In another part of the sea, a certain pink-haired goddess had reached the island. There were large docks as part of this island, and a sprawling city sat on the coast. Much of the wilderness was cut away to build all of the buildings, yet Alia's mind was completely focused on sothing else.
She'd been restless since the group started island hopping. Even though it was only the second island, each one brought her closer to a reunion with her sister. The goddess felt Nona's little hand grip hers tighter.
"What's wrong?" The little girl asked.
"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, little one. You have such a great relationship with your brother. You should be so lucky."
Nona looked towards Kai who'd been distracted by the maids. To make the children less bored, the maids offered to play gas with him, and the little boy was enjoying a chess ga.
Many things were strange about Hikari and her band of maids. At least when Alia could think about these things, she'd not be distracted as much about her sister.
The little girl got back Alia's attention by patting her head. "Kai is a good brother, but you're also good yourself. I don't rember any parents, but if I had them, I hoped they'd be like you."
Alia looked at Nona in astonishnt. Sotis the little girl had a knack for saying mature things out of nowhere, and this one had been a complint to her. In the divine realm, Alia had never even considered care taking for children. She always had her trusted maid to take care of her instead. The pink-haired goddess had closed herself off from the world, including her followers.
At least, she could always give the excuse that it was because no divine were allowed to descend into the mortal world. She never even gave blessings anymore. The closest thing was giving the queen of Amalin so oracles. Was it because of a sense of duty? Did it make her feel better? These were questions that the goddess couldn't answer, but the little girl nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Yet, what could she do for Nona? She'd already been given gifts from Hikari. The fairy clothes she wore gave her a boost and prevented her death. Alia didn't have anything within her power and domain that ca close to that. When was it that I began to feel this envy?
The little girl hugged the goddess. "Don't look so sad. We've reached the island now. We should go explore."
Alia looked towards the starry night sky. "It's a little late to be exploring, don't you think?"
Nona pointed towards a light on the docks. "This place has a lot of lights, so we should explore! Don't you see all of those people?"
The pink-haired goddess looked towards people who'd already begun to gather in the night. They moved about the streets, creating a restless city landscape. The cobbled roads had lizard drawn carriages, even this far into the night.
Alia sighed and stretched her arms. "I suppose you're right." The goddess looked towards the angelic maid on the ship, serving as their temporary leader. The woman was most beautiful with her long locks of golden hair, and Alia was pretty sure she'd be at least equivalent to her strength, if not stronger.
The angel answered the unspoken question with a nod. "We will disembark here. As per our lady's orders, we are to protect you and investigate the city beforehand."
Alia smiled wryly, knowing that if this angel was anything like Kurayami, another disaster could occur. "Just try not to cause too much trouble for Hikari. If you make a ss while you're here, I'm sure she'll be quite angry."
The angel maid—Akari—shook her head. "We would not dream of causing trouble for our lady. Kurayami is in a much different station from us as regular maids. She's not even considered a maid. Miss Kurayami is the most faithful servant of Hikari's, so we would not be so bold."
"And what about Mizuko?"
"Miss Mizuko serves as the head of the maids. In the absence of our lady, we take orders from her...After Kurayami of course."
Alia nodded. "I see...Then why would you tell all of this?"
The angel grinned. "It's because the lady considers you soone trustworthy. In her heart, you've already beco soone that she wishes to protect."
Alia's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why would she want to protect ? I'm already…"
But it was Nona who silenced the pink-haired goddess. "It's because goddess Hikari has already decided you're worth protecting. She takes good care of her friends, and I can tell she cares a lot about you."
Akari smiled at the little girl. "Very well said. Our lady might not be the most forthcoming with her emotions, but you can feel that she cares. Her guiding light gives all hope. Those without hos. Those who've abandoned everything. If they hang around her, eventually they grow into sothing more. I wonder what your path will blossom. Only ti will tell."
Tears flowed down Alia's cheeks. She'd not wanted to be comforted, especially as a goddess herself. However, here were two people that brought so of her emotions to the surface. She'd been numb for so long, and the drought was ending. The water flowed down her cheeks, turning into specks of pink light as they fell from her face.
Nona looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"
"I should be." Alia sniffled and fixed her expression. "I apologize for this shaful display."
Akari sighed and gripped the goddess's shoulders. "There's nothing shaful about shedding tears. Do you think that gods are immune to sorrow? That they've never wept for the suffering of their constituents? Everyone feels grief. This is one of the few things that connect us all together. Crying does not make you anything less. If anything, it shows the strength you've had to carry this burden all of this ti. I'm positive your sister will feel the sa."
"Do you think I'll be able to do anything for her? I've been terrified of seeing her, but I can't escape this longing in my heart."
"Your sister chose her own path. I cannot say what the future will bring, but I can tell you that your sister will be happy to see you again, regardless of what form that takes. I do sincerely hope that you and your sister can repair your relationship, but I will not give you false promises that it won't be tough."
Alia released a deep sigh. She looked towards the lowered wooden bridge at the dock. "I suppose it's ti we got off."
Kai and Nona gripped both of her hands as they walked off the ship.
Alia was thankful for these children, helping to ease the raging storm of emotions building. At first, she resented Hikari for making her take care of the children while the elf went around having fun, but she realized that the children were the ones who kept her grounded. They reminded her that not everything was bad. They reminded her of the queen and her two daughters.
The pink-haired goddess didn't know if Hikari had done this on purpose, but either way, she'd grown thankful for her role as a caretaker. When all was said and done, Alia vowed that she'd pay the queen and her daughters a visit.
"Are you okay?" Nona asked once more.
Alia grinned at the little girl and patted her head. "I'm okay. Thank you for worrying about , but we've got a city to explore like you said!"
The little girl giggled and hugged Alia's side.
Akari led them along the long dock to the end where an imperial soldier waited for them.
The man wore the signature sailors garb of the Empire, serving as part of their Imperial Navy. The suit was different from the officers of the army on land. He had a white sailor's cap, and his blouse was of the sa color. On the bottom, he had long white pants, ending in black water-proof boots.
He saluted the crew and thumbed a clipboard in his hand. "What brings you here to Exportia? Do you have a ledger?"
The angel leading the group shook her head. "We have no such thing as a ledger. Is it possible to pay our way into the city?"
He nodded and pointed behind him to a booth housing many more soldiers. "Our governnt is accepting tolls currently, provided that you've got sothing to trade that isn't stolen. You can pay 5 Imperial Gold Coins and allow us to do an inspection to make sure you're not pirates."
Alia expected that the woman would get angry hearing this after being around Kurayami for so long, yet she watched in disbelief as the angel nodded to the man.
"You're free to search the ship's deck and the cargo bay but no more than that. This is the only thing we can agree to."
The man seed unsurprised and whistled towards his crew. "Search their deck and cargo bay, and then they're free to go."
"But sir, what about the toll?"
"Forget the toll. Do these guys look harmful to you? Rather, they seem like they can bring us a lot of business. Don't forget our current problem."
"Yes, sir!"
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