What the Goddess Left Behind

After yet another Kyle disappeared, Lete revealed herself again. Her divine form was much fainter than before.

Sensing that the time for farewell was approaching, she gave a bitter smile as she looked at the two heroes before her and opened her mouth.

“It seems like it’s time to say goodbye soon. But thankfully, I’ve managed to convey everything I could, so I should be grateful.”

“Are you disappearing again?”

Kyle asked cautiously.

It wasn’t exactly a rebuke, but perhaps Lete heard it differently.

She nodded, unable to hide her apologetic feelings.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could be of more help to you, but it seems my remaining power is limited to this.”

From the start, even the followers of the Order were gradually leaving, so Lete’s power was also rapidly dwindling.

In that situation, it would be difficult for her to provide significant help.

Still, she had hoped that by at least showing herself, she could gather the faith of the followers in one place, but it seems even that wasn’t going smoothly due to Erze’s interference.

“But since I left a fragment behind, if you use it, you will surely be able to defeat Erze. When that time comes, I will appear again to express my gratitude to you.”

“Don’t worry, Goddess-nim. We will definitely make it happen.”

“Thank you, child.”

She had worried that she might be burdening them with too much, but after hearing Sylvia’s words, she was finally able to smile with relief.

As Lete’s divine form gradually faded and became translucent enough to see the torch on the other side, she gestured for Kyle to come closer, as if she had something last to say.

As Kyle stepped forward, Lete’s hand gently covered the back of Kyle’s hand.

Paaaat.

At the same time, a faint light leaked through the gaps between her fingers, and when she removed her hand, a thin crescent moon-shaped mark, like a fingernail clipping, was revealed on the back of Kyle’s hand.

“It’s not really a price to pay, but I’ll give you this. It will surely be useful.”

“What is this?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. At the very least, you’ll need allies to lend you strength in order to fight Erze. This is for that purpose.”

To gain allies.

It was a somewhat vague expression, but Kyle nodded, assuming that even though it was a grace directly bestowed by the Goddess of Dawn, it would be useful in its own way.

“I’ll be waiting for the day when I can meet you again, safe and sound, and apologize. Please, do not be fascinated by the brilliance of light, and follow the guidance of the moon.”

Listening to her final farewell, Kyle was finally able to understand the meaning of the message left by Hasel.

Do not chase the light.

Was that referring to Erze?

I don’t know how Hasel reached that truth.

However, Kyle felt a pang in his chest, sensing the will of his brother, who, just before his life ended, wanted to give his younger brother sincere advice for the first and last time.

“Then, goodbye for now. My precious children.”

With those words, filled with both apology and gratitude, the Goddess of Dawn completely disappeared.

“Shall we go back first, Kyle? We have a lot to talk about.”

“…Yeah.”

Kyle and Sylvia knew they had a lot to talk about, but thinking it would be difficult to do so here, they quickly left the room to return to their lodgings.

Holding each other’s hands tightly, just as they had when they entered.

Kkiik.

“Hmm? Are you already finished?”

“……?”

As soon as they left the room, the man who had been guarding the door when they entered blinked his eyes and spoke with a puzzled expression.

Kyle and Sylvia looked at each other and tilted their heads.

No matter how they thought about it, it felt like it had been close to two hours, but already?

They wondered if the followers here spent half the day visiting the goddess, but logically, that was unlikely.

‘Is it Lete’s doing?’

Perhaps, at the moment she manifested, she used her power to briefly stop time.

As Kyle made that guess and was about to give a suitable answer and leave,

“Um…!? Wa, wait a moment, please! Believer-nim! Co, could you properly show me what was just engraved on the back of your hand?”

“The back of my hand…? Are you talking about this?”

When the man discovered the mark on the back of Kyle’s hand and asked urgently, Kyle showed the back of his hand with a bewildered expression.

There, along with a crescent moon-shaped mark, was a small dot next to it, like a beauty mark.

Seeing this, the man looked like he was about to fall over in surprise, and then grabbed Kyle’s wrist roughly.

“W, where did you get this mark…!? You didn’t draw it yourself, did you?”

“What is this mark that’s making you act like this?”

Kyle couldn’t just say, ‘I met Lete, and she gave it to me directly,’ so he asked for the whole story.

Then, the man stared intently at the mark with a serious expression, and after a long pause, he replied.

“This is… a stigmata.”

Only then did Kyle realize that what Lete had left behind was not just a stylish tattoo.

＊＊＊

The number of followers of the Order of the Moon has decreased significantly compared to the past.

The absence of Lete, the goddess who should have been the pillar, was significant, and more than anything, bad rumors about the Order of the Moon spread far and wide, causing even more followers to leave.

Even Ruben, which is called the holy land of the Order of the Moon, has been consumed by such rumors, and now the soldiers of the Empire are conducting surprise inspections almost every day.

But even so, not everyone has lost faith and is despairing.

No, to be exact, there are those who are despairing in this terrible reality, but there are also those who are uniting more firmly and cultivating their faith in times like these.

“Ah, Lete Goddess-isiyeo. Please watch over us…”

The most representative figure is Theodric Oswend, the Pope of the Order of the Moon, who was once called the Saint of Ruben.

He is already nearly 70 years old, but despite that, he has never lost faith in the goddess during this long time and prays alone every day in the depths of the temple.

These prayers sometimes last for nearly half a day, and even the shortest ones continue for at least three or four hours.

Moreover, he refuses even the salary he receives for the sake of the followers and the Order, and because he doesn’t even have a proper house, he borrows one of the small rooms used by the priests and lives there. His integrity is truly an example and idol of the Order.

“Goddess-nim. When will you send the messenger who will save us? Please save these lambs quickly and keep them from being tainted by evil.”

And his prayers began to intensify about 40 years ago.

That is, from the time when the conflict between the Order of the Sun and the Order of the Moon intensified, Lete’s voice could no longer be heard, and he inherited the position of Pope at the young age of only thirty.

Before losing her voice, Lete clearly promised the Pope.

If they endured without losing faith in her, she would one day send a messenger to save them.

About 40 years have passed since then, but there is still no sign.

Perhaps the reason why the followers are gradually losing faith and disappearing is also due to the rumor that Lete did not keep her promise.

But Theodric still hadn’t forgotten that promise and was waiting.

Even when 10 years passed and the landscape changed once, he still prayed here.

Even when another 10 years passed and the landscape changed twice, he comforted the followers.

Even when another 10 years passed and the landscape changed three times, he was anxious, but he believed that she would surely keep her promise.

But when another 10 years passed and the landscape changed four times, he had not lost faith, but many of the followers who had been waiting for Lete with him had left.

He was sad about this more than anything else.

Not just the situation where the followers were disappearing, but the anxiety about the future, that even he might lose faith.

Knock knock.

How long had he been praying like that?

Soon, Theodric heard a knock on the door.

But the intensity was different from usual.

The person beyond the door, who always knocked weakly and as carefully as possible, felt particularly urgent and knocked on the door strongly today.

“Come in.”

As he always treated all the followers with respect, his answer was concise and polite.

When the man who responded to the call hurriedly opened the door and revealed himself, his panting breath could be heard even in the room.

“Huk, huk…! Po, Pope Seongha. I’m suddenly sorry. I have news to tell you urgently…”

“It’s alright, catch your breath and speak.”

“Heop…! Yes, I’m sorry. Th, that is…”

It would have been better if he hadn’t said those words, but rather, because of the words he offered out of consideration, the man who came to deliver the news had to pant even more to catch his breath.

Still, as time passed, he gradually got better, and he was barely able to bring out the words he had organized in his head.

“The, the messenger that the Goddess-nim promised has finally appeared!”

“……!”

At that moment, Theodric’s pupils silently widened and a low exclamation escaped his lips.