"...They think I'm a guardian angel, or a hero, right?"

"That's true, but the people in this area also consider you a guardian deity."

"That's why they misunderstood. I'm not a patron saint. My actions are simply motivated by self-satisfaction—I'm just atonement."

Hearing the heavy word "atonement", Oscar and Meredith looked at each other in surprise.

Meredith sat up straight and asked:

"Did something happen in the past? Did that prevent you from coming with us and seeing Xiaosi and the others?"

"..."

"Xiao Nai, you just asked me how long I would keep pestering you. I can't give up until I hear you tell me what happened. I'm staying here with such strong feelings. I know this is presumptuous and will cause you pain, but because of this, I can't give up without knowing anything."

Natsu sensed her clear will, and Oscar probably felt the same way, as their gazes didn't waver in the slightest. They were still interfering in Natsu's private affairs even though they knew everything.

True love is nosy.

However, Natsu had heard of Meredith and the others' purpose and was aware of the responsibilities they bore. Therefore, from the very beginning, Natsu knew that the two had unusual intentions.

Nizu also knew that a clear rejection was not enough to make them give up.

If the basis for their refusal is not stated, these two people will never give in, and cannot give in.

Knowing this, yet still refusing to face it, Natsu couldn't help but laugh at himself in his heart.

Then, Nizu made up his mind and confessed his sins.

"Do you know the village of Guluen?"

Meredith and Oscar looked at each other and shook their heads in denial.

Natsu took a deep breath, exhaled a heavy breath and said:

"That is the village where I was born, and it is also the village I destroyed."

In the quiet cave, two people gasped.

Natsu lowered his head and began to recount the past.

"My name is officially, Nez Grun Caliente."

"I remember that was the northernmost territory in the desert area."

Natsu nodded in affirmation of Oscar's addition.

"Guluen Village is the closest village to the capital of Caliente. My father was a leading warrior, and since I was little, I've always wanted to be a warrior like him. My childhood friend Yugong and my younger brother Esther also share the same aspirations. My father was a respected man, my mother was kind, our family wasn't poor, and I had magical talent. Looking back now, I think my circumstances were incredibly fortunate."

Having a loving family, good friends who encourage each other, and talents that will be noticed in the future can truly be said to be a blessing.

Oscar glanced at Meredith. This friend, though he had a family, felt no affection from them. Perhaps noticing his gaze, Meredith glanced back. Even from that, she sensed Oscar's mood. Her expression was devoid of any negative emotion; she even smiled faintly, seeming to be slightly amused.

Oscar knew not to worry about her, so he turned around and pushed his glasses up.

"Father spends most of the month on duty in Lingdu, but he comes home on his days off. Even though Mother says he must be exhausted, Yu Gong and I can't help but beg him to train us. He's the strongest warrior in the village, and we want him to see how much we've improved while he's been away."

Natsu said this with eyes full of nostalgia, and a smile could not help but appear on his face as he recalled the warm memories.

"Yu Gong always says, 'I don't want to spend my whole life in this borderland. I absolutely want to make it to the center.' He's more ambitious than I am, and has a broader vision. Although he has a natural talent for combat, he often says, 'I envy Natsu's talent.'"

For Nizu, who only wants to be a warrior like his father, his childhood playmate who has the ambition to stand out is the object of Nizu's admiration and envy.

Natsu, who had been smiling, suddenly darkened. His expression was filled with regret and anger, a look that was difficult to describe.

"I didn't understand what he meant at the time. We'd been together since birth, yet I had no idea what he was looking at me with, or what kind of feelings he had for me."

One day, Natsu's father, Solda, came home on vacation and trained Natsu and Yugong as usual.

It was already evening and almost time to go home when several villagers came running over in panic, shouting, "Mr. Solda! A monster has appeared!"

There is also a militia in the village, and most monsters are dealt with by the militia, but they came to find Solda, who is a warrior. This means that the monsters that appeared are not something the militia can handle.

Solda believed this was a soldier's duty, so he agreed without hesitation. Upon inquiry, he learned that the opponent was indeed a monster that the militia would have difficulty dealing with, but if it was Solda, there would be no problem.

"You Gong and I asked our father to let us go with us. We're fifteen years old now, and we're scheduled to join the army as trainee soldiers the following year. My father thought it would be a good opportunity for practical training, so he agreed."

The two happily followed Solda.

And that's where it all started.

"There are more monsters than the ones reported. Right after the subjugation, Yu Gong and I were completely relaxed and didn't notice a monster approaching from underground behind us."

When they turned around after hearing Solda's warning, the monster had already opened its mouth, ready to devour them.

Not only did they not have time to use magic to build a defensive wall, but their bodies were stiff and unable to move. However, in order to avoid the crisis, instinct awakened the power of a young boy.

"The space interference magic has been activated, right?"

In response to Meredi's question, Natsu silently nodded in affirmation.

"Father, Yu Gong, and I all stood there, frozen in place, unable to move. I unconsciously shook the space, sending out shockwaves that shattered the monsters. No chants or magic circles were used."

"Your father and You Gong have learned that Xiaonai can use the magic of the Age of Gods..."

This was obviously related to the destruction of the village mentioned earlier. Miredy had a bad premonition and his expression changed.

Oscar also took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally.

"My father asked me to agree with Yougong to keep it a secret. Although we, the desert people, now worship the creator god Esid, we were originally a tribe that worshipped nature. Even those who are ostensibly followers of the Church of Holy Light have varying degrees of devotion, and many have not abandoned their previous beliefs."

"Your father is a believer in nature, right? So, to prevent your affairs from being discovered and your family from being separated by the church, he planned to hide your abilities... Your father loved you very much, but if I say this..."

Oscar frowned. Based on how things were unfolding, it seemed likely that Nez's secret had been exposed. If Nez's father truly loved him, then the person who had leaked the secret was...

Nizu didn't answer immediately. He continued:

"The following year, You Gong and I joined the leadership team as trainees. At first, we encouraged each other and worked hard to improve, but... I don't know when it started, but You Gong started looking at me strangely. Although I tried my best to pretend I didn't notice..."

Since the Age of Gods' Magic Awakening, Natsu's magical skills have advanced by leaps and bounds, leaving a significant gap between him and Yu Gong. Although he uses disguises to conceal his strength, he actually does not need magic circles or chants, and is accustomed to directly manipulating magic power, so his ability to control attribute magic has naturally improved.

Jealousy, resentment, anxiety, Yu Gong's feelings towards Naiz cannot be described in one sentence.

He broke his agreement to keep secrets.

Yu Gong, armed with information about the Age of Gods magic user, went to the lord to claim credit. He didn't approach the church because he didn't want to pay the price for betraying his friend, risking the church treating him as "just the way a believer should behave."

However, that brought about the worst possible outcome. He had no idea how cruel and ruthless those in power could be.

At the time, Caliente's lord, Polemos, planned to adopt Nizu as his own son and demanded that Shardor relinquish the alliance's leadership. In other words, Caliente was only suitable to lead the alliance because his family included a wielder of Age of Gods magic.

"To Poremos... Naruto's real family is just an eyesore."

"Yes, that day, it rained for the first time in months. At night, my father rushed into my dormitory and told me to run away immediately and go home with my mother and Esther. But the capture team quickly caught up with us, and my father tried to save me..."

That day, Natsu and his father quietly walked through a corridor dimmed by rain clouds when they were attacked by pursuers. His father, with his back to him, shouted, "Run! Natsu! Take your mother and Esther and run!" Natsu still vividly remembers his father's back.

Even though he was taught that soldiers shouldn't cry, he cried and abandoned his father. Natsu still couldn't forget the humiliating look on his face.

And there was another thing he could never forget: the surprise attack he encountered just as he was about to leave the dormitory. Natsu was so flustered that he couldn't even fight back, and was about to be captured when help appeared.

"It was Yougong. It was Yougong who saved me, and it was he who told my father about the lord's plan. He was fatally wounded while saving me, and he confessed everything in his dying moments."

—I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Natsu. It's all my fault. Ahhh, please forgive me.

Until his death, You Gong was still crying and begging for forgiveness.

In the end, Natsu still couldn't utter the word "forgiveness".

Even now, Naz couldn't sort out his feelings for Yugong.

One thing was certain, he hated him. Yet, despite having been by his side the longest, he hadn't noticed that he'd been forced down the wrong path because of him. No, he'd turned a blind eye. Wasn't he guilty? Thinking of this, Natsu suddenly couldn't completely blame his childhood friend.

"I rushed to the village. Back then, I couldn't move like I do now. Even now, I can't help but wonder, if I had moved then..."

Arriving at the village, the scene Nizu saw was self-explanatory. He hadn't caught up with them, and his mother and brother had already passed away. Surrounded by the village's lord, Poremos, hundreds of his own warriors, and the villagers, the bodies of his mother and brother lay piled on top of each other...

"How is that possible? Did they act immediately? Didn't they want to take Xiaonai hostage?"

Generally speaking, this should be done. Because Age of Gods magic is a powerful force, if one wants to manipulate those who possess it at will, then equally powerful shackles are needed.

"According to You Gong, the lord wanted to seize the hostages from me, but actually planned to kill them secretly. He probably told the villagers that my family had been labeled heretics and demanded that they hand over my mother and brother. That's why he came in person. Even without the church, the lord's words were powerful enough to leave the villagers no room for doubt."

It would be bad if people knew that the son whom the lord used as a justification actually had a real family, so he wanted to eliminate this fact.

Nizu was arrested in the capital, and his father was killed. Even if his family were labeled heretics and killed, the villagers wouldn't say anything. Because if they meddled, they would be the ones to die. This was the dark side of the lords' clan.

At this moment Oscar and Meredith's eyes met, because there was something puzzling.

Natsu said, "The lord asked the villagers to hand over my mother and brother," but is that really the case?

For the lord, the fact that the hostage was alive was an important factor in keeping Nizu obedient, so why would he kill someone in front of so many witnesses?

Now that the hostage had been handed over, all they had to do was take him to a place where the villagers couldn't see him and kill him. This way, no one would know the hostage was dead, and even if Natsu escaped surveillance and came into contact with the villagers, he wouldn't know the truth.

The people who killed Nizu's mother and brother were most likely villagers. Their reason was to save the village. They wanted to prove that their family, who had been labeled a heretic, had nothing to do with them, and they showed their deep faith, so they went beyond the lord's expectations and killed Nizu's family.

After all, it would be impossible for the lord to show up with an army of hundreds of people just to capture two people. The lord brought a group of warriors to "destroy the village."

Moreover, they said they were judging heretics, but not even a single person related to the church was present.

The villagers probably sensed the tension, and they must have thought about what would happen to them after handing over the two men.

So, with the mentality of a drowning person who would grab at even a straw, they killed the mother and child.

That way, at least the charge of colluding with heretics would not be established.

Natsu must have noticed this as well.

so he--

"When I regained consciousness, I had already destroyed everything around me. My mother, the brother she held in her arms, the lord and his men, the villagers, the village itself, all of them were eradicated."

What Nizu remembered was the expressions on the faces of the villagers as they looked at him. Their consciences tormented them, their faces like sinners, their words of apology. The lord whose plans had gone awry, and the knights who had formed a formation around him, their swords pointed at Nizu.

Then, overwhelming anger and murderous intent overwhelmed his consciousness.

What did your family do?

So do you want this power?

Very well, then savor this power.

The out-of-control emotions caused a massive explosion of space magic, probably some kind of space explosion magic, which caused Gulun Village to disappear from the map, and along with the villagers and the lord, it was reduced to ashes.

After the long reminiscence ended, Mireddy and Oscar breathed a sigh of relief.

Natsu raised his head and looked at the two of them separately.

"It's alright, lord. Some of the warriors are merely obeying orders, and there are probably kindhearted people among them, with families waiting for his return. My feelings towards the villagers are the same as my feelings towards You Gong, and I still haven't come to terms with them. But that's no reason to kill them all—I'm a great sinner."

Therefore, saving people is not out of kindness, but atonement. Precisely because it is atonement, it should not be praised or even respected.

How could a great sinner be loved? Natsu was too embarrassed to see them.

"I reiterate."

Meredith gasped, while Oscar frowned and remained silent.

"I can't go with you. I swore I would never use this power in battle again, even if it means my death."

All Natsu could do was run away or defend himself.

He would never fight again and had no way to contribute to Miledi and the others. The meaning of rejection was self-evident.

"Xiao Nai, but—"

"This is the last time we meet. Please don't come looking for me again. If you do, I'll leave on my own. If you chase me when I really want to escape, I'm sure you won't be able to travel properly."

Even with a transmitter, Meredy and the others couldn't outrun the speed of spatial transfer. They were able to catch up with Niz because Niz was based in the Great Desert and didn't travel long distances.

If he seriously tried to escape until the situation calmed down, Meredith and Oscar would not be able to catch him unless they forced him to surrender like the lord in the past.

Natsu waved his hand, and the portal opened.

"Our meeting wasn't bad, Mireddy Lessen, Oscar Orcus. Although we won't see each other again, I pray that you will have good luck on your journey."

Meredith wanted to say something, but her mouth remained open, unable to speak.

"Let's go, Meredith."

“Oh…”

Oscar's hand touched Meredith's shoulder, and Meredith sighed softly.

The two turned around and stopped in front of the "portal".

Meredith lowered her head hesitantly, but quickly turned back and said with a sad expression:

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