At last, the goddess’s gaze was directed at the saint.
“…..”
She said nothing, but there was no one here who didn’t understand why the goddess was looking at Fia.
Did she have something to say?
Whether trying to argue against the goddess or agreeing with her, they would ultimately reach the conclusion that they should not go to meet Shihyun.
No matter what Fia said while standing here, could she really persuade the goddess?
But still, Fia opened her mouth.
She couldn’t just give up.
“I am……”
She paused for a moment. What should she say to the goddess? What words would convince her?
But soon, she realized that all of it was pointless.
Throughout the years, Fia had never mixed falsehoods in her conversations with the goddess.
Even when there was no one by her side, the goddess had always looked after Fia.
Sometimes like a parent, sometimes like a friend. Even when using the stern tone she was now, she would soon give up and complain, or speak casually as if she were just an ordinary person.
Fia had always spoken her thoughts honestly, and the goddess had always listened to her.
So, even at this moment, there was no need to hide her thoughts.
No, she couldn’t hide them.
Fia had never acted politically in this way before. She would likely be exposed and contradicted before long.
“I just… want to thank the hero… Shihyun.”
Thus, Fia’s words were simple and unembellished.
She didn’t say she would give something in return. There were no religious or philosophical reflections. No logical arguments based on any foundation.
It was just the childish complaint of someone wanting to thank a benefactor.
“…….”
However, the goddess said nothing in response.
As if silently contemplating Fia’s words, she just stared at Fia without saying a word.
The three people who had followed Fia couldn’t say anything either.
The one who had sought to negotiate with the goddess was Fia. But the words she spoke had not even formed the basis for such a ‘negotiation.’
Her words, asking for rights as someone who had saved the world with the hero, meant nothing when she stood before the goddess.
After all, all those feats had been possible because of the existence of one person, the hero.
“Isn’t it only natural to say thank you, since I received help?”
Fia pleaded with the goddess.
“That’s… the way of humans.”
“……”
The goddess remained silent.
Calia, Dana, and Arna also held their breath, watching the two.
For a long time, silence enveloped the temple. The goddess stared at Fia in silence for a long while before slowly speaking.
“There is a condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
The goddess’s tone when she spoke was no longer the authoritative one from before.
It was the casual tone of a person explaining something, just like when they had first met.
But unlike the troublesome air from their first encounter, this time it felt like she was simply explaining something calmly.
“It’s only natural that you’ve never heard of this disease. In your world, it isn’t even recognized as an ‘illness’ yet.”
The goddess sighed softly and continued speaking.
“But you all probably have a vague understanding of this. The knight returning from the battlefield, terrified and unable to return to the front line, or the young man still strong and yet afraid of the color red. Perhaps, he developed an odd preference for secluded places, or couldn’t chew meat anymore. These are mental illnesses that manifest in various ways.”
After hearing this, I had a sense of understanding.
It wasn’t just knights or soldiers. The women here were no exception. Each of them had developed small habits due to the war, things they didn’t talk about to others.
“I’ve seen so many people like that. There was a huge war. The kind you experienced… but it was a war that took place over a much wider area and lasted for much longer.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the terrible war you experienced was any less horrifying. It was just a different kind of war.”
The goddess paused for a moment.
The four people listening had no idea what war the goddess was talking about.
They simply held their breath, quiet at the words “huge” and “wide.”
“Even after the war ended, victims kept appearing for decades… It wasn’t until there were no more victims left that the true scars of that war were gone.
You can never erase such wounds.
All you can do is embrace them for a lifetime, with help from others, or make them realize how meaningful and necessary those events were, beyond just the wounds.”
“…..”
For a brief moment, silence hung between the goddess and the four listeners.
“The fact that there are comrades who have been through the same thing by your side, that there is someone who can empathize with you,
someone who will protect you, someone who will understand your actions and mistakes, and embrace you…..just having someone like that nearby can heal a person a lot.
Of course, there are those who never heal, even with all of that… But, at least, they might find hope.”
The goddess’ gaze, which had been drifting in the air, landed on each of the four people in turn, Fia, Dana, Kalia, and Arna.
“…Come to think of it, I forgot to thank you all. No matter how much of a hero there was, without your help, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Demon King.
As a goddess, I thank you. You are the heroes who saved your world. I’m sorry for the late gratitude.”
“Ah…”
The words “It’s nothing” didn’t come out. It felt stuck in their throats.
“Not just you, but also those who fought against the Demon King’s army.
The demons who risked their lives inside the brutal territory of the Demon King’s forces, trying to save humans. I owe them thanks too. Unfortunately, it will be a long time before I can thank them.”
The way to meet the goddess, after all, was only through death and coming here.
“And… I thank you for gathering people and making that miracle happen.”
The goddess’ eyes turned toward Fia.
“Because of you, my power was able to reach the world in its entirety. With that power, I could connect this world with others.
Once connected, this connection can be made again and again. Of course, it’s not something that can be opened at any time. I certainly don’t plan on letting just anyone travel back and forth.”
A smile appeared on the goddess’ lips for the first time. It was brief, but strong enough to leave a deep impression on the four people.
“…Though I gave you all reasons, I know that, in the end, the three of you think the same as Fia. After all, heroes always think alike.”
The goddess spoke in an indifferent tone, but somehow, it felt as though she was acting.
As she looked at the three, she lowered the hand that had been resting on her chin.
Then she straightened her back and sat properly, as though showing respect to the four people before her.
At this sight, Fia, Kalia, Dana, and Arna all tensed up. A tremendous sense of dignity emanated from the goddess’ stern face.
Slowly, faintly, a halo began to appear behind the goddess’s head.
“I have a request I would like to make of you,” she said.
With a serious expression, the goddess spoke to the four of them.
“It is only a request, so I won’t be disappointed if you refuse. I know it’s a difficult task, so even if you fail, I won’t say anything. I also understand how foolish it might seem to burden you four with a duty that I, as a goddess, should properly fulfill.”
The four of them tensed up.
What kind of request could it be, that the goddess herself is asking in such a manner?
But none of them intended to refuse the goddess’s request. After all, they had heard her words directly.
The words she was saying now were the same words they had heard when the hero first crossed into their world. The four of them vaguely realized this.
“Indeed.”
Had she sensed their thoughts? The goddess faintly smiled again, and then slowly continued her words.
“Right now, in a world completely different from the one you lived in, there is a person who is suffering.
A suffering that should not have been endured, but which was caused because of my inadequacy. A wound that was gained in the process of following my words and saving the world.”
At that moment, the four understood what the goddess meant.
Their hearts started to race.
What the goddess was saying was actually something they had longed for.
“I, the goddess, ask of you, the four with the purest of hearts, to go to that other world and save this person from their suffering.
In return for granting my request, I will fulfill any wish of yours. Whatever it may be. I swear it, in the name of the goddess.”
The goddess paused for a moment.
“Will you grant this request?”
Of course, none of the four had any intention of refusing.
“……Yes, we will, without fail.”
Fia said, clasping her hands tightly together.
“I swear it, with all the honor I possess.”
Kalia placed her hand over her heart and swore.
“I will use all of my knowledge, if I must.”
Dana, holding her notebook close to her chest, said.
“We will absolutely succeed.”
Arna looked directly at the goddess and answered.
“…….May your journey be blessed.”
With those words, the goddess spoke to the four heroes.