“Goddess, I was wrong.”
This unexpected confession surprisingly came from Rina’s mouth.
“…Huh?”
After class, like always, I climbed onto the platform with my shield and morning star to practice, only to find Rina kneeling before me, saying such things out of the blue.
Well, thinking about it, it didn’t seem like the first time.
“Um, Rina, even if you say it like that, it won’t change what’s already been decided.”
“Since you’re the ‘Goddess,’ can’t you talk to the Church about it?”
“No, even the Church can’t refuse what Demon God Baal has decided. Besides, haven’t we talked about this before?”
As I frowned and replied,
“Back then, when Baal possessed your body, you cursed at him openly to drive him out! Can’t you do that again this time?!”
Rina shouted passionately.
Indeed, this confession seemed to be a cosplay. She probably wasn’t sorry from the start.
…Now that I think about it, there wasn’t really a reason to feel sorry in the first place, but anyway.
I let out a huge sigh, “Ha~,” then said,
“Listen, Rina. I got angry because that guy was trying to use my body without permission. If I hadn’t gotten so emotional, I wouldn’t have said such things.”
“Even if you’re not that emotional, casually dropping shocking internal information about the Church in daily conversation is not something anyone should say.”
“…….”
Suddenly faced with such a reasonable and logical rebuttal, I momentarily forgot what to say. Turning my head towards the voice, I saw Selena. With her arms resting on the platform, she looked up at me, her expression saying “Unbelievable” in one word.
No, more importantly, if she looked up there, my skirt would be fully visible.
Or maybe not? She seems so nonchalant, maybe she doesn’t care if she can see? I’m not sure.
While I was lost in those thoughts, Selena continued,
“And isn’t it a bit strange? What kind of goddess comes down as a high school girl to become friends with real high school girls?”
…Well, my novel featured high school students saving the world.
Ah, just writing it out like this sounds ridiculous, but back then, such stories were quite common!
In fact, they still are!
I’m not sure how it is in this world, but.
“……”
However, if I say that I’m not a goddess, or that I didn’t even know I had goddess-like powers, it might make the situation even weirder.
“See, if you’re truly a god—”
Seeing how I couldn’t say anything, Selena confidently raised a finger, stating,
“Of course, this is a discussion about religion from hundreds of years ago, but typically, when a god comes down in human form, they’d roam around spreading teachings—Ah, you did that, indeed.”
As Selena said that, she folded her finger back, pondering more seriously.
“When you pass by, elves, beastmen, even gnomes all go silent. I’ve heard rumors that you’ve even talked back to the President. In a way, that makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“……”
I didn’t mean to go around teaching others, but it was true that I had been butting in here and there, so I had no retort.
“Oh, right.”
Selena suddenly seemed to have a new idea, raising her finger again.
“Usually, such people travel around making disciples—oh, right, you did that too.”
Selena glanced back at Linea and Aurora, who were hanging around.
“Moreover, you’ve achieved miracles through those teachings, so denying it would be somewhat odd.”
Then she looked troubled, folding her fingers again.
“Hmm, artistic sense is subjective, so whether everyone agrees or not is uncertain, but most would agree that you’re beautiful, and given it hasn’t been a year since you came to this world and you haven’t exactly had a boyfriend, they’d agree on your purity too. Considering you even speak informally to the gods, at this point, isn’t it weird to claim you’re not a goddess?”
She completely forgot to mention that she was casually using the informal “you” with a goddess!
However, it’s true that if Selena suddenly started talking to me formally like the Pope, then that would indeed be shocking.
Hearing Selena’s words, I crouched down on the floor, covering my head with both hands.
“Ah, I want to deny it…”
“Why can’t you deny it?”
Selena asked with genuine curiosity after hearing my mumble.
“Huh?”
My posture—crouched down with my head covered—must have looked a bit funny as Selena chuckled softly, trying to hold back her laughter.
“So, why can’t you deny it? Honestly, isn’t it just a matter of you saying you’re not? If people believe you’re a goddess, even if they know you’re lying, they’ll just let it slide.”
“That’s what can’t happen. The more people believe I’m a goddess, if I say such things, they’ll think they’ve been abandoned.”
Hearing this, Selena rested her chin on her hand and asked again,
“So, you mean the goddess, who came down from the heavens… or wherever the gods live, who is supposed to do what she wants, is actually more concerned about what people think? Are you planning to live burdened by everyone’s faith?”
“Huh? That’s not it at all.”
I grimaced at Selena openly.
“Then why bother caring about others’ opinions? If you had something you wanted to do here, wouldn’t people support you just for that alone?”
“……”
I paused to think for a moment.
Then came to a quick conclusion and answered.
“No, no matter how much I’m me, I don’t remember living just by others’ words. I even turned down the Pope’s position.”
“……Ah, that.”
Selena laughed as if it were absurd.
“Well then, that explains why the Pope ended up in the hospital.”
“…You knew?”
“It was on the morning news.”
Oh, right.
…Damn it.
“So, what I want to ask is this. You have plenty of people ready to risk their lives to do anything just for a word from you, so why do you have to strain yourself to do everything? There’s plenty you could have others do instead.”
“……”
Thinking about Selena’s words again, I considered. Was that true?
Of course, facing the witches was something I had to do. Honestly, I didn’t plan on doing it, but it ended up that way; still, if it weren’t for me, nobody else could have done it. Jian could have sliced through the witches, but that would only happen if he met them.
Dealing with demons was also… well, this one leaned a bit differently than I expected, but for the most part, I was needed. Jian could probably handle the demons alone, but it was my role to protect the others behind me using Holy Power.
Doing it this way would probably incur the least sacrifice.
“No, even though it might seem that way, I’m just doing what I’m capable of. If I really couldn’t decline anything, I would’ve already run amok in the Pope’s position.”
“Major blunder?”
Selena widened her eyes slightly at my statement.
“I failed to locate the demons this time. So far, I’ve run into witches everywhere by coincidence. But when I tried luring out the demons, I failed. So, I’d surely make many mistakes where I need to ponder and make decisions much more than that.”
As I declared this decisively, Selena remained lost in thought for a moment.
“So, what you’re saying is,”
Once she finished sorting out her thoughts, Selena slowly spoke up.
“You’re not a perfect being, and you can’t do everything anywhere you go, so you’re just trying your best within your limits for the sake of others, right?”
“Seems a bit much to say I’m moving for others, but… I do move as I think is best for me.”
Nodding in agreement, Selena’s mouth fell open.
For a time, she blankly stared at me, then turned her head to Rina, who was stiffly seated across from me, still in despair.
“Rina, maybe you should just let go of that request? Honestly, she seems like a goddess in every way. So I doubt such requests would yield any results.”
No, I just enjoy teasing Rina.
Of course, it’s also true that I can’t stop, but isn’t it better to have some fun? If there’s a justification, then I can tease all I want.
More than anything, considering the situation I’m in, I can’t allow her to laugh and indulge at the bottom while I’m up here. Let’s remember that this war started with Rina’s confession of faith!
The one who retreats is the loser, after all.
Rina lay flat on the ground, completely despairing.
“…Poor thing.”
Selena murmured, gazing at Rina sympathetically. Even Linea and Aurora behind her nodded in agreement with that statement.
…Why?
Am I not the one who’s the most pitiful here?
Well, I guess I might look somewhat distant from being pitiful to others.
*
Most of the nation’s critical facilities were concentrated in the 1st District, but that didn’t mean everything important had to be handled there.
If they wanted to talk, they could just call, and if they needed to send documents, they could use mail or fax. Occasionally they sent registered letters, but unless it was something critical that had to be documented, communication was usually the way to go.
Therefore, even though this 21st District was nearly an 8-hour flight away from the 1st District, it wasn’t difficult to communicate with major organizations there.
“Uh… So, Ms. Seo-A?”
Of course, things would change if there was someone there who was clearly opposed.
The Church was responsible for welfare across the world. Of course, it was nearly impossible for just the Church’s strength to survey every household worldwide for welfare; hence, they generally worked with the government.
The remaining parts were mostly handled by the government. Particularly regarding military matters, they were adamant about not relinquishing that authority to the Church. Several hundred years ago, during a time when the two organizations were cooperating, the Church had its own separate military forces, and they became one nation under the condition of recognizing that right. So, while they couldn’t dispute the existence of the Knights or the Church’s troops, they still aimed to handle military power operating in the secular world as much as possible at the government level.
In that context, the heroes also belonged to the government. Individuals with immense power like heroes could serve as military personnel, so though most worked to maintain domestic security, some specialized in frontline battles and teamed up with the government forces.
Once upon a time, Seo-A was also one of them.
“I found out you have been dishonorably discharged, is that correct?”
The public officer sitting across from Seo-A asked.
“Yes.”
Seo-A calmly nodded.
“Hmm.”
The official turned his gaze back to the monitor, slowly reading the details that popped up before turning his head back to Seo-A with a bit of a troubled expression.
“It states that it was a dishonorable discharge due to insubordination and defiance, but…”
“Is that a problem?”
Even as the public officer said that, Seo-A simply asked calmly. The officer scratched his temple with his index finger as he said,
“So, you requested an interview with the Association Chairman, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“However, according to regulations, someone with a dishonorable discharge is treated as an outsider, just like a criminal. Participation in the Association in any form is prohibited.”
“……”
Seo-A’s gaze dropped slightly. Though she had been marked as dishonorably discharged on paper, she was still a young and attractive woman. It was hard to guess what had led to such treatment, considering how this woman looked.
Of course, judging people merely by appearances is troublesome. A ‘dishonorable discharge’ was among the worst penalties a hero or soldier could receive. Such severe penalties even reflected on the evaluations of their superiors. It meant that a perfectly fine recruit had failed to adapt.
Thus, most cases were settled internally. In the process of trying to wrap up massive issues behind the scenes, various maladies emerged, but at least the Association often turned out to be the better option than the military. After all, most of those within the Association were heroes.
“Your pension and such benefits have also been revoked… I apologize, but I don’t think I can help with whatever happened.”
The official bowed respectfully.
The Association was ‘relatively’ free of maladies. But that didn’t mean nothing happened. They could very well have treated the person poorly, leading to such a punishment. Or perhaps, they could have genuinely faced wrongful treatment.
In fact, the mere fact that someone was in a prestigious academy as a teacher, despite receiving a dishonorable discharge, was a remarkable situation in itself. Which principal would want to place someone unfit to stand before students as a teacher? Especially an academy known for being directly managed by the state. There must be a solid hidden reason behind this.
“Would it be impossible to relay a message?”
After sitting in silence for a while, Seo-A asked.
“A message, you say?”
“Yes, just something that can fit on a small note.”
“……”
The official thought for a moment, then nodded.
He didn’t know what had happened to cause the dishonorable discharge. But it was clear that someone had dedicated themselves deeply enough to leave evident scars on their face, and that someone was a teacher at the academy, even though there was no noted reason for the discharge on paper.
Above all, the person seated here was once also a hero. He knew well that such places were where unspeakable matters could occur.
From Seo-A’s demeanor, it seemed that she was fully aware she would receive such treatment. Yet even so, she had come directly to the Association to request an interview with the chairman located in the 1st District, which clearly indicated she had something solid behind her—at least something that she knew of but remained unknown to him.
“Very well.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you require a writing instrument?”
“No, I’ve already written it.”
She said that and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to the official.
[Back then, you mentioned you’ve accumulated a debt, right?]
The short note contained a meaning that was far from ordinary, visible to anyone who looked.
“I will send this note via fax. However, what I can do stops here. Even if the contents are transmitted to headquarters, I can’t say whether they will reach the chairman, and even if they do, whether he will read it remains uncertain.”
“That’s okay. It will definitely get there, and he will definitely read it.”
Seo-A nodded confidently.
“…Understood. Then.”
The official placed the note on the scanner right beside his desk. After scanning, he returned the note back to Seo-A.
“Since it’s not appropriate to send just the note, I will prepare a report to send alongside it.”
“…Thank you.”
Seo-A replied as she accepted the note from the official’s hands.
*
“Oh, is that you, Teacher Seo-A?”
As she left the Association, a deep voice called out to her. It was the principal. Hearing he was a former hero, she had heard before that he occasionally visited the Association—
“Did you follow me?”
Seo-A asked with a clearly displeased expression, to which the principal shrugged dramatically.
“No, just coincidence. Completely coincidence. I have no reason to deliberately follow you.”
That was indeed true. As a principal, there was no need for him to stealthily tail someone. Although for someone like him, he might just do it for fun.
“……”
“……”
By sheer coincidence, the two shared a brief moment of silence.
“Of course, you’ve come to protest due to government guidelines, right?”
“Surely it’s the same for you, Principal?”
“Hmm.”
With a slight smile, the principal said.
“Yeah. Even so, it’s unreasonable to draft minors.”
“That might be stated in the law.”
“True. And it’s a law that originated from the chaotic times over 500 years ago, before this nation even existed. Maintaining such outdated laws until now is troublesome. We gotta acknowledge how lazy these politicians are. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s right. But this time, it might be a bit more challenging.”
After all, the students had already gone to the battlefield, making meaningful achievements. Some had even managed to win against demons. Although they were drastically weakened demons.
“That’s an exception among exceptions.”
The principal laughed boisterously as he said that.
“Well, if all else fails, I’ll turn it all upside down, so don’t worry! Even though I look like this, I’m already discharged!”
Seo-A’s expression softened slightly.
“No need to announce that; anyone can see you’ve been discharged for a while now.”
“What a way with words you have.”
The principal replied, still smiling, as he walked into the Association. Just before the door closed, a loud thud was heard. It seemed a public officer had gotten up forcefully from a chair and then knocked it over.
“……”
Seo-A quietly watched the door close before turning away.
Well, if things don’t work out, I’ll just go in and turn the tables.
Though she thought that, deep down, she was well aware that the chairman would surely respond positively to her request.
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