Chapter 85
A temple made entirely of pure white exuded a sense of divinity.
Franz stood in a place that looked like it belonged in a grand tapestry or a bard’s epic.
“What in the world happened…?”
He remembered breaking the seal and trying to pick up the spear blade that had fallen to the floor.
But he had no memory of anything after that. He had simply come to his senses and found himself here.
So he had no way of knowing why or how he had arrived in this place.
Franz looked around as he walked forward, and it wasn’t long before he encountered someone.
It was a woman with sparkling blonde hair that cascaded down to her waist, looking as if it were embroidered with gold.
She was wearing a modest dress that suited the temple’s aesthetic perfectly.
It just didn’t feel modest because the dress had a sheen to it, as if it were made of silk.
Her gaze, as she elegantly enjoyed tea at the table in front of her, suddenly turned toward Franz.
“I have been waiting for you to visit.”
“You were waiting for me?”
No matter how much he thought about it, this was his first time meeting the woman in front of him.
He certainly hadn’t made any prior arrangements, so why on earth would she be waiting for him?
Had he made a promise and forgotten about it?
He thought about it for a moment, but that wasn’t it either.
He could feel a very strong divine power coming from her.
Yes, almost as if she were a god.
So if he had ever crossed paths with her even once, there was no way he would have forgotten.
Franz immediately voiced the question that popped into his head.
“Who are you…?”
“One who exists in the world, yet does not exist. In the terms you commonly use, I suppose I should be called Luan.”
Luan.
The name of the Goddess worshipped by the Goddess Church.
He couldn’t bring himself to think it was a lie, as everything before his eyes proved that she was the Goddess.
But aside from that, it was questionable.
There was no reason for a Goddess to wait for a mere mage.
He was a bit strong for a mere mage, but regardless, there were too many things he couldn’t understand.
“If you are the Goddess, are you similar to the World Tree…?”
“Fufu-, I might get a little sulky if you compare me to a child who leeches off a tree, you know?”
Luan still had a smile on her face, but there was a definite thorn in her tone.
It seemed she didn’t have a very good relationship with the World Tree.
Thinking he shouldn’t bring up the World Tree anymore, Franz continued speaking.
“On what business were you waiting for me?”
“You might be a little bewildered, but I would like you to gather the sealed armaments. It would be a real calamity if they fell into the hands of the Demon God.”
“If you mean sealed armaments, are you talking about that spear blade from earlier?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He had a feeling it was ominous, and sure enough, it was another bothersome chore.
“I was planning to go anyway, but…”
Since he hadn’t managed to get any particular information about the Seven Great Evils from the Ice Dragon, figuring he had nothing to lose, he was thinking of heading west like that guy had mentioned.
But this felt a little different from that. There was a very big difference between doing something because someone else ordered it and doing it on his own.
It would be great if the locations of the Seven Great Evils and the sealed armaments overlapped, but if they didn’t, it would be a real pain.
“Why does it have to be me?”
“Because you are the only one who can do it.”
Franz was at a loss for words because she was absolutely right.
If the seals on the other armaments were at a similar level to the spear blade, it was a task no one else but him could accomplish.
And with the situation like this, it was difficult to refuse.
What should I do…
Just as Franz was agonizing over it.
“Hey, if you have something like that, make your own kids do it. Don’t touch my child’s husband.”
Suddenly, a voice rang out from somewhere, followed by the empty air splitting open as a woman popped out from the gap.
She had green hair like an elf, and two pretty, round leaves were growing from the crown of her head like sprouts.
The moment Franz saw her, he felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
Even her voice was familiar.
The woman, who had been glaring sharply at Luan, turned her head to look at Franz.
“This is the first time we’re seeing each other like this.”
“Excuse me…?”
“Do you not recognize me? I’m upset.”
The woman pouted her lips, showing her displeasure.
Franz was just as bewildered.
He definitely felt like he had seen her somewhere, but no one actually came to mind.
And there was no way he would have forgotten a woman with a sprout growing out of the top of her head.
“Haa-. World Tree, why don’t you stop teasing the child?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“He’s flustered. And it’s bad manners to just barge in during a conversation.”
“What are you talking about when you’re the one who lured away my child’s husband?”
“Wh-who lured whom?! How vulgar…”
From their conversation, Franz finally realized the truth.
The green-haired woman in front of him was the World Tree.
He wondered if this was real, but with the Goddess right in front of him, it wasn’t strange at all for the World Tree to be here too.
Anyway, he had to say she really hadn’t changed.
She was exactly the same whether as a tree or a person.
“So you were the World Tree.”
“Thank you for recognizing me, though it’s thanks to a certain idiot.”
Unlike when she dealt with Luan, the World Tree spoke to Franz in a very sweet voice.
Meanwhile, Luan was wearing a sullen expression.
It seemed she didn’t like that the World Tree had intruded on their conversation.
Regardless, the World Tree simply continued her conversation with Franz.
“You haven’t come to visit at all lately. Are you busy by any chance? Both my child and I have missed you quite a bit.”
“The Great Forest is a place where Elves primarily live. There is no reason for me to go there.”
“Are you saying that even after getting into that kind of relationship with my child…?”
“It seems there is some sort of misunderstanding…”
He had no such relationship with Hera.
Although they had gotten closer recently after going through this and that, that was exactly where it ended.
Did she think she had found an opening in Franz’s response?
Luan opened her mouth.
“That’s right. You’re just deluding yourself. If you look at it that way, my child probably has feelings for him too, you know?”
“When you say your child…?”
“I cherish the child commonly called the saintess very much.”
The saintess.
In other words, she was talking about Yusti-ah.
To hear that she had feelings for him, Franz was just as bewildered by those words.
After that, the World Tree and Luan began to bicker and argue.
But it was so childish, it was like watching children squabbling.
Were these two really gods? Seeing how strongly their divine power could be felt, it was certain, but…
It was enough to make him worry whether the future of this world would be okay.
Anyway.
“Hold on a moment. Let’s discuss the important matters first.”
Since it seemed like there would be no end to it no matter how much time passed if they stayed like this, Franz interrupted their conversation.
Fortunately, perhaps they still had some sense left, as Luan and the World Tree complied with Franz’s words.
“So what you’re saying, Goddess, is that you want me to gather the sealed armaments, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Yes, I’ll do it. But it might take a while.”
“It would be better if it were as fast as possible, but… well, it can’t be helped. I’m just thankful you accepted.”
With this, his business with Luan was settled for now, so all that was left was the World Tree.
“World Tree, I’ll come visit you sometime soon. Even if you’re bored, please bear with it for a little bit.”
“I am fine, so just pay a little attention to my child.”
Why on earth did he have to mediate between the two of them? When he thought about it again, it was absurd.
But since it was wrapped up neatly with this, that was enough.
“Goddess, please send me back now.”
“Yes, of course I should.”
As soon as Luan’s answer was heard, his vision began to blur.
It seemed she was sending him back right away.
Eventually, with a farewell of “Thank you,” Franz’s vision went black.
And when he opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor of the freezing Ice Castle.
He was holding the brilliantly shining spear blade in his hand.
'It’s really over now.'
The party held at the Ducal House of Phrygia and the disposal of the cultist were all finished.
Getting up, Franz put the spear blade he held in his hand into the bag at his waist.
And he immediately took a step forward.
He should ask Arian to give him a tour of the village.
Since he came all the way to the north, it would be best to enjoy everything he could.
Before heading down the mountain, Franz neatly cleared away the piles of snow covering the castle.
It would be a waste to hide such a magnificent piece of architecture.
It would eventually be covered in snow again someday, but he could worry about that when the time came.
Humming a tune now that his work was done, Franz returned to the mansion, only to spot a strange carriage.
He thought it looked familiar for some reason, and the crest drawn on the outside belonged to the Goddess Church.
Did they come because they had business at a nearby cathedral?
It was just as he was thinking that.
“Yuna, aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine, though. If anything, Hera seems to be having a harder time than me.”
“Ugh… Even the winters in the Great Forest aren’t this cold…”
…?
Why on earth were they here?
Franz’s mind went completely blank.