This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

Chapter 194 36.3 Padding?

SHIZU

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Shizu dreamt about a lot of things whenever she slept. Because why else would she love sleeping in the first place? Whether it was about her eating more food than the palace cooks could even make, or her being out in the Deep exploring all kinds of cool stuff, her wild imagination never failed to give her a good time whenever she was knocked out cold.

Of course, that all ended as soon as she left that damned island.

"Ah-!"

Almost bolting upright, Shizu woke up to a start, her heart pounding as her eyes almost flashed black and green out of panic.

"Hah... I'm safe... I'm back in the [Rig]..."

Catching her breath, the princess took in the sight and safety of her own room back in the [Empire's Wrath]. From what she could recall, it had been a few days since their altercation back in the Island Paradise.

A few days since she had been violently molested and violated by that Eldritch Vermes...

"I'm fine... I'm fine...."

As much as she wanted to be angry, all of her reserves had seemingly evaporated as soon as she woke up back in the [Rig]. Her last memory was of her doing her best to limit the monster's control, barely being able to force herself to stop even more attacks from ever happening. She was sure, if she hadn't done that, they'd probably still be in that deep dark basement of the Withermoon Manor, still trying to free her from her mistakes despite having killed them a few times.

And that was the worst part. She remembered...

"They're fine," Shizu reassured herself, her eyes gazing out onto the porthole by her bedside. Night and day might be indistinguishable, but she could tell from the calm waves that it was currently dead in the middle of the night. "We can't die so long as we have the Gods by our side."

It was as blasphemous an act to her than even the vilest of Vestygians or Marqueans were capable of. The fact that she even dared to harm the Eld Gods was something that would forever stain her soul. While she had already apologized profusely to the two, Moriya and Lady Guidance refused to even recognize her apology. They kept saying that it wasn't her fault, even though it was clearly her that had been killing Moriya and her friends over and over again.

"I have to atone somehow..." the princess gravely whispered. "Surely there's a way..."

While she hadn't really needed the rest, her body feeling better than ever after Shen and Lady Guidance showered her with healing, she still requested that she be left alone for a day or so to gather her thoughts. She cited that her experience had left her mind reeling, and while it was true, the severity of it wasn't that alarming.

Sure, she had nightmares now whenever she tried sleeping, but it wasn't something that she couldn't handle by simply ignoring it.

"...[Code Watcher]..."

Absently, she took in a deep breath, the world around her turning black and green as she lazily activated her power. Ever since being used by [Taenia] as a meat puppet, she was now able to see through walls using her [Code Watcher]. Looking up, she could see that Shade was currently alone on the bridge, probably acting as a night guard even as Maruki clearly roamed the deck outside. Turning her gaze back down to the walls of her room, she could see Shen sleeping alone in her room. And...

Was that Moriya and Lady Guidance? What were they doing in the same room?

Curious, Shizu leaned forward, the futile gesture making her feel like she was paying more attention as she focused her sight on the two Eld Gods. Judging from their distance, they were probably about two rooms away from hers, and they were... on top of each other?

"Strange..."

What could they be doing at such a gods-forsaken hour? Surely, they should be asleep by now, or at least Guidance should be. Were they discussing something privately then? And why was Guidance on top of Moriya? Was she healing him?

Absently, she paid closer attention to the numbers and letters. While Moriya was still partly indiscernible to her senses, Guidance was an entirely different story. While the Goddess's Numbers were far more numerous than anything she had ever seen, it still registered to her as somehow being a part of this world.

Shizu almost wanted to get out of bed as she leaned closer forward. Her eyes squinting, Guidance's bare outline almost looked like it was being... pierced somehow? And was that Moriya's outline overlapping over hers?

"What is happening..." she whispered out, before her eyes widened as she shook her head. "Wait, no. I shouldn't be snooping around like this..."

Whatever the two Gods did by themselves shouldn't be of concern to her, that much she knew. Still, a part of her was curious as to what kind of ritual they were doing.

And somehow, a part of her wondered if she could help somehow.

"What if..."

Shizu pondered long and hard. Was this her way of somehow repaying them for her misgivings? Perhaps this ritual of theirs required her power to more properly take place?

"Lady Guidance did come to me a few days ago about something..."

Right... She remembered the Goddess asking her to give her a look using [Code Watcher]. She didn't know why, but after she told the Lady Guidance that she didn't see anything, the Goddess let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps she was thinking that something had gone wrong in their ritual then?

"Surely, I can help," she excitedly convinced herself, her eyes glowing as her golden irises returned to the fore. "I can consider this my atonement!"

A spark of desperate hope filled Shizu's chest as she stood up. Forgoing tidying up her loose kimono, the princess decided that she was going to be of use to the two. They will accept her apology, and she will make sure that they wouldn't be able to refuse her thinly-veiled devotion.

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