Chapter 4

P/N let me know if there's any mistakes and I will try to fix them

CHAPTER 4: THOSE LEFT BEHIND

"Ugh…"

Lyu groaned as a dull pain emanated from inside her, settling and

burning away at her.

Opening her trembling eyelids, she saw an unfamiliar wooden

ceiling.

When she adjusted her posture, a worn-out blanket fell away from

her body.

Sitting up in bed, Lyu could guess she was in cheap lodging.

"…! Leon, you're awake!"

"Andromeda…? Why are you…? No, more importantly—

"

Asfi had slipped stealthily into the room, wearing a raggedy hood

over her head. Lyu was bewildered more than surprised and started

to ask Asfi what was going on when she suddenly stopped. She

remembered.

"I was attacked by Warlord…?!"

She remembered what had befallen her body before she opened her

eyes.

"Andromeda! What is this?! What is going on?!"

Remembering being helpless as her opponent delivered the final

blow, she demanded information in a state of almost panic.

Asfi held the elf's already treated body down, telling her to get ahold

of herself before beginning to explain.

"First of all, we are in the town of Agris. We escaped Orario to a

place sufficiently far away. You have been unconscious for almost a

whole day…And to the best of my knowledge, Freya Familia attacked Hestia Familia and captured every last one of them. Including Bell

Cranell, who was moving with you."

"A whole day?! Wait, Freya Familia attacked them…?!"

Even after hearing Asfi's blunt explanation, Lyu still could not

immediately process it. She had some misgivings about the

incomprehensible "escaped Orario" point, and she was struck with

fear upon hearing that open conflict between familias had broken

out.

"Why did you not wake me sooner?! I must get back to Orario as

soon as possible!"

Lyu began to leap out of bed, but Asfi put more strength into her

hand on Lyu's shoulder. Lyu was flustered by the look in Asfi's eyes.

"…The reason we fled Orario is because of Lord Hermes's instruction.

Right now, Orario is almost without doubt entirely under the control

of the goddess of beauty."

Asfi forced herself to keep her emotions from rising in her voice as

she explained the situation and her own estimation.

The thing she had seen, or rather felt. The invisible argentine divine

will that had enveloped the whole city.

Judging from Hermes's unease in the moments immediately

preceding it, that was almost certainly the power of charm.

The effect of it was that all of Orario and everything occurring there

were completely dominated by a single goddess.

When Asfi had finished, Lyu could do nothing but be dumbfounded.

"Controlling the whole city through charm…?! Goddess Freya did

that?! That's absurd! Why?!"

"From here, I can only hypothesize, but…I suspect it's in order to

make Bell Cranell hers."

"!"

"Goddess Freya has been fixated on him and his continued, rapid

growth for some time now. I know that much from having

accompanied Lord Hermes on several troublesome tasks. I can't

begin to guess why she chose now of all times to act, but for

whatever reason, she resolved herself to claim Bell Cranell during the

Goddess Festival."

Everyone in Orario knew that Freya was a goddess of many loves.

There were stories of her destroying whole familias in order to steal

away a single man.

Lyu grew even uneasier. The person she finally realized she had

feelings for had been stolen away by a goddess. It tore at her heart.

But Asfi still urged prudence.

"Leon, please. Promise me that you will keep your calm and not act

rashly or impatiently going forward. If you can't, I will force you to

stay here even if I have to tie you down to the bed."

"A-Andromeda…?"

"The goddess of beauty's charm is absolute…There can be no

question that every last resident of Orario has fallen to it. Everyone

you know, all of your comrades, even the gods and goddesses."

"!"

"…Lord Hermes, who always acts so aloof and easygoing, was that

flustered and desperate to get me out of the city. And I'm sure that

right now…even he is our enemy."

Lyu finally understood. The way she had slipped into the room, the

way she was hiding her identity behind the tattered hood. Asfi was

worried about being tracked. If they were caught and brought before

Freya, that would be the end for both of them.

Asfi was desperately trying to maintain her calm, even as she

regretted her failure to protect her patron god, and even as she

despaired at having to fight against him and everyone else.

Looking into Asfi's eyes that refused to waver, Lyu tamped down all

the turbulent emotions raging inside her and finally managed to

subdue the urge to rush forward.

"Apologies, Andromeda…You have my deepest gratitude for saving

me."

"It's fine. If I had been alone, I would have vented at everything

around me. Once we have made all of our preparations, let's return

to Orario. We need information first, so we should spy things out."

Lyu nodded in agreement as she and her old friend began to act.

Agris village lay southeast of Orario, near the Shreme Castle ruins,

which had been the stage of Hestia Familia and Apollo Familia's war

game. It was almost a full day's ride from Orario by carriage, but it

was shorter traveling by air. Lyu endured being carried by Asfi, who

used her talaria to fly to the city in a straight line.

Counting the time it had taken them to gather the items and such

they needed to disguise themselves in Agris, the great city wall of the

Labyrinth City came into view on the horizon on the morning of the

third day after the Goddess Festival.

"Only the city's south gate is open…?"

They did not approach the city unnecessarily. Lyu was peering

through a small tube, hiding in the shadow of boulders atop a small

hill a little ways from the city. It was one of Asfi's magic items. It

magnified the already superior eyesight of an upper-tier adventurer,

allowing them to see in minute detail a scene even ten kirlos away.

They quickly noticed oddities as they watched the city.

The various city gates in the cardinal directions that should have all

been wide open were closed, save one. Because of that, merchants

and travelers swarmed to that one place, causing congestion.

Asfi's murmur carried a trace of a terrible feeling as Lyu pointed the

magic item to look through the gate, only to be greeted with an

astounding sight.

"Goddess Freya…?!"

She saw her. The figure of the goddess with arms spread was

standing before those who were attempting to pass through the

gates of the city, as if she were preparing to bestow a divine

revelation upon them.

Lyu immediately cast aside the magic item and broke her line of

sight. Even though they were so far removed, just seeing the goddess

was all that was required to fall prey to her charm. Beholding her

beauty was easily enough to bewitch a mortal and send them into a

trancelike state. And hearing her voice was enough to turn them into

a faithful puppet.

Lyu desperately pressed against her breast, where a furious

throbbing had already begun. Her heart was singing at having

encountered a beauty beyond mortal ken. Finally, after several

seconds, it began to slow.

"Are you all right, Leon?!"

"Yes…however, that confirms it. Goddess Freya has seized the whole

city with her charm, and she is casting instructions of some sort on

all who come in from outside the city!" Escaping that same fate by

her quick judgment, Lyu stared in the direction of the city.

She was convinced now that all of Orario had been transformed into

a sandbox ruled over by Freya's will.

—And she had no way of realizing that the being she had seen was

merely someone who had taken Freya's appearance.

"Judging by how the city's gates are being controlled and she is

charming every single person who enters the city…the Guild and

even Ganesha Familia have become puppets to her whims."

"If our identity gets out after we infiltrate the city, there is a good

chance we will be arrested. Let's just hope we don't have bounties

on our heads."

"I mean you've been on the black list for a long time…kidding,

kidding. You can put down your dagger!"

Bemoaning the fact that the day had come where they would be

targeted by the authorities, they began planning how they would

sneak into the city.

Outside the window, the sky was blocked by clouds.

There was a mountain of blankets on the bed that the morning sun

could not reach.

A cat's tail extended from the foot of the mountain. It was swaying

weakly, like a snake struggling to breathe.

Ahnya was clinging to her knees, all traces of life gone from her eyes.

"...…"

She was currently in the building behind The Benevolent Mistress.

Ahnya had been brooding since the second night of the Goddess

Festival.

She had been unable to stop Freya Familia from trying to kill Syr, and

on top of that, she had done as her brother Allen had demanded and

yielded the path without even fighting back.

Ahnya believed that the other girls working at the tavern were her

family. And she had not only failed to protect a member of that

family, but even handed her over.

Ahnya did not know what had happened since then, hiding away in

her room the whole time.

What had happened to Syr? Even if she was still alive, though, Ahnya

would not be able to bear seeing her.

Even if Syr forgave her, Ahnya would not be able to endure it.

Her usual cheerfulness disappeared, and Ahnya lost all hope for

herself.

I'm scared to sleep…

During the morning after she had met Allen, when Ahnya lost

consciousness at some point, she had seen a dream.

And in that dream, she and everyone else had been going about their

lives as if nothing had happened. Slacking off from work, Mia getting

mad at her, Chloe and Runoa bickering, Lyu sighing, all laughs and

smiles. Just another day in the tavern, like any other.

But Syr wasn't there.

And no one else noticed the change. They were all acting as if Syr

had never been there from the start.

And for some reason, Bell was suddenly part of Freya Familia, and

none of them knew him other than from the word on the streets.

I'm scared to see that dream again…

After that, she had refused to lie down, keeping herself awake, time

frozen for her as she huddled on her bed.

She was terrified, terrified that that dream was a message for her for

having abandoned Syr.

She wanted to stay locked away in her shell like that forever.

"

—Stupid Ahnyaaaaa! Snap out of it right meow!"

But her wish was not to be.

Chloe kicked her door open, and she and Runoa charged in.

"How long are you gonna keep hiding here?! I dunno what

happened, but hurry up and get back on your feet!"

"Mama Mia said to just leave you be, but I can't accept it! It's not fair

that you get permission to skip work, meow! I'm the only one who

should be allowed to slack off!"

They opened the room's curtains wide and peeled the blankets

away.

Chloe and Runoa grimaced, seeing how sunken Ahnya's eyes were

and how different she looked.

But they still mercilessly grabbed her hands and forced her to her

feet.

"Come on, hurry up."

"You stink. At least wash up, stupid Ahnya."

Ahnya could not stand how tearfully hot her chest was as they pulled

her by the hand.

They forcibly got her dressed and led her to the tavern. The

Benevolent Mistress was already starting to open its doors.

The others were all moving around busily preparing.

"It's been rough the past few days here without you."

"Lyu went off somewhere and hasn't come back, either. Everyone's

slacking off too much meow that the festival is over!"

Ahnya's shoulders twitched as Runoa and Chloe grumbled loudly.

The comment about Lyu made her wonder, too, but in that moment

her heart was consumed with the thoughts of just one girl.

"…What about Syr?"

Her voice was soft and hoarse, barely recognizable.

She did not raise her head, just looking at the floor.

Runoa and Chloe could not see her expression as they responded.

"What's a Syr?"

There was no mistaking their response.

"…Huh?"

"Is that someone's name? Was there a customer named Syr?"

"Stupid Runoa. She must mean a seer! A fortune-teller. This idiot

wants to check her horoscope meow!…I think? Right?"

When Ahnya looked up, she saw Runoa and Chloe looking confused.

She wanted to ask, 'What are you talking about?" but she could not

bring herself to say it.

"What." They had not even asked "who." The two of them genuinely

did not know about Syr and were actually confused.

Ahnya stopped breathing and froze in place.

"…What are you saying meow?! Syr is Syr obviously?!"

"Mrow?! Wait—what are you doing?!"

"Syr! The girl who worked with us here! Syr Flover!"

"Whoa, Ahnya?!"

"A little bit mean, and a terrible cook, but kind! Our precious family

who brought us to this tavern even though we were alone and

abandoned!"

Ahnya grabbed Chloe and shook off Runoa's hand, but no matter

how much she pleaded with them, she could not get through. And

the more she tried, the more bewildered they became.

It was far beyond not remembering. They did not even understand

what Ahnya was saying.

"Mei! Beryl! Fay! Rosy! You know Syr, right…?!"

Ahnya called out to the others.

But the girls who had been watching from a distance all had the

same reaction as Chloe and Runoa. It was clear to see that none of

them knew Syr.

The countless eyes that looked almost vacant were all drilling holes

in Ahnya.

Ahnya's fur stood on end, and she felt an indescribable chill.

"That's…you have to be lying meow?!"

It was like a continuation of the dream.

A nightmare where she was the only one still sane.

The place where Syr had stood was empty.

"…Stop it, Ahnya."

The one who said that to the panicking cat girl was Mia, who had

appeared from the kitchen.

Ahnya clung to the shop owner, whose usual domineering aura was

gone.

"Mama Mia! Syr! Everyone's…! Not you, too…right?! If it's you…!"

She was shuddering like an abandoned kitten, tears welling in her

eyes as Mia looked down.

"…Yeah, I remember that stupid girl."

"!"

Ahnya's eyes widened at that soft murmur, and the light of hope

started to grow. But…

"But there's no one other than us who remembers her…The goddess

erased Syr's existence."

When she heard that, a jolt of lighting electrified Ahnya.

"Everyone other than her followers have been twisted."

An absolute charm that could change the world. The power of the

goddess of beauty. As a former member of Freya Familia, even if she

had never seen that sort of memory alteration herself, she knew that

Freya could do it.

She was sure of it. That was just how terrifying Freya was to her.

"Why…Why would Lady Freya…?!"

"...…"

"Mama Mia?!"

Even when she pressed a fellow follower of the goddess, who bore

the same falna on her back, there was no answer.

Ignoring the other girls, who could not understand their

conversation, Ahnya ran out of the tavern without another word.

"Ahnya!"

Even with Mia's voice at her back, she could not stop as she raced

out onto West Main Street.

What possible gain could there be for the goddess in one little girl

disappearing? She could not understand it. Stupid Ahnya could not

understand at all.

But it was just too much.

Ahnya did not believe she had any right to grieve whatever

happened to Syr. But to have her forgotten by everyone was more

painful than mere death. The moment it became as if she'd never

existed, it would be like there was no meaning in her ever having been born. The thought that even if there were a grave, it would be

visited not with tears but with blank, unknowing smiles, it was just

too tragic.

Ahnya just kept running. Heading to Babel, where the goddess surely

was.

Not knowing the destruction that awaited her.

"Stop."

"!"

In the middle of the big street stood a single cat person, as if he had

anticipated her movements.

His eyes were the same color as Ahnya's, but his fur was black.

Holding a silver spear in hand, her one and only brother was blocking

her way.

"Brother…?!"

She quivered beneath his stern gaze.

"You would have been better off just moping around without

noticing anything."

Paying no heed to the odd looks of the people giving him as wide a

berth as they could, he turned and started walking in a certain

direction.

"Come with me. You can hear everything."

Ahnya could not do anything but follow the back of her brother.

"We managed to safely infiltrate Orario, but…"

Lyu looked around, refraining from scoffing at that thought.

They had pulled off their plan after making absolutely sure of all they

could. They had gathered as much information as they could from

outside the city, and Asfi had investigated Meren on her own—she

had not probed deeply, but her final conclusion was that there were

no notable changes, but something about it was fishy. Their enemy

was Freya Familia and a goddess who could grasp the hearts of

people. No matter how much time they had, it would never be

enough. Lyu quelled her restless heart, and they spent several days

devising a concrete plan.

Asfi knew of a hidden, underground passage that Hermes Familia had

used during the Dark Ages when the Evils were at the peak of their

power. The two of them went into the tunnel at the base of the Beor

Mountains north of Orario, and before they could be found by Fels,

the gatekeeper who had fallen prey to Freya's charm, they took the

branching path that let out inside the city. Opening the hidden

entrance, they got out on the northwest side of the city in a deserted

residential district beneath the sign FOURTH STREET.

"Leon, once we have infiltrated Orario, we should act separately. I

want to avoid as much as possible the danger of both of us being

caught at the same time."

Asfi had proposed that before they began their mission, and she had

now gone her own way.

She was likely flying through the skies above Orario using her Hades

Head to become invisible.

"After we've gathered some information, at sunset, go to the

hideout here…In the event that you don't show up, I will assume you

have fallen into Freya Familia's hands and act accordingly. You do the

same if I do not appear."

Those were the last words she had shared with Asfi. She had already

committed the location of the hideaway to memory and burned the paper. All she could do was pray for her friend's safety as she began

her own mission.

It would be best to avoid the main streets. Taverns are concerning,

too. I'll stick to back alleys and side streets to investigate.

Even during the day, the back alleys far from the main streets were

dark and shrouded in shadows, filled with shady merchants,

vagrants, and washed-up adventurers. All the sorts of people with

guilty consciences.

Lyu was cautious to make sure there were no prying Freya Familia

eyes, hiding herself in a dirty cloak and intentionally dirtying her face

as she began her search.

Everyone in Orario other than us is the enemy.

When thought of that way, there was no such thing as being too

cautious.

"Yeah, the Goddess Festival was lively again this year. Anything

different? Nah, not really."

"Freya Familia? Same as ever. Those are some scary folks."

"You a traveler or somethin'? You've got some odd questions."

She spoke to a shrouded fortune-teller, and some vagrants eating

their fill of leftover food that had been thrown out, but no matter

what she asked, the answer was always "nothing different" from all

of them. They did not seem to have any awareness of being

charmed. They were so consistent in their answers, it was enough to

make her wonder whether Freya really had used her charm.

But after Lyu had utterly annihilated a washed-up adventurer who

had attempted to attack her in an abandoned building after noticing

she was a female elf, she finally stumbled upon something different.

"Do you know anything about the location of Bell Cranell? And what

has happened to Hestia Familia?"

"B-Bell Cranell? And Hestia Familia? What are you talking about?

That rookie's Freya Familia…!"

When she held her sword to his neck and questioned him, that was

the scared hoodlum's answer. Just when her eyes narrowed and she

was about to press him on a statement she could not let pass—

"…Are you sniffing around about Bell Cranell?"

The man who had been trembling in fear suddenly became

expressionless, like a puppet.

She felt a chill for a brief moment, but the vagabond looked like he

was about to shout, so she quickly knocked him out.

"He suddenly changed into a puppet…?! Are they instructed to

inform anyone nearby whenever they encounter a breach of the

goddess's rules…?!"

That confirmed it.

It was just like Asfi had said—Freya wanted to make Bell hers.

And she would not hesitate to remove anything that might possibly

disrupt her sandbox.

Lyu shuddered at the power of Freya's charm while also silently

growing enraged. In a righteous fury, she vowed that such sacrilege

could not be forgiven, that she would reclaim Bell and return Orario

to what it was.

"And then there's Syr…Are you safe, I wonder…?"

She also felt uneasy about her friend who had gone missing as she

continued her investigation.

To be safe, she tied up the man she had knocked out and hid him in

the abandoned building before expanding her search radius.

That's…Freya Familia? Are they searching for us?

Hiding in the shadows, she peeked out from a side street that

connected to Main Street just in time to see adventurers in Freya

Familia's uniform. Lyu instinctively sensed that they were looking for

her and Asfi.

At the same time, she also surmised that other members had

disguised themselves as citizens around the city.

Make the uniformed adventurers stand out in order to see if anyone

acts suspiciously when they pass. It was a common tactic for the

military police, too. Trusting her experience with Astrea Familia, Lyu

immediately left the place.

I can't walk around the main streets. The Benevolent Mistress is

surely being watched, too. If they are on guard against us, then trying

to spy on their home would be suicidal. I should wait for sunset and

meet up with Andromeda fir—hmm?

Her thoughts did not pause even as she walked, when—she suddenly

noticed something abnormal.

"There's no one around…?"

The location was the seventh district, still in the city's northwest.

She was intentionally sticking to emptier streets, but still, she could

not sense even a single person. Even in the buildings. As if there had

been an evacuation warning—or a barrier had been set up to ward

off people.

An enormous hole had opened, as if an entire district had been

emptied of people.

A trap? I should withdraw—

Getting a bad feeling, she immediately started to turn, when she

spotted a familiar face.

"

—! Ahnya?!"

She saw her colleague from the tavern, following behind Vana Freya.

—How long have I watched him from behind?

Ahnya thought as she quietly followed behind her brother.

Ahnya Fromel did not have a family. None save Allen.

It was a long distant memory. She could not remember anymore why

they did not have parents. Or perhaps it was because her heart

refused to let her remember. She could hazily remember a vaguely

happy family home, but by the time she realized it, she was living in a

sea of ruins.

Only she and her brother were alive.

More accurately, Ahnya had always been living off Allen.

Lawless people unrestrained by societal order, monsters that did not

know or care about the ways of people, against all those pillagers

who would steal away anything and everything from small children,

her wildly temperamental older brother had fought with a fire in his

belly to drive them away. And Ahnya could only cry in fear.

She sought protection from her brother. She had clung to him,

seeking warmth from the only remaining thing she had, that one

family bond. She knew that she annoyed him by doing that.

She did not know how many times his eyes had flared in annoyance

at her. It would not have been strange if his fist had knocked her

aside at any point. Ahnya now knew that the only reason he had not

cast her aside was because he had still been a child then.

In a corner of the abandoned town that was their roost, there had

been an old, weather-beaten bronze statue of a beast person in the

middle of a street they always walked down. One day, the statue

looked down at them and asked:

"Lost little stray kittens,

Where is your home?"

Unable to answer through the tears—that was how they met the

goddess.

"Come with me."

The goddess Freya smiled when she saw the pair of souls—

particularly Allen's—and held out her hand to them.

Ahnya was scared of the beauty that seemed not of this world, and

she pulled at her brother's clothes with trembling fingers, while Allen

silently took the goddess's hand.

From that moment, Ahnya's memories were ones of continuous,

dizzying change.

The two of them received falna, joined Freya Familia, and what

awaited them in Orario was a baptism that was truly not of this

world. Though they had been given clothes, food, and shelter, they

went through days and days of fighting and wounds that made their

time in the sea of ruins seem like a vacation.

Ahnya coughed up blood, vomited, and collapsed countless times.

She was on the verge of just running away more times than she

could remember. The battles out on the field were traumatic for

Ahnya, and she was sure that anyone who had not sworn their

loyalty to the goddess would not be able to make it out. Anyone else

who made it out had to have a remarkable level of talent or else

have some irreplaceable thing besides Freya that drove them, like

she had had.

Allen met Freya's expectations, and he distinguished himself in the

fighting more and more as time went on. He easily adapted to

Folkvangr and had reached Level 2 in the span of a year.

Because of that, Ahnya did not have any more time to cry or

complain. She started actively choosing to go out into the field and

fighting desperately—anything to avoid being left behind by her

brother.

Ahnya was starved for family.

Even when she had a familia around her, her bond with Allen was

special.

Ahnya had always been a lost kitten, so no matter how much Allen

might dislike it, she did not want to let go of his hand. She believed

that if she did, she would truly be all alone.

At the time, Orario was in its dark ages, and even members of Freya

Familia could die easily. Even if she had made friends among the

familia, it wasn't uncommon for them to disappear the very next

day. Because of that, everyone was always on edge, always tense,

and would berate anyone without strength. The only ones who

spared any concern for Ahnya were a rare few, like a certain dwarf

captain, and even she had only talked with Ahnya a handful of times.

In another sense, that was just how little anyone other than Allen

registered in her eyes, how single-mindedly she had chased after his

back.

She had desperately tried to keep up with Allen.

No matter what anyone tried to say, she continued to stay at his

side.

When Allen became Level 3, she became Level 2.

When her brother was bestowed the honorable name Vana Freya by

the deities, the sister who always clung to her brother was given the

name Vana Alfi.

And then, the limit came.

She ignored Allen's angry rejections like always and forced herself to

come along on an expedition to the deep levels, and almost got

herself killed.

Allen had gotten wrapped up in it and been badly wounded, too.

If he were alone, he never would have fallen. It was all because of

Ahnya.

Those who are chosen, and those who are not. Allen was the former,

and Ahnya was the latter.

The insurmountable wall of talent that separated even siblings—a

cruel distinction. Ahnya became unable to follow Allen using her own

two feet.

Weighed down by Ahnya and on the verge of life or death, when he

finally recovered, he said it to Ahnya's face.

"You idiot. Never show your face before me again."

That day, Allen washed his hands of her.

The moment his eyes became like frozen ice, Ahnya cried out in

despair.

She sobbed desperately, begging for forgiveness, clinging to him,

only to be mercilessly kicked away.

"You are unnecessary."

And Freya said it as well.

A valuable einherjar, or one who had failed to make the cut. It was

obvious which would be chosen. The goddess had smiled coldly at

the fool who had almost killed one of her favorites and easily cast

her aside.

Allen was the one Freya had wanted. Ahnya had just been a part of

the package deal from the start.

And the foolish Ahnya realized it only after the goddess had already

stolen her brother away from her. Before the unstoppable swell of

emotions could transform into hatred, Ahnya was consumed by grief

and collapsed.

A stream of tears poured from her eyes.

No matter how much she reached out her hand, her brother would

not turn back.

The lost kitten was abandoned by her last family, and on that day,

she became a stray cat.

She was kicked out of the home, soaked by the pouring rain, and

soon fell to her knees on the pavement.

Everyone ignored the dirty, disgraceful, hollow stray cat.

It was during the Dark Ages. The city was filled with people like that.

The line between her tears and the raindrops blurred and then

disappeared, and she became an empty doll waiting to break

completely.

And the only one who held out a hand to that Ahnya—the only

source of warmth.

"Are you okay?"

The girl with blue-gray hair.

What reached out to her was not the hand of her brother that she so

desperately wished for, but her hand.

"You'll catch a cold. Why don't you come to our home?"

Ahnya did not respond at all as the girl smiled.

She gave Ahnya a home and a family, without asking for anything in

return.

She was Syr Flover.

"My home is called The Benevolent Mistress—

"

"Here."

"!"

Ahnya was brought back to reality by Allen's voice.

It was a random plaza like any other near the center of the city's

northwest.

The only odd point was that there was not a single person around.

Ahnya had not noticed it as she slipped into her thoughts, but the

people around her had been cleared away. Probably, almost

certainly by the power of charm.

And as if to confirm her guess, the goddess was standing in the

middle of the plaza shrouded in a robe.

"Lady…Freya…"

Even if she kept her distance, and even if she covered herself with a

robe, Ahnya could recognize her beauty at a glance. Her voice was

hoarse, and her throat quivered. The trauma and terror of being

abandoned by her came rushing back.

Gray clouds were silently rolling in. It might rain.

"Welcome, Ahnya."

When she saw Allen walk ahead and stand at Freya's side, Ahnya's

will almost broke as she stepped forward.

The distance between them was only five meders. It was a distance

that the current Ahnya could not bridge no matter what she did.

Beneath her deep hood, Freya's silver eyes narrowed.

"I suppose I should say it has been a while. Not so much for me, but

from your perspective, we have not met in quite some time."

"…?"

"Have you been eating properly? Your face looks awful. Did

something bad happen?"

Ahnya was just dumbstruck by the incomprehensible greeting.

The hypocrisy of worrying about her health when it was Freya who

had cast her aside. She could not understand anything the goddess

was saying. Fear of a deity who could not be understood by mere

mortals robbed Ahnya of her voice and her freedom.

Seeing her inability to answer, Freya smiled once and moved on to

the main subject.

"Would you prefer to just stay silent yourself, or do you prefer I

charm you so you can forget everything?"

"Eh…?"

"I'm letting you choose whether to become my puppet or not."

When she was told that, Ahnya's eyes opened and strength returned

to her hand.

She broke through the awe she felt at the goddess and clenched her

fist as she glared straight ahead.

Ahnya's spirits flared, like an abandoned cat baring her fangs at her

former owner.

"Wh-what are you doing, Lady Freya?!"

"I'm creating a sandbox. A gilded cage to surround my love."

"What do you want that you are turning Orario on its head meow?!"

"There is something I want. And for that, I twisted everything."

Stupid Ahnya could not figure out what Freya was saying or what

divine will drove her.

But when she realized what Mia had said, that Freya had wanted to

create this twisted world, there was just one thing Ahnya wanted to

discover.

"Where did you take Syr meow?!"

Her feelings for that girl, more than anything the unyielding affection

the stray cat felt toward her precious family.

Those feelings turned into an explosive shout bursting from Ahnya's

breast.

"Answer me, Lady Freya!"

Her shout left the air around them trembling.

A moment's stillness followed the shout that almost felt like it had to

have reached everywhere in the city.

Behind the shadow of her hood, Freya's expression grew blank.

Ahnya did not look away for even a second, staring down the

goddess.

Allen said nothing as he watched on. However, her elder brother's

eyes did not pass judgment over his younger sister.

"She does not exist anymore—is what I would like to say."

From the shadows, her lips moved.

"But you two would not believe that, so I'll let you meet her."

And then…

"I never intended to become her again, though—

"

Before Ahnya could begin to understand that last murmur, the

goddess put her hands to her hood, and—

"

—What?"

When she lowered the hood and revealed the girl, time stopped for

Ahnya.

She shook her head, her long, blue-gray hair flowing freely down her

back.

She slowly blinked as her cute, round eyes of the same color met

Ahnya's gaze.

She smiled the same smile that Ahnya knew so well.

"This is how it is, Ahnya."

It was a voice that Ahnya could never mistake.

Unmistakably the voice of Syr.

And it had a devastating effect on Ahnya.

"The one who was always there with you at the tavern, was me."

"…No…"

"I'm Freya. And I'm Syr."

"…No…"

"Freya is Syr, and Syr is Freya."

"…No!"

It was a scream.

Her cat's ears were bent low, and she grabbed her head and shook it

with both hands, rejecting the scene before her eyes.

It was impossible. A joke of the highest order. Syr being Freya. There

was no way that could be true.

But the Syr standing where Freya had been just moments ago would

not allow the denial screaming in Ahnya's heart.

"'Are you okay?'

"'You'll catch a cold. Why don't you come to our home?'

"'My home is called The Benevolent Mistress—

'

"

—That's what I said when I first met you in this appearance, right? I

remember it all."

The voice kept rocking Ahnya's mind, forcibly recalling the scene

from that rainy day.

The moment that had revived Ahnya after she had been abandoned.

The precious memory of when she had first met Syr.

It was being spoiled by a silver divine will.

"'Try to cheer up, Ahnya? You don't have to be scared here?'

"'There aren't any scary people here.'

"'Let's work together. I'm not very good at it, either, so let's learn

together?'"

Again, again, again.

She was making Ahnya remember those days when at first she had

not been able to open up to anyone, when she had taken her

feelings out on everyone around her like a betrayed cat, but even so,

her heart had eventually been melted by Syr's kindness, she had

been worked by Mia so hard, she did not have time to dwell in

sadness, and she managed to recover her natural cheer while

working at the tavern.

Each and every one of those memories was being corrupted.

The past memories and the present voice matched perfectly.

Reality and despair merged into one.

The girl in front of her smiled as she said there was nothing wrong at

all.

"Ah, ah, ah…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Tears fell from Ahnya's eyes as she furiously shook her head.

Her arms and legs were trembling, she was dizzy, and her ears were

ringing. Her teeth were chattering.

What was real, and what was a lie? What was reality, and what was

fake? Who had saved her, and what had toyed with her?

Ahnya was pushed to the brink of destruction by the unending

onrush of emotions.

"Wh-why…? Why…would you…?"

Her feet and the pavement grew wet beneath her falling tears as she

raised her still twitching face, her voice a grief-stricken cry.

"You know why."

She answered.

"It was just to pass the time."

She smiled.

"Just a goddess's whim."

The goddess's smile crossed Syr's face.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

Ahnya broke.

All of her memories cracked, shattered, and crumbled into ash.

Having learned the truth, she reached the promised destruction that

awaited at the end.

"No, nonononononono! No!"

She flailed her head as she lost control of herself.

Ahnya chose to deny reality.

The impulse and desire to reject the being before her eyes exploded.

"You're not Syr! You're not Syr at all!"

Ahnya did not realize she was hurling abuse at the goddess she had

once respected and feared. That was already irrelevant to

everything.

Her desperate desire for light overcame her fear of darkness.

"Give Syr back! Give her baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"

Ahnya screeched as she leaped forward.

She could not tell what expression was on the face of the girl right in

front of her whom she tried with all her might to grab on to.

"Idiot."

"Gah?!"

Immediately afterward, Allen sent that rage flying backward with his

spear.

A first-tier adventurer standing guard would not allow his mistress to

suffer any harm. He mercilessly knocked her away, sending her flying

back to the edge of the plaza.

Ahnya's rage lost its target as she slammed into a mound of wooden

boxes, sending up a plume of dust.

"Ahnya!"

The moment her friend was sent flying, Lyu stood up.

The elf who had followed Ahnya, and had until that very moment

been watching with bated breath to see what fate lay in store,

leaped out at the danger to her comrade.

"There you are."

And as if it was all fated to be, the goddess with the face of Syr spoke

in Syr's voice.

And with a sidelong glance, Allen easily caught Lyu's blades as she

charged him.

"I was right to cast a wide-range charm on the surroundings. That

way you could find us and come to me."

"Ghh…?!"

Her blades easily caught by the shaft of the spear, and quickly at a

disadvantage, Lyu was filled with unease.

She realized that she had been had. Freya Familia had quickly

realized that Lyu and Asfi were not in Orario. And they had used

Ahnya, whom they had waited to deal with, as bait to lure Lyu out.

Clearing out a large area and making it stand out as unnatural, she

had let Lyu notice it.

The exchange with Ahnya had been a trap to lure out Lyu.

"Allen, lower your spear."

"There is no need for that. I can just crush—

"

"Lower it."

"…Understood."

The mistress's voice commanded the first-tier adventurer without

brooking any argument.

Freed from Allen's pressure, Lyu was bathed in another layer of cool

sweat.

She could not accept the unwavering reality before her eyes, either.

"Are you really Syr…?!"

"

—You saw our conversation just now, didn't you, Lyu? I'm Syr.

There is another child with the ability to become the same beings as

me, but the one who was always there with you, was me."

The aura around the goddess changed again at Lyu's challenge.

As if her personality was tearing itself apart, or as if out of respect for

the relationship she had with them, Freya's tone turned into Syr's.

Lyu's sky-blue eyes wavered.

The storm of emotions that had assaulted Ahnya were racing about

her breast, too.

Freya was Syr? She wanted to believe it was a terrible joke. A

hallucination. But no matter how much she wished it so, the scene

before her refused to change.

Aware she had lost her calm, Lyu forced her lips open.

"What you said to Ahnya…was that all true?"

"...…"

"You saving me…all those days in the tavern! Those were all just a

game to you?!"

Faced with that question, that outburst that Lyu could not hold back,

Syr—

"…Haaah…"

—forgot to even try to hide her sigh.

"And what if it was, Lyu?"

"Wh…?!"

"It was a game. All of it. It's role playing. The role I chose for myself

was a neighborhood girl, and the stage I chose was a tavern. In her

boredom, a goddess decided to play with everyone. Is that really so

hard for you to swallow?"

Lyu felt herself being torn by a terrible shock as Syr spoke a simple

truth without any trace of lie.

"Everyone tells their own little lies, right? That was mine."

And with her appeal to that objective truth, Lyu had no words left to

deny her.

"Ahnya ended up like that, but I don't want anyone to get hurt. I

mean it. So please. Won't you understand? Won't you accept me? I

won't tell any more lies. I can just be myself without holding back

now. So please, Lyu."

She held out her hand.

She walked toward Lyu with hand outstretched, her voice clear and

bright, like a song. Just like always. Just like that day when Lyu had

collapsed after completing her revenge.

Syr's hand tried to take Lyu's.

" gh!"

It happened in an instant—Lyu's hand brushed Syr's away.

"…gh?!"

Lyu herself was immediately shaken, staring at the palm of her own

hand.

There had only been three people who had taken Lyu's hands.

The first was Alize. The third was Bell. And the second was Syr.

Lyu's body had clearly rejected the hand that had once been able to

hold hers.

That was the ultimate proof. The elven hand that could perceive

good and evil.

Her elven body had decided that even though they were the same

person, this was a different being from the girl she knew.

"You…are not Syr."

The conclusion she reached was the same as Ahnya's.

Lyu shouted at the being who was looking down at the hand

rejected, eyes hidden by hair.

"I cannot accept that you are Syr!"

Immediately after—

"Silence."

The girl before looked up, and her blue-gray eyes were shrouded in a

silver light.

"Prostrate thyself."

The moment she saw them, Lyu immediately obeyed her command.

"Ugh?!"

Both of her knees fell to the pavement.

Against her will, she helplessly knelt then and there.

Her mind was agitated. Her consciousness melted away like candy

while her body and heart desperately wished to become the

goddess's slave.

As her body and soul were ravaged by an almost impossible to resist

magic, Allen's eyes widened ever so slightly as he watched from the

side.

Syr was irritated. Visibly so.

And then in the blink of an eye, with a sigh of regret, she apologized

to the elf kneeling before her.

"I'm sorry, it's becoming a terrible habit. It's become awfully

troublesome. Right now, I have gotten bad at holding myself back. I

end up resorting to that power I always hated so much. It must feel

terrible, you must be so hurt. Sorry, Lyu, I'll undo it right away."

The silver gleam disappeared from her blue-gray eyes.

At the same time, Lyu gasped and started coughing.

The red-hot stream swirling in her breast resided.

Syr bent over, putting her hand gently on Lyu's shoulder.

Lyu felt a cold chill.

"Lyu, I told you before. I love people who try to be beautiful for the

sake of others. I love Bell. But I also love you, too."

The elven nature ingrained in her body was screaming.

Her skin crawled with an unpleasant feeling from the hand on her

shoulder and the voice so suddenly filled with affection.

She wanted to brush the hand away, but the power of the charm had

not fully resided, and her body would not listen to her.

"I know—how about we share Bell?"

"….Huh?"

Not believing her ears, Lyu barely managed to look up and see Syr's

broad smile.

"We can keep him all to ourselves."

"…What are you…?"

"Just a little bit more and he should be ready. I'll break the curse of

the one he adores. With that, I can make Bell mine."

Syr smiled pleasantly, like an innocent child talking about her

treasure.

"I don't like the idea of others touching Bell, but if it's you, then I

wouldn't mind. I could allow it because it's you."

Lyu could not understand what she was saying.

It was terrifying.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that the blue-gray-

haired girl she knew no longer existed.

"Let's both love Bell. Just the three of us, bodies touching, tracing

each other's lips, our scent mingling as we embrace each other."

Nauseating.

"Hidden away, atop a bed, loving each other until our bodies melt

together, until we become one."

Revolting.

"Our souls joining, etching our love into each other. And while I

can't, you might even be able to have Bell's child."

Disgusting! Disgusting!! Disgusting!!!

The witch's proposal. The intoxicating drug of one who knew love. Or

perhaps it was a wish for destruction.

While the girl was offering the sweet nectar of love, Lyu felt an

intense loathing and revulsion.

The being before her was some other creature wearing Syr's skin.

"Ghh…I refuse…!"

Lyu firmly gave her response.

Her eyes flared, her breath ragged, and her body trembling, she

glared back with all of her might.

I will not hold hands with this stranger who is not Syr.

She declared that even as her tongue struggled to move, her gaze

filled with anger.

"…It really did come to this."

At that moment, Syr's eyes drooped slightly, barely noticeably, and a

lonely smile crossed her lips.

Eh…

For just that one moment.

Lyu could see the blue-gray-haired girl, unchanged from the girl in

her memories.

"Whether it worked out or failed in the end, I knew you would be

disillusioned regardless. We would fight, and might not be able to

make up…it turned out to be true."

Lyu's vision wavered, and her consciousness suddenly faded.

While it had been released, the recoil of the charm shook her world.

Struggling to breathe, unable to focus her gaze, she could no longer

hear Syr's words.

But why?

The words that seemed to reach her ears sounded like something

she had just heard from someone not long ago.

Seeing this person who wore a lonely smile after running out of

things to say felt incredibly familiar.

Somewhere in the area between friendship and yearning—

"But I can't go back."

Those were the last words Lyu heard before her consciousness faded

to black.

"Allen."

She quietly pulled her hood back up.

The girl—the goddess—turned away from the elf collapsed on the

ground.

"Take her and hide her away somewhere in the underground portion

of the home so Bell can't see her."

"…Will you not charm her?"

"It's sentimentality. I don't want to corrupt her soul. Are you

disappointed with me?"

"…No."

Allen shook his head slightly at the unvarnished confession of his

patron goddess.

"As promised, I will leave Ahnya to you."

With those brief words, the goddess left the plaza.

Drip. Drip. Droplets began to fall on her shoulder.

After a few moments' silence, Allen turned around and looked at his

sister, who could no longer stand up.

"If you do anything uncalled for, I will destroy that tavern. If you

don't want that, then don't get in the goddess's way. Be quiet and

keep your mouth shut."

With that warning, it was over.

Lifting Lyu over his shoulder, he followed after the goddess.

Just a single cat person was left behind in the empty plaza.

"...…Aah…"

Finally, the rain began to fall.

Her vision became drenched with water, her ears filled with the

sound of droplets falling.

Facing the sky as she lay atop the broken and scattered fragments of

wooden boxes, it was impossible to tell if the droplets on her cheeks

were rain or tears.

"Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

Her lamentation reached no one's ears, drowned out by the sound of

the rain.

The same rain fell on Ahnya as the day she had been abandoned by

her brother and her goddess.

Heavy clouds and a torrential rain that shrouded the city blocked the

light of the setting sun.

Asfi sat on the bed in the hideaway as the second hand of the pocket

watch she was holding ticked onward. Asfi closed her eyes.

"Leon…you too…"

It was a murmur of despair as the hands on the watch marked

sunset.

She did not allow herself an optimistic or wishful hope about her

elven friend, who had failed to appear at the appointed time. No

matter how lonely it was, she did not allow herself that.

"I'm all alone…Do I not have any allies left at all…?"

Her voice was weak, on the verge of dying out.

But Asfi stood up.

She smothered the feeble whines and resignation as she put her

worn-out black helmet on.

She became invisible, and without anyone knowing, she put that

place behind her, disappearing alone into the chill rain.

The rain does not stop.

Even as night settles in, the sound of the rain continues, as if the sky

itself is crying.

Just like the day when I turned down her feelings.

…Where is Syr…?

When I pause in the long corridor and look out the window, Master

glares at me.

"What are you doing?"

I continue following after him, taking the same path through the

manor as always.

Because the baptism goes on rain or shine, I'm even more exhausted

than usual today.

Even as I make my way to the goddess's chamber, I can't hide my

exhaustion.

And shrouded by that, my thoughts drift to the blue-gray-haired girl I

search for every time I'm allowed to go out.

She is nowhere to be found.

There is no one who knows her.

Is she just a product of my imagination?

Even just a little bit ago, I would have laughed that thought away,

but my body and heart are gradually being cornered, and I can't be

so sure anymore. Trapped in those dark feelings, I arrive at Lady

Freya's chamber.

"Welcome, Bell."

Receiving permission to enter, I leave Master and step into the room

where Lady Freya is waiting in a simple white nightgown. My legs

draw me to the side of the goddess who gave me my night's peace.

I'm already used to sitting beside her on the couch.

I feel a kind of warmth as she asks to hear my story again tonight,

like a continuation of a thousand and one nights, when—

"…?"

Something seems a little bit different today.

"What is it, Bell?"

Lady Freya cocks her head curiously. Her long hair like a pure stream

reflecting a silver gleam rustles and glimmers as it falls from her

shoulder.

It's not as if something is wrong with her appearance. I'm sure it's

just my imagination.

But…it's as if a part of her is not there, as if it has been left behind

somewhere else.

It almost feels like her beautiful silver eyes have taken on a different

tinge.

"…Did something happen…?"

Before I realized it, I had already asked the question.

Lady Freya looks surprised and stops moving.

"…Why do you think that?"

"Ummm…You just seemed a little unwell…"

I can't really explain it, so my answer is just vague and fuzzy. Lady

Freya is looking at me when, all of a sudden, her shoulders relax, and

she smiles, her eyes dropping slightly.

"You're always so oblivious to women's subtleties, and yet so sharp

in moments like this."

"Ugh…!"

I gulp, afraid I have annoyed her.

Lady Freya's eyes narrow like a cat's as she smiles and then giggles,

just like always.

I realize that reaction floods me with relief.

"…If you would like, you can tell me…"

"Oh?"

"Yes…since you are always listening to me."

Lady Freya neither accepts nor rejects my suggestion. She just looks

back at me with those eyes like the winter sky that seem to glimmer

from some unknowable place.

I open my mouth.

"Did…something happen?"

"…I'm a little bit emotional. Someone I thought of as a friend hurt

me."

"Hurt you?"

"Something like that," she responded.

"Ummm, would it be possible to make up…?"

"No. I was the one in the wrong after all."

Instead of telling my story, I'm listening to Lady Freya.

I feel a mysterious sensation and hesitation as I carefully choose my

words.

"If you know you are wrong, then…what about apologizing…?"

"That is an option. But I can't do that."

"…Why is that?"

"Because I've found what I want most."

Lady Freya is just looking forward, not at me, her profile almost cold

in her resolution.

"Because I've decided that I'm willing to cast aside anything and

everything for that sake."

I shiver at the coldness of her voice that is so unrecognizable from

the goddess that has shown me so much warmth. But in that

moment, her resolve feels terribly lonely.

"If you have to cast away something precious…then would it be

possible to pick it up again?"

"Eh?"

"If you could make it in time, could you go back…even if some time

passed…would it be possible to go back later and pick it up again?"

That's why I said it.

I'd been on the verge of leaving behind lots of things before myself.

Things I wanted to hold in my heart forever, but that always felt like

they might fall from my grasp at any moment.

But no matter how difficult, how painful it was, how much it felt like I

would fail, looking back, I'm glad that I never gave up trying to hold

on to them.

And even if I could not hold on, if I lost something…I was sure I would

reach out and try to embrace it again.

"Going back for something after having to let go of it once…I'm sure

that only makes it even more precious than before."

Lady Freya's eyes widen as I smile at her.

Her barely opened lips tremble ever so slightly.

I do not know much. But I know that somewhere in the corner of

their hearts, people, and even deities, always regret the things they

leave behind.

Lady Freya doesn't respond.

But her cheeks flush ever so slightly while she looks at me.

"I love you, Bell."

"Eh?"

"I love you."

It's just a split second.

The world around me fades.

"…Whaaah?!"

And then a hysteric sound erupts from my throat at being told that

all of a sudden.

I lean backward and try to scoot away, but the arm of the couch

stops me and can't retreat any farther!

Lady Freya dons a sadistic smile.

"Hey, Bell. Do you know how to comfort a woman?"

"N-no…?"

"You'll be popular if you learn how, you know? Women love a man

who can give them a sense of security."

"I-I-I don't want to be popular with the ladies or anything so

wicked…!"

"But weren't you the one who wanted to pick up girls?"

"Bwhu?!"

She even knows that?!

As far as I remembered, the only ones who knew about that were

the goddess and the people at the gate when I first came to the city!

"Now, I'll tell you the secret, so listen closely."

Her impish orders don't stop, and I'm forced to do as she said.

"First of all, wrap your arm around her shoulder."

"Umm…"

"Quickly now."

Sitting next to her, I nervously put my right arm around Lady Freya's

shoulder, just like she instructed.

Our shoulders touch. A pleasant smell tickles my nostrils.

And then I realize it. A plain, undecorated nightgown quickly

transforms into an outfit that drives many a man mad if she's the

one wearing it.

"When a woman leans against your shoulder, you lean in, too."

"...…"

"If you notice her looking up, then should hold her gaze."

"...…"

"After looking into her eyes, put your hand to her chin."

"...…"

"And then kiss her lips s—

"

"Nowaynowaynowaynoway! I can't do that!"

I reach my limit and topple over backward off the couch, landing on

my back on the floor.

"Wa-ha-haa-ha-ha-ha-ha! What are you doing, Bell?!"

Lady Freya is clutching her stomach and laughing out loud at me as I

turn bright red after my embarrassing display.

"You really are so naive and timid."

"I-I'm sorry…but just now, that seemed not quite right, or rather…!"

"Even though I love you so much, you won't answer my feelings?"

"Eeeh? No! That's not it at all…! But I mustn't behave crudely with a

goddess…!"

"Running away from a goddess of love whispering sweet nothings is

far more discourteous."

She holds out her hand to me, and I stand up from my disgraceful

fall, my eyes darting around awkwardly as Lady Freya watches me in

good humor. There is no more tragic determination in her eyes as

she wipes away the tears of laughter.

It's the first time I have seen her like that, but…it looks like she has

cheered up a bit. Good.

I smile awkwardly as I think that.

"

—Ahhh, I truly do like you."

Just then, her softer voice, her expression. Time stops for me as it all

overlaps with a scene from my memory.

"Syr—?"

I don't know why, but that name passes my lips.

—Ahhh, I really do like you.

Those words…that time. Isn't that what she said in the cathedral?

This smile…isn't that exactly the same smile she had?

I'm dumbfounded, and Lady Freya is aghast.

The room falls quiet, and even the sound of the rain disappears as

we look at each other.

How many minutes? Or is it only seconds? I can no longer tell how

long we looked at each other, when she quietly holds out her hand.

I can't move at all as her right hand rests on my cheek—

"

—Saying another woman's name when I'm right here before you.

What are you thinking?"

"Owwwwwwwww?!"

She pinches my cheek so hard!

Lady Freya's gaze hardens, and all resemblance I thought I saw is

already long gone.

In fact, she is glaring at me, seemingly extremely upset.

"I've never experienced such humiliation before."

"I-I'm sorry!"

My eyes water as I desperately beg forgiveness, but Lady Freya turns

away with a harrumph.

"I'm upset, Bell. Please leave."

I made her mad…

I have no way to explain myself. Ordered to leave without any

choice, I slump forward, genuinely reflecting on my mistake as I

move to the door. When I look back right before leaving, the goddess

is still turned away from me. She might not forgive me for a while.

But…what was that?

Was it just my imagination…?

Obsessing over that mysterious feeling, I leave her chamber, driven

out by the silence and the sight of her back.

"...…"

Freya pressed her hand to her breast.

That had not been the behavior of a haughty empress; it had been

almost like the action of an inexperienced and innocent young

maiden.

After a long time had passed, almost subconsciously, she walked

over to the side of the room, to her luxuriously decorated dresser,

and opened the drawer.

Her slender fingers removed a blue hair ornament.

A paired accessory that a boy had given someone.

The goddess did not say anything as she stood there, hugging the

accessory to her chest.

"…Ngh."

There was one other person standing, unmoving, like a reflection of

the goddess.

At the door on the opposite end of the room from the great oak

doors the boy had left by.

While the goddess's permission was withheld and none could enter

the room, she looked down, shrouded in a faint magic light as she

leaned her back against the door.

Her face was locked in a distressing grimace.

"What are you doing?"

When someone addressed her directly, the light around her

scattered. As the glow faded, her regular profile returned and Hörn

looked up.

"…Hedin."

The white elf's expression remained unchanged.

Hörn said nothing as she moved past him.

The elf watched in silence as the girl whose face was so pale left.

He then turned his gaze to the door.

As if addressing his thoughts to the goddess on the other side of it,

he closed his eyes and then opened them again with a determined

look.

"My body shall ever be thy faithful servant."

And murmured an oath like a knight to his lady.