Chapter 48 The Goddesss Mission （1）
As the Demonoid completely disappeared, the pieces of the shattered Abyssal Well Core slowly fell to the ground.
The pressure that had filled the arena was finally gone.
I let out a quiet breath.
"Nice job, Raito."
I looked to my right and saw Sir Gallagher walking toward me.
He stopped in front of me and extended his hand.
"That was a great choice destroying the Core. Well done."
I looked at his hand for a moment before shaking it.
"Thanks."
I glanced around the arena.
The Heroes were smiling at me, while Daito even raised his hand and gave me a thumbs-up.
I gave him a small smile in return.
Then-
"Hey, everyone!"
A familiar voice suddenly shouted from behind us.
We turned toward the voice and saw Akari and the other Heroes running toward us, accompanied by the two royal families, knights, and mages.
I stared at the approaching crowd.
"...Shit."
I could already feel the attention shifting toward me.
I quietly sighed.
"I think I brought too much attention to myself."
I glanced around before taking a small step backward.
"I better get out of here."
"Hey, Raito-"
Daito started to speak.
But before he could even turn around completely-
"[Wind Walk]."
WHOOSH!
My body vanished in a sudden gust of wind.
Daito blinked.
"...Huh?"
By the time he looked back, I was already gone.
I reappeared in an empty hallway outside the colosseum, making sure no one had seen me.
I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily as sweat ran down my face.
"I was supposed to keep a low profile..."
I let out a quiet sigh.
"But... it can't be helped. I just can't let someone get hurt while I'm around."
After catching another breath, I walked out of the colosseum.
The battlefield outside had become strangely quiet. The sounds of fighting were gone, leaving only the distant voices of knights and civilians.
I looked up at the sky.
The sun was slowly sinking beyond the horizon.
A warm orange glow spread across the sky, casting golden light over the ruined streets and surrounding buildings. The fading sunlight illuminated the drifting smoke, making it glow softly against the evening sky.
For a moment, the destruction around me almost looked peaceful.
I smiled softly.
"Beautiful..."
I took another deep breath before walking toward the city.
The streets looked completely different from how I remembered them.
Buildings had been reduced to piles of rubble, their walls cracked or completely collapsed. Broken carts and shattered stones littered the streets, while thick smoke still drifted from several places in the distance.
Knights and adventurers moved through the destruction, helping the wounded and searching for survivors.
Some lifted heavy pieces of fallen walls and boulders, desperately checking underneath for anyone who might still be trapped.
"Careful! There's someone under here!"
"Get the healers over here!"
Nearby, several mages knelt beside injured civilians, using healing magic to close wounds and stop the bleeding. Others carried the wounded toward safer areas where they could receive proper treatment.
Some knights stood guard while others helped organize the rescue efforts, directing people away from unstable buildings.
Despite the destruction surrounding them, everyone was working together.
I quietly walked past them, watching the scene in silence.
There were still screams of pain and cries of grief throughout the city.
But mixed among them were voices of relief.
"He's alive!"
"We found another survivor!"
"Keep moving! We still have people to find!"
I lowered my gaze and continued walking.
The kingdom had survived the attack...
But the scars it left behind were everywhere.
Further down the street, several knights and adventurers were carrying supplies through the ruined streets. Some carried boxes filled with medicine and healing potions, while others carried sacks of food and containers of clean water.
"Bring these to the wounded!"
"We need more healing potions over here!"
A few people moved from group to group, handing out food and water to the injured and exhausted civilians. Others carried medical supplies toward the mages treating the wounded.
Despite the destruction around them, everyone was doing whatever they could to help.
Minutes later, I arrived back at The Sleeping Owl.
As I approached the inn, I noticed Dennis outside, clearing away rocks and pieces of rubble that had fallen around the entrance.
He looked up and immediately noticed me.
"Oh, Raito. It's nice to see you're safe, kid."
I gave him a small smile.
"Yeah. It's nice to see you guys are safe too."
I looked toward the building.
The outside of The Sleeping Owl had been badly damaged. Cracks covered parts of the walls, and a massive hole had been blown into the side wall just to the right of the entrance.
I stared at it in surprise.
"Wow... that's a massive hole."
Dennis glanced toward it and sighed.
"Oh, that?"
He shook his head.
"Those damn Spriggans almost wrecked the place."
He picked up a loose rock and tossed it aside.
"Well, it's a good thing one of the Heroes, along with some knights and adventurers, helped kill that thing."
I smiled slightly.
"I see."
Minutes later, the sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon, and night settled over the kingdom.
I was now lying on my bed, staring up at another massive hole above me where my roof used to be.
I let out a tired sigh.
"Well... looks like I'm going to sleep under the stairs tonight."
I stared at the open night sky for a moment.
Then-
Plop.
A small piece of rock fell from the damaged ceiling and landed directly on my bedsheets.
I stared at it in silence.
"...Seriously?"
I let out another sigh and closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep.
Then-
I suddenly opened my eyes.
"Huh...?"
I slowly sat up.
I was no longer in my room.
Instead, I found myself lying on a beautiful white floor covered in soft clouds. I slowly got to my feet and looked around.
Above me was a breathtaking blue sky, stretching endlessly across the horizon.
I smiled.
"It's nice to see you again, Goddess."
I turned around and saw her standing behind me.
Her face was filled with shock.
"Hey! Don't just ruin a deity's big entrance when she summons you!"
I blinked before shrugging.
"Alright, alright. Don't get angry all of a sudden."
I looked at her curiously.
"Anyway, may I ask why you call for me?"
The Goddess cleared her throat before walking toward her throne and sitting down.
"I'll tell you the reason later. For now, I want to hear about your experience meeting your friends again."
I scratched the back of my head.
"Really? Well... it was nice seeing them again. Although, I still couldn't tell which one was who."
The Goddess smiled slightly.
"Well, my spell did change all of your entire body's so that it could properly store and use mana."
"Yeah... I guess you're right."
The Goddess suddenly became more serious.
"Speaking of mana, Raito... have you been experiencing any problems with yours?"
"Problems with my mana?"
I thought for a moment.
"Actually, yeah. I started experiencing something strange while I was fighting. Do you know why?"
"Hmm..."
She placed a finger against her chin, thinking.
"It's because of that Non-Stop Cultivation skill of yours."
I looked at her in confusion.
"My Non-Stop Cultivation skill?"
"Yes. Remember what I told you about the spell I used to change your body so it could properly store and use mana?"
"Yeah."
"Well, your Non-Stop Cultivation skill is constantly amplifying and transforming your mana at an incredibly rapid rate."
She paused.
"My spell can help your body adapt to mana, but it can't keep up with how quickly your skill is increasing and transforming it."
My expression became serious.
"So what are you trying to say?"
The Goddess looked at me.
"You need to give your body time to adjust to the amount of mana you're producing."
Her voice became more serious.
"If you don't, that mana will eventually overload your body."
I froze.
"An overload?"
She nodded.
"Yes. And if your body can't withstand it..."
She paused for a moment.
"You could die."
My eyes widened.
"I could die?!"
I quickly looked down at my hands.
"But how am I supposed to stop it? It's part of the skill's programming. I can't just flip a switch and turn it off."
The Goddess thought for a moment.
"Actually..."
She looked back at me.
"You can."
I raised an eyebrow.
"I can?"
"Have you ever heard of Skill Rewrite?"
I tilted my head.
"Skill Rewrite?"
"Yes."
The Goddess smiled.
"Let me put it in a way that's easy for you to understand."
She raised one finger.
"Skill Rewrite is a skill that allows you to reprogram any skill you possess."
"I can reprogram my skill?"
The Goddess smiled.
"Yes."
A smile slowly appeared on my face.
"Thank you, Goddess."
She nodded before her expression suddenly became more serious.
"Now, Raito... I think it's time I told you the real reason I called you here."
I looked at her.
"What is it?"
The Goddess leaned back against her throne.
"Since you left the Kingdom of Aldoria so quickly, there are many things I haven't had the chance to explain to you."
She paused for a moment.
"But I'll keep this short."
Her expression became more serious.
"Do you know how the first Heroes defeated the Demon Lord?"
The moment I heard those words, my expression became serious.
"Yes, I do know."
The Goddess narrowed her eyes slightly.
"As I suspected. You probably heard about it during your travels."
I shook my head.
"No, Goddess."
I looked directly at her.
"The Demonoid told me."
The Goddess's eyes widened in shock.
"A Demonoid told you?"
"Yes."
"It happened right before the Spriggans attacked Dilenia."
Her expression became anxious.
"I see..."
She paused before asking,
"So what happened to that Demonoid? Did he get away again?"
I shook my head.
"No."
My expression remained calm.
"I killed him after he explained everything to me."
She let out a relieved sigh and placed a hand against her chest.
"I see... that's good to hear."
She took a moment to compose herself before looking at me again.
"Alright then. Since you already know what happened, I guess I should tell you."
Her expression suddenly became serious.
"The reason why I called you here is because I have a mission for you."
I tilted my head.
"A mission?"
"Yes."
She rested one hand against the armrest of her throne.
"I need you to find a certain item for me."
I stared at her.
"A certain item...?"
Something suddenly clicked in my mind.
My expression changed.
I clenched my fist as the Goddess was about to continue.
But before she could say another word, I interrupted her.
"Goddess..."
My voice became serious.
"The item you're talking about..."
I stared directly at her.
"Is it the Holy Sword?"
"Yes. I want you to find it and give it to Daito. He's the only person who can wield it."
"The Hero who wielded it before hid it somewhere that no one-not even I-could find."
I nodded slowly.
"I see... So how am I supposed to find it?"
"The Hero left behind clues that only another Hero can access."
I looked at her in confusion.
"Okay... So where should I start looking for these clues?"
The Goddess answered without hesitation.
"You should start in the Kingdom of Nymariel, the homeland of the Elves."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Nymariel?"
She nodded.
"The previous Heroes were close friends with the royal family there."
I remained silent for a moment, thinking about what she had just told me.
"So the first clue is somewhere in Nymariel..."
The Goddess nodded.
"Exactly."
The Goddess smiled.
"I thought I would have to explain everything to you there. Hehe."
I remained silent for a moment before looking at her seriously.
"Goddess... can I ask you something?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Of course. By all means, ask away."
I stared directly into her eyes.
"Tell me... is the Holy Sword itself the key that will release the Demon Lord?"
The Goddess's smile faded slightly.
"Or..."
I clenched my fist.
"Is it the Holy Sword's holy magic that acts as the key?"
She looked at me, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Is the shape of the sword the key to breaking the seal?"
I paused.
"Or is it the power contained within it?"
The Goddess became silent for a moment.
"It's both."
"Why do you ask?"
Her answer immediately caught my attention.
"The sword itself and its holy power are both necessary."
I lowered my gaze, thinking carefully about her words.
I looked back at her.
"If a different Holy Sword were used on the seal..."
I paused.
"What would happen?"
The Goddess's expression became confused.
"It wouldn't work."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Why are you asking me these strange questions, Raito?"
I didn't answer immediately.
The silence between us grew heavier.
I slowly raised my head and looked directly into her eyes.
"I'm asking because..."
I paused.
"...I won't retrieve the Holy Sword."
The Goddess froze.
"What?"
My expression remained completely serious.
"I will search for it but."
I slowly clenched my fist.
"I won't give it to Daito and the others."
The Goddess stared at me, clearly unable to understand what I was saying.
Then I spoke.
"I'm going to destroy it."
Silence.
The Goddess's eyes widened.
For the first time since I had arrived in her realm...
She looked completely shocked.