Volume 6, Chapter 28 – A God’s Whisper?

“I don’t know…”

Mary shook her head.

The Pope, understanding Mary’s meaning, sighed.

“Is that so, you poor child. In the coastal cities of the west, there is a saying that those with purple eyes are the children of fortune. If one encounters a shipwreck in the stormy seas but survives, it is often said that they were saved by a child of fortune. They are incredibly powerful yet benevolent, holding compassion for anyone in distress. Their only characteristic is their purple eyes. Although this is just a legend, it has been passed down since the dawn of civilization. To this day, the sea folk still sing their stories.”

“Am… Am I a child of fortune?”

The Pope’s words made Mary look up, her purple eyes filled with hope and anticipation.

She must have believed the Pope’s words. Mary was already prone to trusting others, and the Pope held considerable authority in her mind.

“If you believe so, Mary, you will surely receive the response you desire in the future. The Goddess will listen to your wishes.”

The Pope smiled and stood up, while something like stars began to appear in Mary’s eyes.

Reаd οn КatRеаⅾіոgСаfе

As expected of the Pope. The way he turns people into believers is so natural.

What Yisi found strange was that the Pope didn’t seem to pay much attention to her; all his energy was focused on Mary. The feeling of being seen through before must have been her own misconception.

“Come here.”

The Pope, who had walked over to the table, beckoned to Mary and Yisi. On the table was a small statue of the goddess. Unlike the statue in the main hall, the goddess depicted by this statue was not closing her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest, or in a prayer-like posture. Instead, she held her divine staff high, her expression sharp and solemn, as if the brilliance of the world was gathered in her hands.

“Have you ever offered a prayer to the Goddess, Mary?”

“…No.”

“Do not blame yourself. The benevolent Goddess will not send down punishment for this. Come, try offering a prayer to the Goddess like I do. Just close your eyes and offer your thanks to the Goddess in your heart—it must be a pure thought, without negative emotions, so that the Goddess can hear your wish. If you think of other things while praying, your sincerity will not reach the Goddess’s ears.”

If it were someone who was ignorant of the world, or someone who had not received a good education and was unenlightened, they would probably have believed the Pope’s words by now, especially in a world where most people did not live well.

But the Pope’s words were really not something Yisi, a person from the future and especially an atheist, could accept. To translate the Pope’s words, it would be: if you get what you want, it can be attributed to the Goddess’s protection. If not, then your faith is not pure enough. A very metaphysical theory.

I have to teach Mary properly when we get back. This is all a lie. Well, I know the legend Julius told would easily attract a child like Mary. If she doesn’t witness it with her own eyes, she will probably believe it until she grows up.

Rеad oո КatRеαdіոgСαfе

I’ll just take Mary out to sea later and search with the Omniscient Map.

Of course, the Pope’s words were not without inspiration for Yisi. Purple eyes were indeed a representative symbol in [Ragnarøk]. It meant a race that could only use attack magic. Anyone with purple eyes was definitely of the Demon Race—the Demon Race here was different from the demon-kind like the Fallen Angels.

She had been curious before why this world, which resembled [Ragnarøk] in many ways, did not have the hidden races from the game, the Demon Race and the Divine Race. From the Pope’s words, it was either that they had once existed but for some reason—war or plague—had become extinct, reduced to legendary beings, or that their races had migrated to a realm unknown to all, similar to a paradise.

Suddenly, Yisi realized a possibility.

Just as the Earth had more than one continent, this world might also have more than just the Alexia Continent. In this era of undeveloped navigation technology and rampant monsters, it was reasonable for there to be little communication between continents. If that were the case, it would be very normal for the ‘children of fortune’ to only appear in the tales of the sea folk, because they could only be encountered on the high seas.

While making various speculations in her mind, Yisi did not stop her actions. Although the Pope had only called Mary’s name, as the person accompanying Mary, even if it was just for show, she should also offer a prayer to the god. It was a matter of courtesy.

Under the Pope’s guidance, Yisi and Mary closed their eyes, held the holy relic pendants issued by the church in their palms, lowered their heads, and offered their prayers to the goddess.

『□ □□□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□』

As if from a great distance, a voice faintly sounded in her ear. But no matter how Yisi focused, she could not make out what the voice was saying. It was as if the other party was not using the same language as her. Yisi could only discern from the tone that the other party’s words contained a hint of surprise, like a person who had been searching for a key for a long time and suddenly found it in their own pocket.

Rеαⅾ оո KаtRеаdіոɡCαfe

Is it the whisper of a god? Or the Pope’s trick? To specifically choose this statue, which is different from the one in the main hall, might be for a certain purpose.

Just as Yisi was thinking this, the voice in her ear came to an abrupt end. Immediately after, a faint light from the outside made Yisi open her eyes.

Although the light lasted only for a moment, it was as impossible to ignore as a torch in the dark night.

The light appeared on Mary.

Mary was standing there in a daze. Although she had just finished praying, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

“Mary?”

“Half-elf…”

Ignoring the Pope’s voice, which was filled with doubt and shock, Yisi walked straight to Mary’s side and wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief.

“What’s wrong?”

Rеaⅾ oո KαtRеаⅾіnɡCаfе

“Eh?” As if she had just come back to her senses, the dazed look in Mary’s eyes quickly returned to normal. It was only then that she realized she had been crying. “Ah, huh? Why…”

Doesn’t Mary herself know the reason? It couldn’t be that she was hit by mental magic.

The Omniscient Map showed that Mary’s status bar was normal, and none of her stats had changed. Considering that the Pope had likely already discovered Mary’s identity—that ‘half-elf’ comment wouldn’t have come from nowhere—Yisi took Mary and bowed to the Pope, preparing to use teleportation magic.

“Your Holiness, Mary is not feeling well today. Please forgive our rudeness. We will take our leave now.”

Unexpectedly, the Pope did not say what Yisi had anticipated.

“Go. Evelyn, you go with them. Today—no, for the next few days, you don’t need to go to the Tower of Ymir with me.”

“You’re the one who said it.”

Without answering Evelyn or Yisi, Julius simply waved his hand, signaling that they could go out. He frowned, turned around, his face showing that he was greatly shaken, to the point of revealing his worries.

Although she didn’t know the reason, since she could avoid using the conspicuous teleportation magic, Yisi was naturally happy to do so. She quickly led Mary out of the temple, and along with them was Evelyn, who had also witnessed the golden light with the Pope.