WHEN NERO opened his eyes, he was back to Neoma''s body. "Put me down."


    That was directed to Commander Ruto.


    It was because he ''woke up'' in themander''s arms.


    [Neoma probably fainted when we switched.]


    Commander Ruto carefully put Nero down (and he was probably being careful because it was Neoma''s body). "Wee back, Your Imperial Majesty."


    Nero ignored Ruto as he focused on the goddess in front of him. "It seems like my twin sister''s business with you is finished."


    "It''s really fun to watch you Imperial Twins switch as if it''s natural," the Goddess of Fortunemented. "The little princess beat me in a game that determines luck."


    Really?


    Neoma won against the Goddess of Fortune?


    It wasn''t like he was doubting his twin sister''s ability.


    However…


    "You''re literally the Goddess of Fortune," Neromented. "Did you let Neoma win?"


    "The little princess wasn''t born lucky, but she turned her misfortune into opportunities," the Goddess of Fortune said, smiling as if she was proud of Neoma. "I favor people like that over people who are born lucky. After all, most people who have all the luck in the world tend to take it for granted. However, people like the little princess don''t trust their luck.


    Hence, they end up working hard the most."


    "Are you saying hard work beats luck?"


    "Hard work isn''t enough— but consistency is," the goddess said. "To be honest, it''s hard to beat luck. There are people out there who were born lucky just because. You can say your twin sister is special."


    Heh.


    Nero smiled proudly.


    [Of course, Neoma is special.]


    "The little princess doesn''t have tremendous luck, but when she wants something, she attracts all the positive forces in the universe to give her what she wants. Shemands everything around her to move ording to her will because of her tough mindset and tenacity," the Goddess of Misfortune said, talking as if she was a mentor who was proud of her student.


    "That''s greater than any luck in the world, and that''s why I lost to your twin sister''s very simple game."


    "It seems like you don''t regret losing to Neoma."


    "The little princess never prayed to me— even in her lowest," the Goddess of Fortune said. "As a de Moonasterio and a Roseheart, she has the qualifications to summon me whether she knows it or not— just like what you two did.


    But even after summoning me, the little princess asked me to y a game with her knowing that luck is on my side as the literal Goddess of Fortune instead of asking for my power. That, alone, was fun."


    Ah.


    So, the goddess let Neoma win because she found the game fun.


    [Well, as long as Neoma won, everything is fine.]


    "The little princess asked me to remove the curse carved into your soul as her prize for winning the game," the Goddess of Fortune said, extending her hand. "Come here, little emperor— I''ll remove the mark of misfortune on you."


    [Since Neoma trusts this god…]


    Nero stepped forward. "Please make it quick— I have to stop Neoma from going feral while using my body."


    ***


    "BWAHAHAHA!"


    Neoma couldn''t help butugh like a hyena while looking at Helstor who couldn''t move while being carried by Nero''s ice phoenix like a prey that he was.


    Of course, she knew very well why the God of Eternal Darkness couldn''t move.


    Helstor kept his mouth shut while looking at Neoma coldly.


    [He''s angry.]


    Neoma actually had a shiver down her spine despite Helstor''s silence.


    [I bet he has already tortured and killed me in his head one hundred times.]


    "It''s you, isn''t it?" Hanna, who appeared behind Neoma, asked. "Control your expression, Neoma. The emperor would look like a lunatic if you continue acting that way."


    Oh, right.


    [I''m inside Nero.]


    Neoma immediately stoppedughing and put a serious look on her face as she addressed the citizens looking at her. "Everyone, this is the false god who created a fake religion to trick you into abandoning the Moon God!"


    She was just going along with the bullshit that Nero spouted earlier.


    But, technically, it wasn''tpletely nonsense.


    "Witness how I punish the false god!" Neoma said, raising Calypso. "This is what happens to anyone who dares to trick my people….!"


    Oh, fuck.


    Neoma was d that she didn''t stutter.


    It took her all she had to ignore the burning pain in her hand.


    [This damned Holy Sword!]


    Calypso was rejecting Neoma!


    The damned Holy Sword was trying to freeze her hand.


    Neoma grabbed the handle tighter. "Calypso, I know that I''m not your master. But you have to help me this once. And remember how I died because of you in the first timeline? Yeah, I''ll forgive you for that if you stopped being a royal pain in the ass right now."


    Fortunately, the Holy Sword stopped trying to freeze her hand.


    [I would have been forced to use my me to melt the ice if Calypso didn''t back down.]


    "Thank you, Calypso," Neoma said when the ice around her hand finally melted. "Now help me strike down the viin." She then looked up at the ice phoenix above her. "Zeru, drop the garbage."


    Zeru let out a noise simr to what birds make before dropping Helstor.


    Neoma then raised her free hand, catching the God of Eternal Darkness inside an invisible barrier that caused him to get suspended mid-air.


    Then she jumped in the air, stepping into cube-like barriers that she used like a staircase.


    She couldn''t use her wings because Nero didn''t have them.


    [Gosh. It''s hard to restrict myself like this. I don''t even like using swords.]


    Neoma had no choice but to use Calypso, though— stabbing Helstor in the chest.


    The God of Eternal Darkness coughed up blood, but the sneer on his face let her know that this wasn''t over yet.


    [Of course, he wouldn''t die even if he was stabbed by the Holy Sword.]


    But that was enough to give the people of the empire a good show.


    It was a delight when Helstor started to emit smoke as if he were being burned.


    [No— he''s probably getting burned for real since Calypso is a Holy Sword infused with the Moon God''s divine powers.]


    Neoma then faced the people. "The false god has been punished!"


    And then the huge crowd cheered as the sky finally cleared.


    [Splendid timing.]


    ***


    "DON''T BE afraid to admit that you''ve been tricked by the false god into abandoning the Moon God. Our new saint, Prince Skylus, will lead us to beg for Lord Yule''s forgiveness through prayer."


    After Lord Manu''s speech, Prince Skylus stepped forward and closed his eyes while sping his hands together.


    "Lord Yule, please have mercy…"


    [Everything is going smoothly.]


    Hanna was satisfied to see that the people in the za had already calmed down.


    After Neoma''s show of killing the ''false god,'' Lord Manu and Prince Skylus immediately took over.


    It was all ording to Neoma''s n.


    [Prince Skylus will lead the prayer, and then he''ll talk about the ''false god''ter in order to stop the innocent and gullible citizens from joining the fake religion that the crows created.]


    "Where''s the emperor, Duchess Quinzel?"


    It was Duke Jasper Hawthorne who approached Hanna after she left the pce to check on the citizens.


    "Was it the emperor?" Duke Jasper Hawthorne asked awkwardly. "I saw His Imperial Majesty''s expression when heughed earlier, and I thought it wasn''t a face that Emperor Nero would make…"


    "It was Neoma," Hanna said, sighing while shaking her head. "She brought Helstor to her training ground."


    ***


    NEOMA knew that a stab from Calypso wouldn''t easily kill Helstor.


    [Gods have several vital organs, after all.]


    However, it was still annoying to see the God of Eternal Darkness alive and kicking.


    After the shy ''show'' that she ''performed'' earlier, Neoma dragged Helstor to her pce. To be precise, to the training ground.


    And it was the same ce where ''that'' thing was.


    "A terrarium, I see," Helstor, who was now free from the barrier, said while looking up at the terrarium where Larissa was ''resting.'' The wound on his chest had already stopped bleeding, and his heart was probably repaired already or something. "Is that what you''re nning to do to me?"


    "Don''t be silly," Neoma said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I''ll torture the hell out of you before I kill you."


    "What did you do to me?"


    "I haven''t done anything to you yet."


    "You know what I''m talking about, Princess Neoma," Helstor said, facing Neoma with a nk look on his face. "No matter how much I try, I can''t leave. My teleportation skill has been sealed."


    "Try to make a guess."


    "Emperor Nero said it has something to do with the contract we signed."


    "You failed to disrupt Nero''s coronation day, so I won."


    "I know— but what does it have to do with my situation?" Helstor asked, obviously frustrated. "ording to the contract, if you won our bet, then the war between us will officially begin."


    "So, you didn''t really see it."


    "See what?"


    "The hidden use in the contract," Neoma said, absolutely enjoying the moment as she realized that she and Trevor had sessfully scammed Helstor. "My lord, the hidden use says that if you lose, I get to decide where to send you for the war— and you cannot leave the Imperial Pce until I give the specific location of the battlefield I chose."


    ***


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