Chapter 2, Episode 33: The Gods

『So, the culprit was never found? 』

　Lars-sama, who had entered my room, shook his head in response to Cyril's question.

"We are currently investigating.
　The fact that they were able to obtain such an ancient secret medicine suggests that they must be a fairly large organization.
　The country and the temple are conducting an all-out investigation."

『What is the connection with those who used forbidden spells? 』

"It's hard to say with the current situation.
　However, there is a significant gap of 300 years between the creation of the forbidden spell and the development of the drug that enabled the creatures to grow so large.
　The medicine was also under the protection of the Holy Tree religion, which mankind began to develop in an attempt to overcome food shortages.
　The organizations that developed them are different, which makes it difficult to obtain the secrets of both.
　It may be a bit of a stretch to link them to the same organization."

『I see. Then that's good.』

　Cyril nodded as she said this.
　Does Cyril have any idea what's going on?

『Riese, Libelle, I have something important to tell you.
　You priests should listen carefully too――』

　Cyril's expression was serious.
　So we kept quiet.

■□■

　What Cyril explained to me was――About forbidden spells.
　Once upon a time. A long time ago.

　There was a god greater than the Holy Trees in this world.
　The most powerful god of the past disappeared, and the gods fought over who would become the next great god.
　At that time, humans were also caught up in the war between the gods, fighting for the gods they worshipped, and in the end, the world was destroyed.
　The gods destroyed the world for their own selfish desires.
　What remained was a land cursed by the clash of the gods, unable to be purified.
　The gods who fought exhausted their power――And they were sealed deep underground.
　They were imprisoned under the earth forever by a god who did not participate in the battle as punishment for destroying the land.
　The name of the god who did not participate in the battle was Altena-sama.
　The god of the earth, sky, and greenery.
　She planted the seeds of the Holy Trees.
　So that the destroyed world may be revived.

　The Holy Trees drained their power.

　The power of the gods sealed deep within the earth.


"Then……the holy trees are……"

　Lars-sama asked Cyril with a surprised look on his face.
　It seems that even Lars-sama didn't know about it.

『That's right. They are beings that drain the power of the gods, returning it to the earth.
　The land cursed by the battle of the gods can only be purified by the power of the gods themselves.
　But even if purified, it is quickly cursed again. Because an eternal curse is engraved on the earth.
　If left unattended, the gods imprisoned underground will eventually regain their power.
　Therefore, the holy trees continue to absorb the power of the sealed gods in the underground and return it as greenery through the saints so that these gods do not regain their power.
　The Holy Trees have two missions.
　One is to suck out the power so that the gods will not be revived.
　The other is to continue purifying the land cursed by the gods and maintain its lush greenery.
　The forbidden spell was probably given to humans by the sealed gods underground in order to destroy the sacred trees that were draining their power. In other words, forbidden spells are magic used by the gods.　It possesses power greater than that of the Holy Tree.
　Just like the saint of Faralina, who was turned into a ghoul and had her soul stolen, despite being under divine protection. You mustn't touch the ghouls under any circumstances. Just be prepared for that.』

　Everyone fell silent at Cyril's words.

"If a ghoul appears, is there no way to defeat it? "

　When Farne-sama asked,

"Well, ghouls have limited regenerative abilities. If you destroy their body to the point where their recovery ability can't keep up, you should be able to defeat them. Don't worry, they don't have the same restorative power as the protection from the holy tree that we and the you priests have.
　If it's just a matter of defeating them, we can do it with our own strength.
　The problem is that even the slightest touch will turn even a saint into a ghoul. "

　Right－－Libelle's mother, Saint Klau, could have defeated the ghouls if she had wanted to.
　The reason she couldn't do it was because she felt guilty about hurting those who were once her friends.
　The kindness she felt in wanting to help them escape their undead state ended up holding her back.
　In order to protect Libelle from the ghouls, she concentrated her protective barrier on Libelle, neglecting her own defense, and was attacked at that moment.

　Her death was the result of a series of unfortunate events.

"It is truly an honor to hear such valuable stories from you……Does Cyril-sama believe that forbidden spells have been revived? "

　When Lars-sama asked, Cyril shook her head.

『I don't have proof.
　I guess you could call it wild instinct. I have a bad feeling about this.』

　Saying that, Cyril gazed into the distance.

　
　■□■

　After that, Cyril said it was time to go to bed, so we got ready for bed and went to sleep.
　Today there are four beds, Farne-sama is next to mine, and Cyril and Libelle are sleeping in the same room.
　But Libelle is sleeping with Cyril. They sleep in the same bed.
　She's sleeping soundly, clinging to Cyril's tail, still the size of a stuffed animal.
　Libelle may have felt lonely after hearing her mother's story.

　I should be happy sleeping next to Farne-sama in the bed next to mine, just like in the old days.　
　But for some reason, I feel really confused.
　A bad feeling weighs heavily on my heart.
　What should I do? What should I do? I wonder why? Because I heard a story about the gods?
　I need to put a lid on my bad feelings.
　They keep overflowing and can't be stopped.
　I tossed and turned repeatedly on the soft bed, but I couldn't sleep and felt restless.

"Can't sleep? "

　After tossing and turning several times, Farne-sama spoke to me.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up? Did I wake you up? "

"It's okay."

　Perhaps sensing my uneasiness, Farne-sama came over to my bed, sat down, and squeezed my hand.

"Are you alright? "

"I don't know. I feel a tingling sensation deep in my chest.
　It feels tight, foggy, and black."

　I was reminded of a long-forgotten sensation.
　When I was about to be assaulted by my aunt, I was overcome with anxiety.
　I was afraid someone would come to my room.
　Because I was assaulted every time the door to my room opened.
　So I prayed for the door to stay closed. Don't open. That's what I wanted.
　But before I noticed, violence became the norm.
　Ah, I had resigned myself to enduring the pain.
　It's been so long that I forgot.

　
"It's all right. The forbidden spell will not be revived.
　Lars-sama and the country are working toward that goal.
　The suspects will be caught soon."

　Farne-sama said and gently stroked me.

　Yeah. That's right.
　Farne-sama, Kardiana-sama, Cyril, and Libelle are all here.
　Everything's gonna be okay, right?

　Farne-sama's hands were really warm.
　I felt at ease.
　And before I knew it, I was getting sleepy.

　As expected, I like being near Farne-sama the best.
　I love, really love Farne-sama.

　I wish every day could be like this.
　I wish I could grow up quickly.
　Then maybe I can sleep with Farne-sama again?

　I fell asleep while thinking so.

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