A Wish Fulfilled

"T-Tower...Arcana?"

Lerish could not believe what she has heard from Erlai. She looked at the woman's face to see if she was joking or not, but her emotionless stare made it very hard for her to ascertain that.

"Yes," Erlai spoke, "the other Arcana that is kept here in this tower, I am now giving it to you."

"But...why did you give it to me? Ren has more qualifications than me to have the [Tower] because of the [Fool], right? For a person like me to receive such an important power..."

Lerish expressed her disbelief at Erlai. For her, the fact that throughout her entire life she has never learned to use even a simple magic spell because of her condition, made her very insecure about her abilities, which is why she believed that Ren should've taken the Arcana instead. Because even though both of them don't have any experiences with using magic, him having such an absurd Arcana in the form of the [Fool], as well as the help of Aoi, allowed him to utilize the other Arcanas that came before the ones they received now very well.

Unless there is something special that Erlai found in her, there is no way for her to be able to use an Arcana as efficiently as Ren would. She doesn't even have an inkling of what the [Tower] Arcana does in the first place!

"I just cannot see myself as worthy enough to become an Arcana holder...so why, Miss Erlai—tell me the reason why you chose to give this Arcana to me."

"Do you...really want to know the reason, Your Highness?" Erlai asked.

"Yes, or else I will be bothered with these thoughts for the rest of my life."

Then, with her constant expressionless stare, Erlai replied—

"Very well. I shall tell you the reason behind all of this. Listen closely..."

-----

A little more than 2000 years ago.

While Erlai was busy arranging the books inside the great library created by the Tower God, a beautiful woman entered the facility and greeted her.

"My, Erlai! I've been looking for you!"

"Oh, it is you, Master. I am glad to know that you have returned," Erlai replied while bowing her head deeply at the woman.

"Yes, I have returned safely," the woman said. "However, seeing that you've been working continuously for days now, my child, truly aches my heart. You should take a rest, even for just a while."

Erlai shook her head. "There is no need for you to worry, Master, for my body is different than that of an ordinary human."

The person she's referred to as her master was a very tall woman wearing a pure white stola with a skirt so long it touched the ground, a purple sash embellished with embroidery made with golden silk hanging on her left shoulder, and a translucent white veil covering her entire face. Her very long, light grayish hair—the same color as that of Erlai's—freely fluttered even with the slightest change in the wind, giving off an eerie yet tranquil atmosphere around her.

This woman, the so-called [High Priestess], came to see Erlai, whom she created by infusing together both living cells with magical machinery. A hybrid, as she called it.

And as such, she—

"Of course, I know that! I am the one who gave life to you, that's why you do not need to remind me every time about what you can and cannot do!" The High Priestess grumbled, flailing her arms around like a child.

"Master..." Erlai sighed, "there you go again, not behaving like what an important goddess should."

"Muuuu...I did not come here just to be scolded by you."

Unknowingly to the goddess, Erlai didn't mind her master's behavior at all—or rather, she doesn't have any right to question the goddess' actions. Being a creation of the High Priestess, it had been her purpose to serve her with all her life, without regard for anything else.

She would not be even working at the Tower God's library if the goddess didn't recommend Erlai to him.

"With you coming here, Master..." Erlai had just finished arranging the books when she turned at her and spoke, "it means that you have a seen a new prophecy again."

"Ah, that's right! Rather, there's three of them!" The goddess nodded.

'Three prophesies? That is strange...' Erlai muttered to herself.

After they went to her office, Erlai took out a huge book from under her table and opened it. The book, a compendium of all the prophesies the goddess had ever made, had all of its pages stamped with green ink, indicating that all of the prophesies came true. The High Priestess had made so many of them in the past several thousands of years, that the book only had one page left for Erlai to work with.

"What's wrong, my child? You seem to be thinking of something deeply," the goddess asked.

"Nothing, Master. I was just thinking about how could I fit all three prophesies on one page. Since this is the first time it has ever happened, I have to do it very carefully."

"Haah, why is my creation so head-achingly scrupulous? I feel like she's the master here and not me..."

"You are saying something, my master?"

"Hii?! A-Alright, I'll start telling you what I've seen now."

The High Priestess took a deep breath and spoke, this time her face exuded seriousness as she began raising one finger.

"In the foreseeable future...all of us gods, save for one...will die."

"..."

Hearing that, Erlai's hand suddenly stopped. Her expressions, which were almost non-existent until that moment, turned sour at the thought of her master dying.

'Master, and the other gods...will die? Impossible, surely there must be a mistake in her visions..."

She then looked at the goddess' face, and to her surprise saw that there was no hint of sadness or fear seen on her face. The High Priestess, noticing Erlai's rare display of emotion, returned a warm smile to ease her worries.

"Rest assured, my child, as long as that's not happening yet I will always be by your side."

"Y-Yes, Master..." Erlai replied.

Raising another finger, the goddess continued, "Thousands of years after our disappearance, the world will witness the rise of a young man. This man, hailing from a place that is different from this world, is the one who will bring this world to salvation, or its demise. He, along with that survivor god and a young lady, will come here and reach the top of this tower. If that happens, hand him my blessings, but leave the [Tower] to the lady."

"Is there any reason why should I give the Tower God's blessings to that lady and not to that man in your prophecy? You said that person will drive a huge change in this world, so why?" Erlai asked.

"Ah! I knew you would ask that, that's why I prepared a quick answer for you."

The goddess then straightened her posture as she looked at Erlai with a very sharp look in her eyes.

"The reason why you should give the [Tower] to that lady is..."

-----

"...because you are the Tower God's ideal woman, Your Highness."

"""..."""

Outburst in 3...2...1...

"...W-What the hell's with that story?!!"

"YOU MADE US LISTEN TO YOUR LONG AS HELL BACKSTORY JUST FOR YOU TO TELL SUCH A LAME REASON??!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH??!!!!"

"Yes. As proof, here is a scroll owned by the late Tower God himself that contained all the measurements for his 'perfect' lady, and on the other is the princess' measurements, which I gathered the moment you stepped inside the tower. You are free to compare the figures in these two scrolls."

As Erlai showed to them the two scrolls, Lerish's legs lost their strength and she fell to the ground.

She couldn't believe that thousands of years before she was born, there was a god who had a fancy for her and not in a very good way at that.

"...That god...thankfully he's already dead, or else I will kill that lecher with my own hands..." Aoi muttered in anger.

"I...I think the same way too..." Ren agreed.

"So, there you have it," Erlai returned the scrolls into her pocket and cleared her throat. "I have given you your rewards. If you have no objections, shall we proceed to our next destination?"

"U-Um...Miss Erlai..."

"None? Very well. Now, follow me," Erlai walked away without waiting for them to respond.

A few seconds later, Ren approached Lerish, trying to help her stand up.

"Lerish? We should get going now. Um...Leri—WEEH?!"

When he looked at her, he was surprised to see Lerish bawling like a child while still sitting on the ground. Feeling extremely embarrassed after what Erlai has revealed to her, she hurriedly buried her face into Ren's chest and continued crying.

Startled by her sudden break in character, Ren's mind went haywire as he involuntarily wrapped his arms around her shoulder and patted her back.

'Man, this facility is the most twisted place I've ever been,' he said to himself.

-----

After Erlai had shown them the different facilities inside the library, they were told to go back to the rooms where they found themselves earlier, while waiting for their meal.

Since the entire facility is inaccessible to the outside world, all of the ingredients are procured from the garden in the middle of the library. Aside from that, Erlai—being a perfectionist—makes all of her meals from scratch, and will take a minimum of an hour just to make a simple dish that is up to her standard. With that in mind, it is decided that her three guests have at least 4 hours of free time to spare.

Ren, using those 4 hours for him to rest, heard someone knocking on the door.

"Um, Ren? It is I, Lerish. Can I come in?"

"Ah, sure, sure! The door's not locked."

At his word, the door opened, and a beautiful lady entered the room. A fragrant, citrus scent then immediately circulated the room, as the lady has just finished taking a bath.

Ren found the sight of her moist skin glistening against the light emitted by the light stones to be very alluring, that he unconsciously gulped his saliva.

"Um...if you keep on looking at me like that, I..."

Aside from the fact that she's still fresh from the bath, her clothing caught Ren's attention. Unlike the adventurer gear that she wears nowadays, the white and yellow stola Erlai chose for her revealed her innate nobleness that she usually tries to conceal. Other than that, a golden tiara in the shape of a wreath of leaves rested atop her head, and her long bright orange-brown hair was styled to have a tiny braid on both sides. If only she could emit a visible aura at will just like Aoi, she could already pass for a goddess.

No matter where he looked, no matter what clothes she wear—Lerish's beauty is unbelievable. He was so enchanted, that it took him long to notice that she's already closed her distance with him, their faces within a hand's reach of each other.

"As I thought, this attire does not suit me at all."

"Eh? No! That's not it!" Ren waved his hands in panic. "I-I was just flabbergasted, you know? Lerish is a very beautiful lady, everyone knows that, but seeing you wearing those clothes...I can't help but feel...very lucky to see it..."

Hearing those words, Lerish's face turned red as she stepped back and sat on a chair on the opposite side of the room.

"I...I am glad that you liked it."

"Y-Yeah..." Ren said, scratching his head.

In order not to make the atmosphere even more awkward for them, Ren hurriedly tried to change the topic.

"Uh...why did you come here, by the way?"

"Ah?! T-That is...um...I want to apologize for what happened earlier. Had I assessed the situation more carefully, I would not have shown such an improper scene to everyone."

"Hm?" Ren raised his eyebrows in wonder. "That? I don't mind it at all. You don't have to feel sorry about it."

"Really?"

"Nn," Ren nodded. "After all, it's my first time seeing that side of yours. H-How do I put it...Lerish's way of crying at that time was...cute?"

"Please forget everything about it!!!" Lerish screamed as she threw a cushion at him, as steam seem to rise from her ears which were burning red.

"I'm just kidding. Good grief," he replied, as he caught the cushion easily.

"Muuuu..." Lerish pouted her lips as she glared at him.

Witnessing the contrast of her cute expressions in respect to her elegant attire, Ren's lips couldn't stop forming a smile.

"Also..."

"There's more?!"

"I want to give you something, but you must close your eyes first."

"You could've just given it to me casually, you know..."

"No, this is important, Ren. I cannot have your eyes open while I am giving it to you."

Confused by her strange acting, Ren finally relented after a moment and closed his eyes.

"Alright. My eyes are closed."

"You better not take even the slightest peek, understand? Otherwise, you will never receive a gift from me ever again."

"Aren't you making this a big deal?! Haah. Fine, I won't look."

"Very well. Here I go."

Having no idea what Lerish can give to him, Ren felt his heart race, his body already tensed up, and faint shivers ran down his spine. 'Could it be that?' he thought, 'Is she going to k-ki...ki...—no! That's out of the question. However, it that's what she wants to do, then...'

As his delusions are about to spiral out of control, he started to feel another person's hand covering his mouth for a moment, and then—

"Alright, you can open your eyes now."

When he opened his eyes, he saw Lerish standing right where he last saw her, smiling at him, though for some reason she was acting fidgety.

"W-What exactly is the thing you gave to me...?"

"Eh?! Um...pardon me, but I realized I forgot to bring it!"

"Haaah?!"

Clapping her hands, she said, "Indeed, I must have dropped it on the way here. I-I will find it, rest assured! Well then, please excuse me..."

"Oi, wait—"

In a manner not befitting for someone like her, Lerish hurriedly went out of the room, her face the reddest he has ever seen. Clueless, he looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

"What...what the hell is wrong with her..."

Unknowingly to him, however, Lerish did bring her gift with her all this time. While his eyes were closed, Lerish pressed her hand against Ren's mouth. Then, she mustered all of her courage and lightly kissed the back of her hand.

A kiss on the lips, only to be blocked by her hand. To an inexperienced person like Ren, he won't be able to notice what she had done unless he opened his eyes, which she forbade him from doing so. Still, the embarrassment is too much for her maiden heart and quickly went for an escape afterward.

'As I thought, doing it is too difficult of a hurdle for me to overcome!' she cried to herself.

Ren, with his mind giving up halfway, stopped thinking about it and slumped back to the bed.

"There's still about two hours left in my free time. Maybe I should just take a nap from here..."

At that moment, he heard footsteps coming his way. Thinking it belongs to Lerish, he rose from the bed and said:

"Ah! Have you already found your gift for me, Lerish?"

"...What do you mean by that, huh?!"

"K-Kuhh?!"

Instead of a fair lady, a little girl entered his room, while having her arms crossed. Seeing who the person is, Ren's disappointed expression instantly surfaced.

"Oh, it's you. What brings you here, I wonder?"

"...Don't think I came here just for you," Aoi said. "The room given to me was very gloomy and dark because apparently that Erlai lady thought that I would like it."

"And so you came here. Why? You should've gone to Lerish's room instead."

"...Well I tried, but her room was locked, and I heard her say that she doesn't want anyone to see her face right now."

'What? Has her condition finally gone up to her head?!' he thought.

"...That's why, as much as I hate it, I have no choice but to come here, because I have no other place to go."

Having lived a very long life, Erlai might be a brethren for her, but she's still a stranger to Aoi. So she went for that person instead, even though she's currently hating him to death.

"For the meantime, take a seat over there. I can't stand seeing a girl standing at the door for a long time," Ren said, pointing at the chair in the corner of the room.

"...I...I will take you up on that."

As they sat on opposite ends of the room, casting suspicious stares at each other, the two of them started to feel that the atmosphere was getting heavier and heavier at the moment. Thinking that something must be done, Ren coughed and said—

"After all of this is done, what will you do next?"

"...Hm?" Surprised, Aoi looked at him and replied, "Of course, I will go to a place where I won't be able to see you. There, I will use a new identity, learn how to take care of myself, and start a new life—without the need to rely on others for my survival. I have a very long life ahead of me, I can't have anyone drag me down."

"I...I see."

"...And once my powers are all back, I will continue my unfinished business to send this world into chaos. I, the Death Goddess, will have anyone know what true fear is!"

As she said that, she stood on top of her chair and made an evil pose while looking straight into Ren's eyes.

"...And if someone were to stop me, I will rip his existence off from the face of this world."

Ren, unfazed by her words, took a deep breath and said:

"Then start by offing me."

"...Eh?"

"As long as I'm alive, you won't be able to progress with your plans. You know it, I know it—that the moment you take away the [Death] Arcana from its carrier—"

"...that person will die," Aoi completed Ren's words.

"Nn. That's why, kill me while you still have the opportunity—because I will surely stop you from achieving your dreams. I and the four Arcanas in my body will make sure of it!"

Ren thought, that as long as he has her Arcana, their fates will remain linked to one another. Maybe it's for the better to have her take it back because his continued presence would do her more harm in the future because of the [Fool].

He then approached Aoi and grabbed the girl's hand. Startled, she tried to resist, but he had already placed her hand on where his heart is.

"Do it, if you hate me that much! Take your damn Arcana back, so that you'll be able to move on!"

"...B...B-But—"

"DO ITTTTTTT!!!!!"

"...—?!"

She never expected, to hear him coerce her that much. Conflicted, she...

"...You...you are cruel."

"H-Huh...?"

"...Forcing me to kill you...aren't you going too far?! Is this your way of tormenting me?!!"

Dumbstruck, Ren said, "B-But...you said you're going to kill me..."

"...I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!!" she screamed at him.

"O-Oi..."

"...In the first place, I don't have such plans on doing it, because it's impossible! That cursed [Fool] in your body alone is way stronger than my power in my current state! I will die the moment I try taking away my Arcana from you!"

Now that Ren has the [High Priestess], his power has now risen exponentially to the point of Aoi feeling overwhelmed by the aura he unconsciously emits. Even if she's able to extract her Arcana from him, the difference between having multiple Arcanas and having only one could spell disaster for the inferior person.

"...Then...and then...what's worse..."

"W-Wait, what are you—"

Suddenly, Aoi grabbed Ren by the collar and pushed him against the wall. Ren tried to defend himself, but—

"...Why?! Why are you doing nothing to stop me from leaving you?!!"

The girl grabbing him looked at him not with anger, but with sadness. Her large blue eyes—the most beautiful ones he has ever seen, reflected nothing but sorrow and pain.

"...I hate it. I hate all of this! I hate the thought of leaving you! I hate to live in a world where you're not with me! So why—why are you alright with all of this?!"

Starting a new life alone—all of it was a lie. She can't do it, for she has nowhere else to go. If the whole world finds out who she is, a punitive hunt the size the world has never seen before will be aimed at her. She doesn't want any more of that, but the world proved time and again how cruel it is to her.

Taking her hands away from him, Ren replied, "As if that's fine with me! Do you know how much it hurts me, to hear from you that you'll leave? Do you know how hard it is for me to continue with my life, now that my reason for living will be lost?!"

Blowing things out of proportion has brought nothing but trouble for not only the two of them. Even Lerish will be sad if Aoi were to go, he thought, so he must take the initiative to fix their relationship, for her sake as well...

Clutching her hands together as if praying to her, he looked at her and said:

"Please...don't leave me—Aoi!"

Mistakes were made, the damage has been done—but if even then they can't salvage their relationship, then it's game over for the two of them.

"I'm sorry for saying hurtful things to you! I'm sorry, that, even though your intentions were good, I didn't believe in you! I'm sorry for making all of this a big deal! So please, Aoi—stay with me!!!"

"...S-Seriously..." Placing his arms on her shoulders, she said, "who knew saying the words 'sorry' would be this hard for the two of us? We're never like this, so it must be because of seeing those enemies that our competitive spirit must've taken over our minds at that time. How regrettable."

"Yeah. It must be that."

"...I'm sorry too, for treating you harshly. Now that I realized it, I've gone overboard with everything, that's why...I want to make up for my mistakes."

"S-So are you saying that..."

"...Nn. I decided not to leave."

"Aoi!" Ren tightly hugged her. "My little sister Aoi! I'm happy to have you back..."

"...Yes. I'm happy too—big brother," Aoi spoke softly, as she hugged him back.

-----

"It seems that the Death Goddess and that young man were on good terms again," Erlai spoke, while recording her observations in her diary.

"Yes. I'm worried that they were to part ways after this, but I'm relieved that everything's been resolved."

The person who replied was another woman wearing what seems to be a racy outfit and was relaxing while sipping her wine inside Erlai's office. Apparently, this person is a regular in her office, because Erlai didn't mind her visitor bringing liquor with her.

"Even if you are very worried about them, there is no need for you to come here."

"Why not? You don't want to see your friend, Er~lai?"

"Tch."

"Aha, so cruel! That's the reason why you only have one friend! Ahahahahaha!!!"

The woman laughed, as she downed another glass of wine in one gulp. However, when she placed the glass on the table, the look on her crimson eyes instantly turned sharp.

"Anyway, back to the main subject. Did the transfer of the Arcanas go smoothly?"

"Yes. No side effects, just like what you said."

"Mmm, that's very good," the visitor reclined on her seat while staring at the ceiling. "I have always suspected that lady to have an affinity for the [Tower], but I didn't have a way to prove it. Luckily, the prophecies of the High Priestess saved me a lot of time and effort. I can't thank you enough for that, Erlai."

"I am only fulfilling my master's wishes," Erlai replied. "After all, the last prophesy she gave to me..."

'Lastly, my last visions, and it's for you, Erlai...though it's more like a request than an actual prophecy,' she remembered the goddess' words to heart. 'My child, even when I'm gone, continue to serve for the betterment of this world. To this end, I ask you to help those people—guide them so that the gifts we gods will leave behind won't be used to ruin this world further. This is my last wish as your master.'

And only days after that the war between the gods broke out, leading to the fall of all the old gods, except for the Death Goddess. Thousands of years later, she has returned, along with the mortals in her master's prophesies.

She doesn't know yet why her visitor came from her place to check on the progress of her duties, but she had a hunch: it's all for the young man's sake.

"I guess it's settled then," the visitor stood up and went for the exit. "It's always good to find people who are aligned with your goals."

"Do not forget to bring that bottle with you when you leave, Miss Rewriter."

"Oh, right," the visitor spoke. "Also, do not call me by that title. I would rather like it if you call me Myriel instead."

After saying goodbye, Myriel immediately left the office. Erlai, sitting alone, closed the diary and listened to the receiver on her table, which transmits the sounds coming from her guests' rooms.

"Master...now that I think about it, you left behind a huge responsibility to me while not giving any additional pay. With you finally gone, it will be very difficult for me to guide these people even with the resources I have..."

As she said that, she rested her chin on the table, and sighed. Even a hybrid human-like her can be exhausted too, and this is the first time Erlai has felt that way.