TGS - Chapter 38
Chapter 38: Humans in a God's Eyes
The two returned to their room, bathed, and washed up. Throughout this, Alyuin was unusually quiet.
Lotus couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
The Princess noticed the goddess's gaze and just smiled. "I'm fine. I just suddenly feel that I'm truly fortunate to have met you."
Alyuin didn't have any particular feelings about the God-Concubine Naimaer's experience.
The Princess, who had been adept at using any means to achieve her goals since childhood, could understand why Naimaer was so hysterical. She could also skillfully grasp the other's psychology to gain an ally—but that didn't mean she felt any unnecessary sympathy.
It was just that the similar circumstances made Alyuin unconsciously think of herself.
If her father the king had decided to send her to the City of the Sun God, if she hadn't protected herself after her parents' deaths, if she had chosen to give up when she first arrived in Kadera...
Would she still have met Lotus?
It seemed a bit foolish to ponder things that had never happened and could never happen, but Alyuin considered it quite seriously for a while before pulling her straying thoughts back.
However, these flights of fancy were clearly not suitable for telling a goddess. Alyuin said only that one sentence and refused to elaborate further.
Instead, she asked, "Lotus, do you want a God-Concubine?"
Lotus was used to the Princess's occasional leaps in logic and said calmly, "Don't be ridiculous. Have you dried your hair?"
"I'm not being ridiculous. I'm serious."
The Princess grabbed a towel, haphazardly rubbed her hair a couple of times, and continued to stare intently.
Lotus actually thought about it carefully for a moment and found it hard to imagine. Whether in the past or the present, this was a domain she had rarely ventured into.
So she could only give an ambiguous answer: "I have no thoughts on the matter."
Alyuin looked thoughtful.
"It seems you don't have a god you're fond of."
Lotus shook her head slightly, then suddenly remembered something and asked hesitantly, "Why are you asking about this?"
Alyuin tilted her head, her tone teasing. "Seeing you all alone, I wonder if you get lonely. How about I find a God-Concubine for you in the future?"
The joke was now on her.
Lotus didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She said seriously, "There's no need. After seeing Naimaer, don't you understand? This isn't something to joke about."
"I was just saying," Alyuin muttered.
Lotus was at a loss with her. "It's too late. You should sleep. I'm going out for a moment."
The Princess shot upright, a flash of nervousness in her eyes. "What are you going to do? I'll go with you."
"I'm sending my messenger to ask Suriel something. You don't need to come."
Alyuin: "...Oh."
She sat back down and watched the goddess leave the room.
It wouldn't have been a problem to let the Princess follow, but this was Lotus's first time controlling a messenger, and she was worried something might go wrong.
At this time of year, a flock of blue herons happened to be resting at the confluence of the rivers in Surinia. With a brief call, the leader of the flock immediately flew over.
This blue heron was a bit smaller than Lotus's own avatar form. The feathers at the tip of its tail were close to blue-gray, and its eyes were glossy black.
As she had naturally come to understand during the process of stabilizing her godhood, Lotus placed her palm on the bird's head and gently closed her eyes. She felt the creature's nascent consciousness, full of trust.
This meant the messenger was ready. She could dispatch the blue heron to other gods to convey her words.
The blue heron spread its wings and shot into the sky, flying toward the distant eastern horizon under the goddess's influence at an incredible speed.
Its destination was set to the Sun God's temple.
Soon, Lotus heard the voice of the Sun God, Suriel:
"Why is there a blue heron here? Oh, Lotus?"
Lotus's will was connected to the blue heron's consciousness, allowing the god on the other end to hear the words she wished to convey.
"Hello, Suriel."
The Sun God muttered to himself, "I must have misheard. How could a major god who hastily ran off the very day her godhood was stabilized possibly send a messenger to visit me?"
Lotus ignored his muttering. "You didn't mishear. I have something to ask you."
The Sun God feigned exaggerated surprise. "It really is you—alright, what does our river goddess want to ask?"
Lotus paused, her tone slightly odd. "It's about your God-Concubine in the mortal realm, Sun God."
Suriel was bewildered. "What God-Concubine?"
Only after Lotus finished explaining did Suriel have a vague recollection. "Oh, I think I did hear something about that, about two hundred years ago. Some human called herself my wife at a festival. Can humans live that long now?"
"It's not the same person. Every generation, the royal family sends a princess to Surinia to preside there as your God-Concubine."
The Sun God sighed with genuine feeling. "Human creativity is always so wondrous. I thought the Solancians had given me a wife, but it turns out it wasn't one, but a whole group."
Lotus: "...You don't seem surprised."
"Well, humans have already given me parents and sisters, so giving me a wife is perfectly normal." The Sun God was surprisingly nonchalant, then he mumbled under his breath, "You're my sister, too, but I don't see you calling me 'brother'."
Just how deep was the Sun God's obsession with being called 'brother'? Lotus was speechless and sighed. "Even though you call yourselves gods of faith, you're far too careless about human belief."
A system that had been passed down in the mortal realm for hundreds of years—he should at least know something about it, yet he was completely unaware. Was the Sun God's attitude an exception, or was it the norm?
But Suriel said, "We are very attentive to our faith."
"But you don't even know you've had over a dozen generations of God-Concubines."
"No, Lotus, you've misunderstood me." The Sun God's tone grew serious. "The faith that gods are concerned with is collective faith. Only a sudden decrease in the number of believers signals an anomaly."
"As for other matters, whether it's the content of the rituals or the titles of the priests, they are merely forms of expressing faith, or methods the mortal king uses to maintain Solancia. We do not interfere with these things, nor should we. Do you understand?"
Lotus fell silent.
But then, the low voice of the Moon Goddess, Anmila, suddenly came from the Sun God's end, followed by a dull thud that sounded like the Sun God had been hit.
Suriel, having suffered an attack from the Moon Goddess's scepter, immediately tried to remedy the situation. "Of course, I'm only speaking for myself. Lotus, you probably feel differently from us, right? After all, as a major god who was once human, you're bound to be special. Just follow your own thoughts."
Lotus pressed her lips together. "I'll think about it."
After the conversation ended, the commandeered blue heron flew back on its own. It circled Lotus a few times before returning to its flock.
She had originally intended to ask about the God-Concubine, but she hadn't expected it to turn into a discussion about the focus of the gods.
Lotus let out a soft breath. Recalling the Sun God's dismissive tone when speaking of the God-Concubine, the arrogance of divinity toward individual mortals was plain to see.
The moon was high in the sky, its nearly full orb closely resembling Anmila's cold eyes. Lotus glanced up at the sky and turned to go back to the room.
Alyuin wasn't asleep yet. She was leaning against the headboard, forcing her eyes open to read a book.
In the dim yellow candlelight, her usually sharp and stunning features appeared somewhat softer.
Lotus frowned slightly. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Alyuin said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "I had to wait for you to come back, otherwise I can't sleep."
As she spoke, she placed a snowtu petal bookmark between the pages, closed the scroll, and chuckled softly. "Now you're back."
An indescribable warmth spread through her eyes, and a smile unconsciously touched the corners of Lotus's lips.
She blew out the candle, lay down on the other side of the bed, and said gently, "Sleep now."
In the darkness, the Princess leaned closer, just as she always did.
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