CH 17

note : short chapter! (dunno why it’s short)

I’m on the zone todayy! let’s gooooooo!

sorry for any errors!

(sorry if i added too many gifs, I’m too bored lol)

(also if Abne dropped her ~, it means she’s a little serious, hehe)

Although there was a little crisis, we somehow cleared the Werewolf Quest and returned to the Guild Hall to claim the rewards.

Erina, who looked depressed, eventually regained her energy and returned to her cheerful self…

“Harold-san! Look at this! I turned in more Mana Stones, so I got extra reward!”

Clink- clink-

Although the pouch is small, a squeaking sound leaked out when the pouch, which looked quite full, was slightly shaken.

I was glad that she had completed the first quest, so I felt quite relieved.

“And is this a token of my vow to Goddess Abne? The silver crescent is so beautiful that I want to use it as a necklace!”

There were only two pledge token that she had collected.

A total of 50 are needed to receive the rewards up to level 10.

It is said that when one offers a vow to a specific god, an pledge is forged within the contractor, carrying the color and magic that symbolize the god.

Consequently, when the contractor slays a monster, they will drop a pledge token along with a mana stone, which bears resemblance to the god’s identity.

It is said that Goddess Abne was born under the light of the moon shining with a tranquil light, and as if to prove it, the token of Abne’s pledge is in the shape of a moon that symbolizes the night, and has a silver background with dark borders that signify the vast universe.

“Some people have at least one as a souvenir, but I suppose you can wait until you got more of it…”

In fact, even in the game, if you receive all the bond rank rewards, you can no longer obtain a token of the pledge related to the god, so some players get a little extra token before receiving all the rewards, as a souvenir.

“Hmm~ I should do as Harold-san said!”

While saying that, she nods her head vigorously and immediately began to move towards the temple where Goddess Abne was.

“Now then! Let’s go to the temple!”

She displayed an exuberant enthusiasm, reminiscent of a child on a picnic, as she ran ahead.

At one point, she turned back and flashed me a smile, leaving me with a warm and comforting sensation.

I was relieved right now to see her being cheerful again as I follow her slowly.

◆◆◆

“Hmm~, you came back~. My servant, what did you come to see me for~?”

When we returned to the temple, Goddess Abne greeted us in a formal way.

“Yes, this Erina Viheria….is here to offer the goddess my tribute…”

Erina, with a hint of pretentiousness, recited solemn lines, gracefully kneeling down on one knee and bowing her head in a respectful salute.

Holding the two tokens of the pledge she had obtained earlier in both hands, she raised them towards Abne

Goddess Abne, seemingly pleased, smiled and nodded in approval.

Nod nod

“Even though it was your first adventure, you did well~. My servant~, if you bring back more tokens, I will present a reward for your loyalty~.”

Shiing!

At the same time, Goddess Abne stirred in the air, and the token in Erina’s hand became blurred as if it was a mirage, and then disappeared as if it had never existed.

“Thank you Abne-sama…”

After bowing her head once more, Erina carefully rose to her feet. Her face radiated warmth as she once again lowered her head and offered a polite greeting to Abne.

“By the way, it looks like you’ve been fighting a pretty rough battle~, the muddy, broken armor gives me a glimpse of what happened to you~.”

As Abne spoke again, her tone returned to its usual lightness. She looked at Erina with curious eyes and asked her questions.

“No…, my condition is nothing more than a result of my own arrogance, failing to properly understand the situation…”

Then, suddenly, she stood up and faced me-

“Without you, Harold-san, I would have been torn apart and wouldn’t have made it here on my own. If something had gone wrong, I probably wouldn’t even exist in this world anymore…”

The fight with the Great Werewolf was indeed dangerous, and she did suffer serious wounds, but it seemed that she may have exaggerated about me…

I noticed that her tone is heavier, and suddenly an anxiety of unknown origin resonated within me.

Erina eyes seemed to have darkened…devoid of any lights…

It was flattering to receive her compliments, but the realization that I was being overly praised filled me with embarrasment and a desire to silence her.

“No, Erina…You tried your best.., so I can tell that you worked hard—”

“No, I can’t do anything at all. Please reprimand me, Harold-san. You are the reason and blessing that keeps me here. You are my savior.”

At some point, there was a hint of madness in Erina’s voice, and Abne narrowed her eyes-

“So… Harold-san…-“

As Erina’s tone grew increasingly darker, I found myself compelled to step forward, closing the distance between us despite the growing unease.

Tap!

“Erina… are you okay?”

Unable to bear the growing sense of unease and her increasingly peculiar behavior, I reached out and gently grasped Erina’s shoulder, hoping to bring her back to her senses.

“E-eh?! … H-Harold-san…?”

Then, in surprise, her face blushed-

“No, the atmosphere is a little strange, so…”

Then she returned to her usual mood.

“Ah… yes? Yes…yes…at least I don’t think I did anything at the fight…”

She was enveloped in self-deprecation, her voice filled with sorrow, but I reassured her in a comforting tone-

“No, It’s okay, you did your best, so stop saying things like that, Erina.”

Hearing my words, the color of her face returns and she nods her head vigorously and regains her confidence.

nod-

Her emotional changes were so extreme that I doubted if she had a mental problem…

“Aehm!~ Hmmm~… Then, if you’re done, can you leave first? I need to have a little talk with Harold again~.”

Goddess Abne cleared her throat, signaling Erina to leave, and with an dark expression, she looked down at us, hinting that she had something to say to me.

“T-then I’ll do that, Harold-san! I’ll be waiting outside!”

Srrkkk!

As Erina exited through the door of the audience, a moment of silence enveloped the cozy, spacious room where only the two of us remained.

…

..

.

Finally, breaking the silence, Goddess Abne spoke up, her voice cutting through the silence.

“What the hell did you do to twist her personality like that?!”

As she confronted me with the absurdity I had been desperately trying to ignore, her questioning took on an accusatory tone with looking at me suspiciously.

“I-I don’t even know… All I did was help and encourage her…”

Then, as if in disbelief, she narrowed her eyes with suspicion, but then shook her head and let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh… I already mentioned this before… Erina has a fragile mind that is prone to distortion…

While she may appear calm on the surface, if you don’t handle it properly, it can lead to negative outcomes for both of you.

So, be mindful. If she loses herself and relies on you too much, she will become increasingly dependent on you…”

If she has a mind that is easily hurt, it also means that offering encouragement can have a positive impact on her…right?

“If you really want that woman named Erina to do well, you need to be more careful, Harold.”

Srkkk-

At that moment, the door to the audience opened, and a warm light from the hallway spilled into the room-

“Still, your help isn’t meaningless. Take care, Erina’s growth potential is as extraordinary as her ability-”

“…I’m sorry, but I have a question…, I know she has tremendous potential, but is she capable enough for you to say such a thing, Goddess..?”

Upon hearing that, I gathered the courage to ask her a question that had been steadily growing in my mind for some time.

nod-

Then, she nodded in response.

“Yes… But over the years, I’ve only encountered a few individuals with such extraordinary abilities, making the examples quite limited. Nevertheless, every single one of them yielded identical results.”

“Hmm~ truly, as the saying goes, humans can be destroyed, but never defeated, and the concept of ‘will’ in mortals is undeniably potent~…”

In addition, she uttered words that I had come across numerous times in the game, reciting human saying, despite her divine nature.

“The will of mortals has forever wielded a power so formidable that even the gods tremble in its presence.

It is akin to a sacred sword capable of surmounting any adversity, guided solely by one’s determination, and capable of slicing through even the most transcendent beings…”

Hearing something akin to the Bible gave me a weird feeling…

…

..

.

Then, I found myself engaged in several conversations with Goddess Abne.

As there was no more business to attend to, I approached the open door and bid farewell to Goddess Abne, as she offers me words of encouragement-

“Then~ work hard, Harold~.”

“Thank you, Goddess…I will do my best…..”

Leaving behind those few brief words, I bowed and stepped away from the closed door of the audience chamber, walking toward the hall.

Tap- tap-

As I walked, the shadows from the hall window passed by me with every step.

At the end of the hall, standing still, was Erina.

I approached Erina, who was drawing nearer, and joined her side as we began walking together aimlessly.

…

..

“Hmm~…hm? Looking at the sun already rising in the middle of the sky…, it seems like lunchtime has come!

…Would you like to have lunch with me somewhere, Harold-san?”

With a radiant smile, as bright as the sun, she gently takes hold of my hand.

note : wwwwwww Harold will get into so much trouble when he go back to meet Eleanor at this point