READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 88 - God of Light and Order☆ (4)
It had been about a week since the goddess’s oracle(?) descended upon
Twitch—!
The orange cat ears moved constantly.
Only the sound of pen moving echoed in the quiet space.
Scribble scribble…
“Huhu—☆ Is there more you want to hear~☆ The goddess knows everything, everything—☆”
Rota was listening intently to Urd’s words and writing them down in her notebook. Before she knew it, much of her wariness towards this space had disappeared, and only curiosity remained in her heart.
“Huhu…☆”
Urd looked at that sight with a smug expression. Reciting knowledge she had only heard and seen in the ‘past’ like an oracle felt better than expected.
-Listen well to your Senior and help those in trouble~♪
-So the will of the World Tree exists to help people after all…!
Even when saying universally known things, seeing the juniors nod seriously as if they had heard the truth… somehow gave a ticklish feeling.
Riding that momentum, Urd spoke smugly and casually dropped information about magic that ‘past Rota’ used.
“Yes♪ If I give advice in a ‘World Tree-like’ way, wouldn’t it be more romantic to emphasize rhythm in spells like poetry~☆”
Twitch—!
When talk of her specialty came up, Rota raised her head with eyes sparkling like jewels.
“Romantic…? What do you mean by that? Tell me exactly! Wasn’t the order important in magic chanting?”
“Oh, um…♪”
This was unexpected.
Just as she had roughly agreed with ‘Clara’.
Urd, who had been explaining information that seemed helpful based on ‘feeling’, flinched at those words.
‘Oh my—☆ I don’t know the details about magic…’
If she’s asked ‘Why is an incompetent person like you a goddess?!’, she wouldn’t know how to answer.
…
‘Hmm… I wonder if she’ll understand if I explain well anyway—☆’
Urd continued her explanation while inwardly breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Ah, no☆ Um… um… Oh! That’s right—☆ Not golden cats but birds chirping! With a feeling of kwaaang—! Swoosh~☆ How about that? Like pigeons flying up in front of a train station? Hm?”
“Birds… hmm… Longing for flying in the sky? The ‘story’ derived from that is theologically…”
Urd desperately recalled vague ‘past memories’, trying to describe how her ‘past junior’ used magic.
Fortunately, her enthusiasm of flapping her hands like wings seemed to work, as Rota thought for a while then nodded as if understanding.
And the next words that followed shyly.
“S-So? What’s next? …ma’am?”
Due to the awkward and belated honorific, Urd burst out laughing while holding her stomach.
“Ahaha—☆ What, what~♪ Suddenly using formal speech awkwardly? Talk comfortably like before—☆”
“Ah… That’s because talking with the goddess… ma’am a lot made me feel like I was talking to Senior Clara… Thinking about it, it seems disrespectful to the goddess…”
“…”
“The habit of talking with friends keeps popping out… ma’am.”
“…”
Urd suddenly recalled Rota from the ‘vanished time’.
“…”
A junior who maintained a subtle distance from the dull and troublemaking Clara until the end.
‘Past Rota’ mainly stuck with Alvit who she could talk to, and had a dogmatic side from her habit of carrying problems alone.
‘She was a good kid inside, but was firm about her own domain—☆’
But…
‘Current Rota’ strangely follows ‘Clara’ well, and somehow doesn’t seem to mind opening up about her worries.
‘Hmm… I see.’
She changed.
The same person, but a different person.
“…”
Though it’s a fact I recall many times…
The junior before me was different from the junior I knew. Even in just over half a year, that difference approached with an unbridgeable gap.
To begin with, it was ‘current Clara’ who guided this girl like that.
“…”
Urd used quite a lot of strength to recall the ‘forgotten past’. That was the reason she became a goddess and entered the ‘Spring of Fate’.
‘The ‘past’ I saw is…’
This world is destined to perish.
It was a fact realized only after defeating the ‘dragon’.
“…”
[Dragon Crouched in the Abyss] who began rampaging because of that.
Her juniors—[Fate of the Three Heroes] succeeded in stopping them all. Like that… she thought her world was saved by her juniors.
‘But what appeared after that was…’
The remnants of two beast gods—’snake’ and ‘wolf’ awakened by the ‘power of death’ left by the dragon. Their power was too much for the academy city that had exhausted all its strength to stop [Dragon Crouched in the Abyss] to handle.
So all students including the Five Colors died.
“…”
Amidst that, she realized her [Fate] as [Saintess of Sacrifice] very belatedly.
Because she had such a weak power.
She reached the [Fate] of [Saintess of Sacrifice] far too late.
“…”
It was too late.
So she [sacrificed] everything to turn back time.
She thought if she could just start over, she could turn things back.
But…
She realized far too late that every miracle has a price.
The [sacrifice]… severed her soul from everything.
‘I didn’t expect another soul to enter the empty space created by [sacrifice].’
The world turned back like that was different from the previous world—due to outsiders flowing in from another universe.
“…”
Urd stopped her thoughts and looked at Rota before her.
“Goddess… ma’am?”
“…Yes♪”
As much as time changed.
As much as souls changed.
Another threat was approaching this city.
“…”
Because it is this world’s [Fate] to perish.
Then, to prevent that… she will [sacrifice].
The ‘Spring of Fate’ she arrived at just by following the flow
And the fateful encounter with the ‘new Clara’.
Urd inwardly resolved.
This time for sure—
‘I must help another me… another Saintess.’
That is what she, who was left behind for being incompetent, must do.
* * *
A lukewarm early afternoon summer breeze blew into the auditorium set up like a campsite with tents.
Since meeting the kind goddess of the past, we had been staying in the auditorium set up like a campsite.
‘We can’t let it into the dormitory since that chick keeps dropping large amounts of strange white powder.’
Oracle time held two or three times a day.
Since it was Rota’s turn for this oracle(?), we decided to wait outside.
‘Well, even if we call it an oracle, it’s just chatting about random things.’
Strictly speaking, since Urd—’Clara’ was also a student of
“…”
It may sound strange, but I felt she was also a junior I needed to take care of.
“…”
Because there are things we’ve given and received between us… she’s become someone I can’t just leave alone now.
‘I’ve told Hilde about the existence of [Nameless Hawk] and the ‘Spring of Fate’ for now, but…’
A goddess residing in the World Tree, which is treated as a personified god in this world just by itself.
And [Nameless Hawk]—the beast god of order who uniquely helped humanity in the distant past.
The news that two divine beings suddenly appeared in the forgotten
In the end, we decided to talk about the details when we meet later.
‘Hilde doesn’t know yet that Urd looks exactly like me, I wonder how she’ll react?’
The ascended one… past goddess Urd looked just like Clara no matter how you looked at her.
In other words, her appearance wasn’t much different from my current self.
What would she say if we met in that state?
Would she be happy saying it’s a Clara bulk discount 1+1 event?
Would she go wild like a gamer rushing to buy character collaboration products at a convenience store?
I felt half curious, half nervous.
“…”
Honestly… seeing her act all lovey-dovey towards another whore besides me would probably make me feel uneasy and lonely.
…
…
…
“…?”
I flinched from the sudden sense of discomfort I felt.
“Oh my my—☆”
Huh.
What’s this?
This is completely a jealous female.
“…”
I could only hang my head.
‘Damn it…’
Do I have to acknowledge it?
‘That I’m one step away from completely falling into corruption…’
Since the day we wore dresses together and acted all cheesy, the pretty side’s thoughts seemed to have accelerated strangely.
‘At some point, I started having trouble remembering things from my past life too.’
Little by little…
Little by little…
It felt like my past life’s personality was fading.
But if you ask if that’s terrifying, well… I’m not sure.
Isn’t life about gradually forgetting and changing as you live anyway?
Hilde.
Frida.
Nina.
Selma.
Maya.
The Five Colors of the academy city.
The juniors of
The dwarf merchants of the shopping district.
And so on…
As much as I forgot, the things that filled in were meaningful, so I didn’t feel like forgetting made things meaningless.
If I thought of this as an extension of life too, I could accept it calmly.
‘Or is this also due to Clara’s fate… the fate of [sacrifice].’
…
The fate of [sacrifice], huh.
Have I ever actually sacrificed anything?
‘I don’t think I remember doing anything dramatic and noble like a firefighter.’
When you say Saintess, it gives a holy and lofty image.
But I only remember just cleaning up appropriately when things happened.
“…”
Thinking such thoughts, I drank the cold tea in the cup I was holding.
Slurp—
‘It feels like I’m at a retreat.’
I sat in a chair sipping cold tea and watched Alvit checking on the health of Peepeep… [Nameless Hawk]. For reference, Kara had gone out on errands after receiving requests from the dwarves in the shopping district.
[Nameless Hawk] making pathetic coughing sounds.
“Cough—! Hack, hack…! I feel like there’s a burnt smell coming from my nose…! Peep peep…!”
“Hmm… It seems like stomach acid refluxed from going in and out of your throat too often…”
Alvit examined the giant chick’s neck, then went to the cafeteria and mixed hot water to make it lukewarm. Then she poured it little by little through a kettle.
Like a chick eating food given by its mother bird, [Nameless Hawk] stretched out its neck and drank the water. When its burning throat calmed down, it shed tears and expressed gratitude.
“Sniff… Thank you, [Hero]…! Peep peep—! The moment I regain my giant wings, I shall first embrace you and fly through this world’s sky…!”
“No thanks.”
“Ah—! If only I could quickly regain my strength and give you the great holy sword—! Peep peep—!”
“I already have a sword.”
“Then use both! Peep!”
“D-Dual wielding…? That’s complicated…”
Alvit pushing away [Nameless Hawk] trying to embrace her emotionally.
The sight of
“…”
I muttered watching that scene.
“It’s peaceful—☆”
At that moment.
I felt numerous presences passing through the school gates far away.
“It’s ruined—☆”
I wonder what kind of delinquent students want to get a beating today—☆
Thinking that as I got up… but those who entered weren’t delinquent students.
“We have arrived at the land of revelation, sisters! This is the place the spirit of the sword spoke of—!”
“Is it here?!”
“Yes, that’s right sister!”
“My goodness, traces of the great World Tree and Norn here…”
“Ah, why didn’t we notice quickly…”
“To think the fates of [Hero] and [Saintess] would be here…!”
“What a truly modest and elegant place!”
“Oh my, look at that broken window…! I wonder what theological meaning that has?”
It was hundreds of elves… from
Alvit muttered while looking at them:
“Huh…? Why on earth are they here…?”
“Who knows—☆”
“Peep—! Students with a familiar scent. A very fragrant and nostalgic smell of the World Tree…! Peep!”
“You know your way of speaking was really annoying, right?”
“Peep peep…”
Twitch
The elf students’ ears moved.
And hundreds of elves rushed towards us all at once.
“There they are! There are the [Hero] and [Saintess] the spirit of the sword pointed out to us!”
“No, that divine beast with such a noble appearance…?!”
“God of Order!! Incarnation of Order!! Divine bird!!”
“Catch them!! Catch them and enshrine them—!”
What is this…?