Damien nodded. This wasn't anything out of his expectation. After all, was there any other reason for a third group to exist if not to oppose the other two?
After Damien's suspicion of Asgard started growing, he also started to assume about the existence of this group. However, he didn't have any methods to confirm his thoughts.
When he met Lynn, he came to realize that she wasn't some normal researcher. She was clearly someone who was involved in the rapidly changing undercurrents of this world. But this wasn't enough for Damien to suspect her.
That only happened when he first sensed the group of shadows that came after him.
Lynn was his only new interaction, and although his status was precarious enough for those shadows to be sent for anyone, reality was different.
Asgard still had confidence in Eve, the AI implanted in his head. Meanwhile, Niflheim had confidence in themselves. As he was a researcher at Evotech, he was already in their grasp.
The only one who didn't have a connection point to contact him through was this organization.
As for why they contacted him? In reality, his face hadn't been changed too much from his original appearance. Besides his hair and eyes turning back to their original color, his facial structure was only somewhat played with.
It was enough to fool anyone who'd never interacted with Damien before. It was also enough to fool those who'd only seen him once or twice.
However, it didn't fool Lynn Carter. Damien realized this not long after he understood Lynn's position.
If his memory wasn't wrong, he'd remained concealed the entire time he first saw Lynn. But during the confusion of that time, she must've seen him at least once.
Though, it was still strange for her to remember his face or even consider his use. If she saw him randomly, she wouldn't put any value in him.
"The moment I first saw you was when you were interacting with the World Core."
The first sentence out of her mouth cleared all of Damien's suspicions. If it was that moment, then of course the image would be too startling for anyone to forget.
A human actually interacting with a World Core. This was the kind of thing Niflheim dreamed of accomplishing, yet some unknown brat had beaten them to it.
"I want you to join me in the Core Extraction project, and Niflheim has agreed after seeing your dedication these past few months. But before I take you there, I have to first understand your position."
'Are you siding with us, or are you siding with them?'
This was the question Lynn asked Damien. He had to pick a side.
Niflheim didn't need to be mentioned. As for Asgard, its corruption originated from Niflheim as well.
"…but our Shadow Garden is different. We were born from those on both sides, created from those who betrayed their original affiliations in the name of justice."
Damien looked around. Currently, only the six experts and Lynn were present. Even White Shadow and her team had disappeared at some point.
But from these seven people alone, Damien could see the truth in Lynn's words.
Lynn was originally a normal citizen in Niflheim territory. If what Damien remembered wasn't wrong, then she had family being kept captive by Niflheim.
As for the short old man, he was also a member of Niflheim. Many of his body parts weren't human but from beasts. He was evidently someone who suffered from Chimera experimentation.
As for the rest…
The twin women Alex and Alice were actually members of the Giant race. Although their forms were human-sized, not being taller than 5 feet 8 inches, this wasn't strange for Giants.
The Giant Race's name might've made it seem as if their entire race was filled with massive people, but that wasn't true. In reality, the smaller a giant was, the stronger they were.
Giants were a race who were widely known for their physical strength. Even a 3rd class giant could crush mountains with a single punch.
And because of how massive their physical strength was, they tended to have massive bodies.
For a giant to have a smaller body meant they were adept enough at controlling and compressing their strength to lower their size. This wasn't a matter of shame, but one of pride.
Naturally, not all giants sought to grow smaller. There were some who drew pride from their original size. These two factions of giants were both prevalent, but they didn't fight amongst themselves.
Giants were, in Damien's opinion, the best race in existence.
They were extremely strong and domineering, but they were simple as well. Giants didn't fight other giants. Infighting was something they despised from their cores.
Not only that, but in general, giants were the most benevolent race. To those who treat them right and those who act righteously, they were the most trustworthy comrades. Against scum and villains, they were devils from the deepest depths of hell.
One only needed to look at the giant named Atlas for proof of this fact. In the ancient war, he spent tens or even hundreds of years holding a world together without moving even a single inch.
This world was just some random world that got caught as collateral damage. Even though it didn't have any personal value for Atlas, he still sacrificed himself to save it.
Truthfully, the second he checked their status and realized that these two twins were Giants, he trusted Shadow Garden.
If it was before, he'd have to walk on eggshells with them until he came to know their true goals.
But the instinct of a Giant couldn't be fooled by even a Demigod. It was as if the universe loved them too much to let them suffer.
Giants were the greatest assurance of the character of those around them.
Regardless, after Damien learned of these six people's identities, he also learned much about the organization named Shadow Garden.
Except for him, all of its members were traitors from either Asgard or Niflheim. Not only that, but they were also all people who bound themselves to the organization through Mana Oaths.
By the time their conversation ended, Damien had a solid grasp on the type of organization this was.
It had all the motivation to achieve its goal, but it didn't have the means. It didn't have a pillar that could lead it forward.
The six experts of Shadow Garden couldn't move unless they wanted to provoke the peak experts of the other two organizations. The three acted and kept each other in check through this kind of checks and balances system.
And what Shadow Garden needed right now was someone who looked weak but was actually strong, someone who could act freely and empower their troops, granting both hope and opportunity to the organization.
And they wanted Damien to be this figurehead.
Damien smiled wryly when he realized this. What they were telling him to do was act as usual, but with an entire organization backing him.
But if he needed to think about the interests of an organization as he moved, could it truly be considered "as usual?"
Damien sighed. For now, he didn't accept or reject their proposal. Instead, he put it to the side.
Before he decided anything so important, first he'd experience Shadow Garden for himself.
