don't know everything about me, Seraphina."
She rested her palm against her chin, maintaining an amused expression.
"I can see future wars, not assassination attempts against students. Besides, seeing wars that haven't happened yet would make everything terribly boring for me."
Eris was the kind of existence that preferred to participate directly in conflicts rather than simply watch them. At most, she was interested in identifying those who might become interesting figures in future wars.
"Then tell me..."
Seraphina had barely begun her question when Eris interrupted her, displaying a sudden burst of excitement.
"And do you know one of the most entertaining things I've seen in the future? Enrico."
Seraphina narrowed her eyes when she noticed that the goddess's smile had taken on a sinister appearance. That change in her expression was enough to immediately irritate the girl.
"If you dare touch him, I'll kill you."
"Of course... As long as you can do that before I take control of this body."
The two held each other's gaze for a few moments, showing no intention of backing down. Seraphina was the first to look away. She slowly closed her eyes and began disappearing from that mental representation, while Eris watched her with an increasingly bored expression.
"It's precisely because of that attitude of yours that I believe it would be better to let me take over your body. After all, it would be much more entertaining for him to have a goddess like me by his side."
"Shut up! You don't even deserve to be by his side!"
Even in the face of that aggressive response, Eris didn't lose her confident smile. She simply continued watching Seraphina until her image disappeared completely.
'My heart really hurt, Seraphina.'
Eris placed one hand against her chest, feeling a pang of irritation. After all, her connection with Seraphina was growing deeper and deeper, and the girl's feelings for Enrico had become part of her. Now, those emotions were so intense that Eris could no longer distinguish them from her own.
"I could simply erase these feelings, but honestly, I don't want to."
The goddess brought both hands to her cheeks, letting her imagination take over. In her mind, she pictured Enrico by her side, behaving like a faithful follower, completely devoted and willing to worship her.
'It's been so many years since I've felt something this intense... Honestly, I'm starting to feel like killing those fanatics.'
With her hands still resting against her face, her smile gradually disappeared, giving way to a dark expression. The actions of her own followers could end up causing the death of precisely the person whose story she was so interested in following.
'Well, I'll deal with this when I find the person responsible.'
Seraphina opened her eyes and turned her attention back to Zenaria, who was still explaining the details about the Cult of the Goddess of War. Most of that information was already familiar to her, so she didn't pay much attention.
"She sees these wars as entertainment, just an interesting story she wants to follow."
"She sounds like a bitch."
Upon hearing Serenya's comment, Seraphina nodded, completely agreeing with someone she normally didn't like very much, even though she was her companion.
'Disrespectful brats.'
'Damn it! That woman can communicate with me again.'
Apparently, Seraphina could no longer completely block Eris's voice inside her mind. Perhaps the connection between them had somehow grown stronger.
'Or perhaps I simply didn't want to talk to you anymore. Seraphina, you're not that special.'
'...At least I'm special to Enrico.'
'...Okay, that hurt.'
Among the various pieces of information presented by the teacher, Seraphina noticed that many students were paying close attention. Without a doubt, several of them shared her desire to erase that cult from history.
"Now that you know who these people are, I'd like to talk about their next plan to eliminate Class S."
Zenaria picked up some documents and revealed a map. On it, there was a marking indicating the location of a deer symbol.
"One week ago, we discovered where they were gathered. Because of that, the king sent a spy, who managed to obtain information about an upcoming attack. From what we've discovered, it will take place in a few weeks."
"Professor."
Zenaria raised her gaze upon hearing Elowyn, who had raised her hand with a serious expression.
"Why didn't my father send a Circle Nine mage to eliminate them immediately?"
"That's because the meeting location isn't their real hideout. The place where they actually stay is located in a hidden dimension, so we need time for Hao to find it."
"But what about..."
"If you're talking about Victor, know that he's completely focused on the barrier. And honestly, he doesn't seem to care much about this matter."
Elowyn let out a small snort and crossed her arms. She needed to become a Circle Ten mage. That way, she could solve her kingdom's problems without depending on someone who didn't even seem interested in helping them.
"What we'll do is prepare an ambush for when they appear. When they arrive, we'll eliminate them all."
Kai stood up with a surprised expression.
"Wait... Does that mean..."
"Exactly, Kai. This will be your first high-Rank mission since the true Dungeon."
Some students, such as Kai, Danyana, and Grakka, displayed excited smiles. Without a doubt, they would have a good opportunity to fight and, even better, they could retaliate against those who had trapped Enrico and put their lives in danger.
"You are already official mages, so I hope you won't disappoint me. I want you to make not only me proud, but the other two teachers as well."
"Yes, ma'am!"
After all, they had already become official mages, especially those who had reached Circle Five. Now it was time to repay everything that cult had done and get back at those bastards who had tried to kill them.