When I land, people rush to surround me and ask about the human army. There is a lot more cheering when they find out that they won't be chased anymore. After a few minutes, things calm down and the slaves go back to resting, but I notice something.

"Why are most of them still wearing their slave collars?"

Soldier says "I'm sorry, sir. The collars are enchanted and none of us are strong enough to break them. Don't worry though, there will be a mage to remove them once we cross the border."

"There is no need for them to stay collared. I will remove them. Have those that still have a collar line up."

The soldier looks like he wants to protest, but he doesn't dare to disobey my order. He quickly organizes the slaves and I start removing the collars as fast as I can. The sooner the collar is gone and no longer a reminder, the sooner they can start to heal.

A few days probably won't make a lot of difference, but I still think it is worth it. Besides, the enchantments are simple and don't take much effort at all. The slaves are nervous when they approach me, but their desire to have the collar gone is stronger.

It only takes me less than a minute to remove each collar, so the line moves fairly quickly. The mood in the camp improves quite a bit once all the collars are removed. I even removed the collars from the human slaves that were mixed in.

They were probably worried that the beastmen were going to keep them as slaves. I do my best to reassure them and explain that they will be able to choose their future. Once I have done what I can for them, I leave and fly back to the fort.

I update Leonarr and Myria before returning to my room and opening a soulscape. I create a pleasant environment for a chat and then summon the goddesses. I don't invite Lin and Myria because I don't want to get in trouble again.

Seronia says "Hello, Ash. What trouble did you get into now?"

Krenocia says "He's probably not in trouble. The girls have been keeping him in check. He probably wants permission for something crazy."

Before asking my questions, I quickly fill them in on what I am doing in the empire. Their questions lead to me telling them how I caused the chaos that I am making use of. I finish with the recent events, including the deaths of the angel and archangel.

Krenocia says "You killed an archangel?! Yeah, Holos will definitely notice that! Did you get its core?"

"Yes, but I absorbed it."

Seronia says "You what?! I thought you didn't want to be a god?"

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"I don't! What's that got to do with it?"

Seronia says "Archangels are the step right below divinity, absorbing too many of them would make you a god."

"That's good to know. How many can I absorb before that happens?"

Seronia says "I'm not sure, less than ten. It depends a lot on you, with as powerful as you already are, it could only take five."

Krenocia says "Sister, if you hadn't told him that, we could have gotten our husband!"

Seronia says "Getting him that way wouldn't be satisfying. I want him to come to us of his own choice!"

"I appreciate that, Seronia. Anyway, Holos didn't do anything, probably because he couldn't see me. I'll let you know if he makes any moves, but that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about."

Krenocia says "I knew it! What experiment are you wanting to do now?"

"I got some armor and a sword from the archangel. I want permission to disenchant them and re-enchant them."

Krenocia says "Why would you need permission for that? Oh, wait! They are divine items aren't they? That's why you want permission!"

"Yeah, if they were enchanted with mana it would be simple. I've never disenchanted an item enchanted with divine power, so I figured I would ask first."

Seronia says "Thank you for asking first, but it is fine. Divine power is no different from mana when it comes to disenchanting. You will be fine. You can even enchant an item with both divine power and mana, just keep them separate."

Krenocia says "Whatever you do, do not try to create new words of the divine language!"

"Why not? The language is so limited when it comes to enchanting!"

Krenocia says "Because attempting to create a single new word would consume your entire soul and still fail. Even a god would be weakened for years just to create a single word."

"Oh! I am glad you told me!"

Seronia says "You were seriously thinking about making new words?!"

"Well, I hadn't gotten to that point yet, but the thought had crossed my mind."

Krenocia says "Hah! I knew it!"

Seronia says "Ash, you idiot! Of course messing with the divine language as a mortal would be suicide!"

"Well, I hadn't thought it through yet. It was only a passing thought."

Krenocia says "Better give her some time to cool off. Was there anything else that you needed?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask if there was a city for the gods. Somewhere they have shops and things like that."

Krenocia says "There is, but it is linked to the main continent. You can't go there. The instant anyone saw you they would know that we are alive."

"Wouldn't the cloak protect me?"

Krenocia says "Not from a god or goddess seeing you directly. The moment they did, they would know you are our champion. Only living deities can have a champion, so they would know that we are alive."

"By now Holos must know you are alive since you still have a church. Won't he spread the word?"

Krenocia says "He knows. As to why he has kept it quiet, we really don't know. He might not want to draw attention to the peninsula until he has it under his control."

"Lin is doing some research on him for me. Once I know more I will see about coming up with a plan to deal with him."

Krenocia says "Alright. Let us know if you need help."

"I will. That was all I wanted to ask about for now. Is there anything you want to know about?"

Krenocia says "Nope. Don't worry about Seronia, she will cool off fairly quickly. She just worries a lot, especially about you. Then again, you give the both of us plenty of reason to worry. It seems like anytime we take our eyes off of you, you do something insane."

"Honestly, I know when either of you is watching me and I do tend to keep my crazier ideas for when you aren't looking. One of my favorite sayings from my world is 'It's only illegal if you get caught'."

Krenocia says "That doesn't make me feel any better!"

"Sorry? Anyway, I need to go check on the war. I'll call you as soon as I know more about Holos."