By Zephyria 
If I were an ordinary person, I might have received divine punishment for killing a god.
But I was a soul chosen and brought by the First God, who needed a new god. Like the Ninth God, who received no punishment even after killing the blue turtle, I, who had long been accepted as a god of this world through the First Goddess, suffered no damage to my soul.
Instead, as compensation, a library containing over a thousand years of memories appeared in my mind.
This was likely because the written word, my most familiar medium, was the form it took. It was a way for me to absorb everything about the Ninth God without my own self being shaken. Unfortunately, since the Ninth God did not kill the other two gods and absorb their origins, I could not receive the memories of the other two.
Regardless, thanks to that, even if I couldn’t recall things instantly, I could glimpse the Ninth God’s memories by slowly flipping through the pages.
I calmly explained to Rubel the brief conversation I had with the First Goddess and the records left in my mind.
Rubel, with his shy and gentle demeanor, paused from stroking my hand and sat up straighter. He listened intently to my voice.
“Most of the Ninth God’s memories are merely excretions of unpleasant emotions, but the spell formulas he learned and used as a 10th Circle Wizard are organized separately. There are many spells I’ve never seen before, but since Spiritus taught him directly, their effects will be clear.”
“Then… then can you use those spells too?”
“No. It’s like a knight being unable to use magic just by reading a spellbook. I merely hold a manual for certain spells. Fortunately, I have learned magic incantations, so I believe I can copy the recorded memories onto paper as they are.”
Rubel, with a serious expression, bit his lower lip. I gently stroked his lips with my thumb to stop him from biting. Usually, Rubel would get shy when I touched him like this, but he seemed to have no time for it now.
Rubel furrowed his brow and let out a warm sigh.
“…Portals too?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Yes. That’s why I thought I should tell Rubel first.”
Spiritus had explained that frequent use of portals placed a burden on certain axes of this world. Therefore, she had not taught the portal spell formulas to any wizard and had returned to her Lair. Not just portals, but Meteors and other spells as well.
Powerful magic brings powerful backlash.
However, knowing and not using is different from never being able to use it.
I quietly gazed at Rubel’s face as he pondered with a serious expression.
When he was in my arms, he looked like an innocent boy, but seeing him now with the face of an adult man, I found myself wanting him. Rubel’s neck and shoulders were straight. As he sat up properly, the lines drawn by his well-extended body caught my eye. It was like a painting.
Even though I knew this wasn’t the time, my heart fluttered.
I glanced around, wanting to kiss him for no reason. A worker cleaning nearby cast a fleeting glance in our direction. It wouldn’t do. I patiently suppressed my naughty thoughts and waited for Rubel’s answer.
The boy, with sparkling eyes, lowered his voice as if whispering.
“I can’t decide this right away, but there’s no need to go all the way to Spiritus.”
“Then?”
“Come with me to the temple tomorrow. If what you say is true, the First Goddess must have returned to this continent, so she should grant a Divine Revelation to me, her first servant.”
“Sounds good. Not today?”
“Today… is our date day.”
He says the cutest things. I laughed out loud, and Rubel added an explanation with a prim expression.
“The imperial authority and divine authority are not close, so if I visit without notice, the priests might be surprised. It’s an interesting matter, but just in case, it’s good to maintain etiquette between us.”
“Mm. I will do so. It will be etiquette I must uphold from now on as well.”
“Right.”
Rubel’s face returned to that of a boy.
Unable to hold back, I kissed him briefly. I felt like I could live my entire life just being his husband.
We spread out a mat in the flower garden and ate our lunch. This time, I doted on him, which made him laugh heartily. His laughter was better than his frown. I firmly resolved to continue doing so.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day, the first Sunday of March.
We rode in a carriage with no markings towards the Central Temple of Searon, the main temple of the First Goddess.
The Central Temple was built almost against the inner wall of the capital’s fortress, located southeast, so it wasn’t close to either the East or South Gate.
A single, magnificent white building stood tall on a lush green plain, a place one wouldn’t pass by unless specifically seeking it out. It was about a third the size of the Academy. Buildings occupying such a large plot of land in an expensive capital were extremely rare.
As I dismounted and approached, I was even more astonished.
All the doors of the white building were wide open, visible from afar. The temple, which appeared to be five stories high, was a single-story structure. The exterior was white and smooth, while the interior was gorgeously decorated with reliefs and stained glass in various colors. It was a scene that could truly be called a hotbed of luxury.
On the courtyard, wider than most Martial arts training grounds, over a hundred worshippers were kneeling towards the temple, each on a single-colored mat. Their combined prayers rose and fell like a single song.
“Are there usually this many people?”
“It’s because today is Sunday. We hold group prayer services on the last day of the week. I heard that on weekdays, there are fewer adults and more children than now.”
“Why is that?”
“Because children don’t get hurt even if they trip while running around. They use expensive grass, it’s very spacious, and there are no obstacles.”
“…Hmm.”
It was a surprisingly rational reason. They weren’t coming out of faith, but because the grass was nice.
Thinking of it as a picnic spot for children to play, I looked around again with fresh eyes.
In any case, following Rubel’s lead, we headed towards a small pavilion built on the left side of the temple. The room, with its pillars, ceiling, and walls all shining white, had a small golden bell hanging in it.
When Rubel pulled the rope attached to the bell, a woman, covered from head to toe in white cloth with only her eyes visible, glided out and stood before us. I had known there was an attached side room to the pavilion from the start, but the divine energy emanating from the woman was astonishing.
Did she send out a higher, more noble apostle because Rubel is the Emperor?
“What brings you here?”
“We have come to praise the cherished spring. We request that the Goddess grant a place of rest to the foolish.”
“May the First Goddess’s grace guide you. I will escort you to the sanctuary.”
We walked behind the woman, stepping on the green grass. Rubel did not look away for a moment. So, neither did I.
We turned down a side path to the left of the tall building and entered a structure about half the height of the main building.
Though small in size, it was equally elegantly decorated. The golden carpet, free of even a speck of dust, was so bright it felt sacrilegious to step on. The nine candles placed on a ten-tiered altar shattered light more brilliantly than a chandelier around their holders, illuminating the sanctuary with crystals and jewels.
“Thank you for guiding us. Then…”
Rubel trailed off as he said goodbye to the priestess who had guided them.
Instead of leaving, the priestess walked gracefully onto the platform. She ascended four steps and then sat down with a plop. Both Rubel and I watched her from our standing positions. The woman, seated in a place neither too high nor too low, pushed back her deeply worn veil like shedding a robe, revealing her face.
Simultaneously, a divine presence filled the not-so-small room. This human-shaped body was the First Goddess’s physical form.
The Goddess had silver hair and silver eyes. She was surrounded by a radiant halo that made it difficult to discern her features unless one squinted.
The woman spoke.
“Welcome, Mikael. This is our first time meeting like this, isn’t it? I didn’t expect you to bring a friend on our first meeting, but it’s nice to see you. Your name was Rubel, wasn’t it? What was your middle name?”
“…Anti. Rubel Anti Searon.”
“Oh? You had a lot of karma too. It must have been hard to live.”
Compared to the more noble and formal tone she used when looking down from above, the First Goddess now spoke as casually as a cousin met after a long time. Rubel, who had been standing still, tried to lower his posture, but she waved him off.
“No, it’s alright. You’re not just any apostle, are you? Mikael, there are chairs over there, bring one. Let’s sit and talk.”
“…Yes.”
“You don’t need to be so stiff. We have many things to accomplish together from now on.”
I pulled over a rather plush and wide chair, seating Rubel and myself. We were roughly at eye level with the Goddess, though we had to tilt our heads up just a tiny bit.
Sitting down, I asked belatedly,
“Me?”
“Mmm… Someone has to clean up the mess. You brought one more god, and then another one disappeared…”
“…Ah.”
The Goddess’s eyebrows, so pale they were hard to see, drooped with what seemed like pity. I felt like I was looking at a dejected white puppy.
Although she said thank you, it seemed the outcome the Goddess initially desired was different from the current situation. After all, she had said she cherished the Ninth God.
After a moment of continued dejection, the Goddess forced a smile.
“Still, it’s much better with you here.”
“Why?”
“The Ninth God exuded twisted energy just by breathing, but you inhale so much Mana and exhale it after aligning it properly. It’s truly a blessing.”
Having no words to reply, I simply watched.
It was true that I had come to the Central Temple to ask the First Goddess various things, but I never expected her to appear so suddenly. In my stead, Rubel spoke up again.
“Thank you for welcoming us. We have many questions, but I hope it is not too presumptuous.”
“Feel free to speak. I will filter out any knowledge you shouldn’t know.”
Now I understood why the First Goddess and the Third God Oasis were close. Their lighthearted speech and gentle gestures were alike.
Rubel began to bite his lip again. I clasped his hand, wanting to stop him, but he didn’t look back at me.
Rubel asked,
“…If the world were to open again, what should we humans do?”