I headed down to the laboratory basement to see Gwen.
I intended to consult her about this incident.
Gwen was one of the most knowledgeable people about the will of the world.
As a creature from the outside world, she had experience developing countermeasures against such threats.
Perhaps I could get some answers from her.
When I teleported in, Gwen was dozing on the sofa.
It felt like she was always there.
Sensing my presence, she woke up and sat up with a cheerful smile.
"Oh my, you've come to see me earlier this time. Could I finally be the heroine?"
"That's your imagination running wild."
"As always, so dry. Well, that's what's so like you, Lord Harvelt."
Gwen slowly stood up and moved to the sofa.
She then gestured for me to sit on the sofa opposite her.
It seemed she wanted to talk there.
I obediently followed her lead.
Gwen, leaning forward eagerly, immediately got to the point.
"Since you've come here, it means trouble has occurred, doesn't it?"
"It does. I want to hear your thoughts."
I explained everything that had happened so far.
Listening with evident interest, Gwen nodded along. After a while, she raised a hand to cover her mouth.
She was showing a grin twisted with amusement.
It shouldn't have contained anything particularly entertaining, yet her eyes were shining.
Gwen, having finished listening, collapsed back against her seatrest.
She exhaled, then spoke with a slightly exasperated expression.
"The savior's massacre, you say... My, what a ridiculous string of deaths. Isn't this a bit too surreal?"
"How did this situation come about. Do you have any idea of the cause?"
"I have a pretty good idea," Gwen answered without hesitation.
Despite her flippant demeanor, her eyes were calm.
She had likely been working through deductions based on my explanation all along.
As expected, she was not someone to underestimate.
Gwen crossed her legs and lowered her voice slightly.
"In short, they were never fit to be vessels of the savior. What drew the fate of death to them was something like a rejection response."
"A rejection response?"
At my reaction, Gwen nodded.
She continued her explanation with added hand gestures.
"The threat of this era's Demon Lord has grown, and calls for a hero have intensified. In other words, the value of a hero's existence has risen. Yet self-proclaimed saviors have been popping up all over the world, turning the hero into something trite. And naturally, the quality has declined."
What Gwen said was correct.
Saviors had appeared across the land, but not all of them were exceptional individuals.
Common mercenaries often claimed the title, and villains exploiting the name were hardly uncommon.
The evaluations of saviors vary greatly from one to the next.
In terms of quality, it is undoubtedly declining.
If you gathered all the voices from the world concerning saviors, not all of them would be positive.
"While some people are enthusiastic about the saviors' activities, others have surely realized that they can never defeat the Demon King. I'm certain they've thought so deep down."
"Did that disappointment lead to this mass death?"
"I believe so. Perhaps some of them were worthy heroes, but they were all lumped together and cut down, it seems. What an unfortunate turn of events."
Gwen offered her words of sympathy with a half-smile.
It was clear her heart wasn't in it.
For her, the death of a savior was probably an amusing spectacle.
She didn't even try to hide it.
I didn't find her reaction irritating.
I was the one who sought her counsel in the first place.
I knew Gwen's personality well.
I had come to rely on her precisely because I knew she had bad taste.
Still, she was an undeniably capable individual.
She surely knew what choices should be taken in this situation.
I had to hear every last bit of her perspective.