TGS - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: The Goddess of Performing Arts
From the day after Lotus and her party arrived in Digebia, Lord Hephit had not made another appearance. However, everyone knew the old man must be observing the Princess's performance from somewhere in secret.
Alyuin appeared quite calm about this.
The young princess reported to the training grounds in the lord's manor every day. The first day was just routine practice; regardless of the gazes from onlookers and passersby, she remained as steadfast as a mountain, like an emotionless martial arts machine.
The second day, she moved to the equestrian archery range, where she displayed her exquisite horsemanship and unerring archery. All who witnessed it were left dumbfounded and filled with awe.
On the third day, she returned to the training grounds and began challenging people. She remained undefeated for the entire day, to the point where passing warriors would take detours just to avoid her.
Even so, Hephit still made no response, simply leaving her be, as if news of the young princess's actions over the past few days had not reached his ears at all.
Motis complained, "Her Highness's strength has been demonstrated plain as day. What more could Hephit be dissatisfied with, that old stubborn fool."
"Clearly, the lord values more than just martial prowess," Alyuin sighed. "I thought we had already discussed this."
Motis said, "Have we? Fine. If he's not testing martial ability, is he going to give a written exam?"
The Captain of the Royal Guard's limited perception was insufficient for him to conceive of any method for assessing non-martial abilities aside from a written test.
Alyuin said, "...Probably not. I suspect he'll choose a specific moment to test my ability to handle a situation."
Not that she would be afraid, even if he did give a test.
A princess who had been doing a set of diagnostic tests every week for the past three years had nothing to fear.
And before he revealed his intentions, the only thing they could do was wait and bide their time. After all, patience was a quality just as important as martial strength.
Thus, Alyuin remained unhurried, leisurely repeating her three-day cycle of martial practice, equestrian archery, and challenges.
The training grounds were filled with wails of misery.
It wasn't that the warriors under Lord Hephit feared a challenge, but to be defeated by the same young girl every time was simply too great a blow to their morale.
Meanwhile, Lotus was strolling through the main temple of Digebia in her spirit form.
Unlike Kadera City, which had only a single temple, a major city of Digebia's scale, while still having only one patron deity, would often have temples built for one or two other gods as well.
As a distinction, only the temple of the patron deity could be called the main temple.
Among the major cities of Solancia, Digebia was the only one to worship the Moon Goddess as its sole patron deity.
A statue of the Moon Goddess, dressed in a light, flowing gown, stood at the front of the sacrificial chamber. She wore a crescent-shaped silver ornament symbolizing the new moon, her long hair was meticulously painted a pale gold, and opals were inlaid in the center of her eyes. She gazed up at the temple's dome, her expression cool and sharp.
This was the goddess who presided over the moon and the night sky.
I wonder if a god's spirit is attached to this statue...
Lotus pondered for a moment before abandoning the thought. If the Moon Goddess's spirit were truly present, she should be able to see it.
The temple was bustling with people coming and going. Lotus suddenly recalled that the festival for the Moon Goddess was in a few days.
Solancia had a strict schedule for its divine festivals. There were eight major gods in total, and their festivals were held together with those of their subordinate deities. It was an eight-year cycle, and this year happened to be the Moon Goddess's turn.
For this grand ceremony, held only once every eight years, the clergy in the Moon Goddess's temple naturally had to prepare with the utmost diligence.
Seeing that there was no other useful information to be gleaned here, Lotus gave the statue of the Moon Goddess one last look and turned to leave.
Just then, a blonde girl appeared at the temple entrance.
She held a harp in one arm and appeared ordinary, with no particularly striking features, yet Lotus felt that something was not quite right.
Suddenly, she realized what it was.
This blonde girl could see her, even in her spirit form.
The blonde girl made no attempt to hide it. Noticing that Lotus was now paying attention to her, she smiled and closed her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, her plain face became bright and captivating, possessing an elegant, artistic grace.
A member of the clergy walking past was oblivious to the change. Lotus instantly understood: this blonde girl, like herself, was also a spirit.
"So you've already awakened," the blonde girl said cheerfully.
Lotus: "..."
She maintained a faint, impeccable smile as her thoughts raced.
Without a doubt, the other person was most likely a deity residing in the mortal world, just like her. Judging by her tone, they weren't intimate, but they weren't strangers either.
Lotus had always possessed a certain inner clarity that she was the River Goddess herself, yet she had no memory of this era, let alone the true forms of the other gods.
This was the temple of the Moon Goddess. The Moon Goddess had pale golden hair, and the girl before her was also a pale blonde. Could she be the Moon Goddess herself? Something about it felt wrong.
The blonde girl, completely unaware of the storm raging in Lotus's mind, continued cheerfully, "Oh, right. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am a subordinate god of His Excellency, the God of Wisdom—Fula, the Goddess of Performing Arts."
Lotus fell silent again. "..."
So you've never met me, yet you acted so familiar just now?
"A few days ago, I sensed the power of a higher god in this city. I thought it was Her Excellency, the Moon Goddess, but I never expected to meet you," the Goddess of Performing Arts continued. "You haven't returned to the Kingdom of the Gods yet, have you? Would you permit me to accompany you?"
"I don't plan on returning for the time being," Lotus said.
The Goddess of Performing Arts's eyes widened. "Eh? Why?" Perhaps realizing her tone was overly surprised, she quickly added, "You may not be aware, but the festival of the Yilu River is approaching. Not returning before then will cause a lot of trouble."
What do you mean, "you may not be aware"?
Lotus keenly sensed the incongruity in her words. She paused for a moment before saying tentatively, "It's true that I don't have much of an impression of many things."
The Goddess of Performing Arts replied, "That's perfectly normal. After all, you've just awakened. I didn't know anything when I first woke up, either."
It seemed it wasn't strange for a god to lack the memories they were supposed to have from the myths. Lotus frowned as a deeper question arose: What did "awakened" mean?
On this point, however, the Goddess of Performing Arts could not provide an answer. She said apologetically, "When you return to the Kingdom of the Gods, their Excellencies will tell you. It is not my place to do so."
Lotus changed the question. "Then, is it essential to return before the festival?"
"I believe so. We generally don't miss the first festival after awakening, because the instinct upon awakening is to return to the Kingdom of the Gods." The Goddess of Performing Arts said, looking troubled. "As for the consequences of not making it... I'm not too sure. At worst, you'll just continue to sleep for a few dozen or a hundred years, I suppose. It's no big deal."
How could that possibly be described as "no big deal"?!
The corner of Lotus's eye twitched. After her habitual thought, she suddenly realized that it could be described that way. To a god, a hundred years was perhaps truly nothing.
After a moment of silence, Lotus said, "Thank you. I will return before the festival."
The Goddess of Performing Arts looked bewildered. "You're not returning now?"
"There are still some things to attend to," Lotus said simply.
"Alright then. Ah, I thought I'd be able to travel with you," the Goddess of Performing Arts said with regret.
Lotus asked, as if it were an afterthought, "By the way, when did you say you sensed my divine power?"
"About five nights ago, an hour after nightfall."
Five nights ago, Lotus had done only one thing: give the young princess a kiss of blessing.
It produced divine power, so at least the blessing was effective.
The Goddess of Performing Arts reverted to the appearance of an ordinary blonde girl. She took two steps forward, then turned her head and whispered, "Are you really not leaving?"
Lotus shook her head, her expression gentle but firm.
After the sudden appearance and departure of the Goddess of Performing Arts, Lotus visited a few other nearby temples, always suspecting that there might be unawakened deities within the statues. She did not return to her lodgings until the sun began to set.
Alyuin had spent a long time practicing equestrian archery that day. Having just bathed, she was now reading a book, her black hair still dripping wet.
The moment she saw Lotus enter, she immediately picked up a cloth and obediently began to dry her hair.
Seeing this, Lotus couldn't help but smile, but then her brow furrowed slightly, and she let out a low, inaudible sigh.
If what the Goddess of Performing Arts had said was true, she had to return to the Kingdom of the Gods before her own festival arrived, otherwise she would fall into a slumber lasting a century or more.
If she did not return, a century of sleep was nothing to an immortal god, but Alyuin could not wait that long.
If she chose to return to the Kingdom of the Gods, no one knew what she would face, or how long it would take.
She had to choose the lesser of two evils.
Lotus's tone was normal as she asked, "How are your studies progressing?"
Alyuin didn't know why her "teacher" was suddenly asking about her progress in the dream lessons, but she thought for a moment before answering seriously, "I probably have about ten to twenty percent left to cover."
"Mm, it seems you can graduate next year."
Lotus said, raising a hand to touch the young princess's still-damp hair. With a flick of her fingertips, the moisture separated from the strands, leaving only slightly fluffy, long black hair.
This year was the festival of the Moon Goddess. Next year would be the God of Wisdom's, and hers would follow immediately after.
...There was only a little over a year left.
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