17. Goddess Aria – 09
“…aria.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. Fortunately, her current appearance was not much different from the one I remembered. From the gray hair like pure white snow falling from the sky, the purple eyes that I thought were like a pair of brilliant amethysts, to the graceful and cool face that might seem like a winter at first glance. All of that must have been the elements that made up the aria I was familiar with.
…However, the Arya in front of me was Arya herself, but at the same time it wasn’t her. It was a very subtle change, but the shape of the face changed to a more mature face than in the past, and the height also slightly increased.
Crucially, it wasn’t the woman I knew who gave off such a bewitching and elegant smile toward others. It wasn’t even a woman who was wearing something that couldn’t be said to be human.
It wasn’t that he was losing his senses because of the vast magic power that had a higher concentration than the oxygen in the atmosphere. The moment I saw Arya smiling at me, the first thought that came to my mind was the intense awe of wanting to kneel down and slam my head into the ground.
Chills. Just by facing her head-on, my thoughts break into pieces like a puzzle, and every corner of my field of vision begins to crumble like a sandcastle. A strange thought filled my head that the woman I was looking at was not the aria I was familiar with.
That’s Goddess Arya. One of the four goddesses who are said to have come down to earth and ruled over humans a thousand years ago. The most end goddess who presides over winter among the four seasons and symbolizes the end of life-
“Oops, even though I greeted you politely from my side first, you haven’t responded. I’m trying to be a little bit upset. The most important thing in a relationship with other people is etiquette in dealing with others, so I think it was none other than Cain himself who taught me.”
Cook, Aria laughs. At the same time, as if responding to her emotions, her magical powers flowed as if dancing, and the energy she wore all over her body grew stronger.
“…under.”
Tongue crisp and dry Simply because she showed her feelings, the cells throughout her body raised their heads and sent warnings to me. I told her not to be here anymore, and not to face her. It was desperately screaming at me in fear that it was not something you could deal with.
However, ignoring all such warnings, I gathered all my courage and opened my mouth to Aria. Because there was one thing I had to check without knowing anything else.
“…aria. where is ariel According to Kyrie, Ariel was by your side until just now.”
“…Ariel.”
The very moment the name ‘Ariel’ came out of my mouth, Arya raised her eyes as if she had felt a real sense of displeasure. As if I didn’t like the fact that another woman’s name came out of my mouth.
“She was with me until just now. But that woman no longer exists on this stage. It must be unpleasant to even imagine that you would focus your attention on a woman other than me at the historical moment when Cain came all the way here to meet me. Even if it’s a small interest, like dust in the corner of a room.”
“…What does that mean? He probably didn’t even kill Ariel.”
“You see me as a very savage woman. didn’t kill After all, she and I have a contractual relationship. Until I fulfill her wish, I cannot kill her even if I want to.”
Arya’s voice was as light as it was when she was my exclusive maid, and at the same time, it had enough weight to make those around her feel heavy just by just existing. The contradiction that could never coexist in one place was clear evidence suggesting that she was more than human.
“…a wish. Come to think of it, Kyrie said that. He said that he had brought the goddess back to this world in order to fulfill his wish. Kyrie’s wish was his own death beyond immortality. Then what was Ariel’s wish?”
“Her wish was also death. Of course, it wasn’t his own death like Kyrie’s wish. The only wish she had hoped for was the death of Aria, the Witch of Winter, who could be said to be the enemy of her one and only daughter.”
“…Witch, Aria’s death.”
“Yes. She has face as a goddess who took care of humans even once, but it is impossible to say two words with one mouth. I promised to grant her wish. With permission to take this life, whenever the time is right.”
“…..”
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My head hurts. He knew very well that a woman named Ariel cared for and loved Tia more than anything else in the world, but I never expected that she would try to resolve that grievance by killing Arya.
…And, is Ariel really serious? Is she really intending to resolve this intertwined conflict by washing away blood with blood?
– …can you trust me? Even if you think I’ve betrayed you, can you trust me until the end and believe that I’m okay with what I do, even just once?
In the past that has already passed, I remember what she once said to me. As always, her voice asked if she could believe in herself and give her trust.
And I definitely answered Ariel’s question like this. I will do that. I will give you faith forever.
then let’s believe The fact that she did not die at Arya’s hand was confirmed, so that’s it. She begged me to believe. If so, wouldn’t it be natural for me to answer her with trust? I’m not sure what Ariel ultimately pursues, but it’s just so clear what I’m supposed to do right now.
“…Yes, Arya. It’s all good, but there’s one thing I just can’t understand no matter how much I think about it.”
“What is it?”
“You are talking about this and that as if you are very proud, but you were kidnapped by Kyrie in the first place, and you did not come here because you wanted to. In other words, the reason you are standing there now was not your will from the beginning.”
“…..”
At my words, Arya’s face, which had been full of composure until now, stiffened very slightly.
“Kyrie, who stood in my way to achieve her own wish, is now lying on the ground. With two pretty holes pierced in her chest, no matter how immortal she is, she can’t afford to interfere with the stage we’re standing on. I don’t know what flattery Kyrie threw at you to seduce you, but I don’t think you have any obligation to continue to be loyal to her.”
“Certainly, that is not wrong. I had no desire to go back to being a goddess or anything like that, and even though omnipotence now hovered in my hands, I had no desire to achieve anything through it. Promising to grant Kyrie’s wish was nothing more than a momentary whim. As much as it was, there was no such thing as a loyalty to protect with her in the first place.”
“…but that’s not my business. I am standing here by my own will. Just as Kyrie and Ariel awakened me as a goddess to achieve their own goals, I am nothing more than standing here for the wish I want to pursue.”
…a wish to pursue? It is not easy to imagine how grandiose Aria’s wish to come true, who has more power than anyone on earth and has omnipotence inside her body, is.
“…Sir Cain. Kyrie el Denaris, a rude woman who kidnapped me without any prior consent and even forcibly awakened me as a goddess. But do you know why I promised to make her wish come true?”
…I do not know. How can I know that I, who don’t even know the heart of a woman close to me, would never be able to understand the benevolent heart of a noble goddess.
“That’s because I deeply sympathized with the wish she longed for so much. It was because the forms of desire she and I pursue are strikingly similar.”
Saying that, Arya raised her finger toward the sky. At the tip of the point where her finger was pointing, there was a sight of a blizzard raging from inside a transparent sphere that made a sound that made hair grow cold just by hearing it.
“See? The identity of that blizzard is none other than a divine power that has been out of my control over the past thousand years. Since I am a goddess whose concept of winter has been hypothesized, my divine powers that are out of my control inevitably take on the form of winter. If I had been sealed, that divine power would not have had any effect on Inse, but since I was released into the world, it also regained its original form.”
“But I don’t have the power to control the blizzard. A person with hands and feet attached to his body can move his limbs at will, but if his hands and feet are cut off for some reason, the fallen limbs will also be unable to move, right? It’s the same. I, too, do not have the power to control the divine power that has been separated from me. If it had been me before being sealed, there would have been a possibility, but after being sealed for a thousand years, I can hardly say that it was impossible.”
Arya’s words are very calm. It seems to be saying the obvious fact that the sun rises in the morning and the moon rises at night.
“It is for this reason that a never-ending winter has always come to this continent in the many regressions that have existed until now. Against my will, that blizzard will rage. The wind will never stop until it freezes and crushes everything in the world.”
“…yes, that blizzard doesn’t stop by any means. With only one exception.”
Her cold, cold eyes shine brightly. Just like Kirie from before, the flesh leaked out from Aria’s whole body. However, if Kyrie’s life was headed for me.
The only difference is that the destination of Arya’s life is none other than herself.
“…You mean the complete elimination of the goddess Aria?”
“yes. If the goddess Aria ceases to exist in this world, that blizzard will also lose its form of winter and return to its original worthless divine power. That was my purpose from the beginning. That’s why I promised to fulfill Ariel’s wish to kill me. I was thinking of dying anyway. I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to make Ariel’s wish come true.”
Arya’s words, answering me, are infinitely light. It was so light that it was hard to believe that it was the tone of someone wishing for their own death.
…and that fact, makes me shudder and tighten up my insides. A disgusting feeling as if the intestines had risen to the end of my throat enveloped my whole body.
“…don’t talk nonsense. You didn’t think I would just sit there and watch you commit suicide in a place like this.”
At my growling words, Aria looks at me and sighs very lightly. With pitiful eyes, as if looking at something blind and ignorant.
“I thought you would react that way, so I sent Kyrie to block the way. Please don’t be foolish. In fact, you know Cain well, right? That there is no other way than for the goddess Aria to disappear.”
“The reason Kyrie awakened me as a goddess was to fulfill her own wish, but at the same time, now was the best time. Thanks to you naming me, I regained my strength faster than in history, and as a result, my awakening as a goddess was not too far away. If it wasn’t for Kyrie, we might have been destroyed without even realizing it.”
“…..”
“I understand Kyrie’s feelings very well. She longed for death, fearing the wear and tear of her memories with you. Because I didn’t want to tarnish my memories with you, who thought I was beautiful.”
“…me too. In the past, the people who surrounded and worshiped me all looked down on me and feared me. I, who oversees the end of life and death, have accumulated nothing but worthlessness over an immeasurable amount of time. It was nothing itself, without pain, loneliness, or suffering. That’s how I lived a life of giving up for a long time.”
“But there has been a change. During the two years I was with you, I was really happy. It was a beautiful time, as if something rich dwelled in my heart, which had been alone for a long time. It was a brilliant time shining like a star, not lacking even compared to my entire life.”
Arya’s voice is low. In her voice, she had a quiet appreciation for me and a little sadness.
“That’s why I can’t tolerate myself. If the end of the two years with you is nothing but the ruin of everything, the memories I have built with you will also become a curse as a result. That much, I just can’t stand it. I also have no intention of tarnishing the end of the happiness and comfort I am feeling right now. Even if my death is included in the process.”
“… Crucially, Lord Cain promised me that day. If I become a bad witch who threatens the world, stop me. That time is now. it’s okay. You’ve already done it once, right? Killing the Wicked Witch deserves praise, now and in the future.”
Saying that, Arya pushed her chest out. If it’s death by your hand, even with a subtle smile as if you’re always welcome.
“…Yes, Arya. Certainly, I made a promise to you. If you become a witch, I will dry you before anyone else in the world.”
I look at her and quietly pull out the sword tied to my waist. Arya’s smile deepens as she looks at the sword in my hand. However-
“However, I did not promise to kill you. He said that if you became a witch, he would definitely restore you to your original state. If you yearn so much for your own death, I will keep you in the way. If you don’t like that, try to stop me with all your might.”
“…So, come on, Arya. Let’s see the future that hasn’t arrived yet, the end of the match that couldn’t be concluded that day, here.”