I had so many questions for Cartesia.

Did she know things would turn out this way? If so, why didn't she warn me in time? What was her relationship with Renatus?

But before all that, there was something more important to do.

I needed to check on her condition.

She must have been quite weakened after being tormented by the two outer gods, Renatus and Powehi, and then descending to this dimension. She would undoubtedly be exhausted.

Cartesia, who had been lying face-down on the bed, slowly raised herself up. She blinked her sea-colored eyes and began looking around.

"Where is this...?"

"My home. You've seen it many times before, haven't you?"

"So, this is the fourth dimension?"

Cartesia opened her eyes wide and bounced her body up and down. The bed shook with her fluid movements.

"Vision, functioning normally. Touch, hearing, and smell seem fine too..."

Cartesia muttered with sparkling eyes.

"Amazing. This is amazing! This is my first time coming here with my complete form!"

The microfiber blanket would feel soft to the touch. Breathing in would reveal the taste and smell of the air. Looking around would show the daily life of humans.

"The sensory dimension is completely different from when I was trapped in a black hole and could only feel things indirectly! Fascinating!"

Things familiar to humans but utterly foreign to transcendent beings. Cartesia was the kind of outer god who could show curiosity about such things rather than sneering at them as primitive.

Fortunately, she seemed to be in good condition. She didn't appear intimidated despite being tormented by two outer gods.

Cartesia was feeling the bedding one by one as she crawled toward me. That's when everyone, including Rustila, opened the door and entered.

"Eidel!"

"Honey, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Young master, that woman is..."

"You, ugh, succeeded."

Rustila, Zernya, Sonia, and Ireh. The four women approached cautiously, eyeing Cartesia with suspicion. Zernya boldly threw out a question.

"Are you the outer god who possessed our honey?"

"Hmm."

"Don't you know how to speak human language?"

"Hundreds of times better than you, white-haired brat."

Cartesia pointed at Zernya with a tentacle. Zernya's face scrunched up in displeasure.

Meanwhile, Cartesia stroked my face with another tentacle and pouted.

"Brats. I wonder why you all meddled as a group. Wouldn't it have been better for you if a being like me left this one's head as soon as possible?"

"You're asking because you don't know?"

"Right, you. The white-haired brat. You're especially impudent for a mere human. Even knowing what kind of being I am. I'm curious about the source of that confidence..."

"What about you? If you came out of the black hole in your original form, you must not have much power left, right? Do you think you're a match for us right now?"

"Such an impudent little brat."

This was bad. Once Cartesia got angry, she wouldn't let it go unless someone spoke very persuasively.

Cartesia raised her tentacles with a maniacal smile. She glared at Zernya and placed her foot on the floor. Rustila reflexively placed her hand on her sword hilt.

As the outer god took one step forward...

"Ugh."

She collapsed weakly with a thud.

"...?"

Cartesia tried to get up again by gripping the bed. But once more, thud. She kept falling, unable to maintain her balance.

"My, my body..."

Whether it was because she had forcibly left the black hole that was her power source, or because she couldn't adjust to the sudden change in gravity—for whatever reason, she ultimately couldn't get up.

Seeing her pitiful state, more like a patient in need of rehabilitation therapy than an outer god, Zernya couldn't keep her mouth shut.

***

The reason outer gods can't stay in the fourth dimension for long is simple. Their true forms rapidly weaken when far from their power source, the black hole. It's like how humans can't hold their breath underwater for long.

Even so, being unable to even stand up didn't make sense.

Cartesia quickly realized her situation.

She had lost most of her power.

To be precise, it had been stolen by Renatus and his group. Although she had avoided being consumed herself thanks to Eidel's help, she had left too much behind at her base.

She was an outer god with almost no divine authority.

"This can't be happening. Why can't I even take a few steps in a place like this...?"

She had no Fron or Coin left. Right now, she could die from a single slash of Rustila's sword. It was humiliating enough to make death seem preferable.

She felt drained, both physically and mentally.

Cartesia sat on the floor, leaning against the corner of the bed. The humans, led by Zernya, were looking down at her.

In their eyes flashed surprise, and also pity.

"What is this? Too pathetic to be an outer god."

"As a soldier, I shouldn't say this, but... she might be a little cute."

"This isn't about being cute or not. In her current state, she'll soon lose all her power and naturally disappear."

"That would be, ugh... problematic."

Naturally disappear. Those words snapped her back to reality.

The truth was, she didn't want to die.

She needed to find a solution, somehow.

"Nnngh."

Cartesia tried once more to stand up. But what hadn't worked after fifty attempts wouldn't suddenly work on the fifty-first. Her form was about to collapse helplessly.

But at that moment, she felt something supporting her from behind.

It was Eidel. He sighed deeply, then placed her arm around his neck and pulled her waist close.

This allowed her to stand, albeit awkwardly.

"Can you walk like this? Try moving your legs?"

Following Eidel's instructions, she stepped forward with her right foot. He moved with her, helping her maintain balance.

Then, the left foot.

Right foot again. Left foot. Right foot.

She still lacked strength in her legs, but with his support, she could somehow walk.

"Good, you're doing well. This means you're not at risk of disappearing yet."

Walking not by her own power, but with Eidel's help. While it felt humiliating, she realized something was different.

Just look at the expressions on the faces of Eidel's wives. The sight of their faces contorting with discomfort and bewilderment was incomparably delightful.

Being from a medical family, Eidel had some basic medical equipment at home. After seating Cartesia on the living room sofa, he brought out a cart with two large wheels.

"Let's use this to move around for now."

A wheelchair.

She had seen one before but never actually used one. An outer god using a wheelchair? Ridiculous.

But at this point, she had no choice. With Eidel's help, Cartesia got into the wheelchair.

After connecting a few electronic devices, it began to move according to her thoughts. The human-made BCI worked just as well for an outer god's thought form.

"Interesting that one device can be applied to multiple thought forms simultaneously?"

"The laws of electromagnetism apply equally to everyone. So honestly, it doesn't really feel like you're an outer god."

Cartesia suddenly studied Eidel's expression. He was smiling bitterly.

"Now, let's talk."

***

"As I've said before, without Cartesia's help, the future of our universe is uncertain. Don't try to fight her just because she's an outer god."

"I understand. She's also indirectly responsible for saving your life, isn't she?"

Sonia quickly agreed, and Rustila nodded too, but Zernya seemed displeased, continuously gulping down water.

Meanwhile, Ireh didn't look well. It was because of the aphrodisiac Powehi had placed on her. She was enduring with indomitable spirit, but since reuniting with Eidel, she was showing signs of reaching her limit.

Eidel asked many questions.

The most important was about her relationship with Renatus.

"My father."

Ireh frowned.

"Where I originally came from, there was a star. Naturally, it contained a constellation. But one day, he appeared, attacked that constellation, and planted a seed. The star was destroyed, and the remaining parts rapidly contracted to form the space where I now live. I was born there."

"So from the beginning..."

"I was imprisoned, yes. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Neither Ireh nor Eidel could hide their surprise. This was something they were learning for the first time after countless iterations.

In truth, Cartesia hadn't intended to share this story. It was too humiliating a past. Even outer gods consider revealing their own shame to be an insult.

"Brat, if you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have mentioned it."

"Then let me ask one more thing."

"What?"

"Is it okay if I shoot a graviton bomb at your father?"

Cartesia chuckled.

"That's why I entrusted it to you from the beginning."

Eidel shook his head.

"Don't lie. You initially wanted to kill yourself, didn't you?"

"...Your eyes can't be deceived, brat. You're right. The black hole that serves as his source is located too far away. Just creating that weapon wouldn't be enough to kill him immediately."

"So you were trying to commit suicide? Because your black hole is closest here?"

"That was the best revenge I could take against him."

The atmosphere grew solemn. The three wives and Ireh all looked at Cartesia. Those eyes, seemingly sympathetic yet not quite, were extremely annoying.

Cartesia turned her head weakly and clicked her tongue.

"I was tired."

She had searched for ways to die. She had found the concept of a graviton bomb, but due to the curse of her bondage, she couldn't create it directly.

Nor could she fully transform the theory into technology. She had succeeded in conceptual design, but implementing it as physical data presented many problems.

"When I thought I'd reached my limit, I found you. So I used you. Even attaching a biological module to that android was partly to create an escape route."

"An escape route?"

"I was planning to have my avatar—that child—mate with you, my possessed vessel, and conceive a child. Then I would insert my sperm to switch out the consciousness. Well... if that child were an ordinary being, it might die in the process."

"That's, that's..."

Sonia's face hardened. Rustila and Zernya also looked stunned, as if they'd heard something they shouldn't have. Cartesia laughed self-deprecatingly.

"See? I had such schemes too. I'm not the selflessly giving being you think I am, brat. Now do you understand how evil I am?"

"...Ah, yes. I understand perfectly."

Thud.

Eidel rose from his seat. His shadow fell over Cartesia.

A thick male hand covered the outer god's crown.

"You're quite a vicious outer god. If you weren't weakened now, I wouldn't be able to torment you to my heart's content, would I?"

"Sigh, so what are you going to do? Dunk me in aqua regia? Or tie me up with tentacles like I used to do and threaten me with pregnancy?"

"No?"

Eidel grinned.

"I'm going to work you without pay until this is all over."