Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Since you're a new customer, I'll give you a 20% discount!"

Hearing his own words, which he found difficult to say, being spoken aloud by the male shop owner, put him in a good mood and patted his chest as he offered a generous discount.

So, under the owner's warm hospitality, the four new guests ordered some food such as curry mutton, masala spice rolls, and Indian milk tea.

With a few more customer orders, the male shop owner headed towards the kitchen with renewed energy.

At this moment, Ganesh, who had just taken his seat, turned around upon hearing the sound and looked at the male guest at the long table opposite him with surprise.

"Samael? What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing by, and seeing you all come in, I thought I'd drop in and chat for a bit," Samael said with a smile, looking at the three familiar faces before him. "How about we share a table?"

Given their past camaraderie in battle, the three readily agreed. While chatting over a shared table, they also took the opportunity to introduce Arjuna, the all-divine being, to everyone.

Samael listened quietly, offering a polite smile throughout.

Among the nine great pantheons that were once established, this black final god of the Indian pantheon is the only realm lord with whom he did not have much interaction.

Considering the future, when he might need to rely on the power of different gods, Samael impulsively decided to take the initiative to contact the four Indians in the shop.

While observing this Indian divine ruler who possessed "total divinity," he was also secretly comparing the Arjuna before him with another Arjuna he had in mind, analyzing the differences between them, whether large or small.

Judging from the black hair that represents humanity, the biggest difference between the two is that the fully divine Arjuna acknowledges humanity and his own imperfections.

An imperfect self and an equally imperfect world have reached a reconciliation.

Therefore, he was not so stubborn as to use his supreme power to constantly destroy and refresh everything, becoming himself in the Lostbelt.

Of course, besides its own inherent factors, there are probably other reasons as well.

Samael looked at the four Indians across from him, who seemed to get along harmoniously and have an unspoken understanding between them, and chuckled and shook his head.

"The snacks are here!"

Just as everyone was chatting, a cute little girl with brown skin, wearing a red jacket, came running from the kitchen, carrying a plate in each hand.

However, because she was running too fast, the little girl tripped and fell while crossing the threshold. Losing her balance, she leaned forward, and the two plates in her hands flew out with a terrified scream.

Before Samael and the others could react, a dark figure appeared in the aisle of the shop, catching the little girl who was about to fall to the ground with one hand and taking two plates of snacks with the other, easily averting a small tragedy.

"what…"

The little girl, still in shock from being lifted into the air, was about to scream when she seemed to remember something. She quickly covered her mouth, her dark eyes darting around as she secretly looked around.

After confirming that her father in the kitchen and her mother outside the door had not noticed the commotion she had caused, the little girl breathed a sigh of relief and carefully removed her little hand from her mouth.

"Big brother, I'm fine, put me down."

The little girl peeked out, leaned close to Arjuna's ear, and whispered a request.

Then, still worried, the little girl put on a pitiful expression and gave him a guilty reprimand.

"Be careful, don't let Dad and Mom find out, or you'll get scolded."

Arjuna nodded slightly, his arm hanging down gently, without making a sound.

"Thank you~!"

The little girl, who had successfully landed, was filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster, and gave Arjuna a big kiss on the cheek.

In an instant, the little girl realized what had happened, her pretty face flushed, and she ran away from Arjuna, skipping and hopping into the kitchen to continue helping to serve the dishes.

Its appearance was like that of a cheerful and adorable little deer.

Arjuna, standing still, subconsciously raised his hand to touch the warmth left on the side of his cheek. His brow furrowed slightly at first, then relaxed, and his facial expression gradually became more varied.

“Everyone’s gone, what’s the point of looking anymore…” A sneer interrupted Arjuna’s thoughts.

His old nemesis, Karna, crossed his arms and looked at him with disdain, as if he were sizing up a potential pedophile.

Arjuna didn't speak, but just looked at Karna and the little girl Gina sitting next to his old rival.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the room became strange and awkward.

No wonder they're brothers; even their hobbies are very similar. You two are definitely the older brother, let alone the younger one.

Oh, right, Rama, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, isn't much different.

If I remember correctly, his wife, Sita, also appears to be a minor.

So, your whole family are lolicon?

Samael muttered to himself as he looked at Rama across from him.

However, as he looked up, a similar gaze also passed over him and landed on the young Yang Yuhuan beside him.

……

In an instant, the eeriness and awkwardness in the air seemed to intensify.

Ahem, let's have some tea.

Everyone simultaneously averted their strange gazes from each other and began to savor the distinctive Indian milk tea.

Meanwhile, Arjuna, the only one who remained calm at the scene, placed the two plates of rice and bean cakes he was holding on the table.

This is a popular Indian full-day meal. Made with oats, it's a light dish that pairs best with chutney and chili sauce. It's also a great option for those looking to lose weight as it's low in calories.

Yang Guifei and Ganesh liked it very much and ate almost half of it.

Fortunately, the remaining food was served one after another.

Yes, the people in charge of delivering the food were a group of very sensible teenagers who shuttled between the kitchen and the front of the house delivering food.

The father, Ajay, who owns the shop, is in charge of cooking, while the mother stands at the counter, holding their youngest sister in her arms.

Meanwhile, the second youngest little girl in red, Xia, mingled among her older brothers and sisters, helping to carry the dishes and working especially hard.

A brown dog named "Vihan" followed its young owner's feet, barking happily. It even cleverly pushed aside a bench that was sticking out of the aisle to clear a way for its owner.

They are all members of this large family, which is just a common component of India's hundreds of millions of people.

"Big brother, this is for you."

After serving the last dish, Asha secretly slipped something into Arjuna's hand.

It was a crayon drawing created with bright colors. Although it was somewhat rough, Arjuna's outline could be clearly seen based on its features.

Arjuna was visibly taken aback upon receiving the gift.

"Give me?"

The little girl nodded, then took an ugly wooden figure out of her pocket and waved it in front of Arjuna.

"This doesn't resemble you at all..."

Black stared at the wooden statue in the little girl's hand, whose outline and markings were quite familiar, and his vision blurred for a moment.

Six months ago, he felt his sense of self becoming increasingly weak, so he went to Nalanda Monastery to meet with a legendary disciple of the Buddha in order to resolve the confusion in his heart.

The Buddha's disciple advised that one should set aside the arrogance of a god and try to integrate into this world as a former human being.

For example, talk to the first person you meet when you go out, and listen to the voice of this world.

And so, Arjuna, who had just left Nalanda Monastery, ran into Asa, who was helping her parents attract customers outside the shop. She was pulled into the shop to try the food without any explanation and became the first customer the little girl had ever attracted since her debut.

Perhaps, and the only one...

But in any case, he has taken the first step in "entering the world".

To express his gratitude, Arjuna asked Asha what she wanted after the meal.

In the end, the naive little girl took a liking to a wooden statue he was carving.

The crude dolls are ugly yet somewhat cute.

This is the product of Arjuna breaking off a tree branch on the road after leaving Nalanda Monastery and slowly shaping it with a knife.

Without using any divine power or making any elaborate carvings, he simply made a cut based on the fluctuations in his heart.

This is an incomplete being created by the perfect god.

This is a kind of dignity that even an omnipotent god would never possess.

This is also the "self" that he unintentionally sculpted.

From then on, Arjuna would habitually come here to sit for a while, either to have a meal or to watch the pedestrians walk by on the street.

Once his thoughts returned to normal, the black deity looked at the colorful little figure on the drawing paper that bore a resemblance to himself and nodded slightly.

"Yes, yours is more like it."

As he spoke, a pair of cat ears hidden in his black hair twitched, and the sense of divine majesty vanished.

Upon hearing the reply, A-Xia beamed with joy, and, still feeling unsatisfied, picked up her paintbrush and continued to doodle on the paper.

Immediately, a smiling girl appeared on the paper.

Her hand was gently held by the tall, colorful little figure.

After successfully sending out her masterpiece, the satisfied little girl skipped and hopped away.

Samael's gaze swept past Arjuna, who was staring blankly at the painting, and looked towards the door.

The little girl, with her loving parents, affectionate older brothers and sisters, and adorable younger sister, is happily feeding her favorite puppy.

Seeing such a heartwarming scene, the ancient snake couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

Just as a small butterfly flapping its wings in one place may disturb the air and eventually cause a storm in a distant place.

The fate of humanity, the fate of the gods, and even the fate of the entire world, all took completely different paths because of the intervention of this "chance".

Other people's choices may not be perfect;

Your own decision may not be bad.

If that's the case, then why be stuck in the past?

Forget about the "Steel Earth," forget about the "Immeasurable Calamity," forget about the "Supernatural Powers Being No Match for Fate"...

There is more than one road to the end.

You are the one who writes your own future!

Samael reached into his pocket and threw the brocade box containing the Buddha's relics, along with the "Answer" that belonged to someone else, into the magic circle.

With his inner knot suddenly untied, the ancient snake released the emotions that had been suppressed for so long.

As a long-lost sense of ease washed over him, even the long-planned escape game before him became quite interesting.

Of course, it's better not to get caught juicing.

Just as the ancient snake was muttering to itself, its cell phone in its pocket vibrated violently.

Unlocking the screen reveals an encrypted email.

Maris Billy? What does that guy want with me?

Samael paused slightly as he looked at the familiar account number.

As one of the few male subordinates with ambition, this former director of Chaldea was given his contact information, but he rarely used it.

Could it be that……

Thinking of this, Samael felt a pang of anxiety and casually opened the email.

The text message, filled with urgency, caught my eye.

"Something's happened at Chaldea! I need help! Quickly!"

At this moment, Hinako Akuta, who had noticed something amiss, came over and quietly opened her email account, which contained the same message, and muttered to herself.

You received this too?

Samael narrowed his eyes, nodded slightly, and his face became more serious.

Even Lao Jie has it; it seems Lao Ma has really been pushed to the limit.

Realizing the situation seemed serious, Samael composed himself and casually opened the attached file package at the bottom. A notification popped up on the screen.

"Master candidate number 48, Fujimaru Ritsuka, you have passed all the tests. Please report to Chaldea within three days."

Samael stared blankly at the photo of the black-haired boy with similar features to himself on the electronic file, a large character flashing in his mind.

"grass~!"

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Encounter with the Colored Eggplant