Temple. Central hall corridor.
In this place, filled with people praying, I was looking up at the goddess statue, having a thought that might be a bit blasphemous.
‘Is this goddess even real?’
No, it’s not that I’m trying to deny the religion of this world! (I’ll be punished! My afterlife!)
It seems that gods actually exist and are active in this fantasy world.
Even my father (the Emperor) seems to go into the spirit realm alone and fight with other gods—alien gods—every day.
I was just curious if this goddess, who is revered as the guardian deity of humanity, actually exists in a physical form.
Is she floating somewhere, watching the brawls of the lower realm?
‘Is it because the Goddess Church is so naturally integrated into everyday life? I’ve never actually heard any explanation about the goddess, who is the object of worship.’
Next to the goddess statue, Saint Margherita was repeating the same prayer in a hoarse voice.
“We thank the goddess for bringing light to all of humanity on this earth, and with the faithful hearts of the believers gathered here, we pray for this year as well…”
It seems like a New Year’s prayer. Her voice is hoarse, and her eyes are hollow; she’s having a hard time today too.
‘I was thinking of asking Margherita, but I guess not. I’ll have to ask someone appropriate later, when I get the chance.’
Quite a few people were filling the central hall, each offering their own prayers.
Carefully looking around, I saw my party members all with their eyes closed, praying.
“…”
I don’t really have a religion, and I don’t know much about this goddess.
But I think there’s meaning in the act of making a wish with all your heart.
So, like everyone else, I put my hands together in front of my chest, closed my eyes, and prayed with sincerity.
‘May no one die, and may we be able to get through the battles ahead.’
I know it’s a ridiculous wish.
Still, that’s what I wish for right now.
I prayed.
***
“What did you guys wish for in the New Year?”
I asked my party members as we left the temple’s courtyard.
“Oh, of course, it’s private. You don’t have to answer.”
Then, Damian smiled brightly and answered immediately with a pure face.
“I wished that everyone would be healthy and not get sick this year!”
“Damian… !”
This… this angel! Why are you so kind! You could have wished for something more selfish!
All the party members looked at Damian with dumbfounded eyes, but Damian just tilted his head, smiling innocently, oblivious.
You really deserve all the New Year’s blessings…
“Compared to Damian, my wish feels a bit self-centered.”
Junior shrugged and said what he wished for.
“I wished that my younger siblings, who live far away, would be safe and sound.”
“Ah, come to think of it.”
Junior had said he was supporting his younger siblings.
Jupiter’s war orphans. It seems that Junior, the eldest, is responsible for their livelihood.
“Are your siblings doing well?”
“Hehe. His Highness is paying us generously, so they’re all doing well. I’m a little worried since it’s been a while since I’ve seen them.”
“I’d invite them all when Crossroads becomes a safer place…”
“Your words alone are enough to be grateful.”
The face of the old, hearty lightning mage, laughing cheerfully, suddenly flashed through my mind.
If Jupiter were alive, would we have had a drink together for the New Year?
I should give Junior a generous New Year’s allowance, including Jupiter’s share. So his siblings can have a hearty meal of meatball stew.
“Lucas, what about you?”
“I…”
When asked what he wished for, Lucas hesitated for a moment before answering.
“…I wished to track down Mason and finish him off.”
“Ah.”
During the last special forces infiltration incident, we thought we had succeeded in killing or capturing everyone… but it turned out that Mason had faked his death and escaped.
And Lucas was blaming himself for letting Mason get away. Because he hadn’t killed him for sure.
No, we had almost cut his upper body in half, no one knew he could survive and escape in that state…
“I started this bad blood with Mason. So, I will end it.”
“Yeah… you’ll be able to end it soon.”
Even so, to wish for something like that for the New Year. It’s a bit of a waste of a wish. He could have wished for something better.
‘…Mason said he was going to the Lake Kingdom to deliver Fernandez’s message to the Demon King.’
And that message is the complete surrender of humanity to the monsters.
Fernandez is even trying to become Emperor to declare that…
…The more I think about it, the more I don’t understand what the hell this is all about. It’s beyond absurd, it’s ridiculous.
It’s a flow that cannot be understood with normal human thinking.
‘How did Fernandez end up doing this? Based on what, and why?’
In the end, I guess I have no choice but to meet Fernandez and ask him. Anyway, it’s not something I can do anything about right now…
We looked at the last party member, Evangeline. Evangeline, who was mumbling, reluctantly answered in a small voice.
“…To be big.”
“What?”
“Ah, I wished to be taller!”
Ah.
Is that so…
We all nodded, understanding. Evangeline huffed, her face red.
“What?! Did you add to my height?! Is my wish funny?!”
“No, no one said that…”
No one has the right to laugh at someone else’s wish.
I gently patted Evangeline’s head.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be tall later. The Prince guarantees it.”
I might even miss this time. When she was small and cute.
Evangeline, who was displeased with my pat, glanced at Lucas.
“Then, will I be taller than Uncle Lucas?”
“Huh? Um… I don’t think that’s possible…”
More than that, do you want to be that tall? He’s too big, isn’t he?
Lucas, who was listening to the story with his arms crossed, chuckled, and Evangeline couldn’t stand it and rushed to bite Lucas.
Guys. This is a temple. Let’s be quiet.
As we completely exited the temple courtyard, it was quite crowded here as well.
Looking around, there was a fortune-telling booth selling fortunes for the year. Several priests were shouting and promoting their services.
“Come on, come and draw a fortune slip! Test your luck for the year!”
It was a system where you got a fortune slip for every donation you made.
I handed out New Year’s allowances to my party members here. Here you go. Buy some snacks, make a donation, or save it up.
“Okay, shall we draw our fortunes for the year?”
So, I approached the donation box.
Among the several donation boxes, one was particularly noisy. The people who had gathered were constantly sighing and groaning. What’s going on?
I went closer to see…
“Love fortune… ‘Hopeless’.”
Swish!
…A woman with light blue hair, gracefully tearing a fortune slip in half. Serenade found.
Serenade threw the torn fortune slip on the ground and took out a gold coin from her pocket with a bright smile.
“One more, please.”
“Ye, yes, he, here…”
The priest in charge of that donation box trembled like an aspen and held out the box of fortune slips, and Serenade drew another slip and checked it.
“Love fortune… ‘Don’t expect anything’….”
Swish!
The torn fortune slip rolled on the ground again.
Looking closely, there were piles of torn fortune slips like this at Serenade’s feet… No, is she doing a fortune slip reroll until she gets a result she likes? Is this okay?
“Love fortune… ‘Unrequited love is painful’… Haaah.”
Once again, a fortune slip was torn with a bad result. The people watching also groaned with her.
Hiding behind and watching this scene, I gestured to Damian.
“…Are all the fortune slips filled with bad words like that?”
“No, if you look at the overall ratio, it shouldn’t even be 1 percent… How is it that Miss Serenade only draws those…?”
Well… it must be one of two things. Either she has bad luck with drawing, or she has bad luck with love…
“Huh?”
Then, Serenade, who was brushing her hair back, met my eyes.
“U, uwa! Your Highness?!”
Serenade, startled, quickly kicked the fortune slips piled on the ground away and ran to stand in front of me, her face red.
“D, did Your Highness also come to make a wish to the goddess?”
“Yeah. It’s the New Year… Serenade, you too?”
“Hehe. Yes. When else can I shamelessly ask the goddess for my desires?”
Right? You came to make a wish, right? Not to do a fortune gacha [a gacha is a type of vending machine or capsule toy dispenser, often associated with games of chance]?
As I approached the donation box, Serenade quickly kicked the remaining fortune slips on the ground far away and asked.
“Ahem! Is Your Highness also going to get a fortune reading?”
“Hmm~ I’ll make a donation, but I’m not going to get a fortune.”
I took out a pouch of gold coins from my pocket and smiled.
“We carve our own destiny, right? I think our will is more important than fortune.”
“…”
Then, Serenade, who had a blank expression for a moment,
“Yes, Your Highness is right. What does fortune matter, what’s important is my heart…!”
Soon, she smiled brightly and nodded vigorously.
I swallowed my tears inside.
Actually, I like this kind of culture of seeing things for fun, but I deliberately said this to comfort Serenade. It seems to have worked, so that’s a relief.
After making the donation, we left the temple together.
“By the way, it’s good timing. I was going to visit your mansion later anyway.”
Serenade, who smiled brightly at the entrance of the temple, took something out of her pocket and handed it to me.
“It’s a New Year’s gift, Your Highness. Please accept it.”
“Huh? What is this?”
It was a sphere made of glass… Inside, there was soil and clear, shimmering water, and in the middle, there was a blue coral.
“It’s called a terrarium. You can think of it as a kind of pot for growing that blue coral.”
“Blue coral?”
“Yes. A piece of blue coral reef that the merfolk treasure… I was lucky enough to get one in our merchant guild’s hands this time…”
The blue coral was beautiful in the small terrarium. It seemed to emit a faint light.
“It is said to bring good luck to its owner. Among the merfolk, there was a custom of giving this coral as a gift before setting sail.”
“Hoo.”
“It shines brightly in the deep sea and is said to have been a guide for the merfolk.”
Serenade smiled brightly. Her silver eyes curved into circles.
“I hope that only good luck will fill the path Your Highness takes this year.”
“Thank you, Serenade. I’ll take good care of it.”
It’s a bit strange that I, who denied fortune a little while ago, am now accepting a good luck charm, but well, good things are good.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly as I held the terrarium in my arms.
“What should I do? I didn’t prepare anything…”
“If you cherish the girl’s gift, that will be a great gift for the girl.”
Serenade, who was standing in front of her carriage, bowed slightly.
“Then, I will be going. Happy New Year, Your Highness.”
“You too, Serenade. I hope you’ll be happy this year.”
The people of the Winter Silver Merchant Guild, who were waiting in the carriage, started the carriage, saying things like, ‘Why are you so late, Guild Leader!’ ‘How much work has piled up!’
Serenade waved her hand desperately out the window as she was dragged away.
Busy from the first day of the New Year. Or maybe it’s because it’s the first day of the New Year that she’s busy.
After looking at the busy temple people and the busy merchant guild people, I turned to my not-so-busy party members and grinned.
“Well, shall we lie down and rest a little more?”
It’s the rule to take a nap on the warm floor in the afternoon of the New Year!
***
When we returned to the lord’s mansion, it was still before lunch.
The party members had all dispersed, and now I could relax until the afternoon.
‘Before I rest…’
I went to Aider’s room with the terrarium in my arms. Because there are things I want to ask him.
“Hey~ Aider. Are you there?”
As I opened the door and entered, I saw Aider sitting on a chair, staring blankly.
“Huk, Lord! You’ve arrived!”
Aider reacted with a slight delay. What’s wrong with him? It’s like he’s experiencing buffering lag.
“I came to ask about the Goddess Church.”
When I first met him, Aider introduced himself as a being close to a god.
He’s not trustworthy at all, but he does have some kind of transcendental ability.
So, I thought he would know about the goddess, so I was going to ask him.
“Ah, it’s good timing! I was going to talk to you about a problem related to the goddess!”
“Huh?”
“[Goddess Blessing]! I said I would add it as a concept to counter [Dark Event]!”
[Goddess Blessing], which Aider had mentioned before.
As the name suggests, the goddess’s blessing.
It’s a function that allows you to buff an ally once per stage, and it can be used by consuming achievement points.
We’ve been helplessly suffering from the monsters’ [Dark Event], so he said he would add it as a counter concept.
Aider had a triumphant expression, then puffed out his chest and declared proudly.
“It’s finished this time! It can be applied from this defense battle!”