Chapter 5 That Goddess announces the Hero.

The fifteen-year-old tirelessly completed mission after mission, advancing to Gold Rank and setting a record as the youngest to achieve it. Though still at Level Five, it was an impressive achievement.

The completion of every mission within a single day underscores her exceptional skill and dedication.

Upon reaching Gold Rank, adventurers were allowed to travel beyond the boundary without the requirement to report their mission details. This was because gold-ranked missions often involved confidential tasks directly requested by the Guild for top-tier talents across the three kingdoms.

Most gold-ranked adventurers possessed blessings from at least one God, and some even possessed blessings from two or three.

Those people were referred to as Beloved of the Gods, which was a rare group of people.

Thus, before the goddess sent her proclamation to the temples, as was happening now, Nos—who had begun demonstrating her abilities—was presumed to be one of the gods' favored.

The thought was laughable to Nos.

She could still vividly recall the suffering she endured before Goddess Eruza took her in... She had been told she was scorned by the gods for being born incomplete. And now? They claimed she was beloved.

If there were any god, she would allow herself to be loved by, it would only be the beautiful Goddess of Boundary.

Anyway, becoming known made life much easier.

"I've been meaning to ask you for a while, Nos," a new Guild staff member said one morning as the ponytailed black-haired girl entered early. "You revere Goddess Eruza, but why don't you ever visit the temple? A friend of mine who's a fellow follower says they've never seen you at the Temple of Lily, not even once."

He had just transferred from another branch, so he was not very familiar with Nos's negative reputation. Upon arrival, he witnessed Nos displaying her skills and being praised as one of the Beloved of the Gods, which made him seem... eager to get close.

The girl responded with a smile. "I hold my faith in Goddess Eruza with every breath I take."

What would be the point of visiting the temple if the goddess herself wasn't there? She already shared the closest connection with Eruza under the same roof and had no intention of sharing the Goddess of Boundary with anyone else.

"I heard Goddess Eruza send a message to the priests at the temple. Today, they're announcing the identity of the final Hero!" His voice is filled with excitement. "Can you go check it out for me?"

When she glanced toward the long counter's right side, she noticed that the goddess had taken the day off from the adventurers' guild as well…without informing her.

Nos had woken up that morning to find the goddess gone. At first, she thought Eruza had gone to gather Memory-Erasing Grass or handle some other tasks, but now it seemed she had left to oversee the Hero announcement.

"Why don't you go yourself? Why ask me to go?" Nos questioned.

"I'm a follower of Der! You should know that Der and Eruza don't get along. If I so much as set foot in the Temple of Lily and Der finds out, I'll end up cursed!" he grumbled.

Der was the God of War between humans and demons.

Unlike Neerg, the God of Adventure, who had only recently come into existence, Der was said to be the first God who helped humanity escape the long-standing threat of the demons.

And the legend aligned with what this new Guild staff member had said.

In the past, Der had once misunderstood Eruza and cursed her to become a lily…a punishment stemming from her involvement with the Demon Lord, the source of all evil.

Though everything eventually resolved itself, with Eruza deceiving the Demon Lord and creating the boundary to protect humanity, earning her divinity, and becoming the Goddess of Boundary, the conflict between the two gods remained widely known. As a result, the followers of the Temple of Sword and the Temple of Lily rarely saw eye to eye.

"…I'll go check," Nos relented, giving in to the Guild staff member's request.

She was curious about how her goddess's divine voice would sound when descending from the heavens.

Therefore, the urgency to complete missions for advancement…could be set aside for a day without harm.

Eruza had even suggested that Nos should rest occasionally, especially now that no women had been sent to train her. The time limit of seven days no longer applied, and she had been given the freedom to choose her tasks and build her reputation.

Only Nos, in her relentless drive to become the most effective tool for her goddess, had insisted on pushing herself to her limits. She was eager to match the renown of the other Heroes, producing results and gaining recognition.

But taking a break, this time might not be so bad.

…As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Nos's feet carried her from the guild building to the Temple of Lily, where a grand statue of Goddess Eruza stood—radiant and alluring.

Crowds from across the city had gathered, eager to hear the important announcement.

The goddess explained that when divine voices descended to deliver messages, they resonated in every temple the god chose to connect with

Thus, the Temples of Lily in other cities were likely just as crowded with people.

"Who do you think it'll be?" A voice in the crowd sparked animated conversation.

"It's probably going to be one of those famous adventurers—or maybe another noble like the other Heroes. The gods don't just pick anyone at random. If they don't already have the skills, making them a Hero would be pointless."

"How many adventurers even worship Goddess Eruza? Her blessings are so rare that you can practically count the users of the Water Blessing on one hand."

"Then it must be someone from the nobility." They continued speculating about who the Hero would be.

No one would have guessed that Goddess Eruza had taken in a child with nothing to her name and trained her from scratch…Thinking back on it, why the goddess had chosen her remained a mystery.

No, it didn't matter. Nos had already pledged her loyalty to her goddess.

Her entire existence was devoted to Goddess Eruza alone. In this, she believed, no one could surpass her.

"The temple door has opened," someone nearby announced.

The crowd began streaming into the grand building. Long wooden benches quickly filled, forcing Nos and many others to stand shoulder to shoulder, spilling out of the temple's entrance.

"In just a moment, Goddess Eruza will speak from the heavens," declared a high-ranking priest clad in the robes of the Temple of Lily, his voice echoing throughout the space.

The temple fell into complete silence, and even Nos found herself instinctively softening her breath to match the stillness.

At the far end of the interior stood a raised stone altar, carefully positioned to capture the light streaming through the glass above. It seemed purpose-built to receive something from the gods.

The first thing to appear was a single sheet of paper…

The high priest approached the stone altar but refrained from touching the divine message immediately.

[Greetings, my faithful followers,] Goddess Eruza's calm and measured voice resonated from above, though her form was nowhere to be seen. [As you know, I sent word in advance that today I would announce the final Hero...]

Nos pressed her lips together, suppressing her usual smile, as her heart thundered in her chest.

Would her name be called next?

Ever since granting her the Hero's Blessing, Goddess Eruza had only ever referred to her as little girl…

To say Nos didn't have any expectations would be a lie.

Her name, spoken by the goddess herself... Just imagining those pink lips moving to utter it sent a tingling sensation through her chest.

[The one to whom I have granted the Hero's Blessing is… Nostra Core.]

"..." Nos stopped breathing for a moment.

Who was that?

Nostra Core... Was that her original full name, or a new one bestowed by the goddess?

The divine voice faded into silence, and the light upon the stone altar dimmed, blending into the subdued atmosphere of the temple.

The high-ranking priest lifted the divine message and read aloud, "The formal proclamation, signed by the Four Great Gods of the heavens… Nostra Core is hereby appointed as the Hero under the name of Goddess Eruza from this day forward!"

Cheering erupted from parts of the crowd, while others turned to discuss the name of the Hero.

A few recognized Nos, associating her with the city's recent rumors and her rising reputation. However, before anyone could approach her, she swiftly slipped out of the temple.

The young girl hurried back home, where her goddess was supposed to be waiting for her...

The young girl weaved through the alleys and stepped into familiar territory, pushing open the wooden door before entering. Yet, there was no sign of anyone inside. But there was no sign of her goddess.

"My Goddess…" Nos called into the empty space.

Was it because Nos had grown enough to take care of herself?

Did the proclamation of her as a hero mean her goddess wanted her to walk her own path, like the other heroes?

The corners of her lips, usually lifted in a constant smile, could no longer hold their usual curve.

"My Goddess…"

Her heart tightened with the ache of abandonment, eyes brimming with tears when a foot marked with a black lily appeared before her.

Her goddess had returned.

Nos immediately returned a foolish smile at the sight of the Goddess of Boundary.

"How dare you trick me into signing such a declaration, Eruza! You vile woman!" Yet, it seemed Eruza wasn't alone…

"I chose my hero long ago, as you well know. Is making this announcement not enough to satisfy you?"

"But that child…!"

"Hold your foul tongue, Der."

The man accompanying the goddess was a red-haired figure clad in black—a primal god of war, known for his loathing of all demons.

It was just as the legends described: Eruza and Der had been at odds for centuries.

"My Goddess, I thought you had abandoned me…" Nos murmured, smiling through her tears.

"Little girl…"

Der, noticing Nos for the first time, glanced her way with disdain before scoffing loudly. "Even if you win this wager, Eruza, I won't acknowledge you a reward."

"Did you ever think I sought anything from you to begin with?" Eruza retorted with her usual composed expression.

Der's scowl deepened before he vanished from sight, returning to the heavens.

The dynamic between the two gods was as perplexing as it was contentious.

"My Goddess…" Nos bit her lip, feeling increasingly disoriented by the series of events following the Hero's declaration. "What… what does all this mean?"

The goddess's form changed and took on a different appearance. White garments transformed into guild staff member uniforms, and the traces of corruption on her legs faded until they were no longer visible.

"The wager to defeat the Demon Lord was Der's idea," Eruza remarked, sinking into a chair and propping her elbow on the dining table where Nos often ate. "This isn't just a mortal gamble but a pact among gods. Whichever Hero defeats the Demon Lord earns their patron god the right to demand one favor from the others."

The reward was the power to command other gods… Even gods had their own games like this…

"Though it might seem like a game, Der isn't enjoying it as much as you think," the braided-haired goddess interrupted any speculation. "Both Der and I are old gods... He's been yearning to destroy the Demon Lord he despises so deeply, before..."

The goddess paused mid-sentence, deliberately avoiding mention of something.

Overall, Der initiated the concept of Heroes.

The gods granted blessings to four humans to defeat the Demon Lord. Whoever brought down the ultimate evil would gain glory across the three kingdoms and secure victory for their patron gods in the wager.

"...Does God Der dislike me?" Nos asked, taking a seat opposite Eruza. The words of the red-haired god lingered uneasily in her mind… "I truly am despised by the gods…"

Born blind in a world where gods protected humanity—how could that not signify abandonment?

"That's not it, little girl. Your existence..." Eruza paused, her delicate finger brushing her lips in thought. "You could say it's a wound on the god's hearts."

A wound on the god's hearts…

This was becoming far too strange. Did it mean that all Four Great Gods had been aware of her existence from the very beginning…She dared not make reckless assumptions about such a possibility.

"Why...?" Nos questioned.

"It's not yet time for you to know," Eruza responded with a faint smile.

As beautiful as it was, the smile carried an air of pity.

What was going on? Why was she the only one left in the dark?

"You made me a Hero out of pity…didn't you?" Nos asked, her voice trembling with a vulnerability she couldn't suppress. "Everything you've done for me... has just been out of pity."

At first, she had thought pity was enough. But now, it seemed she yearned for more.

She didn't want Eruza's feelings for her to stem solely from compassion for a helpless child. She wanted to be seen as someone with worth—someone of use.

Yes... Look at her for real... Goddess...

Tears splattered onto the table, betraying her attempt to maintain a smile.

"Ouch!" The girl felt a sharp pain on her forehead.

Eruza snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts with a flick of her finger…

"Little girl, you're letting your imagination run wild," the goddess chided gently before her hand softened into a tender stroke on Nos's head. "You are my best tool. The mark you bear, though still concealed, is a treasure that will lead me to my goal."

Nos's curiosity burned. What was this "mark"?

The goddess's goal... was it to vanquish the Demon Lord, or something more?

"In the future, you may come to despise me, little girl," Eruza's hand still resting on Nos. "So, don't rush yourself."

The warmth from that touch spread through her entire body.

Nos could fathom how she could ever hate the person before her.

She guided the other's hand to her cheek.

Goddess... If Nos could just see a genuine smile from her, even once, she would not regret dying for her...

Though the mysteries surrounding her remained hidden, one thing was clear to Nos that Goddess Eruza relied on her. She was the only one the goddess seemed to truly value.

With such knowledge, how could she stop herself from smiling?

That night, she was so happy that her joy carried into her dreams…

Imagining the naked goddess

The great woman's white skin was caressed all over, and her curves had an alluring impact on the emotions.

The legs were cut open to show the love channel, and there was no need to demonstrate it with the lovely mounds or the slim waist.

The legs which expose the love channel, the slim waist, or the lovely mounds...

When the goddess moaned sweetly, the lust began to grow.

Her lustful expression entices her to go deeper, and at the same time, the goddess helps her fill up her lower part...

"…!" Nos suddenly sat up, feeling blissful.

Sweat soaked through her pajamas, clinging to her body, and radiating heat.

The morning sunlight streamed into the young girl's bedroom. She lifted the blanket, feeling a damp stickiness in her most private area.

Dammit… What kind of dream was that?

The girl's face turned red, feeling guilty for thinking about such an indecent thought with her goddess.

It was getting too deep… Even she felt it.

However, she could not stop her hand from sliding down to touch her clitoris.

"Uh…"

Is it normal for someone to do something like this at the age of fifteen?

"Ahh… Ahh…" Her breasts sprung up as the tingling sensation extended from the middle of her body.

The eyelids covered her vision, allowing her to see the clear image of her imagination after her dream.

She wished… to be possessed by the goddess… and at the same time, she wanted to see the goddess's lustful expression.

More… More…

Just as her emotions were reaching their peak, there were footsteps approaching from the door…

Her lower half squeezed tightly, but she still felt extremely yearning.

"Little girl," Eruza voice made Nos' body twitch and released something. "There's someone at the front door want to see you."

Even though this was the first time she's trying to reach her dream, was it necessary to be this excited?

"I'll…hurry down," Nos panted, struggling to compose herself.

Even though she didn't know who the visitor was, she was… well, she deserved to be beaten to death. She had to make the goddess come this close when she had just thought of something in that way.

The girl cleaned up and changed clothes before heading downstairs.

The goddess and a towering, cloaked stranger sat at the dining table, the atmosphere unusually tense.

"Nostra Heart," The masked figure spoke in a deep, grating male voice, "the lost princess."

Nos instinctively grabbed her sword. "You must be mistaken."

________

Hello, everyone.

My first novel is now available in English, Thanks to WanWira for bringing it to life in another language.

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