Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"—Goddess-sama!"

at this time.

Accompanied by a loud shout, a female figure ran from afar in the village.

It was Mr. Cam's daughter. Her unusual appearance made us all stand up, and she stopped, panting.

Suddenly, the distant howl of a monster echoed from elsewhere. The monstrous roar, like a harbinger of doom, and the tearful expression of the girl before me stirred a turmoil within me.

Soon, Mr. Cam's daughter pressed her hand to her chest, tears welling in her eyes, as if forcing out a sound, her throat trembling:

"May I ask you to accompany my father... on his final journey?"

Miss Ais, the fairy, and I rushed into the room, only to find Mr. Cam, surrounded by his adopted sons, deeply engrossed in his bed.

His face, with its eyes tightly closed, was shockingly pale.

I was stunned by the fact that his face showed no sign of life.

"...Father said he wanted to see everyone one last time."

What one of the sons told us left me speechless.

How could that be? But he was talking to me perfectly fine before the festival started...

"I understand my situation."

So that's what that sentence meant?

I stood there frozen, Miss Ais remained silent, while the fairy was panting heavily.

At this moment, Mr. Cam's eyelids slowly opened.

"...Ah, my goddess, thank you for coming..."

"...You're being too polite, Cam. I've received so much help from you, of course I'll be there whenever you call."

Mr. Cam's eyes found the divine, and a smile appeared on his face.

The immortal also showed a faint smile and walked to the bedside.

"When I saw you, I was reminded of the goddess Bridget..."

Upon hearing the name of Mr. Kam's beloved chief god, the deity was visibly surprised.

"You mean Bridget? You don't mean the blonde Bridget with the bright red eyes, do you?"

"You know her...?"

"Yes, Bridget and I are friends with the gods! We often play together in the heavens, and we also argue!"

Even Mr. Kam was surprised to hear about the unexpected connection between the two gods. "So that's how it is," he said with a smile.

"She is a gentle goddess... She has no barriers with anyone, and she is even willing to love a humble person like me."

"What?! You mean Bridget?! Cam, you've been fooled! That girl calls me short and looks down on me the moment she can't win an argument with me! She's just arrogant because she's a little tall! She's just trying to maintain a good image and act like a lady in front of you!"

"Ha, ha... Really? I didn't even notice..."

Hestia put on an unusually cheerful voice, and Mr. Cam tried to laugh, but failed.

Even such a small movement, just saying a sentence, made him sound hoarse with discomfort.

Soon, Mr. Cam's face lost its expression.

"Goddess, please tell me... will I be able to see that person again after my soul has returned to heaven...?"

"...Bridget will find you, that girl is infuriatingly stubborn."

Mr. Cam heard this.

He blurted out, as if talking to himself:

"I am afraid... afraid of never seeing that person again... and afraid of seeing her."

Its withered eyes were turned toward the sky, its gaze drifting into the distance.

The imminent moment of parting caused Mr. Cam's only daughter to desperately suppress her sobs.

"Bridget, please forgive me... forgive me for failing to protect you."

His trembling right hand rose slightly, as if reaching towards the sky.

Perhaps unable to bear seeing their frail father burdened by guilt, the sons bit their lips and looked away, while Miss Ais and I also lowered our heads.

Then, the goddess Hestia—

With her hands, she slowly wrapped Mr. Cam's right hand.

"Thank you, Cam, thank you for loving me."

The goddess's tone changed in the next instant.

“——————”

Mr. Cam's eyes widened.

I, Miss Ais, and everyone else in the room stared in disbelief.

That wasn't the tone, the words, or the breathing of the goddess Hestia.

As if possessed, she gave a child a loving look and a tender voice.

Through her own lips, she wove together the words that her confidante, the goddess, would surely say.

"I will love you now... and forever."

A lullaby given by the gods to children as they fall asleep.

A love poem by the goddess.

Tears welled up in Mr. Cam's eyes.

"Ahhh...!"

Several tears welled up in his eyes, which should have been dry and withered.

His lips trembled as if he were seeing something noble in the air.

"Bridget, Goddess, I too... I too...!"

I love you too.

These were Mr. Cam's last words.

The hands that Hestia had been holding lost their strength.

His adopted sons, whom he had raised, shed tears that fell to the floor, while his daughter covered her face with her hands and sat down on the ground.

I was also crying.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

My vision was blurred with tears, and I couldn't make out his face as he embarked on his journey. I desperately wiped my face with my arm.

Miss Ais also lowered her eyes.

The goddess Hestia held his hand tightly and gently placed it on his chest.

Mr. Cam, who made his vow of love to the goddess, had an expression that surpassed that of anyone and anything I've ever seen—

They all need to be more peaceful.

*

Moonlight shines through the gaps in the forest.

The roars of wild beasts and the cries of monsters ceased, and the forest was utterly silent.

I sat on the ground in a corner of the open woods, leaning against a tree.

"You're here, Bell."

A deity made the leaves rustle and appeared beside me as I sat cross-legged with my head down.

Head north from the village into the depths of the forest.

After Mr. Cam passed away, I came to this place alone.

His obituary spread quickly throughout "Aidas Village," and the sleeping residents all rushed to the scene. Seeing Mr. Cam lying in eternal sleep on his bed, everyone expressed their condolences and shed tears.

I couldn't bear to listen to those sorrowful voices; my heart ached so much... so I left as if I were running away.

"..."

"..."

A deity sat down beside me.

Under the vast darkness of the night, we remained silent. Then, with my head bowed, I spoke:

"immortal……"

"What's up?"

"Mr. Cam, is it possible to see the goddess Bridget?"

Where will the "souls" that leave the mortal realm and return to the heavenly realm go?

I asked her if sending the goddess back to heaven would truly lead to Mr. Cam.

"...It may be difficult. Although there are special gods like Freya, children's 'souls' are originally under the jurisdiction of the gods who govern things like death. Not all gods can personally judge the 'souls' they want."

The "souls" that return to heaven will return to a state of pure white—forgetting everything and being reborn, before returning to the mortal realm.

After hearing the deity's explanation, I clenched my hands on my lap.

Silence returned to the forest.

"Are you thinking that we shouldn't have fallen in love with a god after all?"

"!"

My shoulder twitched.

When I looked up, the gods were smiling right beside me.

"After the argument at the mansion, I thought you were very rigid in your thinking... but it turns out you're not."

His blue eyes, which seemed to see through everything, narrowed gently.

"I was so foolish to forget. You can feel the pain you've felt... and you're afraid of inflicting the same pain on others, right?"

I lowered my head again.

She saw through everything...

"Is your deceased grandfather someone you've always kept in your heart?"

She was right.

I lost my grandfather, became all alone, and warmth disappeared.

I still remember the pain I felt then, the emptiness in my chest.

I know how painful it is for those who are abandoned.

Mr. Cam was like that; he suffered until the very last moment when he received divine salvation.

But children, we will all die eventually.

By embracing death and being reborn, we can forget the pain.

—But what about the gods?

The gods, living in eternity, cannot forget; that wound will surely be etched in their hearts, forming an incurable pain.

From friends to family, from family to lovers, and from lovers to partners. Does the deeper the bond, the more special the connection, the deeper the wound upon loss—becoming an indelible sense of loss that torments even the gods?

Gods and immortals cannot grow old with us children.

Even the gods will be left behind.

So, wouldn't making a vow of love just cause pain to the gods?

Are the gods destined to suffer a pain even greater than that of losing a family member or grandfather?

That makes me scared, sad, and heartbroken.