Epilogue: The Goddess of Fate
“This is...”
I was in the ever-familiar space that belonged to Noah. I looked around for a moment, searching for her.
There she is. Yet, things were different than normal.
Noah was standing there wearing a white dress, her silver hair shining. Eir was nearby in a blue dress, and her hair glittered gold. However, I spied someone else: a small girl with narrow shoulders.
“Ah, Makoto, you’re finally here.”
“What kept you, Mako?”
“Noah, Eir, you’re both as beautiful as ever,” I replied. “Who’s this?” I was pretty sure of the girl’s identity, but I didn’t want to make a mistake, so I asked.
“Come on.” Noah prodded the girl. “You came all this way to talk to him.”
“You can’t just stay silent, Irrie!”
Ira, the Goddess of Fate—also known as the Goddess of Fortune—was one of the seven Sacred Deities. She was also the war criminal who’d made the Northern Front Plan so difficult.
“Who are you calling a war criminal?!” The petite girl glared at me.
She’s gonna start reading my mind right away, huh?
“He’s right, though,” Noah said.
“Come on, Irrie, aren’t you supposed to be thanking him?”
“Ugh... W-Well.” She groaned and glared. “Hmph. You have my thanks!” After spitting the words out, she swiftly looked away.
That was her attempt at thanking me?
“What’s that supposed to be?!” Eir demanded, rubbing her knuckles into Ira’s (her little sister’s) hair.
“Ow! Ow! That hurts! You’re going to split my head open!”
It definitely looked like it hurt, but was this really how she acted? I’d imagined the goddesses being a bit calmer.
“Well, she’s the youngest of them,” Noah said. “She only just became a goddess.” Before I knew it, she had wrapped her arm around my shoulders.
Noah...is really close...
“So she’s young?” I asked. She truly looked like a junior high student.
Suddenly, Ira managed to break out of Eir’s grip and jump over to me. “Hey! Who are you calling a junior high student?!” She righted her balance, then folded her arms and peered up at me. “Phew. Makoto Takatsuki! You did well! Especially considering you’re Noah’s disciple!”
This was weird... Noah was beautiful enough to charm anything, and Eir had a motherliness about her, so she could hold on to people—Ira didn’t seem to have any of that dignity.
“Uh, Mako... I’m actually younger than Noah, so...why motherly?”
“Wahhh, I’m being treated like a granny!”
“I didn’t say that! Besides, you make yourself look young!”
“Makoto Takatsuki—as thanks, I will be your ally from now on! You can be grateful!”
Everyone was talking over each other and I could barely keep up with who was saying what. I was, however, curious about something, so instead of trying to parse out their rapid back-and-forth, I decided to ask a question.
“Hey, Ira. Does this mean you’ll help me?”
“I will!” she exclaimed. “I do have the most believers after Althena! I’m reliable.”
I knew that already. She was Cameron’s goddess—merchants and adventurers alike followed her, whether they were from Cameron or not. Many people from all over partook of Ira’s fortune.
“So, how exactly can you help me out?” I asked.
“E-Exactly?”
She was clearly panicked. Guess she hasn’t thought of anything.
“I gave him a relic and his Elementalist skill,” Noah said.
“And I got him his position as Hero of Roses. Oh, and Sophie!”
Hey, Eir, you shouldn’t talk about Princess Sophia like that...even if I think you are joking.
Ira’s gaze roved as she turned over their comments in her mind. After a moment, she seemed to get an idea. “I-I can see the future!” she stammered. “You’ll be able to avoid danger!”
I was impressed, but...
“I thought you couldn’t see my future because I’m Noah’s believer?”
“Th-That’s right, but I can see the major line of fate. Normally, I only tell Estelle about it! But I’ll tell you as well!”
“I see...” Having a goddess by your side to predict the future... It certainly was reassuring.
“Regardless of what she can offer, it’s a good thing she’s agreeable,” Noah said. “Cameron is one of the bigger countries, so having their goddess on your side isn’t a bad thing.”
I nodded.
“Then, Ira, there’s something else I want to ask you.”
“Phew... Okay, ask whatever you like!”
And so, I opened my mouth to pose the question that’d been gnawing at me. “Can the Hero of Light—Sakurai, I mean—beat Iblis? He won’t die, will he?”
He’d won this time, but we’d also been lucky. The fight had certainly been a close call. Would he have enough strength to go up against Iblis?
Silence filled the space as all three goddesses looked at each other. Then, Ira stepped smoothly forward.
“Rest assured, Makoto Takatsuki. This battle has moved us much closer to victory. And, we have a trump card for if the worst should happen.”
Huh, a trump card. I really wish we’d used it this time.
“So we can beat Iblis?”
“Right!”
Seeing Ira’s confident face finally allowed me to relax—she was the Goddess of Fortune, so I knew I could trust her words.
◇
That was how I’d felt at the time. But I should have worried more.
We’re in real trouble.
I truly never thought...that it would come to this...
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