“You seem to be in a good mood today. Did something nice happen?”
My older sister asked as she looked at my face.
“Ah.”
I quickly raised my hand to touch my face.
My mouth was stretched into a big grin. Probably ever since I walked in here…
No, maybe I’d been smiling like this the entire way to work.
Have I been wearing this expression all along? The thought made me feel a little embarrassed.
Not that I was in a bad mood—quite the opposite. I had a reason for smiling.
“Yes, I met up with some friends after a long time.”
Yes, friends.
They were comrades I had entrusted my life to, and at the same time, friends I had laughed and cried with. To be honest, if the circumstances had been different, we would’ve just met as friends of similar age.
…No, wait. If not for those circumstances, we wouldn’t have met at all.
Kallia was the second daughter of a ducal family. For a commoner, her status was so high that even striking up a conversation would’ve been impossible. And even without her noble rank, she was a knight commander. Even ordinary knights caused commoners to tread carefully around them, and she was one of the commanders. Calling her anything less than extraordinary would’ve been unthinkable.
Dana was the head of the Mage Tower. At her young age, she reached that position with her innate talent and relentless effort, despite the Tower being full of those formidable, old-fashioned elders. Whether or not Dana thought highly of others, from the perspective of an average commoner, she was far above them. Moreover, Dana rarely left the Tower, as she was always immersed in her research.
Pia… well, no further explanation was needed. She was the sole symbol of the Church itself. Although Pia lacked any sense of class distinction, it was only natural that not just anyone could meet her—if only for her safety.
And Arna was an elf, a race that seldom ventured beyond their own territory. Except for the leaders engaged in diplomacy with the kingdom, they had no interaction with commoners at all.
The only reason I could meet those four exceptional people was that my own status was equally extraordinary. And my extraordinary status was a result of the war between the Demon King’s army and humanity.
How ironic.
“Friends?”
My sister blinked and then spoke again.
“You don’t get to see them often, do you?”
“Ah, well, they live far away.”
I couldn’t exactly tell her they came from another world, so I deflected. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely untrue. In terms of distance… no, they lived far beyond what could even be measured by distance.
“I see.”
Hearing my answer, my sister smiled softly.
“That’s a relief.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh? Ah, nothing.”
When I questioned her, she looked momentarily flustered before giving a slightly awkward expression.
“It’s just…”
But when she realized I wasn’t about to let it go, she hesitated briefly, then answered slowly, looking somewhat uneasy.
“Well, when I first saw you, you seemed quite unstable. In many ways. You’ve been getting better lately, but today, you seem especially happy. So I was wondering… had you been in touch with your friends recently?”
I hadn’t been in touch with them at all. I couldn’t, given the circumstances.
If my sister thought I was gradually improving, it was probably because I’d been spending time with her. The more I settled into this reality, the more my heart began to feel at ease.
Of course, there were still those episodes that occurred every few nights… those seizures-like events. Waking up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, constantly scanning my surroundings.
Come to think of it, I wasn’t living alone anymore.
Was I worrying them, by any chance?
“Something like that. I’ve finally been able to meet them.”
“That’s great.”
When my sister gave me a big smile, I quickly smiled back at her.
“Oh.”
Then, something came to mind.
The address I’d seen written in the notebook tucked between Dana’s notes—the address of the church where my sister and I had done volunteer work.
If the pastor at that church had any connection to the goddess, then wasn’t it possible that my helping my sister had been part of the goddess’s guidance?
“Um, sis.”
But it was a delicate topic. My sister had once said that she had been helped during a difficult time.
And perhaps, her “difficult time” was…
“That pastor from the church last time.”
“Yeah?”
“How did you meet him?”
When I asked, my sister, who had been busily preparing to open the shop, suddenly slowed down for a moment. But only for a moment. Her hands quickly resumed their practiced movements as she continued to get ready for work.
“He’s… a bit of a unique person. He’s kind to everyone, even strangers. Is this about that question from before?”
“Oh, yes.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t just because of that question, but I nodded for now.
“Hmm…”
My sister seemed hesitant.
She looked like she was grappling with where to start or how much to say.
I was about to tell her she didn’t have to answer if it was too difficult, but she spoke before I could.
“It was when I was really struggling. I suddenly stopped on the street, crouched down to catch my breath.”
“…”
For a moment, I almost asked, “Suddenly?” but I held my tongue. My sister had clearly decided not to elaborate.
From her perspective, I was someone she had only known for a little over a month. We’d gotten relatively close, but not to the point of sharing everything openly.
I remembered her as she had been, and she seemed to remember me as well. But this newly written relationship didn’t share the same memories.
“He was the one who approached me back then. After that, he helped me with a lot of things… Oh, and this bakery used to be run by the church.”
“Really?”
I widened my eyes in surprise, and my sister nodded.
“Yeah. Isn’t it interesting? It was a church bakery, but you wouldn’t even guess it now—it doesn’t have any religious overtones at all. Remember when I told you not to charge the kids who bring those low-income meal cards?”
“Oh, yes.”
She had mentioned that, though I hadn’t seen it happen yet. My sister had said she was worried because the kids who used to come hadn’t shown up recently.
Now that I thought about it, it was a concern I could understand. I would have worried about it too.
“That policy has been in place ever since the church ran the bakery. Isn’t that amazing?”
“Yes…”
“They said they’d leave the entire management to me, and I could keep almost all the profits. The only condition was that if someone in need asked for help, I should help them. That was their one request.”
“…..”
“When I asked why they’d go so far for someone they barely knew, they just said they were paying forward something they’d received long ago. Even though I hadn’t done anything for them. Strange, isn’t it?”
As she spoke, my sister chuckled.
“It was strange, definitely suspicious enough to refuse, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to doubt the pastor at all. I don’t know why. So, I just agreed. And, well, it’s been nearly four years now. I think I’ve done alright no losses so far, at least.”
Nearly four years.
In other words, just over three years.
That meant my sister had struggled for more than a year after I’d left.
Maybe my mom, too.
But before I could feel guilt creeping in, my sister continued.
“They still ask me sometimes. What exactly did they receive that made them treat me so kindly?”
“What do they say?”
“They just smile and say they received more than they could ever repay, no matter how much they tried. When I ask, ‘Why me?’ they say I’ll understand eventually.”
My sister said this and smiled softly at me, noticing my dazed expression.
“I know. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale. But that’s exactly what happened. If you’re curious, you can ask them yourself when you volunteer next time.”
“Oh, no, it’s not that I don’t believe you…”
It’s just… I wondered if the goddess had foreseen even this.
Sometimes, even when it wasn’t time to pray, I felt as though my vision brightened when I thought of the goddess. Not literally, but in a way that made me feel as if she were just beyond my line of sight—standing somewhere unseen, watching over me. It was as if the edge of her radiance barely touched my field of vision.
That was how I felt now.
Whatever you do, the goddess is watching over you.
Therefore, nothing you do is meaningless.
The teachings of the former hero resurfaced in my mind. Those words weren’t just lessons for a hero; they were written in the church’s scriptures as well.
Even while I was in that other world, the goddess had been taking care of those I left behind. Without me ever needing to ask.
I was grateful my sister didn’t notice the slight dampness in the corners of my eyes.