Bound by the Summon

"I thought I'd never see you again."

"Th-there's that thing, Min-su…!"

Silvia, hastily dressed in clothes fashioned from [Darkness], bowed her flushed face deeply, fidgeting with her clasped fingers.

"I-I seem to have become human again."

Her shy demeanor was no different from that of any ordinary human woman.

'She acted like she was dying, like we'd never meet again… and now she's perfectly fine.'

Of course, a god who had lost all her former divinity and become ordinary couldn't exactly be called "perfectly fine."

'Just like with the [Dark Lord].'

For some unknown reason, Silvia had lost her existing divinity and reverted to her human self from before her ascension. Her symptoms were identical to Rijet's.

'Then, like the [Dark Lord], if I use my summoning ability on her, she might regain her divine powers.'

Silvia was bewildered. The sensation she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt in that mental world was clearly one of dissolution. Her divinity, which formed the constellation, had vanished, so she should have ceased to exist. That was the natural order, and it had to happen.

But it hadn't. She'd lost her divine power, yet her sense of self hadn't dissolved. Instead, she'd become an ordinary human and arrived on Earth.

How was this possible?

"…Perhaps it was my lingering attachment to you that made it possible… I'm not sure."

In that moment of dissolution, she'd desperately wished for it. To repay him, to stay by his side, to not disappear.

'So, did you grant me this new life?'

She'd tried to comfort herself that she had no more reason to live and accept her fated death. But it seemed she had to keep living after all.

'I'll live this third life for you.'

Because she was no longer the Performer of the [Golden Melody]—she was his prima donna alone.

"……."

She recalled the farewell she'd uttered to him in the crumbling mental world at the very end. Silvia's face flushed even deeper.

No matter her resolve for this new life, the embarrassment wouldn't fade.

"……Hmph."

Meanwhile, Rijet puffed out her cheeks.

Min-su was supposed to be her apostle alone, yet another goddess in the exact same situation had joined them. Silvia's existence proved that Rijet didn't hold a special place for Min-su. It meant more constellations could descend to the present world through him—or even reside here permanently.

And considering Min-su's kind nature, a homeless Silvia would undoubtedly live in this house with them. She was in the same boat as Rijet, after all.

Did I mess up by making Min-su save her?

Rijet felt a twinge of regret about the previous events.

But Silvia's words diverged slightly from Rijet's expectations.

"I can no longer burden you."

"It's fine. This place can expand as much as needed, so space isn't an issue."

She was declaring her intent to leave Min-su's house.

"…Being with you would bring me joy. But having lost my divine power and returned to human form, I have no strength left to aid you. I'd only be a hindrance."

"No, really, it's okay…."

If he could wield the authority of [Darkness], he could make as many rooms as needed. Creating one for Silvia posed no problem. In fact, he worried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that a newcomer to Earth like her might get caught up in trouble if she ventured outside alone.

"Don't worry. I am the mother of the [Golden Melody]. Even if it's a different system's music, I can master it. I'll climb back to the top in no time. And then, I'll repay you—for the salvation you've given me throughout my life."

Silvia grasped the doorknob of the front door.

"So, don't try to stop me. If you do, my resolve might waver."

"Silvia…."

The door opened.

"Just wait a little. Your prima donna will return!"

With the momentum of her firm resolve, Silvia stepped out the door. Min-su couldn't bring himself to stop her.

'Well, she has Yu-bin, so she'll be fine.'

He could only cheer her on and see her off, trusting she'd manage.

And so, Silvia strode forward vigorously beyond the front door, shifting her weight ahead—

"Kwek!"

She froze mid-air, as if slamming into an invisible wall.

"?"

"?"

"?"

"It seems you can't go outside after all."

"…Y-yeah, looks like it."

Was it because she'd charged out too enthusiastically? Silvia rubbed the egg Min-su offered against her bruised cheek from colliding with the invisible wall. Her face had turned even redder than before.

That flush wasn't just from the impact.

For some inexplicable reason, whenever Silvia tried to step outside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Min-su's house, an invisible wall blocked her at the entrance. But when Min-su tried to leave, there was no wall—it targeted only her.

'…Why?'

It was less bizarre than a god who should have dissolved sleeping in his bed as a human, but still hard to comprehend.

Since she'd come to Earth through my ability, maybe she couldn't leave my house? Or perhaps because both Rijet and Silvia had appeared on the bed, they were bound to this place.

'No, that doesn't explain our recent outing.'

Rijet and Idaine could leave the house. They'd gone out to a chicken place with him.

As he puzzled over the difference—

"Oh, junior. I can't get out either?"

Idaine, waving her hand at the entrance, called out.

"…Pardon?"

Idaine, blocked by the invisible wall, unable to exit. Just like Silvia.

"Let me try."

Rijet approached Idaine and reached out—only to halt in the same manner against the transparent barrier.

"……Why?"

These two goddesses had just gone outside with him moments ago. And now they couldn't?

"Ah, junior. This must be it. We're your summons, right?"

"Summons?"

Idaine explained what she'd realized.

Typically, summons couldn't stray far from their summoner. There were exceptions, but in most cases, the summoning held only within a certain distance.

Rijet and Silvia hadn't been summoned directly by the summoning ability, but they'd descended to Earth through it. Thus, they were being treated as summons, unable to separate far from Min-su.

"More precisely, this house is the anchor point. We can stay by your side or inside the house. You can go out alone, but if we want to go out, we have to go with you."

"What the…."

It was a bizarre situation stemming from this unprecedented ability.

"I'm not a summon, but since I'm tied to our constellation, I'm being treated as one of your summons? This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is totally like a card game—applying the flavor text on the card."

Idaine giggled, clearly amused by the situation.

'You're all stuck unable to go out freely, and you're laughing?'

This meant the goddesses ultimately had to stay by his side.

"Not exactly. Things change if you activate your summoning ability."

The ability was meant to summon constellations, but using it on human-form constellations could temporarily restore their divine powers—as it had with Rijet, so likely with Silvia too.

"If they regain their status as constellations? Then they'd be free from this distance limit. They could move around freely."

Of course, they'd have to return before the time limit expired.

Idaine added.

"…I see."

He wanted to test it, but after using the ability at the chicken place, he had to wait a full day.

"M-Min-su… this is…."

"Haha, Silvia. Looks like we'll be living together after all? Welcome aboard!"

It seemed Silvia would end up living in Min-su's house.

'But what do I tell Yu-bin?'

Your constellation has to live at my place? Or your constellation's awesome?

"……Tch."

The Tower's summit, hidden floor—

The tentacles of the twisted will slithered into the vault.

Then I'll just drag her back.