"...A-Antares-sama... L-Lady Fatui requests your presence immediately!!" A servant speaks nervously, and for a moment I’m confused before dread sets in.

"W-Why!? Me? She wants me?" I panic at this, quickly using an artifact to teleport to Lady Fatui’s residence, but before I can even step inside, she’s already beside me as if she knew exactly where I’d appear—and she probably does.

"L-Lady Fatui, is something wrong?" I look at her, utterly tense, never expecting to be summoned like this! I didn’t do anything this time, didn’t even try to take her book.

"Come with me." She pulls me along, ignoring my expression, until we enter her home. I glance around, taking in where we are, and she releases my hand in front of a mirror.

"I called you here to question you about this. I waited a long time to ask you this question. I waited for you to notice it yourself." She points to the mirror, where I see that intriguing girl with the power of the seventh layer.

"W-What’s the problem?" I feign ignorance, and she keeps her expression neutral.

"Trying to lie to me is one of the most foolish things anyone can do, Antares. Tell me—did you really think I wouldn’t notice? I noticed before you even did it. And now that it’s come to pass, I’m asking you: what will you do about Esther Ashcroft and her power?"

"L-Lady Fatui, I-I’m sorry, but this has nothing to do with me! I’m not the one who grants powers and blessings!! It’s not my fault that woman received a blessing from the seventh layer—"

"Antares, you’re the one who maintains the system’s balance. Tell me, why does someone with the power to manipulate probability using the universal will carry a curse that has nothing to do with her ability?"

"..."

"Antares, every blessing requires a curse to balance it. So why does Esther Ashcroft possess a power that comes with a curse that doesn’t weaken the blessing?"

"...M-Maybe I made some mistakes..." I murmur weakly. I’m the goddess of the system, but there are billions, trillions, quadrillions of living beings using it—it’s hard to monitor each one closely. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"A mistake? A mistake made precisely with one of the few beings who holds a seventh-layer blessing... You know the problem with Evelyn Ashcroft began exactly because of this, don’t you?"

"I know that since the past events involving the two of us, you spent some time examining everything about Evelyn Ashcroft and her unusual ’reincarnation.’"

"..." I shrink back. Even though Fatui’s tone is completely neutral, it’s obvious this isn’t good for me.

"Evelyn Ashcroft... or rather, the True Evelyn Ashcroft, reached a level of power rivaling a goddess. She created a puppet using Esther’s body, used her powers to go back in time..."

"The puppet made from Esther’s corpse could control the central mechanics of causality... a power Esther never would’ve had if you’d managed your job properly from the start."

"I-I’m sorry—"

"Don’t apologize, Antares. I’m not finished. The True Evelyn Ashcroft did an excellent job—I must admit, she studied how the universe works thoroughly. To avoid being brought back, she created a ’perfect’ substitute to take her place."

"Isn’t it ironic? A woman who wasn’t even a goddess did more to maintain balance than you, with your work that lately seems increasingly mediocre and flawed."

"She managed to escape any consequences because she knew how to exploit the loopholes she found—loopholes that appeared because of your mistake. And now, we’re heading toward something that won’t change, will we? You can’t curse Esther again."

"She already has a curse, so there’s no fixing the problem you created. So tell me, Antares—do you think this is a power a seventh-layer mortal should possess?" She touches the mirror, displaying an image of the system.

"..." She’s entered administrator access, showing one hundred percent of everything about Esther. This is a hidden part of the system few know about, that only I have access to—though of course she’d be able to access it herself.

"Attributes, overall status, abilities, skills—everything seems fitting for a mortal. Until we look at this... Look at Esther’s causality. Tell me, Antares—why does Esther have more causality than you do?" She gives me a look that sends chills down my spine.

"...I-I’m sorry." I kneel on the floor, begging for forgiveness. I’d already seen this, and I know exactly how bad it looks.

"Antares, you’re arrogant, presumptuous, lazy, and full of yourself. You think that just because you contributed substantial help by creating the system, that makes you incredible or special."

"But Antares, you’re a goddess like any other. You’re not special, and your creation doesn’t make you greater than other goddesses. Everyone does important work, and many do work far more important than yours."

"You think being the goddess of the system is amazing? You think it’s a special position? Just because there was no goddess of the system before? Antares, you’re one of the least important goddesses in existence."

"Do you know what would happen without a goddess of fate? Mortal beings would cease to exist. Now, do you know what would happen without a goddess of the system? Nothing—because your system makes life easier, but it doesn’t define anyone’s existence."

"You created useful crutches. You didn’t create a new leg for other beings—just a crutch that helps a little. So don’t make this kind of mistake again."

"To me, you’re like an intern—an intern who started recently and happened to create a useful ’product,’ so you got promoted. I’m not taking away your merit, but you’ve grown too complacent and too presumptuous for someone who rose without truly having the capability to do so."

"You’re one of the goddesses with the easiest job. Managing a system that does ninety percent of the work on its own isn’t difficult. Don’t act as if you’re doing so much."

"True, many goddesses respect you, but that respect came simply because you created something that made things easier for many. But making things easier doesn’t mean being essential."

"Furthermore, you’re also ethically questionable, irresponsible, and dishonest. You hid the administrator panel from everyone using your system."

"Because deep down, you know—you really know—that you’re replaceable. So you try to hide the mechanism that makes the ’machine’ you built function, just as you hide the fact that the system collects more data than it should from those using it."

"It’s not just your laziness. You created a powerful system, but it’s poorly supervised and deliberately opaque. And you think just because you hide it well, no one will say anything."

"Honestly, it’s disappointing. You got comfortable, created something useful, and hid how it works so no one can replace you and you don’t have to try to improve."

"..." I shed a few tears at her harsh words, shrinking further on the floor.

"Leave. I’ve said what I needed to say. I believe you understand—don’t make another mistake this severe again. Work properly, or perhaps I’ll have to ’remove’ you from your position."

"And I believe you, the other goddesses and gods, and I—none of us want that to happen, do we?"

"N-No... th-thank you for the second chance..." I rise to leave, wiping away my tears. This is the first time in my life I’ve been humiliated like this by anyone.

"This isn’t a second chance, Antares. It’s a warning—one I won’t give again. Second chances are for goddesses who matter, who do truly important work and happened to make a grave mistake by accident."

"..."

"Do you think my words are harsh? If so, then you should do your job better so you don’t have to hear harsh words from me again. Stop being lazy and strive to improve the quality of your system."

"Lazy people don’t have very long futures when they work with so many lives at stake. To you, everything happening is just a warning—but for every life Esther takes because of your mistake, there are no warnings or second chances."

"Reflect on that. Your perfect life crushes the lives of many when you become negligent." She starts walking away, leaving me here as I use my sleeve to wipe away tears of fear, shame, and humiliation.

"Oh, and before I go—know this: if you do anything to Esther, I’ll take your life. You can’t simply think you can erase your mistake and face no consequences."

"You made a mistake. That mistake now exists, and it’s no longer up to you to decide how it ends. Esther is now a problem that must reach its conclusion naturally, without any further external interference."

"Besides, perhaps Evelyn will do a good job reducing the damage caused by the problem you created. So go home, go back to your place, and think very carefully about your next actions. And think carefully, because I’ll know what your decision is—don’t forget that." She disappears around a corner.

Leaving me paralyzed with fear over what consequences will come. Before she returns, I use the relic to go home. I’m pale and breathless with fear—I’ve never seen her threaten to take anyone’s life before.

"..." As soon as I appear at home, I rush to my room, to work and prevent another mistake like this from ever happening again.