The white robe of the temple fluttered wildly with each of Lu’s stride. My younger sister walked steadily ahead. Her white robe flutters but somehow—mysteriously—her little hat never once toppled off.
“Honesty, Gods are annoying at times. Mu!”
Lu pouted.
“They are always, always dragging Oniichan around! I want to see you too!”
I probably should have scolded her for the outburst, but instead a wry smile tugged at my lips.
The new blessing that Solana had granted me—the Sun’s Awakening Light, has power that extended the duration of lifted seals, and astonishingly, it even worked on the gods themselves. It wasn’t permanent, of course. But for several hours they could walk freely under the sky. For deities who had been bound for so long, it must have felt like a long-awaited chance to breathe the outside air again.
“Thor-sama is always teaching you rough things! And Loki-sama, he just teases you! Sigris-sama even made you drink some kind of weird medicinal bath! And Uru-sama… he talks to birds and animals and— it’s kind of scary!”
Uh-, such terrible things were being said about them….
Ever since they had been able to step outside again, Thor and the others had removed the veil of mystery that has been covering them.
“T-they really are amazing gods, you know?”
“…I know. I even heard some of it from you, Oniichan. But still…”
Lu puffed out her cheeks, sulking in earnest.
“You’ve only just come back, and now you don’t even get to rest.”
“Oh”
I realized. Lu was worried about me.
“I still think Solana-sama is the best! I mean, I was shocked she turned out to be a goddess, but…”
Lu spun around, her eyes shining.
“I’m still cheering for you, Oniichan!”
The gold coin in my pocket gave a sudden vibration.
“…Goddess?”
The coin only trembled again, the way it always did when she was on the verge of saying something. I tried calling out to her, but no reply came.
Come to think of it, ever since we’d gone to see Safi, Solana had been strangely quiet.
“…Is something wrong?”
『…N-no, nothing at all.』
As I tilted my head in thought, I noticed my mother approaching from the front. She was dressed in the same white temple robe as Lu, with two other women in identical garb following behind her.
“Good morning, Mom.”
Before I could say more, Lu quickly stepped forward, her expression shifting into a proper, formal one.
“Good morning, Mom. Melinda-san, Mariela-san.”
She recited their names smoothly, then went right on.
“I’ve already replaced the old magic stone lamps in the temple. I also looked at the vegetable garden, and since the frost has stopped falling, the mana grass is doing well. And also… ah, Pauline-san was looking for Mariela-san earlier.”
During her time at the temple, Lu had been working diligently alongside our mother. I’d always known she was a hard worker despite her frail health, but… knowing she’d only just recovered from two years of illness, I couldn’t help but worry.
I bit back the urge to say, “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“If there’s anything else that needs creating, please let me know!”
She raised her voice cheerfully as we passed Mom and the others, then she turned to smile at me. Her braids swayed, almost as if they were waiting to be praised.
“You really do seem like a proper temple attendant now.”
“Right?!”
Un… she really had brightened up.
That word ‘creating’ she mentioned must have referred to the skill she’d awakened.
“I’ve been practicing with Pauline-sama, making all sorts of things. As long as I have a mana stone, I think I can create just about anything now.”
We crossed the plaza of the warrior corps’ base that is surrounded by high stone walls. The place Lu led me to was a towering structure called the Great Tower. It was so spacious that the word “fortress” came to mind. It’s an imposing huge building with five floors.
“This way.”
She guided me up the stairs and into a small chamber. Inside, there was only a single desk and two chairs. What caught my eye, though, were the ornaments laid neatly upon the table. There is the statue of Odis-sama, the spear-bearing chief deity. A finely crafted horse caught mid-gallop. And an apple so fresh and lifelike I almost believed it real until I picked it up.
“I made them.”
Lu said proudly.
“…All of these?”
“That’s right. Hehe, while Oniichan is away, I practiced so I could get used to handling my magical power.”
Skill: 『Miko』; Ability: 【Creation】. The skill that resides within Lu is a special one that allows her to create matter from magical power. It’s the very ability that created the world.
“I wasn’t very good at it at first, though.”
Lu pointed toward a small box set on the floor. Inside were trinkets as well—though their finish was a little rough compared to the ones displayed proudly on the table.
“And… I wanted to show you these too—”
She trailed off as she slipped out of the room. A moment later, she bustled back in, carrying a pair of porcelain cups in her hands.
“I baked some sweets! Oniichan, will you eat with me?”
Her thoughtfulness made my chest tighten with quiet joy.
“Thanks Lu.”
I helped her prepare the tea. There was even a device in the room for heating water with a magic stone. Normally such tools required delicate control, but when Lu held her palm over it, the stone obediently warmed to just the right temperature.
“…You really are amazing, Lu.”
Life in the temple, learning to wield a new Skill—none of it could have been easy. And yet, the way she calmly heated the water, her profile that’s lit by the glow of the magic stone, she looked completely at ease.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’d get stronger and wait for you. You’ve had it even harder, Oniichan.”
Soon the steam began to sway in the cool air. I bit into one of the cookies she’d baked, washing it down with the warmth of the tea. Ever since we’d returned to the capital, everything had been so frantic for weeks that I hadn’t had a moment like this—to simply sit and talk with my sister.
“I want us to come back to the capital like this again, with Mom too…”
The words slipped out before I could stop myself. And the moment I heard them, I realized I shouldn’t have said it.
“Yeah…”
Lu’s response was also lackluster.
“Returning to the royal capital” is easy to say, but it was difficult for Lu. After all, the enemy might be trying to steal my sister’s skills.
That careless topic cast a shadow over the table.
The fine furnishings, the sweetness of the tea—none of it could quite hide the way both of us were remembering our old home located in the east of the royal capital. By the time the cups had gone still and the tea no longer gave off steam, I heard the sound of footsteps climbing the tower stairs.
“So this is where you were.”
It was Felix-san. His already narrow eyes squinted further as he tilted his head slightly. Beneath his black hair, the coronet on his forehead caught the light with a glint.
“Rion-san, forgive the suddenness, but… could you come to the Western Dungeon?”
The Mirror of Yggdrasil, the sacred water-mirror, was housed there.
I set down my teacup and rose to my feet.
“There’s been a reaction from one of the divine relics. A new god has been detected.”
“I’ll go!”
I glanced toward Lu. My sister met my eyes and gave a firm nod.
“It’s alright. Go on, Oniichan.”
“We’ll finish our talk another time.”
I gave her hand a tight squeeze before following Felix-san down the tower stairs.
Far away, somewhere within the depths of the world, another god was awakening.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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