Villain Retirement

"Oh, you're back already? We were about to leave."

Riley was teleported away to his match, Miss Pepondosovich and the others were about to go look at the other domains on the 91st floor, but before they could leave their table, Riley was already back.

One might think he dominated the match — but not at all. Even though it wasn't even a minute, it was obvious to Esme and the others that he was exhausted…

…and Riley knows this too.

He was reaching his limit physically.

"The fact that you could even reach this far shows how monstrous you actually are, Riley."

"What was that?" Miss Pepondosovich, who was getting ready to leave the restaurant, could not help but look at Marleen as she suddenly spoke. But as she noticed her looking at Riley, Miss Pepondosovich's eyebrows started to lower,

"Are you still getting inside Riri's mind!? Get out! Get out of there!"

"...No," Marleen rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I do not need to get into his mind to know what he's thinking, Pepondosovich. I've already lived his life."

"You mind reader types are so creepy," Miss Pepondosovich just stuck out her tongue before gesturing to the others to follow her, grabbing Esme's hand and dragging her away, "Come, let's leave these two weirdos and go ahead. Let them walk behind us like the creeps they are."

Esme did not really say anything, just glancing back at Riley and nodding at him as Miss Pepondosovich took her away, leaving Marleen and Riley to follow behind them; they did not, however, follow their pace at all as the two just leisurely walked out of the restaurant.

"Are you curious? How to turn your Territory into a Domain?" Marleen noticed Riley looking around.

"Not particularly, Miss Marleen," Riley shook his head, "But I am curious how your domain works even if you are not inside it."

"Hm. It's not really something one can teach. Like most things involving beings of our level, everything just comes to us randomly, at very convenient times," Marleen raised her hand and snapped her fingers. And as she did so, Riley suddenly found himself and Marleen outside her domain; the brutalist and vast city of the 91st floor, once again drowning his eyes of its grandness,

"All these people you see here, they were not thrown here just because they are strong, Riley. If that was the case, then a number of themarians and evaniels would definitely be here."

"Hm," Riley nodded in agreement as he looked at all the people walking around the capacious and exaggeratedly wide streets of Grandarena City.

"What each of us have in common is our path," Marleen let out a small hum as she too, watched all the gods, "For some reason, one way or another — we always find ourselves on the right path, or the wrong one depending on how you look at it. Esme's race is strong, incredibly so. If they were here, all of them would dominate the 90th floor, but as I said, just being strong is not enough. One's path needs to be blessed by fate…

…or cursed by it."

"Which one are you, Miss Marleen?" Riley asked as he turned away from the crowd and looked her in the eyes, "Are you blessed, or cursed by your fate?"

"I do not really know where I belong there," Marleen let out a small chuckle as she glanced back to the building of her domain, "I have experienced thousands and thousands of lives, each of them completely different from the other — I can tell you how fate treated them, but I can never tell you mine simply for the fact that I don't know…

…When I think I am blessed by fate, I see memories that are much more happy and content than I am. When I think I am cursed by fate, I see memories that are much more horrible and terrible than I am. And do you know what the most confusing part is in all of these?"

"What is it, Miss Marleen?"

"Is that in some cases, those who are cursed by their fate are happier than those that were blessed by it?"

"Perhaps it is just a matter of perspective, Miss Marleen."

"Maybe," Marleen let out a sigh as she shook her head, "But it is mostly due to ignorance. People treat ignorance as an unfavorable thing, and factually it is — but when all you know is sadness and pain, then even just the slightest touch of happiness would complete your entire life. There is beauty in ignorance; grim, yes… but beauty nonetheless."

"Thank you for sharing your views with me, Miss Marleen," Riley closed his eyes and nodded at Marleen as he thanked her. But after a few seconds, he once again turned to look Marleen in the eyes, "What about me, Miss Marleen?"

"Hm?"

"You have lived and experienced my life, and the thoughts I have during it," Riley breathed out, "Do you think my path is cursed by fate, or blessed by it?"

"You might be a Primordial, Riley," Marleen shook her head, "Fate is not really something that has a hold on you. I can even say that my fate, now moving forward since I have met you, is something that you control. Yes, I think that is the best way I can describe your relationship with fate…

…you decide the fate of those around you, Riley."

"I suppose I do, Miss Marleen."

"I… do not mean how you decide the lives of—no," Marleen could really only pinch the bridge of her nose as Riley once again found a way to involve torture and murder in their conversation, "What I am trying to say is that—if I am to borrow Gary Gray's interesting vernacular—is that I and everyone else you see here are either the protagonist of their own universe, or the antagonist. While you…

…you are the main chara—"

"The final boss," Riley did not let Marleen finish her words; a satisfied smile, forming on his face as he nodded, "I am, and will always be, the Final Boss."

"Hhm," Marleen only light clicked her tongue and nodded, but after a few seconds, she shook her head and sighed, "Well, for me, you are more like—"

"What the—you could have just teleported us too!"

And once again, Marleen found herself interrupted as Miss Pepondosovich and Esme were finally able to step out of her domain.

"What about Miss Pepondosovich, Miss Marleen?" And as soon as Riley saw Miss Pepondosovich, he quickly asked Marleen again, "Is she cursed by fate, or blessed by it?"

"That one I can answer with complete confidence, Riley," Marleen smirked as she looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, who quickly pointed at her in response.

"Don't you dare say anything!" Miss Pepondosovich puffed out her tiny chest, "I am blessed by fate, and cursed by beauty."

"...Hm," Marleen just raised an eyebrow before turning her focus back to Riley, "She's neither. Pepondosovich…

…is fate herself."

"Then by that logic, I suppose I own her."

"That…" Marleen squinted her eyes, "...That's sort of true, isn't it? She's latched onto you too."

"I am not owned by anyone! Not for hundreds of thousands of years!" Miss Pepondosovich started pointing her finger back and forth between the two, "Watch!"

Miss Pepondosovich left Esme's side and quickly hopped toward Riley and stood beside him; even grabbing his shirt from the back, "And I am totally not latched onto Riley! If I was, then he would definitely win the book that contains the clue to the cosmic piece — but as you can see, he probably would no longer win in the next few matches!"

"I could argue that either Esme or you would win the championship, so…"

"No!" Miss Pepondosovich vehemently shook her head, "That is different! If I am truly latched onto him and that he owns me, then the book that contains the cosmic piece should already be in my hands!"

Miss Pepondosovich then pointed up at Marleen's face, and as she did so, someone accidentally bumped against her arm, causing the stranger to trip and roll several times on the ground.

"Oof," Miss Pepondosovich winced as she quickly retracted her arm back and she looked at the man that just tripped, "Are you

—wait, don't I know you?"

"Yes, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme quickly pointed at the man's face, "This ugliness and the total malformation of the face could only belong to one single entity. He…

…is the human who holds the clue to the cosmic piece."

"That…" Miss Pepondosovich looked at the man's face for a few seconds, before she heard a quiet snicker escaping Marleen's lips, "...I'm…

…I'm not latching onto anyone!"