"The Listener's abilities are more specialized than those of the Secrets Suppliant. By listening to the ravings of high-Sequence deities within their pathway, they gain powerful abilities at the cost of contamination and madness."
"A Secrets Suppliant can still choose when to listen to a deity's ravings. But a Listener is constantly exposed to those ravings, which is why many in this pathway eventually go mad or become corrupted."
"However, Beyonders at this stage also possess extraordinary power. A Listener doesn't just hear the ravings themselves, they can also transmit those ravings to others. This is one of their most dangerous abilities."
"A deity's ravings often contain madness and corruption. Even Beyonders one Sequence higher can be affected by them, let alone those on the same level."
"And to ordinary people, these ravings are essentially a death sentence. Without a Beyonder characteristic, they have only one outcome—madness and corruption. So, while the Listener themselves exist in a dangerous state, they can also bring others into that same danger."
Ren gave a simple overview of the Listener's characteristics.
Akemi listened attentively and engraved every word into her memory. After all, this was the power she would soon come into contact with.
But she suddenly thought of something and raised her hand slightly.
"Then... Lord God, if you don't actively speak ravings to me, can I still use this ability?"
"Of course you can."
Ren nodded.
"My voice is considered ravings to my believers. Every sound I make carries a certain power. So, even my daily conversations with you are considered 'ravings'—the kind with mosaics, even."
"Any high-level being, any form of expression, carries inherent power. That power contains traces of madness and corruption. To unaffected people, it might sound like normal speech. But to those influenced, they can't understand a word of it, and just hearing it drives them mad."
"So when you use this ability, you don't need to do anything special. Just use it normally and it will take effect."
Akemi nodded in understanding.
"But correspondingly," Ren warned seriously, "those affected by the ravings will become extremely dangerous. When you use this ability, you must ensure you're in a safe position."
People who go mad from ravings lose their ability to reason. You can't expect a lunatic to know who they should or shouldn't attack.
If they could still judge that, they wouldn't have gone mad in the first place.
"I understand."
Akemi took the warning to heart, carefully noting how to protect herself when using this power in the future.
"Alright, you now know everything important. Next is the advancement."
"Of course, if you're feeling anxious, I could hug you if that helps."
Ren's tone softened slightly, the teasing remark easing the nervous atmosphere a little.
"Then... I'll trouble you."
"Huh? You're actually scared?"
Ren looked at her in surprise. He had assumed she wouldn't be that nervous.
Seeing his reaction, Miyano Akemi gave a faint bitter smile.
"Lord God... I'm still a girl. I'll get scared when I should be."
She thought of her past self, and of Shiho. Her so-called "fearlessness" had never been real courage. It was merely sacrificing her own emotions so Shiho could live more freely.
Now that she had a peaceful life and could be together with Shiho again, breathing freely, she began to feel fear again.
Fear that it might all be taken away. Fear that she and Shiho would once again be separated by death.
Her shoulders trembled faintly, but Ren could see that even she didn't notice how shaken she truly was.
"Lord God has given us many reassurances... but I'm still scared that one day, I might close my eyes and never open them again."
"Shiho and I are both blessed by fate. But I'm afraid... that if we ever lose your favor, we'll go right back to how we were before."
Listening to her worries and watching her trembling form, Ren hadn't expected this strong woman to carry so many hidden fears.
Maybe not just Akemi—perhaps even Shiho was secretly anxious.
These sisters hadn't experienced much peace in life. Maybe with more time, they would gradually find a sense of security. But right now, they still hadn't truly accepted that this peace could last.
Ren couldn't make Akemi trust him completely in just a few words. But he could at least help her calm down.
He opened his arms and gently embraced the uneasy woman in front of him.
Her ears reddened from the sudden gesture, but Ren leaned closer and whispered softly beside her ear.
"Don't be so anxious. Right now, I don't plan on letting any of you go."
"Eh...?"
Her shoulders stopped trembling. His words clearly touched her heart.
"Originally, I kept some distance between myself and Sonoko, and the others. It was a conscious decision. I didn't know if there'd come a day when I'd want to leave."
"But then Sonoko confessed. And after that, Kaguya did too. With those confessions, I found it harder to keep planning for an easy exit. Maybe that's what the diary wanted—to push me into forming more bonds, to let those connections tie me down."
"With things as they are now, I can't just leave whenever I want anymore."
"So you can relax. I've already changed how I think. I won't just let go of any of you so easily."
"Yeah... maybe building emotional connections is a good choice too. After all, I quite like you all."
"Quite like us...?"
Akemi was stunned.
But as her mind processed what he meant, her cheeks turned bright red.
She realized then.
So...Ren was prepared to accept everyone.
That realization filled her with surprise and her blush only deepened.
So... does that "like" include me too?
(To be continued.)