Chapter 179: Takatsuki Makoto speaks to the Goddess
“Noah-sama?” (Makoto)
The night before heading to the Moon Country, I was in the space of Noah-sama.
I walk with unsteady steps towards Noah-sama who is releasing a divine light as always.
At her side is the Water Goddess in a blue dress releasing a dazzling light as well.
“My condolences, Makoto.” (Noah)
“This is bad, Mako-kun!” (Eir)
Noah-sama had a hand on her waist and was smiling wryly as opposed to Eir-sama who was waving both arms up and down.
Now then…who should I respond to?
Of course it should be the Goddess I follow.
“Noah-sama, being exposed that I am an Evil God Apostle really hurts, huh.” (Makoto)
I also made a wry smile as I responded to Noah-sama.
“But the people you have helped until now have taken your side. It is thanks to your actions until now.” (Noah)
True…
Even when it was revealed that I was an Evil God Apostle, the Sun Knights, the Wood Country, and the Fire Country people didn’t turn around on me. fre(e)webno(v)el
The pains until now were worth it.
“Then, it is thanks to the guidance of Noah-sama.” (Makoto)
“Fufufu, that’s right. Praise me more.” (Noah)
Noah-sama gets all proud. That’s cute.
“It would all be solved if you just became my believer though~.” (Eir)
It ended up as Eir-sama being ignored, and she was making a displeased expression.
“Hmph, sulk all you want.” (Noah)
No good, the Water Goddess is actually sulking.
“Eir-sama, what do you mean by ‘this is bad’?” (Makoto)
I turn to the Goddess of my country.
“What, you ask? It is war, war!! The Demon Lord army attacking at this time is completely different from planned!” (Eir)
“Eh?” (Makoto)
“Really, Eir?” (Noah)
Noah-sama and I let out our voices in surprise.
The meaning of Eir-sama’s words are heavy.
“And at this important time, Ira-chan has gone somewhere.” (Eir)
Oh…?
“Ira-sama is absent?” (Makoto)
“That’s right. Even in the Goddess meeting of before, Ira-chan and Naia were absent… Naia being absent is the usual though… Thanks to that, Althena-neesama is fuming.” (Eir)
“What did you talk about in the Goddess meeting?” (Noah)
I was also interested in the question of Noah-sama.
“Of course, about the winner of this time’s war in the mortal realm. If the Demon Lord side wins, our Faith Points are going to decrease~! That’s a dire situation!” (Eir)
Eir-sama is saying it seriously, but…it doesn’t really sound serious.
“Makoto, the Holy Gods have infinite lifespan, so they don’t really see much importance in the victory or defeat between humans and demons. It would feel like a sports game to them at most.” (Noah)
“…That’s…not true, you know?” (Eir)
Eir-sama gets bashful at the words of Noah-sama.
It is a face that seems to say Noah-sama is right.
For the gods, this is a game…?
There’s also another thing I am bothered by.
“Eir-sama, if it is about the Destiny Goddess Ira-sama, I have met her.” (Makoto)
“Eh?” (Eir)
This time, it was the Water Goddess who opened her mouth wide.
“No no no, what are you saying, Mako-kun? There’s no way you could have met Ira-chan.” (Eir)
“This is just a possibility, but hasn’t she Descended to the Oracle Esther-san?” (Makoto)
“Aah, that’s why her way of speaking was similar.” (Noah)
Noah-sama hammered her palm at my words.
“Haha, no way… If she were to stay all the time in the body of an Oracle, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice…” (Eir)
Eir-sama made a tube shape with her hand and was looking somewhere.
What is she doing?
“Makoto, that’s the Eye that Can See Everything that Eir possesses. It is ten million times better than your Farsight Skill, Makoto.” (Noah)
“The planes are so different that I can’t really get it that well though…” (Makoto)
The supernatural powers of Goddesses are truly impossible to be comprehended by humans.
“Aaaah!!” (Eir)
Eir-sama’s loud voice resonated at that moment.
“No way! Ira-chan is in the body of Esther-chan?! Moreover, Persistent Descend?! Even though Althena-neesama prohibited that!” (Eir)
“It is prohibited to have Goddesses stay Descended?” (Makoto)
It is an emergency, so wouldn’t it be more reassuring to have Goddesses closeby?
Unfortunately, Ira-sama seems to hate me though.
“It is a rule of the Divine Realm. It is clearly stated: Gods shouldn’t interfere directly on the people of the mortal realm. If we were to allow Persistent Descends, it would be basically as if the gods are the ones holding the main leadership. If the Devils and Titan Gods were to copy that, it might turn into a war between gods, and it would erase the mortal realm.” (Eir)
“Ooh…” (Makoto)
It was more extreme than expected.
Is Ira-sama okay?
“It should be okay. She is doing that Persistent Descend while managing to fool Eir who loves interesting stuff. I think she is disguising herself well.” (Noah)
“What do you mean by disguise, Noah-sama?” (Makoto)
“Normally, when a Goddess Descends on an Oracle, Divinity leaks, but I didn’t feel Divinity from the Oracle Esther-chan that you talked to. It seems like she is hiding it well.” (Noah)
“It shouldn’t be something easy to hide though…” (Eir)
Eir-sama made a ‘hmm’ as she held her head at the words of Noah-sama.
And then she snapped her head up.
“Uuuh…I am worried, so I will go talk to Ira-chan!” (Eir)
Eir-sama disappeared.
Only Noah-sama and I were here now.
Noah-sama stared intently over here.
Not her usual frivolous tune, but a serious expression that has grief in it.
“Hey, Makoto.” (Noah)
That face of hers was different from usual which agitated me a bit.
“W-What is it?” (Makoto)
Did I do something to trouble her?
“You are using Clear Mind, right? But stop using it at 100%.” (Noah)
“What…? It is at 100%?” (Makoto)
That’s weird.
I was careful not to use it too much though.
“You are using it unconsciously. Probably because of that thing you got there. Failing your Spirit transformation and being on the verge of being devoured by it must have etched fear somewhere in your heart. That’s why you end up using Clear Mind at 100% unconsciously.” (Noah)
Noah-sama snaps her fingers, and the bandages wrapped around my arm undone.
My right arm shining blue showed itself -my Spirit Arm.
“…I thought I had gotten used to handling it recently though.” (Makoto)
I have been training everyday, and I feel like I have gotten better and better at using it.
Was it my misunderstanding?
“Right. But in exchange for that, your emotions are slipping slowly. Even when you were confessed to by Janet-chan, you didn’t get flustered at all, right?” (Noah)
Noah-sama looked at me sadly.
“No, that’s not…” (Makoto)
‘Not true’, is what I wanted to say.
I was surprised by the sudden marriage proposal, and I was panicking at her arguing with Princess Sofia.
But I also feel like somewhere inside of me was indifferent about it.
“Uhm…could it be that this is bad?” (Makoto)
“The effect of Clear Mind at 100% is: Not losing composure no matter what happens. That’s convenient and also reliable. But having an unmoving heart makes it not a human heart anymore.” (Noah)
The serious gaze of Noah-sama was plenty enough to stir my heart.
What should I do…?
“Well, I am properly doing my work though.” (Noah)
“What?” (Makoto)
Noah-sama placed her hand on the small mark on my arm.
“My Divinity is stopping your Spirit transformation from eroding you even further. That’s why, don’t worry about it and undo your Clear Mind in your everyday life. Got it?” (Noah)
I once again looked at the small mark in my right arm.
“Is that what your Divinity here is for, Noah-sama?” (Makoto)
“That’s right. In exchange for not being able to return your right arm to normal, you won’t be able to transform further into a Spirit than this. My Divinity is maintaining the state of ‘Your right arm is the only Spirit Transformed part’.” (Noah)
“Is…that so…” (Makoto)
I touched the mark of my right arm.
It is slightly warm, and I could feel the affection of Noah-sama.
“Well, the last resort would be to control you through my Divinity though… If I do that, it will catch the eye of the Holy Gods and the Devils, so I won’t do it though. I am different from Ira.” (Noah)
“Thanks, Noah-sama.” (Makoto)
I lowered my head deeply.
In the end, I am thoroughly being helped out by my Goddess.
“Fufu, it is okay. Depend on me more. Or more like, you ask for the help from your god too infrequently.” (Noah)
“That’s not true. Now that I think about it, I have been sent to a remote region in the next war, so I don’t think there will be much of a turn for me though.” (Makoto)
I said this slightly disappointed.
But when Noah-sama heard this, she furrowed her eyebrows slightly angry.
“About that, I think you should be grateful to the Destiny Goddess though. If you were to be sent to the very frontlines of the Demon Lord army war, you would gleefully rush in, right?” (Noah)
“That’s not true. Well, I do want to get a look at the active Demon Lords though.” (Makoto)
How nice, Sakurai-kun.
Being in a battlefield where a Demon Lord is.
Noah-sama must have heard what I said in my mind, she frowned.
“That’s what’s not good! What’s that about ‘want to get a look’?! You are not a tourist sightseeing!” (Noah)
“I would only get a glimpse from afar. You don’t get to be in an isekai often, so can you blame me for wanting to see a Demon Lord?” (Makoto)
“…This man is a lost cause.” (Noah)
Noah-sama held her head.
Oops, I troubled her.
“Noah-sama, I don’t want to see a Demon Lord. I will be doing safe adventuring from today on.” (Makoto)
“Liar.” (Noah)
Noah-sama looked at me with a straight stare, and she pushed a finger in the middle of her eyebrows.
“Then, it is about time I leave. I will be heading to the Moon Country.” (Makoto)
“Alright. You are going to be placed at a place far from the main battlefield, so take it easy.” (Noah)
I bowed to Noah-sama and woke up.
◇◇
At the travel to Cornet in the Moon Country.
It was settled that we would be heading to our location in a carriage.
Because I have been travelling with the Flying Ship of Fuyi-yan until now, I was slightly bewildered by the slow speed of it.
But we aren’t the only ones travelling this time around.
When I look out the window of the carriage, I see mounted troops, mages, and suppliers, who are lined up in rows as they march on.
They are the Highland Army’s Sun Knight Division, the Soleil Knights.
And the one who is leading them is…
“Makoto-dono, I heard that this is your first time participating in a march. How is it?”
The one who spoke to me with a smile was the captain, Ortho-san.
The captain of the first division of the Sun Knights.
He is also a familiar face. He fought together with us at the Highland monster rampage.
It seems it was the consideration of General Yuwein and Sakurai-kun that Ortho-san was deployed with us.
It really helps us out.
It is tough to talk with a stranger after all!
“It is pleasant. Is it okay for us to be using a big carriage like this all on our own?” (Makoto)
“What are you saying? Two Heroes and the daughter of the Crimson Witch-sama are in it. Of course it is okay.” (Ortho)
Looks like that’s how it works.
Ortho-san is in a leading position, so he returned to the center of the march again.
Lucy, Sa-san, Furiae-san (with the black cat on her lap), and I were sitting on a decently big carriage while facing each other.
“Waah, this is my first time riding a carriage.” (Aya)
Sa-san was flapping her legs in joy like a child.
…This girl is the Country Designated Hero of Great Keith, you know.
Even if we told this to people we met for the first time, I feel like they wouldn’t believe us.
“Eh? Is this your first time riding a carriage?” (Lucy)
“Yeah, I have only been on a flying ship and a pegasus.” (Aya)
“Those two aren’t things you can normally ride though!” (Lucy)
Lucy and Sa-san’s conversation is noisy.
As if they are heading to an excursion.
“…”
Furiae-san was silent in contrast to that.
She hasn’t said a word and has only been looking at the scenery.
She has been in a sour mood since the moment she was told the place we were going to.
“Princess?” (Makoto)
I called her worried.
Actually, before we departed, I told her: ‘How about you stay with Princess Sofia in the Highland Castle?’, but she responded with a: ‘I don’t want to stay in the Sun Country’.
Well, of course she wouldn’t want to…
She was imprisoned there after all.
“…In the Moon Country, I was together with many devilkin devotees as an Oracle.” (Furaie)
Furiae-san muttered this.
When talking about the devilkin devotees, it makes me think of the Snake Church… But it is different in this case.
“By devotees, I am talking about the ones who follow the Moon Goddess, Naia. But at the moment when I was caught by the Highland Knights, I ordered the devotees to run away. To not search for me.” (Furiae)
“““……”””
Lucy, Sa-san, and I were silently listening to her.
“But they are certainly searching for me. I was their idol as the Moon Oracle after all. There’s also believers who are crying and grieving, thinking that I have died… Even though I was simply living in a country elsewhere.” (Furiae)
“…Fu-chan.” (Aya)
Sa-san’s voice resonated, and Lucy and I couldn’t say anything.
“What kind of face should I make when I meet them?” (Furiae)
Furiae-san laughed lightly in self-derision.
“Fu-chan, just show them that you are doing well!” (Aya)
Sa-san’s words were simple.
“Right. You didn’t do anything bad!” (Lucy)
“Princess, if you are going to be going out, I will accompany you.” (Makoto)
Lucy, Sa-san, and I had the same opinion.
Ortho-san is an understanding man, so I am sure he could keep an eye shut for a bit of freedom in our movement.
There might be surveillance though.
“We are going there for a military affair, so we can’t be doing as we please, but…right, I will think about it.” (Furiae)
Furiae-san smiled with what seemed to be slightly regained energy.
After that, Sa-san, Lucy, and Furiae-san were talking to each other.
The inside of the carriage got slightly brighter.
◇◇
That night.
We advanced till the point that we were scheduled to stop at, and we are currently camping.
As of currently, the march towards the Fallen Metropolis of Cornet is going well.
“…I can’t sleep.” (Makoto)
This carriage travel I am not used to, coupled with a march surrounded with many strangers… Also, everyone sleeps early…
I am always training until late in the night.
““Zzz…””
Lucy and Sa-san were hugging each other while sleeping in the bed inside the carriage in a really cramped way.
Or more like, why are they sleeping in the same bed?
We have one for each person though.
They really get along well.
(Let’s train.) (Makoto)
I use Stealth in order to not wake them up, and leave the carriage.
I bow lightly to the lookouts of the Sun Knights.
I search for a body of water where I can train.
There’s not a single cloud in the sky.
It will soon be a full moon; the night was bright.
(Hm? There’s someone walking over there with unsteady steps.) (Makoto)
Furiae-san with a whitish one piece dress and long black hair waving.
Going out alone is so careless.
“Ooi, Princess.” (Makoto)
Before I called her, she turned around over here.
Looks like she noticed me.
“Hey, My Knight.” (Furiae)
Furiae-san locked her arms behind her back, and looked over here. Not with the usual glaring eyes, but a gentle gaze.
“What’s the matter, Princess?” (Makoto)
The moonlight was shining on Furiae-san, and that figure of hers looked fleeting, as if she were a flower that would snap with a touch.
She probably has lingering regrets about having left the believers at the Moon Country.
“…”
Furiae-san’s gaze was swimming around without saying anything.
Is it something hard to say?
I waited for her next words for a while.
“…If…” (Furiae)
Furiae-san spoke.
“…If I were really the Calamity Witch that will bring disaster to the world…what would you do?” (Furiae)
Bring disaster to the world…the one who said that was…
“Are you worried about what Esther said?” (Makoto)
The Destiny Oracle Esther pointed at her specifically as an enemy of the world.
No, the Destiny Goddess Ira-sama did.
The words of the Goddess that can see the future.
It would be weird to not worry about it.
That’s why I said this lightly in order to make her feel better.
“You can change the future, right?” (Makoto)
“It can’t be changed so easily.” (Furiae)
“In the first place, even the Destiny Goddess Ira-sama can’t see your future, Princess. It was just her assuming on her own volition.” (Makoto)
“…Right…” (Furiae)
Furiae-san isn’t feeling good.
It isn’t only returning to the Moon Country, the words of Oracle Esther are also working as a point to reduce her mood…
Not good, I am not doing my job as a Guardian Knight.
I have to say something that makes her feel better… While I was thinking what to say, Furiae-san spoke first.
“…If I become the enemy of the world, will you still stay as my Guardian Knight?” (Furiae)
Furiae-san, who always shows a strong image, asked uneasily over here.
Her teary eyes were the same as the time when she first told me to become her Guardian Knight.
The answer to that question was obvious.
I laughed.
“Then, that’s the same as me.” (Makoto)
“…Huh?” (Furiae)
“You are the enemy of the world, and I am also the enemy of the world as an Evil God Apostle. Let’s be the enemies of the world together.” (Makoto)
“You…” (Furiae)
I thought I had given a nice answer there, but Furiae-san was making a face like when you order cold juice, but get hot tea instead.
Hm?
Did I answer wrong?
Kuh, the aftereffects of Clear Mind are really hitting me here!
The price of losing my emotions!
(Reading the mood isn’t gone even if you use Clear Mind, you know?) (Noah)
Naah, Noah-sama.
That’s as if you are saying I can’t read the mood.
(I am!) (Noah)
I don’t get what Noah-sama says~.
(Huh?!) (Noah)
“Well, fine. Sorry for asking a weird question.” (Furiae)
Furiae-san returned to her stout attitude.
She is crossing her arms and making a bold expression.
“Then, My Knight, even if I were to become the enemy of the world, continue protecting me.” (Furiae)
“Okay, Princess.” (Makoto)
Below the moonlight, Furiae-san and I promised this in a light manner, as if we were talking about the weather.
“Naah Naah.”
The black cat leaned on the leg of Furiae-san.
“Oh, you want to join in, Tsui?” (Furiae)
Furiae-san scratched the chin of the black cat, and it purred.
Tsui has completely become the cat of Furiae-san.
“This cat. Just whose familiar is it? Mine or Princess’s?” (Makoto)
“Of course, the familiar of My Knight. It is currying favor from your superior, isn’t it?” (Furiae)
“…Aah, so that’s the hierarchy here.” (Makoto)
Looks like the black cat also understands that Furiae-san > Me.
“I will be going to sleep now. How about you, My Knight?” (Furiae)
“I will go to sleep after training for a few hours.” (Makoto)
“…Keep it moderate.” (Furiae)
I was told the same as Noah-sama, and Furiae-san returned to the carriage.
After that, days where we advanced in the carriage at daytime, and at night I would take my time training continued.
A few days after, we arrived at the Fallen Metropolis of Cornet.
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