Chapter 1117: Chapter 1117

The person who first needed to be notified about Kathryn’s condition was, of course, her husband. He was the one she loved and cherished more than anyone else in the world.

As soon as he heard the news about Kathryn, he rushed over despite the late hour. The moment he saw her lying unconscious, he completely broke down. After hearing a brief explanation of her condition, he ceaselessly sobbed and refused to leave her side.

“Seriously, there’s nothing?” Belga asked as he followed behind Davey while chewing on the jerky Tsuna had given him. “No way to fix her? You looked like you already knew something, though.”

Davey shrugged. “There’s nothing more dangerous and foolish than trying to fix something you don’t fully understand. What we need right now is information, not rash action.”

Davey wasn’t sure she should be classified as a medical patient or the victim of a magical curse. Either way, in situations like that, asking was the best option.

“That’s why you came down here, isn’t it? Am I wrong?” Davey said as he turned his head toward Goddess Freyja.

The surroundings were completely still, as if time itself had stopped.

[The rules are starting to shift, and the master is changing. Once one gear goes off-track, the whole system will start breaking down.]

[The primordial authority and divinity have been split. A new structure is needed.]

In other words, the rules of the world that were once linked to Goddess Freyja were now starting to molt and reshape due to her entering her twilight era and the world itself changing.

In that process, everything became incredibly fragile and unstable.

“Hold on. Then all of this is...?”

[A natural change. This matter has]

The tablet paused for a moment, leaving the sentence unfinished. Goddess Freyja blankly looked at Davey and tilted her head.

Her eyes then widened slightly before she turned the tablet around and checked it. After confirming that the script hadn't changed, she set it down nearby.

She created a small stone of light in her hand, then began slamming it down mercilessly on the screen.

Even as she struck it with a large stone, the tablet only let out a crackling sound before finally changing its screen.

[It listens better when you hit it.]

Davey wasn’t quite sure why she was looking at him while saying that, though.

[Children of the Hall.]

It was a problem that Davey and the heroes of the Hall needed to solve.

[They’ve already started moving.]

“The reason being... because we shared your authority?”

She quietly nodded and gave a double thumbs-up.

“Can’t you at least give me a hint? I’ve been the stand-in while you’re out of commission, remember?”

She poked him in the chest with her finger. A glow radiated from his chest, and the stone tablet from before emerged.

[Something only you can do.] Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NoveI~Fire.net

“You really can’t do it yourself?”

[I cannot interfere. Only you and the children of the Hall can do this.]

In other words, if she interfered with the transformation process, it would only become a complete mess.

The stone tablet was a clue tied to the existence known as the primordial predator. In fact, he had already used it once to summon the transformed Behemoth. Going by what Goddess Freyja was saying, he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to use it to swallow up the very laws of the world or something else, though.

‘That can't be... right?’

“So, what exactly am I supposed to do with it?”

Guessing at something he didn’t quite understand was dangerous. While he could work decently well off what he did know, there was no telling how many systems would be unintentionally altered by just a single choice of his.

To that question, Goddess Freyja quietly lifted her tablet.

[The children of the Hall will help you find the resonance point of the tablet.]

Normally, she wouldn’t even give so much as a nugget of direct information away. Yet she didn’t just offer a hint—she showed him the path to take.

[I hope you understand what you can do once you get there.]

The Heins Territory was, contrary to Davey’s concerns, completely fine.

Still, that didn’t mean he could hide what was happening, so he gathered everyone and explained the current situation, warning them multiple times to be cautious.

Afterward, he privately examined Perserque, who was worn out from repeated bouts of morning sickness.

“This turned into a real hassle, didn't it? Oh well. More importantly, how’s the baby?” she asked.

“It’s healthy, with no problems. Judging by the growth rate, it’ll be born after a full nine months just like any normal baby.”

“Fufu. I really hope that’s the case.”

“You’re staying active by doing things like exercising, right? Where your body is concerned, the delivery shouldn’t be an issue, but the baby is much more fragile than you are. One wrong move, and things could go south.”

If that happened, they’d have to go with a C-section. It was unlikely, but not impossible.

“Hehe, I can’t wait to see how this child comes into the world. Back to what we were talking about before, I hope everything you’re working on gets resolved without any trouble.”

Perserque clearly expressed her unwavering support, eternally on Davey’s side no matter what happened.

“It’s a shame about Grand Duchess Kathryn, but she’s not completely gone. Telling Aeria and making her grieve right now wouldn’t be the right move.”

Davey chose not to tell Aeria about Grand Duchess Kathryn. It was too soon to say she was as good as dead.

Right after arriving in the territory, Davey had Belga check if anyone in the population had undergone such a change.

While Davey couldn’t make the right calls, someone like Belga, who originated from a similar domain and appeared from the cycle of the world’s laws, would likely be able to sense any such change.

Fortunately, Belga returned with the good news that no one had changed. It seemed that the transformations weren’t affecting humans indiscriminately.

Unfortunately, if his guess was right, it was only a matter of time before that happened. The rate of change would probably accelerate soon in the future. He had to deal with everything before that happened.

“Is there really no one else who can do this besides you?”

“If there were, I would've passed it off to them already.”

There was no reason for him to hold onto that responsibility if he didn’t have to.

‘So much for retiring and living a quiet life. Dealing with this massive issue before stepping down is a damn headache.’

“Still, what a relief to see everyone here is okay,” he said as he looked Perserque straight in the eyes.

She gave a faint smile. “I see. If something like what happened to Grand Duchess Kathryn had happened here too, who knows what the consequences would've been.”

It was a relief that Perserque, Illyna, Aeria, Darian, Evangeline, and everyone else in the territory were safe and unaffected.

Belga had seen no one who posed a concern.

“So, when are you planning to leave?”

“The heroes from the Hall said they’d try to find a lead on the stone tablet as soon as possible, but it’ll take at least a few hours.”

The search range, being literally world-spanning, was too wide to find with the resonance of the stone tablet. It was exactly the time to rely on his connections.

The current heroes of the Hall were stationed across different dimensions, working to suppress the effects the world's laws might have on humanity during their transformation.

Davey figured they had their own methods. Their working theory seemed to suggest the problems stemmed from something within the darkest depths of Tionis.

“Let’s hope we hear some good news.”

For the moment, all they could do was wait and keep an eye on the situation.

Davey gently spoke while looking at her belly, “Before you’re born, Daddy is going to get all this sorted out. In the meantime, you better behave in there and grow up strong, got it?”

Her morning sickness had been rough. He figured she was probably stressed from carrying the baby. There was no telling what kind of stubborn troublemaker was going to come out of her, if it was already causing such strong symptoms.

After she fell asleep exhausted, Davey quietly tiptoed out of the room, only to encounter Aeria who had been waiting for him.

Surely, she hadn’t overheard anything. Davey had soundproofed the room, but he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

“Umm.” Aeria finally managed to speak after hesitating,“That boy, Belga... are his eyes accurate?”

“They should be. Why?”

“No one... had any problems, right?” She asked again, trembling slightly.

Thinking there might be something going on, Davey asked again, but she quickly shook her head.

“Nothing, I must’ve just been mistaken.”

She denied it, but Davey couldn’t afford to overlook even the smallest of clues.

“What happened? Tell me.”

She contemplated for a while before slowly continuing, “Ummm. Can that change affect someone even if they're at a Master’s level?”

“It’s not about power. It applies to all living beings.”

She let out a short sigh. “Actually, the other day—”

Right then, the space beside Davey tore open as someone appeared.

“I found it, Davey. I’ll help you there.”

Hearing her words, he nodded. If Rho Aias herself was offering help, he knew then there was no reason to worry.

Having received his approval, she casually twisted the air and opened a door. The rift she used was different from the usual warping or the way he tore open dimensions.

“Wait. Aeria, what were you going to say?”

“No, it’s nothing. I must’ve been mistaken.” Wearing a complicated expression, she gave a faint smile. “Please come back safe, no matter what.”

Davey quietly stepped through the rift that Rho Aias had opened.

“It’d be a lie if I said I wasn’t.”

“Apollo and Astrea are focusing on protecting you and your loved ones, so don’t worry. Some of the constellations are even lending you their strength, too.”

The constellations were fragments of Goddess Freyja that had forcibly stopped the ancient battle. When she said they were helping, Davey gave her a puzzled look.

“There aren’t many constellations that can still use their power right now. However, the three among them that have formed a pact with you have chosen to help. So don’t worry.” She smiled gently, trying to reassure him.

“By the way, where are we exactly?” Davey asked as they arrived on a massive island.

She turned her gaze toward a spot in the distance. There, he saw a mermaid sprawled out sunbathing on the sand.

“Oh? Davey!” Waving at him with a bright smile, the mermaid looked completely out of place.

After all, mermaids were creatures you’d only find in fairy tales, yet there she was. She was more than enough to completely shatter any preconceived image of what a mermaid was supposed to be.

“Davey! What brings you here?!”

“That’s what I should be asking. What are you doing here?”

“What else? Sunbathing, same as always. Though, at this rate, I was starting to feel like I might dry up and shrivel away.”

When she kept chattering nonstop, she suddenly asked, “Oh, right! Do you know what a thin-legged octopus is teased for on the playground?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Not listening.”

Instinctively sensing danger, Davey immediately shut her down, but there was no stopping her mouth.

“Their legs! They’re octopuses that skipped leg day! Wanna know why? Because its legs are thin!”

His face instantly twisted at the bad pun, but the unexpected sound that followed forcefully snapped him back to reality.

“Pfft!” Rho Aias, upon catching his gaze, averted her eyes while covering her mouth with her long sleeves.

Being that the last joke got a reaction, it was only so natural for the mermaid to say another punchline.

“The thin-legged octopuses tried to join a breakdance crew, but they ended up getting kicked out. Know why?”

“No. I don’t want to know, either. Please, I’m begging you. Just stop talking.”

“Because they just kept getting tangled in their own legs!”

As the mermaid So-Ya unleashed another verbal catastrophe, Davey felt a pounding headache creep in.

“Ugh. Crap.” His face went slack with exhaustion.

“Anyway, you brought Davey here because he’s heading to that place, right?”

Rho Aias confirmed, “Yes. We need to go there.”

“Alrighty, leave it to me!” Beaming, she clapped her hands. Her fins briefly sparkled before bubbles began to float up into the air.

When those bubbles enveloped him, lively streams of water began guiding the bubble that held both him and Rho Aias.

They were soon taken to the pitch-black depths of the ocean. The deep sea was dark enough to provoke a primal fear, but both Rho Aias and Davey had eyes that could see beyond the darkness of the deep.

“What is that thing doing...?” He saw a massive white-bearded whale with tentacle-like whiskers snatching terrified giant sharks out of the water.

The sharks, with their thick hides and massive jaws, were shaking in fear. They were unable to show even a hint of hostility toward Behemoth.

[Come at me, you dumb little minnows!]

Even without context, it was obvious why it was so furious.

“Guardian, that’s enough! Get over here!” So-Ya shouted toward Behemoth as she guided their bubbles through the depths.

Behemoth flinched and hurled the giant sharks wrapped in its tentacles aside.

As Davey looked around, Rho Aias spoke up. “Did you see that massive sinkhole on the ground earlier? It might look like a regular empty hole, but under specific conditions, it can serve as a portal to another space. The stone tablet you carry came from there, so that’s where we’re headed,” she explained with a smile on her face.

[So... I just need to do what you tell me to do, right?]

Despite its arrogant nature, it trembled slightly as it spoke politely to Rho Aias.

Behemoth didn’t grumble or complain. It simply opened its mouth. It seemed it’d instinctively realized that if it tried anything foolish with Rho Aias, it’d be the end of it.

[Contractor, don’t try anything stupid. I’m going to swallow you.]

With that, the beast opened its massive jaws and swallowed the bubble whole in one swift gulp.

They heard its voice in their heads, followed by a faint vibration.

“Hehe, I don’t know either.” So-Ya giggled as if she were just happy to be on a fun outing. Despite having been literally swallowed whole, she showed no fear.

Her blind confidence somehow suited her all too well.

“To reach the place where the stone tablet finds peace, we have to go through the hole,” Rho Aias explained calmly.

The floor of the deep sea; a pit of endless darkness. Even with Death Spirit Eyes, it was a void no one could see all the way into.

“Then can’t we just go straight in? Why did we have to be swallowed by this thing?”

“They say you need the Guardian’s power to access it. We initially didn’t know what the symbol beneath the Guardian’s fin meant, but it turns out it was the key,” she explained while puffing out her chest proudly.

Davey, on the other hand, didn’t understand why she was the one feeling proud. Regardless of whether she noticed his stare or not, she kept explaining.

After Behemoth awakened the symbol and entered the hole, it acted as the key. In other words, without its power, the hole would remain nothing more than a common sinkhole.

There was no way Behemoth had figured that out itself. He assumed that Rho Aias had discovered the truth.

“You must have worked hard finding this.”

No wonder no one could figure the place out. He couldn’t imagine what was inside there.

Rho Aias offered her thoughts. “I don’t know exactly what’s inside. But, Davey... we believe there’s something in there that will allow you to fully complete your Predatory Assimilation.”

‘Something that would complete the authority of Predatory Assimilation...?’

“So then I’m not just some uninvited guest, am I?”

Davey had to be connected to the place somehow.

“Davey, your Predatory Assimilation is similar, but not quite the same. It only seems similar.”

“How about it? Our Guardian’s pretty amazing, huh?”

“They’re my contracted beast.”

“Well, Behemoth’s my Guardian.” So-Ya stuck her tongue out like a child, flaunting her possessiveness.

Just then, a strong vibration rumbled around them, followed by its voice.

Behemoth opened its enormous mouth wide.

They saw a colossal temple in front of them, its structure embedded with glowing green stones.

[Hurry and get out. It’s not easy holding you in here without swallowing.]

Davey popped the bubble and lightly sprang out. The place gave off a strange, quiet atmosphere. It was eerie, but not exactly threatening.

“Hehe. We can’t go any farther from here. How do I explain it... our instincts just reject it. It’s that kind of place,” So-Ya explained.

He glanced toward Rho Aias. She, too, seemed ready to stay behind and wait for him to finish up on his own.

“Davey, we’ll keep the barrier up out here until you come back. Please return safely,” she said to him while waving.

He nodded, deciding to see for himself what lay within.

“I’ll be right back.”