Chapter 69: A single investment yields immense profits; a prophecy foretells entering the realm of half-demon...
Mainkuhn knew from a young age that he was stupid and couldn't understand many things.
Right now, Mainkun couldn't understand why, even after he had declared his intention to kill a god, Fukalos wasn't screaming, getting angry, or grabbing the weapon from his neck to stab him.
On the contrary, she remained as gentle as ever.
She still felt the same pity.
"My poor child."
Fucarus looked at him sadly.
"Seriously, God? There are three mistakes in that sentence alone."
Ever since he confirmed that the other party was not human, Mainkun couldn't help but want to talk, to say a lot of things. The half-demon also found it strange that his years of silence had not made him mute. On the contrary, it made him even noisier when he could speak, a thousand times noisier than when he was a child!
"Let me think about where to begin."
Its ears were burning with excitement, and its tail was throbbing. How strange, considering that the half-demon had listened to Clementine and hadn't inhaled catnip in a long time.
Maine spoke without hesitation:
"First, I am not yours; this bloodline has nothing to do with Fontaine. Second, I am not pitiful; those who are truly pitiful are already dead. Finally..."
"......"
Fukaros didn't interrupt him, but she didn't listen either. She simply extended her soft fingers and slid them along the blue blade, down to the half-demon's hand holding the knife and her forearm hidden by her trench coat.
"...Finally, I'm not a child anymore. After all, Vilette said that only human infants under the age of fourteen are exempt from legal responsibility, and I'm already past that age... Hey, what are you pinching?"
Mainkuhn narrowed his eyes and threateningly jabbed the tip of his knife into her neck.
"It's rare to find a creature I can communicate with, I don't want to cut off your head so soon... Hmm?"
The forearm held by the god suddenly felt cool, and the scars on it were itchy, as if they had been splashed by waves.
"...strangeness."
Mainkun gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to bite his arm twice.
"Didn't it heal long ago?...Frinina II, was this your trick?"
Fukalos made no comment on the title, but gently used his divine sense to sweep over the half-demon's forearm and over his entire body, probing every pulsating vein in his body with his spiritual power.
"well."
Finally, she suddenly stretched out her hands, ignoring the murder weapon in front of her, and placed her hands on the neck of the boy who was almost as tall as her.
"My poor child."
She stroked the layers of scars on the half-demon's neck.
Her movements were as gentle as a loving mother's.
Mainkuhn felt only disgust.
"What are you pretending for?"
Mainkun was not a single believer; Teyvat had seven gods, six of whom had received prayers from half-demons to varying degrees.
The god of wind in Mondstadt is the one he prays to most often, because he has no freedom at all.
The next best is the Sumeru Grass God, because he truly lacks wisdom.
War, mercy, eternity—all seemed necessary, and he had believed in them to varying degrees. Even the god of wealth, so unfamiliar and of no use in the House of Hearths, was something Mainkun sincerely thanked for the solidity of his creation.
But this justice... ha.
"Stop acting."
Mainkun slapped Faucos's arm away, his expression cold and slightly murderous.
Although he couldn't sense any malice from this god, Mainkun couldn't get along with him, after all:
"It's one thing if the first wish can't be fulfilled—perhaps you really don't want to tarnish your reputation for compassion—but what about the second wish? What about the second one!"
The boy's voice rose in pitch.
"I just want you to go back to your rightful place and work! I want to give a two-day break to an employee who has been covering for you for almost five hundred years! And you won't even do that!"
Mainkun was furious, his ears practically standing on end:
"Stop pretending to be a good person!"
Substitute shift? Back to my proper position? If only that were the case.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Fukalos laughed helplessly.
"You're still laughing! Villette pressed the wrong person! He should have pressed you on his knees and recited the labor law a hundred times!"
"Hahaha...wait, who pressed whom? What did they press? Where did they press?"
The laughter stopped abruptly, and Fukalos stared in astonishment at Mainkuen's beautiful but still somewhat childlike face.
"...Dragon...has it gone astray?"
"Answer my question! Is this what you call justice, Frinina II?!"
"...You can call me Fukalos."
The gods then realized that they had not yet exchanged names:
"And you, little one?"
"I won't tell my name to bad people! No, bad gods!"
Seeing that Fukaros was rambling on and not getting to the point, the cat became furious and attacked again. The blue blade split into five pieces in its sharp claws and shot sharply towards Fukaros!
Bang bang bang!
The dagger was faster than a bullet leaving the barrel, shooting towards Fucarus's hands, feet, and torso with a bang.
"Those who refuse to cooperate, may they be reduced to pieces along with that foolish scale!"
This attack was both a warning and a test. Mainkun wanted to see just how powerful these legendary Seven Gods were, and how many attacks they could withstand.
"......"
He didn't even block a single blow?
Mainkuen stared blankly at the five tears in Fukalos's skirt.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
The girl was still smiling and clapping, her face full of encouragement and praise:
"This must be your first time encountering this concentration of compensatory energy, right? Yet you were able to condense it into a weapon immediately. That's amazing! Do you have some kind of special ability?"
"......?"
Mainkun didn't reply, but just kept a straight face and opened his hand towards the greatsword hanging above Fucaros's head.
"Wow! So exquisite!"
As energy flowed, a blue longbow took shape in the half-demon's hand, leaving Fukaros speechless with astonishment.
"The energy of legal compensation is extracted from humanity's belief in justice. Logically speaking, it's impossible for someone like you, who is neither a god nor possesses a divine heart, to have it..."
Before she could finish speaking, a gleaming arrowhead, carrying undisguised murderous intent, was aimed at her own head.
"!"
Whoosh—smack!
It wasn't until the arrow shaft grazed the ahoge (cowlick) on her head and fell into the depths of her consciousness that Fukalos realized what had happened.
"What incredible attack speed!"
She exclaimed in surprise:
"I had a feeling before that you definitely had the power of a demon god, and I was right!"
"What?!"
In contrast, Maine's complete collapse:
"You're as weak as a human!"
"Humans?"
The divine maiden showed no anger whatsoever at such belittling remarks:
"Great, great! I love humans. I love their joyful songs and their unrealistic fantasies. If I could, I'd like to see the human world too... Wow, little one?"
She danced forward, swaying, hands behind her back, bending over, watching the half-demon whose back suddenly slumped:
"What's wrong? Why are you scared again?"
"......"
Mainkuhn didn't reply, but lowered his head, his gaze frantically scanning the floor for the scarf he had thrown aside when he vomited.
Having found it, he immediately wrapped it around his neck. Mainkun covered his face, lowered his eyebrows, and looked timidly at Fukalos with his vertical pupils.
"......"
Like a small animal desperately trying to hide itself under the leaves.
"What's wrong, little guy? Weren't you just a moment ago so arrogant... cough, so cheerful? Saying you were going to kill a god?"
Fucarus found it amusing and hopped forward barefoot, forcing the boy into a corner of the stage where he could crouch down, leaving him nowhere to hide or escape, only able to let out a soft groan from his throat:
"...You lied to me..."
The cat meowed reproachfully.
"Who lied to you? Hmm?"
His contrasting demeanor was truly amusing. For the first time in five hundred years, Fucarus felt a playful urge and reached out to tug at the tips of his slightly trembling ear hairs.
"Come on, tell me properly, I'm going to punish him by making him mop the floor!"
"...You lied to me..."
The cat looked so wronged, its eyes filled with resentment and grievance.
"You say you're a god...you're not..."
"Huh? I'm telling the truth."
“.
Mainkuhn didn't quite believe it, and remained silent for a while before stammering his defense:
"Gods...impossible..."
"So weak."
"......"
"Ha ha."
Mainkun heard the girl beside him chuckle softly, as if she were finding some kind of amusement:
"If you don't think I'm a god, then what am I?"
She reached out and touched Maine's cheek:
"A person?"
"......"
Maybe, but I don't dare to gamble.
The answer was the half-demon's head buried in his knees.
If something looks like a snake, moves like a snake, and attacks like a snake, then it is a snake, and you should run away when you see it.
"That's really true. Don't you think this conclusion is a bit unreasonable?"
"......"
"You can't do this, categorizing all the weak as humans. Humans are very strong... Sigh, aren't you afraid of Vulcan?"
Fukalos tried to say a few more words, but the responses became increasingly fragmented and sparse, until finally only an uneasy silence remained.
"You little rascal, you've said enough. Shut up."
The gods shook their heads helplessly:
"Why don't you think about me? I haven't had a casual chat with anyone for five hundred years either."
"......"
"Okay, okay, I'm going to start entertaining myself again."
She reached out to poke the cat, and each poke sent a shiver through her, as if she were poking some sensitive algae.
I miss the feel of the algae.
We'll probably never see each other again in this lifetime.
With this feeling of nostalgia, Fukaros took off the cat's hat and stroked the cat's fluffy head.
"Little one who doesn't want to give his name, do you want to know why I didn't grant your first wish?"
"......"
"That's good. You were always making a fuss and never wanted to listen to me."
Fukalos sighed and continued.
"You may not understand, but in Fontainebleau, the birth of every life is an absolute miracle, a divine miracle that defies all reason and law."
The gods are hinting at the great feat of our ancestors in creating humankind.
Therefore, every life is precious and every life needs to be cherished.
"......!"
Mainkuhn realized she was trying to convince herself not to smash the decree cardinal.
"Yes, they will make mistakes, they will do evil, and they may even shed the blood of their own kind because they have become imperfect."
The gods' eyes are filled with love, their faces with compassion:
"But life is so precious, and those who commit crimes are also my people."
“Sentencing them to death completely deprives them of the opportunity to atone for their sins, repent, and start anew, and denies their possibility of turning to good.”
"It's too cruel, I can't do it."
The demon god, who loved the young man, reached out and stroked the boy who begged for death, again and again.
"So, please, all of you, survive."
"......"
"You harmful kindness."
"What?"
"I'm starting to believe you're a god again."
Fucarus looked down and saw the boy, who had been silent for a long time, raise his head at some point, revealing a pair of fiery vertical pupils, and reprimanding him with trembling voice:
"Apart from gods and fanatics, it is impossible for a normal person to have such a poisonous tolerance."
"That's so unfair, I'm serious..."
“Arthur was imprisoned for killing two children when he was young. He was released after 15 years and then killed at least 11 women in the Grey River.”
The serious mention of the bloody crime shattered the previously harmonious atmosphere. Fucaros opened her mouth, then lowered her eyelids sadly.
"This time, he will never be released from the seabed by anyone again."
“No, I killed him when he killed the twelfth.”
Leaving aside the details about the loss of control and the demonic power, Mainkun directly questioned:
"If all lives are precious, then wouldn't the lives of these last 11 people be 11 times more precious than Arthur's life?"
"Killing one person to save 11 others, wouldn't that be an extremely profitable deal?"
"child!"
Fucarus stopped him almost immediately:
"Life cannot be quantified, and morality is not simple arithmetic—"
"The recidivism rate for violent offenders is 24% after 15 years, while my recidivism rate is 100%!"
Mainkuhn immediately roared back in an even louder and more assertive voice:
"So sentencing me and all the bad guys to death is a very beneficial thing for humanity!"
"I want!"
After hearing Fukalos's theory, Mainkuhn became even more determined.
"Smash the decree-making cardinal!"
"......"
You bastard!
Fukalos stared in disbelief at Maine's inexplicable excitement.
Is it fear of humans, hatred of humans, or love of humans? It's too complicated—
However, the decree stipulated that the cardinal must not be damaged under any circumstances.
Finally, after a long and drawn-out struggle, Fucarus gave in.
"In that case..."
"Let me tell you why I can't grant your second wish."
"Hmm?"
"certainly."
Facing the half-demon's vertical pupils, which had shed their fear and regained their wild brilliance, Fukaros pondered for a long time.
"I won't tell you the whole truth."
Even if it's just a part... it's definitely enough to fill up your entire human brain.
Sigh, so stop thinking about returning to the ley lines.
He's such a young child.
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