Hearing a voice behind him, Klyde felt his hairs stand on end, muttering inwardly, 'This... is a god! A god really detected my transmigration... Even if it isn't, I definitely caught the attention of someone powerful if they are able to draw me into this space...'
Knowing his fate likely depended on the whim of this god, he tried to remain composed outwardly and suppress all his turbulent thoughts.
Taking half a second to gather himself, Klyde turned to the voice.
Within the inky black world he was in, a figure could be seen seated at a table.
The figure had feminine features, dressed in a black dress with a dark-starry veil covering her face.
He decided to speak first.
"This... are you perhaps... a god? Did you summon me here?" Klyde asked slowly, his tone respectful. He wore an expression that was more perplexed than afraid.
The veiled goddess was indifferent to getting her identity exposed, however, interest and surprise was expressed in her voice as she casually remarked, "You really can see and hear me... how strange..."
Klyde was stunned, not sure what to say about her comment.
However, the goddess didn't wait for a response as she soon gestured for Klyde to take a seat opposite her.
Klyde was bewildered inwardly, trying to understand what her intentions were.
Does she want to have a conversation with him?
Moreover, what was strange about him seeing and hearing her?
With his knowledge, him not dying was already a very lucky outcome. Just being in the presence of a celestial being could easily make him go mad or outright die on the spot.
He had assumed the goddess had suppressed her dangerous aura to not kill him, and yet, she had said it was strange for him to see and hear her.
Why was it strange?
Klyde quickly suppressed his thoughts and took a step forward, not wanting to seem impolite after her gesture.
After he was seated at the opposite end of the table, the goddess spoke in a direct and straightforward manner, "You are not from this world, coming from beyond the barrier."
'Beyond the barrier…' Klyde repeated her words in his mind. The term wasn't unfamiliar. After all, it was exactly why he was so worried after realising he transmigrated into this novel. In his instance, if the barrier separated the world he was from and this novel world, he had definitely crossed it…
It wasn't strange that a powerful being would detect his transmigration.
Once Klyde makes it out of this alive, if he even does, there's a high chance he'll be having more visits from other gods.
"Is that so…" Klyde responded, his expression not particularly surprised or confused.
The goddess was silent, as if pondering over Klyde's words and his lack of surprise and fear towards being dragged into this space.
She continued, "Your otherworldly scent is particularly strong, like light erupting in a sea of darkness."
"My otherworldly scent..." Klyde repeated. "I assume this was how you found me."
The goddess kept silent, however, that in itself was an answer. She then raised a hand and held up her chin, deep in thought, before curiously asking, "Are you not afraid, mortal? You have yet to become a Magus, understanding only trivial affairs of the world. And yet, you are completely calm in my presence as if you had expected this."
Klyde quietly thought of how to respond, trying to maintain his image of calmness.
After finding the right words, he said, "I thought gods were benevolent beings who bestow blessings. Moreover, you have yet to show any hostility. Unless you reveal yourself as an evil god, apart from respect, is there anything else I should give?"
Though he could not see the goddess's expression under her veil, amusement was revealed when she said, "But that's where you are wrong. How could you understand how they operate when you yourself are merely a mortal? I can tell you now that I have concealed that scent of yours. Should it leak out once more, perhaps other beings like myself would take an interest in you. So, if that happens, do you have confidence that all of them would be benevolent?"
Klyde was silent.
Feigning ignorance, he then said, "So you are saying… it doesn't matter if it is an evil god or not. As long as they want to, they could dismantle me simply on a whim?"
"Precisely," she voiced, her starry veil glowing faintly. "After all, it's not everyday one can interact with something beyond the barrier."
Klyde's demeanour faltered ever so slightly.
The goddess waited patiently.
Eventually, Klyde spoke, "Then… is there a way for me to escape this predicament?"
The goddess remained silent, as if purposefully raising the tension, before she said, "To escape your predicament you'd simply have to hide that otherworldly scent."
Klyde's dark irises glinted imperceptibly.
"I'm only a mortal... how could I possibly conceal myself from the eyes of gods?" Klyde asked, his voice calm, however, there was a tinge of helplessness.
The goddess hummed slightly, pondering.
After a few seconds, which felt like hours, she said, "Why don't you become my apostle?"
Klyde wore a look of confusion. "An apostle?"
The goddess explained, "You'll be my worshipper. In return, I'll conceal you from the eyes of those celestial beings."
Klyde was silent.
'Apostle?'
If Klyde wasn't trying to keep his calm image, a sneer would have appeared on his face.
'That's essentially telling me to become your slave... apostles hold no free will, like a dog who must follow the every whim of their master. She must think I am completely clueless...' Klyde felt some disdain. 'From my interactions with her so far, I already had a few guesses, but now... I'm fully certain.'
Klyde had interacted with her in a calm and composed manner. He was careful not to reveal too much, giving the impression that he was somewhat knowledgeable, yet ultimately ignorant.
However, the moment he revealed a vulnerability regarding his predicament of being detected by other gods, this goddess had made a mistake. She underestimated the depth of Klyde's "ignorance" and offered him a way out too quickly.
After all, having read the novel, how could Klyde not be aware that all gods, whether good or evil, were essentially Magi themselves? Blessings? That was what mortals believed. In truth, it was merely a selfish secret.
Klyde laughed inwardly.
'If I play my cards right, not only will I come out alive, perhaps I might even benefit from this.'
He straightened his posture slightly, adopting a contemplative expression.
With a faint smile, he spoke, "Become your worshipper?"
Noticing Klyde's subtle shift in demeanor, the goddess inwardly frowned. Her instincts as a celestial being told her that Klyde was hiding something. Still, she remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
With an amused expression, Klyde spoke in a slightly mocking tone, "How could I become a worshipper to a being who had her fate stolen? If there's such a way, I'd be grateful if you could enlighten me."
The void grew colder.
The goddess visibly reacted to his words, her demeanour stiffing imperceptibly.
'It seems my guess was correct.'
Klyde smirked inwardly.
Right now, this goddess wasn't as unfathomable as she made herself out to be. At least, not anymore.
Klyde's guess was that she was less of a god and more of a pitiful spirit who had lost most of her strength.
Initially, Klyde had been confused. But the more they spoke, the clearer her intentions became.
When he was drawn into this space, she'd mentioned that him being able to see her was strange.
Naturally, Klyde had picked up on it, but at the time, the words had lingered in his mind without him being able to decipher it.
Then she revealed she had concealed his presence.
While such a thing wasn't shocking for a god, her subsequent comment in response to Klyde saying that gods were benevolent confirmed it.
She remarked how they weren't what everyone made them out to be.
What did this mean?
She was trying to subtly elevate her image in his eyes by revealing the true nature of these unfathomable beings.
From that, he was certain of one thing: she needed him in some way. After all, unless you were desperate, why interact with an ant whilst trying to raise your image and trustworthiness in front of it?
Out of kindness?
Klyde didn't think so
In a world like this, kindness was as rare as finding a diamond in the middle of an ocean.
While it might seem like his status as a transmigrator was what interested her, in truth, it was the fact that he could interact with her at all that had caught her attention.
This led him to his final conclusion:
She was in an extremely weakened state!
His comment about her fate being stolen had been a guess. But based on what she'd said in the beginning, he was now quite certain.
And with her reaction, he confirmed it.
Even if he were wrong, her weakened state was undeniable. And it also revealed that Klyde wasn't nearly as ignorant as he had let on.
Moreover, his confidence came from a simple truth: if she were truly a god, why go to such lengths? Most gods had ways of making a lesser mortal like him — who hadn't even become a Magus — submit to their will. But she was approaching it in an unorthodox manner.
To someone without prior knowledge of gods, it might have gone unnoticed.
But Klyde had read the novel.
He understood clearly.
At this moment, she lacked the means to make him submit.
Of course, he also thanked his luck that she had underestimated him. It was what had made him come to this conclusion so quickly.
Though, she also couldn't truly be blamed.
After all, Klyde had yet to become a Magus, and if she could see his soul, she'd also see a normal man in his early twenties.
But most importantly, how could she possibly guess that Klyde harbored countless secrets in his mind as a reader?
With all these factors in play, it was only natural that Klyde had begun to find cracks in the goddess's facade.
Klyde interlocked his fingers, deciding to drop his act after realising this goddess actually had no real way of harming him.
He gave a smile, a confident and arrogant smile unbefitting of a lowly mortal.