God of creation system : The apocalypse

Chapter 24 : The forgivable sin

Hours passed before Ataparag gathered her team inside that room for a briefing.

Ten members stood in a row, and their assigned tasks for the day were written on a large whiteboard.

Most of their duties involved guarding the town's borders or patrolling the area.

Galica has a land area of nearly 20,000 hectares, and Ataparag's team is one of those tasked with guarding it.

As the briefing began, Ataparag stood at the front alongside Nyabu and Toto, reminding her personnel to report back at the end of the day.

"You may now proceed to your duties. Stay safe and remain alert at all times," she said.

After the assignments were given, her personnel filed out of the room one by one.

A few moments later, she approached where I was seated to speak with me.

Sadness was written all on her face, and she couldn't look me straight in the eye.

"Ah... um... Mister Nathaniel, I want to apologize for what happened," she said.

"I know you're still confused about earlier, but I just want to say that it wasn't your fault," she added.

"Huh? Ah... um... I appreciate that. The green-haired girl already told me about what happened," I replied.

She was suddenly surprised to learn that someone had already explained her situation to me, and she clarified that there are times when she unconsciously reverts to her former appearance.

This usually happens when she sustains severe injuries in battle, or when she gets drunk—though she certainly didn't expect it to happen while sleeping.

"To be honest, this is the first time I've ever reverted to my old form in the middle of the night," she explained.

I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or if, as the other girl had said, she simply wasn't aware of what her body was doing.

While we were talking, Nyabu suddenly chimed in, sounding as snarky as ever.

"The reason for this is pretty obvious, Leader. If you hadn't let this guy sleep in your unit, you wouldn't be craving human flesh right now," she remarked.

Ataparag quickly covered Nyabu's mouth and denied that she still eats humans or other beings.

"Believe me, Mister Nathaniel, I really had no intention of eating you. I just wanted to help you out."

It was plain to see on her face how desperately she wanted me to believe her, along with deep disappointment in her own mistake.

Perhaps she was right that she harbored no ill intent toward me, but that didn't change the fact that she was entirely too dangerous for someone like me.

At that moment, she lowered her head and asked me:

"Are you afraid of me now because of what happened?"

I felt sorry for her because she genuinely hadn't meant to do it. But when I remembered the holes in the floor of her apartment, she had definitely tried to eat me, and who wouldn't be terrified of that?

Even so, she was far too kind to truly fear, and with that sweet, gentle demeanor of hers, the thought of being angry at her life-threatening slip-up was far from my mind.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of you," I answered, "but I'm still alive, and truth be told, if you hadn't stopped yourself, nothing could have kept you from eating me last night."

"My trust and gratitude toward you remain absolute, Miss Ataparag," I added.

A holographic display suddenly appeared above her head:

Love points increased: Ataparag gained +10 love points.

She took my hand, smiled, and thanked me upon hearing my words, though she quickly went quiet in deep thought.

"To be honest, I don't even know if that desire to eat you last night was just a dream."

"Good thing I ate so much meat beforehand," she added.

I just smirked. Come to think of it, she hadn't stopped herself from eating me out of sheer willpower—she was simply still full from the night before.

Ataparag's mood brightened right back up, and that charming smile that suited her so well returned to her face.

However, just as we were getting along, Nyabu abruptly slapped Ataparag's hands away to make her let go of me.

"Stop that!" she snapped.

"Oh come on, Nyabu, that hurt," Ataparag complained.

Nyabu grew furious, lecturing her that she shouldn't get close to humans—especially to someone like me who would supposedly be completely useless.

"I don't understand what you're thinking, Leader. You want our team to succeed, yet you bring in dead weight."

Ataparag defended herself, saying she had no choice but to follow Aoi, and she countered Nyabu's claim that I would be of no use.

"I refuse to believe he's useless. He could be my assistant on the team, handling paperwork or delivering messages," I interjected.

"Leader, paperwork is literally the only thing you do all day, and now you want to outsource even that?" Nyabu replied coldly.

"You're being too harsh, Nyabu," Ataparag said, looking embarrassed.

I wanted to jump into their argument, but I wasn't really sure whose side to take. Just hearing the word "paperwork" made me instantly lazy, yet my pride would sting if this cat-girl kept calling me useless and I didn't lift a finger.

Nyabu let out a frustrated sigh, complaining that she had already done so much for Ataparag, meaning there was no need for her to look for another assistant.

"I'm the only one you need, so please don't try to force him into the team."

She kept arguing with her leader because Ataparag continually ignored her concerns regarding the team.

She didn't stop glaring at me either, her teeth practically grinding in irritation.

"I will never allow you to end up on this team. Remember that," she warned me.

Sensing that the situation was turning sour, Ataparag stepped in front of me to block her.

"That's enough, Nyabu. Stop trying to scare him."

"Better yet, why don't you just accompany us to deliver the applicant list to the base?"

"Tsk, I'm not going if you're bringing him along," Nyabu sneered spitefully.

"Oh, Nyabu... why are you like this?"

Nyabu stomped out of the room, completely ignoring Ataparag's orders. Since Nyabu was one of her assistants, it was baffling how openly defiant she was.

Ataparag was simply too soft-hearted to be a strict leader, which was why she never truly got angry when her orders were disobeyed.

Afterward, Ataparag apologized again for Nyabu's behavior. It didn't really upset me; I was slowly getting used to how that grumpy cat-girl treated me anyway.

"And besides, she kind of has a point," I admitted.

"Not that I'm underestimating you as a leader, but wouldn't it look bad if you brought me onto your team when I don't even have any powers?" I asked.

She sighed and fell silent for a moment, turning her back to me.

"Queen Sei once told me that a creature's appearance, race, or abilities are never the true measure of their worth."

"I saw how badly you wanted to protect someone like your companion, and you didn't care if you put yourself in danger as long as you did what you knew was right."

"Your compassion for others and your sense of justice are what I found special about you. That's why I want you on my team."

Thinking about it, it sounded awfully naive—not because what she said was wrong, but because in an actual battle or disaster, a strong sense of justice doesn't amount to much. Case in point: my sense of justice did nothing to save Suwi.

"It sounds noble, but in the end, doing what's right didn't change anything. I still failed to save her."

"You're wrong. The Queen heard your words, and I think she'll help you if she sees proof of what you're saying," she told me.

A moment later, she mentioned that it was the first time she had ever seen Sei hesitate on a verdict. Because the Queen hadn't executed Suwi outright, there was still a very strong chance she was holding out hope.

"If you truly want to save your soul-eater friend, you need to join ESKAPA and prove your worth."

I didn't know how to respond, but she had a point. Suwi was only locked inside a black cage, and all I needed to do was prove that she wasn't dangerous.

If Sei saw for herself that Suwi couldn't possibly consume human souls, she would believe me and set her free.

"I hope you're right," I muttered with a heavy sigh.

"Of course I'm right, when am I ever wrong?" she boasted with a grin.

I couldn't help but smirk at her arrogance, especially coming right after all her blunders and reckless decisions.

She looked utterly endearing while bragging, her voice so soft and sweet as she sang her own praises.

Even so, I chose to hold on to her words. I had to believe in them if I wanted to save Suwi. I didn't know how yet, but I had to do something.

A little while later, she told me to clean up and get ready so we could head to the base early to submit the applicant list.

Honestly, I still couldn't imagine myself joining ESKAPA—if only I could figure out how to properly make use of this God of Creation System.

"I need to find a way to use this to save Suwi."