Goddess, Please Take Off Your Mask and Reveal Your Identity!
Awe spilled out of me, unrestrained, as I took in the forest that felt almost unreal. Now I understood why they called this place the Great Tree Forest. Histira watched my endless stream of amazement and smiled, seemingly pleased by it.
"It's incredible! So this is what it looks like from down below!"
Beside me, Valeri's eyes sparkled as she gazed up at the trees as well.
"So it's your first time seeing it too, Valeri?"
"Ah, yes. I'd only ever heard stories about it. Haha."
At my words, Valeri scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed. Before long, we pulled ourselves out of our awe and followed Histira deeper inside.
"Your Highness. And could that be the Hero, I wonder?"
Someone called out to us. Judging by the priest-like garb, I realized immediately who it was—one of the elves we'd met at the church.
"Ah, from back then!"
Right—come to think of it, there was something I needed to ask these people directly. Histira not knowing that Fresia was traveling with us meant the reports from these elves had never made it to her.
"I take it you know each other. I shall go arrange the hunting catch, so I will leave one of my subordinates behind. Once your conversation is finished, you may follow him as your guide."
Whether she had read my intentions or not, Histira said this and departed ahead of us.
"Oh dear, I seem to have interrupted your traveling."
The elf priest, who looked rather advanced in age, apologized.
"Not at all! I was actually hoping to ask you something."
"Is that so? Then let us move somewhere more suitable. Right this way, please."
Valeri and I followed behind the elf priest, and as we walked, I began my questioning.
"About that... how much of what happened at the church got reported, exactly...?"
"So it was about that, after all..."
"Aahaha... you saw right through me."
"Then allow me to explain our organization first."
According to the elf priest, the church we had visited yesterday was devoted to the Goddess of Justice, Definie.
Across the world, various religions are tied to the legend of the Hero, and the one that held sway in this region was the Definie Order. In other words, the goddess who had poured light into me and planted her power there was Definie herself.
The elves took a friendly view of the Hero legend, and as they maintained good relations with Zortia, they had sent members of the Definie Order to the Holy Sword ritual. Apparently, however, the Definie Order was a very small sect among the nature-worshipping elves.
Which was why, as it turned out, no detailed report of yesterday's ceremony had ever been demanded of them.
"Then what happened yesterday..."
"We only reported that the ritual had been completed. It seems that, well..."
"I bet it was hard to report."
"We are still holding internal meetings to decide how we are to interpret what happened..."
I'm sorry...! I turned your ritual into an act of blasphemy! No wait, this is clearly Fresia's fault!
"Did you not report on Lady Fresia?"
"Ah, we did report to His Majesty. However, His Majesty likely anticipated the Princess's reaction and chose not to pass the news along."
Which meant the elven king already knew Fresia was with us. As for why he hadn't told Histira... after seeing her reaction just now, I completely understood.
Our conversation carried us to a certain church built against the trunk of one of the Great Trees. It looked remarkably similar to the church we'd visited the day before.
"This is the Definie Order church of the Elf Village. Our original church stands some distance away, but fortunately, the restrictions on our faith have loosened of late, and we were finally permitted to build a church within the village itself. Since you've come all this way, do have a look inside."
"Thank you."
Following the elf priest's kind guidance, I stepped into the church.
Come to think of it, I knew absolutely nothing about the goddess who had summoned me into this world. Even when I'd talked it over with Valeri before, I'd been at a loss—there wasn't a single clue to go on. Hoping I might learn something about her through the Definie Order, I entered with cautious expectations.
Sunlight streamed through stained glass that filled one entire wall of the interior. And unlike yesterday's church, this one held a statue carved in the image of a goddess.
Long, wavy hair. Delicately refined eyes, nose, and lips. Long limbs in striking contrast to her cute features.
"You damned goddess!!"
"Hero?!" "What—what manner of blasphemy is this?!"
I had shouted without thinking, and Valeri and the elf priest jolted in alarm after me.
But how could I not? Because the statue's face was one I knew all too well.
It was her... the damned goddess herself...!
THAT goddess is the Goddess of Justice?!
"I-I'm so sorry... she just looked so familiar, it slipped out...!"
I tried to make excuses to the two flustered people beside me, but I was probably the most flustered one there.
"If you recognize her face, could she be the goddess you met in your dreams?"
"Yes..."
"So you've finally discovered it! What kind of goddess she truly is!"
"Well... I suppose that's true. Though her identity was the last thing I expected."
"You met the goddess in your dreams?! Ohhh, as expected of the Hero of legend! And our Definie Order is, without question, a religion born of the Hero legend!"
The elf priest worked himself into a tremendous excitement over our brief exchange.
"Thank you for telling us! This will elevate the standing of our Definie Order enormously. Truly, thank you!"
To think he could be this delighted. Well, from their perspective, yesterday had been an act of sacrilege... they couldn't exactly have felt proud of it. With doubt lingering over whether I was even the real Hero, his joy now actually made a kind of sense.
"It was nothing. I didn't really do anything."
"Please, say no such thing. The mere fact that you took part in such an illustrious ritual fills me with gratitude."
Liar. You literally said you were holding meetings about how to process it!
"If there is anything our Definie Order can do to assist you, please do not hesitate to ask!"
"Then, about that..."
I opened my mouth carefully, facing the elf priest whose excitement still hadn't cooled.
"Is there any way to remove a power that was wrongly implanted... and transfer it into a sword?"
"We, well, that's..."
The burning enthusiasm from mere moments ago cooled in an instant.
As we emerged from the church, one of Histira's subordinates guided us toward the castle where the king resided. "Castle" was a clumsy way to describe it, though. More precisely, it was the thickest of all the Great Trees, with numerous buildings constructed as though fused directly into its trunk. We headed for an audience chamber built partway up.
Unlike the stone audience hall I'd seen at Lord Raking's estate, this one, built entirely of wood, was drenched in the feeling of fantasy-forest elves, and it left me marveling. And upon the throne of that audience chamber sat a plump, grandfatherly elf.
"Welcome, Hero, and your companions as well. I am delighted to meet you at last. Hoh hoh hoh~"
This warm, kindly old man with his peculiar laugh could only be the king of the elves—Fresia and Histira's father.
"The honor is mine."
I bowed my head at once, minding my manners.
"Hoh hoh hoh~ there's no need to bow. Please, sit and speak with me at ease."
At the elven king's words, the elves stationed along both walls of the chamber brought chairs over for us. Valeri and I took our seats and looked up at him.
"I heard that my third daughter, Fresia, is traveling with you. I simply never expected to meet you all so soon~"
So that's where that drawling speech pattern came from—Fresia takes after her father. But her third daughter? Does that mean Fresia has another sister out there?
"I am overjoyed to be reunited with my daughter, but I must ask—was there some special reason you stopped at our Elf Village?"
"Ah, that would be..."
Hold on—how far do I explain this? Better to dance around it as much as possible.
"We need the help of a mage. We've come to ask whether the elves might be able to assist us."
Nice! Dodged it completely.
"Of course, that much we can do. But might I ask what the matter concerns?"
"Th-that's, well..."
Oh no... I knew he'd ask.
"If you cannot explain the situation, I will have a difficult time making the request of our mage—"
BANG!
A door to the audience chamber slammed open, cutting off the elven king mid-sentence.
"DAAAADDY!!"
Fresia, her arms bound behind her back with rope, tumbled into the chamber and flopped down in front of us, facing the elven king.
"DAAAADDY! Save me!! Sis is—! Sis is trying to KILL me!"
Fresia bawled at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face.
"FRESHIAAAAA!!"
A voice even louder than Fresia's boomed from outside the chamber. Its owner entered a moment later—Histira, crossbow in hand.
"Hyiiiii!"
Fresia, terrified out of her wits, scuttled behind my chair and hid, using me as a wall.
"I caught four wild boars today... so I shall finish my hunt cleanly by making it five!"
"I'm not a boar!"
"Hoh hoh hoh."
The two elves' squabbling voices fell silent for a moment at the elven king's benevolent tone.
"Now, now, Histira. My darling Histira. Do calm yourself for a moment."
"Away with you, Father!"
"Very well."
You're giving up WAY too fast, Your Majesty!!