TGS - Chapter 141
Chapter 141: Questioning the Goddess
The secret lore spoken of by the former king had been passed down orally from monarch to monarch, so its authenticity should be guaranteed.
However, when it came to its reliability… Lotus could only reserve judgment.
Solancia had no god with the power of prophecy. In fact, Lotus suspected that no pantheon possessed such an ability. How could anything related to destiny and the future be so easily foreseen?
However, there were exceptions.
For instance, the strange silhouette that had visited her in her slumber. It had said a change was coming, that Lotus would have a single opportunity to return to the modern era. This was undoubtedly a form of foresight.
“—【Spacetime】. That is what the wills of humanity call it.”
Recalling those words from the strange silhouette, Lotus suddenly felt the urge to speak with the chief god who knew the truth. She had originally planned to ask him as soon as she awoke, but the news of the divine war had disrupted her plans…
I should find some time to ask En.
With this thought in mind, Lotus revealed no particular expression, much to the disappointment of the former king, who had been surreptitiously watching her face.
Even a king would be curious about such an ambiguous and cryptic warning passed down from his ancestors. Unfortunately, the River Goddess seemed unwilling to reveal anything more. A pity.
Having finished relaying the important matters to his daughter, Fasir seemed to shed a heavy burden. The fine lines between his brows relaxed, and he placed a hand gently on Alyuin's shoulder.
“We know everything you have done during this time.”
Alyuin smiled and asked nonchalantly, “And?”
Rather than seeking her father's approval, the Princess's tone was more like that of someone conversing with an equal, casually asking for their opinion.
Fasir said frankly, “I would very much like to point out some issues, to offer some final guidance, but I must admit—you have done very well.” Perhaps even better than he ever had.
Parents will one day realize their child has surpassed them, to the point where there is nothing left to teach, and they might even have to learn from her instead.
There was a sense of loss, but more so, relief.
Perhaps there was still worry and anxiety. After all, Solancia was not facing an ordinary war. This was a war that even the gods had joined, a war said to decide the fate of all.
The mission of steering the ship through this tempest had ultimately fallen upon his young daughter's shoulders.
The world did not belong to the dead. Even if Fasir could speak with Alyuin now, he was largely powerless to help.
He wanted to say the traditional “May the gods protect you,” but one of those very gods was standing right across from him, holding hands with Alyuin.
…Holding hands?
That strange feeling welled up in Fasir's heart again. For a moment, he was at a loss for words and could only say dryly, “Solancia… I leave it all to you.”
Alyuin's expression grew solemn. “Mm.”
After that, they spoke of other matters.
Trivial matters, such as whether she was accustomed to the food in Seaton City.
Although Alyuin had spent her youth in this region and couldn't possibly be unaccustomed to it, the former queen still asked with great concern.
And important matters, such as those concerning Horst.
Regarding the man who had murdered him and his wife—his once deeply trusted and valued cousin—Fasir first let out a complicated sigh, then said:
“Now that he has left the royal city, Horst himself is not worth much concern. The one to watch is Horst's older brother. The entire navy of Bananna City is under his control, and he is a capable man.”
Alyuin, however, frowned slightly, as if she had suddenly thought of something.
“The Sanur Tribe is attacking the border at Kasnie's instigation. Since the Kasnie army isn't on the northwestern border, where are they?”
Fasir: “You suspect Kasnie will attack Bananna City?”
“Correct. To be honest, I didn't think so before,” Alyuin said, casually picking up a sheet of dark brown paper and sketching a simple map on it.
With a few quick strokes, the shapes and positions of Solancia, the Sanur lands, and Kasnie appeared on the paper. Alyuin paused, then drew a line across the lower half of Solancia's territory, creating a clear north-south divide.
“The southern coast is controlled by Horst. If the enemy wants to attack Solancia during our civil unrest, the most logical approach would be for them to concentrate their combined forces on either my faction or Horst's, while temporarily leaving the other alone, perhaps even feigning friendship.”
“Once one of us is defeated, they can turn their full attention to the other. That way, they won't divide their strength.”
Fasir nodded. “But right now, there's no sign of Kasnie's main army on the northwestern border.”
“Exactly. They've joined the war, yet they haven't sent troops to attack here. Their main army won't be sitting idle; it must be deployed somewhere.”
They were either being held in reserve to support the Sanur, or they have already moved against the southern coastal defenses.
Setting aside her enmity with Horst, from the perspective of Solancia's welfare, neither scenario was optimistic.
As father and daughter discussed the enemy's movements, Lotus listened quietly. She could feel Selina's gaze periodically falling on her wrist before silently shifting away.
The former queen wrung her hands, appearing agitated. It was unclear if it was due to the war her daughter and husband were discussing, or her own incredible discovery… or perhaps both.
Before they knew it, the sand in the hourglass in the corner of the room had halfway run out.
This meant it was already midnight.
Although divine power allowed them to meet and converse, the living and the dead walked separate paths. Ultimately, they were no longer the same kind of beings.
Furthermore, the time a soul could manifest outside a raven's body was limited. Just before they had to return to the ravens' bodies and become silent birds once more, the former king and queen said their farewells to Alyuin.
Both sides were very calm, at least on the surface.
They all knew this might be their last meeting. Having mended the regrets of the past, all that remained now was a mix of emotion, reluctance, and release.
It was already very late. Alyuin had ridden hard to reach Seaton City, and she needed rest to face whatever tomorrow might bring in better condition.
The Sanur Tribe across from the city might even launch their assault in the latter half of the night. Every moment was now precious.
Only then did Lotus realize that Alyuin had not let go of her hand the entire time.
Her expression stiffened slightly. She gently pulled her hand free and said in a low voice, “We'll go now. Rest well, Alyu.”
“You as well.” A smile touched Alyuin's lips. As if by accident, the pad of her finger grazed the inside of the goddess's wrist before she slowly raised her hand to wave farewell.
Lotus: “…”
Lotus shot her a look that said, stop messing around, and turned toward the door. She needed to return the souls of the former king and queen to the Death God before she could rest easy.
The moment she turned, Lotus failed to notice the princess and the former queen exchange a look behind her back.
Selina's expression was tense, her eyes filled with a complex, questioning look, as if seeking an answer from her daughter.
Alyuin gave a calm nod. She lifted the snowtu-shaped amulet hanging from her neck, her gaze as resolute as a declaration.
Selina closed her eyes and, before Lotus could sense anything amiss, flapped her wings and flew out the door after her.
Sensing the divine power of Emute, the Death God, Lotus reverted to her spiritual form and drifted above the corridor toward the other side of the lord's manor.
Just then, Selina suddenly spoke. The former queen's voice was gentle, her tone sincere yet insistent.
“Goddess Lotus, may I speak with you alone?”
Fasir's soul materialized above the other raven's head, giving them a look of blank confusion.
Upon hearing this, Lotus felt an inexplicable twinge of nervousness.
Shaking off the associations in her mind—which bore a striking resemblance to modern soap operas—she raised a hand to create a field of divine power, ensuring the nearby Fasir would hear nothing.
But Selina still insisted they move somewhere else.
Lotus agreed.
“What is it you wish to say?”
Selina's soul floated upward and performed a deep bow.
“I know that when Fasir and I failed in our duties as parents, it was you who came to Alyu's side, who taught her and helped her grow into the person she is today.”
“I am so grateful to you. I simply don't know how to express my thanks.”
Lotus shook her head, a faint smile on her lips. “There is no need for thanks. This was my wish to begin with.”
Thinking about the current state of affairs between herself and Alyuin, Lotus felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
Raising someone else's child, only to then think of ‘stealing’ her away in another sense… it sounded rather wicked.
“You are truly a benevolent and kind goddess. When we were lying in those unmarked graves outside the royal city, you visited us with Alyu. I heard everything that was said that day.”
The former queen took a deep breath. “And today… I believe I've noticed something, though I truly wish it were just my imagination.”
Lotus raised her eyes.
Selina carefully observed Lotus's expression and said slowly, “Alyu is very fond of you, Goddess Lotus.”
“It is presumptuous of me, but… I must ask your intentions.”
Selina and Alyuin had not seen each other for many years. Horst's schemes had separated them by life and death, forcing her to miss the most important years of her daughter's growth.
However, perhaps because a mother knows her daughter best, or perhaps due to a woman's intuition, Selina had sensed something, even though Alyuin had not deliberately displayed her feelings for the goddess.
Selina felt at a loss.
She was a goddess, after all.
From her own experience, Selina knew all too well the hardship that came from an unequal relationship. If it was so between two mortals, what would it be like between a mortal and a god?
What a dangerous path her daughter was walking.
Without the influence of the poisoned incense Horst had used, the former queen was not actually ill-tempered or moody. Her personality and demeanor were those of an ordinary woman, perhaps even a bit timid.
Of course, in the eyes of the old Stubborn Faction, the former queen had been a scheming and pretentious enchantress, but such prejudice could not change her true nature.
Selina herself was quite cautious and careful. The greatest trial she had ever faced was the opposition from the Stubborn Faction, and Fasir had shouldered most of that pressure.
As for Horst's murderous plot… it had never felt quite real. To be precise, until the moment she witnessed her husband's murder and killed herself in a fit of despair, Selina had never realized the depths of his long-laid plans.
And yet, it was this same former queen who, for her daughter's sake, would now confront a goddess and seek a guarantee from one of the kingdom's own deities.
“Please tell me your intentions.”
The woman's soul repeated her question, her voice gentle yet firm. Her eyes, shaped so much like Alyuin's, gazed up at the goddess from an angle that would not offend, her expression earnest.
Lotus lowered her gaze, her thoughts in turmoil.
Her initial surprise and bewilderment were fleeting. She considered how to respond.
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