Chapter 162: Innocence

Those seemingly innocent words attracted the attendee's attention.

A child in braids then came forward holding a flower crown comprised of several colorful flowers. It was intricate, and the child was very proud in presenting the work in her hands. "Big sister Rae, May built this for you when she heard that you're back here. Please try it on!" The child was named May, and her small hands pushed the crown forward as her eyes twinkled with happiness. Clear admiration was present in every ounce of her actions.

"Aww, this is so sweet. You didn't have to do this!" Estelle responded in delight, taking the flower crown and placing it snugly on her hair. "I'm very happy with the present, May,"

"I respect big sister Rae the most! Before, my role model was big sister Ophelia, but now it's you!" May jumped into Estelle's embrace, hugging her tight. "You are so cool and pretty and strong and, and, uhh.. in conclusion, big sister Rae is May's idol!"

The crowd laughed simultaneously, but they also stole glances at Ophelia's face, wanting to see how she would react. There had been two consecutive incidences that happened today involving comparisons of the two, in which both ended up with Ophelia's loss. If anyone was in Ophelia's position, they would have been upset.

Yet, Ophelia only showed an understanding smile, not letting her facade crumble in the slightest.

Estelle slowly carried May up and stood from her seat, walking up to her mother and transferring the child to her rightful care. "Big sister has to go do her responsibilities now. May will also grow up to be a responsible adult, right?" Estelle poked the child's nose. "With the flower crown May gave big sister, she will definitely go through a power up and solve her work in an instant! Thank you so much, May,"

"Of course~" May made a wide grin as she giggled around. "May learned to make the flower crowns from May's mother! May will make it for big sister anytime she wants, just say what colors and arrangements you want!"

"That's a really generous offer you have there, little child," Estelle chuckled before patting May on the head one last time and turning around towards the door.

"Then, everyone, I will leave now. Truly, thank you for welcoming me this warmly every time I come and visit. About the festival, although I still have no definite answer, it would be my pleasure to join you all!" Estelle nodded at the townspeople and walked out of the house after receiving their replies.

When she arrived outside and stopped to stretch her body for a bit, footsteps resounded behind her. Because she was out of focus, she hadn't listened to the sounds around her. A pair of hands hugged her gently from behind, making her shocked and taken aback. Her instincts to retaliate quickly activated, but it was dispelled once she identified the man who did the act.

It was Aleksei. Upon seeing Estelle's flustered expression, he broke into a grin and spoke up.

"Rae, take care as always. You can be clumsy, so you have to be careful!" Aleksei said with a serious expression.

"Ao! Just look at me, even if I'm clumsy, who dares to offend me?" Estelle joked, earning a lenient sigh from the man. She relaxed knowing that this man was apparently someone who had sacrificed and tried everything for the sake of preserving her. With it, she was reminded of Aleksei Villarante, the man who bore the same name as him and was proposed to be the probable incarnation of the man standing right before her right now.

A sudden bad thought crossed her mind. Aleksei clearly held secrets, and his mind couldn't possibly be normal with the traits he was showing. There was something much deeper that she didn't know. Albeit she hadn't found out yet, with such a being of Aleksei's caliber, it couldn't have been a simple thing.

Estelle's eyes on the man heated up, wondering if this man was truly innocent. The line between innocent and guilty was so quickly evaporated once they

"I'm being serious. Recently, this area.. has been feeling slightly strange. As if something bad is going to happen. Although nothing has become reality yet.. it still makes me feel a bit unsettled. You know how sensitive I am. I think that.."

"Ah, ah. Don't worry too much about me, worry about yourself and the townspeople. They are much more vulnerable than I am,"

"En? Ophelia is just my childhood friend, I'd say that she's one of the closest people in my life. Almost like a.. sister of sorts. The chief is also like a family to me.. They were so welcoming towards me, just like they did to you," Aleksei's expression melted into warmth as he said. "I thought that I have told this story before?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to.. ask,"

"Oh.. are you feeling bothered because me and Ophelia were supposed to dance as the main couple? That.. was a decision made due to everyone's votes. I had no say in it, I was just going with the flow," Aleksei said, defending his case. Even though he was terribly dense, he could somewhat perceive what people accepted as a negative or positive occasion, and how it pertained to one's emotions.

He tried to think in reverse, if Estelle was the one set to be dancing with a man that wasn't him. He found out that he would feel discomforted, so he wanted to appease Estelle by dispelling the doubts that sprouted.

Even though he was capable of thinking like this, he still didn't know that they were basically close enough to be more than a couple. Yet, he never came to realize his feelings according to the story that was given to her.

Estelle came to wonder what made him realize that he was in love with the strange Goddess that suddenly graced his land. Was it a shocking discovery? Was it because she saved the place one more time, piling up more gratitude on their side? Was it because..

There was one thing that bothered Estelle. Even though Estraea was naive, she should at least know not to reveal her identity as a Goddess. However, as the story goes, Aleksei came to know this face. Even Ophelia learned later on. How did this come to be?

Why was the Goddess compelled to reveal her identity? Did they figure it out on their own? Based on her knowledge, the basis of a deity was not that prominent in the current timeline. Because no one had actually known or seen a deity. The Elven community instated the Goddess Estraea as a deity because of their beliefs and wants, their gratitude that was expressed through worship.

However, what made this simple man know? Or perhaps, he is not as simple as he looks?

"I.. have to go now, alright? You take care too. When I come back, I want to see you alive. I want to see everyone alive. Can you do that for me?"

"I'm not as strong as you, but I'm relatively strong. Don't worry while you're out there.. I will protect them.. and their smiles," Aleksei said confidently. "Besides, haven't you told me some tricks? I've been helped quite a lot by those,"

[Classic male protagonist line, check.] Estelle internally rolled her eyes. Was she inside a novel? A fictional media? Well, her story is completely outrageous, her background is shit, and her fate is so gloomy that she wondered if she was even ever going to reach the great sides that was the pinnacle of her glory.

After thinking, she decided that it was time to finally leave for good. So much stalling had happened.

"See you soon, Sei," Estelle bid him goodbye, taking off into the air and leaving the place, increasing in altitude.

"See you too, Rae!" As Estelle flew up high, the man increased his voice's volume, afraid that the woman wouldn't hear him. He waved hard, watching as the woman's figure slowly turned around and focused on the road she flew to, to the point of disappearing from his sights.

He lowered his hands and stilled for a couple seconds, before huffing a breath and coming back inside the house.

Estelle, on the other hand, was approaching the forest. The one that Aleksei had told her about, the one that supposedly started to change and became more dangerous. She flew from above and scanned the area, utilizing her abundant resources to her own advantage. Making use of the Goddess' powers was so convenient that she was afraid that she would struggle once this trip ended.

"I don't see much stuff... What was he talking about?" Estelle wanted to check the area out precisely because people like Aleksei typically had a strong sixth sense, the ability to feel an upcoming threat. She was focused on trying to spot what could've sparked the destruction.

To try and simulate the events.