— We’ll determine the hierarchy among the leaders through duels!

At this sudden proposal, the golden monkeys asked as if unsure what to do, but Franka shrugged and granted the Small People’s King’s request.

In fact, from her perspective, it was more convenient to listen to the voices of a few with the highest rank rather than hearing each of these leaders chattering.

A duel arena was immediately set up, and the leaders of each faction, or the strongest who came with those leaders, competed against each other.

As Franka watched this as if sightseeing, an old scholar approached and asked, “Ruler, should we also compete for rank in that fight?”

“Of course not. I’ll treat you well enough without doing that, so just quietly watch.”

At Franka’s words, the old scholar who had come representing the Sky Island let out a sigh of relief.

The scholars of Sky Island were a group formed by the descendants of disciples that the Witch of the West had been using all this time, and their level of knowledge and culture was not something even Franka could look down on.

Franka had not the slightest intention of injuring them with unnecessary physical fights, as they had infinite value for use in future workshop management, other businesses, or even collaborating on Franka’s own research.

“Kuhuk!”

“Ughak!”

As if to prove that his confidence wasn’t just bluster, the Small People’s King’s performance was dazzling.

Werewolves, bird-people, and various other races were helpless before his nimble movements and sword energy that extended several times the size of his body.

Among Elphaba’s records, it was written that while other races varied, she succeeded in recreating a near one-to-one replica of the original small people. It seems it was no mere exaggeration.

“Hahaha! Even among the small ones, the smallest one struggles!”

How much time had passed like this?

When the Giant King, who had newly ascended to the throne after the previous king was killed by the Tin Knight, stepped forward, the one-sided winning streak finally broke and an intense match began.

“You’re somewhat worth fighting!”

“You rascal! How long do you think you can run away!?”

While the Small People’s King was superior in overall technique and skill, the match didn’t easily tilt due to the overwhelming difference in weight class.

The problem was that while the castle’s front garden prepared as the banquet venue was more than enough for ordinary humans to rampage, it was insufficient for the giant race to rampage.

As the Giant King focused on the fight, swinging his huge body around, the other representatives had to hurriedly create distance to avoid being stepped on.

It was then that something strange entered Franka’s eyes as she was thinking she should perhaps intervene soon.

A girl who looked about Franka’s age, wearing clothes with lots of black feathers, was seen earnestly bowing to some kind of bone tower she had set up on the ground, without even glancing at the fight.

Franka asked the golden monkey acting as butler with bewilderment, “Who’s that representing?”

《She is the representative of the island ruled by the half-human half-horse race, which the previous master called the country of centaurs. However, the existing ruling class of ‘civilized horses’ was terribly shattered by the Black Witch, and currently, the humans who were originally the ruled class are governing. That girl is their leader.》

“Her?”

Franka snorted.

The girl was too young to have experience, and from the situation, it didn’t seem like an environment where she would have royal bloodline or such.

It didn’t seem like she had anything else particularly outstanding either.

“Wait, what’s that? That tower. What kind of curse is clumped up like that…!?”

Franka’s astonishment couldn’t continue to the end.

Before she could finish her words, an even greater astonishment overtook her.

It was the moment when a fragment of the Giant King’s weapon, which had been clashing with the Small People’s King’s weapon in the heat of battle, flew towards the girl in black feathered clothes.

The girl, who had been earnestly offering prayers to the tower until just a moment ago, was suddenly standing on two feet and deflected the fragment flying towards her.

In her hand was an ugly machete that looked like a mix between a shovel and a kitchen knife, and Franka realized a beat late that the raw material for that knife was the bone tower the girl had been praying to until just now.

The girl, who had been ignoring the ranking battle as if she had no interest, now had a face as cold as ice, apparently quite displeased that her “prayer time” had been disturbed.

Whoosh!

What happened next was like a picture book with several middle pages blown away.

The girl raised her machete and emitted black mana from her entire body, and the next moment, the Giant King and Small People’s King were each buried upside down in the ground.

Franka felt goosebumps all over her body.

W-what? What is that!?

In fact, even while watching the Giant King and Small People’s King rampaging, Franka hadn’t felt even a speck of crisis.

After all, it was obvious that she and her familiars were stronger.

But the capacity of that black-feathered girl was impossible to grasp with Franka’s discernment.

In other words, it meant she was either on par with Franka or even stronger.

Perhaps noticing that she had been staring with wide eyes, the black-feathered girl slowly approached Franka.

Franka swallowed hard.

Just as she was about to enter combat stance, no, escape and regroup stance if necessary.

The girl suddenly bent her waist and greeted, “I apologize for showing an unsightly appearance.”

“Huh?”

Towards Franka, who didn’t understand what was going on, the black-feathered girl calmly continued speaking, “It was such an unpleasant thing for the prayer towards the great Crow Goddess to be disturbed that I unintentionally lost my self-control. Friend of the Goddess, please bestow your generosity.”

If the numerous characters that floated in Franka’s mind were to be expressed in a single sentence, it could be defined as “What the hell is she babbling about?”

“…God… dess? Who?”

“It is Lady Dorothea.”

“I’m a friend?”

“Yes.”

Franka felt confused by the attitude that seemed to be stating an extremely obvious fact.

Just as she was about to retort, asking what nonsense that was.

“I heard from the golden monkeys that Lady Franka fought together, joining forces with the Goddess. If you are a friend of the Goddess, naturally you are also a noble person to me. That’s why I readily agreed to this meeting, but… hmm.”

The face of the black-feathered girl, which had been nothing but gentle and polite until just now, gradually began to grow cold.

The machete the girl was holding was made of bone, and as far as Franka could tell, it was already practically an independent Living Weapon in itself, and one with transformation capabilities attached at that.

“…Perhaps, are you not a friend of the Goddess?”

“Of course I’m a friend. Why are you asking such an obvious thing?”

At Franka’s immediate answer, the black-feathered girl’s face softened again.

“That’s right. I’m sorry for asking something unnecessary. I made such a ridiculous misunderstanding, thinking you might be a shameless con artist using the Goddess’ name. I’m truly ashamed.”

“Ha, what a pathetic misunderstanding. Dorothea and I even shared a blood oath.”

“Ooh!”

The girl marveled, and Franka lamented.

I thought all that was left was to live well, eating and drinking to my heart’s content in my domain, but why has such a monster popped up again!! This filthy necromancer! What on earth did you do before you left!?

Desperately suppressing the sadness that felt like tears might burst out, Franka said, “More importantly, you seem to respect Dorothea quite a lot?”

“It’s not respect. It’s faith. She is my salvation.”

“I, I see.”

It was an immediate answer without even a second of hesitation.

While knowing strategically that it would be useful to investigate and understand this girl a little more, Franka felt the urge to just throw it all away and erase even the girl’s existence from her memory.

It felt like forcibly turning the pages of a demonic book where the more one read, the more one’s brain got eaten away.

“Then, how about going to meet Dorothea? If you can help closely, that would be even better, right?”

“That.”

Franka clearly witnessed a moment when all kinds of emotions flashed across the girl’s face, which had been unwavering until now.

“That is truly a grateful suggestion. But it’s an impossible thing. I am still far too lacking to repay the grace I received from the Goddess. Considering the Goddess’ great abilities, I can’t even presume to be her foot mat with just this level of skill. So, I will refrain from that proposal.”

If someone who didn’t know the situation saw this, they might unintentionally cry at the pathos dripping from the girl’s voice, so much regret and lingering attachment overflowed from her.

Of course, Franka, who knew the situation well, was just dumbfounded.

What do you mean lacking in ability? From what I can see, if you and she fought right now, you could probably split her head open? If not for the knight.

With the intuition that the monster expulsion project seemed to have gone awry, Franka quickly changed tactics.

If she didn’t at least raise this monster’s favorability, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to sleep properly, thinking her neck might be cut off in one go by that machete.

“Then, well, shall I deliver a letter or something? You can repay the grace later. Before that, it would be better to let Dorothea know about your existence so she can prepare mentally, don’t you think?”

“That.”

The feathered girl seemed hesitant for a while, but after Franka repeated her suggestion several times, she said as if giving in, “T-then, if it’s truly not presumptuous, if it’s not rude, may I ask if it would be alright to inquire about permission to make a request to the Goddess?”

“It’s fine, so let’s shorten the words. She doesn’t like troublesome things.”

“Through the sacred tower left by the Goddess, I gained much knowledge. Among them included the symbolism and specialness of ‘names’. I am no different from being reborn thanks to the Goddess, so I hope she would give me a name.”

“Okay, I’ll convey that. Yeah.”

While inwardly sighing deeply, Franka began preparing the letter.

If only because it was unfair to suffer alone, she had to prepare to deliver this bomb to that witch.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken