Chapter 51
Chapter 51: A Sin, a Punishment and Something After
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A large number of soldiers with a resolute expression stood alongside the sovereign in the Imperial Castle . Empress Rosalie got up from the throne and slowly approached me with a solemn look .
「…He really is gone now . 」
Rosalie spoke to me without formalities . Her words showed a slight feeling of real sorrow .
「Geabrande was saved because you people helped defeat the Demon King . I shall thank you deeply on behalf of everyone in my country . 」
I shook my head slightly .
「That’s okay, really . Besides…we should not take credit for saving the world because the greatest person who defeated the Demon King is no longer with us… 」
Rosalie spoke after she heard my sad words…
「I see . You’re right . 」
I nodded a few times . But, I couldn’t continue to speak . After that, she looked directly in my eyes with a sincere and apologetic look .
「Allow me to say a few words . Ryuguuin Seiya was a man that believed on his own efforts . He always adhered to justice no matter what others thought of him . I truly believe him now . He was a real hero for all of us . 」
I also looked straight into Rosalie’s eyes .
「Yes . All of his actions consisted of a series of miracles that ordinary heroes wouldn’t be able to accomplish . 」
Behind Rosalie stood Mash and Elle . I slowly approached them . Mash wore the armor of an Imperial Knight and Elle was dressed in a beautiful aristocratic outfit .
Rosalie invited the two dragon children to join the Imperial Knights . They were given special positions because they were the companions of the hero who saved the world . Mash joined forces with Rosalie per Seiya’s will . Elle decided to remain by Mash’s side in the Imperial Capital .
I gave Mash a handshake .
「Mash . I wish you good fortune . 」
「Lista… 」
Mash held my hands while he spoke with a serious expression .
「I will protect the world that my Master gave his life to save… 」
This boy looked so mature right now, as opposed to how he looked a few days ago . I held Mash’s hands strongly .
「I’m sure you can do it . 」
「Of course because my determination is absolute! 」
Elle laughed gently right next to me . Rosalie and I raised the corner of our mouths after we saw Mash’s incredibly serious face .
「Elle . Help Mash whenever he needs . 」
Elle replied 「Yes! 」 with a cheerful voice . However, she turned around to face me and showed a sad expression then .
「Lisutan…You’re really leaving us… 」
「That’s correct . I can’t stay here anymore . 」
On this moment, Elle embraced me softly .
「Elle? 」
「Will you…come again to play with us? 」
Elle spoke while looking tearfully at me .
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「Let’s go to the hot springs when you come, okay? 」
Mash also showed me a smile .
「Yes, that’s right! We have to go to the Casino! 」
I smiled to both of them .
「You’re right . We need to go there . 」
「Absolutely? Do you promise? 」
「Yes . One day, I’m sure . 」
I embraced Elle tightly . And…
「Well then . I must go now . 」
I stepped away from Elle . I casted a spell to an empty space inside the Imperial Castle .
The portal to the God’s realm appeared . When I tried to leave…
「…Goddess Listarte . 」
Rosalie called my name unexpectedly .
「You are strong . I am still grieving over my father’s death . 」
「That’s not true . But…I have to become a proper goddess for Seiya’s sake . That’s what I decided to do . 」
「I also have to follow your steps . As the ruler of an Empire, I must become a suitable leader for my people . 」
「You’ll do fine as you are now . I’ll leave Mash and Elle in your care . Don’t give them unreasonable orders, okay?」
「Yes . I’ll keep that in mind . 」
Rosalie smiled at Mash and Elle . The two of them also returned a smile to Rosalie . I felt reassured with the situation . I put my hand on the portal then .
「Salute our Goddess of Salvation! 」
Rosalie’s voice echoed behind me . And the soldier’s whistles rang all at once .
I left Geabrande while listening to the roaring sound on my back…
—
I exited the portal in my room in the God’s realm . After closing the door, I looked at the portal for a while . I thought about everything that happened on the other side of the portal . I bowed in respect, and I finally made the portal disappear .
I sat down on my bed as I thought deeply of Mash and Elle’s faces while they sent me off .
Both of them had gracious faces . I wonder how long it has been since they felt peace .
Suddenly, the self-confident figure of Seiya passed in front of me . As usual, he squeezed his nose while making a bored sigh .
『It was just a “possibility” . 』
「Seiya… 」
The moment I tried to reach his hand, his silhouette disappeared . It was just an illusion . There was nothing here except a lonely-empty space .
『Listarte . You are strong . 』
I shook my head negatively when I remembered Rosalie’s words .
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I got up and locked the door of my room .
No one will be able to come inside here . Nobody will look at me . So, there was nothing to hold me back anymore .
…I fell on my bed while I cried aloud endlessly as if I were a small child .
—
I ignored the sound of someone knocking on my door . Two days have passed since then . Someone brought me meals and put them under my door .
On that instant, I heard a metallic sound . Someone was trying to open my door after I ignored to open it . It was Aria . She opened my door with a key made from her sealing abilities .
「I’m sorry, Lista . But, Lady Isister wants to see you . 」
「…I see . I understand . I’ll go now . 」
I got up from my bed . Aria laughed a little when she saw my face .
「Oh my . What a horrible face you have now . Your hair is unkempt . 」
She grabbed my hand silently…
「Lista . Come over here . 」
Aria took me to the mirror in the corner of my room .
She didn’t ask me anything about what happened . She just combed my hair gently .
「…Okay . You look beautiful . 」
She said that while I stood in front of the mirror . The hair looked nice again . But, my skin was dry and all I could see was the reflected face of a tired woman .
Aria put her hands on my shoulders . Her expression hardened a little .
「Lista . I’m sure that Lady Isister will talk about the responsibility that involves your power as a goddess . 」
Aria looked quite serious . But, I spoke to her without complaining .
「It’s fine . I will accept my punishment . After all, I was the one who broke the rules . 」
The words I just spoke and my true feelings didn’t feel compatible with my personality . Still, I lost someone important to me . So, I didn’t care anymore . I might get scolded or punished severely . In the worst-case scenario, I will be stripped of the title of goddess . None of that mattered anymore . On the contrary, I would be grateful for any punishment as long as it makes me change my mood a little bit .
Yet, Aria spoke to me with a determined expression .
「Don’t worry . You saved the S-rank difficulty world Geabrande . I won’t let them give you with a heavy punishment . 」
—
As I walked behind Aria, I encountered Adenela, the Goddess of War, in the hallway of the temple . She approached me with a weird way of bent-back walking .
「Li…Lista . Are…Are…you all right? 」
「Yes, somehow I am . 」
I tried to smile at her, but I was not sure if I could ever smile or laugh again .
「How about you, Lady Adenela? I know that Lady Adenela liked Seiya as well . 」
「Well…Well…No, I’m more worried about you…you than myself . I…I heard about what happened . You…You must be much…much sadder, right? 」
I was having trouble in answering her question . Suddenly, I heard a loud voice coming from the other side .
「Hey, Lista! I don’t know much about the details! But, I can see that you’re not feeling well! Eat this and cheer up!」
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The Swordsman God Celseus gave me a plate with a cake .
「It’s a different recipe! It’s a frozen cake! It’s cold and delicious! 」
Adenela looked at Celseus with hateful eyes .
「You…You had the nerve…nerve to give her…something cold…cold…during a time…time like this . You are…are an idiot…」
「Eh…What!? 」
Celseus became upset . I felt sorry towards him; therefore, I took a fork and ate a bit of that cake . And yet, it had no taste . In fact, it may have been a delicious cake, but my tongue lost the sense of taste . Even so, I forced a smile because Celseus was waiting for my reaction impatiently .
「Yes . This “Protein Cake” is delicious . 」
「No, it’s “Frozen Cake”, didn’t you listen!? This cake doesn’t have any protein, okay!? 」
「Ah, I’m sorry . So, it was a “Frozen Protein” after all . 」
「It’s a frozen cake without any protein ingredient!! I already explained that to you!! 」
Adenela put a fork close to the neck of an angry Celseus .
*sounds as if he was about to be stabbed*
「Shut…Shut up…! What…What do you have in there? Pro…Protein…! I…I shall not repeat myself…!」
「Yes…Yes, there’s lot of protein in there!! This cake is rich in protein!! 」
It was true that I didn’t taste anything . But…
「You’ll get a lot better if you bake with less protein . 」
I gave Celseus an advice about cooking that I didn’t quite understand . I left those two behind .
—
I entered the room with Aria . As always, the Great Goddess Isister was sitting on her chair . However, her face was a bit more severe than usual .
「Lista . I am grateful that you saved Geabrande . Thank you very much . And I’m also very pleased to know that you came back safely . However, no matter how I feel about this, you broke the Almighty’s rules of the God’s realm . You must receive your punishment . 」
The Great Goddess Isister’s words were firm . However, that didn’t make me feel worried . Actually, I didn’t feel anything at all . I listened to her words as if I was listening the story of a stranger .
On the other hand, Aria’s blood started to “boil” .
「Lady Isister! Whatever you decide, you mustn’t forget that Lista saved the S-rank difficulty world Geabrande! You need to consider it carefully without forgetting that crucial point! 」
After a brief moment of silent, the Great Goddess Isister finally spoke .
「The punishment for Lista . To save the SS-rank difficulty world Exfolia . 」
「Wha…What!? 」
Aria was speechless .
「Ex…Exfolia is a world that was successfully conquered by the devil! After defeating the hero, Exfolia’s Demon King gained a tremendous power and the whole world became tainted by that evil force! To save that world would be pointless now …!」
Aria was uncomfortable and confused . The Great Goddess Isister continued to speak .
「Additionally, Lista . Your healing abilities as a goddess will be sealed when you arrive in Exfolia . That’s one of the consequences of your actions . The other is . If you cannot save Exfolia, your title of goddess will be forfeited forever . 」
「Even without those consequences…that world would be too painful for Lista… 」
Aria hit the table because she couldn’t stand that anymore .
「That’s too cruel!! She won’t be able to help her hero if her healing powers are sealed!! It’s absolutely impossible to save that horrible world!!」
It was the first time I saw Aria with “explosive emotions” . However, the Great Goddess Isister spoke as if it was a light discussion .
「I wonder about that . I don’t think it’s an impossible task to accomplish . 」
「On what basis!? That place transformed into a demonic world!! What kind of hero will be able to save a world like that!?」
The Great Goddess Isister stood up and looked at window to see the garden of the God’s realm . Like looking at the window, she explained the real situation to us .
「When the deadly heavenly gate swallowed the Demon King…The effects of the Chain Destruction were swallowed along with him . 」
Aria became astonished . Therefore, I asked the following .
「What…What did you just say? 」
「Normally, no one can ever go back to a world that a deity failed to protect, but this is a special case . 」
The Great Goddess Isister turned back . She picked up a piece of paper on the table and walked towards me .
「Listarte . Summon the hero that appears on this list and go with him to the SS-rank difficulty world Exfolia . 」
I hardly believed the moment I saw the heroes’ list . I was depressed all this time, however, my eyes became widely open when I saw the name on that list .
Ryuguuin Seiya
Level – 1
HP – 385
MP – 197
Attack – 124
Defense – 111
Agility – 105
Magic – 86
Potential – 188
Resistance – Fire, Ice, Wind, Water, Lightening, Earth
Special skills – Fire magic (Lv 5), Experience Gain Increase (Lv 2) …
His status decreased dramatically . It was as if it was reset completely . It became less than a thousand points in each category . But, I noticed that some information didn’t change .
As soon as I saw it, tears fell from my face without stopping .
…The power given by past regrets .
…The power that defeated the Demon King and saved the world .
…The power that protected me, and his comrades .
At the end of his status, it was written:
—
Personality – Unbelievably Cautious .