276 – Immersion
As soon as I heard the goddess’ words, I was able to realize what her purpose was.
Those two are now going down to Middle Earth.
I could roughly understand what that meant.
The gods can only indirectly intervene in Middle Earth through apostles they have personally chosen or believers who serve them.
Direct intervention, that is, going down directly to the ground, is an action that violates the rules of the gods.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the goddess was banished to the earth and her powers were sealed in treasures.
I wanted to stop it, but I couldn’t intervene in any way because the scene I was watching was just a replay of something that had already happened in the past.
Even if I could have intervened, the moment I saw the Goddess’ expectant face, I had no choice but to unconsciously return my outstretched hand and just watch.
“Sister. “You haven’t forgotten the golden rule, have you?”
“Of course I remember. Be sure to return before dawn. “How could I, the goddess of the night, not know that?”
“You are also the goddess of lies. Who knows, maybe she’s lying?”
“hehehe. You do not have to worry. “I don’t plan on causing any trouble either.”
As if procrastinating no longer was a waste, the goddess grabbed the handle of her door and swung it open without any warning.
At the same time, the wide field and embroidered night sky spread beyond the door.
As if they were fascinated by the beautiful sight, the two sisters stood in place for a while, enjoying the beauty of nature.
“This is what the sky looks like from below. “It’s always a view you only see from above.”
“The wind carrying the scent of wild flowers… “I can vividly feel natural objects changing with the passage of time.”
The goddess looked at her younger brother and smiled captivatingly.
“What do you think? Do you still regret coming down to Middle-earth?”
“···It might not be a bad idea to stop by like this sometimes.”
“hehehe. The more different places you visit, the more you will like them. Just seeing it from above and experiencing it directly are completely different.”
However, unlike her older sister, Eater I still felt like my anxiety had not completely disappeared.
“Sister. Wandering around Middle-earth is dangerous. Then, if you happen to encounter a human…”
“Actually, I don’t really understand. This beautiful world was created by us working together. “Isn’t it too much of a loss to just appreciate it from a distance and not experience it directly?”
“Because it is such a beautiful world, we must preserve it. It’s like a craft so fragile that it breaks if you touch it wrongly. Especially humans.”
Even though the goddess nodded her head as if she agreed with her sister’s words, she could not erase her disappointed expression.
A moment of silence came, and she flopped down on her back, spread her arms, and began to admire the sky.
“Still, it’s such a beautiful world. “It would be a waste to leave it all to humans.”
“······.”
I watched that scene from the beginning and felt a complex feeling that was difficult to describe.
“What’s wrong?”
After hesitating for a moment in response to Franken’s direct question, I looked at the lying goddess and answered.
“I had no idea. “She never thought the goddess would think like this.”
“You don’t need to worry too much. This memory is from the distant past, well over 5,000 years ago. “Even if the rivers and mountains change, it’s been so long that they’ve changed more than 500 times.”
Saying that, Franken shrugged his shoulders.
“And to put it bluntly, it’s not like the goddess treats humans like dirty cockroaches, right? “I just said it was a waste because the world is too beautiful for humans to live in.”
“···In the end, doesn’t it mean the same thing?”
“Well. “What’s certain is that they didn’t look at us that way.”
The goddess certainly truly cared for and loved me. That fond feeling was never light enough to be created by hiding one’s true feelings and making things up.
···Is that enough?
Even if the goddess hates all mankind, does it make no difference as long as she loves only me?
While she was lost in her thoughts, something appeared and approached her field.
The two goddesses, who had raised their guard at first, erased their hostility and showed curiosity when they realized the identity of the uninvited guest.
“It’s a rabbit.”
“It’s cute…”
“I see that it is smaller than the one offered as a burnt offering. Is it a baby?”
Following her pure curiosity, I scolded her older sister with her disgusted expression.
“I’m listening right in front of you, but it’s a sacrifice. “Aren’t you pitiful?”
“Eterna. It is said that rabbits are not intelligent enough to hear and understand conversations. “Only intelligent beings can do that.”
“Who doesn’t know that…! “What I’m saying is, it’s not polite to do that right in front of you!”
“Sometimes you are too sensitive and it’s a shame.”
After a petty argument between her sister and brother, I squatted down on her knees and held out her hand to her rabbit.
Attracted by her goddess status, the rabbit approached her without resistance and buried his nose in her hand.
I smiled slightly and stroked her rabbit with her soft touch, feeling her unfamiliar yet amazing texture.
“He’s a good kid. “I wanted to take him in and raise him.”
“There is no grass in the temple that rabbits can eat.”
“I know. “I just said it.”
I wonder if she was sincere when she said she wanted to raise the rabbit. Even after a while, she could hardly take her attention off the rabbit. The goddess, who was looking at this situation, eventually turned her gaze to the place where her rabbit appeared and spoke to her younger brother.
“It looks like this kid came from that forest. How about going over there?”
“···But it’s dangerous to leave near the door.”
“It’s okay. Just by looking at this area, it seems like a remote area that has never been visited by people. Moreover, humans are afraid of wolves and bears in the forest, so they don’t dare enter them.”
After giving in to her older sister’s subtle flirting and her desire to see more animals, I ended up nodding her head.
“Okay. Instead, she stays a little while and comes right back.”
“hehehe. Of course.”
So the two walked slowly into the forest, holding the rabbit in their arms.
No particularly notable events have occurred so far.
Although the words the former goddess muttered to herself earlier were somewhat meaningful, as Franken said, they were merely passing remarks. Above all, the goddess at that time had not yet encountered a human in person.
Then why is Franken showing me this scene?
Based on the atmosphere so far, I don’t think anything special will happen right away. If a problem arose after going down to Middle Earth, wouldn’t it be okay to just show the situation?
···For now, let’s keep watching.
I looked at the backs of the two goddesses walking away for a moment and then slowly walked away.
The forest was peaceful, but not quiet. All kinds of sounds were filling the world.
The sound of birds chirping, the sound of water flowing along the valley, the sound of the wind flowing through the dense trees, and even the constant footsteps of guests visiting the forest.
The clean beauty of nature seemed to have unfolded in perfect form.
“···I don’t think I would be bored even if I lived here for the rest of my life.”
It felt full of truth to hear an immortal god, especially the goddess of time, say that.
As Eterna had hoped, many more diverse animals than rabbits coexisted in the forest, each living their own lives. They were not afraid of strangers who came to the forest, but instead welcomed them with a curious attitude.
“Deer, wild boar, this is a sparrow.”
The goddess was also smiling softly as she looked at the animals that flocked to her side one by one.
The sight of two transcendentally beautiful women surrounded by animals in the forest was like a scene from a movie.
However, the more I watched such a peaceful scene, the more my doubts grew.
“Ugh…”
At that moment, I was startled by the sight of a raccoon passing in front of me and quickly grabbed her nose.
Why does it smell so bad…? Is it a skunk and not just a raccoon?
I was momentarily surprised because it passed right through me, but later I realized what state I was in and was able to get my mind together.
At first, I was very nervous because I thought I would learn the secrets of this world, but I ended up cowering in surprise from something like a skunk. What on earth am I doing right now?
I was completely drained by the sudden sense of desperation and called Franken.
“Franken. If you take a break for a while… What?”
I looked around and realized it too late.
At some point, Franken disappeared next to me.
‘Where did this person suddenly go?’
Did I miss something?
In fact, rather than watching those two goddesses, isn’t it true that they came at this time for a different purpose?
So Franken thought I was following him and went to his destination, leaving me alone.
“Haa…”
It was a frustrating situation that made me sigh, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I have no choice but to watch the goddess while waiting for Franken to come back to find me.
Putting aside the unknown discomfort, I continued to observe the two goddesses in the forest.
The stench of the skunk was so bad.