Meanwhile, around that time.
Just as Igeon had extracted the Holy Grail Master.
The Saint of the Left Direction.
Cheon Seongjae (16) was trembling.
It was because of the Capricorn artisans right in front of him.
"What? Huh? Ha... Saint-nim. No, Mr. Cheon Seongjae. Do you think you can handle that top-grade material?"
"Right. Even in the Artisan Seat, only those at the saint level or above can use that."
"Looking at the list of materials you're seeking, it seems you plan to craft your own weapons and armor."
"Do you think the S-ranks you make there will be on the same level as our S-ranks? Just place a custom order with us."
At the derision of the Capricorn artisans, Cheon Seongjae finally exploded.
"If you don't know anything, shut up! I can make far better things than you, so just hand it over, you bastards!"
And so it was.
Cheon Seongjae had come here on Igeon's orders.
The location: Australia, the Great Sandy.
It was the Primordial Land where all the world's equipment was made, a holy land for human artisans.
And it was also a place connected to the Holy Relic Exchange, where all primary materials could be obtained.
There were even slaughterhouses, farms, and quarries.
As a result, though extremely rare, there were by-products of monsters, and most structures were maintained by vassal gods who resided there permanently, producing materials like lumber, oil, and leather.
Thus, Cheon Seongjae had come to purchase a few lacking supplies.
After all, his uncle had ordered him to go buy them!
He must have meant to craft equipment. For themselves, of course, but also recently for their subordinates and vassal gods.
Of course, even among supplies, the most crucial components—the skeletons—were already secured at the highest grade.
From the Red Eye to the physical body of the Giant Crab Seat, he had plenty.
He had only come to buy the supplementary materials needed for crafting, the parts like these or those.
"What? He makes his own equipment? Good heavens! Everyone, listen! It seems the Ophiuchus Seat has gained a production vassal god!"
"Really? Could it be the dwarves of Nord? The Cyclopes?"
"Nah, those are all with us."
"Hahaha. True, that."
So it went.
The saints of Capricorn were mocking Cheon Seongjae, who said he would craft his own equipment.
Of course, it might have been only natural.
"The people of the world barely know that Uncle is a craftsman."
No, in the first place, no one would believe it.
"How could someone with that combat power be in the production class?"
No matter who you see, isn't he a combat divine seat?
'As expected of Uncle! The combat divine seats are nothing.'
Of course, Dad had cried out that 'that bastard Igeon uses nukes, it's cheating,' but still.
Anyway, the Capricorn artisans had reason to dismiss him.
It was known that even the equipment Igeon used had ultimately been made by the Star God of Capricorn.
And the Capricorn Seat was a crafting divine seat, so much so that it was no exaggeration to say it was responsible for humanity's equipment.
Especially in this Workshop Tower, which the Capricorn Star God directly operated and where genius artisans gathered, 90% were Capricorn saints.
'Well, for all that, they're beneath Uncle anyway.'
Well, it didn't matter.
This Workshop Tower was a place he had often visited doing errands for the appraisers from the start.
Thus, many recognized him, and because he had become a saint, people's gazes had changed.
Some sent envious looks, saying he was amazing, the first ever to go from A-rank to SS-rank, calling him a hope, but...
"A saint? Compared to the others, isn't his spec a bit lacking?"
The artisans giggled without malice as they watched Cheon Seongjae from behind.
"Right, he's just a kid. No matter what, as the leader of a divine seat, that's too young. Cheon Yuha I could somewhat understand."
"I know. Even his older sister is short; standing among saints, you wouldn't even see his face."
"At this point, Igeon's discernment is questionable, isn't it?"
"Dwarf shit-sack..."
Perhaps because that forbidden word finally slipped out.
The eyes of Cheon Seongjae, who had been holding back, began to gleam with killing intent.
And along with it, the forge fire erupted!
KABOOM!!!!
"Aaaargh!"
"What's going on all of a sudden!"
"I don't know! The forge fire suddenly went mad! Aaargh! The furnace exploded!"
BOOM!
That wasn't all.
"Aaargh! Because of the fire, the cursed sword is rampaging!"
"Aaargh! The weapon is attacking... Urk!"
[Cheon Seongjae has smashed the Capricorn furnace]
[Cheon Seongjae has cast the Magic (Confusion) on the Capricorn vassal god (Fire) inside the furnace]
[Contribution to the Workshop Tower has been accumulated]
[It will be inscribed in the Bible]
Passersby clicked their tongues at the sight.
"What the, the weapons are rampaging? I shouldn't use this place."
"Capricorn isn't all that, huh? Hey, let's go somewhere else."
Flustered, the artisans hurriedly tried to clean up the mess.
"Hey! What are you doing! Calm it down, quickly!"
"Damn! The flames won't subside! It seems to have been hit with a confusion spell!"
"What are you talking about! Why would the vassal god...!"
"Aaargh! Even the weapons we made are all melting... Aaargh! Where did all the SS-grade materials here go!"
Cheon Seongjae had coolly stolen the materials his uncle told him to buy and vanished.
It was teleport.
And the place he appeared was none other than the first floor.
Flash!
Thanks to that, Cheon Yuha and Gote, who had been waiting at the meeting spot, were startled.
It was because of Seongjae.
"What the, why did you come back so fast?"
"Right. You said the artisans wouldn't give them up and the negotiations would definitely take more time..."
"Ah, it's fine. No need. I just took them all."
"!"
Of course, seeing the items Seongjae was carrying in his arms, it seemed he had safely bought the materials Igeon ordered, but...
"Aaargh! They say the furnace on the 59th floor has rampaged!! The Capricorn Star God's furnace must be broken!"
"What?! How were those artisans managing the fire!"
"I don't know! They say the Heart of the Ancient and SS-grade materials from there have disappeared!"
"What? The Primordial Heart? Are they crazy? That's incredibly hard to get! Isn't it a rare material that only appears five times a year?"
"Right! How much is that worth!"
At the sight of artisans moving frantically around them, Gote began to sweat.
It was only natural.
"Um... Ophiuchus Seat Lord? That thing you're holding in your hand is clearly..."
"Yeah. That's right. I stole them."
"Ah, no, you mustn't..."
"It's fine. The Star God will forgive everything. Geon-man."
Gote put his face in his hands.
As expected, the furnace rampage on the 59th floor was Seongjae's doing.
'That Star God, that saint...'
However, Cheon Seongjae seemed extremely pissed off.
"How is it that as soon as I become a saint, all these weird things keep bothering me."
"To you, Seat Lord?"
"Yeah. Asking if Uncle has a girlfriend! What his type is! They're all trying to get close to Uncle through me! If at least their intentions were pure, I might not know. But it's so obvious they want to use him. And on top of that, all of them aren't even prettier than my sister, or hell, even me, a guy, and they dare to set their sights on him? I won't ever allow anyone to approach!"
At that, Gote broke into a cold sweat.
If the standard was that pair of siblings, would there even be any woman who could approach?
But regardless, Cheon Seongjae continued his rant.
"They even show up holding candy. How much of a brat do they take me for?"
"No, but you are a brat..."
"Waaahhhk!!!!"
Cheon Seongjae raged.
And it was understandable, because though Cheon Seongjae was formally the saint of the Ophiuchus Seat, people's gazes were of cute mischievousness.
In fact, even Steven and Kevin had slightly mocked him, as if finding him adorable.
'Oh really? You caught a General?'
'Well, obviously Igeon must have caught it for you. Right. Watch and learn.'
'Oh, but you definitely need to grow taller. When hunting monsters, you won't be visible and I might step on you by mistake.'
'#$*&#*!'
In the end, Cheon Seongjae, who was under 160 cm, had no choice but to grit his teeth.
"Height... height..."
Perhaps because he was mocked, he felt he was causing trouble for the uncle who had chosen him.
Of course, height never had any effect on a divine seat, but a saint was the face of the divine seat.
He could never be a burden to the Star God.
Perhaps because of that.
"Gote! First, a height-increasing drug! I'll get it from the Aquarius! With that Miracle Grail, I can grow 20 cm taller!"
Thus, Gote sighed.
'There's no need to be anxious.'
Others might think he's young, or lesser than other saints, but well.
Yuha is strong, and though Seongjae is young, his intellect was already at a professor's level.
'And he's also caught a General.'
Well, everyone would know soon enough.
But whether he knew that or not, Cheon Seongjae was huffing with anger and about to head to the Aquarius holy ground, when it happened.
"!"
Cheon Seongjae's expression suddenly changed as he was walking.
"Seongjae, what's wrong?"
Just as Yuha was about to ask what happened, she flinched too.
Gote's eyes grew round.
"Why are you both doing that?"
Cheon Seongjae's face turned pale.
As if he had sensed Igeon's death.
"Seat Lord?"
"Uncle has disappeared."
"What?"
"Uncle has vanished from this world!"
* * *
The Astral Realm.
A dimensional gap that exists before entering the divine realm.
It was a secret space where no one could ever enter except for its sole manager, a single servant.
And now, at this moment.
Flash!
The Holy Grail Master returned to his nest.
And at the master's appearance, the female servant dashed over in shock.
[My master! What has happened to you! Your arm is severed...!]
At this, the Holy Grail Master ground his teeth.
Though he had deliberately cut off his arm to escape the Snake Catcher skill, the damage was immense.
You could say his divinity equivalent to an arm had been shorn away.
Perhaps because of that.
[Holy Grail! Hurry and bring the Recovery Grail!]
[Yes!]
Along with that, the Holy Grail Master emitted a violet light.
Flash!
It was a barrier.
And as soon as the barrier activated, the Holy Grail Master hurriedly entered the pond.
And the moment he entered the pond, an astonishing thing occurred.
Flash!
Light shone from the severed arm, and the wound began to heal.
As the pond itself was made of divine sacred water, its restorative power was only natural.
However, that didn't mean the arm grew back.
No matter how much the Aquarius was a seat of healing, it couldn't create something from nothing.
That was the decisive difference from the Ophiuchus Seat.
Of course, if he had the severed arm, he could have reattached it, but...
'I absolutely could not bring the arm.'
Igeon, that slimy bastard.
In the end, the Holy Grail Master, having healed his wound, lay down trembling on a sunbed by the pond.
And then.
[I shall sleep for a while; bring the tea over here.]
[Understood!]
Lying down, the Holy Grail Master could finally smile brightly.
After all, this place was the Astral Realm.
It was a place that someone like Igeon could never follow.
Of course, even if other Star Gods submitted to Igeon and tried to help, no one could enter this place.
Why?
[Illusion]
Because of the barrier spell he had cast earlier.
And just as an object reflected in water can never be grasped, he had used the Grail's power to make this space absolutely unreachable.
And the severed arm?
'It's fine. I can just ask the Capricorn Master for an arm later.'
Matters of humans?
They were no longer his concern. Now that it had come to this, he planned to hide in the Astral Realm and never leave.
'Right. I'll just sleep for about a hundred years and then wake up.'
If that didn't work, then a thousand, ten thousand years.
He would endure until the matter was over.
'Haha. As long as I don't leave here, I won't get tangled with the Calamity God either.'
Thus, the Holy Grail Master smiled comfortably.
And then, at that moment.
Lying down with his eyes closed, the Holy Grail Master felt a presence above his head.
And at the sensation of soft hair gently brushing against his forehead, the Holy Grail Master chuckled.
[You are quick. You've already brought the t...]
But as he gently opened his eyes, the Holy Grail Master felt his heart nearly drop.
Because what was poking his forehead was none other than a man's bangs!
The man grinned right above his eyes.
"F-ou-nd you."
A scream echoed out.
(Continued in the next episode)