Chapter 629: [Event] [The Beauty And The Beast] [9] The Third Demigod of Sancta Vedelia

Why was I always cast as the damn delinquent when I was doing nothing in class?

I sighed and followed the group pretending not to notice the way a few of the other students were already giving me a wide berth—like I was a ticking bomb just waiting to set off some chaos in this sacred place.

Maybe, as usual, everyone was just avoiding me—the ’enemy’, the so-called traitor of Sancta Vedelia. It wasn’t like I hadn’t grown used to it by now. Still, it lingered in the air: that subtle hush when I entered, the stolen glances, the space that always seemed to widen around me like I carried a plague no one wanted to name. Whatever. Let them whisper.

As soon as I stepped through the main hall’s arched entrance, the sheer number of people inside hit me like a brick wall.

Too many people here and I don’t like it

Not because I was antisocial or anything—it’s just that in a sea of faces, it’s easy to lose track of the ones that actually matter. And right now, I couldn’t afford to lose sight of anything important.

My eyes scanned the bustling hall until they landed on two familiar figures—John and Victor. They caught my gaze almost immediately and gave me a subtle nod. Reliable, as always.

Good. They were here. That meant I didn’t need to keep my guard up as much. Maybe—just maybe—I could finally breathe and enjoy a brief moment of peace.

Honestly, carrying the Second Game on my back had been exhausting. And I wasn’t exaggerating, nor being arrogant. It really felt like I was the only one keeping the damn thing from falling apart. But I knew deep down that if I ever stepped aside and let things unravel, the consequences wouldn’t just affect Sancta Vedelia. The ripple could extend far beyond. The world outside had stakes in this, too.

After all, the Holy Tree of Eden must be protected. Same as the Garden. Same as the Monolith. Always.

What a burden.

Just then, a voice drifted over the crowd, as if reciting a tale from legend. I turned my head toward it and saw one of the museum staff standing before a crowd of curious children. A large holo-projection flickered behind him, showing a vivid 3D image of a young, blond-haired man wielding a gleaming sword, frozen mid-leap against a monstrous, horned beast.

I walked over slowly.

"The Hero Quinn Victor Raven was the savior who stood against the terrifying might of the Behemoth."

A ripple of awe stirred through the crowd of children gathered at his feet.

"The creature, born from the dark experiments of Deborah Dolphis, was a monstrosity the likes of which this world had never seen. No weapon could harm it. No magic could pierce its hide. It was invincible... until the King of the Raven House discovered its secret. He struck down the creature’s three horns—each one a source of its unnatural strength. And after an exhausting battle that raged for a full day and night, King Quinn, along with the other Heads of the Houses, managed to defeat the Behemoth... right here, in the very city you now stand upon."

A murmur of admiration rose from the children.

"King Quinn is so cool!"

"I wanna be like him someday!"

"You’re a werewolf, idiot. He was a Vampire!"

"So what? I can still be a hero!"

Their little voices mixed with laughter and awe. I barely paid attention to them.

Instead, I kept my eyes on the projection, on Behemoth.

How tall was this thing...?

I stared up at the holographic projection of the Behemoth. The sheer size of the creature was staggering. Its bulk dwarfed entire buildings, and its gnarled, otherworldly horns jutted out like towers, each one brimming with a terrible kind of prana. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. That something like this had once existed—and worse, had been created?

No. It couldn’t be allowed to return. Ever.

"We can’t let them resurrect it."

"Yeah," I nodded.

Startled, I blinked and turned to my left.

Roda stood there with her mask.

"You’ve been exploring the city already?" I asked.

"I’m still taking my time," she replied.

Right. This wasn’t just any museum for her.

"It was destroyed in my world," she spoke up as if reading my mind. "So... I wanted to see it again. While I can."

"Well, this place is massive. Good luck finishing the tour today."

She laughed softly. "It is. The museum covers everything—from the very beginning, all the way to the final war against the Behemoth. Every victory. Every failure. Every name that was lost."

A thought crept into my mind at that moment. One I didn’t want to voice but needed to.

"Hey... just to put my mind at ease. In your world, they didn’t... manage to bring it back, right?" I asked.

In the game, I’d stopped that from happening. Honestly, it wasn’t even that difficult—there was always one missing horn, which made the resurrection ritual impossible. The same was true here, apparently. One of the three horns was gone. But something about this place made me uneasy. Like history might find a way to twist itself back into motion.

Roda didn’t hesitate. "No. We stopped them. Victor, the others... we made sure of it."

"Well, I don’t want to sound like a doomsayer, but this time..." I trailed off, searching for the right words. "Things feel different. Off. And I’m not sure how it’s all going to play out. So, I’m going to need your help."

"I know," she said. "I’ve felt it too. Something is different this time... and not in a good way. Even though two of the four Executives of the Behemoth have already been defeated."

Exactly. That was the strange part. We should have felt safer. But instead, it felt like the calm before a much worse storm.

I glanced around to make sure no one was watching us.

"I’ve got a lead," I said in a hushed tone. "On Braham Moonfang."

That got her attention. Roda turned sharply toward me, clearly surprised. Her voice lowered instinctively.

"What kind of lead?"

"Not here," I whispered. "Let’s walk."

Without waiting for an answer, I nudged her gently and started toward the top floors of the museum.

Celeste and the others wouldn’t be anywhere near soon. And that was important. People who knew who Roda closely shouldn’t approach her too much, especially Victor.

He was going to get all nosy the moment he saw another woman next to me—just like Rodolf had. Actually, Rodolf was even worse, but maybe that was because he was also Yanis? I don’t really know. I just didn’t feel like taking any unnecessary risks, especially since he was part of Roda’s family.

"I met your grandmother," I said, breaking the silence.

"Grandma..." Roda muttered, quite emotionally.

"Yeah," I continued, "she told me about Braham Moonfang having a brother—someone he actually cared about."

"I don’t really remember that..." Roda replied slowly, as if digging through the fog of old memories. "I think... I think he had a brother, but I always believed he died a long time ago. Honestly, I thought that loss was what pushed Braham to betray us for some reason."

I let out a snort. "Well, what really threw me off was the idea that the leader of Behemoth—of all people—was capable of caring about someone. That guy’s got more blood on his hands than I can count, and now we find out he’s secretly a doting older brother? What the hell?"

"Right... So what’s the plan?" She asked, regaining some composure.

"We caught three people using that weird pill—yeah, the drug one. They’ve agreed to lead us tomorrow night to someone who’s supposedly connected to Braham’s brother."

"Oh... so the idea is to use him to draw Braham out?" Roda asked, putting the pieces together quickly.

I nodded. "Exactly. It’s actually your grandmother’s plan. And to be honest, I think it might just work. But once Braham shows up, we’ll need to be ready to take that bastard down. Speaking of which—how are you holding up? Are you well enough to fight?"

Roda straightened up a little, nodding. "Yes. I’ll be ready—more than before. Don’t worry about me."

That was a relief. Having her back on her feet was a game-changer. She was already stronger than I was, and her presence on the battlefield would be a huge advantage.

I gave her a nod in return, but something had been nagging at me, so I decided to just ask, even if it felt a bit intrusive.

"Hey... do you know why your grandmother looks like a child now? I mean, it’s kind of hard to ignore."

Roda let out a breath, her expression turning more serious.

"That... yeah, I know a little. Before Uncle Jefer’s time, Grandma was one of the Monarchs representing Sancta Vedelia in the Alliance. A few years ago, she was involved in an incident in Edenis Raphiel. Something went wrong. When she came back, she was badly hurt... and in that state. I think she used some kind of spell—something powerful—and ended up paying a steep price for it."

She paused, her brows furrowing slightly.

"But honestly, I don’t know all the details either."

"I see..." I muttered, then glanced toward Roda, curiosity getting the better of me. "By the way, I think I’m right about this—but your grandmother... she used to be a Demigod, didn’t she?"

It was a feeling I couldn’t shake. Even though she looked like a child now—small, frail, and visibly weakened—there was still that lingering pressure around her. It reminded me of the weight I’d felt from Maria’s grandfather, or Duncan. That overwhelming presence wasn’t something you could easily fake.

Roda gave a small nod. "She was."

"So there were three Demigods in Sancta Vedelia at one point, huh..."

That was insane.

Demigods weren’t just powerful—they were living, breathing natural disasters. Each one was treated like a kingdom-toppling force. It made sense, considering what they could do. Sure, Edenis Raphiel had more of them, but still—three in one place? That was enough to make any nation feel like a ticking time bomb.

I turned my attention back to Roda, eyes narrowing slightly. "What about you? You’re not a Demigod yet, right?"

The question was mostly rhetorical—I already knew the answer—but I asked anyway, just to hear it from her.

She shook her head. "No. I’m currently at the peak of the 9th Ascension. If I’m lucky—and talented enough—it might take me five years or more to break through to Demigod."

Right... that bottleneck. The infamous wall at the end of the 9th Ascension. It was where even the most gifted warriors came to a grinding halt. Some never got past it, no matter how many decades they tried. Only a chosen few ever broke through that ceiling.

But this version of Roda—the one standing in front of me, the Prophetess herself—I had a strong feeling she could do it.

She was what—nineteen? Maybe twenty? If she actually reached Demigod by the time she was twenty-five, that would be nothing short of legendary. At that rate, she’d be brushing shoulders with the likes of Alphonse Celesta and Lisandra Arvatra—two people who were supposedly touched by Eden himself.

Although... let’s be real. Those two were monsters in their own league. Comparing others to them wasn’t exactly fair.

Still, it got me thinking about myself.

I was eighteen. At the peak of the 8th Ascension. I’d probably hit the 9th soon, maybe in the next months. But how long would it take to reach the peak of that—and then somehow shatter the barrier into Demigod status?

Two years? Three? Longer?

I sighed thinking about it.

I had hoped—no, I had dreamed—of reaching Demigod before the start of the Third Game. But now, looking at the sheer magnitude of the challenge... it just felt impossible.

Yeah, I never thought it would be the easy to reach that level to begin with.