episode_0154

“Me…really?”

[Yeah. I’ve seen it a few times since I came to this dimension.]

“Huh? Master, have you ever seen a goddess?”

[Why did he keep telling her to be quiet and not to flirt with anyone? She wasn’t a woman I really liked.]

The Master refers to the Goddess lightly as if he were talking about a friend.

I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by her words.

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it.

According to the Master, you can meet the Goddess today.

A god who loves all life and cares for and spreads life and warmth on this land.

Because it felt like an unapproachable entity, I thought I would never encounter it in my lifetime.

But can we meet?

That too now..?

“Uh..How do we meet?”

If we can meet, we should do so right away.

Why did the Demon King invade, why did Lily become a hero, why is everything going wrong?

If you are a goddess, you must have an answer to this.

[Just go to the temple.]

“……Huh?”

[That is where the power of the goddess reaches the strongest. You can just pray there once.]

“…….”

My hopes fell to the bottom at the absurd words of the teacher.

What kind of nonsense is this?

If you pray at the temple, you can meet the goddess…?

If this were true, there would be a plethora of people running to the temple right now and praying without eating for 24 hours.

There are countless people who have wishes that are more precious than their own lives.

But not a single person has ever said that they met the goddess that way.

There were people who occasionally said they heard voices, but there was no proper proof.

“Are you kidding me..?”

When I spoke with a voice full of doubt, the teacher seemed to get angry and answered with a slightly raised voice.

[What do you think of the Master? How many times have you actually met him?]

“…….”

When I didn’t answer, the teacher let out a short sigh and continued speaking.

[Of course, it’s not like you can meet just anyone. No, rather, it’s probably very rare for you to meet someone.]

“…Then I can’t meet you either?”

[But you can meet. I guarantee that.]

As my expression grew more confused, the Master continued to explain.

[Just by looking at you, you can tell how much the goddess loves you]

“Huh?”

[You didn’t know that, did you?]

The teacher said as if it was unexpected.

“…What on earth are you talking about?”

The goddess loves me.

Me, someone you’ve never seen before..?

[The life of the goddess is contained in your body more clearly than anyone else.]

“…..What does that mean?”

I found myself muttering to myself at her absurd words.

What is the life of a goddess?

And that’s inside my body..?

[That’s strange. The saintess would have told you, but you didn’t know.]

Iris?

I haven’t heard anything from Iris.

‘No… wait.’

Let us think carefully about the teacher’s words.

An incident that happened before came to mind.

“….Now that I think about it”

While I was spending time with Iris over the weekend, she once said:

He said he felt the power of the goddess from me. That’s why he thought I had special abilities.

But when I found out, I realized that the power I possessed was not an inherent ability, but the power of a nine-tailed fox that I inherited from my master’s bloodline.

The power of the goddess that Iris felt had disappeared without a trace.

I just thought that Iris was mistaken…

Was it really the power of the goddess that I possessed?

Since when..? No, why to me in the first place..?

…I wonder if it has something to do with me being possessed?

Or was Hera an extraordinary person from the beginning?

There were so many questions floating around in my head.

‘….Well. You’ll know if you ask.’

First of all, meeting was the priority.

If what the Master said was true, all I had to do was ask him directly.

Actually, I’m not sure if we’ll ever meet..

“Then, if I go to the temple now, I can meet you, right?”

[That’s true, but I guess I’ll have to go with the saint.]

“Iris?”

[Yes. To send you to the divine realm, you need a medium with enough power. You could take the holy sword, but you can’t handle it.]

“That’s true.”

I’m sure he can’t handle the holy sword.

Because the Holy Sword is a sword that becomes infinitely lighter only for one warrior recognized by the Goddess.

Well, if it’s Iris… I thought she’d listen if I asked.

But, a medium? Isn’t that a bit of a strange word to use for people?

“…It’s not dangerous, is it?”

[Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous at all.]

I asked my teacher out of concern, but fortunately, my teacher answered me firmly.

So, I received the Master’s advice.

Without hesitation, I immediately used my disguise and headed to the academy.

* * *

The temple that ran towards Iris, holding her hand.

Is she really a saint?

At Iris’s single word, all the priests of the temple emptied the prayer room for us.

“You’re meeting the goddess…??”

Iris looked at me as if she had misheard me.

“…….Yeah.”

As I looked at Iris’s absurd face, an ominous thought came to me.

…Are you sure you’re really sure?

Once again, I had doubts about the teacher’s words.

I had dragged Iris here to meet the goddess, so it would be really embarrassing if the teacher’s words were a lie.

No. Trust me.

Isn’t it the nine-tailed fox, a legendary monster?

A being that has lived for hundreds of years and has accumulated strength.

A being so great would never lie.

Since he is an extraordinary being, he must know something that others don’t.

…I decided to think that way for now.

[I think you’re having some rude thoughts.]

“Eh.”

I flinched once at the teacher’s sharp rebuke.

[Okay. First, go in front of the cross over there.

‘…yes.’

First of all, since we’ve come this far.

There was no other way than to follow the teacher’s words.

As she said, I walked to the end of the temple with Iris, and a sacred-looking cross and a large stone statue of a merciful woman appeared before my eyes.

“As you probably know, this is a goddess. She always gives us grace and blessings.”

Iris looked at the stone statue, closed her eyes, and prayed lightly, then looked at me again with her blue eyes.

“How do you plan to meet the goddess, Hera?”

“…Well…I think I’ll try praying first.”

“Prayer?”

“Ugh..”

Iris looked at me with her eyes wide open, then her face turned slightly red and a shy smile appeared on her face.

“I love it.. Greeting the goddess together with Hera..It’s like a meeting of the parents..”

“…..”

…I think you completely forgot what I said about meeting the goddess.

After a brief moment of embarrassment, Iris ran towards me and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Have you ever prayed before?”

“Ah..no. This is my first time.”

“Hehehe.. Then I’ll tell you.”

Iris, with an excited face, teaches me how to pray.

I did as she said, kneeling on the floor in silence and gently folding my hands.

“Please straighten your back a little more. I think it would be better if you lowered your head a little more.”

“Uh..yeah..”

As I changed my posture as she said, Iris next to me started to admire me.

“Ahh… Hera… You are so beautiful… Can you pray with me for the rest of my life?”

Iris, who has completely forgotten her original purpose and only looks at me.

Feeling slightly burdened by her excessive attention, I lowered my head and shut my eyes tightly.

“Okay. Just think of what you want to say to the goddess.”

“Uh..yeah.”

When I actually tried to pray, I had no idea what to say first.

I tried to calm my mind as much as possible and thought about the earnest wish inside me without any particular order.

…Goddess.

Actually, I’m not sure if you’re listening to me right now.

I don’t think they would be interested in someone like me.

But if…if you’re really listening…please help me.

I want to protect this world I’m in, and the people I love.

I want to create a world where no one gets hurt and everyone smiles.

But my limited strength is not enough.

So, Goddess.

please.

If you are listening to my prayers, please help me just this once.

“…….”

After saying a fervent prayer, I opened my eyes.

Then, what comes into view are the stone statues and crosses still standing motionless.

I waited like that for a while.

There was no change in the surroundings.

‘….I knew this would happen.’

For a moment, I felt resentful towards my teacher.

What do you mean you can meet?

This is a being that has never directly appeared in the novel.

The very idea that it could only be achieved through prayer was absurd.

But because I desperately wanted it.

I tried to pray with the feeling that I had no choice but to grab onto even a shred of hope, but all I got in return was a deep sense of helplessness.

“..I think it’s done now, Iris.”

Let’s try to wipe away the self-loathing on our faces as much as possible and turn our heads.

I noticed something strange.

“….Iris?”

Iris doesn’t move at all, as if time has stopped.

Faint lights were leaking out from her body.

And soon after, I felt a bright light in front of me.

I turned my head and looked ahead.

Woof-

The cross, which had been ordinary until just a moment ago, was vibrating intensely, emitting a brilliant white light around it.

As if it was calling me.

I was blankly staring at the cross emitting divine light.

Soon he approached the cross as if possessed by something.

I reached out to it without a moment’s hesitation.

Okay then.

wink.

Without any sound. Without any sign.

The surrounding scenery changed in an instant.

“…..Huh?”

An infinitely stretching white space with nothing in it.

In this place filled with white, only endless silence and stillness prevailed.

A situation that is clearly beyond the realm of understanding.

I looked around in confusion.

Not long after that.

“You finally came to see me.”

A voice came from above me and flowed into my ears.

A beautiful voice that feels like it warms your heart just by listening to it.

I raised my head in the direction of the voice.

Her… no, his figure came into view.

A pretty white dress billowing down.

A beautiful body revealed above.

Above all, the six large pure white wings that decorate her back splendidly.

I could tell instinctively who it was without even asking.

goddess.

The goddess appeared before my eyes.

“I missed you, Savior..No.”

She continued with a compassionate smile.

“Should I call you reader?”