The Goddess Answers Prayers with Top-Tier Gear!
I know it sounds like a pathetic excuse. Who would believe something like that? The kind of flimsy lie you'd only get away with if the other person was willing to overlook how suspicious it was. I was counting on exactly that reaction—it's shady as hell, but since it's you, I'll let it slide this once.
But then...
"......?"
She actually bought it? Just to be sure, I studied Karen's eyes carefully. Her gaze was completely steady as she offered me a reverent prayer. The absolute conviction that of course someone like me could pull it off radiated from her.
Elly's eyes widened at the sight of an Heretic Inquisitor offering such unwavering support to anyone but the Goddess herself.
"Yona, what the hell have you been doing? Last time I saw you two together, it wasn't anywhere near this bad."
"Ahaha. What can I say? One thing led to another, I guess."
"One thing led to another? You expect me to buy that?"
Elly let out an exasperated sigh. Her voice trembled faintly, like she was anxious. It couldn't be about the upcoming fight, though—not with her. That left only one possibility. She was thrown off by how different I seemed from before. Like I might vanish somewhere.
Time to ease her mind a little.
I reached out and pressed a finger to her lips as she opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find the words.
"Shh. I'm still the same broke, homeless, powerless pretty-boy brat you know. Nothing's changed."
"...Is that so?"
"It is."
My firm reply made Elly fall silent for a moment, staring at me intently. There was something odd in her eyes. Maybe she wasn't afraid of me suddenly disappearing or changing after all. It felt more... fundamental. Instinctive. Like a child confronted with their own sins, not knowing what to do. Why did that comparison come to mind? If anyone had done something wrong between us, it was definitely me, not her. This whole situation was me forcing things again.
But we were heading into battle. We couldn't afford to linger in this gloomy mood forever.
I forced a bright grin and let my eyes rake over her full-body suit like I was licking her with my gaze.
"Elly, what's with that slutty outfit? Are you trying to seduce me?"
"What? Slutty...? Seduce...?"
Elly blinked blankly, completely caught off guard. I gave her rock-hard abs a couple of playful pats.
"No choice then. Later, wear that and come straight to my room!"
"Hah! You invited me, right? You think I wouldn't?"
"Huh? I've never stopped you before, so why are you suddenly acting all tough...?"
"...Shut up! Anyway, all of this comes after we get through this safely, so be careful. I won't ask how you got the new gear, but I've seen plenty of idiots who push themselves too hard testing out fresh equipment and end up hurt."
"Come on. With Lady Rydia, Inquisitor Karen, and even you here? What could go wrong? ...Still, I promised I'd stay hidden. If things get dicey, I'll bolt right away."
"Good. That works for me."
Elly ruffled my hair with her one arm, then stretched her whole body with a big yawn. The sleek, flexible muscles typical of a carnivorous beast rippled right in front of me.
"Upsy-daisy! It's been a while since I've seen real combat. Rydia, try not to slow me down, yeah?"
"How many years do you think it's been since I retired? Don't you fall behind, Senior Elly."
The two of them grinned at each other, exchanged a quick look, and took the lead out of The Elf and the Silver Coin. Karen and I watched them go for a moment before following at a leisurely pace.
Time to go crush some heretics.
As promised, Elly, Rydia, and I entered first. I acted extra excited, like I was eager to show Elly what I could do today—especially since I usually teamed up with Rydia.
We waited at the meeting spot for quite a while until Karen finally approached from the distance. She carried that unique aura where exhaustion and a strange fervor somehow coexisted.
"You arrived right on time. No tails?"
"Of course not. I checked multiple times just to be sure, but no one was following. ...And who would dare interfere with a plan devised directly by the Goddess herself?"
"...Right. You do know the Goddess of Love is currently unable to intervene directly on the surface because she's busy stabilizing the labyrinth, yes?"
"Yes. That's precisely why she sent her proxy, Sir Yona."
"......"
The heat in Karen's eyes burned even brighter. Combined with the dark circles of pure exhaustion around them, it was almost terrifying how fanatical she looked. Was this really okay? Could I just keep rolling with this Saint (fake) who secretly carries out the Goddess's will route?
Honestly, I didn't have much choice. If I suddenly said lol jk it was all bullshit, I'd get branded as a heretic impersonating a saint and Karen might cut me in half.
Still, I couldn't shake this slight pang of guilt. Or responsibility. Something like that.
I casually reached into my subspace and fiddled with the Goddess statue I'd stashed there, asking silently.
Is it cool if I keep going like this?
The statue was still soft, springy, and warm. Definitely a yes. Since I'd already gotten the person's consent without any issues, there was no need to hold back anymore.
I did have a fingernail-sized amount of divine power settled inside me now, but I had no idea how to actually use it. For the moment, I did my best to copy the benevolent smile I'd seen on the Goddess statue yesterday until I was sick of it.
"But I can't do anything on my own. Will you help me, Inquisitor Karen?"
"Until the day my strength fails, my faith will never waver."
"Excellent. Then could I ask you to lead the way right now?"
"Leave it to me."
Karen took the lead with an expression full of motivation. Rydia watched her with a slight tremble, while Elly stared in utter bewilderment. The two of them flanked me and whispered quietly.
"Yona. Be honest. Are you actually a saint?"
"Y-yeah, Yona. I won't tell anyone, so just a tiny hint! Can't you give us just a little clue?"
Why were they both suddenly so serious? I gave a bitter smile at their surprisingly innocent reactions and shook my head.
"To be honest, I'm not sure myself. It's true that the Goddess of Love favors me in all sorts of ways, but it's not exactly unconditional love. ...Besides, I'm not even confident I deserve something like that."
"......"
"......"
The two of them, who had been so curious just moments ago, now pressed their lips shut tightly. I shrugged at them.
"But my feelings for both of you are unconditional. Just like how you both help me without asking for anything in return!"
"...Well. It might not be helping so much as paying off a debt."
"You owe me, Yona. I'm not letting you go until you've paid it all back."
They both chuckled and started following after Karen. We wandered through the Great Forest for quite some time. Since we'd deliberately met on the deserted outskirts, it took a while to reach the deepest part—the illusion of the World Tree.
Thankfully, the labyrinth hadn't gone through its major reshuffle yet. With Karen, who had been here before, and my pathfinding skill that never got lost, we didn't have any trouble finding our way.
The massive tree visible from anywhere in the Great Forest left me speechless for a moment with its sheer majesty. It didn't just cover the sky—it looked like it was holding the heavens up.
"So this is the World Tree..."
"If we go a little further from here, we'll reach the spot where I encountered Those Who Swallow the Twilight."
"Let's proceed with extreme caution from this point on."
I used Sound-Eating Steps. The others suppressed their presence using their own special techniques or magic tools as we slowly approached the World Tree.
Up close, the World Tree looked less like a tree and more like a wall. Of course, since it wasn't solid, touching it would let us pass right through... but the area around it was a wide-open plain, as if something was definitely present.
And on that plain were some very suspicious-looking bastards.
They wore ordinary-colored robes, but that did nothing to hide the distorted divine power leaking from their bodies. Most telling of all was the red heart mark engraved near their hearts. It was the mark of fanatics who had offered their hearts—their everything—to the Goddess of Love. There was no doubt these were members of Those Who Swallow the Twilight.
They were huddled together in front of the rotting monster corpses scattered around. The sight was incredibly grotesque.
The silver lining was that thanks to the mess Karen and Ian had caused last time, their numbers were smaller than expected. At the center stood one fanatic with an abnormally small frame, yet radiating more intense divine power than anyone else present. The way the warped holy energy wasn't just leaking out but practically pouring from them made it clear they either had no intention of hiding it or lacked the ability to do so.
The guy looked important at a glance... but right now, something else mattered more.
I'd figured catching monsters in front of the World Tree would take a while, but they'd already figured out the proper method in just one day.
The heretics stood in a circle. In the center were two people tied up tightly. They weren't some other race, either—they were elves. The very ones the World Tree had desperately wanted to protect in life. And that was exactly right.
"I didn't expect them to find the summoning method this quickly."
I ground my teeth in frustration for a moment—then realized the faces of the two bound elves looked familiar.
"...Lemon? Apple?"
Why the hell were those two captured again? Did they come into the labyrinth just to get tied up??