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The northern forest is dim.
Evergreen broadleaf trees cover the sky, and a thin mist crawls along the ground all year round. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the canopy only in narrow beams, and despite it being midday, a gloom like twilight hangs over the entire forest.
Azel and Lisette followed a narrow animal trail deeper into the woods.
If the adventurer’s words are to be believed, the Saintess Eira should be somewhere within this forest. A hero who defeated the Undead King, yet a strange figure who abandoned the faith of the Heavenly Church and began worshiping something called the 「Black God」. Azel believed he could not decide his next move without meeting this person, but──
「Something feels… strange here」
Lisette murmured quietly.
She was right. As they went deeper into the forest, the air began to change. A faint scent of incense drifted between the trees, and a narrow, well-trodden path continued along the ground. It was clear evidence of human activity.
Before long, the two arrived at a small clearing.
There stood a crude wooden hut.
Calling it a hut might even be generous. It was little more than logs stacked together with a roof placed on top, far from anything that could truly be called a proper building. However, something strange stood in front of it.
A wooden statue.
And an extremely poorly made one at that.
The person who made it clearly had no sense of aesthetics.
Still, it was barely possible to tell that it was meant to resemble a human figure. It had a head, a torso, and limbs. But beyond that, it was difficult to make out any further detail. The face looked like a crushed bun, and the proportions of the limbs were far from human. The arms were unnaturally long, the legs unnaturally short. The head was nearly the same size as the torso, giving the overall impression of a grotesque, small figure with an oversized head.
Before that statue, a single woman knelt in prayer.
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She was a woman with silver hair.
Her knees and forehead pressed against the ground, her arms stretched forward, her entire body prostrated. It was said to be the highest form of worship offered to the gods by eastern barbarians, a posture rarely seen on this continent.
The woman was scarcely different from being naked. She had something like cloth wrapped around her, but it was worn and frayed in many places, exposing what should not be seen. In simple terms, she looked like a filthy beggar.
A muttered prayer could be heard, though its content was unsettling.
「…O One in Black Garments, boy god who destroys and renews the world, please grant mercy to this wretched servant…」
Her voice was earnest. Though it carried a feverish intensity, at its core was pure faith. She was praying sincerely. To that poorly made wooden statue.
「…Though this body cannot even touch the hem of Your black robe, please, please…」
Azel was bewildered.
There was no other way to feel.
This was the hero who had defeated the Undead King. Rather than gazing up to the heavens in gratitude or returning in triumph to the cheers of the people, she was here in the depths of the forest, bowing to a crude wooden statue. This was the current state of the Saintess, Eira.
「Um…」
The moment Lisette tried to speak, the woman twitched.
She slowly raised her face. A forehead stained with dirt, cheeks marked by dried tears, and eyes of blue holding an unnatural light.
「…Who are you?」
Her voice was calm.
「I’m Azel. This is Lisette. You’re Eira, right?」
Azel asked directly.
The woman rose to her feet and brushed the dirt from her robes. Her movements were graceful, hinting at a refined upbringing.
「Yes. I am Eira」
The woman, Eira, nodded quietly.
「And a servant of the Black God──an apostle!」
Only the final words were spoken with sudden force, making Lisette flinch and jolt her shoulders.
As if to reassure her, Azel naturally drew her into an embrace.
And so, without even realizing it, this man continued to charm women effortlessly.
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Eira invited the two of them into the hut.
The inside was even more crude than it appeared from the outside. A floor covered only with straw, walls made by lining up logs, and a single candle hanging from the ceiling. The only things that could be called furniture were three rough stools carved from tree stumps.
However, something strange hung on the wall.
A black cloth.
It was not just any ordinary cloth. Looking closely, something had been drawn upon its surface. A pattern embroidered in gold thread──it resembled the figure of a person. A small silhouette clad in black robes. Two red points were stitched where the face would be, barely suggesting that they represented eyes.
「This is the form of the Black God」
Eira explained reverently.
「A god in the form of a boy. One who appears at the end of the world, destroys all things, and then brings them into rebirth. I have seen it with my own eyes. The power of the Black God」
「…What kind of god is that?」
Azel asked.
Eira’s eyes lit up. As if she had been waiting for the question, she began to speak.
「The Black God saved me. When I stood at the edge of despair, He appeared before me, destroyed my enemies, and then departed. That power, that mercy──what else could it be but a god?」
The Black God. A boy god. A being that destroys and renews the world.
As Azel listened in silence, he felt something catching in his mind. Like a small bone stuck in his throat. Yet he could not tell what it was.
「The Black God will appear again at the end of the world」
Eira continued, her expression filled with rapture.
「At that time, all things will perish, and then be reborn. I have been waiting for that day. The day the Black God appears once more and purifies this tainted world──」
What does she mean by the end of the world?
Azel had an idea. In the 「previous world」 he knew, the world had indeed come close to ending once. The final battle against the Demon King. At that time, the world had been driven to the brink of destruction, and only barely saved.
However, in this world, the Demon King has not yet appeared.
Which means the 「end of the world」 Eira speaks of lies in the future, and what this so-called Black God will do at that time is unknown.
「…I see」
Azel nodded vaguely.
No further words came to him.
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When they stepped out of the hut, the sky was already beginning to tilt toward evening.
Within the dimness of the northern forest, the faint sunlight filtering through had begun to take on a reddish hue. Dusk was approaching. If they remained in the forest like this, night would soon fall.
「Let’s head back」
Azel muttered quietly.
「Eh?」
Lisette turned toward him.
「The Undead King is dead. We met Eira. The purpose that brought me here has, for the most part, been fulfilled」
The defeat of the Undead King had already been accomplished by that strange Eira. He had been completely left out of it.
「Still, there are too many things I don’t understand」
Azel looked up at the sky.
The Black God. A boy god. A being that destroys and renews the world.
Something lingered in his mind.
But right now, Azel did not have the energy to uncover its truth.
「I feel… really tired」
He said it from the bottom of his heart.
He was tired.
Not physically, but mentally. He had traveled all the way to the great forest to defeat the Undead King, only to find that the king was already dead, slain by some mysterious 「Black God」 he could not understand.
It left him with the feeling that everything he had done was meaningless, and even Azel found himself worn down by it.
「Let’s go back to the Empire」
Azel began walking.
Lisette hurried after him.
「Um, Azel-san」
「Hm?」
「Can I… come with you?」
Azel stopped.
When he turned around, Lisette was looking at him with an uneasy expression.
「I want to see the Empire. I want to study medicinal herbs, and also…」
She hesitated for a moment.
「I want to get to know you better──」
At that confession-like remark, Azel simply replied──
「Sure」
Without hesitation.
Lisette’s face lit up instantly.
「Thank you very much!」
Azel started walking again.
From behind, the light sound of Lisette’s footsteps followed him. Listening to them, Azel thought vaguely to himself.
What should I do once I return to the Empire?
For now, I want to eat until I’m full.
Then I want to take a bath.
And after that──
The rest can wait until I get back.
With that conclusion, Azel quickened his pace.
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