In some shadowy corner.
"So..."
"You mean you want to help me as I am now, in exchange for my help in the future?"
Facing the soft question from the black-robed woman before him, Iolam did not hesitate. He nodded directly.
"That's right."
"Though it may sound rather presumptuous."
"I believe that, at this moment, Your Excellency Shar, you should be in greater need of my strength."
Lady of Black Night—Shar, one of the Creation Gods of the World of Toril.
The other Creation God was her sister—Lady of Silver Moon—Suren.
The entire World of Toril had come into being through the power of those two.
Quite a few gods had even Ascended to Godhood by picking up fragments of their power.
Even the First Goddess of Magic—Mithril, a Great Divine Power—had been born through the power of the two of them.
Thus, throughout the World of Toril, they undoubtedly possessed exceptionally special status.
Although, due to the division of their power, their strength was no longer at its peak, and they could not be called the most powerful gods in the World of Toril.
Whether Shar or Suren, however, always possessed all manner of strange methods and hidden cards. In terms of self-preservation, they could be called the strongest; no storm, however great, had ever truly threatened them!
Not long ago, Iolam had come to the Netheril Empire in search of distressed gods, intending to follow orders and curry favor with one of them. Only through a chance twist of fate had he found Shar.
Under normal circumstances.
For him to find someone who did not wish to reveal herself would have been virtually impossible!
And, to be honest, although he had received Lady of Pain's instruction to casually find some god and strike up a rapport, Iolam had