Chapter 390
Chapter 390
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 390
Chapter Title: Perched Goddess and Clingy Bonds
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Belnoa stared blankly at the Lord of the Shadow Dragon as she dissolved into fine particles with a soft rustle and faded away. Of course, unlike that dazzling effect, the goddess hadn't actually gone far—and she certainly hadn't vanished.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Oh, my.] Having merely undone her materialization, the goddess shrugged while perched on Belnoa's shoulder.
"[The sun's come up already. The heavens are so cruel. To think materialization would wear off at such a perfectly timed moment.]"
The goddess's lips brimmed with amusement as she spoke—anyone could tell she'd timed it on purpose. Belnoa had noticed her dragging out her words as slowly as possible right before it happened.
"G-Goddess, really..."
"[This isn't the time to worry about me, is it?]"
She was right.
The moment Belnoa turned her attention to the goddess on her shoulder, Chloe's eyes—bathed in the rising sunlight—flashed an even icier blue.
"Belnoa."
Thud. Thud.
With a chilling footfall, Chloe approached Belnoa. She seized Belnoa's wrist in a vise grip and thrust her face close.
"Come with me."
...Belnoa had faced countless crises since childhood. And now, her instincts were screaming a warning. From here on, every word had to be chosen with utmost care.
'...This is insane.'
Belnoa barely suppressed the sigh threatening to escape.
2.
"So that lady is the goddess you serve?"
"Y-Yeah, the Lord of the Shadow Dragon."
"The one you mentioned before."
Fortunately, the explanation wasn't too difficult.
Belnoa had long been talking to thin air, earning her plenty of strange looks and whispers of mental illness. Raniel vouching that it was real had helped dispel some suspicion... but anyway.
"Yeah, that's her."
Chloe accepted Belnoa's words without a hint of doubt. Given everything Belnoa had shown her so far, Chloe simply nodded along.
"Then now..."
"So, Belnoa."
But of course.
"You live with that goddess 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, day and night? Even now?"
One explanation didn't end the matter. Facing Chloe across the table, Belnoa felt cold sweat trickling down her back.
"[Oh, that dessert looks delicious.]"
Meanwhile, the goddess on her shoulder was eyeing the treats in Chloe's tent... Belnoa decided to ignore her voice for now.
"Not every moment, but she pops up suddenly. About half the day..."
"Yeah, got it."
Chloe was still smiling.
Just smiling.
To Belnoa, that smile felt utterly eerie.
"Uh... Chloe?"
"Yes, Belnoa?"
"Are you mad?"
Chloe flinched.
"N-No? I'm not mad?"
She was mad. It was obvious to anyone—a blatant lie.
Belnoa let out a short sigh as she gazed at Chloe, who couldn't lie to save her life.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but at least it's not that, so don't worry. For real."
"H-How do you know what I'm thinking..."
"You think I'd harbor personal feelings for a goddess who's lived for tens of thousands of years? Not even a speck of that."
The goddess on her shoulder clicked her tongue briefly.
"[Am I that unappealing? How tragic.]"
Please stay quiet.
Belnoa kept that thought internal as she continued.
"Anyway, don't worry. She's just the goddess I serve—nothing more, nothing less. And I'm grateful for the power she lends me."
"R-Really?"
Chloe's expression visibly softened.
Then, as if realizing her slip, she quickly averted her eyes and added,
"O-Of course, whatever relationship you have with the goddess is none of my business...! I was just curious. Yeah, just curious."
"Sure, sure."
Belnoa smiled wryly and brushed it off. The crisis had passed more easily than expected, but Chloe's chilling gaze still lingered in her mind.
'...Come to think of it.'
The goddess had said it.
If she weren't around, Chloe would break. Belnoa narrowed her eyes and glanced at Chloe across from her. Where had that earlier intensity gone? Chloe couldn't even meet her gaze properly now.
Belnoa had sensed something in that look moments ago.
Obsession. Or dependence.
She didn't know whether to be glad or wary of that sticky emotion. For now, she just mulled over the goddess's warning.
'She'll break if I leave...'
The future the goddess had witnessed.
"That child has been too influenced by Garhal."
"She's in a precarious state."
"So stick close to her."
And not long ago, the hero Destel had casually mentioned something similar to Belnoa. Recalling those words made her throat feel parched for some reason. Belnoa tilted her water cup.
"Chloe."
"Hm?"
"How have you been lately?"
"Lately? What do you mean?"
"The knights dying. You were tossing and turning all night. Is it better now?"
"...Yeah. It's fine."
Chloe looked down as she said it. Belnoa knew it was a lie. Chloe was still deeply immersed in the deaths around her, pushing herself relentlessly to atone for those sacrifices.
'Just like Professor Lania.'
Right before deployment three years ago, Lania had told Belnoa that Chloe resembled her. That her role was crucial.
"She looks fine on the outside, but breaking is instantaneous. She's rotting inside. Keep asking, keep checking. It'll be worse for Chloe than for me."
Garhal's death.
It still bound Chloe tightly. As Belnoa put on a grave expression, Chloe—head bowed—muttered softly.
"Hey, Belnoa."
"Yeah, what?"
"Don't leave me behind."
Belnoa paused.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
"Where would I go without you?"
"...You won't?"
"No. Even if you told me to go, I wouldn't. Happy?"
Only then did Chloe smile. Belnoa swallowed dryly inside as she watched. The Lord of the Shadow Dragon perched on her shoulder whispered into her ear.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Be careful.] She said no more. Belnoa simply nodded in response.
3.
The hastily reassembled tent.
Raniel irritably tapped the table with her fingers as she flipped through the salvaged papers from the wreckage.
"Fuck."
The curse slipped out despite herself.
As the hero Lania van Trias, standing before others, Raniel had curbed her swearing to almost nothing. But right now, even that restraint crumbled.
'What the hell is that bastard up to?'
The ancient dragon mage who had visited her recently.
Raniel mulled over his threats, the way he'd flaunted his full authority while issuing warnings. Don't cross the line, the ancient dragon mage had cautioned.
...Had he figured it out?
No, impossible.
If he had, it wouldn't have stopped at a mere warning. Raniel tapped the crystal orb on the table. The connection linked almost immediately, and soon a voice emanated from it.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [What is it, Senior?] The master of the Ashen Mage Tower, Resti Elenora.
"I'm checking on the project with the Delorim Church. How far along is it?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [We've reached the 'opening' phase, though it's small. The next part is output and stabilization issues, so it'll take some time.] "Any leaks to the outside?"