The Audience!

"Isn't it interesting?" 

"What is?" A red-haired God asked.

"Someone going from giving his life to save others to taking lives to save his own."

"Isn't it a natural thing to do? They were attacking him, weren't they?"

"There's nothing natural about how cold-blooded he acted! You especially wouldn't expect that from someone who gave his life to save a couple of children, would you?"

"Huh... This and that are different things though..." He scratched his head. "

"Still think I should have sent a cat?"

"Yes...?"

"Tsk." The Goddess clicked her tongue and lowered her chin against her palm roughly. "There's nothing fun about killing something that means you no harm."

"But that's why it would corrupt him. Getting him to kill things that-"

"No. No! He probably wouldn't have killed these guys then. He's standing firmly against the -Villain- thing, you know?"

"How should I know? You're the one in charge of him." He shrugged before realizing, "Wait... What do you mean probably? Why not check inside his head?"

"Huh? You do that??" The Goddess asked as she placed an open hand in front of her mouth, her eyes filled with pity and disgust. "Where's the fun in that? Plus... I don't have the authority to do it."

"Why not?"

"Because I reserved myself another right." She chuckled, holding an index finger in front of her mouth.

"Planning to keep the secret, huh?"

"It's more fun that way."

"So what's happening now?"

"They're walking towards it. The mutt is growling, but it likes the girl, so who knows how it's going to go?"

"Oho. Think the little Young Master is interested in the Servant girl?"

"Huh?"

"What...? Didn't he admit to not having many experiences with women? Being a Young Master sure has that advantage. Women become easy as a Young Master. I would know, since I've given that role to many... WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?"

The Goddess let out a sigh.

"Sure... I suppose that might be part of it. But it seems to me like he's interested in the mutt."

"The Bear? Why?"

"Because it can be a great weapon... At his current level." The Goddess tapped her left cheek with her index finger repeatedly. "He's wrapping threads around the Servant girl... Who has her threads wrapped around the mutt."

"Is that so...? He must be pretty smart then, since he has been hiding his intentions well."

"His intellect isn't bad, but he has two qualities that I like even more than intellect..." The Goddess started. Her brother noticed her eyes widen and their shine becoming brighter. "He thinks a lot. I can tell... He doesn't stop thinking. He must have made countless assumptions about the World he is in, the System, and the people around him by now. And yet... he doubts those assumptions."

"Huh? How is doubting yourself good."

"Tsk. You really don't get anything..."

"Then explain it!"

"Doubting yourself and doubting your assumptions have nothing to do with one another. When making assumptions, reasonable doubts should always be kept. You can't bet everything you have on a mere assumption now can you?"

"No... But I've seen plenty do it." The red-haired God stared suspiciously at the Goddess who was devouring the digital screen in front of her with her eyes. "Don't tell me..." Shocked, he held the back of his hand in front of his mouth, "Don't tell me you're developing a crush on-"

"Hahahaha! Stupid as ever, my dear brother. Developing a crush on a mortal? What do you take me for? Stupid little brother."

"You really should treat me more nicely, you know? The Gods of that World don't like you at all. They only let you use their World because I vouched for you."

"Am I supposed to care about inconsequential and insignificant Gods?"

"You really have to work on your superiority complex. Just because we are Gods who rule over the space between Worlds doesn't make us-"

"Shut up! It's getting good!"

"What is? He's just standing there. The Bear literally holds all the power in this situation. The girl is getting too close to it. A playboy Young Master wouldn't let that happen-"

"There are three ways this can go." The Goddess interrupted. "The first is his preferred outcome. Second, the mutt attacks him. Third, it attacks the girl."

"Two out of three... Not good odds, especially when his strength compared to the Beast is-"

"You're forgetting about his positioning."

"Positioning?"

"He watched the mutt attack and kill many of those guys, so he has a good grasp on its speed. The girl is thinner and shorter than those guys were, so the mutt can probably swallow her whole upper body at once."

"And those two relate how exactly?"

"The distance he's keeping is perfect to attack if the mutt turns against the girl. It grabs and bites. He will only need two steps forward and a swing at its neck to heavily injure it. The hit will connect, since the mutt will be busy biting off... Well, you get it."

"And if it attacks him instead?"

"It'll need to circle around the girl. With the huge size difference, the additional steps it will have to take will be enough to widen the distance, if not enough to get lost in the forest."

"But that's assuming the Bear doesn't step over the Servant girl."

"And that's what he's betting on. But in any case..." Movement in the background. They left the forest. Four men stood, two dozen meters behind the Young Master. "The five of them will defeat it, he will run away leaving those four to deal with it and die, or..."

"Or...? Stop the suspense! Just tell already!"

"Well," The Goddess scratched her chin. "He should have, by now, noticed that not all kills are equal. So as he runs away from the mutt..."

"He'll turn against those guys?"

"I'd be willing to bet a lot that this is one of the possibilities that he has envisioned."

"I see... Well, in any case. Time for me to go. Make sure to go see the Gods of that World. They only let you use their World because of me. You should at least go say something-"

"I have no plans to go to their Upper Realm or whatever-"

"It's called the Immortal Realm in that World! And that's where Immortals live, not the Gods! The Gods are above! The Heavens! Remember that!"

"Why should I?" The Goddess asked after letting out a tired sigh.

"It's common courtesy when using a God's World! There's always the possibility of the balance being broken, so-"

"The balance?" She turned to face him, an aloof expression on her face. "I very much doubt that he will get even close to the Heavens. He probably won't even reach the Upper Realm."

"It's called the Immortal Realm..." The God whispered and shook his head. "Fine, whatever. I'm leaving."

"Yeah, yeah. Go back. Join the rest of the audience. Sit back and watch."

'Only you would refer to the other Gods as -The rest of the audience-...' The God thought to himself as he walked away. 'You've always gotten away with it but... I can't help but feel like it'll blow back in your face this time.' With a swing of his hand, a breach in both time and space was created. 'Though I do think that every time...' The God stepped into the breach and disappeared.

"Always so nosy." The Goddess clicked her tongue. 

Her gaze moved back towards the digital screen.

"Wielding both love and fear against it..." She raised her feet off the sky-like ground and placed them on her throne. "How cruel."

The Goddess hugged her knees with her arms, and placed her chin between those knees.

"An ambitious guy who loves gambling..."

Her eyes burned with a fiery passion.

"I'm getting excited!"