CHAPTER 10

The Divine Blade

“…So I see you’re back again.”

“He is seriously way too cautious. I mean, he’s paranoid—sick, even.”

Once again, I complain to Aria in her room. There are many different goddesses in the spirit world; some of them are straight-up rude, but Aria is always so nice. She’s been nice to me ever since I came into being. If Great Goddess Ishtar were my mother, then Aria would definitely be my older sister.

Robed in a sexy dress with her cleavage exposed, Aria elegantly sips her tea like always. I sneak a peek at her—what I assume to be—G-cup breasts and bite my lip in frustration. She never fails to arrest the attention of any male god who crosses her path. I mean, I’m a D-cup, and I’m sexy in my own way, but still…

She’s better looking than me and more experienced. Everything I can do, she can do better.

It can’t be helped, really. She was born in the unified spirit world thousands of years ago and has saved countless worlds with the Heroes she summoned. She’s a seasoned goddess. And then there’s me: a rookie goddess who’s been around for only a little over one hundred years with barely five worlds saved under my belt.

“Sigh. I want to hurry up and save Gaeabrande so I can become a high-ranking goddess like you, Aria.”

“You shouldn’t look up to me.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve summoned Heroes to three hundred worlds, and you saved every single one of them! You’re a legend!”

I try joking with Aria, but I can detect a hint of sorrow in her smile.

“I didn’t save all of them.”

I did hear there was a world even Aria couldn’t save. But…

“It was just one world out of three hundred, right? You can’t save ’em all.”

As I smile, Aria’s expression turns grim.

“It’s not that simple, Rista. For the people who lived there, it was the only world—the only life—they had. They don’t get another chance. You can’t just say, ‘You can’t save ’em all’ and move on to the next one.”

“N-no, I understand that. I get it, but…I still think it’s amazing that you only failed one time out of three hundred.”

Aria faintly shakes her head.

“It was a B-ranked world. It wasn’t a difficult mission, but…I made a mistake… This is my cross to bear, and I must carry it with me for the rest of my life.”

“U-uh…”

I try to get back on topic to lighten the mood.

“B-by the way, that overly cautious Hero of mine has been in the Summoning Chamber all day since we’ve been back! Can you believe it?”

“…More weight training?”

“Yeah! The meathead basically lives to work out!”

As I continue breezily, Aria’s sweet smile returns.

Phew… Looks like she’s feeling a little better…

Aria holds her empty teacup and stands.

“I’m going to have some more tea. Would you like some, Rista?”

“Oh, sure. Thanks.”

…That’s when the door flies open with a bang.

Taken aback, I look over and only grow more surprised…because Seiya is standing there in his loungewear! Even Aria is surprised. The moment she sees him, she drops her teacup, and it shatters on the floor. However, Seiya is indifferent and looks at me.

“There you are. I was looking for you.”

He casually approaches me, and I scream.

“S-Seiya?! This is a lady’s room, you know! Get out! I mean, look what you did. You scared Aria and made her break her teacup.”

“I-it’s fine… It’s really okay, Rista…”

Then Aria walks over to Seiya, her eyes glistening.

What the…?! Did Aria fall for his good looks, too?! D-don’t be fooled! That’s all he has going for him! If he lays one finger on her, I’m going to kill him! That womanizer! No, that goddessizer!

In the midst of my rage, Aria passionately gazes at Seiya.

“So you’re the Hero Rista summoned…”

“Who are you?”

A look of disgust flashes across Aria’s face as if she was stunned by Seiya’s discourtesy, but she almost immediately clears her throat and wears her usual smile rich in compassion.

“I am Aria. The Goddess of the Seal, Ariadoa. What brings you here?”

Seiya appears to hesitate as if unsure whether he wants to say anything to a goddess he just met, but he eventually speaks up in a calm manner.

“I’m not leveling up as much as before no matter how many sit-ups or push-ups I do…”

Seiya seems troubled, but I’m screaming for joy in my head.

Yes! The gains from his weight training have finally started to dwindle! Heh-heh-heh! He’ll just have to level up from fighting monsters now! Which means we can finally start our journey!

I put on a serious expression before saying anything.

“Seiya, this is just how things are. There is a limit to how far you can go with weight training alone. So how about we go to Gaeabrande and start fighting monsters?”

“Actually fighting monsters, huh? It’s too risky.”

“No…it’s pretty much the standard for any Hero…”

“Instead of fighting monsters, can’t you just create some heavier dumbbells and tougher training equipment for me?”

“N-no…! Absolutely not! No, no, no! That’s nothing more than a stopgap!”

“Then what should I do…?”

Seiya is at his wits’ end for a change. Seeing him distressed like this makes it hard to yell Go fight monsters, stupid! without feeling awful.

That’s when Aria pipes up, as if unable to watch anymore.

“Seiya, hypothetically speaking…how would you feel about undergoing training from a god or goddess here?”

Her proposal takes me by surprise.

“A-Aria?! Wh-wh-what’s gotten into you?!”

“He wouldn’t have to worry about being killed by a god in the unified spirit world. Plus, he would receive many more experience points than he ever would from a monster. Hee-hee… It’s a little trick of the trade.”

Aria winks. Seiya gives a nod that suggests he’s completely on board.

“I see. That’s not a bad idea.”

“A-Aria! Can I have a word with you over here?”

I call Aria to the window side and whisper in her ear.

“Are you sure you should be promising him that?! I mean, is it even possible to train under a god?!”

“It won’t be a problem. I’ll grant him permission and tell Ishtar beforehand.”

“B-but who in the world is even going to train him? I’m the Goddess of Healing, and you’re the Goddess of the Seal. Neither of us are suited for fighting.”

Aria smiles while pointing at the window.

“What about the god who’s always training over there?”

Outside her window is the unified spirit world’s vast, magnificent garden. A god practices sword techniques around the gracefully sculpted fountain.

He’s a stubborn god. Other gods berate him, saying that he’s ruining the beautiful view with his sword practice, yet he doesn’t stop.

He is Cerceus, the Divine Blade.

Aria walks toward the door.

“I’m going to go ask Cerceus if he’d be willing to help.”

I drop my shoulders, then let out a deep sigh.

Sigh… The dream of finally starting our journey once again slips through my fingers.

And so we head to the garden to meet Cerceus.

The moment he sees us, he pauses his training and gives us an awkward smile. An intimidating individual, Cerceus is built like a god on all fronts—tall and well muscled with short hair that’s accented by his mustache and goatee.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss Ariadoa, Ristarte, and…oh? Is that a human?”

He knits his brows.

“A summoned Hero, yes? It would be for the best if you humans refrained from roaming around the unified spirit world.”

Just as Seiya’s about to say something, Aria takes a step forward.

“Cerceus, I have a request. I would like to know if you could train this Hero.”

A few moments of silence go by until…

“I wouldn’t mind doing a favor for a high-ranking goddess such as yourself. However…”

Cerceus slowly approaches Seiya and scowls.

“Human, are you prepared to train under me? It’s not going to be easy, and there is no guarantee that your body can even handle it.”

His awkward smile transforms into a smug grin as he sizes up Seiya, but Seiya doesn’t even bat an eyelid and speaks in his usual tone.

“Oh, you’ve got guts, but don’t come crying to me when you reach your limit. I won’t let you quit.”

Cerceus flinches.

“H-hey. Why does it sound like you’ll be the one training me? That’s my line.”

“Enough chitchat. Meet me in the Summoning Chamber when you’re ready. Got it?”

“Y-yeah, sure…… Wh-who is that guy?!”

After Seiya turns and begins to walk away, Cerceus soon rushes after him in a fluster. Just watching this sends a chill down my spine.

H-how did he reverse their roles like that?! Seiya Ryuuguuin—what a terrifying man! B-but Cerceus isn’t called the Divine Blade for nothing! He’s going to humble Seiya! Then he’ll finally start behaving himself and maybe even actually become a decent Hero!

…I actually believed that once upon a time.