The Goddess's Bargain
"Is this the center?"
"It's been a while."
The hero parties of ages past could only ever seal the Demon King away. Yet the Demon King had died long ago. Because of us.
The four of us had slain the Demon King who would invade the continent whenever people began to forget him. Before she vanished into eternal oblivion, she declared that someone would inherit her will. That a new Demon King would rise to succeed her.
She left behind that ominous prophecy and a magic circle radiating a menacing aura, then faded from our memories over the decades like a lonely ghost.
"As expected of you two. You should start looking for gravesites. Or is it already too late?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing's happening! I knew you two had lived unusually long for humans. You must both be senile! We came all the way to the Demon King Castle for the first time in ages, and nothing's even here!"
The magic circle is right there on the floor, though.
To a dwarf who couldn't use magic at all, a magic circle on the floor probably meant nothing. Yeah, I suppose that's fair.
"Tsk. I shouldn't have listened to the kids. The way both of you were spouting such convincing nonsense... This is all your fault, shorty."
The one who had already nocked an arrow the moment he spotted the magic circle was still as wary as ever, even after decades.
But... you got talked into coming too.
If you keep flapping those ears like that, you'll take off like a bird soon.
"Hey! Flappy-eared bastard! You said it sounded plausible too!"
"Shut up. If I'm flappy-eared, then you're a twitchy-eared midget! You got convinced first, so I had no choice but to follow!"
"You little—! So it's my fault now?"
"Have we ever traveled separately? The three of you were coming here. How could I just sit still?"
"...Well, that's true. Sigh. Anyway, can we go back now?!"
It had already been decades since our party disbanded. For the hero and me, that was enough time to reach the pinnacle of humanity, but those two still looked exactly as they had back then. Not just on the outside—everything about them remained unchanged.
So this is what a long-lived race is like.
I almost slipped back into my old self and rushed forward to stop them, knees be damned. At least they weren't actually brawling like before, so that was something. The elf and dwarf who were fighting for the first time in ages seemed to get along surprisingly well for their races, but apparently not.
The world is still full of things I don't understand.
"Hey... Raiden. Don't you think we should head back like Selba said? We're not young anymore. We don't have much time left before we die."
"...I know that too."
"You and I are more used to seeing children than meeting people older than us. Let's just say we had a little dream and head back. It looks like my interpretation was wrong after all."
Typical hero.
The man blocking my view with his still-massive frame wore a gloomy expression. Yet his eyes hadn't lost their galaxy-like brilliance. They clearly conveyed his true feelings.
Since what he deciphered wasn't the whole story, it's still worth trying.
According to the ancient tome, our mere arrival wouldn't trigger anything. Returning to the Demon King Castle wasn't exactly ordinary, but what came next wouldn't be easy either.
It really is all up to me now.
"You're not wrong. Neither am I. The important part starts now."
"Old man! If you're going to do something, do it already! No matter how long we stay here, I can't get used to this place!"
It stung a little to be called "old man" by someone hundreds of years older than me.
Though I might end up missing being called that before long.
If the contents of the previous hero's diary that the hero and I had deciphered were correct, being called "grandpa" unfairly would become a problem again decades from now.
Time to begin.
The complaints and persuasions of my party members, which had been buzzing in my ears like rain, gradually faded away. I focused on the clear energy drifting around me. As I parted my lips slightly, the energy surged toward me.
"Guh?!"
The mouth I'd opened to begin the incantation ended in a short cry. A smile formed at the energy piercing my skin—an intensity beyond what any human could produce.
It really wasn't wrong. But—
...She never said it would hurt this much...
The previous hero really was eccentric. She always left out the most important details.
"Are you alright?"
Worrying about me? Did I look that frail?
"I'm fine, so step back. I'm about to begin the incantation. No matter what happens, don't touch me."
Since they'd traveled with me for so long, I knew they wouldn't interrupt me once I started casting. Still, I had to warn them again. This time it wasn't just me—the aftereffects might reach my other companions here as well.
"Got it. Don't worry too much. If anything happens, I'll block it for you."
"Heh heh. Still as reliable as ever. The greatest meat shield alive, indeed."
No sooner had I said it than I met the hero's brown eyes. An indescribable emotion surged up. Courage? Or perhaps faith.
"Hey! Calling the greatest hero of all time a meat shield is a bit much, don't you think? Haha!"
The hero was clearly smiling at my words, but his eyes weren't laughing. At my warning, he clenched and unclenched his fists, his gaze sweeping the surroundings with the same deadly sharpness from our traveling days.
It was reassuring, but this guy mustn't step in. No matter how close he was to surpassing human limits as a tank, blocking this immense power that was considered divine would be difficult.
This is a force even you can't stop, so the one who caused this mess should take responsibility.
I would do my best so that nothing you couldn't handle would happen. I would definitely succeed.
Because the rest of the journey we couldn't finish back then starts now.
How often had mages been mocked for needing to chant spells? That unavoidable limitation was finally about to shine.
How could these modern mages, who only shouted activation words or cast silently without incantations, possibly recite a rather long spell filled with embarrassing content?
"Having arrived here—"
With my eyes closed, I recited the spell for a long time. The energy resonating with the incantation began forming a shape similar to a person in the darkness before my eyes.
――. ―――. Aha. You've all returned. It took you quite a while.
A clear voice rang in my ears. A beautiful voice that could never have come from our party, which had no women. The moment it echoed in my mind, I instinctively knew.
The goddess who had allowed previous heroes into this place. The one the people of the continent revered as the Earth Mother———.
The Primordial Mother?
Yes. That's correct.
Could you take us back... to the time when we were traveling? Not in these old, sickly bodies, but to when we were at our brightest?
Was it the pressure? Or submission to the name of goddess? I found myself using honorifics I would never normally use, and goosebumps rose across my body.
Do you have no other wishes?
I'm satisfied with that... but I don't know about the others. Could you grant my friends' wishes as well?
We were only able to reach this place thanks to them. If the goddess wasn't stingy—if she was as benevolent as the myths claimed—wouldn't she grant at least this much?
Of course, I'm neither a theologian nor a priest.
The Earth Mother was a being that even ten-year-old children called the Primordial Mother who had raised them. She probably wouldn't be that petty.
Well... it's not difficult. Granting the wishes of four people who tried to protect the world? If anything, I'd have been disappointed if you had no wishes. The other gods kept scolding me, saying I sent you away without a single blessing. I've been watching all this time. It's been so long since I've conversed like this through an avatar. I can't tell you how nice it feels.
That's a relief.
Then I'd be grateful if you could hear the others' wishes directly.
Directly?
Knowing it would never reach the goddess, I still shook my head unconsciously.
They might have things they can't say to me, right?
Whether human, elf, or dwarf—every being had their own desires. Even if some of those desires were a little ugly, I hoped they could make their wishes. After all, what counted as "ugly" wasn't like a magic formula; it differed for everyone.
Very well. Now then... what is your wish?
What do you mean?
I'm asking what your wish is. I said I'd grant the wishes of all four of you.
I get a chance too?
Oops. I wondered if she'd think it irreverent. The warm energy had relaxed me so much that I ended up dropping the awkward honorifics entirely.
Of course. All four of you wanted to travel together again. That's why you came here, isn't it? It wouldn't have been just your wish. Right?
I did have a wish.
...I want to try using Divine Power.
Oh my. That's unexpected. Why?
......
Any human feels regret over things they've never tried. I was no exception. No matter how far I'd pushed the pinnacle of magic, how could I not grow curious about the entirely different field of Divine Power? Perhaps this curiosity was the very proof that I was a mage.
It's because I've never been able to use it.
I see... There are many things I'll need to adjust, but it's simpler than I expected. However, you won't be able to use magic anymore. Is that alright?
Gain something, lose something else. Even the goddess couldn't exempt me from that law.
It's fine.
After using it for a hundred years, even magic must be tired of me. I'm sorry to the mana that's helped me all this time, but the longing for new knowledge urged my answer onward.
I've heard everyone else's wishes... Are you ready to begin your journey again?
Yes.
Since I'm granting each of your wishes, I'll have no choice but to attach some restrictions.
I had already prepared myself for that. Whether leaping across time or space, how many priests had suffered to summon the hero to this land? It was almost a shame that I couldn't repay even a fraction of their hardship.
Well, if it's you four who've always had your own flaws, a little adversity like this will make the journey more enjoyable, right? I believe you'll be fine.
Our party had always been full of screws-loose weirdos, so the word "restriction" didn't scare us. Rather than worrying about the accidents that would happen on a new journey, it was only natural to tremble with excitement.
Yes. That's good.
A mage who could only manifest magic through incantations. A naturally single tank of a hero who was extremely kind to women but wailed that he couldn't directly strike the Demon King. An elf archer who had been chased from his tribe as a child and never inherited their unique traits. A warrior-type dwarf craftsman whose personally made items would lose shape and collapse within minutes if they left his body.
I still didn't understand how this bizarre combination had defeated the Demon King, yet we had enjoyed our journey. At the end of that journey, we had extended the lives of every living being on the continent and defeated everything that threatened us.
Therefore, no matter what restrictions appeared, I was certain nothing could stop our journey from beginning again.
——Because the four of us would be together.
From now on, I will watch the world through you. It will be better that way if I'm to help you use Divine Power. Is that alright?
......Yes.
There was no way to refuse. It wasn't even really a request. I nodded and accepted it calmly. If the goddess said so, what could I do?
Now. When you open your eyes, you will begin your journey once more. Reborn as...
Yes... Thank you, Goddess.
Just call me comfortably. Everyone calls me the Earth Mother anyway, so I'm more used to that.
Understood.
I didn't know it then. Just like any other mage consumed by curiosity and oblivious to the value of life, the archmage named Raiden—who had gone 105 years without ever knowing a woman—would, at the end of the long journey he began again with his comrades, vanish from the Demon King Castle without a trace. All it took was one gesture from a kind-looking yet wicked hand.