Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka - Volume 8 CHAPTER 6 A CERTAIN GODDESS’S LOVE SONG

“The hell’s going on out there?!”
Wham! A fist slammed onto a table set up in the middle of a cloth tent.
The clenched fist belonged to a male deity. The followers of Ares cowered in fear of their leader’s
infuriated howls as his golden mane sparkled in the dim light.
“Just as I said, our warriors are being captured by Orario’s forces. Out of our original thirty thousand
troops, at least ten thousand are now in the hands of the enemy.”
“I know that! What I’m asking you is why! Why, Marius?”
“Because Orario’s adventurers are stronger than the monsters in our worst nightmares, that’s why.”
The human the god had called Marius remained surprisingly calm in the face of Ares’s rage. Every one
of his simple, straightforward answers was accompanied by a long sigh.
They were in Ares Familia’s main base.
Far from the battles taking place against Orario’s Alliance, near the Deep Forest Seoro, a meeting
attended by Rakia’s top generals was taking place.
However, it had deteriorated into a useless, one-sided shouting match the moment that Ares had
learned of the horrid state of their forces.
“Considering the injured and our captured allies, there is no hope for the front lines to stand their
ground, let alone press forward. To make matters worse, merchants have been draining our war funds left
and right…”
“Those bastards…DAMN YOU ORARIOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Ares reared back his head and roared at the ceiling of the tent. Marius, on the other hand, let out

another long sigh. The rest of the generals were so scared of their god that only Marius, the highest-
ranking mortal present, was able to utter negative comments.

The human’s honey-colored hair was a far cry from the god’s brilliant lion’s mane. However, he stood
180 celch tall and had a decently muscular build that wasn’t too thick or too thin. He certainly looked like
he belonged among royalty. Still only twenty years old, if he weren’t tired and at his wits’ end, his
handsome features matched with a full suit of armor would make this military commander a dignified
knight on the battlefield.
His pride as their commander had been entirely crushed by repeated failures in the battle against the
Alliance—his grudge against their god was threatening to come to light, mood worsening by the second.
Willing himself to remain calm, he sighed yet again.
“I’m sure you’re aware, but we can’t continue this war, now can we? Let’s go home, Lord Ares. If
you’ve learned your lesson, please stop this pointless invasion of Orario.”
“GRAH…! Marius, you insolent coward! And your father, Martinus, always obeyed my every
command without question!”
“—That’s what earned him the nickname ‘Moronic King’—by trying to make your every whim a

reality, dammit!”
“H-how dare you speak to me that way?! I’m this close to revoking your rank and exiling you from the
kingdom!”
“You won’t have to. I’ll surrender this position right now! That way you won’t care if I leave the
country and fulfill my dream of becoming an adventurer in Orario, right?”
“I refuse. You will do no such thing!”
“So which is it?”
“My prince!” “My prince!” The other generals sensed their red-faced young commander was about to
lash out and quickly moved to restrain him.
The crown prince of Rakia had been brought along for this invasion to provide him with valuable
experience on the battlefield. The young second-in-command of Ares Familia frowned, a face the envy of
every man in his kingdom twisting in an expression of anger as the argument between him and their god,
practically a daily ritual at this point, continued to escalate.
With a spirit so strong that it called the fidelity of the queen into question, the prince unloaded all his
frustration and anger onto the warmongering god.
“Wake up…! No matter what we do, Garon’s attempt to bring Welf Crozzo back into the fold has
failed. In fact, the Guild is demanding money to secure the release of Garon and his men. Our safety net is
gone. Dragging out this war is pointless.”
“GRAHHHH…!”
Marius had finally cooled off to the point that he could look Ares in the eye and state the facts. The
deity roared back.
It was true. The strategy to obtain Crozzo Magic Swords, their trump cards, was no longer on the
table. The war had lost its meaning. Ares’s vision of using Welf’s power to revive their magic-sword
battalion and trap the Alliance forces in a pincer attack was now nothing more than a dream beyond a
dream.
Marius had never believed that plan would succeed from the start. He wanted nothing more than to
retreat as he locked eyes with the God of War…However, the only emotion in the deity’s glaring red eyes
was an intense desire to not lose.
“All right, fine, then—I will go into Orario myself!”
“WHAT?!”
“If you worthless excuses for soldiers can’t get the job done, I will personally acquire those swords
with my own hands! With them at our side, the glory days of the past will once again be in our grasp…!”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to kidnap Welf Crozzo? He’s Level Two! Raising a hand against him
would be suicide! Instant death, I tell you!”
“Enough of that instant-death talk! The target is not the Crozzo boy, it’s his goddess—Hestia!”
Apart from Marius, every general in the tent stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed at Ares’s plan to
kidnap a deity.
“It’s just one tiny goddess. I’m sure you maggots can take her from one place to another, right? So, I

lead a strike force, we capture her, and we demand Welf Crozzo in a hostage exchange with Orario! Ah-
ha-ha-ha-ha! It’s so perfect, I even surprise myself sometimes!”

“That is the worst, most underhanded ploy imaginable, and it came from your mouth! How the hell do
you plan on getting inside the wall in the first place—?”
“How could I have been so blind; this should have been the plan from the start! If the king—no, the
god—doesn’t lead his men, they cannot follow! Marius, prepare my horse! We leave under cover of
darkness, before that dreadful Freya and her lot know what’s coming!”

“That fool, that divine imbecile…!”
It was impossible to sway the divine king’s mind once he made a decision. The other generals quickly
jumped to their feet and began preparations. Their youthful commander frowned as he followed the
golden-haired god out of the tent at a run.
And so it was that the army of Rakia launched its last gambit at the behest of its god.
The final battle to decide the outcome of this war was at hand. Orario’s patrols, few and far between
and practically sleeping on the job, were completely unprepared for an attack so reckless, so crazy that no
one could predict its descent on the city.

Today is just as peaceful as any other day inside the city walls.
The sun is shining brightly overhead on a morning when, unlike usual, the army of Rakia is fighting
outside the city wall. Word is that they’re trying to draw out the war.
I make my way quickly through the hallways of my home, listening to the birds singing outside the
windows, when I spot someone just up ahead and call out to her.
“Miss Haruhime.”
Her golden, fluffy fox tail is wagging back and forth beneath the skirt of her maid outfit.
She’s holding a large basket in both arms, pressing it up against her chest as she looks over her
shoulder at me.
“Master Bell. Good morning to you.”
A beautiful smile appears on her cute face as the fox ears on top of her head bow to me because she
can’t bend over with the basket in her arms.
It’s still early, before breakfast. The smells wafting up from the kitchen are making me hungry, while
Haruhime attends to the housework before we go into the Dungeon. The basket is filled with the freshly
washed laundry for everyone in the familia. She’s on her way outside to hang it all up to dry.
I say good morning and walk right up next to her.
“Do you need any help? I’d be glad to lend a hand.”
“It—It’s quite all right, Master Bell. This duty has been assigned to me; I don’t want it to take up any
of your time…”
“It’s no problem. Please let me help.”
I quickly take the top half of the mountain of laundry in the basket off the pile. Haruhime’s hands are
literally full, so she can’t stop me.
She might have a Status, but carrying that many wet clothes must be a real challenge. She looks back at
me with timid eyes, insisting that she could do it by herself. But I just smile at her and carry my half of the
pile outside to help her hang everything up.
Everything is set up in the inner courtyard next to the hallway. I help Haruhime tie a clothesline from
one wall to another in the place where the afternoon sun will be strongest and start pinning clothes to it.
I leave all the laundry for the goddess, Lilly, Mikoto, and Haruhime to the fox girl while I take care of
Welf’s and my own stuff. I know it can’t be helped, since both boys and girls of different races are living
here together under one roof, but I do everything I can to avoid looking at the girls’ clothes on the other
side of the line. Haruhime is blushing, too. I doubt she’ll hang any underwear out here.
My cheeks are feeling a bit hot as well. Maybe talking with her will help make this a little less
awkward.
“Um, Haruhime? Are you getting used to living here?”

“Yes, I am. All thanks to Lady Hestia’s, Lady Lilly’s, Sir Welf’s, and Miss Mikoto’s assistance.”
She adds that of course I’ve been a great help as well and smiles with all her heart.
It’s not that empty, hollow smile she used to make while living in the Pleasure Quarter. It’s a gentle
smile, so warm that it feels like the morning sun is shining on me.
I smile back, my eyes almost closing at the same time. I’m glad I got to see her real smile again today.
“Unfortunately…my inefficiency is always causing trouble for everyone…just like Master Bell right
now.”
Suddenly that shining smile is replaced by clouds.
“Miss Haruhime, this is nothing…and no one feels that way.”
“No, this is the only way for me to be useful. I must work harder; I must improve…”
She doesn’t seem to believe me. Looking away, her apologetic gaze falls onto the courtyard lawn
between us. She rubs her hands up and down the sleeves of her maid outfit, tail listlessly drifting around
her ankles.
Despite what she’s saying, I know that she’s working really hard. Probably a little too hard.
Laundry, cooking, and cleaning, all on top of the Dungeon prowling. Not only is she a big help around
our home, she’s also a dual supporter and sorcerer in the Dungeon. She’s not used to looking out for
herself in the labyrinth, so I’m sure being in that position in the back of our formation is incredibly
stressful for her.
The last of the laundry on the line, I turn to face her. Scratching the back of my neck, I string some
words together.
“Um, Miss Haruhime…I think you shouldn’t push yourself so hard.”
“Eh?”
“I remember back when I first joined the familia, I was determined to do as much as I could around
our home, cooking and cleaning, so that the goddess didn’t have to bother with it…”
Back when Hestia Familia was first formed, it was just the goddess and me.
I made money in the Dungeon and did the housework, just like what Haruhime is doing right now. In
the end, I was trying too hard and got sick, which ended up causing more problems for the goddess.
The circumstances might be a bit different now, but there are times the body can’t keep up with what
the mind wants to do. Having a Status doesn’t change that. I explain all this to Haruhime. She listens with
a surprised look on her face.
“So, what I’m trying to say…How do I put this?”
I’m sure that speeches like this roll off Ouka’s and Finn’s tongues with no problem. Compared to the
other familia leaders, this is pathetic…Even so, I put my thoughts into words.
“…Rather than push yourself, I’d be happier seeing you…asking for help.”
I smile, my face burning again.
I wish I could wrap this up with some kind of inspiring speech, but it’s not coming. I scratch my cheek.
She looks at me with quivering eyes, her hands together over the feminine curves in the top part of her
maid outfit.
Her eyes start to water, almost as if her spirit has been washed clean by what I said…Her cheeks have
taken on a light-pink hue.
“W-well, then…May I ask for Master Bell’s help right now?”
She’s looking up at me through her lashes, almost like she’s shy. Even her voice sounds a bit slow,
spacey.
She’s taking my advice! This is great, I’m so happy! Suddenly, she holds out her right arm.
“Would it be all right if you…held my hand…?”

“Huh?”
I blink a few times. Where did that request come from?
I freeze in place, but I’m very aware of the heat pulsing in my cheeks. Sweat running down my face, I
try to find the right words to politely decline…Even so, she doesn’t take her hand back, waiting and
blushing even darker.
Looking at her fox ears and tail twitching like that, I kinda feel sorry for her. What should I do? I really
have no idea, but even so, I extend one trembling hand and take hold of her thin fingers.
“Ah…”
They’re cold.
Not just cold, Haruhime’s fingers are freezing.
It’s already summer, too…Probably doing everyone’s laundry this morning chilled her to the bone.
I move my fingers to encompass her entire hand out of reflex, and I see her shoulders rise. Her whole
body is quivering, right down to her tail.
“W-would asking you…to use both hands…be acceptable…?”
“Um, sure…”
I grant her request right away.
I bring up my left hand and hold her cold right hand against both of my palms. Then she puts her left
hand outside of my right, our hands overlapping like a double handshake.
…What…is this?
Her trembling has stopped. She closes her eyes and squeezes my hands as if to absorb every bit of
their warmth. Her cheeks—and mine—are bright red.
My heart rate picks up, but my mind starts slowing down, drifting.
“—What do you think you’re doing, Haruhime?”
“Gasp!”
I’ve been holding her hands for about a minute.
Suddenly, a frighteningly low voice calls out her name from nearby. She almost jumps out of her skin.
It catches me by surprise, too. I look over and there’s the goddess, standing with her legs shoulder
width apart, arms at her sides, and glaring right at us.
“HIYAA!” She jumps forward, twin black ponytails whipping behind her like ocean waves as she
delivers a knife-hand strike to our hands.
Ouch!!
Haruhime and I break apart immediately.
“Bell might have brought that on himself, but you’re quite the troublemaker, Haruhime. I’m going to
have to keep an eye on you whether I like it or not, aren’t I?”
“L-Lady Hestia! This is a misunderstanding! There’s no deeper meaning…!”
“No deeper meaning? That burning-red face of yours says otherwise!”
Haruhime might have grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth and not know much about the real
world, but that innocence seems to have gotten under the goddess’s skin. I can feel the anger emanating
from her.
Her blue eyes glaze over in a flash of fury directed at the renart, forgetting all about me for the
moment. But those thrashing ponytails…I can’t move—part of it could be that she saw my pathetic attempt
at being the leader. It’s so embarrassing! My silence triggers Haruhime into a series of gestures,
desperately trying to explain the situation.
Once she gets to the part about my telling her to ask for help, the goddess’s blue gaze shifts in my
direction. Surprisingly, Lady Hestia makes a gentle face and crosses her arms as soon as Haruhime

finishes.
“Oh, I see. Well, nothing we can do about that—.”
“Th-then you’re willing to overlook this…!”
“—Is what you thought I was going to say, HUHHHHHHHHH?”
“M-m-m-my deepest apologies!”
Lady Hestia is halfway through an exaggerated, bighearted nod when she suddenly thrusts both fists
high into the air in a feint of epic proportions. Haruhime recoils in fright, shrinking back with her hands
covering her head. The goddess is waving her fists in the air, her breasts, even bigger than Haruhime’s,
jumping about in sync with her flailing.
Something seems missing in this interaction between a former member of the nobility and the furious
goddess.
“Haruhime…I forgot to mention this before, but there are rules in my familia. Of course impure
relationships between boys and girls are off limits, but that includes holding hands!”
“Ehhhh?”
The goddess’s words hit Haruhime like a brick wall.
But, um, this is the first time I’ve heard that rule…
I’ve got a feeling that not being allowed to take hold of each other’s hands might cause problems in the
Dungeon…
“I was one of the top three virgin goddesses of Tenkai! Morals are important and will be protected!”
the goddess declares. Haruhime doesn’t know what to do; she just keeps glancing between Lady Hestia
and me until her head droops.
“I have no excuse, Lady Hestia…I shall be more careful in the future.”
“Good. As long as you understand, that’s fine.”
Haruhime looks really depressed as the goddess solemnly nods above her.
She makes herself as small as possible, saying that she will obey the rules of the familia and turns her
back to me Wait, what’s that?
A flash of gold coming from below her waist. Her tail zips toward me.
It wraps itself around my wrist like it has a mind of its own.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Her soft tail squeezes my wrist a few times, while the goddess and I stand there completely silent.
Haruhime’s body language is so downtrodden and compliant, but the fox ears on top of her head are
flicking around in all directions.
“HIYAA!”
“EEEEEK!”
The goddess’s second knife-hand strike knocks Haruhime’s tail to the floor.
The renart girl lets out a cry.
Lady Hestia descends on her like a raging inferno. Haruhime’s on her hands and knees, bowing over
and over while apologizing with all her might. I take in the spectacle, sweating under the early summer
morning sky.

“Is everyone listening? I won’t tell you not to form relationships, but morals must be respected.”
The goddess has gathered everyone together after breakfast and makes an announcement.
We’re in the manor’s spacious living room. All of us were summoned to the main table before going
into the Dungeon.
Today is the goddess’s first day off from her part-time job in a while. She makes eye contact with each
of us, one by one.
“So that’s why opposite genders are forbidden to physically touch each other. Hand-holding is a
definite no-no.”
“That’s tyranny!”
The goddess’s eyes were closed as the words rolled off her tongue. However, Lilly is quick to object.
Haruhime, the one who caused this meeting, looks really sorry. Still dressed in her maid outfit, she
served tea to everyone before quietly taking a seat in her chair, trying to stay as unnoticed as possible.
Well, all familias have rules that are decided by their gods and goddesses, and this seems to be one of
them…but I think that forbidding physical contact between boys and girls is going a bit too far…
“In that case, Lady Hestia is also subject to this rule, yes? Lady Hestia must never touch Mr. Bell or
Mr. Welf for any reason!”
“I-I’m a goddess!”
“That doesn’t matter! How can a goddess expect her followers to obey a rule that she won’t obey
herself?”
She’s right—my Status will never be updated! Other objections flow in from around the table, asking
her not to make such strange rules out of the blue as Lilly and the goddess’s argument spreads like
wildfire.
Mikoto is just as riled up as I am; I can see the sweat rolling down her cheek. Welf sighs to himself.
“A-anyway, all unnecessary contact is forbidden. That includes relationships with members of other
familias!”
“Huh?!”
That last bit got my attention real quick.
“What’s with your surprise, Bell? That should be common sense. Does this mean there’s someone you
like in a different familia? And even if so, there’s no way you’d want to be in a relationship with her,
right?”
“No, well, that’s…that’s not what I meant…”
Wow, her words were sharp. How can I respond to that?
Getting involved with someone in a non-friendly familia, basically having a forbidden love, only puts
the familia in danger. What she’s saying is absolutely right, it is common sense. It’s obvious, but even
so…
I look around the table, and surprisingly Lilly’s gone quiet. She was so adamant before, too. Haruhime
is glancing uncomfortably between the goddess and me while Welf’s rubbing the back of his neck. “Here
we go again…” he says under his breath.
Well, he’s not wrong…
I look down at the table and give up trying to object to the goddess’s rule.
“If I may, does this precedent also apply to deities?…As in, is it wrong to harbor feelings for one of
them?”
Mikoto slowly raises her trembling hand.
Her cheeks have gone red, too. All of us, the goddess included, are caught off guard by her question.
“Oh, that’s right. You have a thing for Také…”

“I-I’m not asking just about Lord Takemikazuchi! I-I just…!”
“I’m not one to get in the way of that! Actually—that’s it!”
A light flicks on in her eyes. She must’ve thought of something. Even her twin black ponytails flip into
the air.
“That should be encouraged! Deities and children forming couples sounds great to me! Of course,
there are a few deities who should be avoided at all costs, but nice ones like Také, I see no problem with
that at all!”
“C-couple…?”
I shrink back in my chair as the goddess’s voice goes up an octave, the words spewing out of her
mouth.
Haruhime still isn’t used to the goddess’s vocabulary and tilts her head in confusion. Lady Hestia turns
to me, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s just like those stories from before we came down to Gekai! Many romances happened between
fairies and children! Isn’t that right, Bell? Don’t you think having that dream sounds wonderful?”
“Um, s-sure…”
All I can do is nod with all the attention suddenly on me.
Romances between fairies and humans or demi-humans are a common thread in stories dating back to
the Ancient Times.
Unfortunately, most of those fairy tales and stories of heroes end in tragedy.
I pause for a moment to collect my thoughts, but Lilly jumps out of her chair with something important
to say.
“Don’t be fooled, Mr. Bell! Being with a deity is a recipe for disaster! Age is a foreign concept to
immortals, and their love is intense! Death will become the only escape from a clingy relationship that
will last until the end of your days!”
“Hey! What do you think we are?”
Lilly passionately refused to even consider talking about a romance involving the gods of Deusdia.
Once her rant comes to an end, Lady Hestia looks at Welf.
“Any thoughts?”
“I think…what you’re saying is right, Lady Hestia.”
“Seriously, Mr. Welf?”
“There’s no need to call it a ‘forbidden love’ or anything like that. Deities take care of us, show their
affection their own ways. If they want to change the nature of the relationship, then it’s not all that weird.
At the very least, that’s what I’d like to have happen.”
Lilly’s jaw drops. Even I’m surprised by Welf’s confession.
“Huh? I didn’t know you had a thing for goddesses, Welf…”
“I only have eyes for Lady Hephaistos.”
“Oh-oh-oh! Yes, children with that kind of straightforward mind-set are so rare these days! Welf, I’m
rooting for you!”
“Th…anks?”
I remember hearing something about that on the eighteenth floor when he was talking with Tsubaki…
This is quite a shock. Hestia is beaming at him, enthusiastically patting him on the shoulder, since Welf is
sitting right next to her.
He’s so much taller than she, and yet he just sits there, watching with confusion as the goddess shows
no signs of slowing down.
“Did you hear that, Bell? The power of love can break down barriers between races and gods!”

She’s beside herself with joy as I sink into my chair as far as possible.
When did this meeting become about mortals having relationships with gods?
The ones agreeing with the goddess are the calm, cool, and collected Welf and the blushing Mikoto.
Of course the still-standing Lilly, as vocal as ever, is against it. I can’t get a good read on Haruhime.
She’s saying nothing either way, but judging by the look on her face, I’d say she doesn’t agree with the
goddess.
The familia is split into two camps, and the goddess is looking at me with expectation in her eyes.
“So, Bell, what do you think?”
“M-me…?”
“Y-yes…Like, say if I were a different familia’s goddess and—Oh, no no no no no no!”
Her face turns beet red, her hands waving back and forth. “A-hem!” She clears her throat.
Then she directs her unblinking gaze onto me.
“If another goddess offered you her love…what would you do?”
The living room goes silent, the goddess’s question hanging in the air.
Everyone is waiting for my answer. Lilly gulps and leans forward in her seat. Welf and Mikoto appear
interested as Haruhime looks on, her restless tail twitching behind her.
Just like Lilly, the goddess waits with bated breath, her mysterious blue eyes locked on me.
I have to say something before the atmosphere gets too heavy to breathe.
“I’d, um, turn her down…”
There was nothing to think about. It was just a matter of getting the words out.
The goddess flinches.
Lilly’s and Haruhime’s eyes fly open. Welf and Mikoto look genuinely surprised, too.
Something about everyone’s reactions feels…strange. I try to explain my answer as the mood gets
increasingly uncomfortable.
“I just don’t think about goddesses that way…I’d be happy, sure, but it doesn’t make any sense. It’d be
too overwhelming.”
A relationship with a deusdea? They’re not like us—they’re gods.
Welf and Mikoto seem to have a different opinion on the matter, shockingly so…But, yeah.
They’re special beings who should be revered, worshipped, and respected.
I’m more than happy to interact with them as part of a familia, as a “child” of Gekai, and as a member
of their family, but…I believe there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
“B-Bell…”
The goddess’s body language changes so quickly I can practically hear the slam of her mood hitting
rock bottom.
Her face is down; her entire body is shaking…She rockets to her feet.
“Bell, you moron—!”
“G-Goddess—?”
She dashes toward the living room door at full speed, her voice still echoing around the living room.
She covers her eyes with her forearm, and I watch her run out into the hall, leaving the door open
behind her. She just keeps going, all the way up to the front entrance and through the gate.
I’m halfway out of my chair, ears still ringing.
“Bell…you’re denser than I thought.”
“Huh? B-but…goddesses are goddesses…!”
From the living room window, I catch a glimpse of her running down the street. Welf comes over to me
as I’m trying to decide if I should give chase or not.

Even I can hear the confusion in my voice as Lilly and the girls come to join us.
“You make a valid point, Sir Bell. There are people who respect deities, but…”
“Yes, but the same is true of many devout followers…”
Mikoto sounds like she’s having difficulty choosing her words, and Haruhime looks just as confused.
Even Welf is glaring at me—“Why’d you have to go that far?”—as if all of them seem to think my opinion
of deities isn’t normal.
They’re not criticizing me, but I feel like the odd man out here.
“If, just if…Just as an example.”
A few moments of heavy silence pass. Then Lilly looks up at me.
“Just on the off chance that perhaps Lady Hestia secretly has feelings for a human here on Earth…Mr.
Bell’s choice of words might have hurt her feelings.”
It took her a while to get to the point. I watch her eyebrows sink on her face as my eyes get wider with
every word.
“…Hey, Bell.”
Welf was watching me from the side and speaks up.
“What are you so afraid of?”
“…!”
I can’t breathe.
Welf’s question cuts right through me. My hands clench into fists before I know it.
After a few more heartbeats pass, I still don’t have an answer for him. I look away from everyone.
“…I’ll go find her.”
I leave the living room like a prisoner escaping from jail.
I feel their eyes on me, but no one says anything as I race out the door.
“Li’l E, you sure that was a good idea? Sayin’ that.”
After Bell had left the room, the remaining four members of Hestia Familia stared at the open door for
a few moments before Welf turned to face Lilly.
“…Lilly doesn’t care. Lady Hestia is our goddess as well. Things will never settle down without
straightening this out…and she’s always sticking her nose into Lilly’s business, like the other week.”
Welf wanted to make sure that she was okay with helping her rival. Although she whispered the last
part under her breath, she turned to answer him right away.
Mikoto and Haruhime knew immediately Lilly wasn’t being completely honest and grinned wryly.
However, their slight grins were on the verge of bursting into laughter.
Welf couldn’t hold back a smile, either.
“Well, I guess this means Dungeon prowling ain’t happening today.”
“I believe so, too.”
Mikoto nodded after Welf’s proposal. There weren’t any objections.
The boy and the goddess would make amends soon enough, and they wanted to be at home to welcome
them back.

I go into the city to look for the goddess.
Lots of adventurers are already on their way to the Dungeon, making the streets lively and crowded.

Even everyday citizens are busy setting up their shops, and the horse-drawn taxis are starting to flow in
and out of the main routes throughout the city.
The sky above Orario is clear again today. However, there is a cluster of gray clouds gathering to the
north. The mountains up there might get some rain today, I think to myself as I weave my way in and out
of traffic at a slow run.
There aren’t any clues as to where the goddess went after leaving home. I can’t exactly comb the city
until I find her; it’s much too big for that.
I can’t get the look she had on her face out of my head. Lilly’s words are replaying over and over.
Ignoring the sharp pain in my chest, I ask storeowners and passersby if they’ve seen a young-looking
goddess come through this way.
“Oh…? Well, if it isn’t Bell.”
“That’s him all right. Hey, Bell!”
“Ah…Lord Miach and Lord Hermes?”
I come across the two gods by coincidence when I’m halfway through the Western Block.
Lord Miach is pushing a four-wheeled cart full of potions and other items while Lord Hermes is
wearing his usual wide-brimmed feathered hat. He must’ve snuck away from Asfi because I can’t see her
anywhere. She usually shadows him like a bodyguard.
One deity with long navy-blue hair, the other one with shorter, vibrant orange hair, and both so
handsome that I wouldn’t be surprised if an artist had carved their faces out of stone. I say good morning
to them but can’t help thinking this is an unusual pairing.
“May I ask what you’re doing this far out on a side street?”
“Well, I’ve just been offered a part in a scheme. This man here would like to use my familia’s wares
to make an easy valis or two, and I was trying to find a way to turn him down.”
“Oi, oi! Miach! Why do you have to say something like that? I’m not scheming at anything!”
Lord Miach says it all with a grin on his face, but he’s holding back a laugh. There’s no hint of
seriousness in his voice. Lord Hermes is laughing, too, so it was probably just a joke. I’ve heard that
Hermes Familia is like a jack-of-all-trades. Whether it’s Dungeon prowling, a delivery service, or
economic ventures, they’ll try anything to turn a profit. He probably wanted to ask Lord Miach some
business questions.
I feel a smile growing on my lips when suddenly I remember why I’m here. So I ask the two of them.
“Hestia? Hmmm, sorry, Bell. I haven’t seen her.”
“Same here. Sorry I’m not much help.”
“I-it’s not a problem. Thanks for listening, but I should get going…”
I stutter an apology and bow my head. I’m about to turn my back and leave when, at that moment—
“Bell.”
Lord Miach gets my attention, his calm gaze looking right through me.
“If you’re not in a rush, we’ll listen.”
“Huh…?”
“We’ll offer you some advice, Bell. There’s something on your mind, isn’t there?”
Lord Miach smiles as I look back at him in shock. Lord Hermes is grinning with his eyes.
…They read me like an open book; they can see into my heavy heart. Then again, maybe I’m not that
hard to figure out.
The two gods look down at me like fathers watching over their child. I hesitate for a few heartbeats. In
the end, I avoid telling them what happened at the manor but go straight to the question at hand.
Are deities capable of love? More specifically, how do they feel about us mortals?

“Lord Miach, Lord Hermes…Do you—do gods fall in love with people? As in, do you become more
than friends, something like lifelong partners…?”
My eyes trace the patterns in the stone pavement beneath my feet while I speak. I see the two gods
share a glance out of the corner of my eye.
Their expressions brighten, as if that was all they needed to figure out what was going on. They start
talking.
“It happens, for sure. We’re surprisingly vulnerable to it, to tell the truth.”
“I agree. I’m sure you remember Apollo, Bell? Look no further. For him, love had no bounds.”
Lord Apollo…The god we fought in the War Game.
Often called Phoebus, he once offered Hestia his hand in marriage. Apollo is a god who loves too
much.
“Once a child captures Apollo’s interest, he loves them fully and deeply until the end.”
“Just like Miach was saying, that guy treasures everything through and through…And whenever one of
his children dies, he goes a bit overboard, even for us.”
This is all a big surprise for me.
“Over…board…?”
“For sure. Crying day in and day out for months on end. If said child wore some kind of trinket, Apollo
would wear it day and night. If a tree started growing from where the child was buried, he would treat it
like a holy site.”
“I-I’m sure he didn’t go that far…”
“Oh, he did.”
I voice my doubt, but Lord Hermes laughs it off.
“But Takemikazuchi, on the other hand, he’d take a more fatherly role. Even if a mortal girl loved him
with all her heart, pursued his love to the ends of the earth, I’m positive he would draw a line in the sand.
He’s not the type who can make a woman truly happy.”
“Hephaistos is a bit more complicated. For her, watching the growth in her followers as smiths brings
her the most happiness, kind of like a master artisan watching her students come into their own. I don’t
know if she’d be able to take a step beyond that. Her interactions with children are probably a mixture of
warmheartedness as a god and her feelings as a woman.”
Lord Miach offers Lord Takemikazuchi as another example, and Lord Hermes talks about Lady
Hephaistos with a grin on his face.
They tell me about all the forms gods’ love can take, whether it be an inability to produce an offspring,
a stubborn sense of paternal obligation, or the guidance of a fellow artisan.
“Affection, simply paying attention, watching them come into their own like a parent…Each of us has
their own way of loving our children. There are some of us who treasure their memories with children
like you for all eternity and others who forget right away and completely on the other side of the
spectrum, there is a Goddess of Beauty who’s known to chase the souls of her departed children all the
way to the other side so she can keep them as her own.”
Lord Hermes narrows his eyes, his gaze passing over me.
“Our way of loving might seem a bit warped, for lack of a better word. Especially from your point of
view, Bell.”
“I-I wouldn’t say that.”
Lord Miach’s grinning in my direction, but I quickly disagree with his statement.
I disagree, but I can’t flat-out reject it, either.
“…What about you, Lord Miach? Lord Hermes?”

The crowd swells for a moment, making it too hard to hear them.
I look at each of them in turn and ask as soon as the crowd moves on.
“Let me think…Takemikazuchi and I have a lot in common. I’d like to watch my child find a partner,
start a family, and be by their side…as a god, until they move on to the next realm because I have feelings
for them.” Lord Miach looks up at the blue sky as he speaks.
“Oi, oi, no need to put that much thought into it! You and Takemikazuchi both? I keep all the ladies I
like at my beck and call! Isn’t that right, Bell? A harem is a man’s romance!”
As for Lord Hermes, I can’t tell how serious he is with that twinkle in his eye and joking tone in his
voice.
“Are you still spouting that nonsense…?” Lord Miach casts his gaze on the other deity, raising an
eyebrow. I smile weakly at the fact that Lord Hermes was expecting me to agree.
“—Bell. Our love lasts but a moment.”
Then.
Lord Miach speaks to me with a gentle smile on his lips.
“Time has no meaning for us. Existing as long as we have, the feeling of falling in love and
maintaining that connection is over in the blink of an eye. Many of us fall in love with children at first
sight.”
“For us, the whole thing is over in a flash. But for you mortals, it can last your whole lifetime.”
My eyes open wide as Lord Miach and Lord Hermes bring their thoughts to a conclusion. They’re
immortal, and their time with us is very limited…Basically, we’re gone in a matter of seconds to them.
It’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard, so why do both of them look so content?
“I won’t say you have to, but…please accept a deity’s feelings for you.”
Lord Miach closes his eyes.
“Bell, you have a partner in mind, do you not?”
“I-I, um…”
“There is no need to apologize or grovel for being led in circles by a deity’s wishes. Follow your
heart—that’s enough.”
My body starts trembling, when suddenly Lord Miach reaches out and—Pat.
He lightly pats my head.
“Just…have faith. That’s all you need.”
He continues speaking and ruffling my hair at the same time.
“I’m sure that many gods will be satisfied with that.”
“…”
He adds one more thing: “Please don’t run away from a deity’s love.”
I can decline it, I can accept it, but I must not be afraid of it. That look in his eyes, the tone of his
voice, it’s like he can see right through me.
He stands a bit taller than me. So I look up into his gaze, my eyes quivering.
But no words come out, and I look at my feet.
Lord Miach doesn’t say anything to put the blame on me or make me feel guilty. He just silently stands
there, gently patting my head. My eyes trace the pattern of the stones again, my heart riding an emotional
roller coaster.
Lord Hermes watches us with a smile. Neither of them pushes for any answer, and I gladly accept their
kindness. The three of us stand in silence.

“Damn that thick skull of his!”
Hestia held her tearful eyes high as she walked through the streets of Orario at a brisk pace.
Passing through Central Park, she made her way onto North Main Street. Careful to avoid the fully
armored adventurers on their way to the Dungeon, she’d traveled a great distance since storming out of the
manor that morning.
“It’s all because Bell has too much respect for deities. I mean, sure, it’s great being revered and all,
but…!”
Her rambling voice was loud enough for anyone passing by to hear. Oblivious to the fact that she was
quickly becoming the center of attention, Hestia voiced her grievances about Bell without slowing down.
“It’s not like we’re all that great! Slacking off the first chance we get, cooping up in our rooms eating
Jyaga Maru Kun…We get tired of keeping up the godly image!”
No, that’s just you. All the humans and demi-humans in earshot had the same thought and the same
expression as the youthful goddess passed by.
“‘Other gods are so easily entertained, laughing at the simplest things! But they’re deities, so they must
be revered!’ That’s exactly what you’d say, isn’t it?”
“I-I would…?”
Hestia howled at an animal person, a complete stranger who was unfortunate enough to be in her line
of sight.
“He would, he would,” the young goddess grumbled to herself, eyes closed as she nodded. The
citizens of Orario were used to the crazy ramblings of gods and goddesses and went about their business
without a second thought.
“You can open up to me, Bell! Don’t apologize so much!…Have a spine, would you?”
The words exploded out of her mouth before she whispered the last ones.
However, all her ramblings blended into the everyday noise of the busy street.
“Stubborn, blockheaded rabbit head.” Complaints and random words continued to pour out of her
mouth as Hestia stomped her way through the main street.
“Oh! Hestia! Perfect timing!”
“Hnnh…? Boss lady?”
Sighing with every step, Hestia suddenly came to a halt when she heard someone call her name.
Looking up, she saw a rather pudgy animal woman waving her arms by the entrance to one of the side
streets.
It was one of the women who worked at the same Jyaga Maru Kun street stand as she did.
“Is something wrong?”
“Well, you see, the owner sent me out to pick up a shipment of herbs that we use to make the potato
puffs. It’s outside the wall right now…”
“Herbs? Can’t you just buy them at the market?”
“No, it’s too expensive. And we’re shorthanded as it is…”
The woman gave Hestia an apologetic bow as the goddess scratched her cheek.
Today was supposed to be my day off, too…she thought to herself, but also knew that there was
nothing to do at home even if she did go back. She arrived at the conclusion that she might as well help
out.
Agreeing to help brought a smile to her coworker’s face as she bowed again a few more times.
“But you know, lady, I’m also the head of a familia, so I can’t pass through the city gate.”
“Ah, forgot about that…”
Hestia remarked as the two of them pushed the cart full of boxes and other tools straight north through

the looming city wall and the gate built into it.
It was difficult for the adventurers of Orario, or anyone belonging to a familia, including the head god
or goddess, to leave the city.
That was because it would have a direct effect on Orario’s battle strength as a whole. Many problems
would arise if, for some reason, high-level adventurers who had honed their skills in the Dungeon—
adventurers belonging to Loki Familia, for example—were to leave the city and ally themselves with a
rival faction.
The main reason Orario was called the “Center of the World” was because the world’s most powerful
individuals protected it. The Guild was extremely alert to the constant threats to the city and the threat of
losing the protection provided by top-class adventurers to any of the surrounding countries. Therefore,
anyone belonging to one of the city’s various familias—especially high-ranking ones—had to go through a
rigorous screening process and mountains of red tape in order to pass through the gate. They were
particularly strict with deities. Even if their followers should leave the city, a hostage situation would
surely follow if enemy forces captured a god. With the one glaring exception of Hermes Familia, it would
be safe to say that no one could freely pass through the gate whenever they wished.
Entering the city was simple; exiting was far more difficult.
It was one of Orario’s unwritten rules that everyone who lived inside its walls accepted.
“I’ll go as far as the wall, but I can’t help much after that…”
Hestia Familia was on the up and up and already recognized as a middle-ranking familia by the Guild.
As the head of said familia, Hestia doubted that she would be able to pass through the gate right away.
The two of them arrived at an open staging area where countless merchants and horse-drawn taxis lined
up in front of the gate as Hestia explained her situation.
In front of the imposing north gate, Guild employees, adventurers belonging to familias that worked
closely with them, and two gatekeepers were busy inspecting the people attempting to pass through the
barrier separating outside from in. Should anyone try to go through the gate without a valid pass issued by
the Guild, they would be arrested and restrained on the spot.
Hestia and the woman she worked with joined a group of five more of their coworkers waiting in line.
It was still a small group for such a big job. Each of them had their gate passes ready. However, the news
that Hestia wouldn’t be much help made the animal woman put her hand to her cheek in contemplation.
This could be a problem.
—All of a sudden, the staging area came alive with cheers and applause.
“Huh?” muttered a surprised Hestia as she turned to have a look.
“It is I! I am Ganesha!”
“Oh, it’s just Ganesha.”
The god was unmistakable. His rich, masculine voice, combined with his overwhelming presence,
made him impossible to miss as he came in from outside the gate.
His dark skin, long black hair, and perfectly toned muscles were one thing, but the elephant mask
hiding his face from view caught the most attention.
The god in command of the largest familia in Orario, its membership including many upper-class
adventurers, appeared on the scene. The citizens and merchants present to witness his entrance welcomed
him with smiles and applause. Even Hestia’s coworkers waited happily as the deity approached.
“Do I spy with my own eyes—Hestia?!”
“You don’t have to announce your every thought to the world, Ganesha. But why are you here? Wasn’t
your familia called out into battle?”
Ganesha’s group approached Hestia, and he struck a bizarre pose.

“Dismount!” he yelled from his seat on top of a horse being led by two of his followers, and hopped
down to the stone pavement.
“It would take a long time to explain, but the war is coming to an end. So I have returned.”
“That didn’t take long at all.”
“I also brought the captured Rakian soldiers with me. There are so many that we couldn’t keep them
all in the forward camps.”
“Oh? But are you sure it’s okay to be back here? Your familia is huge, the backbone of the Alliance
forces, isn’t it?”
“There is no need to worry about the tide of battle! My strongest followers, my ultimate fighters, are
still holding the line! They deemed me to be a nuisance and asked me to come back early!”
“Is that the way your children treat you?”
“Well, I am Ganesha!”
Ganesha’s masculine voice thundered around the square as he struck yet another unusual pose. Hestia
was losing patience fast.

Hestia had been on good terms with many deities while in Tenkai and was familiar with the mask-
wearing god. It might be better to say that she couldn’t ignore his overwhelming presence and did her best

to tolerate it.
She wasn’t the only one. Ganesha’s two bodyguards massaged their temples as they endured their
god’s quirks. This time, Ganesha was the one to ask a question.
“So then, Hestia, what brings you out this way?”
“Well, this and that and a few other things.”
She gave him a quick summary. Ganesha smiled, his pearly white teeth flashing in the sunlight.
“If that is the problem, I grant you permission myself! Go, Hestia, you may pass!”
“Wait, Lord Ganesha!”
His bodyguards immediately turned to their god, objecting on the spot as Hestia watched in surprise.
“What are you saying? We can’t issue permission for something like this behind the Guild’s back…!”
“I am the God of the Masses, Ganesha! Jyaga Maru Kun are bundles of joy that bring tears of
happiness to the eyes of the people! Should they be unable to eat a single one, tears of sadness will be
shed this night! I cannot allow such a travesty to befall the children!”
“Have you gone insane?” yelled one of his bodyguards as the two of them tried desperately to reason
with him, but Ganesha showed no signs of conceding.
Ganesha was definitely one of the most bizarre deities in Orario, but as the cheers and applause
erupting from the crowd around him proved, he was also one of the most trusted. Faith in him ran deep.
As his title “God of the Masses” showed, the people of Gekai were rather fond of Ganesha. His
familia allied with the Guild, they were known for assisting in many events around Orario, as well as
providing security and maintaining the peace. Even one of the guards standing at the north gate belonged
to Ganesha Familia, although he was trying to hide that fact at the moment.
Ganesha’s voice was easily heard over the din in the staging area, meaning the guards heard every
word. Their faces went blank.
“If the Guild finds out, they won’t let this slide with a warning!”
“Then they don’t have to know, Follower A!”
“They already know! How many of their employees do you think are here right now? And my name is
Modak!”
Quite a few sparks flew between the god and his bodyguards, but they were unable to convince him to
back down. The two gave up, their heads drooping in silence.

Ganesha turned to Hestia and stuck his right thumb high into the air.
“Are you sure this is okay, Ganesha?”
“Of course. You are not a goddess with a taste for disorder but one who brings cheer to the children of
Gekai! Now, go!”
A beaming smile appeared beneath his elephant mask. Hestia blushed awkwardly and gave him a
thumbs-up in return.
Ganesha’s bodyguards smiled tiredly as the frowning Guild employees allowed Hestia to pass through
the gate along with her coworkers.
“Lord Ganesha is one weird fellow, but I must say he’s a great god!”
“Yeah, I guess. Hard on the ears, but a good guy.”
Hestia chatted with the animal woman as they joined the line of merchants and travelers heading
through the colossal gate structure. Her coworkers were still talking about the “unique” god in the
elephant mask who had captured the hearts of so many citizens when the group took its first step outside
the city.
A vast green plain opened up in front of them on either side of the road leading off into the distance.
Mountains lined the distant horizon. A lush green forest could be seen at their base.
It might rain soon, thought Hestia as she looked up at the clouds gathering in the northern sky.
“I still can’t believe you actually went through with this. What if we’re discovered…?”
“I’m restraining my divine aura. No one will be able to tell that I’m a god!”
“Keep your voice down! Trying to get inside during broad daylight with this much security? Are you
out of your mind…?”
A heated argument drifted into their ears.
Turning their heads, the group saw a line of people on the opposite side of the gate waiting to go
inside. At the front of the long, snaking line were two tall men wearing hooded robes. Their faces were
well hidden. Looking like travelers, they blended in very well with the many people who wore the same
style robe behind them in line. For some reason, both voices were crackling with nervous energy.
Merchants in line behind the two men gave one another confused looks as they listened to the
conversation. “I suppose those types of people are everywhere in the world…” remarked the animal
woman next to Hestia. The goddess, however, couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious.
Then, when Hestia’s group was about to walk past the hooded travelers…
““Huh?””
Her eyes met those of one of the men in the middle of the argument.
Strands of golden hair like a lion’s mane were sticking out of his hood, and she knew she’d seen red
eyes like that somewhere before.
The power in his gaze made her come to a halt. He, too, fell silent with his mouth half open.
Three seconds passed.
“—Ares?!”
“—Hestia?!”
The god and the goddess pointed at each other, yelling at the same time.
Hestia was stunned that she was face-to-face with the god who was trying his damnedest to invade the
Labyrinth City, and Ares couldn’t believe his luck that the target of his last-ditch plan had literally come
to him.
Ares’s red eyes flashed during Hestia’s bout with disbelief.
He kicked off the ground, charging forward.
“Gotcha !”

“GuWAHHH!”
Ares lunged and tackled Hestia.
Eyes going wide, she was knocked out of the line of her coworkers by the god’s perfectly timed strike.
The two tumbled across the grass until Ares regained his footing and lifted Hestia over his shoulder.
“BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Did you see that, Marius? Objective complete!”
“N-no way…!”
Ares removed his hood as he called out to the human, Marius.
“Uwhhh…” The young goddess was barely conscious, her eyes spinning as she lay bent over his
shoulder. He roughly adjusted her position and looked back at his followers.
“All forces, full retreat!”
With that, the “travelers” in the snaking line pushed their way out and took off at full speed.
It was pandemonium. Of course, the guards came rushing to the scene right away, but Marius led a
counterstrike against them with sword in hand. The guards were vastly outnumbered.
Screams erupted from the crowd.
“Mission complete! Fall back, fall back!”
Ares took one look at the battle before running away with Hestia firmly in his grasp.
His allies—the soldiers of Rakia—broke off their attack and followed their god.
“Oh, no! Hestia!”
Her coworkers screamed at the top of their lungs as they saw Ares mount a horse like a valiant knight
and race off into the distance.

“Where have you been, Lord Hermes?”
A woman with short aqua-blue hair roars at Lord Hermes. He’s walking right next to me, so seeing her
storm up to us makes me jump back in surprise.
After talking for a little while, I thought it might be a good idea to keep looking for the goddess. Lord
Miach and Lord Hermes kindly offered their assistance. I feel kind of guilty for dragging them into this,
but there was no reason to refuse their offer. So we’d been walking together for a little while when Asfi, a
member of Hermes Familia, shows up out of breath and angry as hell.
Lord Hermes looks very uncomfortable as Asfi holds her glasses on her face with one hand to keep
them from falling off while she unleashes her tirade.
“You said to follow you, but then disappeared to who knows where…!”
“Well, um, you see, I heard something interesting and just…”
“Just what?”
“Ah, never mind. Sorry!”
Overwhelmed by his follower’s fury, Hermes offers a flat apology, his face glistening with sweat.
Only after gaining a moral victory over her god does Asfi notice we are here, too. “My apologies for
that unsightly display…” She bows to us as Lord Miach and I smile weakly.
Straightening up, she adjusts her glasses over her blue eyes.
“If you don’t mind my asking, what were you doing with this more-trouble-than-he’s-worth deity of
mine?”
“Ehh, um…Well…”
An excessive amount of sweat rolls down my back as I start to explain the situation, when suddenly…
The echoes of many hurried footsteps reach my ears.

“—What’s that?”
What I see when I turn leaves me speechless.
There’s a group of demi-humans in full armor and weapons, metallic clanks echoing with every move.
What’s more, there’s a blond-haired, golden-eyed female knight among them.
“M-Miss Aiz?!”
“It’s you…”
Aiz, saber in hand, responds to my startled cry.
She stops for a moment, and I get a clear view of her silver breastplate and gauntlets. She’s even
equipped with shoulder armor. There’s no doubt she’s dressed for battle. So are the other members of
Loki Familia running with her.
I’ve never seen a group of battle-ready adventurers running through the city streets in formation. The
same must be true for Lord Miach, Lord Hermes, and Asfi, because the tension in the air strikes all of us
dumb.
Aiz looks directly at me, and I see her lips move.
“All of you, come with us.”
“Itty-Bitty’s been snatched!”
Orario, north gate.
Loki’s voice echoed through the staging area in front of the gate on the north edge of the city wall.
She was not alone. The general of her familia, the prum Finn, along with several more of her
followers and even a few gods, had gathered.
“That’s right! Some strange god carried Hestia away…!”
“A group of Rakia’s soldiers was mixed in with the travelers! They all scattered as soon as Hestia
was taken!”
The pudgy animal person and a Guild employee were on the verge of panic as they explained the
situation.
Everything had happened about ten minutes ago. Guild employees had been dispatched to deliver the
news all over Orario right away. It went without saying Guild Headquarters was informed, but the
messengers also visited the homes of powerful familias. From there, word spread to the gods and down
the ranks to lower-class adventurers. However, due to the fact that not much time had passed, only Loki
and Finn’s small group had arrived on the scene.
Merchants and travelers trying to exit or enter the city excitedly talked among themselves when Loki
arrived. “Dahh…” The goddess pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to stave off a headache as
she looked up at the sky.
“Finn.”
“Sorry. I can’t predict what gods will do…”
Loki glanced at Finn, clearly wanting to say something. The prum man wiped the side of his face with
his hand.
The actions of Hestia and Ares were impossible for mere mortals to comprehend. Being forced to
come along for the ride had taken its toll on “Braver,” his face showing signs of stress.
“So tell me…What genius let Itty-Bitty through the gate in the first place? Oh, was it you, Ganesha?”
“…I-I am Ganesha?”
“Hey, where’s yer usual spunk?”
Loki’s bad mood was apparent in her glare. Ganesha shrank back, striking a meek pose.
The usually energetically loud deity was barely audible as he explained the sequence of events that led

up to Hestia’s capture.
“So then, you bein’ an idiot, you let her through the gate?”
“Uh, yes.”
“That mask stranglin’ yer brain? It looks stupid enough, ya don’t hafta go actin’ the part, ya mondo
moron!”
“…Because I…I am Ganesha!”
“I wasn’t askin’!”
“Guild, y’all take ’im away!” Loki yelled at the uniformed gate guards.
“Noooo!” wailed Ganesha, his head in his hands. Meanwhile, his bodyguards and members of his
familia working with the Guild glared at him with “We told you so” written all over their faces.
“Jyaga Boobies, why you gotta go an’ make things harder than they gotta be…?”
After taking a look around at the injured gate guards lying on the ground, Loki looked up into the sky
and spat her own dissatisfaction into the air.
“Rakia kidnapped Itty-Bitty…meanin’ they’re after the Crozzo Magic Swords again?”
“Looks like it. Most likely, they’ll demand magic swords or Welf Crozzo himself in exchange for her
release…No matter what we do, a rift will divide Orario.”
The City of Orario wasn’t a united fortress. Even if the Guild were to use all the resources at its
disposal to drive Rakia away, the deities closest to Hestia—especially the powerful and influential
Hephaistos Familia—would object to how the situation was handled, and the city would be split into two
different camps. If worse came to worst, these divisions would expose them to threats from other
countries and cities.
“Losing our advantage in such a stupid manner could really hurt our reputation…” mumbled Finn
under his breath.
“We must retrieve Goddess Hestia before the enemy forces reach their own territory. Failure to do so
could be catastrophic.”
“Dahh, damn! Why do I gotta be the one to clean up Itty-Bitty’s mess?”
Finn frowned as he started to explain what could happen while Loki tugged at her hair next to him.
More adventurers and gods were arriving at the scene, their reactions to the grave situation ranging
from concern to the interested glee of the deities. A strategic meeting got under way immediately.
“Loki, Finn.”
“Hey, Aiz, you’re here. What about Riveria and the twins?”
“I’m the only one. And…”
Loki Familia’s other top-class adventurers hadn’t been at home when the messenger explained the
news, meaning that Aiz was the first one to arrive. She had brought a group of her lower-ranking allies
with her, along with Hermes, Asfi, Miach, and lastly, Bell.
As if pulled forward by Aiz’s sweeping gaze, Bell rushed up to Loki and Finn with fire in his veins.
“Is…is it true? Lady Hestia’s been kidnapped…?”
“…I’ll give you the short version. Bell Cranell, listen up.”
Aiz had partially brought the boy up to speed but had been missing several details. Finn concisely
filled in the blanks. Bell was white as a sheet by the time Finn’s explanation was complete.
“Where is she now?”
“We don’t know. To make matters worse, Rakia’s forces dispersed into three groups going north, west,
and east respectively. No one has been dispatched to hunt them down as of yet.”
Bell leaned forward, his eyes begging for more information. Finn’s calm demeanor didn’t falter as he
answered.

“There’s one other obstacle that I hate to admit,” said Finn as he led into the next piece of information.
Since Orario’s familias were largely forbidden to exit the city wall, Rakia’s forces in the middle of
executing their sixth invasion were much more familiar with the geography surrounding the city.
“They might know the best roads, passages through the mountains, and secret shortcuts that will allow
them to reenter their territory as quickly as possible. Catching up with their main army will be extremely
difficult,” he continued.
Color drained from Bell’s face with each passing word. Hermes was listening, too, and nudged Miach
with his shoulder.
“It might be a good idea to tell Lilly and the other kiddos,” he quietly whispered into the other deity’s
ear. Miach gave a quick nod and turned in the direction of Hearthstone Manor.
“—Loki, Finn. I’ll go.”
Aiz could see the beginnings of panic appearing on Bell’s face, and she stepped in front of him.
The Sword Princess was known for her aloof nature. Stepping forward like this not only caught her
god and allies by surprise, but even the surrounding adventurers donned shocked expressions.
“Hold up, Aizuu. Ya don’t need to go outta yer way to bail out Itty-Bitty. The search is gonna be one
hell of a pain in the ass, combing the forest and whatnot as it is…”
“But someone must go.”
“Ughh…”
“And the fastest one here is me.”
Loki flinched with every point Aiz made. The blond girl’s eyes were serious and focused as she made
an unrefutable argument.
Even if pitted head to head against her general, Finn, Aiz would win in a foot race. No one was able to
object to this suggestion from one of Orario’s best top-class adventurers.
As for Bell…
Despite not having much involvement with Hestia, the resoluteness in Aiz’s expression stirred
something within him. Even his heart was trembling.
Setting all his fears and reservations aside, Bell stepped forward, even with Aiz’s shoulder.
“I-I’ll go, too! I will…I will bring my goddess back!”
Bell took another step forward, closer to Loki than Aiz.
The goddess hadn’t said anything to Bell, quietly observing the boy since his arrival. Now she turned
to address him directly.
“Weren’t ya listenin’, boy? Aiz already said she’d go. Ya fixin’ to hold her back?”
“…!”
“Think! What’s yer Level? Ya know how far ya are behind. Hold yer tongue.”
One at Level 3, the other at Level 6.
There was quite a gap between Bell and Aiz, with the latter being many times stronger. It was as
simple as that.
It was the truth, but Loki’s cool tone hit Bell like a smack in the face. Sensing that the up-and-coming
“Rookie” had a connection with one of her own, she opened her vermilion eyes slightly more than usual
as she watched the gears turning in the boy’s head.
Her words sent Bell reeling, unable to respond—but his hands clenched into fists.
Bracing his shoulders, he roared with a might that even a goddess had to acknowledge.
“I’m going! The goddess—Lady Hestia is part of my family!”
Bell’s ruby-red eyes flashed, burning with sheer willpower. All he saw was the task at hand; nothing
else mattered. He channeled that determination into his voice.

“I won’t hold her back! I swear I will keep up with her every step! So please…LET ME DO THIS!”
His voice went hoarse with desperation. The many other conversations occurring at the staging area
were overpowered by his plea as it hung in the air.
The few deities present, as well as the other adventurers, all craned their necks to see what was going
on. Despite Bell’s display of willpower and conviction, Loki didn’t grant her permission.
Nor did she refuse.
“ Do whatever ya want. You’ll only just hold her back anyway. Aiz, feel free to ditch ’im
anytime.”
“…Understood.”
A few heartbeats passed before Aiz responded to her goddess. Bell, who couldn’t believe that the
goddess had allowed him to accompany Aiz in the pursuit of Hestia, threw his body into a deep bow and
yelled, “Thank you so much!”
Standing up again, the boy made eye contact with Aiz. Both shared a nod and exchanged mutual gazes
of encouragement. With that settled, the strategy meeting picked up speed.
The other adventurers went to the Guild employees to ask them to look the other way just this once and
allow large groups through the gate without passes. There was no time to wait for Guild Headquarters to
fill out the necessary paperwork, and the Guild employees present understood that—or rather, they were
forced to understand and nodded.
“I am Ganesha!” The god’s loud voice led the confused merchants and citizens away from the staging
area as the adventurers quickly gathered information about the possible routes Rakia’s army might be
using to retreat.
“There aren’t enough people here to send out other search parties after Aiz and Bell. Unfortunately,
there’s no time to wait for Bete or the twins. We’ll lose sight of the target.”
“Trackin’ down all the factions is gonna make everyone dead on their feet. Like I said before, we’re
gonna hafta comb the forest…”
One god overheard Finn and Loki’s conversation as they tried to come up with the most efficient way
to track down Hestia. He stepped forward.
“Could you leave that detail to me?”
Lifting his feathered hat off his orange hair and tipping it in her direction, Hermes flashed his charming
smile.
“God Hermes…”
“Asfi here can find Hestia’s location without much trouble.”
“ What?!”
Keeping his gaze on Finn, Hermes reached around and grabbed Asfi by the shoulder, dragging her
forward with a grin on his lips. His follower had no idea what was going on, but Hermes said it with the
utmost confidence.
“That right? So, Dandy Man, what gives ya that idea…?”
“Come now, Loki. Asfi is Perseus—the Perseus. She has a few tricks up her sleeve that can find our
wayward goddess. All you have to do is ask.”
Loki cocked an eyebrow in suspicion as Hermes put extra emphasis on Asfi’s title.
The head of Hermes Familia and possessor of the Advanced Ability “Enigma” looked at Finn and the
group gathered around them, sighing as if the deepest part of her soul had grown tired of this.
Then Asfi straightened her spine, making her short blue hair and white scarf flutter as she adjusted her
glasses.
“…If I have thirty minutes, I most likely can.”

Finn looked at her with a scrutinizing eye and licked the base of his right thumb. “All right.” He
decided to put his faith in her. Loki intertwined her fingers behind her head, smiling as if interested in
seeing what Asfi could do.
Spare armor and equipment were being brought into the staging area left and right. Bell hastily armed
himself while listening to their conversation. Hermes noticed the surprise on the boy’s face and went to
his side.
“This isn’t much, but I’ll do what I can to help. Bell, Kenki, bring Hestia back safe and sound.”
He said he didn’t want this to be the way he had to say good-bye to her.
Bell was moved by Hermes’s gesture to help a friend in need. He and Aiz next to him both nodded
right away.
“I will!”
“Understood.”
As if it had been waiting for the adventurers to depart, the colossal gate opened once again to beckon
them forth.

“Lady Hestia was…?!”
The members of Hestia Familia were shocked to hear the news once Miach arrived at their doorstep.
They were standing on the front lawn, the main door wide open. Mikoto cried out, but it didn’t take
Welf ten seconds to figure out the reason why his goddess had been abducted. It left him speechless.
Fists trembling, the words “You bastards…!” hissed from between clenched teeth.
Now the goddess had been drawn into his family problem. Haruhime watched him in silence, a look of
concern on her face as the young man’s blood boiled. Meanwhile, Lilly rushed up to Miach with a sense
of urgency.
Looking up at the tall god, she asked:
“Where is Mr. Bell right now?”
“At the city’s north gate, awaiting Hestia’s No.”
Miach stopped midsentence and took back his words. He then turned to look north.
Narrowing his eyes as he stared off into the distance, the look on the boy’s face before he left fresh in
his memory, he amended his statement.
“He’s left the north gate to go find Hestia himself by now.”
Whistling wind and running feet.
Two adventurers, one with long blond hair and the other with short white hair, navigated a steep
mountain road at a speed that average people could never dream of achieving.
Directly north from Orario was the Beor Mountain Range.
It was known for steep drop-offs and incredibly dangerous paths. Clearing one mountain peak only
brought several more peaks into view. For that reason, it had been dubbed the “Mountain Castle.” Since it
was located so close to the Dungeon entrance, monsters that had come to the surface during the Ancient
Times had taken up residence among its countless peaks, resulting in the area being referred to as evil.
That reputation and the rugged terrain meant that adventurers hardly came out this way, even during the
modern age.
The mountains themselves bore almost no vegetation, their ash-colored rocky surfaces completely

exposed. However, the areas between the sharp cliffs in the deep valleys were filled with green. One
look toward the horizon showed many stark mountaintops separated by grand cliff sides and brilliant
forests.
Bell and Aiz ran through the unforgiving terrain of the Beor Mountain Range underneath a gray sky.
It went without saying that wild animals and even the occasional threatening monster were quick to get
out of their path.
One large-class monster, a bug bear, recklessly charged them but was dispatched by the girl’s saber,
sliced in half in the blink of an eye.
Monsters on the surface were much weaker than their brethren within the Dungeon. Even so, the only
sound Bell could hear as he ran by the carcass still spewing blood into the air was the incessant pounding
of his own heart.
“!”
As he gasped for breath, sweat flying off his pumping arms, his legs were a blur beneath him.
Bell pushed his body to the limit, yet the female knight at the edge of his vision was putting even more
distance between them.
So fast!
The moment they left Orario, Aiz had blazed forward with the strength of a gale wind, nearly knocking
him off his feet.
The difference in their physical abilities was plain. The stark gap between them was even more
evident by the time they had entered the mountain range.
She never once lost her balance on the rising and falling slopes, had enough leg strength to shatter the
rock face with each step, and possessed a seemingly limitless amount of endurance and power. The truly
scary thing about this display was that not a single droplet of sweat had been shed despite her vigorous
pace.
The distance between Bell and the top-class adventurer continued to increase. He had been confident
in his Agility, but by this point it had been shattered and ground into dust. No matter how hard he pushed,
her back kept getting smaller in the distance.
“HaAH…HAaa…haaa…gah…haah…!”
No matter how much of the cool, crisp mountain air he tried to pull into his lungs, it was no use.
Leg muscles pushed to their upper limit, arms pumping with all his might, eyes bone dry from the wind
howling past his face, he cried out. Even squeezing every bit of strength out of his body couldn’t prevent
the girl from going farther and farther into the distance. It was brutal.
Kenki, Aiz Wallenstein. Bell’s goal, his idol. A flower blooming on the top of a mountain far above.
He could clearly see the distance, the canyon that separated them.
A difference in pure strength that he never even tasted during training sessions with her on top of the
city wall.
His current standing, as well as hers, was a visual demonstration of how far above him she actually
was.
Thinking he was closing the gap seemed like nothing more than a joke at this point. He wasn’t any
closer to that higher plane where she resided; he simply had a better view of it. The path to that summit in
front of him was high, extremely steep.
His conviction to save Hestia compelled him to try to stay at her pace, but his body was already
screaming in protest. It couldn’t hold out much longer.
Lungs and throat burning with pain more intense than he’d ever felt before, Bell could tell that his legs
were about to give out—when suddenly…

Aiz looked back at him.
“ ”
The side of her face barely peeked over her shoulder.
She didn’t bother slowing down to check on him.
She watched the boy’s shoulders pitifully heave up and down as he gasped for breath for a few
moments, before increasing her pace.
—She was holding back.
“!!”
Seeing that lit a new fire within Bell, his whole body flaring up.
Shame and a desire not to lose provided the spark. His pride as a man served as the fuel.
An intense desire to not look like a pathetic fool fanned the flames in his heart into a thundering roar.
Legs on the verge of giving up were suddenly revitalized. Bell kicked the ground with enough power to
crack the rocks in his path, determined to catch up with her.
Expecting a battle, other adventurers had graciously provided him with armor—a breastplate, with
shoulder and back armor. He tore them all from his body and tossed them away. The pieces of metal
tumbled down the mountainside in his wake.
Feeling a bit lighter than before, Bell pushed himself to the brink yet again and managed to gain some
ground.
“…”
Aiz silently watched the surges of emotion on the boy’s face as he desperately tried to keep pace with
her footsteps.
The female knight’s delicate, doll-like expression didn’t change as she turned forward again. Placing
her faith in the boy, she increased her speed.
After a moment of stunned shock, the boy followed suit, zipping through the mountainscape like a deft
white rabbit in a frantic dash to keep up.
Bell following behind her, Aiz raced up the rugged terrain and happened to cast her gaze toward the
sky.
Drip. A single droplet of moisture ran down her face. Thick gray clouds blocked out the sun overhead.
The mountainside became dotted with the first sprinkles of rain. Aiz couldn’t have cared less, but her
golden eyes spotted something else and focused.
A white shadow was circling in the sky, its wings open wide.
“BAH-HA-HA-HA-HA! At last, Orario will get what’s coming to them!”
Deep in the Beor Mountain Range, Ares’s triumphant howl echoed through a mountain road
overlooking a beautiful green valley.
The battalion of about thirty soldiers was all dressed to look like travelers. Rakia’s main strike force
accompanied their god through the twisting mountain roads and had already put a great deal of distance
between themselves and the City of Orario. Every so often, a monster would jump out from behind a
boulder or from inside a cave, but the Level 2 captains and the Level 3 generals demonstrated why they
were the pride of Rakia and quickly dispatched it.
Ares watched these battles from atop his horse, in extremely high spirits as his followers protected
him.
“Hey! Ares! What’s the big idea? Put me down right now! There are boundaries to what you can and
can’t do, even if we’ve known each other since Tenkai!”
“Shut your powerless mouth, puny goddess! You are nothing more than a hostage to be exchanged for

the Crozzo boy! Consider it an honor to have a role to play in my grand design!”
“Who you calling puny, you jerk?!”
Hestia, tied to the back plate of Ares’s armor, furiously swung her arms and legs about in every
direction.
Tying the ropes himself, Ares had forced her to come with them. The young goddess lacked the
strength to loosen the tight ropes, let alone break free. The most she could do was squirm, kick, and
punch, but…“Sit still!!” roared Ares as he drove his heavily armored elbow into her ribs.
“UGHFF!” She groaned in anguish. “So I’m a hostage, am I…?”
Hestia had been almost knocked unconscious when she was captured, but now that she could tell left
from right, she understood her situation.
Knowing that pitching in at her part-time job had led to this was a hard pill to swallow, and it filled
her with regret. Orario was probably descending into chaos at this very moment.
“Don’t go thinking you’ll get away with this! Bell—all the adventurers of Orario will catch up to you
in no time!”
“Will they, now? Our strike forces split into three battalions, all of us executing several maneuvers to
cover our tracks. Can they find the right one?”
“Ugh…”
“Take a look around, this is the Beor Mountains! We’re so far in that victory was almost assured the
moment we made it through the last pass.”
They had divided their forces in an effort to confuse their pursuers. It was highly unlikely that their
location would be discovered overnight. Ares pushed his point even further by saying that the treacherous
terrain would bar search parties, thereby increasing the amount of time it would take to thoroughly search
the mountains. She had no chance of being rescued.
“Uga-ga-gahh…! Then at least carry me like the prize that I am! Your armor keeps poking me! It really
hurts, you know?”
“It’s not my fault that I can’t trust my cowardly, worthless soldiers after a series of unthinkable
blunders! I get no pleasure from having a useless goddess like you strapped to my back! You’ll
contaminate me!”
Hestia continued yelling at the top of her lungs without denying Ares’s claim. But the god didn’t back
down, saying they should share the discomfort.
Her back strapped to his and the ropes pulling every joint, she was in considerable pain. Eyes filled
with tears, she howled, “What do you take me for?”
Although they knew each other from their time in Tenkai, Ares had been fond of causing disorder,
while Hestia was known for keeping to herself and finding her own entertainment. Being so different,
these two would never see eye to eye.
Marius walked next to the two crude divine beings, who were having an argument for the ages.
“Haaah…” He let out a long sigh.
“…Looks like rain.”
Drip. A raindrop ran down the bridge of his nose, prompting Marius to look up to the sky.
He was right. The gray clouds overhead started to open, and sheets of rain descended from the
heavens. Within moments, a light drizzle had escalated to a downpour. Travelers’ cloaks and warriors’
armor soaked through in a matter of moments.
The same was true for Hestia and Ares. “Ak-choo!” The young goddess’s entire body spasmed as a
sneeze came screaming out of her nostrils.
“Prince Marius, it would be wise to halt our advance and seek shelter from the rain…I worry for Lord

Ares’s health.”
“No…I’d like to proceed to the northern border. Don’t forget that our enemy is Orario. We mustn’t
leave anything to chance. Also, that boneheaded deity won’t catch a cold. There are more important things
to worry about.”
Marius rejected the advice of a nearby soldier, adding that he didn’t want to run the risk of being
surrounded by monsters at the same time. He pressed on, knowing that every one of the soldiers under his
command carried Ares’s Falna, his Blessing. This amount of rain wasn’t enough to make anyone sick.
Then, out of the corner of his eye…
A strange shadow passed overhead, just close enough to get his attention.
“…A bird?”
The line of fully armored knights looked up into the sky as the falling rain peppered them.
A white shadow was circling just above them, with something that resembled flapping wings
stretching out from its body. A creeping feeling of uneasiness went up Marius’s spine.
The wind was starting to pick up, yet this bird showed no signs of taking cover. Not only that, there
were times when it hovered in one spot. The prince racked his mind, trying to find an explanation, but a
heartbeat later…
“K-KENKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!”
A man screamed as if he had seen the oncoming apocalypse. His voice was loud enough to make
Marius flinch.
“Wha—?”
While he didn’t completely believe the soldier, he hastily turned to face the rear ranks.
They were halfway up the side of a mountain, the road overlooking a cliff. Sure enough, there was a
human figure ascending the steep path at blinding speed.
Wet blond hair stood out like a beacon amid the rocks and rain. Golden eyes locked onto him as water
droplets bounced off the female knight. Marius screamed.
“Holy! Aiz Wallenstein, the Sword Princess!”
“We—WE’RE UNDER ATTAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!”
The blond-haired, golden-eyed knight attacked with a vigor that would have given Tiona, “Amazon the
Slasher,” a run for her money. Her thin saber whistled through the air as she ran headlong into the rear of
their formation. Screams echoed to the mountains, causing Ares and the forward generals to stop and turn
their mounts around to have a look. Marius, however, cast his gaze back to the sky.
As hard as it was for him to believe, his eyes identified golden wings, a white scarf, and the forelimbs
of a person.
That was no bird—but an adventurer.
“Since when did Orario obtain the power to conquer the skies…?”
An “eye in the sky” had nullified the dangerous terrain and spotted them from a distance.
A girl with aqua-blue hair was still circling over their heads, signaling their location. Marius frowned
as the famed Perseus put the immense power of the magic item Talaria, her winged sandals, on display.
A new scream echoed through the mountain range the moment Marius fully comprehended what was
going on.
“GAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
A whirlpool of slashes thrashed soldier after soldier.
One swing of Aiz’s saber sent several of them to the ground or hurtling through the air at once.
The War Princess’s path was paved with shrieks of pain and fear as she bulldozed a trail into the
middle of their formation, where the mounted deity resided with a goddess tied to his back.

“Wall-Wallensomething…?!”
Hestia’s eyes went wide. Ares, on the other hand, donned a ferocious grin.
He thrust out his heavily armored right hand in an attempt to raise the morale of his followers.
“Stand your ground, my soldiers! While this turn of events was unexpected, there is only one enemy,
and we have the mightiest general of the Rakian army on our side! Go, Garyu! Trample that feeble girl
into dust!”
“Lord Ares, Garyu and his battalion have fallen!”
“HE WHAT?!”
It was over in the blink of an eye.
A group of bearded, muscular soldiers literally trembled in their boots in the face of the blond-haired,
golden-eyed knight before collapsing in her wake.
Ares ground his teeth together the moment he spotted his once-proud generals facedown on the ground.
“Damn you! So…so it’s come to this…!”
“Uphh!”
Ares cut the rope that bound Hestia to his back and jumped off his horse.
Hestia fell to the ground in a heap as Ares, free from the unwanted cargo, drew a longsword from a
sheath hanging from the horse’s saddle.
“Come at me, Kenki!! I’ll deal with you myself!”
“…”
“UWAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Ares roared as he charged. Aiz was silent as she kept slashing her way through Rakian soldiers.
Shing! A dull metallic echo rang out. The deity’s longsword had been sliced in half.
“N-not bad…!”
“The hell are you doing?”
Ares paused for a moment, shocked that his weapon had been broken on first contact. Marius
witnessed everything unfold and dove into the fray to protect him.
His moronic god had just attacked a top-class adventurer on impulse. Marius was quickly joined by
every other soldier in the vicinity, forming a wall of muscle and steel in front of Ares. The spot descended
into chaos, swords clashing amid even more shrieks of pain.
“ Goddess!!”
“Ah…Bell!”
A boy charged his way into the mountainside battle.
Following the path that Aiz had cleared, he arrived one step behind her. All the soldiers were busy
contending with the blond knight, and he seized this chance to reach Hestia.
The sight of her follower brought a smile to Hestia’s face. She stood up to greet him but—.
She tripped over the legs of one of the soldiers desperately trying to defend Ares.
“ ”
Pushed backward by the sudden impact, she stumbled toward the cliff that led to the valley below.
Her twin black ponytails seemed to float in midair for a split second before she fell over the side.
Making brief eye contact with Bell, the goddess plunged straight into the gorge overlooking the rough
river rapids below.
“ !!”
Bell kicked off the ground.
Hestia in his sights, he cut through the rain and flew off the edge of the cliff in pursuit.
As the stone face of the mountain whizzed by, her hand reached out. Hestia’s eyes trembled as she saw

Bell hurtling like an arrow toward her and reached up for him.
The moment Bell felt her hand in his, he pulled her against his body and embraced the goddess.
From there, the boy held her tiny body against his chest and plunged straight into the river.
“!!”
Aiz was taking down one soldier after another, but she could still hear the faint sound of a splash from
far below.
She broke away from the battle without a moment’s hesitation and dove over the cliff in pursuit of the
boy and his goddess.
It was a deep gorge, and the mountainside was steep. However, Aiz was close enough to the side to
kick off the rock, and she practically ran down the mountain at breakneck speed.
“Bell Cranell, Aiz Wallenstein…!”
Asfi watched it all unfold from her vantage point in the sky.
She couldn’t hide her surprise at this unforeseen turn of events in their mission to rescue the goddess.
She’d been sent here to mark the location of Rakia’s army using Talaria. She had to go after them but
hesitated for a moment.
Unfortunately, that moment cost her.
“!”
“Forget that goddess! Shoot down the spy in the sky!”
Asfi had drifted close enough to the ledge that she was in range of the chain Marius swiftly threw into
the air. It wrapped around her arm and locked in place.
Hot pain tore through her muscles. Taking her eyes off the gorge and looking at the ledge, she saw
Marius clutching the other end of the chain.
“A mythril chain…!”
“Without her, Orario’s forces have no chance of finding us! We can’t let her escape!”
Marius urgently called out to the few soldiers still able to move after their encounter with Aiz.
Wrapping the immensely sturdy chain around his own arm, Marius was determined not to let Asfi get
away.

“What is the meaning of this?!” roared Ares as several soldiers held him back. However, the second-
in-command had adjusted to the changing circumstances and ordered the rest to eliminate Asfi.

“Marius Victrix Rakia—I had heard you were the son of the Moronic King, but you seem to have a
decent head on your shoulders…!”
“I’ve heard interesting things, too, Perseus! Like how a god stole you, a beautiful young princess, from
an island nation, and how you fell through the ranks of society to become an adventurer! Not as if that
nation would ever admit it!”
The two sides of the tug-of-war antagonized each other.
It was a test of strength between him and an upper-class adventurer. Asfi, on the other hand, gently
smiled at the prince of Rakia, who had displayed superior decision-making ability in battle, and
complimented him. Marius shouted back at the top of his lungs, his expression far less relaxed as he
glared at his airborne opponent. He channeled every ounce of strength into his arms and grip.
“It appears we have much in common—I sense that you have the same rotten luck that I do.”
“—Those eyes! Enough with the sympathy! Don’t look at me as if you know my pain!”
They were both at the mercy of their gods’ whim, often pulled along for a ride they couldn’t control.
Asfi looked down at the man with an empathizing look on her face. It made Marius writhe in agony.
“My prince!” “My prince!” Exhausted soldiers wailed as they surrounded their vice commander,
desperately calling out to him as they moved into position.

Her movement restrained by the rigid chain, Asfi came under fire of countless arrows and magic
spells. Her white scarf torn to shreds and skin covered in burns, Perseus grimaced in pain.
She could feel her hair plastered to her cheeks by the pouring rain. Bell and Aiz were already out of
sight, so she prioritized her own escape from this battle. Dodging another wave of arrows, she withdrew
a vial of blast oil from her holster.
An explosion echoed through the mountain range and drowned out the sounds of battle, until it faded
into the pounding of rain and the river rapids from far below.

The rain’s not letting up.
Waves of water come rushing down the side of the mountain faster and faster, and the storm shows no
signs of lifting whatsoever.
Trapped in a deafening tunnel of sound, swept up by a raging river through the gorge between
mountains, I make my way to the riverbank and manage to lift the goddess up and out of the water. I climb
out next to her in time to see that Aiz has followed us.
I get to my feet, swing the goddess over my back, and we race off along the riverbank.
“How is she?”
“Her body is getting colder and colder! She’s not answering me, either…!”
Even I can hear how close I am to tears, yelling like this.
“Haah…haah…” Her chin is resting on my shoulder, so I can hear the weak breaths coming in and out
of her mouth.
We’re losing body heat. The same is true for Aiz, her soaking-wet armor slick and shiny. But the
goddess and I are much worse off, having actually fallen into the river.
For Aiz and me, this amount of rain is no big deal. Our leveled-up Statuses make our bodies hardy
enough to withstand it. Unfortunately, that’s not true for the goddess. While she survived the plunge into
the river, I can’t feel any heat on my back, and her limbs are limp.
The gods and goddesses came to this world to enjoy a “game,” and therefore they had to follow a set
of rules.

The most important one is that no one can use their divine power, Arcanum. Without those all-
powerful abilities, the deities are physically the same as people without a Blessing, or perhaps even

weaker. Sure, they never age and never die, staying more or less the same for all eternity, but they’re not
immune to the common cold or getting really sick.
I hear it’s all an “adjustment” to enjoy everything that Earth has to offer, or perhaps they’re being
flexible.
“If we don’t find shelter soon…!”
The goddess won’t last long like this. I’ve never heard of Arcanum being activated and the deity
abruptly being sent back to Tenkai because of an illness, but that does nothing to ease her pain.
The current took us pretty far downriver, so I have no idea where we are right now. Aiz being here
isn’t much help as long as we’re stuck out in the rain.
“I could break open the cliff face and make a cave…”
Heat is what I want, not shelter. Every minute the goddess stays this cold puts her in even more danger.
Making fire isn’t the issue; Firebolt can take care of that instantly. The problem is keeping the fire
going. We have to find dry kindling and a protected spot away from the river and out of the rain where we
can rest and recover. There has to be a place like that farther along, I’m sure of it…!

Muscles in my face tense as I listen to Aiz speak and look up at the top of the unbelievably deep gorge.
There’s nothing to obstruct my view of the dark-gray sky as it continues to mercilessly drop an endless
stream of rain on top of us.
“ KIYAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!”
“!”
A high-pitched squawk reaches my ears as we continue to race through the gorge.
Countless shadows descend on us from above and into the path ahead, the sound of flapping feathered
wings accompanying them.
“Harpies!”
The descendants of the original monsters that emerged from the Dungeon millennia ago and settled
here in the Beor Mountain Range are swarming in to attack us!
Harpies: half-human/half-bird, bizarrely female-looking monsters.
They look like women from the waist up, even have breasts. But both forearms are much larger than a
human’s, forming wings the size of shields. Everything from the waist down is covered in dirty feathers.
Just like a hawk or eagle, both legs end with sharp sets of talons.
As for their faces—it would be easy to say they look like a woman’s, but they’re actually quite
different from humanity as a whole.
First off, their mouths are full of sharp fangs, and their skin is riddled with wrinkles. To be blunt,
they’re horrifying. If I have to describe it, I’d say they look like overly obsessed old women. But no, a
wizened old lady is much more beautiful than these things.
Their bodies may be close to what we’re familiar with, but they’re far more revolting than the normal
monsters in the Dungeon. That’s probably because of the putrid smell emanating from their bodies. It
makes me want to rip my nose off my face.
Why now…?
They’re swarming in like birds of prey, stark golden eyes flashing menacingly. I glare back at them and
thrust my right hand forward, taking aim at the middle of the flock of harpies. I’m one breath away from
unleashing my magic when I hear:
“Keep running.”
Wind whistles by my ears.
I hear the unmistakable sound of a sword being removed from its sheath, and my eyes catch a flash of
blond hair. The next thing I know, every harpy in our path falls to the ground in pieces.
Shrill squawks and fountains of blood fill the air. Aiz has sparked confusion among the harpies, and
her eyes sharpen into a glare just as acute as her blade.
“ KAAWWW!”
The air is suddenly flooded with countless black feathers falling to the ground like the rain.
The blond-haired, golden-eyed knight is running up the side of the gorge, dashing through the air, and
slicing her way to the other side so fast I can’t keep up with her. The birds of prey surrounding us on all
sides let out high-pitched squawks as her blade carves them into cold cuts. I do exactly as she tells me
and keep running with the goddess on my back. Meanwhile, there are constant streaks of gold and silver
light going up, down, and all around us like a dome that shreds any monster that gets too close.
It’s like her saber is creating a barrier of protection around us.

I know I’m being protected and all, but seeing her pull this off so easily, it’s impressive and awe-
inspiring at the same time. I’m running as fast as I can, but I can’t help straining my eyes trying to watch

her in action.
—She’s very, very strong. Too strong.

Pa-loosh! Pa-loosh! While I was busy gawking, several de-winged monsters fall into the raging river
and get swallowed up by the waves. I’m dodging carcasses one after another, and there’s no telling how
many hundreds of them are behind me along the riverbank.
The rain washes away the blood splattered against the mountain face.
“…What’s that?”
Then, when the last squawk of the final harpy rings out…
Aiz lands on a boulder not too far in front of me and turns forward, as though she’s noticed something
out of place.
I look in that direction—there’s a light wavering in the distance, a magic-stone lamp. What’s more, it’s
coming this way.
“Hello out there! Anybody here?”
A human voice rises over the crashing waves of the rapids.
Aiz and I exchange glances and nods before rushing off in that direction.

Crackle, crackle. Sounds from the fireplace fill the room.
Everything here is cast in an orange light and flooded with warmth. The heat washes over me,
embracing my cold body in a warm hug. My eyelids get heavy, but I shake my head every time sleep
threatens to overtake me.
The goddess is lying in the bed in front of me, sleeping peacefully. I sit quietly, holding her right hand
with both of mine.
“How is the goddess doing?”
“Ah, Mr. Kam…She’s all right. Fell asleep a little while ago.”
I hear a knock at the door, look up to see an elderly gentleman named Kam, and stand to greet him. A
human girl a little older than me is at his side. “I’m glad,” he says with a smile of relief.
—We came to this place, Edas Village, after we were fortunate enough to run into someone in the
gorge.

Edas Village is located deep in the Beor Mountain Range. Surrounded by steep cliffs, it’s a well-
hidden small town in one of the valleys. Aiz and I were extremely surprised that a place like this existed

when we came to it. Who would’ve thought people lived way out here?
After we explained the situation to the young men who came to check on the river, they brought us
here, and the villagers immediately offered to help. The village elder, Kam, opened his home to us. Not
only is the goddess resting in one of his guest rooms, but he gave me a change of clothes as well.
Words can’t express how grateful I am for his help. I bow to the elder once again.
“I can’t thank you enough. You saved my goddess…”
“Raise your head, young Bell. This is the least I can cough, cough!” He couldn’t finish a sentence
before breaking into a coughing fit.
The girl at his side supports him with both hands as the old man bends over, trying to catch his breath
between coughs. The girl, maybe his daughter, urges him to go back to his room, with a concerned look on
her face.
Kam slowly raises his hand, telling her he’s all right, and gradually stands up straight.
“Um, please don’t push yourself…!”
“No, it’s all right…Bell, please make yourself at home. If you need anything at all, my daughter will

be happy to help. I pray for your goddess’s recovery.”
I take a step toward him, unsure what to do. Even though he’s not healthy, Kam says he’s fine, but he
keeps his eyes on the goddess, still lying in bed.
He has a thin beard and wrinkled face, but there’s something about his eyes. I can tell they’ve seen a
lot, and there’s a mix of complicated emotions running through him right now. He then makes a small bow
to her and says, “May the both of you stay in good health…” before exiting our room with the help of his
daughter.
“I wonder if he’s sick…”
We only just met, but he immediately pulled out all the stops to help us the moment he saw me carrying
the goddess. It’s almost overkill, but I’m extremely grateful for everything he’s done. He’s been so good to
us throughout our time here that the lack of color in his face worries me.
I make my way back to the goddess’s side and catch a glimpse of someone outside the window.
I watch the hooded figure approach for a few moments, trying to make them out in the rain. Once I
realize who it is, I leave the goddess in Kam’s daughter’s care and rush out of the room and to the
entrance of the house.
“Welcome back, Miss Aiz. And, um, thanks for going back out.”
“It’s no problem, and thanks…How is she?”
Aiz takes off the soaking-wet hooded robe in the front hallway, revealing her battle cloth and armor
beneath. I hand her a towel as she asks about the goddess and tell her that she’s in stable condition.
“So, what did you find?”
“Asfi wasn’t there and neither were Rakia’s soldiers…Just the broken weapons and charred aftermath
of battle.”
Aiz went back out to check on what was happening with Rakia’s soldiers as soon as the goddess was
safely inside Edas Village.
She says that she followed the overflowing river upstream to the point where we fell in. The storm had
gotten worse, so she reasoned that Rakia’s soldiers and Asfi had taken shelter somewhere. Whether the
enemy soldiers were biding time to come after the goddess again or had completely given up and gone
home, she didn’t know.
Not only had she been pulled into this mess, but she also protected me the entire time. I apologize for
causing her so much trouble, but she kindly shakes her head and tells me it’s okay.
“We have no way to contact Orario…I don’t think we should hope for rescue.”
Going back to the city would require at least the rest of the night, and to make matters worse, the
weather isn’t cooperating. Getting lost in rugged mountainous terrain is a very real danger, separating her
from us—and Lord Ares’s troops are still out there. They’re strong and numerous enough that she didn’t
want to engage them in battle under these conditions. So Aiz decided to come back to the village for the
time being.
Asfi is an upper-class adventurer, so I’m sure she’s returned to the city and explained what happened
by now…but I highly doubt she knows about a village this far into the mountains, and that we safely
arrived here.
“So then we stay here until the goddess recovers…?”
“Yes, I think that’s best.”
Aiz wipes down her wet hair and neck with the towel as she nods. Her soaked clothing is plastered to
her skin, making it very difficult for me to figure out where to look as I agree with her plan.
The three of us will stay together and move as one. We’ll have to impose on the people of the village
until the goddess is healthy enough to make the journey back to Orario.

I feel bad for making Lilly and the others worry…but it can’t be helped.
Feeling a little guilty about it, I make a plan with Aiz for the next few days.

The goddess opened her eyes the day after we arrived. I was so happy I could cry, but I knew she wasn’t
out of the woods yet. She stayed in bed the rest of that day, as well as all of the next.
Then, on our third morning in Edas Village…
“Sorry…Bell.”
“You’ve already apologized many times, Goddess. I told you, it’s all right.”
I’ve lost count of how many times she’s said sorry while she lies in bed. I’m in my usual spot next to
her, tension leaving my face as I smile. Her color is better this morning. She looks up at me but avoids
making eye contact, as though she’s ashamed of something.
“This is…a nice village, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Everyone is so warm and friendly.”
Edas Village was originally an elf settlement, if you went back far enough in time. Back to the Ancient
Times, from what I’ve heard.
Elves generally don’t like to mingle with other races, so a place like this was perfect for their
isolationist views. But apparently, the way they saw the world began to change about 1,000 years ago.
The arrival of the gods and goddesses on Earth spurred the elvish youth to leave their homeland and
explore the world, while the older elves began to accept people of other races into their village.
People unable to face their own reality, people escaping danger, and young couples eloping from
families who couldn’t accept their love all found their way here.
And, of course, exiled adventurers from Orario who wandered into the mountains with the intention of
dying out here ended up settling in the village as well. As a result, the villagers are exceptionally friendly
and open to new arrivals. More than half the people living here are the descendants of these wayward
travelers. I have a feeling that’s the reason they were so quick to assist lost people like us.
A hidden village not on any map, for people who had lost their way.
This…is another world I didn’t know about.
Deities must be a rare sight in the village because two demi-human children, a boy and a girl, keep
peeking in through the window. Lady Hestia notices and smiles at them, gently waving her hand. The kids
blush and smile back.
“How are you feeling today? If you need something, please let me know.”
“Oh, Miss Rina. Thank you for everything.”
Kam’s daughter, Rina, steps into the room and asks how the goddess is coming along. I tell her the
goddess is doing well and bow my head.
She’s probably two or three years older than me and very friendly. She and several of Kam’s adult
sons have been taking care of everything for us these past few days. My gratitude for what all of them
have done to help the goddess knows no bounds.
But there is one thing that feels odd. I don’t want to sound rude, but Kam is pretty old. There’s such a
gap between him and his children, it’d be easier to think of them as grandchildren. Whenever I see them in
the room or around the house, I can’t help but be a little confused. What’s more, I’ve never seen anyone
the right age to be their mother during my time here.
Strange as it may be, I’m not about to ask. Instead, I bring up something else that’s been on my mind.
“Um, is there something going on today? There’ve been a lot of people outside the window since

yesterday…”
“There is. Today is our annual fertility festival. We were concerned because the rain wasn’t letting up,
but it stopped just in time…Everyone’s getting excited.”
There’s a blue sky outside my window, and I can hear many people talking outside. She explains
what’s going on, her tied black hair swishing behind her head. I nod in understanding.
The small village where I grew up had festivals, too.
“Bell…go help with the festival preparations.”
“Huh?”
Both Rina and I turn to face the goddess, surprised by what she said.
“B-but, Goddess…”
“After all they’ve done for us, with us not doing anything in return, I’d make goddesses look bad…
Please, Bell.”
She’s much better now than she was, but leaving her side still makes me uncomfortable. She laughs at
my worry and says she wants me to go.
…I want to do something to pay back the people who have helped us, too.
Going home without repaying the debt seems cold, and I’m sure I’d regret it.
With that in mind, I return the goddess’s smile and agree to do what she asks.
Standing up from the side of the bed, I tell Rina that I’ll help. My offer makes her happy.
Leaving the goddess in her care, I exit the room.
“Ah, Miss Aiz.”
“Morning…”
I bump into Aiz halfway down the hallway.
She returns my greeting, but it’s her outfit that gets my attention—so much so that my cheeks start
heating up.
“Um, those…those clothes look cute on you…”
I always see her dressed in battle cloth and armor, but today she looks nothing like an adventurer.
She’s wearing a long red skirt with vivid embroidery, with a loose white blouse underneath a
patterned vest buttoned in the front. It makes her blond hair stand out even more than usual. She looks like
a country girl.
She’s beautiful, as always, but…I’ve never seen this cute side of Aiz before. My face turns red as
butterflies run rampant in my stomach.
“These were recommended to me…Do I look weird?”
“N-no, no! You look great!”
She looks down at her outfit as I vigorously shake my head.
Just like me, she borrowed clothes from Kam’s daughter to wear because the rain had soaked through
her equipment and battle cloth. Apparently, Rina got excited choosing an outfit for Aiz because of her
goddess-like beauty, and she wanted Aiz to look the part.
Aiz looks slightly off to the side when I compliment her, her cheeks turning pink…and shyly blushes.
—Jolt! Every move she makes sends a shock up my spine. I’m the one who complimented her, but it’s
my chest that’s getting tighter every second. As fire in my veins turns my skin bright red, she looks at me
with puzzlement while I turn into a pitiful wreck.
“Are you heading somewhere?”
“Oh, yes. There’s a festival in the village today, so I’m going to help them get ready.”
She tilts her head when she figures out I was going outside alone.
Over the past three days, I’ve hardly left that room. As for Aiz, in order to keep us safe—or perhaps

because she’s had nothing else to do—she’s been on guard outside the guest room or patrolling the house.
The rain didn’t let up until last night, so there was no point in going outside.
However, she gave Kam’s sons, and me, quite a scare by arming herself with her saber while dressed
as a cute country girl…She’s a knight through and through, no matter what she’s wearing.
She nods while I explain what’s going on and then says, “I’ll come, too.”
“Huh? Are you sure?”
“Yes. They provided clothing and more than enough food…I want to help.”
Her expression is just as distant as usual, but her desire to help makes me happy.
The two of us exit Kam’s house.
“It was dark when we arrived, and it was raining so hard that I couldn’t tell but…this village is pretty
big.”
“Yes, it is…”
The puddles on the ground reflect the blue sky above. The villagers outside come up to greet us, and
we offer our assistance for the festival preparations.
Being an old elf dwelling, Edas Village is surrounded by trees on all sides and much bigger than it
looks. Add in the tall mountains of the Beor Mountain Range, and the term hidden village seems to
describe this place extremely well. It would be really hard to find this place without knowing where it
was first.
The fact that we’re here must’ve spread around the village by now, so when we emerge from Kam’s
house, we get a lot of attention. Or, I should say, Aiz does. Looking around, I see the men of the village
are gathering left and right to catch a glimpse of her in this outfit. Quite a few have their mouths open,
gawking. At the same time, the ones who are already married are getting reprimanded by their wives. A
slap or two rings out from the crowd. A smile grows on my lips as I watch the men shrink in front of the
angry women and excited children next to them.
There are many houses built around a central square in the middle of the village. Many tables have
already been set out in the open area, and several people are busy building a bonfire. Things are already
getting under way. A group of muscular middle-aged men, probably the ones in charge of the event, are
directing traffic. So Aiz and I listen to their instructions, go our separate ways, and get to work.
“Um…I hate to bother you, but what is that?”
Working among the many races of people living in the village, we made a great deal of progress. The
afternoon was over before I knew it, and dusk arrived.
I was in charge of preparing firewood and carrying decorations from place to place, so I had a chance
to see several peculiar objects scattered about the village.
They look like large, shiny obsidian rocks, but there’s a strange aura hanging over them.
Each one is about the size of my chest. They form a ring around the village, creating a line between
where the village ends and the forest begins.
I ask a nearby elderly animal lady about the black things that seem to be protecting the village. She
smiles and answers right away.
“Oh, this? It’s…one of the Black Dragon’s scales.”
“ It’s what?”
I can’t believe my ears.
Beneath an evening sky so red it might as well be bleeding, I’m sure I misheard her and ask for
clarification as I step closer.
“The Black Dragon…As in the one in the legends? That Black Dragon…?”

“Yes, that’s the one. Long ago, after heroes drove him from Orario, the Black Dragon fled north. These
scales fell from his body as he passed over this valley.”
The lady tells me the story has been passed down through generations of long-living elves.
So, many years ago, a legendary beast flew over that sky while scales dropped into the forest
below…?
“Didn’t you find it strange that a village situated in the middle of a forest filled with so many monsters
never comes under attack?”
“W-well, yeah, but…”
Aiz and I were swarmed by harpies on our way here. But I haven’t seen a single one since we came
inside the village. Sure, I thought it was weird, but…
“It’s all thanks to these scales. Monsters are so afraid of them that they stay far away. It’s thanks to the
Black Dragon that we can live in peace.”
The strange aura coming from these things is the presence of the King of Dragons, or perhaps his
power.
The monsters are afraid of the isolated pieces of the legendary beast, so they don’t come close to them.
That’s why Edas Village doesn’t worry about monster attacks.
Her story leaves me speechless. At the same time, she closes her eyes and brings her hands together as
she takes a knee in front of the black scale.
“…I’m sure you find it peculiar that we worship a monster. The reason we are alive today is not due
to the protection of adventurers or deities…but these scales.”
That, and they are afraid.
Afraid of the day when the legendary beast will return and destroy the world.
The villagers living in Edas both revere the monster as well as live in fear of it every day. They, who
are more aware of the dragon’s power than anyone, fear the day that it will be unleashed on the world. To
the point that they can’t help but worship it.
…A village built on faith in a dragon.
No, not quite. A village that prays to a dragon so that tomorrow will continue to come peacefully, and
to hold back the calamity that is its power.
I’m stunned by this side of Edas Village, a place so far separated from the world I know.
The story of the calamities that Lord Hermes told me about feels so much more real.
The Black Dragon…I wonder if there’s more evidence left behind by the one-eyed dragon in other
parts of the world.
“But of course, should there come a day when Lord Dragon is gone from this world, we’ll have no
need to keep doing this, now will we…”
The lady, eyes still closed and hands still together, says this to me with a grimace. Suddenly, it all
clicks.
The meaning of the Three Great Quests that have been entrusted to Orario.
The wish for salvation that the world still holds to this day.
“Well, this heart-to-heart chat got a bit serious. We’re almost done getting ready, so why don’t you run
along and pitch in?”
“Ah…Y-yes, sure.”
She looks up at me with a gentle smile. I manage to convince my head to nod. I’ve been carrying a few
logs over my shoulder this whole time, so I start moving my feet toward my original destination.
After leaving the nice lady behind and delivering the wood, I pause for a minute and survey the
village.

The black scales dot the landscape. With the preparations nearly complete, this place looks a little bit
different from before.
“Ah…”
I spot Aiz while I walk through groups of villagers who’ve already finished what they had to do.
Still dressed like a country girl, she has her back to me. She’s standing in front of a stone hut.
“Miss Aiz?”
“…”
She keeps her eyes on the stone structure, not reacting at all as I walk up next to her.
One of those black scales is inside the hut. Up on a pedestal, several plates of food and other offerings
are lined up in front of it…This must be an altar. That would mean that this stone hut is a place where the
people of the village come to pray to the thing that protects their home.
Aiz stares quietly at the scale. Like me, she probably heard from the villagers about the history of this
place and the black scales.
“It’s almost like a god, don’t you think?”
Their fear of this piece of the dragon has led them to present it with offerings. The similarities with
actual gods are uncanny. I casually voice my observations.
However…

“This thing is no god.”
Her sharp words cut through the air, slicing through my offhanded comment.
“ ”
She’s still looking away from me. All I heard was a low, stone-cold rejection.
Was that really Aiz just now? I’ve never heard her put so much emotion into her voice. Words are
stuck in my throat.
My heart is trembling.
That voice genuinely scared me.
What did her face look like when she said it? Time comes to a halt without an answer.
“Let’s go back.”
“…S-sure.”
Aiz turns to face me after a few seconds that feel like an eternity.
She’s wearing the same aloof expression that I’ve seen many times before. It’s the Aiz I know. Even
her voice sounds like it always does. She walks away from the stone hut.
But I don’t move. She stops and looks over her shoulder after a few steps. My legs finally wake up,
and I scurry after her.
Now walking side by side, I chance a glance at her face. Cast in a red glow by the setting sun, nothing
has changed. Absolutely nothing at all. Was what I heard moments ago just my imagination? Those words
are still haunting my ears, but did they really ever happen?
I never work up the courage to ask.

Still a little bit shaken by what happened with Aiz, I finish what I was assigned to do and head back to
check on the goddess.

There are many wooden houses built around the center of the village. I make my way all the way to the
back to Kam’s place, open the front door, and go inside. A quick walk down the hallway and I’m at the
guest room that he’s so graciously let us use.
“Huh?…Mr. Kam?”
I open the door and go inside, only to find Kam standing at the foot of the bed in front of the goddess.
She’s asleep. Zzz, zzz. The breaths of the young goddess fill the room as the elderly man silently
watches her.
Standing with the help of a cane, he slowly looks up at me.
“Don’t be afraid. I haven’t done anything to her.”
“Eh, um, I’m not worried about that…I-is something wrong?”
I venture a question, unable to hide my surprise. I see him turn to face me almost as if he’s moving in
slow motion.
“I was waiting for you.”
After yet another surprise, the elderly gentleman continues.
“Bell, can you spare a moment of your time on this old man?”
He leads me farther into the house, all the way to his room.
There’s a bed, desk, and a chair in here. Not much else at all.
There’s a small pile of papers and a feathered pen on his desk, but that’s to be expected. He is the
village elder, after all, but I don’t think he’s used the pen in quite a while. Even the top sheet of paper has
a thin layer of dust on it.
“Cah-ough…!”
“A-are you okay?”
A loud cough comes out of nowhere.
I rush over to help him and offer to call his daughter, but Kam puts out his hand and waves me off.
“Please don’t concern yourself. I understand what’s going on with me better than anyone.”
I’m not sure how to take that. It must’ve shown on my face because he tells me one more time not to
worry.
The elderly man is thin but still stands a little bit taller than me. The grayish white hair on top of his
head shifts as he smiles at me. I’m still worried about him, but I’ll listen to what he has to say.
As golden-red evening light streams in through the window, Kam makes his way to the desk and opens
the top drawer. Pulling something out, he sets it on top of the desk.
Whatever it is, it’s very old. I lean in for a closer look, but the details are so worn that it’s hard to
see…Is that a fire? An emblem?
“Is that…a familia’s emblem?”
“Yes, indeed. A long time ago, I pledged myself to a certain goddess.”
My ears perk up. Kam begins to tell me about his life.
“I fell for her, and she had feelings for me as well. We were in love with each other.”
“You were…?”
He fell in love with a goddess.
This is shocking news to me. Kam takes his eyes off me for a moment. Is he blushing?
“Unfortunately, I was unable to protect her. I was her only follower, and I had sworn to defend her
with my life. But she was felled by a monster’s claw…”
“…!”
“Her sacrifice saved my life…and consequently, she returned to Tenkai.”

Kam casts his gaze up and out the window, as if remembering the events that happened more than fifty
years ago.
They were attacked by a swarm of monsters while traveling. Kam lost his goddess on that day. She
pushed him off the edge of a cliff and into the sea, saving his life at the cost of her existence on Earth. At
the same time, he plunged into the deepest depths of despair.
His reason for living gone, Kam decided to throw his life away by wandering aimlessly into the Beor
Mountain Range, but…
“…I found my way to this village. I was unable to cast away the life that she had saved.”
After he met several others who had walked a similar path, they took him in with open arms. Crying
tears of joy, he decided that he would one day be buried here. The Status on his back had been sealed due
to the fact that his goddess was no longer in this realm—and he left it alone as the only remnant of the
bond they once shared. He committed himself to the village that took him in and eventually attained the
rank of village elder.
“…In that case, Rina and the others are…?”
“Adopted. Some of them lost their parents to the plague, others were abandoned…I took in every child
who didn’t have a place to go.”
He admitted that he wasn’t related to any of his “sons and daughters” by blood.
Kam, who had sworn his love to a goddess but had been unable to protect her, couldn’t have a normal
life, get married, and have kids of his own.
“Bell…please, please protect your goddess.”
He doesn’t need to ask me to do that because I fully intend to, but Kam does anyway.
“Cough!” He covers his mouth, and I take a worried step closer, but he just smiles at me.
“You must not live life with the regrets that I have.”
Now I finally understand why he was so protective of the goddess, so quick to welcome us into his
home.
He saw his younger self in us when we arrived, and he helped us so that I wouldn’t go through the
same loss he did.
That smile and his words make their way into my heart. They’ll stay there for a long time.

“…Blah…”
Hestia lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and bored out of her mind.
“I can’t sleep anymore…”
The day was practically over. The last of the red sunlight in the sky was fading. Only dim light came in
from the window, night descending on the view outside.
Hestia used her elbows to prop up her top half and sat up.
“Still no energy…But I’m better, probably.”
She looked down at herself, convinced that her drowsiness was the result of sleeping on and off for
the past three days.
She wasn’t sick, and her appetite was alive and well. Hestia felt that the worst was behind her, and
she didn’t have to take it easy anymore.
“Uph.” She started pulling up her sweaty shirt—a hand-me-down from Kam’s daughter that was tight
across the chest. Her twin black ponytails, still messy from three days’ worth of bed head, swayed to and
fro as she adjusted herself.

There came a knock at the door.
“Please excuse me…”
“Wall-Wallensomething…?”
Aiz stepped inside the room, holding a tray in her arms.
Hestia watched her approach with unblinking eyes. The blond girl set the tray on the table next to the
bed, steam rising from a bowl of soup on top of it.
“Have you recovered…?”
“I-I’m fine, but…wh-where’s Bell?”
“Talking with the village elder, I think…”
The goddess asked why it was her and not Bell who came to check on her, and Aiz responded in a
quiet voice.
Kam’s daughter had made the soup, but she was summoned to help with something outside. So she had
asked Aiz to deliver it to Hestia in her place.
Hestia had been so surprised to see Aiz that only now did she notice what the girl was wearing. She
practically gasped.
“Wall-Wallensomething, what’s with those clothes?”
“Rina lent them to me…”
“You trying to tempt Bell or something…?”
Hestia’s body shook, a vein bulging in her forehead. Aiz, on the other hand, tilted her head in
confusion.
Hestia knew. She knew that the boy liked the simple charming appeal of the girl-next-door type.
One look at the female knight standing in front of her, dressed like this Bell blushed more times
today than he does in a year, no doubt about it!
“Grrrr…” Hestia growled under her breath, on the verge of divulging her thoughts on the matter when
it was neither the time nor the place to do so. But then she realized this was her chance and changed her
mind. There was something she wanted to find out once and for all.
“Have a seat, Wallensomething.”
“?”
Seeing the goddess flick her wrist toward a chair next to the bed, Aiz did as she was told.
“For starters…Thank you for saving me. Sorry you had to get mixed up in this.”
“It’s noth—”
“—But, and this is important, what do you think of my Bell?”
“What do I think…?”
“You know, it’s that, um…! How do you see him? What’s your impression?”
Hestia couldn’t ask her directly if she had feelings for the boy. She tried but ended up blushing too
hard and tripping over her own words.
No matter how doll-like Aiz’s aloof expression was, it was impossible to lie to a deity.
Hestia cast her divine gaze onto the human girl, determined to find out what emotion was lurking
inside her heart.
Under the goddess’s intense gaze, Aiz casually looked up at the ceiling and gave the question some
thought. She answered after a few moments of heavy silence.
“…A rabbit?”
Hestia closed her eyes and nodded decisively upon hearing her answer.
“I always believed in you.”
“…?”

Thump, thump. Hestia reached out and petted Aiz a few times on the shoulder.
Although the answer was a little bit out there, she now had proof that Aiz didn’t see Bell as a man—
that is, a member of the opposite gender. Her spirits lifted immeasurably.
“But be warned, don’t be too nice to him. While I agree that rabbits are very cute, if you’re too nice to
him, it’ll go to his head. That’ll be nothing but trouble.”
“Under…stood…?”
Aiz once again tilted her head, not comprehending what the deity was telling her even as Hestia
continued to enthusiastically pat her shoulder.
“Oh, My Lady, are you feeling well?”
That’s when Kam’s daughter appeared at the doorway. “Very much so, thanks to you,” said Hestia with
a genuine smile to the girl who came to see how she was doing.
“You seem to be sweating. Shall I prepare a change of clothes for you?”
“Hmm, that might be a good idea…”
Rina handed Hestia a towel and a glass of water as the goddess considered taking her up on the offer.
She stopped in her tracks.
One quick glance at Aiz’s outfit, and her eyes flashed with the spark of an idea.
“Sorry, but may I make one more selfish request?”

“The festival has already started…”
Kam and I talked for a long time, much longer than I thought we would. I take a look out the closest
window when I finally leave his room, and my jaw drops at what I see.
It looks like the dead of night outside, and all the villagers have gathered in the main square.
Everyone’s talking, having a good time as logs are being assembled to make a bonfire.
My muscles relax as memories of the festivals in my home village come to the surface. Feeling
nostalgic, I start walking to the guest room where the goddess is resting.
“Bell!”
“What, Goddess—eh?”
She’s in the hallway, right in front of me, and wearing something that takes my breath away.
It’s almost the same outfit that Aiz is wearing. But instead of the red colors that made her stand out, the
goddess is wearing a more calm blue—although it looks like she forced herself into that blouse. I can
almost hear those buttons in front of her chest screaming…
Standing next to Aiz like this, the two of them might as well be sisters.
“Hee-hee, so? How do I look?”
“You look great, but…are you sure it’s okay to be out of bed?”
Yes, she looks really cute, and the butterflies are back, but my concern for her well-being is a little bit
stronger right now. “Yep, I’m sure!” she says with a grin. Apparently, she made a special request, and
Rina went out of her way to help.
Kam’s daughter is standing by her shoulder opposite to Aiz, smiling just as wide.
“Since you are once again in good health, My Lady, why don’t you come watch the festivities?”
The goddess immediately accepts her invitation.
Maybe it’s because she’s been in bed for so long, but she seems excited about the idea and yells, “I’d
love to come!” I’m still worried about her, though. She should be getting some rest, but in the end I join
her and Aiz as Rina leads the three of us out of the house.

“Um, are you sure this is a good idea, Goddess? You shouldn’t push yourself just yet…”
“I’m fine! After spending so much time so close to you, I’d be worried if I didn’t get better!”
She claims that staying in that room would make her feel worse. Seeing her giddy like this is making
me only more concerned.
She looks fine, but…maybe I’m being overprotective after hearing Kam’s story. I’m still thinking it
over as we arrive in the village square.
“…!”
“Now, this is nice!”
“…Gorgeous.”
The bonfire is already burning bright as all three of us voice our reactions in turn. The tables
surrounding the bonfire are covered with a wide variety of food. The villagers see us coming and wave
while holding their drinks in the other hand.
The goddess and Aiz bask in the warmth of the festival sprawled out in front of us. This energy is
infectious; even I’m getting drawn in.
“Ah! My Lady!”
“Are you feeling well enough to be outside?”
Several villagers gather around us.
The goddess has been bedridden for days, and everyone is worried about her. At first, Hestia is
overwhelmed by all the men and women voicing their concerns, but it doesn’t take her long to start
thanking them and smiling.
News of her recovery rapidly makes its way through the square as the festival starts to feel more like a
celebration. Aiz and I get swept up in it, along with the goddess.
“So, My Lady, why did you come this far into the Beor Mountains?”
“Word is you got lost. Is it true?”
The villagers start pressing for details.
The three of us do our best to answer them as the villagers form a ring around us. I almost forgot;
we’re supposed to be in hiding. What if all this noise and the bonfire give away our position to the Rakian
soldiers? This village might be hidden deep in a valley surrounded by mountains, but this bonfire would
be easy to find…I glance at Aiz. She notices me and lightly shakes her head, as though she’s thinking the
same thing. A bead of cold sweat runs down my neck.
Orario’s Alliance would have found them by now, and even if they haven’t, I doubt that the Rakian
army would stay in the mountains for three days in the first place…
“The truth is, an idiotic god took us for a wild ride. Then again, this whole mess started because I ran
away from home—.”
The goddess says that much before freezing on the spot. “Ah.” The sound comes out of my mouth as I
remember, too.
That’s right, Hestia and I were fighting—well, not really, but something close to it.
The goddess slowly turns my way, craning her neck. A jolt runs through my body, and I quickly look
away.
The villagers and Aiz stare at us with bewilderment.
N-not good! I have to apologize, and quickly…!
An apology might not solve the problem, but it certainly won’t hurt. Glance, glance. The goddess is
looking around, waiting for me to make a move.
I scramble to come up with the right words, to make an apology here and now, when…
“Oh…?”

People are singing.
It’s an upbeat melody, and others are clapping along to the beat. I look past the people surrounding us
toward the bonfire and see pairs of men and women starting to dance in the crackling light.
“Is that this village’s traditional dance? Most of the dancers seem young…”
“Ahhh, you see…”
The goddess notices, too, and has a look. Just as she said, the villagers dancing around the fire right
now are a mix of humans, elves, dwarves, and animal people, but the one thing they have in common is
youth. Well, that and their shy smiles.
An older gentleman answers the goddess’s question for us with a dry grin on his face.
“It’s not a law of our village by any means…but it’s said that when an unmarried man invites a woman
to dance during the festival, it’s the same as a confession of love. Should she accept, the two shall be
blessed with a lifetime of happiness as lovers. Or at least that’s how the story goes…”
“O-oh?”
His explanation fascinates me. For some reason, the goddess starts fidgeting.
“Please dance with us, Goddess! Today is our fertility festival, after all!”
“Please bestow us with a bounty of blessings!”
Several villagers use the start of the dance as an excuse to approach the goddess and say their wishes.
I don’t think Lady Hestia has any power over fertility, but…this might be the first time they’ve seen a
deity in person, so they’re probably all the same to the locals. In any case, they ask her for good fortune.
Surrounded by villagers, the goddess closes her eyes and, “Ah-hem,” clears her throat.
Step, step, step. She slides over to me with shifty feet.
“Oh—Bell? It looks like there’s an urgent need for me to fulfill my role as a goddess, you know…So,
eh, yeah.”
Her face is turning red, redder than the warm light coming from the bonfire on her face. Actually, I’d
say she seems nervous.
“If you’ll dance with me…I’ll consider that incident to be water under the bridge.”
I blink a few times.
Almost as if on cue, the villagers surrounding us start happily whispering to one another.
My shoulders jump the moment I realize their excitement means it will be extremely difficult for me to
turn her down. Well, if she’s willing to let the problem slide if I dance with her, then yes, that’s what I
want…And also, I might enjoy dancing with the goddess.
Fulfilling her role as a goddess will help these people, too, so I fight back my nerves—and put up with
the burning sensation in my cheeks. Then I nod to the goddess.
“All right…I’ll dance with you, Goddess.”
But for some reason, her cheeks are pulling back into a smug grin. This is what she wanted, isn’t it?
Why does she look annoyed?
“If you’re going to invite me to dance, do it right, Bell. Like you did with Wallensomething at Apollo’s
Banquet, when you invited her to dance.”
I freeze, my eyes wide. Aiz, standing right next to me, does the same.
The burning feeling in my cheeks grows to an inferno. My body jerks toward Aiz. She’s still got that
puzzlement in her eyes, tilting her head to the side.
W-well, it is true that I danced with her during Apollo’s Banquet of the Gods, but…!
“There’s a line you have to say at times like this, isn’t there, Bell?” says the goddess, looking at me
through half-open eyes. Meanwhile, I’m shrinking away from her, my skin pulsing red.
“But…but, Goddess…!”

“It’s your job to start things off right by setting the mood. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
She seals off my only hope of escape by appealing to the villagers surrounding us.
I can’t go against the wishes of people who want her to be happy. All of them are nodding, urging me
to take the first step.
I glance over at Aiz with sweat rolling down my face…She’s staring back at me. It’s almost like she’s
waiting to hear my answer.
I feel like I’m surrounded on all sides, trapped in a pincer of monumental proportions…but in the end,
I can’t go against the goddess.
“…W-would…would you dance with me, Goddess?”
I bring my hands together in front of my red face. The goddess looks back up at me with a satisfied
smile that stretches all the way across her face.
“Whoa!”
Her thin, soft fingers wrap around my wrist.
She leads me by the hand, almost like a child, toward the bonfire.
The villagers give us an energetic send-off—I can’t see Aiz’s face, though—and we join the ring of
young men and women.
Holding each other’s hands, we start to mimic the movements of the folk dance already in progress.
“Th-this is pretty hard.”
“Ah, aha-ha-ha-ha…”
“Bell, would you take the lead so I can focus on building up my divine energy?”
I’m trying to pick up the dance without staring at the couples around us, but it’s not as easy as it looks.
The two of us awkwardly drift around the bonfire with the rest of the dancers. I feel like a fish out of
water, but the goddess seems so happy, dancing away with her hands in mine.
The light of the bonfire illuminating half her beautiful face, the skin beneath her villager’s clothing is
bright red. We spin around in time with the beat, and I feel the heat of the flames on my cheeks. However,
I don’t think that’s the real reason my body feels so hot.
She smiles at me, so genuinely happy. I can’t help but do the same.
Sparks from the bonfire dance high into the air. Our shadows drift across the trees and nearby
mountainsides. I feel her warmth through my hands.
The older villagers are watching us, singing and clapping along as we continue to dance.
“Whew…”
My dance with the goddess around the bonfire doesn’t conclude until after many, many more verses.
Finally satisfied, the goddess releases me and goes to join a group of kids trying to learn the steps to
the folk dance.
I start to ask her not to push herself…but one look at the kids’ excitement and I hold my tongue.
A smile grows on my lips as I watch the goddess teach a little girl, probably of mixed descent, the
dance. The joy on that kid’s face…She’s having the time of her life.
“Wait a minute, where’s Aiz…?”
The festival really came to life the moment Lady Hestia decided to participate. Everyone looks like
they’re having a great time as I search the crowd to find Aiz…There she is. Standing next to a nearby
house like a wallflower—well, maybe not a wallflower, but pretty close.
I jog over to her.
“Um, Miss Aiz.”
“…Yes?”
She’s watching the dance from a distance, almost like she’s trying not to be seen. It takes her a moment

to respond. Even her posture makes her as small as possible.
“Everyone looks like they’re having a great time…”
A little human girl is dancing with her father; an animal mother is scolding her son as the giddy little
boy runs circles around her.
Aiz squints, as if all of the villagers’ smiles are bright lights flashing around her.
“…Your dance was very good.”
“Eh…Th-thank you.”
“…You’re…a great dancer.”
“I-if you say so…”
“…”
“…”
An unexpected compliment brings an abrupt end to the conversation.
Aiz hasn’t stopped looking at the bonfire. She’s not trying to make eye contact with me. That’s normal
for her, but still…
“Ah, um…Are you going to dance?”
“Everyone’s having a good time…I don’t want to ruin their fun.”
“You won’t!”
“And…I have no one to dance with.”
Her words were no louder than a whisper, but they blasted their way into my head. I come to a
conclusion after a few moments of getting my thoughts together.
Cheeks flaring again, I work up the courage to speak.
“If…If you consider me worthy…”
With those words, Aiz finally looks in my direction with her eyes open wide.
“…You’ll…dance with me?”
“Ah, yes, but that’s only if you’re okay with it…?”
She watches with unblinking eyes as I turn even redder.
A few heartbeats pass and I slowly extend my hand
“—Boom!!”
“Ah.”
“Uphh!”
The goddess’s tackle blindsides me, nailing me in the ribs.
“What’s this, Wallensomething? You have no one to dance with? I’d be happy to dance with you right
now!”
“…Thank you?”
Ignoring my stumble to the side, the goddess grabs Aiz’s hand and doesn’t take no for an answer.
Aiz blinks several times in confusion as Lady Hestia guides her toward the bonfire.
Then they start to dance.
One, a cute youthful goddess; the other, a beautiful young girl with a mysterious air about her.
Twin black ponytails and long blond hair sway with the two figures, gleaming in the light of the
bonfire. Wearing the same style of clothing, they look like close sisters.
The dance shared by the dazzling young goddess and the elegant young girl receives the loudest
applause of the night.
Men and women, the elderly and the children—everyone in the village claps their hands and smiles at
the two beautiful girls.

My grin widens every moment that I watch them, to the point I have to open my mouth to contain it on

my face.
Surrounded by so many happy faces, the two are surprised when they first notice…but then smile back
with just as much joy.
The gladness continues long into the night. The festival maintains its celebratory atmosphere, the
goddess happily beaming along with everyone else until the bonfire goes out.

The festival is winding down.
The goddess, Aiz, and I are resting in a corner of Edas Village.
“Uwahh, that’s enough running around for one day…I’m so tired.”
“Th-that’s why I told you to take it easy…”
The goddess listlessly takes a seat on the ground. She ended up spending the entire night dancing with
those kids, so I’m not surprised. She wasn’t even at full strength to begin with, and she pushed too hard. I
remind her of that in a quiet voice.
Aiz, silently standing next to us, watches our short conversation with the tiniest of grins on her lips.
“Okay, then, what’s our plan from here…?”
Plenty of men are still in the village square. They should be cleaning up, but most are drunk and still
laughing among themselves. Letting them do their thing, I pose a question. The goddess, who had been
massaging her shoulder while absentmindedly staring at the boulder-like black scales that mark the
boundary between the village and the forest, looks up at me.
“Oh, I’m good to go. Took a bit longer than I hoped, but I can walk just fine now.”
Aiz doesn’t say anything at first. The top-class adventurer does, however, make eye contact with us
and nod.
“We leave the village…tomorrow morning.”
We’ll make sure everything is ready tonight and then wait for the sun to rise before making a return to
Orario.
Neither the goddess nor I object to Aiz’s plan.
The three of us look around the village that we will soon be leaving, taking in the mountain scenery
one last time.
“ My Lady!”
That’s when it happens.
A shrill voice erupts from the back of the village at the same time a woman comes rushing toward us.
It’s Kam’s daughter, Rina. She comes up to us, and I can tell immediately something’s wrong. She can
barely breathe.
A monster’s roar echoes off in the distance. Hearing the beast’s ominous howl and seeing the tears
threatening to fall from her eyes make my heart sink.
She places a hand on her chest as a tear breaks free. Her voice sounds forced and shaky when she
finally gets the words out.
“Would you see my father off…on his journey to heaven?”
Aiz, the goddess, and I file into the room. Kam is in his bed, surrounded by all his adopted sons.
His face is a ghastly color, his eyes closed.
I stop cold. All traces of life are gone from him.

“…Father wanted to see you one last time.”
One of his sons invites us to come forward. I’m speechless.
How can this be? I mean, I was talking to him like any other day just before the festival started—
“I understand what’s going on with me better than anyone.”
Is this what he meant…when he said that?
I still haven’t moved. Aiz has her mouth clamped shut, and the goddess is holding her breath.
That’s when Kam slowly opens his eyes.
“…Ohh, Goddess. Thank you so much…for coming…”
“…No need to be a stranger, Kam. You’ve done so much to help me that I would come running at your
call.”
Kam’s weak gaze falls on the goddess first, and he smiles.
The goddess forces a bubbly grin and walks to the side of the bed.
“When I first met you, memories of my beloved goddess, Brigit, came back to me…”
The goddess’s eyes fly open in surprise upon hearing the name of Kam’s former goddess.
“Did you say Brigit? Blond hair, deep-red eyes—that Brigit?”
“Do you…know of her…?”
“You bet I do! Brigit’s a good friend of mine! We used to play together all the time up in Tenkai;
argued, too!”
A hint of surprise fills Kam’s gaze. What a coincidence, to have a connection through our goddesses.
“Is that right…” he says with a weak smile.
“She was ever so kind…Treating everyone fairly and loving a lowly human like myself.”
“Say what? She did? Kam, you’ve been duped! She resorts to calling me ‘Tiny’ and all sorts of other
names the moment she loses the upper hand in an argument. And she’s barely a smidgen taller than me! I
bet she just wanted to look good in front of you and made sure you didn’t see how she really is.”
“Ha-ha-ha…Really? I never knew.”
I can tell Lady Hestia is trying to lift his spirits. Kam tries to laugh but fails.
Actually, just saying that much looks painful, like he’s wracking every word out of his body.
The small smile he made completely disappears after a few moments, leaving his face blank and
emotionless.
“Goddess, please tell me…Will I see her, once I arrive in heaven…?”
“…Brigit will find you, I’m sure of it. She’s rather insistent about getting what she wants.”
Kam hears those words.
Then speaks again, barely above a whisper…like he’s talking to himself.
“I’m scared…Scared I won’t meet her, scared to see her…So scared.”
The light in his eyes wilts like the last petals of a flower as he gazes up at nothing in particular.
His last moments drawing near, Kam’s one and only daughter bites her lip to keep from crying out.
“Lady Brigit, please forgive me…I couldn’t protect you, please forgive…”
Kam weakly lifts his trembling right hand into the air. But only just, like he’s using the last of his
strength to reach out to heaven.
His sons must be unable to see their father burdened by intense guilt in this weak state, because they
look away with their mouths clamped shut. Aiz and I avert our eyes and stare at the floor.
Then Lady Hestia steps forward.
She slowly wraps both hands around Kam’s.
“Thank you, Kam. Thank you for your love.”

The goddess’s voice is completely different.
“ ”
Kam opens his eyes as wide as they’ll go.
Aiz, I, and everyone in the room suddenly focus on Lady Hestia.
That’s not her voice. The tone, the words, even the rhythm has changed.
It’s like someone else is using her body, looking down on one child with a loving, affectionate gaze
and speaking.
She must be using her knowledge of Kam’s goddess to speak and act like she thought her acquaintance
would.
“Even now…and forevermore, I shall always love you.”
The goddess’s voice is so rhythmic and smooth that she sounds like a loving mother putting her child
to sleep.
A goddess’s sonnet of love.
Tears fall from Kam’s eyes.
“Hhhhha…!”
Eyes that should have been withered and dry are now glistening under the magic-stone lamps.
His lips tremble, like he’s seeing something on the other side of his aimless gaze.
“Lady Brigit, I…I, too.”
Love you.
Those were Kam’s last words.
The last of the strength in the hand in Lady Hestia’s fades away, and it goes limp in her grasp.
The tears of his adopted children start falling to the floor. His daughter hides her face in her hands,
collapsing on the spot.
I’m crying, too.
The tears aren’t stopping.
My vision blurs to the point that I can’t really see the man whose spirit has just left us. I try to wipe the
tears away with my arm.
Even Aiz is covering her face.
Lady Hestia squeezes his hand before gently placing it across his chest.
The countenance of the man who devoted his love to a goddess is by far the calmest, most at-peace
expression I’ve ever seen in my life.

The moon’s light is shining through the trees.
The howls of distant monsters are gone, leaving the forest eerily silent.
I found a small clearing among the trees and took a seat at the base of the closest one and leaned back
against it. Haven’t moved since.
“So this is where you’ve been, Bell.”
The sound of leaves underfoot reaches my ears as I sit cross-legged, my head drooping. That voice…
it’s the goddess’s.
We’re north of the village, a ways into the forest.

After Kam died, I came to this spot by myself.
News of his passing traveled through Edas Village very quickly. Villagers who would normally be
asleep gathered at his home right away. Everyone who saw him lying in that bed was devastated and shed
more than their share of tears.
I…I couldn’t take hearing all the sobbing and grieving voices…I needed to get away, to escape.
“…”
“…”
The goddess sits down next to me.
We sit in silence under the dark-blue night sky. My head still drooping, I try to speak.
“Goddess…”
“What is it?”
“Will Kam be able to reunite with Lady Brigit on the other side?”
The fate of the spirit that has left Gekai and returned to Tenkai.
I want to know if Kam really has a chance of seeing the goddess who was sent back before him all
those years ago.
“…That might be…difficult. There are some of us, like Freya, who are special, but the fate of the
children’s spirits is the responsibility of the gods who control death. It’s not like anyone can pick and
choose which spirits they judge.”
The spirits that travel to Tenkai get purified—returned to a pure “blank” state before being reborn into
another life on Gekai.
The goddess explains the process to me, but I tighten my grip on my legs with every word.
Silence once again descends on the forest.
“—So then, children shouldn’t fall in love with gods after all. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“!”
My shoulders quiver.
Lifting my head, the goddess’s smile is right there to greet my eyes.
“After what happened at the manor, I thought you were just too stubborn for your own good…but that’s
not it.”
She looks at me with those blue eyes as if she can see through everything. They’re only half open, a
kind gaze.
“I forgot something very important about you. You can see pain that you’ve felt in others…and you’re
afraid to inflict that pain on anyone. Am I right?”
My head droops again.
She…She saw right through me.
“Is it the pain from your grandfather’s death that’s holding you down?”
It is.
With Gramps gone, leaving me alone, there was no warmth to be felt. I remember it all too well. I
remember my heart feeling empty, all the pain I endured when he passed on.
I know the pain of those who are left behind.
I know how Kam felt. He was suffering all the way up until the moment he was saved by the goddess.
—However, the end will always come for mortals like us.
Through our own death and rebirth, we can forget the pain of our previous life.
—What about gods and goddesses?
They live forever, so there is no forgetting. There’s no way for them to soothe the scars left on their
hearts after we leave this realm.

From friend to family, family to lover, and lover to partner—the deeper the bond gets, the more
special it becomes, the deeper the scar that will be left behind. Is there any way for deities to escape the
torment of loss?
Gods and goddesses can’t grow old with us.
They will be left behind without question.
So, falling in love with them will only make them suffer.
Is pain—agony worse than what I felt after losing my family—promised to the deities who develop
those strong feelings for mortals?
Causing that much pain is scary. I’m afraid of the sadness, the anguish.
It’s not the same as with two people—it’s an emptiness that can be felt by only deities, who cannot
die.
“—Bell. Our love lasts but a moment.”
That’s what Lord Miach said. Lord Hermes said the same thing.
A deity’s love is over in a flash. And an eternity of emptiness is waiting for them after that one second
of love.
The price of one moment of bliss: everlasting pain and sadness.
That’s terrifying.
The loss that I felt after Gramps passed away, possibly even worse, will continue for hundreds,
thousands, millions of years.
Absolutely horrifying.
“…Bell. Please don’t think too hard about this. We—”
Not possible.
I close my eyes.
I don’t even try to listen to her words, staying quiet like a kid and letting her voice drift into
background noise.
The scale of “forever” is impossible for me to comprehend. I just can’t do it.
And if I were in their shoes—I couldn’t deal with it.
Carry the burden of loss, even more painful than the one I felt, for the rest of eternity?
To make a deity carry that burden of loss?
If that’s the price, it’s better not to love at all.
It’s the same as the romances between fairies and heroes. A romance between gods and mortals will
never have a happy ending.
Us and them—we can’t live the same life.
“…You know, Bell, gods and children might not be able to live out the same lives.”
As if she had read my thoughts like a book, she hits the nail right on the head.
I keep my gaze down, but I feel her left hand on top of my right.
“But I will always be by your side.”
“Huh?”
My drooping head is lifted by her kind words.
“No matter how old you get, even if you become a bald, wrinkly old man, I will always be with you.
You think I would ever leave?”
She looks back at me, eyes overflowing with affection.
“And even if death forces us to separate…I will find you.”
A smile grows on her face.
“No matter how many hundreds, thousands, millions of years it takes, I will find you after your

rebirth…Even after you’re no longer you, I’ll still be at your side.”
“ ”
Words have left me, but the goddess continues.
“When I find you, I’ll say, ‘Would you join my familia?’”
The day when we first met, she asked me the very same thing.
“ ah.”
I think I’m going to cry.
My jaw clenches.
Body trembling, I look up at her and try desperately to keep the tears back.
She wraps both her arms around me and gently embraces my shoulders.
“Gekai and Tenkai are just places—they don’t mean a thing. We’re just like Brigit and Kam. I will
come find you again.”
Her arms softly wrap around my head.
And like a kid—no, even more pitiful than a kid—I sniffle in a last-ditch effort not to cry.
“I’m not the only one. Other gods’ and goddesses’ bonds with children like you can last forever.”
She quietly whispers into my ear.
“After all, we are gods. We live forever, you know.”
She pats my head, gently running her fingers through my hair.
“So please, Bell. Don’t be afraid of our love.”
—Please don’t run away from a deity’s love.
I can decline, I can accept, but I must not be afraid—that’s what Lord Miach told me.
The dam breaks. Tears pour down my face. The fear that had been weighing so heavily on my heart is
melting away.
Family, lovers, partners, love—I don’t know what these feelings are.
Love for a deity, even less so.
I don’t know, but I try to put words to it.
“Goddess…I want to always, always be with you…!”
“Yes…”
She’s holding me.
All I can do is cry, but she doesn’t break away from the embrace.
“I will always be here, Bell.”
Moonlight shines through the trees. In a forest under a dark-blue sky, I cry and cry into a goddess’s
chest.

“…”
She could hear the boy’s trembling voice, his crying.
Aiz stayed close to him even after leading Hestia to his hiding place. She stood still, leaning against
the other side of the same tree.
“Always…together…”

The goddess’s words and the boy’s emotions resonated in her ears.
She looked up through the thin branches and foliage toward the golden moon high in the sky.
“Mother…”
The word that tumbled from her lips faded into the night.

The air is thick with fog.
The sun is rising in the east, turning the night sky into day as Aiz, the goddess, and I depart from Edas
Village.
We ended up staying one extra day for Kam’s funeral, helping out with whatever we could.
On the fifth morning after we came here as refugees lost in the Beor Mountain Range, we say our last
good-byes to the villagers and set a course for Orario.
The oldest of the villagers showed us a route that he always took, one of the black scales in hand,
when we left the village. We were out of the forest in no time and quickly made our way down the steep
cliffs to an even path that ran along the river, arriving just in time to see the morning sun peek over the
mountains and inundate the scenery with light.
“That was a nice place…”
“Wouldn’t it be great to visit them again?”
“…If you go, I want to come with…”
“Huh? Are…are you sure that’s okay?”
“Yes.”
“Hey, hold on a second there, Wallensomething! Don’t make promises out of the blue! If you want to
go, go with your own familia!”
The three of us walk side by side, talking.
Something sad happened, but even so, all of us are in good spirits. The goddess makes a ruckus, I try
to calm her down, and Aiz watches us with the same aloof gaze. And a few smiles, too. The crisp
mountain air fills our lungs as we make our way up the next mountain road.
The morning fog is starting to clear.
“—There you are.”
“Whoa! Miss Asfi?!”
Whoosh! She pops out of the sky, lands in front of us with her white scarf in tow, and nearly scares the
crap out of me.
The golden wings on her sandals contract as a look of relief spreads across her face.
“I’ve been searching for you. I never feared for your lives, knowing the Kenki was with you, but…”
“You’ve been out here since then…?”
“No, only since last night, Goddess Hestia. Rakia’s army had to be dealt with.”
She adjusts her glasses and tells us what happened after we got separated.
Apparently, Asfi managed to escape the battle with the soldiers and return to the city. She passed along
the information she gathered to Finn, who then organized the gods and goddesses of Orario into a strike
force that prioritized capturing Lord Ares. Rakia’s army sustained a great deal of damage and couldn’t
move at full speed due to the sheer number of soldiers who couldn’t walk on their own. Asfi tells us that
top-class adventurers caught up to them with ease.
The soldiers who didn’t enter the mountains managed to escape, but the Alliance succeeded in

capturing their leader, Lord Ares, yesterday. The outcome of the war was determined the moment their
god was officially a prisoner inside Orario’s walls. With that out of the way, the Alliance changed its
focus to finding us. However, quite a few of the deities lost interest at that point and pulled their
followers from the search-and-rescue mission.
Asfi was under orders from Lord Hermes himself to continue the search and is now smiling as if a
great deal of weight has been lifted from her shoulders.
“I can carry all of you one by one using Talaria, if you so desire. What say you?”
“Hmm—…Well, this is a good chance to stretch my legs. It’s not every day I get to be outside the city,
so I feel like walking.”
The goddess politely declines Asfi’s offer. Aiz and I feel the same way.
“As you wish. I’ll go on ahead and deliver the news. There are many in Orario who are concerned
about your well-being, and I wouldn’t want to keep them waiting.”
She says this with a grin and takes a black helmet out of the pouch strapped to her waist. She puts it
over her head and suddenly, she disappears.
The goddess and I are floored—Aiz looks fine, like she already knew about this—as the sound of
flapping wings fills the air around us. Even that sound is gone moments later.
I suppose that’s Perseus…With a combination of magic items like those, it’s no surprise that very few
people in Orario know about her ability to fly.
But wait, going invisible…haven’t I been on the short end of the stick of an item like that before…?
Memories of a certain rogue threatening to come to the surface send a wave of cold sweat down my
back. The goddess then speaks up in a cheerful voice.
“Now, I think it’s about time we went home to Orario! I know a few children who have been worried
for far too long!”
“Yes!”
“…Wallensomething, um, thanks. I’m, well, grateful.”
“No problem…”
Aiz and I smile at the goddess as she says thank you.
The moment lasts a bit too long for the goddess, so she takes a few steps ahead of us to escape.
Aiz and I walk right behind her.
The goddess nearly trips, and the two of us barely manage to catch her. We walk through the mountain
roads illuminated by the morning glow and finally down the last steep cliff to where the Labyrinth City is
waiting for us on the other side of the open plain.