Bonus Short Stories
Chat with a Goddess (Volume 4)
“Hello,” I called out. I’d come to consciousness in the goddess’s space. That was fine, but...
“Oh...Makoto.”
She...didn’t look great.
“Uh, Noah? What’s wrong?”
She was slumped back into the sofa. Wait, she had a sofa?
“Are you not feeling well?” I asked.
“Mhmm. I spent all night drinking with Eir and then crashed...”
“With Eir?!”
Eir was, of course, the Water Goddess and the guardian deity of Roses.
“She came here?”
“Yeah. She does from time to time. The Seafloor Temple is technically a shrine under her dominion.”
“O-Oh...”
I’d been more surprised about the fact that a Sacred Deity like Eir would crack open a cold one with Noah, one of the ancient goddesses... Then again, Eir had approved of me becoming the State-Authorized Hero of Roses, so I guess she and Noah must be on fairly good terms. Certain groups of deities might be natural enemies on the whole, but maybe individuals within those groups could have good relationships...?
“Makoto...get me water.”
“R-Right...”
A glance at the table revealed several empty bottles. I picked up a pitcher that sat among the empties and poured out some water into a glass.
“Here.” I offered her the water.
“Mmm, thanks. Also, give me a massage.”
“R-Right...”
She certainly didn’t ask for much, did she?
Her lolling position also put her defenseless back on full display. My heart pounded at the sight of her skin—so pale it almost gleamed—as I massaged.
“Get my hips too?”
I paused for a moment. “I don’t know how.”
“Just do whatever.”
W-Well then. I channeled some memories I had of a massage place I’d seen on TV and started pushing down on her hips.
“Ahhh, that’s the spot... You’re good at this, aren’t you?”
I let out a sigh. Why did I feel like a kid getting roped into giving his gran a massage?
“Who are you calling a granny?!”
“Slip of the tongue,” I defended, even though I hadn’t actually said it. She was reading my thoughts, so I couldn’t let careless comparisons cross my mind.
I spent some time doing my best on that front—or back—before I had a sudden thought.
“Um...is this what you called me here for?”
“Is that...bad?”
“Eh, I don’t mind.” After all, wasn’t caring for your goddess part of a disciple’s duties?
Although, this did feel like a bit of a letdown... After all, she wanted me to clean up after another goddess drank her under the table.
“I’m surprised Eir’s such a heavyweight,” I commented.
“Well, Roses does a lot of brewing.”
She was right—even Macallan, where I lived, was known for its spirits. There were plenty of other famous distilleries in the country as well. Eir’s followers probably gave offerings of alcohol, so I could understand her becoming a heavyweight.
I let my mind wander pointlessly along those lines while I kept up the massage.
“Right!” Noah said. “Eir gets good drink from her believers, then goes ‘this is the best in ten years,’ even though she said the same thing last year.”
“So it’s like Beaujolais nouveau?” I wondered. I guess there was a similar market even in this world.
“It just makes me feel like I have to drink it, you know?!”
“I get where you’re coming from.”
“Right?!”
I let her complaints drift by me and focused on being in the moment. Though I might be a disciple of a wicked deity planning to overthrow the world, these calm, relaxing periods were still great.
“Hey, give me another glass,” she demanded. “Bring it up to my mouth this time.”
“Sure, sure,” I answered with a half smile.
And so, I spent my sleeping hours with my revered goddess, until my dream came to an end. It was a good use of time...I think.
Conversation between the Priestess of the Moon, the Hero of Roses, and the Grandsage
◇ Furiae’s Perspective ◇
Hundreds of butterflies were fluttering through the air, all made entirely out of water.
My knight is practicing again.
Makoto Takatsuki had been the guardian knight of the Priestess of the Moon (me) for several days now. This was a sight I’d gotten used to.
If my knight had free time, he would be training. Didn’t he ever get tired of it?
The mage had trained with him, but she’d dropped out after three hours, saying she couldn’t practice anymore. The warrior had said she would prepare dinner, so she must have been in the kitchen.
I watched him as he trained tirelessly.
“Is the elementalist always like this?”
“Yes he is,” I answered automatically. But then, I reeled and whipped around. “What?!”
I hadn’t noticed the young girl appear next to me. She was white-haired and red-eyed and was wearing a white robe. In truth, she looked adorable, but the mana coming off of her felt overpowering.
I knew her.
Th-The White Grandsage...
She was rumored to be the strongest mage on the continent. So why was she here?
“Did you need something, Grandsage?” my knight asked without turning away from his practice.
You know you’re not even looking over here...right?
“Indeed,” the Grandsage answered. “I’m rather peckish. You will be returning to Roses soon, correct?”
“What am I, a snack?” he asked. “I am, though, yes.”
“Hmm. Then come to Highland Castle tomorrow. I will show you a nice place.”
“Where?”
“The Millennium Cherry Tree Gardens,” replied the Grandsage. “It was Abel’s favorite place a thousand years ago.”
“Oh!” my knight exclaimed. “I’d love to see them!”
Makoto Takatsuki is excited about the offer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so enthused. He was usually so calm.
“You are rather childish, my knight,” I commented.
“Am I?”
“That reminds me,” the Grandsage said thoughtfully, “you became her guardian knight. Enjoying yourself?”
My knight seemed taken aback. “A-Am I enjoying myself...?”
For me, our contract was simply a way to escape Symphonia. It was likely the same for him—a partnership of convenience and a means to an end. He had only become my knight to protect the capital from revolt.
There was no way he could find it pleasant.
“Hmm, well I really wanted a Dark Magic skill, but I ended up with Charm. Still, I’m having fun learning new techniques.”
Or...apparently, he didn’t mind. Did he enjoy being contracted to someone like me? Someone called a cursed priestess?
He was a strange one.
“Well then...” The Grandsage approached my knight. “I’ll be taking my portion now.”
What did she mean...
“Wha?”
As I watched, she bit into his neck. I stared, dumbfounded.
“H-Hang on!” I stammered. I could hear her throat pulse as she swallowed. “Wh-What are you doing?!”
“Princess, keep quiet during meal times,” scolded my knight.
“Silence, girly,” mumbled the Grandsage.
Was I the only one who thought this was weird?! Why was my knight just carrying on as usual?!
I could only watch as the Grandsage clung to my knight and drank his blood. She finished up before long and excused herself, healing his wounds with a lick and then leaving via teleport.
Later, I would find out that she’d taken a liking to my knight’s blood. His complexion hadn’t changed even as he was drained...
What in the world?
“So...how long are you going to train?” I asked.
“Hmm...until bedtime, I guess.”
“Right.”
As always, he didn’t turn to look my way as he answered.
Weird.
My guardian knight was...odd. He didn’t dislike me, nor did he show interest—he just did his own thing... I’d never met anyone like him before.
Somehow, I found it to be rather pleasant.
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