Chapter 386: The Sun God

Chapter 386: The Sun God

After barely appeasing Celeste, who pouted at me for bringing up Stardus, we continued on, up and down the hill, me leading the way.

After a while

-Whew.

"...What the hell is going on here?"

...Now, for some reason, the wind was blowing harder up the hill.

I brought her to this place, a unique meadow with green hills.

For some reason, there were few people in sight, but as we traveled deeper into the hills, the wind began to blow strongly, accompanied by mist.

"That's because the secret I told you about is here."

"...Can't we just fly there?"

Celeste was dumbfounded to see the hill, which had been a bright green hill just a moment ago, suddenly foggy and windy just because she took a few more steps.

Her elegant silver hair whipped wildly in the wind, and I replied with an embarrassed smile as she looked irritated.

"Probably not, this is a place of special powers, and if you don't go the way it's supposed to be done, it won't open up."

"...I see, seeing as how my powers aren't working. And the fog doesn't clear."

Celeste threw her hands up in the air and muttered.

...She already tried to stop this fog and wind but it doesn't seem to have worked.

"Haha, it can't be helped, can it? Come with me, I'll lead the way."

"Hmm..."

As I say that, holding out my arm with a smile on my face, Celeste takes my hand with a blunt expression.

As her slightly slender, cold hand touched my palm, I hid my embarrassment.

...Mmm. I held out my hand, expecting a "What the hell, I don't want it, get rid of it!" reaction, but she took it without too much hesitation, which was rather embarrassing.

"What are you doing? Come on, let's go."

"...Okay."

Anyway, as we walked hand-in-hand on the windy hill, Celeste kept her other arm in front of her face and kept asking.

"Seriously, what kind of date is this...? I really hope there's something great at the end of this."

She sounded annoyed, but I just smiled and replied,

"Haha, you don't have to worry about that."

Why did I came to this hill somewhere in the US with an excuse for a date?

Of course, I didn't come because I found a date spot online somewhere but because there's something here, something that, with a high probability, would appeal to Celeste.

Anyway, for that reason, we continued to climb the foggy hill, not seeing a single thing in sight.

Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing.

Halfway up

"...! Watch out!"

"...?!"

Suddenly, something came flying towards us from the shadows in the strong wind, and I reflexively pulled Celeste into a hug.

...I thought that Celeste should be stronger than me, so I quickly let go and apologized.

"Hmmmmm."

Celeste didn't seem to mind at all.

...On the contrary, she nodded and hummed, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Except, somehow, she started to slide away from my side. Before I knew it, I had let go...

As a side note, whatever garbage had flown in earlier had already been reduced to dust by Celeste before it even touched us.

We walked on for a few more minutes, the wind at our backs.

"...So, what are we going to find?"

Celeste was starting to get annoyed by now.

"We're almost there."

I said.

-Whooooooooooo...

The wind had finally stopped.

After walking uphill for a long time, we finally reached the open flatlands.

...We were still shrouded in thick fog, but now that we could see the flatland, we knew we had reached the top.

And there it was, filled with fog.

Confident that I had reached the top, I could finally smile.

I had finally made it to this place I could never reach on my own.

"...Surely, this isn't the end, is it, Egostic?"

Up there in the fog, when Celeste asked me.

"Of course not. This is just the beginning. Now, Celeste. Don't you feel something is off?"

"What do you mean...? Wait a minute. Um..."

She mumbled that, her hand on her chin, as if she sensed something strange.

I gave her a hint.

"Try using your sun power. I mean, try to channel it to its fullest extent."

"...Okay. Hmph...!"

At my words, Celeste immediately closed her eyes and stretched out her hand to chant.

Ping-!

With a clear sound, a warm golden color erupted from her hand.

At that moment, as if the ocean was parting, all the thick fog on top of the hill began to dissipate.

When our vision finally cleared, what we saw in the distance was.

"Wow..."

The sun was shining from behind, like a halo and a white stone statue rose so high that it pierced the sky.

It's almost as tall as a building, and it's carved with a figure of a man that looks so imposing that it's almost divine.

"...No way."

"Yes. That's right."

I felt something in front of Celeste, who was trembling slightly.

I chuckled, spreading my arms wide against the backdrop of the stone statue.

"Welcome to the Statue of the Sun God."

A statue of the Sun God and the only remaining statue in the world that depicted the Sun God.

In the original story, Celeste was a devotee of the Sun God.

She was saved from a hopeless life by the god.

Of course, even then, she was in agony when the Sun God ordered her to destroy the world, which shows just how badly the Sun God was...

Anyway, the bottom line is that she still doesn't know the true nature of the Sun God, and she's still a Sun God fanatic.

What she didn't know was what the Sun God looked like when he manifested as a human.

How would she feel if she saw it for the first time, not as a 1:1 scale figure, but as a 100:1 scale stone statue?

I'm pretty sure she'd die of excitement.

"This... this is what the Sun God really looks like..."

There, on a hill in the sky, towers a giant statue of the Sun God.

I smiled bitterly as she continued to stare up at the divine figure, her hands clasped together in prayer, deeply impressed.

'...For her to act like that.'

How cruel of me to encourage her to betray the Sun God with her own hands.

Even if that god tried to destroy the world...Phew.

As I pondered these complicated thoughts, I looked up at the Sun God himself.

He was a sharp-looking man with plain hair and a nonchalant expression.

...Well, more accurately, an androgynous figure with no gender, but whatever.

There he was, the beginning of all tragedy.

The man who killed the God of the Stars, destroyed the God of the Moon, and sealed himself away after a long battle.

...And the man who caused Stardus and me to suffer so much.

Hellios, God of the Sun.

'...I will take you down, and I will take you down hard.'

I muttered that as I looked up at his brazen carapace, then turned and walked away with a smirk on my face.

And what better way to defeat him than to have his only saint betray him?

With that thought, I crept quietly to the back while Celeste was preoccupied with the statue.

A small stone gate was visible behind the scaffolding on which the Sun God's feet rested.

'...Although it takes pure solar power to reveal this Sun God's image.'

Since I had already shown up, there was no need for any more security.

With that thought in mind, I opened the stone door and saw...

"..."

A small ring.

I took out the silver ring with the golden stone and examined it carefully.

This is the Sun God's fifth holy artifact, and my greatest purpose for coming here.

The Ring of the Sun God, Invidia, also known as the Ring of Jealousy.

After taking it out, I turned to Celeste in silence.

"...Ah, Egostic."

As I approach, she turns around, finally noticing me.

"Are you satisfied?"

"...Yes. Very, very satisfied. Thank you, Egostic."

Somehow, being near the Sun God's statue made her seem more reverent and holy than usual.

I smiled wryly, hiding the ring behind me, and told her.

"I'm not done yet, I have one more gift for you."

"...A gift, what is it?"

She asked, puzzled by my words.

I smiled and asked her.

"Celeste. Would you mind giving me your hand for a moment?"

"My hand?"

Still puzzled by my words, she offered me her left hand.

I took her hand and...beneath which a statue of the Sun God stared at us....I took out the ring I had been hiding from her earlier and slipped it on her ring finger.

"....?"

She gasped in surprise and blushed bright red at my sudden action.

I chuckled slightly, then said with a smile.

"It's another of the Sun God's artifacts, the Sun Ring. I thought you might like it."

"Oh..."

"Thank you for always being with me. And it suits you well, Celeste."

At my words, she quickly withdrew her hand and wrapped it around her flushed face, pointed at me and said in an angry tone.

"...Then you should have said that earlier, you're misleading people...!"

"Hahaha."

"Hmph... Anyway, thanks, Egostic."

I looked down at the ring like that, and chuckled when I saw Celeste muttering that in a slightly relaxed voice.

She seemed to be more conscious of the fact that I gave it to her than the fact that it was an artifact of the Sun God.

...Somehow, putting the ring on Celeste's finger right under the Sun God's statue felt a little odd, like I was stealing his holy maiden right in front of him.

Oh well, good is good.

Anyway...

I thought quietly to myself as I watched Celeste turn the ring around and around in front of me, hiding a smile.

...That's good enough for me.