"Mother, I have a question."
Under a clear blue sky, free from any impurities, the voice of a young boy echoes. He may be young, but there's a serious responsibility embedded in his deanor, and despite his small and slight fra, he carries himself with an upright stance.
"What's on your mind that makes you so pensive? Feel free to ask," says a woman, presumably his mother, with a youthful appearance, gazing at a distant mountain as she responds to the young lad.
The two sit on a hill as peaceful as the clear sky, enjoying the cool shade and the gentle breeze.
"I've always wondered, but I kept it buried in my heart, fearing sothing might go wrong."
Hearing this, the mother gives a gentle smile and lovingly embraces her son.
"Elik, nobody knows until you speak up. And as a mother, how can I ever resent my own child? Ask without hesitation."
Despite these words of reassurance, the boy, seemingly in turmoil, pursed his lips repeatedly, as if trying to find the right words.
Gathering all the courage he could muster, the boy, nad Elik, cautiously voices his question.
"To be honest, I don't understand why Father was chosen by you and the others..."
Despite him indirectly belittling her husband, she looked at ease.
"Of course, if one has abilities, lineage is irrelevant. But Father, in terms of his lineage's characteristics, has nothing exceptional."
He tried to maintain his calm, but given the content of his words, he grew anxious about how his mother might respond.
However, his mother patiently listened until he finished speaking.
"Father is an ordinary human, but you, Mother, are one of the gods that rule this world."
"In his pri, Father was of ordinary stature. His abilities might have been slightly special, but compared to the status of the gods, they were inferior... Yet, you and the others chose him, soone with lesser power and status."
From his perspective, this wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Would anyone feel genuine attraction to a creature like a pet? Would anyone harbor desires for sothing they consider so beneath them?
His sentint was mirrored by these hyperbolic situations.
"I've always wondered what charm you found in him, considering the vast difference in your standings."
As he finished speaking, her golden hair fluttered in the wind.
"Hmm..."
She seed lost in thought, while her son held his breath in anticipation, filled with anxiety over the response to his words.
But then...
"Is that why you sotis have that peculiar look, Elik?"
She gave a surprisingly gentle smile and kindly asked him about his intentions.
".....?"
Taken aback by her unexpected reaction, he wipes away the sweat on his brow and nods silently.
"You're right, Elik. I am a goddess, and your father is a re human, a bond that shouldn't have been possible."
He looked on with wide eyes, struggling to understand his mother's words.
"Elik? Everyone carries darkness in their heart, even gods. A darkness so profound and deep that it's almost impossible to shake off..."
She holds her son close, gently stroking his hair.
"And before one is consud by that darkness, soone needs to be their beacon of light, purifying the abyss. Anyone can be that beacon."
At her words, the young boy sat in her embrace, his eyes wide in wonder.
"Whether it's the relationship between gods and mortals, nobles and slaves..."
With that, she looks up at the clear sky, reminiscing about fond mories, and slowly closes her eyes. "When I was deeply lost in despair, struggling endlessly, your father appeared as a ray of light in my life, rescuing from eternal tornt. The sa goes for the other mothers. Each of us, in our own way, found salvation through him."
After hearing the explanation, as if realizing sothing, he looks at his mother's face and cautiously speaks.
"So, are you saying you all fell in love with the depth of father's character?"
At this, his mother nods with satisfaction and breaks into a bright smile.
"Exactly. Even if he seed powerless, it was his heart that made all of us fall for him, leading to this happy ending, right?"
The son, with a relaxed expression, smiles faintly with an enlightened look.
"I understand now!"
The mood brightens for a mont, but soon his face clouds with another question.
"Oh, and I have another question. How was I born from the union of you and father? Isn't it universally known that children cannot be born between gods and humans?"
At this question, even the omnipotent goddess, his mother, struggles to find an imdiate answer, her face showing her uncertainty.
"That's true... I too initially thought it was impossible."
He looks puzzled again, tilting his head.
"But then, how was I born?"
Addressing this question, the goddess, his mother, shares her thoughts rather than facts with her demi-god son.
"I don't know precisely, but one thing is certain."
Whoosh!
A gust of wind suddenly blows, causing both of their hair to flutter, and a fallen leaf lands on the goddess's hand.
"Even if he seems ordinary on the outside, the world treats him as sothing special. This is a trophy from the recent upheaval caused by the dragon. We returned to the mansion of Lord Robias, presenting it as evidence of passing the trial. In reality, the cause, the dragon, is still alive, but we hope this might be convincing enough."
She promised that if she kept her word and never caused a disturbance again, people would believe the dragon was truly vanquished, granting credibility even to this flimsy evidence.
The quest from the guild hall usually demanded an item like a monster's core stone, but our task was different. We had to subdue the rampaging black dragon and provide proof of the feat. Without having truly defeated Miru, we had to persuade with this.
My guess was on point, as Mirina carefully examined the horn, fully engrossed.
"Although I'm not an appraiser, I can definitely sense a dark aura from this. It matches the rumors about the black dragon."
As the atmosphere seed to lighten, I couldn't help but feel elated. Eriana, perhaps feeling the sa way, looked at with relaxed eyes. Without Mirina noticing, the two of us exchanged hopeful glances, already anticipating passing the trial.
"We'll have an official appraiser check it, but the results won't be available until tonight or tomorrow morning. For now, consider this trial overco."
Upon hearing that, I exhaled a sigh of relief, and Eriana's face lit up with a smile.
"Then let's have the next trial tomorrow. As I ntioned, the appraisal takes ti, and you two must be exhausted. Rest for today."
At the landlady's command and gesture, Eriana and I, feeling lighter, exited the room.
Thud!
Once the door closed, and after ensuring we were alone, we finally raised our voices in jubilation, clapping our hands together in celebration.
"I'm so relieved! Unlike the first trial, this ti we didn't struggle much and we're going to pass!"
Those words reminded of the first trial, and I couldn't help but smile wistfully. However, having overco those challenges to get here, I quickly brushed off the heavy feelings. "But let's not get too excited since nothing's confird yet. If things don't work out, we might not pass or might have to face another trial, so let's stay on our toes."
Hearing my words, she nods strongly.
"Right!"
I was relieved to see Eriana cooperating as usual, even though she had initially opposed the idea of resuming our adventure.
"Hmm? Isn't that Eriana and Harold?"
While we were slowly savoring our happiness walking down the corridor, we ran into Elbert.
"Brother? Shouldn't you be with the royal knights now?"
At that, Elbert rubs the back of his neck and gives a slightly awkward smile.
"Well, there wasn't much happening today. To be honest, I've been overworking myself lately, so I got permission to leave early today."
He proved his point by appearing in casual clothes for the first ti.
"Anyway, how's the trial going?"
Elbert, jumping right into our recent happenings, asked, and I answered on Eriana's behalf.
"It seems to be going smoothly. We've passed two trials so far, though it's not confird yet."
Hearing this, Elbert, as if it was his own success, patted my back happily.
"Keep it up, both of you! As soone who respects others' dreams, I'm rooting for you."
Feeling proud from his words, I spontaneously asked about his plans.
"But since you finished your duties early, what are you going to do now?"
Elbert, scratching his chin, seed a bit lost for a mont.
"Well, I haven't really decided. What about you two?"
When he turned the question back on us, we realized we also had nothing planned and shrugged.
"We can't take on any more trials today, so we have so free ti."
"Hmm... In that case..."
He pondered deeply, then suddenly snapped his fingers as if struck by an idea.
"Eriana, are you up for it?"
Suddenly, he threw a question at Eriana.
"I do have so energy left... Why?"
At her response, Elbert, with a burst of excitent, said,
"You've been on many adventures and must've grown a lot, right? So, how about a friendly match with ?"
Eriana, taken aback by the sudden proposal, hesitated for a mont but soon responded confidently.
"Sure! I'm curious about the skills of the kingdom's top knight."
She accepted the challenge, leading to the upcoming duel between Eriana and Elbert.
The outdoor garden, where I had previously dueled with Elbert, was chosen as the venue. I watched as Eriana and Elbert faced off against each other.
"Haah..."
Eriana stretched lightly, drew her sword, and swung it a few tis as a warm-up.
"Does it feel like this?"
Being used to a different sword, she tried to understand the wooden practice sword's feel to display her skills properly.
The ambiance was lighter than the last ti, so they decided to use non-lethal wooden swords.
"Alright, I guess I'm ready."
After testing out a few swings, Eriana indicated her readiness with a contented smile.
"Isn't it exciting? I'm curious to see how much you've improved during your adventures."
Elbert too, after stretching a bit, picked up his wooden sword.
His deanor was much lighter and filled with mirth, unlike the serious atmosphere during our previous duel.
"Shall Harold start us off?"
He suggested that I officiate, and seeing no reason to decline, I stood at the center of the arena, raising my hand.
"Let's get started then, as both of you seem ready."
With that, I raised my hand, and the siblings took their positions, swords in hand.
Watching the two of them, monts away from clashing, a new wave of emotions washed over . Eriana was the protagonist chosen with a female gender, while Elbert was the protagonist chosen with a male gender...
Seeing the two protagonists face off against each other, I was filled with anticipation about the outco.
"Begin!"
Swiftly lowering my hand to signal the start, both of them leapt into action almost simultaneously.
Their speed was so fast it was hard to follow with the eyes. It was impossible to imagine who would win until the very end.
I expected a close match, but then -
Thud!
The outco was decided in a surprisingly quick and simple manner.
"...?"
The sudden conclusion left montarily dumbfounded.
Everything happened so fast that I couldn't even process what I'd seen, and a flurry of emotions washed over .
"She wasn't as strong as I thought."
A comnt, which could sound rude but was ant in its purest form, echoed.
"Eriana... how did you grow so much...?"
Elbert, seemingly in denial of the reality, spoke in bewildernt.
I, too, like Elbert, was puzzled by the situation.
And for good reason... By the ti I ca to my senses, Elbert's wooden sword was gone.
This ant that Elbert had lost in a re instant, and I was left in a daze.
"This is , Eriana Lobeas, who has faced hardships with Harold."
Only Eriana managed to keep her composure.
"Er... Eriana wins...!"
Announcing the result, a sense of anticlimax set in.
Elbert was the strongest swordsman in the kingdom and an honored knight who stood by the king's side. He possessed formidable strength, and had I not been lucky during our duel, I might have been defeated soundly.
Yet, such a formidable figure had been taken down by Eriana in a single move.
The words of Abne ca to mind,
"One has the potential to even defeat a god, depending on one's determination."
Is this the full awakening of her capabilities...?
"No matter how much you've grown, I didn't expect it to be this much... haha... Well, with such a difference in skills, I have to accept my defeat."
Elbert admitted his defeat, centing the reality further.
"Hmm, I've worked up a sweat... Hey, Harold! How about we take a bath?"
The serious mood lightened up as Elbert returned to his jovial self, coercing into a lighter vibe.
"Yes... um... sure."
Still not fully grasping the situation, I followed Elbert, who was guiding inside.
"Should I take a bath too?"
Eriana also accepted Elbert's idea and followed us. "Whew..."
After Eriana and Elbert's duel, I found myself following them to bathe.
"It feels like being in a bathhouse alone at dawn."
Murmuring to myself, my voice echoed in the vast walls of the bathroom.
The bathroom was as massive as the mansion, and with no one else present, it felt like I was pampering myself in a large hot spring.
The flowing water relaxed my muscles and made drowsy.
Elbert had gone in first, saying he wouldn't be long, but he was taking longer than expected.
"He must be busier than I thought... At this rate, I might finish bathing before he returns..."
While grumbling a bit, I soaked my hair with fragrant water.
Suddenly, I heard a door open.
Has Elbert arrived?
I turned my head, expecting to see Elbert, but...
"Harold... shall we bathe together...?"
Standing at the edge of my vision was not Elbert, but Eriana, without a single piece of clothing on.
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