Chapter 84

Belnargo.

On one of the streets of the city, sitting on a bench near a lonely fountain, Hardy and I were feeding the local equivalent of pigeons, while Giselle and a few other priestesses stood aside and watched silently.

A small flock of birds had already gathered in front of us, pecking bread crumbs from the ground and the goddess's hands while there wasn't a soul in the neighborhood besides our group. All because Giselle and the priestesses had made the decision to clear the surrounding area of people, thus blocking the entrance to the area. And they were so persistent in their zeal that there was no one not just around, but within a whole kilometer radius.

The weather was, frankly, perfect for walking or sitting outdoors. The light of the afternoon sun did not scorch my skin or blind my eyes, but warmed me pleasantly. The wind that was blowing through the city, located in a rocky area, was blowing, but not freezing. And the murmuring of the water in the fountain and the voices of the birds seemed to soothe.

While the goddess was busy with the birds, I did nothing and didn't know where to start. Hardy, how shall I put it, represented what I expected. At least at first glance.

Carefree and bored.

You could tell that from her actions around me. Otherwise, she wouldn't have intervened, much less shown up in person. I had essentially become her new "toy" which awakened her intrigue. As-is, the world of Itami doesn't practice magic, sort of, but is standard by all existing standards, barring technological advancement and age.

It's worth mentioning that Hardy is now using the body of one of the priestesses. I can't say I'm not surprised, but the state of the body worries me a bit.

As it turns out, materializing a god in this world is almost identical to the Nasuverse. A god can do it, but he needs a vessel, a medium, that can withstand the divine power without falling apart. After all, it's like nuclear energy, which corrodes everything if there's no suitable container or shielding.

And as I understand it, the perfect medium for Hardy either hasn't been found yet or doesn't exist. Kind of like Rin or Sakura for Ishtar and Parvati, respectively. Right now, the young girl's body that Hardy is using is slowly deteriorating. And by my estimation, it'll last for an hour or so. While I feel sorry for the girl for giving her life away like that for essentially nothing, it was her own conscious choice. I'm not Emiya after all, even if his ideology is partially correct.

- So, will you answer my question, Romani? - The goddess inquired without turning her head in my direction - Now all the rules of decorum have been observed.

- I've already answered it..." I started and wondered how to address her. After all, she is a goddess.

- Hardy. I don't see a problem with calling me by my first name," she said calmly, "And that's not what I was asking.

- Human.

- Hmm... - Hardy mumbled thoughtfully - You don't trust me.... Oh, well. Why did you come to me, Romani?

- Honestly, I just wanted to meet you and get to know you personally," I said with a shrug, to which Hardy herself hardly reacted, except for a surprised look. But her priestesses, with Giselle at the head, were seething, but didn't say a word. "I've heard a lot of things about you, and opinions have ranged from genuine praise to undisguised contempt.

- You're pretty cocky to say that to my face, eh, Romani? - Hardy giggled, and then she took a break from feeding the birds to sit down on the bench, and then looked at me.

- Nothing much.

As soon as the last word was out of my mouth, Hardy's face went cold and divinity flashed in all directions from her body for a moment, then it quickly went back down. Of course, this had a bad effect on the medium, as a trickle of blood came out of her nose and ear each.

For that brief moment, the atmosphere around us changed beyond recognition. Although everything was quite localized, I could clearly feel the cold fury that flowed out of the medium's body.

- I suggest you choose your words more carefully, Romani," Hardy said icily, "Or I might accidentally crush you.

I raised an eyebrow.

Hitting a nerve, huh? Pretty much expected. The pride of a god won't tolerate such criticism, because it's like comparing him to a tiny grain of sand in a vast desert. Of course, there are exceptions, but that's not the case here. And it doesn't matter if I meant it as a comparison to mortals or other gods, the ego will be hurt either way.

- All right," I held up my hands in surrender, "let's pretend this never happened. Maybe I did say too much.

Hardy stared at my face for a few seconds, and then her cold expression faded as quickly as it had appeared, giving way to a slight smile.

- That's good," she said cheerfully, then called her priestesses over. They quickly ran over to Hardy and wiped away the trickles of blood with a cloth, then, seeing the gesture with their heads, returned back to their seats. Their actions were gentle and careful though, nothing unexpected given the situation - Is there any other reason you're here?

- What do you think of the Gate?

- О? They're marvelous.

- Hmm? - I don't get it.

- They make this world more interesting. More beautiful. And it's a perfect match for what I want," Hardy said with a satisfied look on her face, "Because of the Gate, the races have moved on. More emotion, more action, more death. They forced the world to change and adapt. It's filled with color again. Isn't that exciting, Romani?

- You mean you were able to dispel the boredom? - I asked, to which I received a nod - So all the events you organized were also meant for that purpose?

- "Events?" What do you mean?

- Siccing a couple of dragons, for example.

- Is that what you mean? Yes, that's right. I'm sorry for the loss of loved ones, but they're all happy in another world. A world I rule.

I rubbed my temples as I heard her answer.

Yeah, that's nothing new. God was just bored. It's the inevitable fate of any world where the Age of Gods is still going on. They simply have nothing to occupy themselves with. Their life expectancy is enormous, and the time in their hands is even more enormous. And they really have nothing to do, even if I don't particularly like it. Especially Hardy, who is only in charge of the world of the dead.

Ereshkigal of the Nasuverse, though she has the same holdings, but she has almost no free time. Well, not until the next era. She was in charge of the souls of the dead, guiding them and caring for them, which makes it impossible to say anything bad about her. In fact, that's why she's one of the best goddesses. Hardy, on the other hand, is entirely... mediocre.

At one point, I had a pretty funny idea.

If she wants to see something "interesting" and "beautiful," why not show it to her? We'll see what happens.

-0-

Hardy found the man in front of her interesting and amusing, except for some of the things he said. He was an enigma that he could absolutely deal with her Apostle in a calm manner, while parroting a weapon she had personally blessed.

She could sense magic in him that people from beyond the Gate didn't have, and most importantly, his soul. Her divine gaze simply couldn't penetrate the shield that protected her. It was completely impenetrable, even if Hardy made more effort than she should have.

Also, Romani could hear her in her divine form. And, as she had told him earlier, only those who were closely related to the gods were capable of that. But he said he wasn't a god, he was a human. Hardy, even with her power, couldn't recognize whether he was telling a lie or the truth, but her sixth sense told her that Romani wasn't lying.

A man, but not a man. A god, but not a god. Hardy was indeed interested in Romani, and she intended to get an answer. By any means necessary.

One moment, however, Romani's figure flashed with a glow of pure golden light, and the next, it was no longer "Romani" sitting in front of her, but someone more imposing. His clothes had changed, making him look like other gods Hardy knew. Or even more luxurious.

- You know, Hardy, I've given it some thought and decided to show you something 'interesting' and 'beautiful'. I think you'll like it. - said the changed Romani, then stood up from the bench and looked at her.

- It's Coronation Time..." he chanted, spreading his arms out to his sides in an embracing gesture. And then Hardy felt a great wave of power begin to emanate from his body. The power was so great that for a moment she thought she was facing another god.

- He's the One Who Starts Everything...

Hardy's eyes widened and his mouth took on an oval shape. Shock flashed through her mind as the already immense power only continued to grow. More, more, and more.

A strong wind picked up, slowly turning into a gale. The birds were blown from their seats, and their wings did nothing to help them regulate their flight. Flowers danced, releasing their petals into the distance, and trees swayed, threatening to be ripped from the ground. Hardy's dress, as well as the priestesses off to the side, rose up and tore from side to side as if someone was pulling them with tremendous force.

Hardy simply couldn't understand how the mortal in front of her could have such immense overwhelming power. So much so that a fear crept into her heart that she had never experienced before. Fear of the unknown and, most importantly, death. But Hardy couldn't move. She just couldn't take her eyes off of what was happening in front of her eyes.

- Ars Paulina.

In the next instant, the light coming from Romani blinded Hardy, causing her to have to close her eyes.

Overcoming her fear, she slowly and tentatively opened them, and then saw the landscape. A truly beautiful landscape filled with flying islands, pure white clouds and, what she found most beautiful, a huge hole in the sky. There, in the hole, Hardy saw stars that were unfamiliar to her. They shone like diamonds that she wanted to hold in her hands and never let go.

But then she lowered her gaze, where she saw a wide and long staircase of snow-white stone, leading, she thought, into the sky itself.

Beyond that, Hardy realized that she was not now in the body of a medium. Her true body, imbued with divinity, stood on the road made of the same material as the stairs. She could feel the slight coolness of her bare feet, and the feeling somehow mesmerized her.

Finding no other options as well as the altered Romani, she began to slowly make her way upward. The columns that stood along the stairs slowly changed one after another, and after a while, Hardy found herself at the very top.

There she saw a circular platform, as clean as the stairs, and at the other end from Hardy was a throne with a high, massive back, on which, with his eyes closed, sat Romani. His posture gave Hardy the impression that the man before her was a king. And not of any country, but of the whole world. A world that had been created for him alone.

Hardy also noticed that next to the throne was another one. The same size as the first one, but which she thought was covered in snake scales, and giant oddly shaped horns protruded along the gods back.

When Romani's eyes slowly opened and headed in her direction, Hardy froze. It seemed to her that those eyes saw right through her, her very soul, her very essence. And from that, in addition to fear, she felt something else. Something she could not understand, nor could she tear her gaze away from those golden eyes.

The owner of those golden eyes propped his fist on his face and looked at her with an evil smile.

- So, what's your verdict, huh, Hardy?

-0-

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