Ch.163Once More Helium (3)

There is a saying in the world that the gentle and elegant-speaking Luminus suits the god of darkness, while conversely, the playful and lark-like chattering Mora suits the god of light.

Mora, the goddess of darkness and rest, is famously more energetic and high-spirited than her twin brother Luminus. Even Gartz Balack himself reluctantly described Mora as a good deity in roundabout terms.

However, having significantly fewer followers than Luminus, she has deep affection for her devotees. Unlike Luminus, Mora is particularly associated with “death,” so she wishes her followers would not die.

Though outwardly displaying a personality brighter than light itself, I’ve heard she’s actually quite fragile inside. You could say Luminus is tough inside despite his gentle exterior, while Mora is soft inside despite her strong exterior.

[Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? You should have come to see me as soon as you arrived in Helium!!]

‘Uh… I’m sorry?’

I couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned by the sharp female voice resonating in my head. Unlike Luminus’s soft, low tone, Mora had a clear, high-pitched voice.

Since they were different genders to begin with, it’s awkward to compare them, but I could tell that everything from her atmosphere to her voice was the opposite of Luminus.

[Hmph. I’ll let it slide this time. At least you remembered to come see me.]

‘Um… thank you. May I ask why you wanted to see me?’

After my conversation with Luminus, Mora had been throwing a tantrum(?) asking me to visit her. Because of this, Helium, which made Mora their state religion, was in a very awkward position.

However, a being of divine status wouldn’t summon me just because they were bored. Luminus had already explained everything to me, but seeing that Mora specifically wanted to see me, I thought she might have something to tell me.

With that thought in mind, I closed my eyes while waiting for Mora’s answer. But Mora’s response far exceeded my expectations.

[I was upset.]

‘Pardon?’

[I called you because I was upset. If I hadn’t said anything, you wouldn’t have come to see me, right?]

‘… …’

You turned the world upside down just for that reason? Even issuing an oracle? I felt dizzy for a moment at this answer that left me speechless.

Judging by her grumbling tone, it was sincere without a trace of falsehood, and she truly was a goddess who embodied the keyword “tomboy.” Still, I didn’t feel bad because she spoke honestly.

I barely managed to suppress a sigh that was about to escape and somehow spoke to Mora.

‘…That’s not true. I was planning to visit Helium anyway, so I intended to pray to you as well.’

[Ah. Come to think of it, you were going to spend your first night with that child I cherish, right? I almost forgot.]

‘By the child you cherish, do you mean Cecilly?’

[Yes. She’s been praying to me every day since long before you were born, asking me to save the demon race. She still does.]

Now that I think about it, I vaguely recall hearing that she consistently prays to Mora at the academy too. Once in the morning after waking up, and once before going to bed.

The content of her prayers was truly touching to hear.

In the morning, she would thank Mora for letting her see the sunlight, and at night, she would express gratitude for allowing her to sleep peacefully without being swayed by evil.

[Thanks to you, all the knots in her heart have been untied lately. Her wish for the salvation of the demon race has been fulfilled, and she’s now connected with the benefactor who made it happen. Hearing her pray every day puts my heart at ease too.]

‘That’s a bit embarrassing.’

[You’ll be doing even more embarrassing things tonight, so this is nothing. By the way, my brother is just unnecessarily meddlesome. If he hadn’t said that, I would have had one more child to bless.]

‘… …’

For the record, I’ve diligently brought contraceptives. No matter what, accidents should be avoided.

While I was silently sweating profusely inside, Mora, who had been sharply criticizing her twin brother, spoke to me in her characteristically sharp voice.

[Anyway, I’ll start by saying thank you. As you probably know, most of my followers are demons and dark elves. Thanks to your book, the power transmitted to me has become several times stronger than before.]

‘Could you tell me what connection that has?’

[Before the Biography of Xenon appeared, demons desperately wanted peace as people, not as devils. I had a hard time comforting their hearts in many ways. Wanting peace means having many negative emotions in their hearts. I have to either resolve those emotions or, if that’s not possible, euthanize them. I am the goddess of darkness and rest, after all.]

‘That must be emotionally taxing for you.’

It’s heartbreaking just to hear about it. Even for a transcendent being, accepting negative emotions or euthanizing followers must be painful.

Mora responded brightly to my sincere words, with an excited voice.

[Right? You understand my feelings. There’s a reason that child has her eye on you. With such deep consideration, it’s natural for her to fall for you.]

‘This is embarrassing. Honestly, the fact that I’m the author of the Biography of Xenon is probably the biggest factor.’

[That’s true too. But that child’s feelings for you are genuine. If you had been a scoundrel, she would have secretly despised you, right? She would have just repaid her debt and never approached you. She simply fell for you.]

Up to this point, I was willing to let it slide.

[Besides, you’re handsome! Above all else, being handsome is the best!]

‘…Wouldn’t Cecilly, as a demon princess, have much higher standards?’

[That may be true, but you have outstanding features! A rare combination of red hair and golden eyes! You don’t know how attractive your face is, do you?]

I can only smile bitterly at Mora’s words. This cursed red hair already makes me stand out wherever I go, so even compliments don’t make me feel particularly good.

Still, I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that even a deity has praised my appearance. As she said, being handsome is indeed the best.

[Have you ever thought about growing your hair out? I think it would suit you well.]

‘Isn’t that purely your preference?’

[Heh. Was I that obvious?]

I’m a bit confused whether I’m talking to a deity or an immature girl. When I was talking with Luminus, serious conversations were exchanged, which put me at ease, but now I already feel drained.

On the other hand, her followers probably felt comfortable with her because the relationship was more horizontal than vertical. Luminus had a subtle divine charisma that made him difficult to approach.

[Oh, right. You published volume 14 recently, didn’t you?]

‘Yes. I sent it to the publisher before coming to Helium.’

[I saw that you wrote quite an interesting story? About elves and dark elves transforming into a pure mana mass to eliminate demons.]

‘You’ve been reading… wait, what?’

Hold on. What is she talking about?

‘Mora?’

[Yes?]

‘How do you know about that?’

[Well, I know because I’ve been reading it. How else would I know?]

‘No. Why would you…’

The news that a deity was reading my book was enough to make my mind go blank.

Come to think of it, didn’t Luminus also occasionally mention the content of my book in passing? I didn’t notice it then because the topic wasn’t focused on that, but now I realize that Luminus has been reading my book too.

While I was confused with my jumbled thoughts, Mora asked me as if wondering what the problem was.

[Is there a problem? Of course we have to read when a child from another dimension is writing books. If you were writing books related to certain ideologies, it would be a big deal for us.]

‘So you’ve read everything from volume 1…?’

[Yes. I’ve read them all, why?]

I want to crawl into a mouse hole. I spread my neatly folded hands and covered my face. Nevertheless, I could feel my face getting hotter.

My book is dominating the world, so I should have anticipated this to some extent, but I was too naive.

[Why are you so embarrassed? You should be proud. Even gods read my book! That’s something to boast about.]

‘…It’s fine. Just don’t mention it.’

[You’re surprisingly shy about strange things? How cute. So when is the next volume coming out?]

‘… …’

When I couldn’t say anything and just trembled my lips, Mora burst into laughter. If you mixed the playfulness of my mother and Cecilly, it would probably feel like this.

I focused on calming my heated face for a while. Since things have come to this and there’s no going back, it’s not right to avoid it. I couldn’t avoid it anyway.

Once the burning sensation had somewhat subsided, I quietly opened my mouth. Clearing my throat to lighten the mood was a bonus.

‘Ahem. Ahem. Thank you for reading it favorably. Still, in the world I live in, it’s an extremely ordinary piece of writing.’

[I like your modesty. Since we’re on this topic, would you like to write down some songs from your world? I’d like to hear them once.]

‘What do you mean by hear them?’

[If you write songs in your book, people will naturally compose music for them. Your world has many good songs, doesn’t it?]

‘Well…’

There certainly are many good songs. As civilization and culture developed, music naturally evolved countless times.

South Korea in particular has many love songs, so I could use them appropriately. But the question is when to include them in the story.

‘I’ll consider it. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it at all.’

[I’ll be looking forward to it.]

‘That’s a bit much…’

Now even Mora is adding pressure on me. It was already burdensome enough knowing that she reads the Biography of Xenon, but now she’s even looking forward to it.

When I muttered somewhat glumly, Mora spoke in her characteristically playful tone. But her content was serious.

[You don’t need to feel pressured. We can’t interfere, and we’re grateful to you right now. Just postponing the demon invasion by 2000 years is enough to be thankful for.]

‘Even if it was truly a coincidence?’

[Yes. Didn’t my brother tell you? For example, let’s say a passerby in danger happens to have their life saved by an adventurer. Even if the adventurer was just passing by, would the passerby not feel grateful? It’s the same principle, just on a larger scale.]

The same story Luminus had told. When Mora saw that I understood, she continued in her characteristically energetic voice.

[So if you want, I can also bestow a blessing on you. Although my powers aren’t as strong as my brother’s, I can give you the ability to hide in darkness if you wish. Like a dark elf.]

‘Is there nothing else?’

[I could help with insomnia or keep your mind clear? I can also free you from all kinds of worries and stress. To be honest, it would have a greater effect on demons than humans.]

Indeed, the reason most humans believe in Luminus is because his powers are superior to Mora’s. As the god of light and hope, Luminus offers various merits.

In contrast, Mora grants peace to those suffering from incurable diseases or aftereffects, or helps them hide in darkness. She has some shortcomings compared to Luminus.

However, Mora is a very important deity for soldiers with combat experience, specifically PTSD patients. Even Luminus cannot completely cure PTSD, but Mora can, and she helps those suffering from nightmares to sleep soundly.

My father retired early because he was a devout follower of Luminus, but if he had visited Mora’s temple even once, he would probably still be actively serving.

‘I probably won’t go into battle, but I’ll keep that in mind. I have a feeling that once I reveal my identity, I’ll get caught up in all sorts of incidents.’

[You’re thinking well. Oh, right. I’ll give you divine power now. It will be quite useful.]

‘What? Is that okay…’

Just as I was about to refuse, Mora spoke in a serious tone unlike before.

[No. You’re going to spend your first night with that child today, right? I need to transfer divine power to her as well and prevent accidents in advance.]

‘Accidents? I brought contraceptives though.’

[Not that kind of accident, but real accidents. Demons in their evil cycle become similar to praying mantises. You know how female mantises eat male mantises during mating? It’s similar to that. She will suck your energy dry, but if you have the divine power I gave you, there won’t be a problem.]

‘… …’

That was a close call.

******

After my conversation with Mora, I immediately came out of the temple to head to the royal palace of Helium. However, Gartz must have already contacted her, as Cecilly had arrived outside the temple in advance.

Outside, the sun had completely set and darkness had fallen thickly, but thanks to the candles lit in the temple, I could make out her silhouette. I approached Cecilly with joy at that moment.

“You’re here, Issac.”

“… …”

As soon as Cecilly met me, she waved her hand and greeted me cheerfully. I was too busy examining her outfit to have the capacity to greet her back.

The off-shoulder dress that completely exposed her shoulders was one thing, but the exposure was so severe that it barely covered her ample bosom. The chest part of the dress was positioned exactly at the boundary line(?), essentially revealing her entire chest.

Moreover, the color of the dress was black, which contrasted even more with her white skin, and there were distinct spots that couldn’t be seen even at the freshman event a few months ago. It seems that red dress from back then had perfectly concealed the spots.

Despite my efforts, I couldn’t stop my gaze from continuously going there. Cecilly herself was already powerful enough, but combined with such a revealing dress, my mind became hazy.

Whether she knew my feelings or not, Cecilly slowly walked up to me and affectionately linked her arm with mine. The feeling of elastic bare skin transmitted through my arm.

“Shall we go now? My parents are looking forward to it too.”

“…Yes.”

Looking at Cecilly’s seductive smile, I could understand. This succubus has really made up her mind.

‘…Thank goodness.’

As I mentioned earlier, Mora’s divine power was excellent at maintaining composure.