If I had to describe it, it would be a white wave—no, a white wall.
The sight of a group of people dressed in pure white vestments marching in a single, orderly stride is truly striking. The surroundings, which had been noisy just moments ago, were now enveloped in an eerie silence. As these people made their way through, the crowd parted, creating a clear path.
Following Lilia-san’s lead, we lined up at the edge of the street, kneeling in a prayer position, with her at the forefront.
Looking around, it seems this is a custom here. The heads of each family were kneeling in front of their groups, while their attendants remained behind, divided into left and right positions, also kneeling and praying.
Nearly half of the people here are nobles—in other words, individuals of a certain status in this country. Yet, all of them are kneeling with their heads bowed.
This is the clearest proof that no noble can afford to be disrespectful to those passing through here. The Three Supreme Gods are beings with such immense authority.
In the center of the group dressed in pure white vestments, I saw the Goddess walking, holding a presence that a Goddess would definitely have.
Her long hair, unlike Lunamaria-san’s light blue, was a deep blue reminiscent of the sea, clasped neatly behind her neck, and she has heterochromatic red and blue eyes. She’s taller than the 170cm me, with a tall, slender, well-proportioned model-like body, she gives a graceful and noble impression to those around her.
The way she walked with her long legs, surrounded by priests, it felt almost like a fashion show designed just for her. This was—without a doubt—the Goddess of Time.
The Goddess of Time calmly walked along the path surrounded by the quiet prayers buried within the silence. In this mysterious atmosphere, only the sound of her footsteps resonated, smooth and clear. She was heading toward the temple, but, unexpectedly, she stopped midway.
[……….]
The surrounding priests stopped in unison, and the sound of footsteps that had filled the air earlier vanished. A heavy silence took over the area. Then, the Goddess of Time turned her gaze in our direction…Eh?
Is it just me, or does it feel like the Goddess of Time is looking at me? No, she’s definitely looking this way. It’s not just a coincidence—she’s glaring right at me. It almost feels like she’s trying to kill me with her gaze! Why!?
For some reason, the Goddess of Time stopped and stared at me for a brief moment. After a pause, she calmly walked toward us and stood directly in front of Lilia-san.
[…You’re a noble of this country, right?]
[Eh!? Y-Yes…Lilia Albert…is…my…name…]
The Goddess of Time stopped in front of Lilia-san and asked in a quiet voice, while Lilia-san replied, her lips trembling slightly.
I guess she didn’t expect to be spoken to. I can’t see her face from where I’m standing behind her, but I can see her shoulders faintly shaking.
[Is the man standing behind you your attendant?]
[N-No, he’s…Umm…]
[Fumu…No, sorry. It seems like that’s a difficult question for you to answer, so you can just forget about it.]
After saying so, the Goddess of Time shifted her gaze to me and quietly stared at me with her red and blue heterochromatic eyes.
[…Man, it seems you are blessed with quite the strange fate, huh?]
[…Eh?]
[No, I don’t know much about those things, as they’re under the domain of the God of Fate…But very interesting, indeed. This pressure I’m feeling from you…Which carnage demon took a liking to you at first sight?]
[………]
I honestly don’t know what she’s talking about, but come to think of it, I remember Shiro-san using a similar phrase too.
“The Human liked by Kuromueina from first sight…” What could those words possibly mean?
I didn’t answer her. Or rather, I was confused by the question, unsure of how to respond. After a moment, the Goddess of Time shifted her gaze away from me and looked at Lilia-san once again.
[You said your name was Lilia Albert, right…? If I’m not mistaken, you were the one responsible for summoning the heroes this time, weren’t you?]
[…Y-Yes…It is as you say…]
[It seems you’ve chosen quite an interesting individual…I’d love to talk with you more, but I have some other matters to attend to today, so I don’t have time. I’d like to speak with you again at a later date, if that’s alright with you?]
[ ! ? ! ? Y-Yes. Whenever the Goddess of Time-sama wishes…it would be an honor…]
When the Goddess of Time mentioned wanting to speak with Lilia-san later, Lilia-san’s shoulders jerked for a moment before she deeply bowed, hands on the ground, offering her gratitude. At the same time, a ruckus rose around us.
Perhaps this proposal was something unprecedented. Lunamaria-san, who was next to me, was so surprised that she froze in place, her eyes wide open.
However, the unprecedented events within the unprecedented events didn’t stop there. When the Goddess of Time heard Lilia-san’s response, she nodded in satisfaction, then extended her hand toward Lilia-san.
[I see, I’m sorry for the inconvenience earlier. Well then, I’ll convey my plans to you later…This may be informal, but in exchange for the trouble—I bestow upon you the “Blessing of Time”—]
[ ! ? ! ? ]
As light overflowed from the Goddess of Time’s outstretched hand, it began to envelop Lilia-san’s body.
The Blessing of a Supreme God…Even though I’m not very familiar with this world, I can understand what that means.
Even a king could barely receive the Blessing of a high-ranking god, but the Supreme Gods are far more powerful—beings of a much higher status. This Blessing, coming from such a being, is an extraordinary event, rarely seen outside of the Festival of Heroes. A Blessing like this can no longer be bought with money.
[…I-It…It was my honor to receive your Blessing.]
[Umu. Well then, I’ll meet you at a later time to talk again. I’ll “remember” your name.]
After saying that, the Goddess of Time turned her gaze toward me once more before walking toward the temple, and the priests who had been frozen by the events just now followed her.
As for Lilia-san, she remained kneeling on the ground, unmoving. In fact, she seemed completely frozen in place.
A little while later, when the Goddess of Time’s group disappeared from view, and everyone remained stunned in silence, Lunamaria-san quickly moved. She gently lifted Lilia-san into her arms and urgently spoke to us.
[Everyone! Quick, back to the carriage!!]
[ [ [ ! ? ] ] ]
Saying that, we broke into a run, and when we reached the parked carriage, Lunamaria-san practically threw the still-frozen Lilia-san inside.
She just tossed her as if it was completely normal. Is it really okay to do that to your master?
Without a second thought, Lunamaria-san jumped to the reins, and after confirming that the three of us had rushed into the carriage, she quickly urged the horses to start moving.
The reason for Lunamaria-san’s urgency became clear as soon as the carriage began moving. The air was soon filled with ear-piercing cheers.
Lilia-san, having received a Blessing from a Supreme God—an unprecedented event—is now the center of attention. If she had stayed there, she would have been bombarded with questions, and that would have been an overwhelming situation.
Thanks to Lunamaria-san’s quick thinking, we managed to escape before all hell broke loose. Since we’re not criminals, we weren’t chased or anything like that. After a while, Lunamaria-san let out a sigh of relief, handing the reins to the attendant who was originally managing the carriage. She then returned to the carriage and turned her attention to the still-stiff Lilia-san, who had remained frozen in the position she was in when she was tossed inside.
[My Lady, My Lady! Please, get a hold of yourself!!]
[…Huh!? Lu-Luna? Eh, ah, awawawawa, w-what d-d-did just…]
[It’s amazing, My Lady! Not only did the Goddess of Time remember your name, but she even blessed you—albeit informally! It’s a brilliant achievement!!]
[Awawawa, A-A-As I thought, it wasn’t just a dream, huh… T-T-T-That the Goddess of Time… G-G-Gave me her Blessing…]
This won’t do. Lilia-san’s completely in a panic.
She’s trembling uncontrollably, a stark contrast to her usual calm demeanor, and she looks like a newborn calf, her gaze darting all over the place. Honestly, it’s kind of cute in a way.
[No, My Lady. I don’t understand what you’re saying. Please calm down.]
As expected from Lunamaria-san, she managed to cut in even with Lilia-san in that state.
But unfortunately, it seems that Lilia-san is the type of person who can’t compose herself once she starts panicking.
[T-T-T-That’s impossible!? How could something like this happen…Awawa—Kyuuu~]
[My Lady!? Wha, My Lady!?]
Ah, it seems Lilia-san became so panicked that her eyes were spinning around. I could almost see steam coming out of her head.
For now, we decided to take a break and wait for Lilia-san to recover. The carriage stopped a short distance away from the main road, and Lilia-san lay on her seat with a wet towel on her face.
[Unnyyuuu~]
I couldn’t help but smile at Lilia-san as she made such cute groans. We then began discussing what had just happened.
[Senpai’s manekineko power…It’s quite fearsome, isn’t it?]
[Yes… Even I shuddered from that. I’m glad I didn’t pray to Miyama-sama.]
[Eh? How come this has become my fault?]
[Whether it’s Miyama-san’s fault or not, the Goddess of Time was clearly interested in him.]
I wonder if that’s the case, though? She did say some strange things, and there’s also the fact that the Goddess of Time said something similar to what Shiro-san mentioned. I’m not sure if I’m really blessed with a strange fate or not, but…
[Arehh? Speaking of which… I’m changing the subject, but in the end, what’s the name of the Goddess of Time?]
[I don’t know. Gods usually don’t name themselves. We just refer to them by the authority they belong to, like calling them by the same title as the God of that authority. So, I don’t really know. If it’s a Low-ranking God, some priests in their temple might know, but for High-ranking Gods, I don’t think anyone knows their names aside from other Gods.]
[………]
—That certain goddess I just met is different, though. I mean, she’s the first one to introduce herself!
Well, she knows Kuro, so… let’s just say that Shiro-san is outside the norm for now, but there are other things on my mind right now.
[However, with her like this, can Lilia-san have a “one-on-one” discussion with the Goddess of Time?]
[Hyyiiii!? O-One-on-one!?]
I mean, Lilia-san was the one who was asked to be talked to, Lilia-san is also the Duchess, and she was in charge of summoning us…
[Lu-Luna… Help…]
[As expected, that would be impossible. No matter how you look at it, I’m just a mere servant. I wouldn’t be able to sit in a discussion in the presence of a Supreme God. Or rather, I don’t think I would be allowed.]
Hearing my words, Lilia-san jumped up and clung to Lunamaria-san while looking up at her, but Lunamaria-san looked apologetic as she shook her head.
[That’s impossible even for me too, you know!? Just thinking about talking with a Supreme God makes my body quiver, but talking with her one-on-one is…]
She broke down in tears. She was really sobbing and gushing with tears.
[…I think Miyama-san would be allowed to sit within her presence though?]
[ ! ! ! ! ! ]
[Huh?]
[Indeed, the Goddess of Time seemed to be interested in Miyama-sama, and I’m rather sure that’s actually the main reason why she wants to talk with My Lady…]
Arehh? It seems like the situation is taking a turn for the worse…
Lilia-san looked at me, tears welling up in her eyes. She was a mess, staring at me desperately.
[N-No, but I’m just a regular commoner—[Please come along with me! Kaito-san!!]—Uwaaahhh!?]
For the time being, I wanted to avoid entering a situation that might make my stomach churn, so I tried to indirectly decline… But Lilia-san literally jumped at me.
[Please! Please help me!!]
[Li-Lilia-san!? Your face, your face is too close!? And your grip is too strong!?]
[I have no one else to turn to!! Meeting her alone is definitely impossible!!]
The words “evidently desperate” truly fit Lilia-san’s appearance right now, but the real issue for me was being hugged by her.
The combination of her soft body, the sweet scent of her perfume, and her teary eyes… The sheer intensity of it all was overwhelming. The impact of the situation was far beyond what I could handle.
Even though I tried to pull away, I had no idea where such strength came from in her slender frame, but she was holding onto me with such force that I couldn’t break free.
This was a bit too much for a man like me—someone who has never had a girlfriend in his entire life. To be honest, my back was beginning to ache from her tight embrace!
It almost felt like she was trying to make me lose my balance…
(T/N: Kaito is actually talking about sabaori, a sumo technique.)
[I-I understand! I’ll be attending too! I’ll be attending already!!]
[Kaito-zaaaaaannnnnnn!!]
[W-Wait, Lilia-san…It hurts…]
[Thank you vewwwyyy muuuucchhhh!!]
[Wait…Seriously…I’m dying here…]
At this rate, it felt like my very life was in danger. Forget reason, my survival was at stake. The only way to get her off me was to agree to go with her to meet the Goddess of Time, so I desperately told Lilia-san I would go with her.
Lilia-san’s face lit up with an overwhelming surge of emotions, as if she had seen salvation itself. And, of course, she hugged me even tighter—so tight, in fact, that I heard a horrifying cracking sound from my back… and my consciousness began to fade.
Dear Mom, Dad—What can I say, I’ve just been walking around today, but seriously—How the heck could this happen?