Chapter 164: Do you know what happened between me and my mother this time?

“Just how did you pray to make the Goddess obsess over you like this?!”

“Ah, no, even if you say that…”

I felt wronged.

Lillian was speaking as if I had done something terribly wrong.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall making any mistake.

All I did was pray with a pure heart—so where exactly did I go wrong?

“First, you need to come with me to the temple right now.”

“Right now?”

“Do you have any idea how chaotic the temple is right now?”

“How would I know…?”

“The Goddess withdrawing all the divine power she had bestowed upon the land is no different from a calamity, Tina.”

“R-really?”

“The High Priest himself was about to lead the knights here—I came in his stead.”

The fact that even the High Priest, seated at the very top of the temple hierarchy, was mentioned made it clear that refusing to go now would spell disaster.

“But…”

My gaze naturally turned toward Mother.

Her face was undoubtedly brighter than before. Her smooth skin no longer bore any traces of illness.

Yet, I worried that if I left, she might push herself too hard again, neglecting her health for work.

“Don’t worry and go, Tina.”

As if reading my thoughts, Mother reassured me with a radiant smile.

“I won’t collapse like before anymore. Thanks to you, many of my worries have been lifted.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, so don’t worry about me and go.”

Mother stepped closer to me.

With one hand, she interlaced her fingers with mine, while the other gently tilted my chin up.

Mwah—

A sweet sound followed as our lips met.

A sugary taste lingered where they touched.

“Be careful and come back safely.”

“Mother…”

“I love you, my daughter.”

My heart swelled with warmth at her words.

The person I loved most in this world had just told me she loved me.

Of course, my face burned hot in response.

“I… I love you too, Mother…”

“Hehe, good. Now go.”

Under Mother’s ticklish farewell, I turned my back on the Blanc mansion.

Lillian stood there, mouth slightly agape, staring at me and Mother.

“Lillian?”

Her eyes were unfocused.

“Uh, ah…! Y-yes. L-let’s go.”

She was uncharacteristically flustered.

“Please take good care of my daughter, Saintess.”

At Mother’s words, Lillian jolted and instinctively clasped her hands together.

“Y-yes…! D-don’t worry.”

“Hehe, good. She’s truly my beloved child.”

“That………uh… Yes, I understand.”

Something was definitely off about her.

Even after boarding the carriage, Lillian remained lost in thought, resting her chin on her hand and muttering to herself with a grave expression.

“N-no way… Against her, there’s no chance of winning…”

None of her murmurs made any sense to me.

I felt bewildered.

“Huh? Just me?”

“…The Goddess said so herself.”

After guiding me to the prayer room, Lillian stepped back.

Even Lillian, the Saintess, left me alone to enter the prayer room. I had no idea things would go this far.

Besides, this was my first time stepping into this prayer room.

It was said to be a newly constructed space.

Though smaller than the Saintess’s prayer room, it was more than spacious enough for a single person to pray.

The dazzling multicolored light streaming through the window naturally evoked a pious mood.

Even someone ordinary like me could feel the divine energy filling the space—so strongly that the Goddess’s power was palpable.

“…Hidden camera?”

I couldn’t comprehend why such an oracle would be directed at me.

Me? I’m not that special…

How many people pray to the Goddess every day? I’m just one among them.

Yet, She singled me out and delivered an oracle.

No matter how many times I thought about it, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that the Goddess had mistaken me for someone else.

Could it be related to that faint pillar of light I touched before?

Well… I should start with the prayer first.

I needed to explain to the Goddess that She must have made a mistake.

Once She heard my prayer, She would surely retract Her oracle.

I knelt fully on the floor and clasped my hands together.

Hello, Goddess. It’s been a while since I’ve prayed like this.

Actually, I went back to my family’s house. I thought of You often there.

But Goddess, I heard about the oracle…

I think You might have made a mistake—

Tap— Tap—

“Huh?”

The distinct sensation of something pressing against my cheek made me open my eyes.

Soon after, I spotted it hovering right in front of my face.

A cylindrical object, faintly cloaked in pure white light.

Seeing it so clearly in my vision, its form seemed much more defined than when I had glimpsed it before.

“Goddess… is that You…?”

As if responding to my words, the pillar bobbed its ends up and down.

Really?

If so, did that mean the oracle about me wasn’t a mistake?

But despite the luminous pillar before me, my doubts didn’t easily fade.

“…Are You really the Goddess?”

The pillar of light gently drifted away from me.

Then, it trembled faintly before suddenly releasing an overwhelming surge of radiance.

In an instant, the entire space was flooded with warm clusters of light.

The scattered waves of pure white light gradually cascaded downward.

The sight was like a downpour—rain made of light.

“W-whoa…”

I stretched out my palm.

One by one, streams of light pooled into my hand.

A warm, gentle power—yet within it, an immense vitality was unmistakable.

“It really is You, Goddess…”

I had no choice but to believe. There could be no other being capable of freely emitting such radiant warmth.

The pillar of light approached me again.

Then, without warning, it gave my shoulder a rough thump.

“Ah, eh?”

The throbbing pain left me feeling bewildered.

The way my shoulder was being pounded—hard enough to really hurt—almost felt like she was angry.

Had I done something to upset the goddess?

I desperately searched my memories but couldn’t recall anything.

“U-um, is it because I haven’t been praying lately?”

In the end, I had no choice but to ask the goddess directly.

In response to my question, the pillar of light shook violently up and down.

“Pfft.”

It reminded me of a child nodding, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

As if displeased by my laughter, the pillar began trembling wildly.

I quickly cupped it with both hands, gently stroking it with care.

“I’m sorry, Goddess. I heard my mother had collapsed, so I couldn’t pray for a while.”

The pillar settled down again. It seemed she understood once I mentioned my mother’s illness.

“But she’s all better now! So I came back to pray to you.”

With a bright smile, I clasped my hands together in prayer.

“So… could you forgive me?”

I looked up at the pillar with slightly pleading eyes.

The pillar wavered uncertainly, as if unsure what to do.

But in the end, it seemed to accept my apology. The pillar of light gently stroked my head.

“Hehe… thank you… I’ll pray hard from now on.”

The pillar, having left my head, soon floated in front of my face.

As if waiting for something, it stayed perfectly still.

At first, I was confused.

But then, for some reason, an idea came to me. I held the pillar with both hands and pulled it toward my face.

Mwah—

I pressed my lips against its rounded surface.

A soft, tender sound escaped between my lips and the pillar.

The pillar shivered before slowly dispersing into the air, vanishing into nothingness.

Silence followed.

For a long moment, I stood there blinking blankly.

From the goddess’s oracle to all these bewildering events, I figured it must’ve been a good thing in the end.

After all, I had finally become one of the goddess’s devoted followers.

That meant even if the Great Demon came for me, I’d be safe, right?

Everything was thanks to the grace the goddess had bestowed upon me.

Wanting to express even a fraction of my gratitude, I clasped my hands together in prayer once more.

‘Thank you so much, Goddess.’

After my thanks, I paused to think.

Hmm, what should I talk about today?

Maybe just the usual things, like always.

Should I tell her about what happened with my mother?

It’s a little embarrassing, but…

Well, I’m sure the kind-hearted Goddess would understand.

‘Goddess, do you know what happened between me and my mother this time?’

And so, with a bright smile, I began my story.