Chapter 234: At the End of the Wait (4)
Chapter 234: At the End of the Wait (4)
It was only after the rest of the party had finished off the remaining named Chimeras that I finally managed to soothe Clara.
"Sniffle, sniffle."
"Don't make sobbing noises with your mouth..."
"It’s just to show how sad I am. Someone took advantage of the chaos to sneak a peek at my underwear."
"Good heavens. Who would do such a thing? Maybe it was some dummy Saintess who can't even recognize her own Goddess?"
"...Go die!"
Clara threw a pebble she’d picked up from the ground. However, she clearly didn't intend to hit me, as it just rolled harmlessly to my feet.
As I chuckled at her, Clara’s trembling intensified, and she suddenly began to lash out.
Oops! I finally got her calmed down, and I went and blew it!
Even if Clara disappeared now, the dungeon would still be cleared successfully, but I couldn't let that happen yet.
There were still things to take care of here, and more importantly, I had to let her meet Helena—or rather, Righteous Light—who had been watching us with longing eyes for a while now.
"I’m joking. So please, don't try to pass on the moment things go south. We still have work to do, don't we?"
"I suppose so..."
With a deep sigh, Clara extinguished the light that had been radiating from her body.
Looking at her now, it seemed she wasn't actually about to vanish; she had just been manifesting light with her holy power.
As Clara turned toward Helena with an awkward smile, Helena approached her with equally hesitant steps.
"Um... are you the Saintess of this generation?"
"Yes. I am Helena."
"It’s a pleasure. As you likely know, I am Clara. To be more precise, I’m not the actual person, but more like a residual thought..."
"I-it’s alright. Righteous Light just told me that if there is anyone who can call themselves Clara, her Saintess, it is the person standing before me."
"That is... kind of her to say."
The two of them exchanged awkward introductions. Or was it three? Even if she wasn't visible, Righteous Light was here too.
"……."
"……."
The problem was that after the introductions, they just stood there staring at each other, unable to say a word.
I could understand Clara and Helena being shy, but I didn't expect even Righteous Light to be this flustered.
I suppose she feels guilty, thinking that, in the end, she abandoned Clara.
Otherwise, there’s no way that fawning cat of a Goddess I saw earlier would be this quiet. It’s not like Helena would ignore Righteous Light’s words and refuse to relay them.
Seeing them unable to speak despite how much they had longed for this meeting, I finally spoke up.
"It seems like everyone’s having a hard time talking out here in the open. Let’s head inside first. Lady Clara, how much longer can you maintain the barrier?"
"Eh? Oh. I recovered the holy power I was going to use for the self-sacrifice spell, but I used quite a bit fighting Tarasque earlier... maybe a day? I think it should be fine for about that long."
"That’s not very long."
Then again, maintaining a barrier of this scale while her holy power was nearly depleted was an incredible feat in itself.
She wasn't a Saintess for nothing.
"It’s a bit short... but it should be enough time to talk."
At my remark, Clara and Helena looked at each other and nodded simultaneously.
*
The interior of the Cassis Valley fortress was just as bleak as its exterior.
However, when you have six beautiful women in one place, even a desolate room can feel like a flower garden.
As I was stroking the head of Iris, who was squirming on my lap, I felt a sudden sense of cognitive dissonance and lifted her up.
"Hmm?"
Iris tilted her head as if she were already used to being picked up like this.
"Beautiful women...?"
"Ahem. Well, I know I’m quite pretty, but it’s embarrassing when you compliment me so suddenly."
I gave a warm smile to Iris, who was twisting her body bashfully.
"Let’s go with 'pretty girls' instead."
"...Now I’m suddenly in a bad mood. Put me down!"
I gently shook the struggling Iris to calm her down and looked forward again.
Unlike us, who were staying off to the side to avoid being a distraction, Clara and Helena were sitting in the center, engaged in a quiet conversation.
They still seemed to be beating around the bush, unable to get to the main point... but the atmosphere was much calmer than the frantic mess from earlier.
I spent a moment watching the Chimeras tapping against the barrier through the window.
Clara, who had been chatting about recent events on the Eurelia Continent, finally broached the main topic.
"By the way... did you say you were still unskilled at Spirit Mediumship?"
"That is correct. I can manage the basic connection, but I am currently unable to fully channel Righteous Light’s power and consciousness."
"Pardon? Ah, I see. You said there hasn't been an Apostle or even an Oracle for three hundred years since I died? Then there would have been no one to teach you how to use a Saintess's power."
"Yes. I tried on my own based on the remaining records and Righteous Light’s words, but..."
"Hmm. Righteous Light is, well... the intuitive type. She’s not very good at explaining things."
"That’s exactly it! I have no idea what she means when she tells me to use my power with a 'BAM!' feeling and then a 'WHOOSH!'"
The two of them found common ground through their shared experience with Righteous Light. I wondered if they realized that a lion's tail had slipped out and was flicking irritably behind them.
As Helena let out a deep sigh, Clara spoke with a nostalgic smile.
"Shall I teach you?"
"Pardon? Teach me what?"
"How to use Spirit Mediumship... and how to bring Righteous Light’s will to the surface."
Clara finally said she was ready to meet Righteous Light. Helena nodded with a slightly nervous expression.
"Then, please."
"It’s actually simple once you know the trick. While it’s difficult to receive additional holy power, Righteous Light’s will already dwells within you."
Clara followed with a brief explanation. It involved a bit of holy power manipulation and advice to meditate rather than pray.
After carefully reflecting on her words, Helena quietly closed her eyes. She didn't mutter a prayer, nor did she kneel or clasp her hands.
She simply maintained a steady breath, as if looking deep within herself.
It looked quite casual for a believer seeking their god, but for Helena, this was the right way.
Because her Goddess resided within her, not in the heavens.
Flash—!
A radiance emanated from Helena’s body. At the same time, her ears and tail, made of light, began to flutter just as before.
But the moment Helena opened her eyes...
"Ah."
Her already beautiful golden eyes glowed with an even more brilliant light, and her pupils constricted sharply.
It was a fierce gaze that radiated intimidation just by looking at it.
Combined with the ears and tail, Helena’s expression, which momentarily evoked the image of a lion, suddenly turned somber.
"I’m sorry. I’m so late, aren't I?"
"...No. Not at all. My Lord. You are not late. You have found me like this, haven't you?"
"But I... I wasn't with you in your final moments, Clara. I couldn't even take you to the heaven I promised. In the end, I let my own Apostle die in pain, all alone."
Helena—no, Righteous Light—fidgeted anxiously like a child who had done something wrong.
The way Clara pulled Righteous Light into a tight embrace felt like something more poignant than the typical relationship between a deity and a believer.
"I know you didn't abandon me. You sent reinforcements time and time again."
"B-but in the end, you..."
"I’m really fine. I’d much rather hear praise from you than an apology."
"Praise?"
"Yes. I may have lost the fortress after I died, but I was able to block the path to the center until then, wasn't I? If the center had fallen after the south... ugh, I don't even want to imagine it."
Clara playfully shivered. As she said, if the center had been taken, the War of the Gods would have ended before Hero Rahim was even born.
Clara’s desperate resistance had not been in vain.
I could have told her this when I first heard what her lingering regret was. But I didn't.
Because she would have wanted to hear it from Righteous Light’s mouth, not mine.
After a moment of hesitation, the Goddess asked softly.
"Do you... not resent me?"
"Not at all. I revere you so deeply that it’s etched into my residual thoughts."
"……."
Righteous Light’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.
Clara slowly knelt on one knee before her and lowered her snow-white head.
It was a reverent posture, like a believer receiving a blessing.
With a trembling motion, Righteous Light placed her hand on Clara’s head and began to stroke it gently.
"You did well."
"Yes."
"Thanks to you, Clara, the Alliance was able to hold out a little longer. Until the moment Hero Rahim appeared."
"I’m glad."
"Yes. It was because of you, Clara, that we were able to overcome the Great War. You worked hard."
"It was nothing. I am your Saintess. I only did what I had to do."
"And... thank you. For believing in me until the very end. For not resenting me. And most of all, for waiting for me like this."
"……."
"Thank you so much, Clara."
"...That’s what I wanted to hear."
Clara lifted her bowed head.
Her mouth was curved into a bright smile, like a child who had been praised by a parent, but her eyes were shimmering with moisture.
Finally, unable to bear their own weight, tears rolled down her soft cheeks and gathered at the tip of her chin before falling.
Drip.
As the teardrop hit the floor, Clara’s body began to glow with a faint light.
I could tell just by looking. This wasn't a trick made of holy power like before. Nor was it something she could suppress with her own strength.
At this moment, Clara was truly satisfied and had been liberated from all her regrets.
Since nothing held her back anymore, she was returning to where she belonged.
Even if Clara herself didn't want to.
Of course, this would be a very warm end, unlike the lonely and painful death she had suffered in life.
...But I didn't like it.
Even if she was rewarded at the end of a long wait, it was far too little compared to everything Clara had done.
I had thought so back when I only knew this world as a game, and I felt the same way now.
So, I stepped in.
"Hup."
Clara and Righteous Light were forcing smiles through their tears to show each other their best selves one last time.
I reached between them, snatched the medallion hanging around Helena’s neck, and pressed it against Clara’s forehead.
"Ouch! What are you doing all of a sudden! This was a very touching moment!"
"Weapon enhancement."
"What? What enhancement? ...Wait, this medallion is... uh?"
The motes of light that had been melting away into the air began to be sucked into the medallion as if drawn by a vacuum.
I shrugged as Clara and Righteous Light stared at me in bewilderment.
"I’ve always preferred a rowdy ending over a sentimental one."
Clara opened her emerald eyes wide, trying to say something... but the speed at which she was being absorbed into the medallion was faster.
Clara vanished completely, leaving Righteous Light stammering in confusion.
Between them, the medallion, now emitting a faint auspicious glow, vibrated noisily on its own.
Hum. Huuum—
It was as if it were protesting. I tapped the medallion with my fingertip and held it up high so it could be seen clearly.
"Ba-ba-ba-bam! Yandel has successfully enhanced the item!"
I announced the good news, but for some reason, the only response I got were stares that suggested they were looking at a madman.
How mean.