The Twilight Guild's work environment was, in a word, the best.
Everything was flexible.
As long as the minimum conditions stated in the contract were met, they didn't care what one did with the remaining time, provided it wasn't a crime or something that would cause public outcry.
Even those minimum conditions were merely about completing the minimum number of dungeon clears, divided by rank.
Yet, the annual salary and incentives were incomparably high compared to any other guild.
This was why, despite never having posted a recruitment notice since its founding (excluding the initial recruitment at universities), Hunters' applications never ceased.
In this surprisingly comfortable work environment, she realized one thing.
"He certainly knows how to treat people well."
Whatever else, he was the best at taking care of those under his wing.
This applied not only to Hunters but to all employees working there.
She occasionally asked the employees she encountered.
"The Guild Master? He's a truly good person. His annual salary is as good as any major corporation, he makes sure we get our allowances, and we don't have to worry about taking our annual leave. Plus, he's got connections with all sorts of companies, so we get discounts almost everywhere, you know?"
Young employees enjoyed the best welfare and treatment.
"The Guild Master... he's someone you can trust and follow. I believe the biggest reason this country is safe is because of our guild. So, I'm always happy and glad to be able to help the Guild Master."
Mid-level employees felt reverence for the Guild Master and guild members.
"He's truly an amazing person. He's perfect in every way. Even at night... Ah! P-please pretend you didn't hear that. Got it?"
A pretty female employee spoke of a passionate night with him.
Because of this, laughter and vitality never ceased within the guild's headquarters.
It was almost as if this space was isolated from the vast world outside.
What was even more surprising came next.
'My energy...?'
The Divine Authority she had expended to charm and question them was slowly but steadily accumulating again.
The energy source was none other than the guild's employees.
The emotions of those who took pride and joy in working for the Twilight Guild had transformed into something akin to pleasure, becoming nourishment for her.
"Ha."
At this point, all she could do was laugh.
An Apostle so highly regarded by others.
'Isn't that human an Apostle of the Seven Heavenly Virtues, not the Seven Deadly Sins?'
It was enough to make her even suspect that.
As she stood dumbfounded, Luxuria spoke to her.
-"It seems that child has realized something."
"Realized what, exactly?"
-"That there is no eternal good, nor eternal evil."
Nothing in this world was determined as good or evil from birth.
It was merely history, piled layer upon layer behind time, that defined them.
Lust, which wantonly entangled with reason and caused many problems, was evil.
Greed, which harmed others with excessive desire, was evil.
Of course, it was clear that their power could easily corrupt.
But in long, long history, exceptions always existed.
Kim Dojin was precisely that exception.
A human who could overturn the long-standing criteria of good and evil.
That was why.
-"Haa... that child truly is special."
The Goddess of Lust, Luxuria, had long ago marked Kim Dojin as her Apostle.
That's why she gnashed her teeth.
-"Gula... that wicked bitch."
Because the one she had marked had been stolen by Gula, the Goddess of Greed.
Because of that, she felt sick with envy for a while.
As expected, by the time Kim Dojin began to distinguish himself, she was almost driven to hysterics.
But in her despair, she found a way.
A way to possess him in a manner equivalent to making him an Apostle, even if she couldn't make him her direct Apostle.
-"Hey, Lucy."
"......?"
-"What if that child became your partner?"
"W-what did you say?"
-"No, I misspoke."
"...Right?"
-"You must be bound to that child."
"......"
As the saying goes, a mother-in-law's love is for her son-in-law.
She harbored a brazen plan to push her Apostle into becoming his partner.
And she had been for a very long time.
The World Tree.
Her other name, existing in all dimensions except the Abyss, the world of the forsaken, was the Mother Goddess.
It was literally true.
A being that provided a home and nourishment to all life on this land.
Therefore, living beings aware of the World Tree's existence often called her 'Mother.'
And she was also, in a true sense, the mother of a certain race.
That race was the Elves.
"...Mother."
Their progenitors, characterized by long ears, pristine white skin, and beauty striking enough to make one's eyes widen, were born within a large fruit borne by the World Tree.
The World Tree's purpose in conceiving them was to be arbiters.
She bestowed upon them immense power and wisdom, incomparable to humans, to ensure the world flowed according to natural laws while also handling imbalanced events that arose in special circumstances, entrusting them with the role of arbiters.
Naturally, they faithfully carried out their assigned duties at first.
They possessed a sense of mission.
That they, as her descendants, must lead the world their Mother had nurtured to even greater prosperity.
Their overflowing sense of mission enabled efficient work, and they soon became revered beings.
Children of the Great Mother.
Guardians of Balance.
Heroes, and so on.
Such titles elevated the Elves' self-esteem and pride.
But as the saying goes, stagnant water eventually rots.
Their accumulated pride and self-esteem, in turn, became poison to them.
Some Elves began to look down on other living beings.
'Elves born from the World Tree are a superior race, and all other races are inferior.'
The ideology of one Elf had a profound influence on the entire race.
To deny it as false was difficult, for they were born with more advantages than other races.
Immense power, exceptional wisdom, stunning beauty, and even long lifespans.
Everything that weak, foolish, short-lived humans with diverse appearances desired.
Even those who initially denied it gradually became tainted by that ideology.
Their long lifespans, coupled with youth that endured for ages, were the biggest reasons.
As they witnessed the greed, selfishness, and ugly desires of countless races, a sense of revulsion began to accumulate.
While resolving incidents stemming from the selfishness of living beings, they thought:
'Our role is that of arbiters.'
Literally, to restore balance so that the world's peace, prosperity, and abundance could continue.
One individual among the Elves, harboring radical ideas, realized through this how to perfectly safeguard the world's balance.
'We simply need to rule all living beings in this world.'
To place all life born on the land where the World Tree took root under their dominion.
His thought was that if they bound them through thorough surveillance and control, there would be no more conflicts.
However, this became the trigger for a long-standing conflict among the noble Elves.
Factions began to emerge among the Elves.
"I cannot agree! We are merely arbiters, not rulers!"
"That's right. Dominion... that's just an excuse to abandon the duty our Mother bestowed upon us."
"Didn't our Mother originally wish for this world to flow according to its natural course? If we rule this world, it would be going against that natural order."
The moderates, who cast dissenting votes, arguing that dominion went against the will of the Mother World Tree.
"The natural order our Mother spoke of has long been violated by them. Our kin's sacrifices are increasing daily trying to uphold it, so of course, we must change too!"
"That's right! Their greed and selfishness are growing day by day. We must intervene actively now and correct their twisted natures!"
"Exactly! That is precisely how we will uphold the natural order our Mother spoke of!"
The radicals, who believed that their methods must also change as much as the world had changed.
They fought every day.
They repeated their protracted debates from sunrise to sunset.
During that time, the emotional chasm deepened incessantly, and finally, things erupted.
"Kuaaak!"
An incident occurred where a radical faction member, during an argument, got into a scuffle with a moderate faction member and killed them.
Whether it was planned or accidental no longer mattered.
The moderates, declaring that the radicals had finally drawn their swords, vowed to resist, while the radicals, thinking that since things had come to this, they might as well achieve their great cause even at the cost of sacrifice, truly drew their swords.
The beginning of a bloody civil war.
True to their long-lived nature, the civil war, which spanned decades, ultimately ended in the radicals' victory.
The victors proceeded with their plan.
They subjugated the living beings on this land one by one, placing them under their dominion and control.
No one dared to even think of resisting.
For the individual power possessed by the children of the Mother Goddess transcended imagination.
As a result, conflict disappeared.
And freedom vanished along with it.
In a life of thorough control, all living beings bled, and the Elves grew fat.
At that time, when some despaired that such a life would continue forever, and others rejoiced.
A calamity befell the Elves.
"M-my skin, why...?"
"My skin has turned black..."
"W-what's happening?"
Their pristine white skin slowly began to turn black.
One might ask what the big deal was about a mere change in skin color, but for them, it was a matter of grave importance.
Pristine white skin was a symbol of the nobility and purity inherited from the Mother World Tree.
The fact that such skin turned black meant they were no longer noble beings.
They despaired.
"A-a divine punishment."
"Our Mother is punishing us."
"Ah, Mother!"
Some Elves, believing they had been abandoned by their Mother, took their own lives.
But some steadfastly survived.
"This is a trial."
"Our Mother is testing us."
They considered it a trial sent by their Mother.
Only by overcoming it could they return to their Mother's embrace.
Thinking so, they continued their duties.
And they were ultimately banished from this world.
From the moment they lost their nobility, exceptional individuals began to emerge among other living beings.
Remarkable individuals who were more than capable of contending with the children of the Mother Goddess.
They quietly cultivated their strength, and seizing the moment the Elves grew complacent, they successfully launched a surprise attack and drove them out.
Ultimately, they were cast into the Abyss, and even in that harsh environment, they stubbornly managed to preserve their lineage.
Was it not said that it is not the strong who survive, but those who survive who are strong?
An opportunity came to those who had stubbornly survived.
An opportunity to once again place this entire land beneath their feet and continue the duty their Mother had bestowed upon them.
But it was not an easy task.
The world had changed too much.
Among them were even some powerful individuals who surpassed them.
A difficult situation in many respects.
To overcome this, they made a proposal to Chris.
"We wish to open the Gate to the Abyss once more."
They had left many things behind there.
Not only some of their kin, but also numerous magical beasts they had enslaved to survive in the harsh environment.
If they could bring them all back, dominating this world would be much easier.
Chris, after a moment of thought, soon replied.
"Very well. Let's open the Gate to the Abyss once more."
"Thank you!"
The Elves, overwhelmed with gratitude at his ready acceptance, prostrated themselves.
Bowing their heads, they did not know.
His sinister face, wearing a deep smile, harboring intentions different from their own goals.