章 346: Chapter 346
Temple. Central Hall.
In this space filled with people in prayer, I looked up at the statue of the goddess and harbored a thought that could be considered somewhat blasphemous.
'Is this goddess actually real?'
No, I'm not trying to negate the religion of this world! (I'd be struck by divine punishment! Think of my afterlife!)
In this fantasy world, gods seem to actually exist and are active.
Even my father, the Emperor, seems to frequently venture into the spirit realm to clash with the gods of other races.
I was just curious if this goddess, hailed as the protector of humanity, actually exists in corporeal form.
Maybe she's floating somewhere, enjoying a view of the conflicts in the mortal realm?
'The goddess's faith is so ingrained in daily life, but I've never actually heard any explanation about the goddess herself.'
Next to the statue of the goddess, Saintess Margarita was quietly reciting what sounded like the same prayer over and over.
"Thankful for the grace of the goddess who has brought light to all humanity on this land, we gather here the faithful hearts of the believers to wish for this year also..."
It seemed like a New Year's prayer. Her voice sounded tired, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Looks like she had a hard day.
'I wanted to ask Margarita, but that won't do. I'll have to find the right person to ask later.'
Quite a few people had gathered in the central hall, each lost in their own prayers.
Carefully looking around, I saw my party members were also deep in prayer.
"..."
I didn't have any particular faith, and I didn't know much about this goddess either.
Still, I felt there was meaning in the act of sincerely wishing.
So like everyone else, I brought my hands together in front of my chest, closed my eyes, and prayed with all my heart.
'I hope no one dies, and we can fight through the battles to come.'
Even though it was an unrealistic wish,
Still, this was what I wished for now.
I prayed.
***
"What did you guys wish for in your New Year's prayers?"
After finishing the prayer, we moved to the temple courtyard and I asked my party members.
"Oh, it's personal, so you don't have to answer."
Then, Damien replied with a pure and innocent smile.
"I wished that everyone stays healthy and doesn't get sick this year!"
"Damien...!"
This... this angelic guy! Why are you so damn kind?! You could've wished for something selfish!
Everyone in the party looked at Damien with rolled eyes, but Damien was innocently smiling, oblivious to it all.
May you receive a ton of blessings in the New Year...
"Compared to Damien, my wish might sound a bit selfish," Junior, shrugging her shoulders, shared her wish.
"I wished for my siblings, who are living far away, to get by without any major issues."
"Ah, right."
Junior mentioned she was providing for her siblings.
The war orphans that Jupiter took in. Among them, Junior, the eldest, seemed to be responsible for their livelihood.
"How are your siblings doing?"
"Hehe. Thanks to your generous wages, they're doing well. Although I haven't seen their faces in a while, so I'm a bit worried."
"I wish Crossroad becomes a safer place so I can invite them all..."
"Your words alone are more than enough."
Suddenly, the face of the jovial old electric mage crossed my mind.
If Jupiter were alive, maybe we'd be having drinks together to celebrate the New Year.
I'll have to give Junior a little extra for the New Year. So her siblings can enjoy a hearty meat and potato stew.
"Lucas, what about you?"
"As for me..."
When asked about his wish, Lucas hesitated for a moment before responding.
"...I begged them to finish off Mason."
"Ah."
I had thought that we had successfully killed or captured everyone during the last Aegis Special Forces infiltration mission. Little did I know, Mason had faked his death and escaped.
And Lucas had been blaming himself for letting Mason get away. All because he couldn't make sure Mason was dead.
No one could have expected that Mason, nearly severed at the waist, could have survived, let alone escape...
"I began the enmity with Mason. Therefore, I'll be the one to end it."
"Right... It'll be over soon."
To wish for something like this as a New Year's resolution, though. What a waste of a wish. Could've wished for something better.
'...Mason mentioned that he was going to the Lake Kingdom to convey Fernandez's intentions to the Demon King.'
And those intentions were nothing short of humanity's complete surrender to the monsters.
Fernandez was even willing to become the Emperor to declare it...
The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Beyond bizarre, it was inconceivable.
It was a train of thought no sane human could follow.
'Why on Earth is Fernandez doing this? On what grounds? For what reason?'
Guess the only way to find out was to meet Fernandez and ask him directly. It wasn't something we could deal with right away...
Then we saw our final party member, Evangeline. Visibly flustered, she reluctantly answered.
"...I wished to be taller."
"What?"
"Oh, I mean, I wished for an increase in height!"
Ah.
So that's what it was...
We all nodded, understanding her wish. Evangeline blushed and got annoyed.
"What! You think there's something wrong with wanting to be taller?! You think my wish is ridiculous?!"
"No, no one said that..."
No one had the right to mock someone else's wish.
I patted Evangeline's head reassuringly.
"Don't worry, you'll grow taller eventually. The Prince guarantees it."
You might even look back on these times and miss how small and cute you were.
Evangeline, dissatisfied with my consolation, shot Lucas a glance.
"So, will I be taller than Lucas someday?"
"Uh? Um... that might be a stretch..."
Would you really want to be as tall as him? He's a giant.
Lucas chuckled at the conversation, and Evangeline couldn't help but pounce at him to bite him.
Guys, we're in a temple. Let's keep it down.
Stepping out into the courtyard, the place was bustling in its own way.
Various stalls were set up, fortune tellers among them, loudly promoting their services.
"Come on, come on! Pick a fortune slip and test your luck for the new year!"
They were giving out a fortune slip for every donation made.
I distributed New Year's money to the party members. There you go. Use it for snacks, donations, and whatever else you like.
"Alright, let's try our luck for the new year, shall we?"
I walked toward the donation boxes, and one in particular was causing quite the commotion. People huddled around it were continuously groaning and sighing. What's going on?
Getting closer, I saw...
"Love fortune... 'Hopeless.'"
Sheesh!
...A woman with shimmering hair tearing her fortune slip in half. Serenade.
Tossing the torn slip onto the ground, Serenade pulled out a gold coin from her purse with a cheerful face.
"One more, please."
"Ye, yes, here, here you go..."
The priest in charge of the donation box hesitantly extended a container filled with slips of paper, and Serenade picked another one to read.
"Love fortune... 'Don't get your hopes up'..."
Rip!
Another torn fortune paper rolled on the ground.
Upon closer inspection, there were numerous torn fortune papers around Serenade's feet... Wait, was she doing 'fortune re-rolls' until she got something she liked? Is that even okay?
"Love fortune... 'Unrequited love is painful'... Ah."
Once again, a fortune paper was torn, revealing an unfavorable result. The onlookers also let out a collective sigh, sharing in the discomfort.
Hiding behind and watching the scene, I caught Damien's eye.
"...Are fortune papers usually filled with such unfavorable sayings?"
"No, considering the overall ratio, it's less than 1%... How is it that Lady Serenade only picks such fortunes?"
Well... either her luck with draws is bad, or her love fortune is bad...
"Huh?"
At that moment, as Serenade was flipping her hair, our eyes met.
"Ah, Ahhh! Your Highness the Crown Prince?!"
Startled, Serenade quickly kicked away the accumulated fortune papers on the ground and rushed to stand before me, her face flushed.
"Did Your Highness also come to make a wish to the Goddess?"
"Yeah, it's the New Year... What about you, Serenade?"
"Hehe. Yes. If not now, when else could I shamelessly ask the Goddess for my desires?"
Right? You're here to make a wish, not for fortune gacha?
As I moved towards the donation box, Serenade quickly kicked away the remaining fortune papers on the ground and asked,
"Ahem! Does Your Highness also intend to have your fortune read?"
"Um~ I'll make a donation, but I don't plan to read any fortunes."
I pulled out a pouch of gold coins from within my robe and grinned.
"Destiny is something we carve out ourselves, right? I think our willpower is more important than any fortune."
"..."
Serenade, who had looked stunned for a moment, soon broke into a bright smile.
"Yes, Your Highness is correct. What's important is my own heart, not some fortune...!"
I swallowed back a tiny tear internally.
I actually enjoy this sort of culture where you read fortunes for fun, but I threw out those lines on purpose to console Serenade. Thankfully, it seemed to have worked.
Having completed our donations, we both left the temple.
"By the way, this worked out well. I was planning to visit your residence later."
Serenade, who was smiling at the temple entrance, pulled something out of her robe and handed it to me.
"It's a New Year's gift, Your Highness. Please accept it."
"Huh? What's this?"
It was a glass sphere. Inside, it was filled with soil and clear, glistening water, and at the center, a piece of blue coral was visible.
"It's called a Terrarium. Think of it as a kind of pot for growing that blue coral."
"Blue coral?"
"Yes, it's a fragment of the blue coral that the merfolk treasure... We were fortunate enough for our Merchant Guild to obtain one recently."
The blue coral inside the small terrarium was beautiful, even emitting a faint glow.
"It is said to bring good luck to its owner. Among the merfolk, it's customary to gift this coral before setting sail."
"Ho."
"It glows brightly in the depths of the ocean, serving as a beacon for the merfolk."
Serenade smiled warmly. Her silver eyes rounded in delight.
"I wish you all the fortune in the world on your journey this year, Your Highness."
"Thanks, Serenade. I'll take good care of it."
Just minutes after rejecting the idea of fortunes, I readily accepted a good-luck charm. A bit contradictory, but hey, what's good is good.
Holding the terrarium in my arms, I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.
"What should I do? I don't have anything prepared..."
"If you could treasure the gift this lady has given you, that would be a great gift."
Serenade, standing in front of her carriage, slightly bowed her waist.
"Then, I shall take my leave. Happy New Year, Your Highness."
"May you have a blessed year as well, Serenade. I wish you happiness."
The people from the Silver Winter Merchant Guild who had been waiting in the carriage started the carriage with exclamations like, 'Why are you so late, my Lady!' 'Do you know how much work has been piled up?!'
Serenade was dragged away, frantically waving her hand out the window.
Busy from the first day of the New Year, huh? Or maybe it's busy because it's the first day of the New Year.
After watching the busy temple folks and the busy Merchant Guild people in turns, I looked around at our not-so-busy party members and chuckled.
"Well, should we lie down and take it easy for a bit?"
After all, it's a national rule to take a nap on a warm floor on New Year's afternoon!
***
When we returned to the Lord's mansion, it was still before lunch.
All the party members had disbanded, and now I could relax and roll around until the afternoon.
'Before taking a break...'
Carrying the terrarium in my arms, I headed towards Aider's room. There were various things I wanted to ask.
"Hey~ Aider, you there?"
As I opened the door and stepped in, Aider was seen sitting in a chair, lost in thought.
"Ah, my Lord! You've arrived!"
Aider's response came with a slight delay. What's up with him? It was as if he was buffering lag.
"I came to ask about the Goddess religion."
The first time I met him, Aider introduced himself as an almost god-like entity.
He wasn't very trustworthy, but he did seem to possess some kind of transcendental ability.
So wouldn't he know about the Goddess as well? That's what I wanted to ask him.
"Ah, you've come at just the right time! I was actually going to talk to you about a Goddess-related issue!"
"Huh?"
"[Gardis Blessing]! Remember, I told you I would add it as a concept to counter the [Dark Event]!"
I recalled Aider mentioning [Gardis Blessing] in the past.
As the name suggests, a blessing from the Goddess.
A feature where once per stage, you can cast a buff on an ally by using achievement points.
Since we were helplessly succumbing to the monsters' [Dark Event], he had said he would add it as a counter-concept.
With a triumphant expression, Aider puffed out his chest and declared confidently.
"It's been completed! You can apply it starting from this defense battle!"
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