The Hunted Regressor: Rise of the Heretic Saint-Chapter 125: Back To Hell

Sitting in the quiet backyard of a Parish, beneath the warm light of the morning day, were Ignotus and Gaia.

The station's marble walls caught a faint gold tint from the sun, giving the whole place this calm glow. It would've been a perfect romantic moment… if not for the fog.

Because yes, before them sat a feminine figure shrouded in black fog, only a pair of glowing crimson eyes visible through the haze.

Ignotus casually pointed at Her with his thumb.

"This is the Goddess of Calamity."

Gaia blinked a few times, processing that bombshell.

"G-Goddess?"

"Yes."

He nodded, absolutely serious.

"The Goddess Herself."

Gaia froze up.

"...what? I... Calamity?"

Indeed, it was Eris.

"Really?"

Yes, indeed, it was Eris.

"Yes, really."

The fog moved, and a hand-like form waved at her.

"She's saying hi."

Ignotus added while gesturing at Her.

Gaia, meanwhile, remained stiff, her mind blank.

A Goddess sat before her, an actual damned GODDESS.

To reiterate, this was not metaphorical or symbolic, but LITERAL.

And Ignotus was acting as if it were a casual introduction.

"I… I… why is She…?"

Her words stumbled over each other.

"Yes, yes, indeed, it's Eris."

Yet he only repeated the same thing.

Just how was Ignotus taking this so casually?

And Gaia had only just woken up!

What was even going on?!

Though, after a few minutes of staring with wide and unblinking eyes...

"H-H-Hi."

Gaia didn't say any of that; she couldn't. So instead, she finally gave the weakest, most awkward wave in history.

"Ahahahahaha!"

Ignotus burst out laughing.

He couldn't help it; her panic, her wide eyes, and the little tremor in her hand were all too good.

A Goddess in fog, a wife still in disbelief, and him just sitting there, enjoying the show.

"Stop laughing!"

Gaia puffed her cheeks, embarrassed and scared in equal measure.

"This isn't funny! She's a Goddess!"

"Exactly."

Ignotus grinned.

"Which is what makes it funny."

Eris's eyes glowed brighter through the mist, but he pretended not to notice.

"You see..."

He leaned back lazily against the ground.

"While you might've kneeled to the Goddess of Earth, Gaia Herself, ironically being named Gaia yourself, only to witness one of Her Blessed..."

Something that could not happen unless that Goddess was dead in a... mortal sense. Because a person couldn't be named after a God if that God was still alive, like Eris was.

"I saw the Goddess of Calamity Herself, and She saw me. Since that day, we've remained together like this. I talk to Her, but I can't have you do the same. You'd die."

Gaia looked down, unable to process this all...

'Die? What kind of introduction is that?'

While Eris complained, annoyed at how scary he made Her seem.

'An honest one.'

Ignotus casually shrugged.

'And don't forget, we Calamity are "scary."'

They continued to exchange words as Gaia stared at him, speechless.

This was her husband. Her insane, Goddess-talking husband.

"But… but how do you—no."

She shook her head, finding that question useless.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Ignotus tilted his head.

"Hm? Why? Rather, why shouldn't I?"

Gaia frowned a little.

"I-Isn't that how it usually goes? I've read in most... r-romances that the husband usually hides big secrets from their wife. And now... now in the Academy, I've heard my friends complain when t-things like that are revealed... calling it stupid."

Ignotus couldn't help but chuckle at what she found weird and how she did.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm still hiding plenty from you."

Gaia, the apparent novel nerd, twitched but said nothing.

"I just thought you should know about Her. I can't have my wife not know about my eternal partner. Our House literally bears Her Title, after all."

Gaia stiffened up a little, as did the fog.

The air grew still for a reason Ignotus didn't notice.

"Eternal…"

Even when it was pointed out to him.

"Eternal partner?"

Ignotus nodded, utterly oblivious...

"Yeah. She lives in my Soul, after all."

And only made it worse.

Realization dawned in Gaia's eyes.

Her whole face went crimson in a second.

"D-D-Does that mean She saw what we did yesterday?!"

Much, much worse.

"Hm?..."

Something that he realized too late.

"…ah."

Ignotus blinked a few times.

'Smooth, my eternal partner.'

Quickly waving his hand, he 'quickly' fixed the misunderstanding.

"No, no, She averts Her eyes during my private moments. I promise you that!"

Good thing he was quick with it; otherwise Gaia would've exploded then and there. Her face was brighter than even yesterday, a flash red tomato, winning the brightest one in all realms.

Thankfully, Eris waved Her hands as well, confirming Ignotus's words.

"…I-I see."

Gaia mumbled, trying not to die from embarrassment.

That had calmed her down only a little, but it was enough.

Enough for them to quickly move on before Ignotus dug himself a deeper hole.

"Good. Now that that's cleared up—"

'Well done.'

Eris's sarcastic voice teased faintly in his head.

'Shut it.'

He sighed and looked up.

'Can I get back to fighting already?'

...

After that, and a long list of explanations and even longer re-explanations, a rather improvised ceremony took place.

What should've been a three-day, three-part ordeal became a single afternoon, rushed and clumsy but surprisingly beautiful in its simplicity.

The guests were few, only Gaia's side: her father, his people, her guards, and Nora.

House Plant, though a direct participant in this union, at least on paper, was, of course, nowhere to be seen. That left Ignotus's side of the celebrations empty, something that he was quite used to, a man forever titled Stranger.

Her father tried to stand tall in the ceremony, perhaps to act the part of his father-in-law, but whenever Ignotus stepped next to him, he was made to look like a dwarf, further embarrassing himself before his own House.

Nora, on the other hand, stuck to openly glaring.

Whether that was because of her loss or what happened after, Ignotus didn't care to find out.

The ceremony was held in the same garden of colorful rosebushes he admired on the night of his proposal. A completely different scene played out this time, with Theodore seemingly admitting defeat and slowly nodding towards Ignotus.

"I don't approve of short ceremonies, but my daughter seems… happy."

Ignotus bowed a little, playing along.

"That's usually a good sign."

The man's brow twitched while Nora's eyes narrowed even further.

Before things could escalate, Gaia stepped in quickly, smiling awkwardly between the two.

"Let's not make this another duel, please."

Ignotus grinned.

"Don't worry..."

He glanced at Nora.

"I already won."

Gaia pinched Ignotus's arm immediately.

He didn't flinch but rather focused on rubbing it on Nora's face while he had the chance.

It was like a children's playground instead of a wedding, and the visiting Elder from the Parish gave up on trying to make it professional.

Ignotus had enough romance for a while, so he kept their vows and the "blessings" from that fat Elder shorter, though still a bit poetic. He wanted this to be a memorable day for Gaia.

Before long, the ceremony ended with a light shimmer from a projection of three chains forming above their joined hands.

The Three Stratums bore witness to their marriage.

Now, the two were officially husband and wife... just like that.

Afterward, they stood by the platform steps as everyone congratulated them on their way out.

Theodore offered one last nod, Nora shot one last glare, and Ignotus responded to both with a cheerful wave.

When they were finally alone, Gaia turned to him, her eyes soft but uncertain.

"So you're saying… we'll only meet again when the Academy hosts another game?"

Ignotus nodded, adjusting his cloak.

"Yes, it's not ideal for a married couple, I know. But we both have our own paths, don't we?"

Gaia hesitated before smiling slowly.

"We do."

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"I'll miss you."

He hugged her back, his usual bluntness melting into something almost gentle.

"I'll miss you too."

A few quiet tears ran down her cheeks.

"This past day… was the best of my entire life."

Ignotus brought her closer, resting his chin on her head.

"Good. I had a great time too."

They stayed like that, enjoying each other's warmth, until eventually letting go.

"See you later."

Gaia stepped back.

"And… be careful where you're going."

Ignotus's smile softened.

"You too. Oh, and—"

He tilted his head up slightly.

"She says goodbye."

Gaia blinked, giggled, and waved at Her.

"Tell Her I said goodbye too."

Ignotus felt Eris do the same, making this quite a funny scene.

For a second, everything felt strangely normal, but just then...

He turned around and began walking toward the gates.

If he stayed any longer, he might just never leave.

'Where to, my eternal partner?'

Ignoring that last part, he cracked his neck.

'Back to Hell.'