Village Head's Debauchery

But Ilse was too prideful to admit it might be the latter.

Orion carefully explained the truth about Zera and everything that had transpired within the Mirror Realm.

Ilse was shaken, her wide, astonished eyes fixed on Zera. "Is everything you've just said true?" she asked, seeking confirmation.

Orion responded with a nod.

Ilse finally understood why she could not sense a familiar aura on Zera but was still stunned by the revelation.

The goddess of Twilight Chorus and Fortune! The goddess of Malevolence and Witches!

The former claimed to be the original version of her, while the latter was one of the strongest divine beings during the 'Great War.' She had held the title of one of the Nine Greed Gods, having possessed a vast portion of the New World. She fought against the Seven Great Gods and Naka several times and lived to tell the tale.

"As expected of myself, to be able to pull off such a formidable feat," Ilse said. "But isn't that all the more reason we should eliminate them? They cannot be trusted. Besides, who's to say they won't try to kill me too? Would you rather they do so and take my place?" Her tone was sharp, and her expression turned cold and rigid as she glared at Orion.

"No, that won't happen. I promise you, I've already thought of a plan that will work. You just need to trust me to handle this," Orion responded, shaking his head.

Ilse was silent for a moment. She stared at Orion briefly before responding, "Since you're confident your plan will work, I'll leave this to you. But if they attempt to attack me under any circumstances, I won't hesitate to kill them."

"Okay," Orion agreed after a brief contemplation.

"You seem different. Have you…?" Ilse asked, hesitating as though she had difficulty completing her sentence.

"Yes, I've taken my first step of ascension towards godhood. It will take some time before I can fully utilize my abilities," Orion replied.

But he knew what she meant. As a divine being, it was apparent that Ilse could sense the divinity radiating from him now that he had stepped into godhood.

"I knew it. You never stop surprising me," Ilse sighed in defeat. After everything she had witnessed since awakening, Orion's ascension to godhood seemed almost inevitable.

"Let's go. I'll provide them with a place to rest," Ilse said, tearing open a rift in space and stepping through it.

Orion wasn't surprised that she hadn't noticed his Divine Mandate. One of its functions was to conceal itself from other divine beings until he chose to reveal it. He was multitasking, sorting through all the crucial information that the Will of the Divine Mysteries hadn't mentioned, which astounded him. He had also learned the name of his Divine Mandate.

As he unravelled the secrets of his Divine Mandate, Orion couldn't help but shiver at the thought that there were other Divine Mandates out there, each with its own distinct functions, just as powerful as the one he possessed.

This gave him a deeper understanding of the power of the Divine Mysteries, the Divine Corps, Naka, and his forces, which could oppose it.

Orion followed her through the portal. He placed Aurora and Zera in separate rooms. Though Zera's room appeared much more tightly secured, Orion saw no issue. It was best to restrict the two goddesses from leaving when they awakened and found themselves in an unfamiliar environment. Nonetheless, he informed Ilse to tell him when they woke up, as he wanted to be the first to meet and speak with them.

Ilse understood his reasoning and agreed. She seemed pleased to keep them sealed in the room for even a second longer.
Enjoy new tales from empire

After they finished, Orion and Ilse met with Fifi, Iris, and the others.

As soon as Fifi saw him, she leapt into his arms, wrapping her limbs around him. They shared a deep kiss for several moments before pulling back.

"I thought it would take another month before you returned. I'm glad you're back," Fifi said.

Due to the time dilation within the Golden Palace, time stretched longer. They controlled the population with the help of Seth, Brane, Zara, and numerous other four-star warriors. What should have been more than three months had felt like approximately nine months.

This didn't include when she left the palace to spend time with her children or rest from the mental strain. Managing such a large population, even with Goddess Ilse's assistance, who could now remain awake for an extended period, became far more challenging than before.

So it made sense that Fifi missed Orion the most, having gone the longest without seeing him.

The other key members had been handling Paradise's affairs.

Orion embraced her tightly. He nodded and whispered into her ear, "I'll make sure you're well taken care of when we get home."

Fifi blushed furiously but gathered the courage to whisper, "Can't we do it here?"

She was wearing ripped pants with black and brown stripes, clearly made from the fur of some magical beast, paired with a beautiful blue blouse. Vylkr-alloyed armoured padding protected her ankles, knees, and other vital areas.

Fifi had bought the outfit at a fair price from one of the Runaway Cities, eager to try clothing from different cultures. With so many options before her, it would be distasteful and foolish not to explore the new delicacies and attire of the many races soon to be assimilated into Paradise, especially after years of eating only Kalna and Lipry fruits.

In terms of exploration, this was the most fun she'd had in years.

"Though I don't mind," Orion responded with a playful grin, "I don't want to give our new residents cultural shock." He gently slapped Fifi's firm, toned rear as a tease before setting her down.

Fifi clung to his arm, her toned, muscular figure holding onto Orion's lean, athletic build as if she were keeping him hostage. Regardless, a warm, romantic aura surrounded them.

"Welcome back, Supreme Leader," Iris greeted with a respectful bow. Unlike Fifi, she was still clad in the bronze suit of armour Ilse had given them, showing no intention of giving it up anytime soon.

"Welcome back, Supreme Leader," Brane and Zara also greeted.

Orion responded to their greeting with a nod.

"You seem different. Did something happen within the Mirror Realm?" Zara asked, noticing the mysterious and domineering aura surrounding him. It felt more impenetrable when she tried to peer into his future, similar to Ilse's.

Brane nodded in agreement, as did Fifi and Iris. They were aware that the Divine Corps had broken into the Mirror Realm. But, they were concerned that Orion and the others had encountered something that might cause unpleasant changes.

"I'll address this during the meeting with everyone so I won't have to repeat myself. You four will also be attending, so go and prepare," Orion said.

Brane and Zara would attend based on their previous positions as heads of the key leaders. Iris would participate because of her position as a divine apostle and her participation in the mission.

Fifi would also attend for similar reasons, even though he intended to make the same announcement to the household later.

As for Ilse, her inclusion was obvious.

"Send someone to summon the rest of the Key Leaders here. We'll be having the meeting here," Orion ordered.

They nodded understanding and departed individually, leaving only Orion, Fifi, and Ilse.

"I want to see the nymph demigoddess who arrived with the others," Orion said, looking at Ilse.

Ilse nodded. "Follow me." She tore open the space before her and stepped through.

Orion shielded Fifi from the spatial rift and followed Ilse.

They arrived above the enormous lake that had appeared some distance from the city. They released their auras, and almost instantly, a figure shot out of the water and appeared before them.

She was the water woman who had taken him and Nadia to Naka's former laboratory and informed them of the situation within the pocket dimension.

The woman's eyes widened as she bowed respectfully toward Orion. "Welcome… back," she said. "Is… it over?" she asked hesitantly.

"Your goddesses are fine. I'll inform you when they awaken," Orion nodded.

"Thank you," the woman replied, her lips smiling.

"What do you think of her?" Orion asked, glancing at Ilse.

"She is a Water Nymph who ascended to godhood using a unique method, a mysterious crest, which I presume was created by those two goddesses. Their presumed deaths, along with the injuries they sustained during the war against the Will of the Divine Mysteries, must have caused damage to the crest, resulting in a backlash that left her partially impaired. "

"Nonetheless, like Goddess Aurora and the various newcomers who arrived after her, she is adept at using Vylkr energy," Ilse explained.

"I've discovered that the crest is similar to those on my children, so I'm not sure if it's appropriate to continue calling her a demigod rather than a divine apostle. Due to limited time, I haven't been able to figure out anything more. We'll have to wait until they awaken."