A short rewind in ti.
Just after Freri contacted Flair and reported that Shinji had been taken, Goddess Arian imdiately located her apostle’s presence—even though he now resided in a world outside her divine jurisdiction.
”How Shinji was taken… That can wait. First, I need to speak with the goddess of that world—”
”Yoohoo~, Arian, you in here?”
A light, singsong voice echoed through the divine temple. Footsteps followed, and then appeared a young woman with vivid orange twin tails, her confident presence as unmistakable as her casual tone. It was Goddess Padra—the deity in charge of the world where Shinji had vanished.
”You dare show yourself here so shalessly?”
”I didn’t co because I felt guilty or anything.”
”Apologetic or not, this is your doing, isn’t it…?”
Arian’s sharp gaze carried enough weight to make a lesser goddess cower, but Padra was of the sa divine era—equally powerful and just as unshakable.
”I’ll take the bla for half of it. But Arian, you can’t say you’re totally innocent in this either.”
”…What are you implying?”
”I’ll explain it. C’mon, have a seat.”
”…This is my temple, you know.”
Ignoring that fact completely, Padra plopped herself down into a round chair as if she owned the place. Arian sighed with exasperation and sat across from her, already prepared for a long conversation.
Arian was the epito of divine beauty—an image of goddesshood straight from the hearts of worshipping n. In contrast, Padra had a petite fra and modest features, with a delicate build that might deceive soone about her nature. But one glance at her cheeky smile would remind any goddess of her unruly personality.
”Just to check, Arian—do you rember the core structure of my world? How apostles are chosen and all that~?”
”Of course. You govern through phantom beasts and select apostles who resonate with them.”
”Correct~! You rember details so well. Saves the trouble of explaining~.”
”I don’t rember every goddess. Yours just happens to be similar to mine.”
Indeed, if phantom beasts were swapped out for high-ranking spirits, their divine systems would be nearly identical. That similarity had left an impression on Arian.
Phantom beasts—creatures who, through long experience, evolved into vessels strong enough to contain divine power. Though beastlike in form, they possessed human-level intelligence and could serve just as reliably as spirits. Padra had mastered the art of summoning and controlling them to manage the realms in her care.
Thanks to her system, summoning magic had beco a dominant force in her world. Fire? Summon a fla-beast. Water? Call forth a water-beast. Very few mortals practiced elental magic directly anymore.
”Still, your summoning should only pull beings from within your own worlds. How did my apostle get dragged into this?”
”You’re sharp as ever. But there’s a twist. The summoning rules are tuned to avoid pulling in outsiders—but that world was still under the long shadow of forr Goddess Satin. She might be gone, but the world’s still full of her fanatics.”
”That failure of a goddess…! Even without her title, she still causes trouble!”
Unbeknownst to Shinji, he had repeatedly thrown a wrench into Satin’s remaining influence—through events like the corruption of the Dragonn village and the sches of the evil priest Hateyama. Even Arian had co to accept that these were no coincidences.
She clenched her fists at the thought of Satin’s mocking laughter—the sa laughter she had worn when stripped of her divinity and sentenced to two hundred years of imprisonnt.
”You know how summoning needs a catalyst the first ti, right? A contract is made then, and from the second summon onward, as long as there’s magic, it works without one. I gave that child a catalyst… infused with my divine power. Just to be safe, y’know? He was sent to a rough place.”
Padra stuck out her tongue and gave a playful laugh, looking charming as ever.
But in a world still aligned more with Satin than with Padra, the divine trace in that catalyst triggered the summoning of soone aligned with Satin’s influence—and carrying a divine artifact to boot. In other words, it summoned Shinji.
Arian’s expression froze.
”This is almost entirely your fault!!”
”That’s why I ca to explain. I swear, it wasn’t on purpose! I just thought it’d be a good chance to summon a strong phantom beast…”
”Fine. I’ll treat it as an accident—since you at least ca to apologize. Now return my apostle imdiately.”
Padra pressed her hands together in a gesture of mock prayer as Arian let out a deep sigh. Major interference in another goddess’s domain was risky—it could easily provoke the Great God’s intervention. The situation was delicate, especially with Satin’s shadow still looming. Acting rashly might draw divine scrutiny.
Despite her personal feelings, Arian always upheld divine law. She wouldn’t break the rules unless she had no other choice.
”Actually… about that. Can you let him keep working in that world, just as he is?”
”What?”
”Calm down, okay~?”
Arian’s gaze turned cold as magic surged from her body, shaking the temple’s foundation. Her presence was overwhelming—no lesser goddess could have stood tall under that pressure. But Padra, of course, t her eyes directly.
”That particular world is the most unstable one Satin ever managed. I don’t have enough capable hands. Honestly, I was planning to ask for help before this whole ss even started… please?”
Arian snatched the docunts from Padra’s hands and gave them a quick read. The situation was worse than expected—fanatic cults, unrest, deteriorating balance. Only a high-level apostle could manage sothing like this.
One of Satin’s forr worlds had already been entrusted to Arian, though it had stabilized and was now under the care of a different apostle. This other world, however, was far beyond salvaging through normal ans.
Seeing Padra lower her head—sothing she rarely did—Arian knew the request wasn’t out of laziness. The situation was dire. And though she had every right to refuse out of anger or principle, a true goddess sotis had to rise above personal grievances.
After a long, deep sigh, Arian gathered her composure.
”…Very well. I’ll forgive you—this ti. But there won’t be a second.”
”Thank you~♡ Arian, you’re the best! I’ll pay you back properly~.”
”See that you do. The reward must match the labor.”
Arian scowled while Padra bead, entirely unfazed. Secretly, Arian was already planning how to make her pay dearly for this favor.
”Okay then! I’ll go explain everything to the boy.”
”No. I’ll do it. That’s the proper way.”
”But it’s my world. You can’t even send an oracle there, can you?”
”I have a body I made earlier. Prepare a place for us to et, Padra. I’ll go myself.”
”…Eh? Got it~♪”
Despite her cheerful reply, Padra was panicking on the inside.
(She’s going to et him… in person?! No way! I’ve never heard of Arian doing that! She really likes this guy, huh~♡)
Whether or not Padra’s suspicions were correct, one thing was certain—Shinji, the boy pulled into this chaos by a divine mistake, had beco a person of deep interest to both goddesses. Padra began preparing the eting site with a flutter of unease in her heart.
Bratty Goddess Padra. Cool-headed Goddess Arian.
Equal in power, different in nature.
Padra excelled in summoning magic and phantom beasts. Arian specialized in spirits and refined divine control. Each goddess preferred her own path, but if they wished, they could easily step into each other’s domains.
After all, even among the gods—talent, taste, and temperant varied.
Notes:
• Padra – Female. A goddess. She has orange hair styled in twin tails and a petite, delicate appearance with modest chest proportions. Her personality is carefree, cheeky, and playful, often acting bratty. She manages the world where Shinji was summoned. Her power revolves around summoning magic and phantom beasts. She has a friendly but sotis audacious relationship with Arian, often pushing boundaries.
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