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.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

aaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

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.

"Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

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 Ho rn looked up.

"…Hedin."

The white elf's expression remained unchanged.

Ho rn 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