Chapter 172: The Gods’ Harvest

Luke sat in an armchair beside Samael—a true god, a servant of the Darkness that had granted him his bloodline. And now he knew something crucial: the Darkness had a name. Azazel.

Footsteps echoed down the hall. Luke turned toward the corridor as a woman approached.

“Don’t worry. She’s with me,” Samael said calmly.

She wore a pristine white maid’s dress. Her skin was porcelain-pale, her fiery red hair nearly orange, her face dusted with freckles. She carried a tray and moved with the grace of someone who had been doing this for centuries.

“Master Samael,” she said with a bow, placing the tray gently on the table in front of them. Fresh bread. Golden, warm, perfectly shaped. The rich aroma filled the room.

Luke watched in silence, trying to make sense of the situation. Every word spoken here could carry weight—and he knew, deep down, he was still only scratching the surface of what this meeting really meant.

“Oh, Kalysto. It’s been a while,” said Artemis, her voice echoing from the necklace, almost casual.

“L-Lady Artemis?” The maid froze for a moment, startled, visibly nervous. There was reverence in her tone.

Lady?

“What… what is my Lady doing… bound to a miserable human…?” Kalysto asked sweetly, though the polite tone barely masked the disgust behind it.

“Long story,” Artemis replied. “But hey, can you hand me one of those rolls?”

“O-Of course.” Kalysto picked up one of the small breads and approached Luke with deliberate care. Her gentle eyes left no doubt—she despised him.

“Guest… would you be so kind as to deliver this to Lady Artemis?”

The way she said guest felt like an insult.

Luke took the bread without hesitation. “Here, chatterbox. Knock yourself out.” He shoved the roll into the necklace, where it vanished instantly.

“Cha-cha-cha-chatterbox?!” Kalysto stuttered, stunned. “H-He called… my L-Lady a chatterbox?!”

She backed away, visibly shaken—as if the laws of the universe had just been rewritten.

Inside the necklace, Artemis was making very unladylike sounds of satisfaction as she chewed. “This’ll go perfectly with that canned sausage… it’s practically a hot dog. Can I eat the sausage, Luke?”

“No,” he replied flatly. “It’s for emergencies.”

“Ohhh, you’re so mean…” Artemis pouted—or at least sounded like she was imagining doing it.

Kalysto stood off to the side, trembling. “H-He… denied food to my Lady…” she whispered, horrified.

Samael calmly picked up a roll for himself. “You may leave us now, Kalysto. I’d like some privacy with our guest,” he said with a wave of his hand.

“Y-Yes, Master Samael.” She bowed again, then looked once more at the necklace. “I’ll prepare something special for Lady Artemis.”

“Oh, I’ll be waiting eagerly,” Artemis replied, her tone suddenly regal.

Kalysto’s expression lit up for a second—then went cold again as she glanced back at Luke. Her eyes were empty. Lifeless. She left the room without another word.

“These are the perks of you opening the gate,” Samael said casually. “I was able to bring in an assistant.”

“Excellent work, Luke! Keep doing more of that… I want more food,” Artemis chimed in, completely absorbed in the tray.

Luke sighed as he placed a few more rolls into the necklace. Samael watched him with quiet curiosity.

“So,” Samael said, leaning back in his chair, “what exactly do you want to know about this tutorial? Your last question was a bit… too broad.”

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Luke paused for a moment, thinking. “What’s the purpose of this tutorial?”

Samael smiled. “Much better. Clear question, clear answer.” He gestured toward the tray of bread on the table. “Look. Imagine the tutorial is this tray. And the participants…” — he picked up a piece of bread and held it up — “are the bread.”

Luke watched carefully.

“A century ago, in your world, something happened. A major event. The System emerged. And with it, twenty percent of the global population vanished for several months. Chaos, I imagine. Apocalypse theories, conspiracy spirals… total panic.” He took a bite of the bread before continuing. “Five months later, those people came back. Or… some of them. Many had died. But the point is: that group was selected by the System, chosen to be integrated into the first tutorials of your universe. And those people were…?”

“The first pieces of bread on the tray,” Luke finished.