Chapter 21

Three Thousandth shook off his shock and began closely examining the flower before him—the number of petals, the shape of its stem and leaves, its fragrance, its color…

It was a very familiar flower. He knew the only place where it bloomed. The Forest of Ulterra. A flower that only bloomed in the forest where the divine tree gifted by the great Creator Goddess—the one and only Mother—stood.

Three Thousandth slumped onto the sofa. His mind overflowed with thoughts about Mariax. The cool beauty befitting a god of Heimdrix, the incomplete body that made it hard to believe she was a god of Heimdrix. Her expression, as unmoving as a statue carved from ice, but her eyes… they rippled like a stone thrown into a lake at even the smallest stimulus. It was a human-like quality. One might even say it was unbecoming of a god.

Though a god of winter who had lived only in Heimdrix, she had made a spring flower bloom—one that only grew in the divine tree’s forest. Weaker than anything, yet greater than anything.

Everything about her was incongruous. As if two incompatible elements had been finely ground and mixed together.

Mariax.

What in the world was she?

***

Ever since coming to the human lands, Mariax was, for the first time, enjoying a moment of peace. It had been three days since she last saw Gart, the main source of her constant worry and tension. She’d heard a few days ago that he had left the fortress to root out a force that had sneakily moved into the area near Olkiedpan. They weren’t strong, but the sheer number of monsters meant it would take time to fully eliminate them.

Though she was still thirsty and hungry, just the fact that he wasn’t in front of her made life much more bearable. The hypervigilance that had her jumping at every whisper of wind slowly eased. It helped that the unexpected daily life had become, to some degree, predictable.

She woke to the sound of someone knocking. Greeted Oze in the morning, then visited Three Thousandth’s room. They conducted research together. Compared to the first day—when many of the questions had been difficult to answer—the past few days had felt more like casual conversation. They talked about the atmosphere of Heimdrix, the gods who lived there, her own lifestyle…

Three Thousandth mostly listened quietly, occasionally nodding or responding with things like “Is that so?”, “I see,” “Very interesting,” or “As a humble human, I can’t help but be amazed.” Though the conversations were still framed as “research,” he never tried to dig too deeply. And so, speaking with him had become quite comfortable.

After their harmless chatter, she’d follow Oze and explore the fortress. The spaces were all similarly drab and empty, but the people busily moving through the halls gave the place a lively energy. Some people greeted Mariax, others observed her from a distance. In the end, it was mutual people-watching.

When fatigue set in, she returned to her unoccupied room. She took a sip of water from the vase, passed some time, and soon night would fall. Lying in the wide, soft bed, she fell asleep easily.

Three days passed like that, and Mariax realized: this place was far more dangerous than she had thought.

Ding, ding, ding!

The bell rang again. Mariax’s eyes followed the noisy echo. It was the kind of commotion that could make one shrink back, but she’d heard it more than twenty times by now and had grown somewhat used to it. By now, she couldn’t not know what it meant: an attack by monsters or gods.

Things that might happen once every few decades in a small shrine were a regular occurrence here. What struck her most was how humans accepted these events like part of everyday life.

“Wow, how do they always show up right at mealtime?”

“Well, we’re eating, so they’re probably hungry too.”

“Smart thinking.”

The warriors chatted lightly as they slung massive weapons onto their backs and left the fortress. Hidden behind a pillar with her hood up, Mariax quietly watched the place empty.

The sounds of raucous laughter, someone snoring, the swish of clothes brushing against one another—all of it vanished. The silence felt foreign. Despite her century of living in a perpetually quiet shrine, she had already grown used to the rowdy chaos of this fortress after only a few days.

Her heart stirred. Trying to calm herself, Mariax looked around. She had something she needed to do.

She recalled the paths and rooms Oze had guided her through over the past three days. In the mental map she roughly drew, the two most important places were conspicuously absent: the basement where Ulri and Ba’en were imprisoned, and the place where food was stored. But in a way, that meant those places had to be somewhere she hadn’t been. The search area had just been drastically narrowed.

She didn’t know how often situations like this—Gart and his subordinates all being gone—occurred. She had to consider this her last chance. Mariax quietly stepped into the now-empty corridor.

“Ugh, annoying right from the start… Don’t those things have anything better to do?”

“I’ll get some exercise before unpacking.”

“Hey, you! The bell rang—why aren’t you gathering?”

The sharp voices came from behind. Mariax flinched and turned around. Three elegant-looking women stood there, each with golden hair like sunlight and white wings, wearing expressions of disapproval.

They were as tall as the massive Gart, but it wasn’t from bulk—their limbs were long and slender, making them appear tall overall. Mariax had never seen them before. Though she’d encountered many people while exploring the fortress, she was certain she would not have forgotten these three. Their appearance alone was striking, but the overwhelming aura they gave off was unforgettable.

Just what kind of place was Olkiedpan, to have humans as powerful as the gods of Heimdrix?

A line from Three Thousandth at the banquet echoed in her head—

“Seems like everyone is here, except for a few.”

Despite their refined appearances, these women had the souls of wild beasts.

“Giving me the cold shoulder?”

“Bold little thing for someone so tiny, huh?”

Wild beast-like… in other words, they were extremely aggressive. Though Mariax didn’t know the slang “giving the cold shoulder,” she could get the gist from context.

“No…”

“Oh, so you talk back now?”

The women, their expressions hardening, suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“I like her. She’s got guts.”

“Only the strong survive in this harsh world. Good attitude.”

Their logic was impossible to follow. Mariax stood stiffly in the middle of their laughter, not knowing what to say.

“Anyway, I don’t think I’ve seen you before. You new?”

Not entirely wrong. Mariax nodded awkwardly.

“Look at her blush. Reminds me of the old days.”

“Back in our time, newbies didn’t get any slack. The world’s gotten soft.”

“Aw, she’s cute. I like her. I, the great senior Ryaia, will show her the way.”

“No, I…”

Before Mariax could fully express her refusal, the tallest of them—who had just introduced herself as Ryaia—stepped forward and scooped her into her side.

“No, I mean…”

She tried again to protest, but it was futile. The women suddenly took off running. Mariax had to shut her mouth quickly to avoid biting her tongue. Their loud laughter echoed through the hallway. Maybe it was because Ryaia’s legs were so long, but within just a few strides, the door that had been far away was now right in front of them.

Wait a second.

The door was right in front of her—closed. And given the positioning, Mariax, tucked under Ryaia’s arm, would be the first to slam into it headfirst. Just as she gasped, Ryaia also took a deep breath. Her chest expanded like her ribcage would burst, her cheeks puffing up like balloons.

For a moment, Mariax feared she might explode. Then Ryaia exhaled. Her breath became a whirlwind, sweeping through the corridor. The heavy, firmly shut door swung open as if it were made of paper. Sunlight poured in, and Mariax squinted. Cold air rushed in from outside.

Thud, thud. Every time Ryaia pushed off the ground, Mariax bounced weakly. What had started as vibration turned into a floating sensation.

Only then did Mariax open her eyes. The snow-covered ground was getting farther away. She looked up at the woman carrying her. Wide white wings spread out as if embracing the sky.

Snow kicked up by the powerful wind of their flight danced back into the air. The upward-floating snowflakes tickled the corners of her eyes. When she blinked again, Mariax was flying higher than the buildings below.

“Newbie! How does it feel to fly in the sky?!”

Like a puppet with disjointed joints, Mariax awkwardly raised her hand to cover her mouth. She couldn’t believe it. People said every experience in life becomes part of you—but did a being who lived with her feet on the ground really need this experience?

Was this necessary? Truly?

“Isn’t it amazing?!”

“Totally overwhelming, right?”

Her stomach churned slightly. When Mariax lowered her head, the women took it as an agreement and smiled proudly.