Chapter 4

There is little known about the goddess Aura, the deity of death and destruction.

The only written record of the goddess is found in "Augustus's Memorandum." Additionally, in the oral traditions of some elders and subhuman races, there are occasional mentions of a figure believed to be the goddess Aura, but the details remain unclear.

The only commonality is the title "Sister and Mother Goddess" across all races.

At the Ecumenical Council, which was convened to unify the doctrines that had been interpreted differently in various regions as the Holy Church spread across the continent, there was intense debate over how to treat the goddess Aura in the doctrine.

The wise Jupidecus, the most knowledgeable figure in the Holy Church at the time and later to be known as the Great Theologian, proposed a bold hypothesis at the second council.

It was that the goddess Aura was involved in the death of the Creator God, which had been the greatest mystery in the creation myth.

The Creator God, who was supposed to be omniscient and omnipotent, had no concept of death and was an eternal and indestructible being, suffering from infinite loneliness precisely because of this.

So, how could the Creator God die?

The answer, according to Jupidecus, was the existence of the goddess Aura.

The goddess Aura was the deity of death and destruction created by the Creator God. By bringing her into existence, the Creator God was able to die for the first time.

Like the Seven Pillar Gods, she was born from the Creator God and, by giving death to the Creator God, gave birth to the other Seven Pillar Gods. This is why she is called the "Sister and Mother Goddess" by the Seven Pillar Gods.

This is what Jupidecus argued.

However, in the Holy Church, which officially defines the human god as the legitimate successor to the Creator God by removing the impure elements of the other six pillar gods, Jupidecus's hypothesis could be seen as a denial of this, leading to its removal from official documents and the decision to keep the existence of Aura secret.

"Trouble! This is trouble, big trouble!"

Priest Mildas paced restlessly around the room like a caged animal.

Those chosen by the gods and granted their favor are called "Children of the Gods."

One Child of the God can breathe underwater and swim like a fish. Another can see in the dark like a beast and move about as if it were midday even on a starless night.

Being chosen by the gods and granted their favor is not a common occurrence, but it is not just a legend or myth.

Baguldaka, one of the three great dukes who govern the Kashurka Principality and a pillar of the empire; Austrabis, one of the current three great priests of the Holy Church; and Palphena, the Holy Maiden of the Shpamour Kingdom in the west, are all Children of the God and living figures today.

Moreover, there was already one Child of the God in the fortress where Mildas was now.

However, the situation is entirely different when it comes to a Child of the Goddess Aura.

"Really, I've never heard of a Child of the Goddess Aura! What on earth should I do? What should I do?!"

A Child of the Goddess Aura has never appeared before. The existence of that boy is not only the first in the history of the continent but also the ultimate proof of the existence of the goddess Aura, whose very existence was previously doubted.

If the existence of that boy becomes public, the Holy City will erupt into chaos, as if someone had thrown a barrel of oil into a burning building.

Worse still, the Holy Church does not officially recognize the existence of Aura. If he brings the Child of the Goddess to the Holy City, he might be secretly disposed of along with the Child. On the other hand, leaving the Child of the Goddess as is is too dangerous.

"In that case, while no one else has yet realized that he is a Child of the Goddess Aura..."

Mildas swallowed hard.

He had finally obtained a stepping stone to advancement, the head of an old man. If he pretends not to have seen or known about the Child of the Goddess Aura, it might ruin everything.

"But then, how do I get rid of him...?"

The problem is what kind of favor the boy has been granted. If it's something common, like increased strength or the ability to always hit a thrown stone, it wouldn't be a problem. Some favors can even curse others.

In fact, the squadron leader in the fortress died due to the favor of another Child of the God, and his deputy, Marclonis, was suddenly appointed as the acting commander of the fortress. Since this is known throughout the fortress, if he were to order the boy's execution, the soldiers would likely refuse out of fear.

A revelation flashed through Mildas's mind.

"That's it! A Child of the God! There was another Child of the God in this fortress. If I pit the two Children of the God against each other, I might be able to dispose of both. At the very least, I can dispose of one of them!"

◆◇◆◇◆

"Rue-Ock! Hoon!"

Conama opened his eyes slightly as he was slapped across the face and shouted at. The bearded man's face was so close that it seemed he might bite.

The nausea and dizziness had subsided somewhat, but the fatigue that gnawed at his body remained, making it difficult to move even a finger. The man's spittle hit his face, but he couldn't even wipe it away.

The man, who spoke in a language Conama couldn't understand, wore a metal helmet that covered his neck and had a nose guard and cheek guards. His torso was clad in a thick fabric armor with numerous metal scales sewn on in a scale pattern.

"Vibul! Di-Aif Seiha?"

Frustrated by Conama's slow response, the man called out to a companion standing behind him, dressed in the same manner.

"Dirow?"

"Uboru Robu Seiha"

The man nodded at his companion's words, grabbed Conama's right arm, and forcibly pulled him to his feet. The companion took the other arm, and together they dragged Conama somewhere.

While being dragged, Conama moved only his eyes to look around, his consciousness still hazy.

It was a place that resembled a medieval European castle.

In the darkness of night, the high stone walls were illuminated by torches. Inside the walled courtyard, several soldiers, dressed like the men dragging him, huddled around the bonfires, shivering from the cold.

None of this resembled modern Japan.

As the soldiers' curious gazes followed him, Conama was dragged into the basement of the fortress.

The dark basement was filled with a terrible stench, a mix of sweat, excrement, and a beast-like odor. The floor, illuminated by the torches held by the men, had several holes dug into it, each about 4 to 5 meters in diameter, covered with iron grates.

One of the men who dragged Conama grabbed the chain attached to one of the iron grates with both hands and, leaning back, pulled the grate open.

The hole, now exposed, was pitch black, as if it had no bottom. Looking down, it felt as if he would be sucked in.

Suddenly, the man pushed Conama into the hole.

Conama fell into the hole without time to scream, hitting the bottom shoulder-first after a brief sensation of floating. Although he couldn't break his fall, the bottom was covered with rotting straw-like material, which cushioned his impact, and he was fortunate not to be injured.

"U... uu... ah..."

Despite the impact, his shoulder ached intensely. The pain seemed to clear his mind slightly.

The flickering light from the torch above slightly illuminated the darkness. Looking up, Conama saw the men who had pushed him, holding a bag and shouting.

"Rue-Hap Zoanru! Nib, Subiru Samoru Noru Aih!"

One of the men took something round from the bag and threw it at Conama.

It was a small, fist-sized bread-like object.

Following that, a small leather bag, apparently containing liquid, and a thin rod about a meter long, with a pointed metal tip, fell.

"Rue-Hap! Rue-Hap Zoanru!"

After shouting, the men closed the hole with the iron grate and left the basement.

The torchlight faded, and the darkness returned. Conama, lying at the bottom of the hole, tried to endure the pain in his shoulder.

The hole was about three meters deep, and even stretching up, he couldn't reach the iron grate. Even if he could, he wouldn't be able to move it in his current state. Touching the wall, he felt the cold stone.

A faint sound reached his ears.

It was the sound of metal touching metal and a growl, like a dog's warning.

Something was in the darkness on the other side of the hole!

He tried to stand up, but his weak legs wouldn't allow it. He crawled back to the wall, grabbing the spear he had found by chance. He pointed the spear at the darkness as a warning.

Something moved in the darkness.

The smell of a dog kennel hit his nose.

A low growl echoed, and two small points of light appeared in the darkness.

No, they were eyes. Two eyes, glowing green, stared at Conama.

"Di-Hap Aru? Genobanda Hyumeiha"

From the darkness, a low growl and incomprehensible words came.

The spear in his hand was not heavy, but his fatigued arm struggled to hold it. However, thinking of the beast in the darkness, he mustered his strength and continued to point the spear.

At that moment, a cloud broke, and moonlight filtered through a small hole in the iron grate, illuminating the bottom of the hole.

The pale moonlight pushed back the darkness slightly.

What appeared was not the beast Conama had imagined, nor was it human.

It was a creature covered in fur, neither human nor beast.

The creature, with its slender, yet wild and strong limbs, and a full, firm bosom, was covered in short, burnt-brown fur. It was not a fur coat but clearly the creature's own fur.

Its face was more like that of a leopard or a cat. The mouth was not as protruding as a leopard's but closer to a human's flat shape. The large, bright eyes and the small, protruding nose were cat-like. The ears, not on the top of the head but in the same position as a human's, were fur-covered and pointed, making Conama think, "They're not like the cartoon animal ears."

The creature bared its teeth and growled at Conama.

"Genobanda Hyumeiha! Rue-Chick! Guna Ejim Tarho Noru Aih!"

Conama was surprised. The creature spoke the incomprehensible language.

So, was this a human in special makeup?

He thought so, but the exposed fangs didn't look fake.

Trying to distance himself from the creature, he pressed his back against the wall, still holding the spear. When the creature moved, a metallic sound was heard.

Looking closely, the creature's hands were bound with iron rings around the wrists, connected to the wall by chains. The length of the chains was just enough to reach the center of the hole, if at all.

Realizing he wouldn't be attacked if he stayed by the wall, a deep sigh escaped him. The spear fell from his hand, and the creature stopped baring its teeth, sniffing the air.

"It's okay. I won't do anything."

He showed his empty hands to indicate he had no intention of harming the creature, but the creature bared its teeth and growled again.

Clearly, communication was impossible.

Still feeling the effects of intoxication and fatigue, he leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the straw-like grass on the floor. His eyes fell on the bread and the leather bag of water that had been dropped with him.

Thinking of food and water, his body began to protest with hunger and thirst.

Ignoring the creature, which growled every time he moved, he slowly reached out and picked up the bread and the leather bag.

He took a bite of the bread. The crust was hard and damp, like biting into leather. The inside was dry and had the texture of raw wheat. He remembered the time in elementary school when they made a dish called "sui-ten" by tearing dough and cooking it in broth, and it wasn't fully cooked.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to eat it. But hunger is the best seasoning. Chewing it several times and mixing it with saliva, a faint sweetness spread in his mouth, and it felt like nectar as it settled in his stomach.

After eating the bread a few times, he felt a gaze.

Looking up, he met the eyes of the creature, which was leaning against the opposite wall. It bared its teeth and growled, but he ignored it, knowing it couldn't reach him.

However, when he took another bite, he felt the gaze again.

This time, he looked up without the creature noticing, and saw that it was indeed staring at him. But its gaze was slightly off, focused on something else.

He stopped eating and placed the bread on the ground.

The creature's gaze moved down.

He brought the bread to his mouth.

The creature's gaze moved up.

The moment their eyes met, it growled again.

But now he knew the creature was interested in the bread.

Conama was conflicted. The only food he had was this small, half-eaten bread. He was already hungry, and he didn't know when he would get more food, or if he would get any at all.

The right thing to do would be to ration the bread carefully. Besides, he had no obligation to help this creature, which might be a bad person, given that it was locked up here.

He tried to convince himself of this and was about to take another bite, but his hand stopped.

"Listen, Conama. The sun is always watching. Don't do anything shameful."

These words, which came to mind, were from his grandfather, who had passed away at the beginning of the year.

Conama loved his grandfather, who taught him forgotten games like bamboo spinners and tops. As a child, he would ask his grandfather to teach him new games every day and play until it was dark.

His grandfather often said these words to him.

But this is an emergency, so it's okay.

He tried to justify it to himself, but remembered another of his grandfather's words.

"Look, Conama. Japanese people are great! They