By Zephyria 
Marianne laughed, even shedding tears, for a long time. She giggled and refused to give the answer I wanted, leaving me utterly exasperated. Only after I urged her several more times did she finally open her mouth. Her face was flushed red from laughing so hard, and her eyes were glistening, which was quite a sight.
Marianne continued to beam, wiping her eyes with the back of her left hand.
“Well, ah. The one who scratched first was Your Highness.”
“…Scratched?”
She just smiled slyly and didn’t answer again. So exasperated that I urged her on, I felt her gaze and immediately lifted my head. It was Ruben. As always, he smiled with his eyes, his gaze slender, and gave a slight nod. I casually raised one hand to shoulder height and waved it back and forth a couple of times.
As soon as Ruben’s gaze shifted, I immediately asked again.
“What did you mean by that, Ruben to Bill?”
“Ah… If I say this, I think I’ll get scolded by Your Highness.”
“Didn’t you already say it all?”
“Still, Senior Rubel is scarier than Mika.”
Perhaps it was because my past life, where children always treated me with deference and fear, came back so vividly. Marianne’s teasing, so sharp and playful, made me feel indignant. I let out a deep sigh and, feigning dignity, pressed her for an answer again.
“Aren’t I scary?”
“Shall I tell you honestly?”
“…”
The answer I wanted came from beside me.
“…He told you to stop exerting yourself unnecessarily and back off.”
Benjamin, who had been watching my antics, spoke up casually, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as if he had coughed. But even after hearing it, I was still puzzled and just blinked. I didn’t understand immediately, because I didn’t think Ruben or Bill were the types to use such rough language.
“…Who?”
“Oh, who else? Your Highness called Young Master Brown over and said that to him.”
“…Ruben? To him? …Why?”
“Why else?”
…Why? No, because of me?
It felt like I understood, then I didn’t, and then I had a hunch. But I couldn’t be sure, so I stared intently at Benjamin. Benjamin explained in a tone laced with a heavy sigh.
“Mikael doesn’t like people as noisy and violent as Bill Brown, so it was probably meant as a warning to restrain himself. That he was uncomfortable having him around.”
“That… is true, isn’t it?”
“Mmm, but then Young Master Brown retorted.”
What about him?
Marianne continued, beaming.
“He apparently asked if Your Highness had the right to say that. He said he would handle his own affairs well enough.”
…A day I had long forgotten surfaced.
After a mid-level swordsmanship class, I had a conversation with Ruben about why Bill Brown had suddenly become quiet. Ruben had been so cute, boasting that he had persuaded Bill well, that I remembered stroking his head to praise him.
I thought he had merely persuaded him quietly, but had they argued?
“It could have just been advice from a senior…”
“Who knows.”
Marianne wore an expression of someone eager to tease me, her face full of mischief.
“In any case, that day Bill complained to Benjamin here, and Your Highness spoke to me. And then Benjamin came to me… It was quite a commotion!”
“…No, why would those two…”
“It’s because Mikael is too popular, that’s all.”
But Bill Brown…
…The image of Peng family’s grinning face surfaced, and for some reason, my stomach felt uneasy.
Before I knew Ruben, I had never once thought I would fall for a man. The thought that grown men looked at me with such intentions, and even argued amongst themselves over me, was agonizing.
My discomfort wasn’t limited to that.
I cast my gaze towards Ruben’s straight back in the distance.
It would have been better if I had fallen for Ruben first. The thought of him suffering alone, lost in his thoughts, and getting hurt by some foolish person, made me feel so sympathetic I didn’t know where to put myself. If I had known I would come to care for Ruben this much, perhaps I would have…
…Though I wonder what I would have done, I still think I would have acted more appropriately to prevent him from going through unnecessary hardship.
I let out a deep sigh. Marianne subtly leaned her head towards me and whispered.
“Besides Young Master Bill Brown, aren’t you curious about anything else?”
“Did something else happen?”
“A lot.”
“…Never mind.”
If anything, I should hear about this from Ruben. Seeing that he brought up Bill’s story this time, it seems he intends to resolve those past grievances one by one. I must comfort him each time.
I must make up for the lost time and do better, I firmly resolved.
❖ ❖ ❖
White, fine sand scattered with a soft rustle. In the distance, near the Yuil Mountains, a mist, or perhaps Mana, hung thick, making it difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.
Except for that one massive mountain, the surroundings were filled with blindingly bright sand.
At first, I found the open vista refreshing. But now, it felt overwhelming and difficult to approach. Under the cloudless blue sky, half of everything was white and radiant, and no matter how far I walked, the end was nowhere in sight. It was astonishing how the guides found their way.
Then, Elvin, who was leading the way, stopped abruptly. The others gradually gathered closer.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Here? There’s nothing here.”
Come to think of it, the Sylphs had disappeared at some point. I wondered where they had gone, buzzing around and bothering people, and focused my Eye Force to scan. Those little sparrow-like creatures were floating in the distant air, waving their hands joyfully as if beckoning us.
I wasn’t the only one who saw them. Everyone dismounted their camels one by one. The sensation of the ground beneath my feet was peculiar.
Elvin was the first to slide down. Marianne followed, sitting on her shawl like a sled. The rest of the party held their camel reins tightly and chased after the children.
As soon as we descended the round, high hill, we were overwhelmed.
A colossal eye was the first thing I saw. It held a moist aura, as if it were alive. No, it wasn’t. It was a colossal sculpture, enveloped in strange Mana… and Divine Power.
It was so intricate that one could count each eyelash.
Stepping back a few paces, I saw it more clearly. It was only then that I realized we were standing on the edge of the Goddess statue’s right earlobe and hairline.
The face, half-buried diagonally in the sand dunes with its nose as the center, was cut off just below the shoulders. Abundant hair covered the head, neck, and the area below the shoulders, making the sculpture resemble a hill.
Sand grains resting on top of it cascaded down like a waterfall.
Each strand of hair was rough in texture. It looked as if the sand from this vast desert had been pressed together and solidified into a single mass. The sculpture, made of sand of the exact same color as its surroundings, blended in and appeared magnificent enough to inspire awe in everyone.
The First Goddess was said to be north of the Yuil Mountains.
I was intensely curious whether this form was created and erected by a god directly, or if it was crafted by someone who worshipped a god. If it were the former, it would be understandable, but if it were the latter, then that human would also deserve to be called a god.
After a few more silent breaths, I came to my senses.
The Mercenaries, who must have seen the Goddess statue many times, stood aside with gentle smiles. In contrast, the children with me—Ruben, Marianne, and Benjamin—could not tear their eyes away from the statue. Their shining eyes were so endearing that I smiled like the Mercenaries.
Elvin, surprisingly, clasped his hands together and murmured a short prayer. It was still a language that sounded like the wind. I had never seen him so devout, so I looked to Hugh Benson to see what he was saying.
He clicked his tongue and murmured, his gaze fixed on the statue.
“Just asking for safety from now on. It’s similar to what you say before eating.”
“…Ah.”
“By the way, it’s incredibly huge… It would have been more amazing if we had come without knowing anything.”
“Without knowing what?”
Hugh Benson replied with his usual nonchalant expression. However, as he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the statue, suggesting that this sight was indeed quite grand even to him.
“They say this Goddess statue is what the god used as its body. Some people argued that a god wouldn’t molt like an insect, saying it was absurd, and that an ancient person must have made it. But we saw something like an Oasis.”
“…Ah.”
“Is it truly what the god used as its body? If something this large were to roam around, one couldn’t help but believe in gods, I suppose.”
Then, Leon, standing nearby, offered a suggestion.
“Yes. So… when people originally come here for a pilgrimage, they always pray first. Like a wishing fountain, they ask for various things, express gratitude…”
“Mmm.”
“Shall we do that too? Make a wish.”
Before Marianne finished speaking, she quickly clasped her hands together and bowed her head.
The person who used to chatter about how anything called a god was merely a law of physics during her Academy days was gone. Seeing Marianne’s devout and serious mumbling, Benjamin clasped his hands beside her and began to pray as well.
Ruben also gazed at the statue with a momentarily stunned expression before closing his eyes and clasping his hands. The Mercenaries, one by one, began to pray with smiling faces. I too clasped my hands and closed my eyes.
There was only one thing I longed for now.
If the gods could truly hear this prayer, I wished they would grant Ruben everything he desired. To rescue those who were captured, to become the Emperor of a new land, and whatever else it took, to fix the world…
…And I wished that the feelings he held for me would not change.