It was like a white wave—no, more like a wall.
The sight of the group dressed in pure white ceremonial robes, marching with perfectly synchronized strides, was nothing short of spectacular. The once-boisterous crowd fell into a frozen silence, parting like the Red Sea to make way for the procession.
Following Lilia-san’s lead, we moved to the edge of the path and knelt in prayer, with Lilia-san at our head.
A quick glance around revealed this was the local etiquette; the heads of various noble houses knelt at the front, with their attendants positioned behind them. They formed two distinct lines on either side of the road, heads bowed in reverence.
Nearly half the people here were nobles—individuals who held significant status in this kingdom—yet every single one of them was kneeling in the dirt. It was the ultimate testament to the fact that even the highest nobility could not afford to be disrespectful to the figures about to pass. The Three Great Gods possessed an authority that transcended all mortal rank.
In the center of the white-clad priests, the Goddess walked with an unmistakable, overwhelming presence.
Unlike Lunamaria-san’s light blue hair, this woman’s long hair was the color of the deep sea, tied back behind her head. Her eyes were a striking pair of heterochromatic jewels, one red and one blue. She was easily taller than my own hundred and seventy centimeters, and her slender, model-like physique gave her an aura of sublime grace and nobility.
Surrounded by her retinue, she strode forward on long legs. The scene looked less like a religious procession and more like a show staged entirely for her benefit.
This was the Goddess of Time.
Amidst the silence and the prayers, she advanced with regal composure. In an atmosphere so mystical that the only sound was the steady rhythm of her footsteps, the Goddess of Time headed toward the temple—and then she stopped.
"..."
The priests behind her halted instantly. The footsteps vanished, and a heavy silence dominated the area. Then, the Goddess of Time quietly turned her gaze toward us... Wait, what?
Is it my imagination, or is the Goddess of Time looking right at me? No, she’s definitely looking. This isn't a "happened to catch her eye" situation; she’s staring me down. She’s looking at me with a gaze so intense it feels like she’s trying to bore a hole through my skull! Why?!
For some reason, the Goddess of Time remained standing there, her eyes fixed on me. After a moment of contemplation, she began walking toward us with a steady gait—straight toward Lilia-san.
"...Thou art a noble of this kingdom, is that not so?"
"!? Y-Yes... I am... L-Lilia Albert... m-m-my name is..."
The Goddess of Time stood directly before Lilia-san and spoke in a quiet, calm voice. Lilia-san’s lips were trembling as she forced the words out.
She clearly hadn't expected to be addressed directly. Since I was behind her, I couldn't see her face, but her shoulders were shaking like a leaf.
"Is the man waiting behind thee thy servant?"
"N-No, he is... well..."
"Hmm... No, forgive me. Was that a difficult question to answer? If so, thou mayest forget the inquiry."
The Goddess of Time then shifted her gaze back to me. Those red and blue eyes stared into mine with quiet intensity.
"...Man, it seems thou art blessed with quite a strange fate."
"...Eh?"
"Well, such matters are the domain of the God of Fate, so I cannot speak to the specifics... but it is truly intriguing. The pressure I feel radiating from thee... Tell me, exactly which carnage demon has taken a liking to thee?"
"..."
To be honest, I had no idea what she was talking about. But now that I thought about it, Shiro-san had said something similar.
A human who had been favored by Kuromueina... I wondered what that actually implied.
I couldn't find the words to respond. I was too busy being confused by a question I didn't have the answer to. Noticing my silence, the Goddess of Time looked away from me and back toward Lilia-san.
"Lilia Albert, thou said... If I recall, thou wert the one responsible for the Hero Summoning this time?"
"...Y-Yes... that is correct..."
"It seems thou hast managed to draw quite an interesting existence to thy side. I would hear more, but I have other matters to attend to today and cannot spare the time. I wish to have a private audience with thee at a later date. Dost thou have any objection?"
"!?!? Y-Yes! If it is the wish of the Goddess of Time... whenever you desire!"
Lilia-san’s shoulders jumped at the request for an audience, but she quickly pressed her hands to the ground and bowed until her forehead touched the dirt. A wave of murmurs broke out among the surrounding crowd.
This was likely an unprecedented development. Even Lunamaria-san, sitting beside me, was frozen with her eyes wide open in shock.
However, the surprises didn't stop there. Hearing Lilia-san’s response, the Goddess of Time nodded with satisfaction and held her hand over her.
"I see. My apologies for the trouble. I shall have the schedule conveyed to thee at a later time. Forgive the informality, but take this as a token for thy trouble—I grant thee the 'Blessing of Time.'"
"!!??"
Light overflowed from her hand and enveloped Lilia-san’s body.
A blessing from a Supreme God. Even I, with my poor understanding of this world’s common sense, knew what that meant. Even the king of a nation was lucky to receive a blessing from a High-ranking God. This was a gift from a being far above that—a goddess so lofty people were lucky to even see her face. The value of such a thing was beyond measure.
"...I-I-I-It is the highest honor imaginable!"
"Umu. Then we shall meet again during our audience. I shall 'remember' thy name."
With that, the Goddess of Time glanced at me one last time and resumed her walk toward the temple. The priests, who had been momentarily stunned, scrambled to follow her.
Lilia-san remained in her prostrate position, motionless. She looked like she had turned to stone.
A few moments later, once the Goddess's retinue had vanished from sight, Lunamaria-san moved with lightning speed. She scooped Lilia-san up and shouted to us.
"Everyone! To the carriage, now!!"
"""!?"""
She took off running and literally threw the petrified Lilia-san into the waiting carriage. She just tossed her in there! Is it really okay to treat her employer like that?
Lunamaria-san leaped onto the driver’s seat and grabbed the reins. As soon as the three of us scrambled inside, she snapped the whip.
I understood why she was in such a panic a moment later, when a thunderous roar of cheers erupted behind us. Lilia-san, having received an extraordinary blessing from a Supreme God, was now the center of the world. If we had stayed there, we would have been swarmed by people with endless questions. It would have been a nightmare.
Thanks to Lunamaria-san’s quick thinking, we escaped before the chaos could fully descend. Since we weren't exactly criminals, no one pursued us. After we had put some distance between us and the temple, Lunamaria-san breathed a sigh of relief, handed the reins back to the actual driver, and climbed into the carriage.
She picked up Lilia-san—who was still stiff in the exact position she had been thrown—and started shaking her.
"My Lady! My Lady! Pull yourself together!!"
"...Hah!? L-Luna? Eh, ah, awawawawa... I... w-w-w-what just..."
"It’s incredible, My Lady! Not only did the Goddess of Time remember your name, but you even received a blessing! This is a monumental achievement!!"
"Awawa... i-i-it really wasn't a dream. T-t-t-the Goddess of Time... a b-b-blessing..."
This was bad. Lilia-san was in the middle of a total meltdown. She was trembling so violently that her usual refined grace was nowhere to be found, and her eyes were darting around like a cornered animal. To be honest, it was kind of adorable.
"No, My Lady. I can't understand a word you're saying. Please, calm down."
Lunamaria-san was the only one who could even attempt to talk sense into her in this state. Unfortunately, it seemed Lilia-san was the type of person who couldn't be stopped once her panic reached critical mass.
"I-I-I can't! W-w-why did this happen... awawa—kyuu."
"My Lady!? Hey, My Lady!?"
Ah. Lilia-san’s brain had finally hit its capacity. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out. I could swear I saw actual steam rising from her scalp.
We decided to halt our journey until Lilia-san recovered. The carriage pulled over onto a side road, and Lilia-san lay down on the seat with a wet towel draped over her forehead.
"Unyuu~"
I let out a wry smile at the cute little groans she was making as we discussed the situation.
"Senpai... your Beckoning Cat Effect is truly terrifying."
"Yes... I was shuddering myself. I'm just glad I didn't try to pray to Miyama-sama."
"Wait, is this really my fault?"
"Regardless of whether it's your fault or not, the Goddess of Time was clearly interested in you, Miyama-san."
I guess that was true. She had said some very strange things. Between Shiro-san and the Goddess of Time, why was I suddenly attracting the attention of every supreme being in existence?
"Oh, that reminds me... changing the subject, what is the Goddess of Time's actual name?"
"I don't know. Generally, Gods don't give their names, and even other deities refer to them by their titles. I certainly haven't heard it. The high priests might know the names of Low-ranking Gods, but when it comes to the Supreme Gods, I doubt anyone outside the God race knows."
"..."
She was definitely different from the Goddess I knew—Shiro-san. Shiro-san had introduced herself the second she opened her mouth!
Well, she was a friend of Kuro’s... I decided to just classify Shiro-san as a special case and focus on the problem at hand.
"But can Lilia-san really handle a 'private audience' with the Goddess of Time in this state?"
"Hee!? O-One-on-one!?"
I mean, Lilia-san was the one invited. She was the Duke, and she was the one responsible for the summoning...
"L-Luna... help me..."
"That is quite impossible. No matter how you look at it, a mere servant like me cannot attend an audience with a Supreme God. I wouldn't even be allowed through the door."
Lilia-san sat up abruptly and looked at Lunamaria-san with pleading eyes, but the maid just shook her head sympathetically.
"I couldn't do it either! Just the thought of a Supreme God makes my skin crawl. Doing it one-on-one is..."
Lilia was on the verge of tears. She was completely overwhelmed.
"...Perhaps Miyama-san would be permitted to attend?"
"!!!!!"
"Huh?"
"It’s true. The Goddess of Time seemed interested in Miyama-sama. In fact, I suspect the main reason she wants an audience with My Lady is actually to get to him..."
Wait. The conversation was taking a dangerous turn. Lilia-san was staring at me with watery, desperate eyes. She was staring hard.
"N-No, but I'm just an ordinary commo—"
"Please come with me! Kaito-san!!"
"Whoa!?"
I wanted to turn her down—my stomach was already starting to hurt just thinking about it—but Lilia-san literally lunged at me.
"Please! You have to help me!!"
"L-Lilia-san!? Your f-face is too close! And you're too strong!"
"There's no one else I can rely on! I can't do this alone! I absolutely can't!"
"Desperate" didn't even begin to cover her expression, but the real problem was the physical contact. She was surprisingly soft, and between her teary eyes and the faint, lovely scent of her perfume, the destructive power was off the charts.
I tried to pull away, but I couldn't believe how much strength was packed into her slender frame. She was clinging to me like a limpet. This was way too much stimulation for a guy who had been a loner his entire life. Beyond that, she was squeezing my back so hard it actually hurt. Like, a lot.
This wasn't a hug anymore; it was a spine-cracking bear hug.
"I-I get it! I'll go with you! I'll go!!"
"Kaito-zaaaaann!!"
"Wait, Lilia-san... I can't... breathe..."
"Thank youuuuuu so much!!"
"Stop... really... I'm going... to pass... out..."
My life was in legitimate danger. Realizing that agreeing was the only way to get her to let go, I desperately gasped out my consent.
Lilia-san’s face lit up with an expression of pure, tearful relief, as if she had been granted a divine pardon... and then she hugged me even tighter. I heard a very ominous creaking sound from my ribs, and my consciousness faded to black.
Dear Mother, Father—how should I put this? Today has been one disaster after another, and I really have to ask—how did it come to this?