Chapter 419: [Tales of the Gods 18] The Apprentice Goddess

* * *

This is the final side story of this arc.

Note:

The "Earth" of Emi's previous life in this story is a different world from the "Earth" we live on.

Therefore, the town where Emi lived in her past life, and the people who appeared, are all fictional.

Furthermore, the gods related to "Earth" in the story are completely different beings from the gods we know.

Please be aware of this.

An endlessly stretching, white sea of clouds.

A gray cobblestone path stretched out, as if weaving through the sea of clouds.

The path was barely wide enough for two people to pass each other.

There were no handrails or fences, just old cobblestones.

Old cobblestones, as if they were simply made by laying down ordinary stones.

However, those cobblestones are floating in the air, without any support.

Looking up from the cobblestones, all you could see was a vast, blue ocean.

There's a sea... above the sky.

That's how this world is.

And looking ahead, you could see a giant palace, built on a floating rock, suspended in the air by some mysterious force, far in the distance.

I think a simple description of it as a 'palace' wouldn't be enough, so to add some more details, this palace, in a word, is a Japanese-style building.

It's a wooden building with a tiled roof.

If you were to look at it from above, its garden and building layout might resemble what's called shinden-zukuri style.

To be more specific, it's not exactly shinden-zukuri style, but a mixture of various architectural styles from different eras, but...

Anyway...

It's decorated with beautifully shining colors like crimson and gold, elegant and majestic.

That's the kind of palace it is.

* * *

In one of the rooms of that palace.

A small room with tatami mats on the floor.

"Haaa... It's finally over..."

There was a woman lying on her back on the tatami mat, letting out a sigh of relief.

This woman is wearing a black recruit suit... which doesn't quite fit in with the Japanese-style surroundings.

She looks to be around 20 years old, the very image of a job-hunting student.

However, her hair is white.

Her eyes are also white.

And if she was properly composed, she'd be the owner of a mystical beauty.

Long eyelashes, big eyes.

Well-defined features...

However, she's currently completely relaxed, and there's not a shred of mystery to be found.

"No, this is just the beginning."

"Wah-hyaiih!?"

She thought she was alone, but she was startled by a sudden male voice, jumping up and immediately sitting up straight.

"You have finally been recognized as a god in the ritual just now. Of course, you're still inexperienced and lack power... but this is an honor that hasn't happened in centuries. You must always strive to act with dignity, so as not to shame that title, okay?"

"Y-Yes! I'll be careful..."

Standing in the room, before she knew it, was a man wearing a kariginu.

Smiling gently, this man put pressure on the woman.

The woman, her face flushed red, started talking, just to distract herself from her embarrassment.

"I-I was so nervous. I wasn't told that so many gods would be gathered there!"

"I didn't tell you, did I? It's always amusing to see you flustered."

"That's mean! That's mean, Takanami-sama!"

This man in a kariginu, called Takanami-sama, is one of the gods of this world.

He's the one who scouted this woman, recognizing her potential, and is one of her mentors.

"U-Um, Takanami-sama, was I okay? Was it strange? That I was the only one wearing a suit in that place?"

The woman then asked that.

Hearing that, Takanami burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, you... after being given words by that Chief God... you're worried about that?"

"B-But..."

The woman pouted.

This woman had just undergone a ritual to be officially recognized as a god.

The gods of this country gathered at the ritual site and celebrated the birth of a new comrade... but...

Those gods were all dressed formally.

She doesn't know the details, but they were wearing very gorgeous and historical attire, like junihitoe (twelve layered kimono) or something.

"It's fine. You recognized that suit as appropriate attire for a formal occasion. Therefore, the suit became your official attire as a god. This is the flow of time. There's nothing strange about it. Everyone gathered there was wearing what they thought was appropriate, right?"

"Yes, it was like a historical museum... Come to think of it, there was a wild, bearded old man in a rather high seat, wearing clothes made of tanned animal skins..."

"The wilder they look, the older and more powerful they are."

"Seriously?"

"Were you able to curry favor properly?"

"I wouldn't do that! What are you saying, what... But I got patted on the head after the ceremony and got a lot of acorns."

"Oh my, you've already become a favorite. You were able to curry favor properly."

"I'm telling you, I didn't!"

Takanami teased her with a joke, and the woman puffed up her cheeks in anger.

It's been a little over ten years since these two met, and they've continued this kind of casual relationship ever since.

The woman's heart, which was close to breaking from the hardship in the beginning, even though it was a path she had chosen herself, was saved many times by Takanami.

The woman was once just a high school girl.

But at her new school, she was attacked by evil, called 'youma', whose existence is not recognized by ordinary people... and that's when she met Takanami.

After that, to save the world... to protect the smiles of the people she cared about, she abandoned her humanity, trained, continued to fight the youma, accumulating power, even while being greatly wounded.

And the other day, by destroying the great youma who was trying to kill and devour all the people of Japan in an evil ritual, her achievements were recognized... and she was appointed as one of the gods this day.

"Now... to the main topic. I didn't trespass into a woman's room just to tease you."

After a while of talking.

Takanami cleared his throat, put on a serious face, and started speaking.

"No, you just admitted to trespassing, didn't you?"

"...Look at this."

Takanami ignored her retort, reached into his pocket, and took out something.

"Ah...!"

The woman gasped at the sight.

It was a thin board, a little larger than the palm of her hand...

...In other words, a cell phone.

And it had the familiar cute strap and cover.

"This is mine..."

Yes.

It was... her cell phone, which she treasured when she was just a high school girl, and which should have been destroyed when she was attacked by the first youma she encountered.

"Yes, it's your cell phone... Well, a divine tool made in its image, just for you. It's a celebration gift for your formal ascension to godhood. Use it carefully."

"Wow... Thank you so much!"

The more she looked at it, the more it looked like her old cell phone, filled with so many memories from when she was a human.

The woman was overjoyed, and a smile involuntarily spread across her face.

But... she soon tilted her head.

"But what do you mean, a cell phone is a divine tool? Does it shoot some kind of wave that attacks youma?"

The divine tools she had seen so far were all for destroying youma.

And they were all swords, bows, and other things that looked like they had high attack power.

So even when she was told that a cell phone was a divine tool, she couldn't quite grasp it.

"Hahaha, no, it's not. This is an information-gathering type of divine tool. It can't be used for attacking at all, but in exchange, its search capabilities are exceptional. For example..."

Takanami paused, with a gentle smile.

"Try searching. For your loved ones..."

"!!"

Hearing that, the woman... with trembling hands, started operating the cell phone.

From the day she chose to fight the youma...

From the day she abandoned her humanity...

She was forbidden from actively interacting with the human world, except for descending to the ground to hunt youma.

That's the rule for gods and god-like beings in this world.

Those with power must not interfere too much with the human world.

Because it would distort its nature.

She had been taught that.

Especially while she's still inexperienced, there will be times when she might want to help her former family.

That's not allowed.

Therefore, she was also forbidden from seeking information about the human world.

That ban has finally been lifted.

In other words, it was proof that even though she's still an apprentice in terms of strength, she's been recognized as a full-fledged god in terms of her conduct.

"...! ...!!"

The woman continued to operate the cell phone intently.

First, she looked up her beloved parents.

Fortunately, they were both still alive.

Although grieving over their daughter who disappeared, the two of them were living their lives to the fullest.

She even had a younger brother, much younger than her.

Next, she looked up her friends who she had spent a long time with, in elementary school, middle school, and high school.

They were all living their own lives.

Some of them even got married to each other.

They were smiling happily.

There were also some who, unfortunately, had passed away.

But none of them were attacked and devoured by youma.

"Ah..."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Her fight.

Her devotion.

Was not in vain.

She felt that from the bottom of her heart.

And then, she...

Searched for the people she had met in her new school, just before abandoning her humanity, her classmates.

"...Eh?"

And there, she was speechless.

No matter how much she searched.

She couldn't find any information about them.

"Eh, eh? Huh?"

'Suzudou Shota', 'Sugi Chihiro', 'Shinta Araya'... and 'Aihara Runa'.

She typed their names into the search bar, one after another, in random order.

But it's no use.

No hits.

No information came up at all.

"...What's wrong?"

Takanami, seeing her confused and shaken, asked what was wrong.

"Um... actually..."

* * *

This...

Was the beginning of the illegal soul collection case that would later become a major problem between the two worlds.

And she...

Whose name when she was human was Tasatonaka Hikari... this newly appointed apprentice goddess, Hikari.

Would later become greatly involved in this case and... another problem caused by this case.

[Tasatonaka Hikari]

See Chapter 69, Chapter 117, and Chapter 299.

This concludes Arc 18.

Did you enjoy Emi's journey to the stage of her new adventure, and the current state of the related people in the side stories?

From the onwards, we'll return our perspective to Emi and start her journey from the Eserem Sea of Fog. Thank you for reading.

I'm planning to continue working on this quietly and steadily, but also to my heart's content, so I hope you'll join me if you have the time.

See you again.