episode_0049

15. Encounter with the Gods (1)

” Is Charlotte okay? ”

He looked up at the sky, where Charlotte was looking, while supporting Yeonseo, who was speaking words of concern for Charlotte that were unusual.

There, Charlotte engages in a duel with Gabriel, spreading her transparent yet fiery wings.

” It’s okay. Didn’t you see Charlotte’s confident expression? I’m sure it’ll be okay. ”

” Huh~ Really? Since when have you been looking at Charlotte’s expressions so closely? ”

I was a little suspicious of Yeonseo’s words, which teased me with a sly voice as if she had caught something.

As Yeonseo said, since when… did I start seeing Charlotte’s expressions in detail? I don’t know.

At first… I saw her clearly resembling my now-nonexistent sister, and I thought of her, so I wanted to protect her.

It had only been a few days since I had started looking at her as ‘Charlotte’ rather than as my younger sister, as per Yeonseo’s advice, but why was I looking at her so much that I could notice her expression even though she was so far away?

” Well, I don’t know. I think it’s just been like that since some point. ”

” Really? That’s what I mean? So what if you see Charlotte? ”

” Huh? Just looks happy, or active…? ”

” Ha, not like that, right? So… sometimes you laugh, or like when you crossed the bridge earlier, what happened then? ”

I don’t know what on earth Yeonseo wanted from me, but when I thought about Charlotte smiling at me as she said, or the way she had shown me on the bridge earlier, my face suddenly felt hot.

As a bonus, I suddenly felt my heart beating faster than usual.

I was about to tell Yeonseo about this feeling, but I felt like it would be embarrassing if I told her, so I turned my gaze away from her.

” Just… cute…? something like that… ”

” Hahaha! Yeah, that’s right. This is hilarious. ”

” Ahem, it looks like it’s over now. ”

I looked up at the sky where Charlotte was, avoiding Yeonseo’s gaze out of shame that I didn’t even know existed, and saw Charlotte and Gabriel slowly coming down.

Gabrielle’s appearance was the complete opposite of when we fought, but I guess that was her true form.

*****

” Good job! ”

” Yeah… ”

” Charlotte?! ”

Charlotte came down to us, came to me, and collapsed in my arms.

I thought he might have been seriously injured, but when I saw him sleeping soundly and quietly, my heart that had sunk to the bone began to beat slowly again.

” Phew, thank goodness. ”

” The person who told me not to worry is doing it even more~? ”

” Ah… no! This is, that is… ”

The moment I was about to make an excuse to Yeonseo, Charlotte buried her face in my chest and suddenly rubbed her face, took a deep breath, then flinched and then slowly resumed breathing.

How many times did she repeat that behavior? Charlotte hugged me and fell into a deep sleep.

For some reason my pants felt damp, but I guess it was because I had been moving my body so much just a moment ago, so they were damp from sweat.

Yeonseo looked as if she had seen something shocking, but what on earth did she see?

” Would you like me to apologize for what I did just now? ”

In that atmosphere, Gabriel, who had now turned white as if his face had peeled off, bowed his head toward us and began to apologize.

” It’s okay. Do you have any pain or anything else? ”

” It’s okay because she, the disciple of the goddess, freed me from the evil spirit’s energy. ”

” That’s great. Excuse me, but could you wait a moment? We don’t know the whole situation right now.

We only did that because Charlotte was asked by the goddess to save you. ”

When the word goddess came out, Gabrielle made a sad expression and then shook her head to shake it off.

” I see. The gods still remember us. ”

” I’m sorry if it seems like I’m reminiscing, but can you tell me what exactly happened before that? ”

Yeonseo, unable to bear it any longer, began to ask Gabriel what on earth had happened to God and the angels.

” Unfortunately, all I remember now is that… my mind was filled with the mission to destroy this world that Gaia was protecting… I don’t know. ”

” Really? Hmm, what happens when Charlotte wakes up…? ”

As Yeonseo stopped talking and looked at me, Charlotte, who was in my arms, slowly began to open her eyes.

” Charlotte…? ”

Charlotte woke up and quickly got out of my arms and walked towards Gabriel.

Something was off. It was a bit more oppressive than the Charlotte vibe I had felt so far…

[Gabriel, are you coming to your senses now?]

” This…voice…is the goddess Patruna! ”

[ Yes, it’s been a while. I don’t know how much time has passed since then. ]

” No. Rather, that child was your apostle. ”

[He’s really a kind and gentle child? He also looks just like me now and is so cute.]

Goddess Patruna, who was showing off by spinning around in Charlotte’s body, suddenly stopped.

[ Hmm, even so, to this extent… I guess I’ll have to punish you later. ]

” Hey… Wait a minute! Punishment!? ”

Patruna, who looked at me with a surprised expression when I shouted like that, soon smiled affectionately again, and I felt a familiar feeling from that expression.

‘What the heck? Why do I feel so happy and nostalgic?’

[ You… have been… a long time… ahem, nice to meet you. My name is Patruna, the goddess of love and purification. Don’t worry, even if I call it a punishment, it’s just nagging. ]

” Oh, my name is Kang Hyun-seok. This one is Seo Yeon-seo. ”

” Hello. ”

Yeonseo nodded slightly and then looked back at the goddess in Charlotte’s guise.

[ Yes, I know you two very well. I can’t thank you enough for being my friend with Charlotte. ]

” Really? Well, that’s fine, but why did you ask that guy to live? You’re going to have to explain. Otherwise…! ”

[ I’ll try to tell you as much as I can about that. The more people we have to help us right now, the better. ]

[ Hmm, where should I start the story? Okay, I guess I should start with this story first. ]

Charlotte, or rather the goddess Patruna, motioned for Yeonseo and me to sit down and brought Gabriel next to her, and told her the story of the gods.

*****

Originally, the Earth was a place protected by Gaia, the mother of the gods.

The other gods left her embrace and each guarded their own world. But one day, the evil god Thanatos appeared, threatening the world.

We could not know when it was born or where it began its existence.

However, we were helpless against her power over ‘death’, and I, who was on the other side of death, used my divinity to seal it.

After the seal was broken by Charlotte, when contact was made with the other gods, it was said that Gaia had already been killed by someone.

There, it is said that the ‘Tower’, a function that returns the world to its original state, was activated.

That is why I am working with other gods to ensure that the life forms on Earth that Gaia has been watching over are not destroyed by the tower.

As the tower is cleared, the divinity is collected. The plan is to create a new god who will rule the Earth with the divinity collected.

Because if that happens, the tower’s function will stop.

However, it seems that someone is trying to exploit that plan now.

*****

After hearing the whole story, Yeonseo and I were so shocked that we were speechless.

I thought that the reason the tower appeared was because there were people like me who were reincarnated or transferred to another world.

I thought that it was something that happened by a god or a being that followed him, like in a novel about a different world or dimension.

After hearing the goddess’s story, it seems that the reason the tower appeared was a much bigger crisis than we thought.

” So, you’re going to raid the tower through Charlotte and find those who are hiding in this world? ”

[ Yes, it is similar in other places, but uniquely, their power was greatly felt in this country called Korea. ]

Yeonseo stood up from her seat as if she remembered something, looked at us, and made a quiet sound.

” The Obelisk Cult… They exist in other countries, but they say it was born in our country. The leader is also Korean. ”

” No, it’s those guys again? This is so annoying! ”

[ Indeed, they are the ones who worship the tower… Now that I think about it, there were remnants of the evil spirit among them. ]

” Hyunseok, if this is going to happen, we should hurry and go to the Blue House. ”

” Yeah, I think I should ask for help quickly since it’s come to this. But I think it would be better to stop by Garam and explain the situation. ”

” Okay, let’s do that. I think it would be good for you to be aware of this situation, too. ”

[ Then shall we end the story here? It’s sad to have to part ways, but I should quickly go back with Gabriel and see what happens. Should we let Gabriel go? ]

” Okay, just a moment before that. ”

Gabriel approached us, bowed his head again, and offered us his feather.

” If you have this feather, your resilience will increase. I could actually give you a better reward than this, but this is the best I can do for now. ”

” Thank you. I’ll tell Charlotte too. ”

[ Then I have one request for you both. Even if Charlotte’s appearance changes, please treat her as usual. ]

” Huh! You don’t have to say that, right? Hurry up and give us the firewood! ”

” Yeonseo! Ahem, don’t worry. Charlotte is a precious… friend. ”

[ Hmm, really? Is that so? ]

[ See you next time. Let’s go, Gabriel ]

I was a little taken aback by the goddess’s sudden change in mood, but I couldn’t help but be surprised by her actions.

Yeonseo didn’t see it because she had her head turned away, and Gabriel disappeared before the goddess, so only I could see her actions.

She said goodbye to me in the manner that a girl I knew well and who was no longer around at the time always did when they were leaving, and left Charlotte’s body.