Chapter 35: The Goddess’s Schemes! The Monkey Mask Vanishes into the Night

Sllluurp…

“You’re making a lot of noise drinking tea, aren’t you, Goddess?”

A suspicious woman claiming to be a goddess suddenly appeared at Yuri’s estate.

Whether she’s the real deal or not is unclear, but I figured it’s safest to treat her politely for now.

“That’s quite the refined brewing~”

“Much obliged, I’m sure.”

Despite appearances, I’m a noble lady—brewing tea is a breeze.

The goddess seems satisfied with the refined tea ceremony I’ve put on.

Now then, time to get back to the real questions.

“So, Goddess—what brings you down to the mortal world?”

“Hmm? Karl was praying so fervently that I paused my work and came down to see what it was about.”

“I see.”

Ah, right—didn’t Karl say he was going to spend all day praying today?

“And then that fool got so startled, he slipped and tore off my divine garment. Never thought I’d end up showing skin to a human.”

“He even triggered that reaction with a goddess, huh.”

“I can picture it clearly…”

“He fainted from my divine punishment punch, so he’s currently lying unconscious upstairs.”

I see. So that’s why she’s just standing around alone down here.

Is she really a goddess, though? She doesn’t seem to be lying.

“Fufuu~ I really am, you know. Oh Guiding Spirit Mage.”

“…Did you just read my mind?”

I only thought the question in my head, but she answered it anyway.

…Can she actually hear my thoughts?

“I am a goddess, after all~ Reading human hearts is a walk in the park~ I know that flat-chested girl over there is still doubting me and glaring enviously at these ample blessings of mine~”

“Sorry for being flat, okay!!”

…Yikes.

So that means she also knows I’m a man striving to be the embodiment of love, courage, and muscle?

That’s not good.

“Hmm… yeah, I know that too, but—”

“If possible, I’d appreciate it if you kept that to yourself, Goddess.”

“Hmm. Well, alright. I won’t say a word. That detail honestly doesn’t matter much either way.”

No, it matters a lot.

That kind of thing could damage the dignity of House Velmund. It must stay secret.

Please, Goddess—I’m begging you. Keep it quiet.

“Yeah yeah, anyway~ Let’s get to the real reason you summoned me.”

“…Right. There were quite a few things we wanted to clarify. Do I even need to say them out loud, or can you just tell?”

“Oh, I get it, I get it. So you’ve been treating me like some evil deity, huh~? Hmph, how rude!”

…Whoa. She actually said “hmph” out loud.

“Is it true this town will be attacked by demons? Who exactly is Aldebaran? And why are people calling you evil? Those are the main questions.”

“Hmm. That Aldebaran girl? She’s probably the real Hero~”

“We were starting to suspect as much.”

So Aldebaran’s confirmed as the Hero. I talked to her and she didn’t seem like a bad guy—seems trustworthy enough.

“Then it’s true this town will be attacked?”

“To be blunt, yes. But since Aldebaran’s here, there’s no need to protect it.”

“…Come again?”

“I knew one of her apostles was in this town. I also knew demons were coming. But I was planning to leave it alone~”

…Wait, what?

“See, Heroes are basically cheats. Unfairly strong, unbeatable, just completely overpowered. They’re absurd beings who pretty much can’t lose.”

“I… see.”

“I don’t know what kind of power Aldebaran received, but there’s no way she’d struggle against some low-level demons. And with Karl here too, that’d be overkill. So there was no need to guide you all here~”

We kind of showed up on our own, the goddess said with a sigh.

…Overkill. Now that she mentions it, that’s true.

Even during Lewin’s attack, Karl handled it effortlessly by himself. If Aldebaran is on the same level, then yeah—they’ve got it covered.

That’s probably why the goddess didn’t guide us here.

“In fact, I really didn’t want you two to come here at all. If you and she met, there was a real chance it could’ve ended in a fight. Me and that girl—we’re fundamentally incompatible.”

“Incompatible…?”

“Yeah. In our past battles, her Hero predecessor and I literally tried to kill each other. We just don’t mix, fundamentally.”

Saying that, the goddess began fiddling with her hair, looking visibly annoyed.

“Anyway, the point is—leave this town. And try to avoid her apostles as much as possible.”

“…But humanity is facing a crisis right now. Isn’t refusing to cooperate just because you don’t get along inefficient?”

“Tell her that. As far as I’m concerned, I have no reason to pick a fight with her unless she comes at me with one of her random, baseless accusations.”

She muttered under her breath that she’s always getting in her way.

…This goddess is more emotional and human-like than I expected. Kind of petty, too.

“I can hear you, Spirit Mage~ And for the record, I was human. So of course I’m human-like.”

“Wait, you were human?”

“Yup yup. Surprised? With enough faith gathered, even a human can ascend to godhood.”

...Huh? So that’s what a god is? Just someone who gathers enough faith? A human can become one?

“My true identity and past don’t matter. What’s important is this—just remember, I don’t recommend getting too friendly with the other heroes.”

“…Forgive me for being blunt, but does that have something to do with you being an ‘Evil goddess’?”

“Yes, that’s certainly a rude question. But yes, you’re right. Still, I don’t believe I did anything wrong.”

The goddess Sefa smiled at us without a hint of concern, completely unfazed by Sakura’s slightly provocative tone.

“The method I chose to save humanity happened to violate divine law. That’s all there is to it.”

“…Specifically, what did you do?”

“I killed an innocent person. But it was an unavoidable act—necessary to defeat the Demon King and ensure the survival of humankind. That is the sin I carry.”

Sefa didn’t break her smile. Instead, she narrowed her eyes just slightly as she continued.

“He asked me to do it himself… to kill him. He begged me—said he’d give up his life if I would protect the one he loved.”

“…”

“It’s a terrible story. He was the hero I chose… and also the one I had feelings for. I fell for him, the hero I myself had selected.”

“Th-that’s…”

“Gods aren’t supposed to fall in love with humans. But sometimes, the heart just doesn’t listen. In the end, I honored his request—and traded his life for humanity’s safety.”

There was no lie in her words.

As a goddess, maybe she could lie flawlessly. But even so, I didn’t feel like she was being dishonest.

“But for angering the other gods, I was cast down to the mortal realm~. Many gods perished or faded away, and I’ve only recently managed to return.”

“That’s… unbelievable.”

“That’s why I’m called a ‘evil god.’ Does that explanation satisfy you?”

How… human.

If what she said was true, then it makes perfect sense that she was once human herself.

“So basically, I’m a bit of an enemy in the eyes of the other gods~”

“…I see.”

“But my heart holds only one wish: the survival and prosperity of humanity—the race I loved.”

“I think… I can sense that, in a way.”

“Then you must obey me. Leave this town to the other hero and get out of here quickly. The demon attack will come in about three days.”

Sefa said this gently, as if trying to reason with us.

But… is that really okay? That Aldebaran girl didn’t seem like the unreasonable type.

Even when I brought up Karl, she didn’t seem particularly interested. I didn’t feel any hostility from her.

“…Goddess. If possible, we would like to fight for this town too. We’ve made many friends here. We don’t want to abandon them.”

“Ugh, I told you—just leave that stuff to that Aldebaran girl. You don’t need to worry. With a hero’s power, she’s not going to lose. Honestly, if you stay, you’ll just get in each other’s way.”

“We’ve already made contact with Aldebaran. She didn’t seem openly hostile. If we approach things carefully, maybe we could even fight together—”

“Nope. Impossible. You’ll never see eye to eye with her. If it looks like she wants to team up, it just means she’s setting up a trap~”

Completely shut down.

The goddess dismissed the idea of cooperating with Aldebaran outright.

“But still—”

“Stubborn, aren’t you~? I won’t stop you if you’re that determined. But one day, you’ll see for yourself. You’ll realize that ‘fighting together’ was just a pretty illusion.”

“…”

I pushed back, just a little stubbornly myself, and the goddess let out a sigh, lips curved into a small frown.

Apparently, she really didn’t think well of the other goddess. She had no intention whatsoever of accepting any form of alliance.

“Well, I’m sure Karl will listen to me. That boy practically worships me.”

“…Tch.”

“With that, we’re done talking. I’m a busy goddess, you know. Lots to do. I’ve answered all your questions. Now it’s time to act~”

With those parting words, the goddess Sefa became enveloped in light.

“Pack your things and set out on your journey. And train yourselves to properly wield the staff you’ve obtained.”

“…But—”

“No buts. That’s an order from your goddess~”

She laughed as she added, “Make sure Karl hears that too.”

“Now then, may your future be filled with happiness and glory.”

And with that, she vanished into the light.

"…What do you think, Irine?"

"I understand what the goddess was saying, but still..."

After the goddess vanished—

I turned to face Sakura so we could talk things through.

"She's kind of pushy, don’t you think? I mean, it’s not like there’s any harm if Karl stays and fights alongside them."

"Maybe something bad happens if that happens?"

"I don’t know. But to me, that goddess looked like she was hiding something and trying to cover it up."

...The goddess had given us a direct order: leave the city today. Avoid all contact with Aldebaran.

But we’ve made a lot of friends in this city. Starting with Yuri, so many people helped us.

If I could, I’d want to fight to protect them.

"If we can’t fight together, then we could at least split responsibilities. For example, let Aldebaran and her team take down the enemy, and we focus on protecting the city from damage."

"Exactly. The fact that the goddess never even suggested that makes her seem kind of shady, doesn’t it?"

"That said, Karl is our leader. I wonder what he’ll decide."

Right. Karl is our leader. A hero who’s devoted to the goddess, and who received his powers from her.

Even if we think the goddess is suspicious, he’ll probably just follow her orders without question.

"…Sigh. Let’s wait until everyone’s gathered and talk this out properly. Maika, Rev, and Master too."

"Yes, that sounds best."

Still, there was no point sitting here talking in circles.

Our party’s next move needed to be a group decision.

So, Sakura and I headed upstairs to wake Karl, who was probably still unconscious on the second floor.

---

“Goddess Sefa, huh... Heh. Ain’t that the patron deity of the Tendou family, missy?”

Once the whole party had gathered, we shared what had happened with the goddess earlier.

Apparently, even though Karl had been unconscious, he’d spoken with the goddess in his dreams. What he heard from her was nearly identical to what we were told.

“Huh? My family's followers of that goddess?”

“Sure looks that way.”

Surprisingly, the first one to react to the name “Sefa” was the Master.

“The Sefa faith’s an old-school sect—not all that popular, but it’s managed to survive through the ages. The doctrine allows for killing under certain conditions, so it’s a pretty easy sell for the riffraff.”

“Oh, you mean the kind of creed that says sacrifices are acceptable if it’s to save the majority or whatever? Yeah, I’ve heard something like that before.”

“Of course, they’ve got a bunch of fine-print conditions—like needing the victim’s consent and all. But I get it now. The goddess herself committed murder once. That’s how a doctrine like that probably got started.”

From what we gathered, this goddess Sefa really had been around since ancient times.

I’m not too well-versed in religion, but apparently, she’s a big enough name to make the devout faint just hearing it.

“Sefa worship goes way back, y’know. There are guys like us who follow her kinda casually, and then there are full-blown zealots ready to lay down their lives in devotion.”

“Hm.”

“Thanks, Master. That helped a lot—I understand Sefa much better now.”

With that, we’d gotten a decent grasp on who the goddess was.

But there was something more pressing to deal with right now.

“So then. What’s your plan, Karl?”

“...Yeah, you mean our next move.”

We needed to talk things through. Should we abandon this town as the goddess instructed and head somewhere else?

If we’re heroes, then we ought to act to minimize casualties wherever possible. But this time, the goddess had made it clear: “Do not get involved in this town’s battle.”

“I want to hear everyone’s thoughts.”

Karl said, locking eyes with each of us.

He probably hadn’t made up his mind yet, either.

“Honestly, that goddess rubbed me the wrong way. And the people here have been really good to us. I think we should stay and fight alongside Aldebaran to protect everyone.”

“Even if we can’t team up directly with Aldebaran, we can split up and work to reduce the damage to the town. I can’t support leaving when there are people here who could get hurt.”

As Sakura and I had discussed earlier, we both insisted on staying to defend the town.

The demon army was coming in three days. Running away before that just didn’t sit right.

“...I don’t believe in gods. But I also don’t want Karl walking into danger if it’s not necessary. So I’ll leave the decision to him.”

“I should probably side with the missy here... But if I’m being honest, I wanna avoid every fight I can. Last time, she almost died, y’know?”

“I think we should follow the goddess’s orders. I mean, Karl’s whole journey and battles started because of her, right? Going against her instructions now would be like denying everything he’s done up till this point.”

Lev was undecided. Master and Maika were in favor of following the goddess.

That made it two for obeying the goddess, one abstaining, and two against. A perfect split.

Ah well—if that’s how it’s going to be...

“Alright. If possible, I’d like to follow the goddess’s orders. I’m sure there’s a deeper reason behind what she said.”

“...Karl.”

“We’ll go with majority rule. That means we follow what the goddess said. We’ll prep tomorrow and leave the day after. Can we build a shelter in this house’s yard by then?”

“...If it’s small, yeah. If it’s just big enough for two people to hide, I can throw something together in a day.”

“Then please work on that tomorrow. Everyone else, get ready for the journey.”

So in the end, Karl chose to follow the goddess’s command. He’s a devout follower to the core. With the votes tied, of course he’d lean her way.

“Sorry, Irine, Sakura.”

“It’s alright. If that’s what the leader decides, we’ll follow.”

And just like that, our chance to fight alongside Aldebaran vanished.

---

Late at night.

Once again, I stood, clad in the monkey mask and armor.

“……”

There was no one outside the room. Right now, I was the only one moving about in this mansion.

Even that old man who has a habit of practicing at night had already gone to bed—I made sure of it. If I’m going to leave the estate, now’s my only chance.

────Irine, if you're ever in trouble, come to my party. I am the true hero. I would never abandon someone who seeks my help.

There was no lie in Aldebaran’s words.

Surely, even if the goddess she believes in is different, she must still be a kind-hearted hero.

“At the very least, I have to report in.”

I’d already been told where Aldebaran is staying. It’s quite late, but I’ll go now and deliver the letter to her.

Earlier this evening, I wrote a letter on several sheets of paper bearing the crest of House Velmund.

I made sure it included all the information we know.

That there will be an attack in three days. That we’ll be leaving town under our goddess’s orders. That it’s unlikely we’ll be able to fight side by side.

And that our goddess… smells a little fishy. Like she’s hiding something.

There’s no way I can openly tell Aldebaran all this.

If Karl hears about it, he definitely won’t take it well.

That’s why I decided to pass the message to Aldebaran discreetly, by letter only.

The moon was hidden behind clouds, and darkness covered the town.

Perfect conditions for a covert operation.

“…Let’s go.”

It would be catastrophic to be seen sneaking around at night dressed as a noble lady. Once again, I borrowed the power of the Monkey God’s garments and dashed off.

A monkey’s avatar, slipping into the shadows. Now then, time to blend into the night and carry out the mission────

“E-eekkkkk!!”

Just as I was about to dart out of the estate like that—a trembling, terrified voice called out from behind me.

…Huh?

“I heard a noise and came to check it out, but… what the hell is this? There’s a suspicious freak ten times worse than I imagined!”

The voice came from down the hallway.

Turning my head cautiously, I saw Yuri standing there, pale as a ghost, pointing at me.

“Who are you? What are you doing in front of Irine’s room…?”

“……”

……

Hmm.

“Child☆Abduction!!”
“Mmff! Mmmfffmmm!!”

A-ababababa!! I’ve been caught—caught red-handed!

Wh-what do I do!? Someone saw me in the monkey mask inside the mansion!!

“Destroy the evidence☆Silence the witness!!”
“Mm-mm-mmfff!!”

Okay, plan B! Kidnap and detain!!

I’ll take Yuri away for now and calmly explain the situation! It’s fine, she’ll definitely understand once I do!

“Aaaugh! Somebody heeelp!!!”
“Stop yelling or I’ll turn you into banana peels(?)!!”
“Eeeeeeek!?”

And so, the masked monkey-faced weirdo sprinted through the night with a little girl in tow, her mouth firmly shut.

It was said that one of the town’s residents, half-asleep and peeking out the window, was so startled by the bizarre sight that they decided it had to be a dream.