Joy was excited since the night before being invited to Lady Allen’s Territory.
She asked not only her maids but also her brother and mother about what outfit would be appropriate and pondered over what gift to bring, giggling as she thought of what to talk about with Lucy.
The day arrived. As soon as morning came, she got up, finished her preparations, and headed towards Allen’s Territory.
It hadn’t even been a few days since parting with Lucy, yet it felt like ages since they last met.
Thinking back, over the past two years, Lucy and she had been practically inseparable.
They always trained together at the Academy, spent time together during vacations, and stuck close together during battles, so it was only natural that Joy felt Lucy’s absence.
If it were up to her, she would have rushed to see Lucy as soon as her family matters were settled.
Even if she hadn’t spoken with the family wizards, she would have felt this way.
But those wizards got so heated discussing magic that her father joined in and made the situation escalate.
Summoning Lord Erginius for advice led to the God of Magic tagging along, and it turned into a mess.
Sigh Even just thinking about it makes her want to groan.
Why do those two behave like that?
At first, she thought it was impressive how they both insisted on their opinions down to the tiniest details, but as time went on, it felt more like a childish clash of pride.
Lucy probably wouldn’t have said it outright, though.
Ugh, whatever. Let’s stop thinking about annoying stuff.
From now on, it’s time to have fun with Lucy, and she didn’t want to worry about anything else.
Shaking her head, she activated the Magic of Teleportation and appeared right next to Arthur.
“It seems you’re getting used to using magic now.”
“Hehe, of course. I’ve practiced so much!”
“Yeah, you’ve really practiced. I don’t know how many thrilling experiences I’ve had thanks to you.”
Arthur shrugged with a chuckle, remembering how many times he had fallen from the sky in a single day.
“After a while, when you appear from a high place, it loses its thrill. Humans are definitely creatures of adaptation.”
“You won’t have to worry about that anymore!”
“I hope so. It was fine for us, but anyone else would die falling from that height.”
“There won’t be anyone else!”
As Joy grumbled and sat down, she tilted her head, looking at the empty seats.
“But where’s Lucy?”
“She suddenly said she had something to do and left. Whatever it is, it seems important.”
Arthur’s mention of how he felt chilled when Lucy suddenly became respectful made Joy’s eyes shine.
“Lucy became respectful?”
“You know her curse has been lifted. If she wants, she can be as respectful as she likes.”
“I know that, but she never showed that side in front of me.”
“Same here. That makes it worse. I can understand not being able to do it, but not doing it when you can is irritating.”
“Should I tell Lucy that?”
“…No thanks. If she’s polite now, it would be freaky.”
“Same here.”
While the two were laughing and chatting, a woman wearing a black coat and a mask approached them.
Under normal circumstances, it would be natural to be cautious of an outsider approaching the prince and the duchess, but the two did not react at all.
In fact, Arthur even pulled out a chair to make room for her.
“Thank you for your hard work. Saint…”
“Shh! You shouldn’t say that!”
“It’s okay, Phoebe. I’ve already blocked the sound.”
After hearing that they had set up measures so that those around wouldn’t think twice about this place, Phoebe sighed in relief and sat down.
“Thank you so much. I can finally relax.”
“It seems you’ve been quite busy lately?”
“With the restoration work of the church and continuous cooperation requests from other religions… Since the status of the Jushin Church is so high, I have lots of places to go.”
Of course, the person most wanted by the current power brokers was Lucy.
As the Daughter of Lord Jushin and the hero who saved the continent, who wouldn’t want to have even a moment of conversation with her, especially since the Goddess praised her appearance?
However, most power brokers were not honest about their desires because Lucy possessed overwhelming power.
Authority should be sufficiently high. It’s troublesome if a single mistake jeopardizes their position.
Above all, the past rumors about Lucy had not been entirely forgotten.
Thus, it was easier for most power brokers to choose not to meet her rather than risk offending her.
However, they couldn’t underestimate the current relationship with the Jushin Church.
With the gods returning to the mortal plane, it held an authority unmatched by any religion and could mediate with various gods.
While meeting Lucy was intimidating, maintaining ties with the Jushin Church was necessary.
This dilemma led those who chose to meet Phoebe.
As the Saint officially recognized by Lord Jushin and the new head of the Jushin Church, and having a vague relationship with Lucy, talking with her felt as close as having a conversation with Lucy herself.
Phoebe was hiding her identity for such reasons.
Approaching Lucy directly was blasphemous, but many held the thought that it would be acceptable to talk with her friend, the famously benevolent Phoebe.
Phoebe’s popularity had already soared, after all.
“I had a schedule today, but I delayed everything for the important promise with Lucy.”
“Are you really okay? You should take care of yourself.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. But I’m fine. Spreading Lucy’s greatness is what gives meaning to my life.”
Although Phoebe’s day was busy, she didn’t feel any fatigue in her midst.
The view of power brokers from various countries praising Lucy, adorned with all sorts of compliments, was happiness for Phoebe itself.
“If she hears that, she’ll be horrified.”
“I think so too, so please keep that a secret from Lucy.”
“Secret. Got it.”
The last to reveal herself, Frey, nodded a few times like she had heard something amusing.
“So now I can tell Lucy, right?”
“Lady Kent, that’s saying it’s supposed to be a secret from Lucy.”
“So, you have to tell Lucy, right?”
“…Are you joking?”
Phoebe, who had been wondering, turned to see Frey nodding enthusiastically.
“Yep. How was it?”
“My heart almost dropped.”
“Hehe, then it’s a success.”
With a playful smile, Frey stood by the table and, like everyone else, asked why Lucy was absent. Arthur gave the same answer.
“It seems Lucy herself didn’t want the decorations of this city.”
“Isn’t that only natural? Lucy hates these things.”
“To be honest, I was perplexed too. How could Lucy allow things that decorate her?”
Everyone at the table knew this. Lucy hated being praised about her.
When many praised her, she would stiffen her shoulders and slowly back away, and when they devoted their faith, she’d find it disgusting and shake it off, and couldn’t help but want to smash the decorations praising her.
That Lucy would agree to decorations in the territory was simply impossible unless something was seriously wrong.
“Maybe she just found out she was deceived and will deal with the related parties before disposing of it.”
“Then we should go look around right now.”
“Depending on the case, we might have to ask Lucy if it’s okay to decorate the holy land.”
The four hurriedly rose from their seats and headed towards the city center.
There, a golden statue that the Goddess of Beauty and Art had brought personally was being displayed.
The four, who had always been with Lucy, couldn’t help but exclaim in awe the moment they saw the statue.
The statue seemed to capture the moment Lucy stood at the frontlines, and it was infinitely close to her.
The hair fluttering in the wind, the mischievous smile, the determined eyes, the tightly clenched weapon, and the dignified movement even in the face of hardship.
All of it resembled Lucy so closely that it looked as if the very essence of Lucy was standing before them.
“…I wonder how to phrase this, but I can understand the people praying in front of the statue.”
Arthur’s unconscious remark made the others nod in agreement.
It didn’t matter if they knew Lucy well or not.
Even someone who first encountered Lucy would naturally bow down before such artistry that statue possessed.
If someone knew of Lucy’s heroic tales, they would feel even greater emotion.
“Will they take that down?”
“What a shame.”
Frey responded to Joy’s muttering. Though it wasn’t talked about, Phoebe had similar thoughts.
That statue was too beautiful to just lose it suddenly.
“It’s not the only loss. A commercial district has formed nearby. If that statue disappears, other shops will disappear along with it.”
Next to the long queue of people praying in front of the golden statue were merchants selling various products related to Lucy.
Necklaces, rings, and bracelets, along with a street vendor who carved paintings related to Lucy on the spot, and an artist drawing pictures next to the golden statue. There were even restaurants that served food Lucy once enjoyed.
“I want to eat that! That one!”
It had only been a few days, but look at it now. If tourism properly settled in the city, what would happen?
“I agree. Just thinking about the lady disappearing from the city we worked so hard alongside the Goddess pains my heart.”
Prete, who entered surprisingly with a sorrowful voice, looked around but sighed deeply.
“There are still many things I want to discuss, but to have to scrap everything…”
“B-but it can’t be helped. It’s what Lucy doesn’t want.”
Clearing her throat, Joy looked away to respond, but Prete came forward as if waiting for it.
“So, everyone. I’m begging you! Please persuade the lady. She might refuse the words of others, but she’ll think more about what you say.”
“…Why should we? What if we end up hated by Lucy?”
“I can’t be responsible! But I, Prete, swear I won’t forget this kindness!”
The shock of Prete offering a free pass jolted the group, but still, they shook their heads.
They didn’t want to risk Lucy’s wrath by being greedy.
“And, everyone. Don’t you want to see the lady squirm with embarrassment from all the praise?”
However, with the next words uttered by him, Lucy’s friends started to ponder more seriously. It was rare to see it.
Nothing was cuter than Lucy feeling shy.
“You don’t have to persuade her hard. Just say a word.”
“…That much is fine.”
“Right?”
“Understood. I’ll bring it up.”
“Yay! I’ll make sure to torment Lucy a lot~”
“Thank you, everyone. The Goddess and the mighty Lord Jushin will remember your kindness.”
