by Fujino Omori
My eyes trace the patterns in the stone pavement beneath my feet while I speak. I see the two gods share a glance out of the corner of my eye.
Their expressions brighten, as if that was all they needed to figure out what was going on. They start talking.
“It happens, for sure. We’re surprisingly vulnerable to it, to tell the truth.”
“I agree. I’m sure you remember Apollo, Bell? Look no further. For him, love had no bounds.”
Lord Apollo…The god we fought in the War Game.
Often called Phoebus, he once offered Hestia his hand in marriage. Apollo is a god who loves too much.
“Once a child captures Apollo’s interest, he loves them fully and deeply until the end.”
“Just like Miach was saying, that guy treasures everything through and through…And whenever one of his children dies, he goes a bit overboard, even for us.”
This is all a big surprise for me.
“Over…board…?”
“For sure. Crying day in and day out for months on end. If said child wore some kind of trinket, Apollo would wear it day and night. If a tree started growing from where the child was buried, he would treat it like a holy site.”
“I-I’m sure he didn’t go that far…”
“Oh, he did.”
I voice my doubt, but Lord Hermes laughs it off.
“But Takemikazuchi, on the other hand, he’d take a more fatherly role. Even if a mortal girl loved him with all her heart, pursued his love to the ends of the earth, I’m positive he would draw a line in the sand. He’s not the type who can make a woman truly happy.”
“Hephaistos is a bit more complicated. For her, watching the growth in her followers as smiths brings her the most happiness, kind of like a master artisan watching her students come into their own. I don’t know if she’d be able to take a step beyond that. Her interactions with children are probably a mixture of warmheartedness as a god and her feelings as a woman.”
Lord Miach offers Lord Takemikazuchi as another example, and Lord Hermes talks about Lady Hephaistos with a grin on his face.
They tell me about all the forms gods’ love can take, whether it be an inability to produce an offspring, a stubborn sense of paternal obligation, or the guidance of a fellow artisan.
“Affection, simply paying attention, watching them come into their own like a parent…Each of us has their own way of loving our children. There are some of us who treasure their memories with children like you for all eternity and others who forget right awayand completely on the other side of the spectrum, there is a Goddess of Beauty who’s known to chase the souls of her departed children all the way to the other side so she can keep them as her own.”
Lord Hermes narrows his eyes, his gaze passing over me.
“Our way of loving might seem a bit warped, for lack of a better word. Especially from your point of view, Bell.”
“I-I wouldn’t say that.”
Lord Miach’s grinning in my direction, but I quickly disagree with his statement.
I disagree, but I can’t flat-out reject it, either.
“…What about you, Lord Miach? Lord Hermes?”
The crowd swells for a moment, making it too hard to hear them.
I look at each of them in turn and ask as soon as the crowd moves on.
“Let me think…Takemikazuchi and I have a lot in common. I’d like to watch my child find a partner, start a family, and be by their side…as a god, until they move on to the next realm because I have feelings for them.” Lord Miach looks up at the blue sky as he speaks.
“Oi, oi, no need to put that much thought into it! You and Takemikazuchi both? I keep all the ladies I like at my beck and call! Isn’t that right, Bell? A harem is a man’s romance!”
As for Lord Hermes, I can’t tell how serious he is with that twinkle in his eye and joking tone in his voice.
“Are you still spouting that nonsense…?” Lord Miach casts his gaze on the other deity, raising an eyebrow. I smile weakly at the fact that Lord Hermes was expecting me to agree.
“—Bell. Our love lasts but a moment.”
Then.
Lord Miach speaks to me with a gentle smile on his lips.
“Time has no meaning for us. Existing as long as we have, the feeling of falling in love and maintaining that connection is over in the blink of an eye. Many of us fall in love with children at first sight.”
“For us, the whole thing is over in a flash. But for you mortals, it can last your whole lifetime.”
My eyes open wide as Lord Miach and Lord Hermes bring their thoughts to a conclusion. They’re immortal, and their time with us is very limited…Basically, we’re gone in a matter of seconds to them. It’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard, so why do both of them look so content?
“I won’t say you have to, but…please accept a deity’s feelings for you.”
Lord Miach closes his eyes.
“Bell, you have a partner in mind, do you not?”
“I-I, um…”
“There is no need to apologize or grovel for being led in circles by a deity’s wishes. Follow your heart—that’s enough.”
My body starts trembling, when suddenly Lord Miach reaches out and—Pat.
He lightly pats my head.
“Just…have faith. That’s all you need.”
He continues speaking and ruffling my hair at the same time.
“I’m sure that many gods will be satisfied with that.”
“…”
He adds one more thing: “Please don’t run away from a deity’s love.”
I can decline it, I can accept it, but I must not be afraid of it. That look in his eyes, the tone of his voice, it’s like he can see right through me.
He stands a bit taller than me. So I look up into his gaze, my eyes quivering.
But no words come out, and I look at my feet.
Lord Miach doesn’t say anything to put the blame on me or make me feel guilty. He just silently stands there, gently patting my head. My eyes trace the pattern of the stones again, my heart riding an emotional roller coaster.
Lord Hermes watches us with a smile. Neither of them pushes for any answer, and I gladly accept their kindness. The three of us stand in silence.
“Damn that thick skull of his!”
Hestia held her tearful eyes high as she walked through the streets of Orario at a brisk pace.
Passing through Central Park, she made her way onto North Main Street. Careful to avoid the fully armored adventurers on their way to the Dungeon, she’d traveled a great distance since storming out of the manor that morning.
“It’s all because Bell has too much respect for deities. I mean, sure, it’s great being revered and all, but…!”
Her rambling voice was loud enough for anyone passing by to hear. Oblivious to the fact that she was quickly becoming the center of attention, Hestia voiced her grievances about Bell without slowing down.
“It’s not like we’re all that great! Slacking off the first chance we get, cooping up in our rooms eating Jyaga Maru Kun…We get tired of keeping up the godly image!”
No, that’s just you. All the humans and demi-humans in earshot had the same thought and the same expression as the youthful goddess passed by.
“‘Other gods are so easily entertained, laughing at the simplest things! But they’re deities, so they must be revered!’ That’s exactly what you’d say, isn’t it?”
“I-I would…?”
Hestia howled at an animal person, a complete stranger who was unfortunate enough to be in her line of sight.
“He would, he would,” the young goddess grumbled to herself, eyes closed as she nodded. The citizens of Orario were used to the crazy ramblings of gods and goddesses and went about their business without a second thought.
“You can open up to me, Bell! Don’t apologize so much!…Have a spine, would you?”
The words exploded out of her mouth before she whispered the last ones.
However, all her ramblings blended into the everyday noise of the busy street.
“Stubborn, blockheaded rabbit head.” Complaints and random words continued to pour out of her mouth as Hestia stomped her way through the main street.
“Oh! Hestia! Perfect timing!”
“Hnnh…? Boss lady?”
Sighing with every step, Hestia suddenly came to a halt when she heard someone call her name.
Looking up, she saw a rather pudgy animal woman waving her arms by the entrance to one of the side streets.
It was one of the women who worked at the same Jyaga Maru Kun street stand as she did.
“Is something wrong?”
“Well, you see, the owner sent me out to pick up a shipment of herbs that we use to make the potato puffs. It’s outside the wall right now…”
“Herbs? Can’t you just buy them at the market?”
“No, it’s too expensive. And we’re shorthanded as it is…”
The woman gave Hestia an apologetic bow as the goddess scratched her cheek.
Today was supposed to be my day off, too…she thought to herself, but also knew that there was nothing to do at home even if she did go back. She arrived at the conclusion that she might as well help out.
Agreeing to help brought a smile to her coworker’s face as she bowed again a few more times.
“But you know, lady, I’m also the head of a familia, so I can’t pass through the city gate.”
“Ah, forgot about that…”
Hestia remarked as the two of them pushed the cart full of boxes and other tools straight north through the looming city wall and the gate built into it.
It was difficult for the adventurers of Orario, or anyone belonging to a familia, including the head god or goddess, to leave the city.
That was because it would have a direct effect on Orario’s battle strength as a whole. Many problems would arise if, for some reason, high-level adventurers who had honed their skills in the Dungeon—adventurers belonging to Loki Familia, for example—were to leave the city and ally themselves with a rival faction.
The main reason Orario was called the “Center of the World” was because the world’s most powerful individuals protected it. The Guild was extremely alert to the constant threats to the city and the threat of losing the protection provided by top-class adventurers to any of the surrounding countries. Therefore, anyone belonging to one of the city’s various familias—especially high-ranking ones—had to go through a rigorous screening process and mountains of red tape in order to pass through the gate. They were particularly strict with deities. Even if their followers should leave the city, a hostage situation would surely follow if enemy forces captured a god. With the one glaring exception of Hermes Familia, it would be safe to say that no one could freely pass through the gate whenever they wished.
Entering the city was simple; exiting was far more difficult.
It was one of Orario’s unwritten rules that everyone who lived inside its walls accepted.
“I’ll go as far as the wall, but I can’t help much after that…”
Hestia Familia was on the up and up and already recognized as a middle-ranking familia by the Guild. As the head of said familia, Hestia doubted that she would be able to pass through the gate right away. The two of them arrived at an open staging area where countless merchants and horse-drawn taxis lined up in front of the gate as Hestia explained her situation.
In front of the imposing north gate, Guild employees, adventurers belonging to familias that worked closely with them, and two gatekeepers were busy inspecting the people attempting to pass through the barrier separating outside from in. Should anyone try to go through the gate without a valid pass issued by the Guild, they would be arrested and restrained on the spot.
Hestia and the woman she worked with joined a group of five more of their coworkers waiting in line. It was still a small group for such a big job. Each of them had their gate passes ready. However, the news that Hestia wouldn’t be much help made the animal woman put her hand to her cheek in contemplation. This could be a problem.
—All of a sudden, the staging area came alive with cheers and applause.
“Huh?” muttered a surprised Hestia as she turned to have a look.
“It is I! I am Ganesha!”
“Oh, it’s just Ganesha.”
The god was unmistakable. His rich, masculine voice, combined with his overwhelming presence, made him impossible to miss as he came in from outside the gate.
His dark skin, long black hair, and perfectly toned muscles were one thing, but the elephant mask hiding his face from view caught the most attention.
The god in command of the largest familia in Orario, its membership including many upper-class adventurers, appeared on the scene. The citizens and merchants present to witness his entrance welcomed him with smiles and applause. Even Hestia’s coworkers waited happily as the deity approached.
“Do I spy with my own eyes—Hestia?!”
“You don’t have to announce your every thought to the world, Ganesha. But why are you here? Wasn’t your familia called out into battle?”
Ganesha’s group approached Hestia, and he struck a bizarre pose.
“Dismount!” he yelled from his seat on top of a horse being led by two of his followers, and hopped down to the stone pavement.
“It would take a long time to explain, but the war is coming to an end. So I have returned.”
“That didn’t take long at all.”
“I also brought the captured Rakian soldiers with me. There are so many that we couldn’t keep them all in the forward camps.”
“Oh? But are you sure it’s okay to be back here? Your familia is huge, the backbone of the Alliance forces, isn’t it?”
“There is no need to worry about the tide of battle! My strongest followers, my ultimate fighters, are still holding the line! They deemed me to be a nuisance and asked me to come back early!”
“Is that the way your children treat you?”
“Well, I am Ganesha!”
Ganesha’s masculine voice thundered around the square as he struck yet another unusual pose. Hestia was losing patience fast.
Hestia had been on good terms with many deities while in Tenkai and was familiar with the mask-wearing god. It might be better to say that she couldn’t ignore his overwhelming presence and did her best to tolerate it.
She wasn’t the only one. Ganesha’s two bodyguards massaged their temples as they endured their god’s quirks. This time, Ganesha was the one to ask a question.
“So then, Hestia, what brings you out this way?”
“Well, this and that and a few other things.”
She gave him a quick summary. Ganesha smiled, his pearly white teeth flashing in the sunlight.
“If that is the problem, I grant you permission myself! Go, Hestia, you may pass!”
“Wait, Lord Ganesha!”
His bodyguards immediately turned to their god, objecting on the spot as Hestia watched in surprise.
“What are you saying? We can’t issue permission for something like this behind the Guild’s back…!”
“I am the God of the Masses, Ganesha! Jyaga Maru Kun are bundles of joy that bring tears of happiness to the eyes of the people! Should they be unable to eat a single one, tears of sadness will be shed this night! I cannot allow such a travesty to befall the children!”
“Have you gone insane?” yelled one of his bodyguards as the two of them tried desperately to reason with him, but Ganesha showed no signs of conceding.
Ganesha was definitely one of the most bizarre deities in Orario, but as the cheers and applause erupting from the crowd around him proved, he was also one of the most trusted. Faith in him ran deep.
As his title “God of the Masses” showed, the people of Gekai were rather fond of Ganesha. His familia allied with the Guild, they were known for assisting in many events around Orario, as well as providing security and maintaining the peace. Even one of the g
uards standing at the north gate belonged to Ganesha Familia, although he was trying to hide that fact at the moment.
Ganesha’s voice was easily heard over the din in the staging area, meaning the guards heard every word. Their faces went blank.
“If the Guild finds out, they won’t let this slide with a warning!”
“Then they don’t have to know, Follower A!”
“They already know! How many of their employees do you think are here right now? And my name is Modak!”
Quite a few sparks flew between the god and his bodyguards, but they were unable to convince him to back down. The two gave up, their heads drooping in silence.
Ganesha turned to Hestia and stuck his right thumb high into the air.
“Are you sure this is okay, Ganesha?”
“Of course. You are not a goddess with a taste for disorder but one who brings cheer to the children of Gekai! Now, go!”
A beaming smile appeared beneath his elephant mask. Hestia blushed awkwardly and gave him a thumbs-up in return.
Ganesha’s bodyguards smiled tiredly as the frowning Guild employees allowed Hestia to pass through the gate along with her coworkers.
“Lord Ganesha is one weird fellow, but I must say he’s a great god!”
“Yeah, I guess. Hard on the ears, but a good guy.”
Hestia chatted with the animal woman as they joined the line of merchants and travelers heading through the colossal gate structure. Her coworkers were still talking about the “unique” god in the elephant mask who had captured the hearts of so many citizens when the group took its first step outside the city.
A vast green plain opened up in front of them on either side of the road leading off into the distance. Mountains lined the distant horizon. A lush green forest could be seen at their base.
It might rain soon, thought Hestia as she looked up at the clouds gathering in the northern sky.
“I still can’t believe you actually went through with this. What if we’re discovered…?”
“I’m restraining my divine aura. No one will be able to tell that I’m a god!”
“Keep your voice down! Trying to get inside during broad daylight with this much security? Are you out of your mind…?”