As the horse-drawn carriage of the royal family drew closer, the appearance of the towering, majestic building came within their field of vision.
The outer exterior of the white walls was adorned with beautiful pearls like stones.
The building was clearly made to be more extravagant and sublime than any other building within the residential area.
In fact, the outer structure of the building was even more magnificent than the royal castle of the kingdom of Albanian.
Standing at the entrance of the building, was a royal knight dressed in leather armor.
"We have arrived, your highness."
The knight driving the horse-drawn carriage announced, as he opened up the carriage door.
"Thank you for the safe journey."
Princess Sofia said, as she stepped down onto the paved streets with the assistance of the royal knight.
"As a mere knight serving your royal highness, princess Sofia, I'm most honoured to receive your praise."
The knight replied humbly, before assisting Katsumi out of the carriage as well. Already standing by at the entrance was a beautiful young woman with long waist-length platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her small, slender back like a waterfall.
The woman was dressed in white female style priest clothing, which failed to hide her curvaceous body hidden beneath. And she seems to be in her late teens.
"Lady Emilia, it's good to see you again."
Princess Sofia greeted her with a radiant smile on her face. She exuded the bearing of royalty.
The priestess who goes by the name, Emilia smiled sweetly, as she lowered her head respectively. She exuded a feeling of serenity, almost seeming sacred.
"It's a pleasure to be in your presence once more, your royal highness."
"I'm happy to see you again as well. Oh, let me introduce you, this is our hero, Lady Katsumi."
Princess Sofia stepped aside, allowing Katsumi to move forward.
Her long silky waist length black hair which was tied into a long ponytail hung on her slender shoulder.
"Th-This is the hero brought here by our goddess, Aqua."
Emilia's soft, rosy lips parted slightly as her deep golden eyes observed katsumi with deep emotion. Her pupils trembled, as droplets of crystal tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. She seems overcome with a multitude of emotions.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Emilia lowered her head deeply at Katsumi, as though to prostrate herself onto the ground. The priests and priestesses were all deeply loyal to the elemental goddesses, the heroes could be seen as a representative of the goddesses themselves.
To have such a divine figure before her, it seems Emilia was overwhelmed with emotion.
"H-Hey, lady Emilia, you should get up, people are starting to stare."
Princess Sofia said in a panic, Katsumi also seemed deeply troubled about the situation.
"H-How can I show such discourtesy before the great hero."
Emilia's voice trembled as she replied, her head still face down onto the ground. Katsumi seems to be at a loss for words, she was taken aback, her mouth opening and closing in speechlessness.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed as she glanced at princess Sofia for her assistance.
"Please calm down, lady Emilia, we came here to have an audience with the high priestess, remember?"
After sighing gently, princess Sofia exchanged eye contact with one of the royal knights, signalling them to help her up.
The knights all nodded in understanding, promptly helped Emilia onto her feet gently.
"Forgive me, I… I wasn't given notice of your visit; I apologize your arrival isn't as grand as I'd like."
Emilia's cheeks reddened as she apologized to Katsumi with deep regret.
"N-No, please do not worry about it."
Katsumi's lips twitched as she forced a smile. Princess Sofia chuckled pleasantly as she observed their interaction.
"Ahem, we should get going now, don't you think?"
Uncomfortable about the sudden attention, Katsumi cleared her throat and directed the conversation back on track.
"Y-Yes. The high priestess, lady Catalina, is already awaiting your arrival."
"I see… Please lead the way."
Princess Sofia said, curtly as they entered the temple. Katsumi followed closely behind princess Sofia as her eyes wandered around the vicinity.
Lush grass filled the garden as beautiful flowers of various kinds blossomed here and there. Even as someone inexperienced in the working of gardening, Katsumi could easily tell the garden was well maintained with utmost care.
Along the way, there were already a lot of priests and priestess wandering around, attending to their usual duties. Their ages ranged from their teens to late twenties.
Those who held a great affinity to perceive the will of the elemental goddess usually began at a relatively young age, allowing them to begin training early on.
Once they had completed all necessary training, they would then be assigned into different areas of the holy temple, depending on their field.
As a temple which serves the sole purpose of showcasing the divine majesty of the goddess, they all attended their duties with both haste and grace.
When they walked past a particular area, the sight of a young girl around Katsumi age appeared in their field of vision. The young girl's figure was shrouded in white, magical energy covered her body in a protective barrier.
Katsumi couldn't help but observe her with rapt attention. And noticing that, princess Sofia smiled.
"Are you curious?"
"H-Huh?"
Katsumi flinched when she heard Sofia's voice whispering directly in her ear.
"You seem to be curious about that girl."
Sofia pointed out blankly.
"Uh, well… I was just curious about that white light covering her body."
Katsumi's eyes followed the young girl who seemed to be practicing her magic. Her eyes remained closed, oblivious to the attention on her. A layer of white light danced around her slender body.
"She's using holy magic, or should I say light magic?"
Sofia explained, as she brought a finger to her soft, rosy lips. Aside from the four basic elements of nature, which grants the user the ability to manipulate either fire, water, wind, or earth, there were two additional elements.
And that was, of course, light and darkness. The first users of the evil magic or unholy magic were the demons, who could use necromancy to manipulate the dead, or even curse and bind their foes. To counter this type of magic, the elements of light came into existence.
Although it was written in the history books, the demon king, Lucifer was known as the greatest user of the dark elements, while his counterpart, the white empress was known as the best light user.
Priests and priestesses were also recommended to master these elements as the opposing force to evil magic.
"So that's holy magic. I'm curious about one thing, if these goddesses were really strong, why don't they do anything? Was it really necessary to summon heroes?"
Katsumi inquired, curiously. This was something she had always been interested in. From her knowledge of gods and goddesses back on earth, a goddess was a divine being who was all powerful.
How could a divine existence like a goddess be in such a disadvantageous position where they had to resort to such extreme measures like summoning heroes from another world.
(Were the demons really that powerful?)
Katsumi wondered inwardly, her beautiful sculpture-like face twisted in both doubt and worry. After all, even if she had powers which set her apart from the natives of this world, she had no experience dealing with conflicts, much less a war between two races.
"That's… We don't actually know. Hopefully lady Catalina can share some light on this matter."
Princess Sofia struggled for words, before furrowing her brow as she strode along the vast corridor of the holy temple.
(Whatever the reason is, I doubt it's anything good.)
Princess Sofia sighed gloomily. She had already prepared herself mentally to receive some unwelcoming news before she left the royal castle.
Katsumi stared at her sheath katana which hung at her slender waist with a conflicted expression. Naturally, she didn't like to entertain the thought of having to participate in wars.
(I'll have to be ready if the worst comes to worst.)
Contrary to her own feelings of reluctance, she had steeled her resolve to fight, if necessary, Katsumi had a flexible mindset to begin with. Perhaps she instinctively knew she'd have no choice if the situation arose.
During their exchange, they had arrived at an altar within the holy temple. Katsumi gazes in amazement at a large statue made from unknown material depicting a woman holding a katana. She had long waist length hair and wore female style armor.
"Who's that?"
Katsumi subconsciously asked, her eyes widening. The sculpture was carved beautifully, even as a mere statue, it perfectly depicts her beauty and elegance with such grandeur that any eyes would be fixed on the statue.
"Hm, oh? She is the previous hero, who came before you."
"... I see, so she is my predecessor."
Princess Sofia also turned her attention towards the large statue as she explained. Indeed, upon closer inspection, Katsumi noticed the beautiful woman carved from precious stones held a stone carved sword that looked awfully similar to her katana.
On a ten-layer staircase, a young woman dressed in white priest clothing could be seen kneeling down before the statue, she seems to be praying. The woman was naturally the current high priestess.
"Excuse me, lady Catalina, her highness Princess Sofia has arrived, along with the summon hero."
Emilia lowered her head respectively as she announces their arrival. Catalina who was still in the middle of praying suddenly opened her bright, ocean blue eyes as she stood up. Her long silvery white hair cascaded down her back like a curtain of silk.
"Princess Sofia, it is my honour to have an audience with you again, and… It is our greatest pleasure to have the hero here in the holy temple."
Catalina's soft voice could soothe the soul, her soft, glossy lips were spread into a charming smile that could unintentionally entice those lucky enough to see its splendour.
She seems to be in her mid to late twenties, at the height of her youth. She was truly gorgeous, despite wearing priest clothing which covered her slender body modestly, it failed to hide the seductive curves of her body.
"Yes, I'm happy to see you as well, lady Catalina. Unfortunately, my father could not come personally, so I was chosen to come here on his behalf."
"Yes, I understand. With the sudden declaration of the kingdom of Zestril, it's most understandable that his majesty is very busy."
Catalina sighed gently, recalling the announcement of Alberta's defeat. Her gaze was sorrowful as she thought of Alberta's royal family.
"… The situation is what it is, we can only prepare as best we can for the worst."
Princess Sofia said calmly. She had already resigned herself to the situation a long time ago, they could only make preparations for the worst-case scenario.
"Is the reason you wanted to hold a meeting involving the declaration of the Zestril kingdom?"
"No, it has nothing to do with the Zestril kingdom, it's something worse."
Catalina said, her voice grim. Princess Sofia narrowed her purple eyes at Catalina's stern expression. From her reaction, it was evident whatever she was about to discuss wasn't a happy topic.
"Let's go to a meeting room, we have much to discuss. Emilia, can you prepare tea? This may take a while."
Catalina sighed softly as she instructed. Afterwards, Catalina led them towards the discussion room.
…
Meanwhile, in the streets of the city, a young girl was currently strolling through the busy city. The sound of chatter filled the streets along with the innocent laughter of children rang out.
The young girl had long waist length silky green hair, her sharp, yet playful eyes shimmered like emeralds. A green gown clung around her body. She was so dazzling, so beautiful that one could easily mistake her for a goddess.
She fanned herself with a handheld fan as she strolled through town leisurely. It was naturally the spirit of wind, Alya.
"Fried crab here! Freshly cooked!"
A vender said, a mouthwatering scent drifted through the air. Alya's nose twitched as she sniffed the appetizing scent.
"Well, this country is known for its exquisite seafood, isn't it?"
Alya slowly strode over to the cooking stand, her gait oozing both elegance and grace. Usually, high ranking spirits like Alya would emit a powerful aura which mages sensitive to magical energy, or those blessed with gifts of high sensory abilities could easily detect.
However, at this moment, Alya had withdrawn the magical energy flowing through her, suppressing her spirit aura, preventing anyone from sensing her presence. Currently, she appears no different from that of an ordinary young girl.
"I'll take one."
Alya said, she flopped her fan closed as she took out three silver coins from her pocket. As the vendor prepared the fried crab, Alya's gaze wandered. Swathe of people could be seen passing by. They were all lively and filled with cheerfulness.
Normally, such sights would seem ordinary to the eyes, but Alya couldn't help but furrowed her brow, something about the sight before her felt eerie.
(Strange, after the Zestril kingdom had fearlessly announced the defeat of the Alberta kingdom, I thought everyone would be on edge for a while, but…)
The Zestril kingdom had practically just declared the surrender of the Albanian kingdom, if they chose to resist then it would immediately be an outbreak of war.
Yet, in such a precarious state, the citizen of the Albanian kingdom seems to be going about their everyday lives as if the defeat of the Alberta kingdom was just a lie.
Alya wore a confused expression, something strange was happening. Although she had no basis, her keen instincts were telling her something was off.
(Did the Albanian kingdom have some kind of secret weapon they are hiding? No, I don't remember hearing the kingdom of Albanian possessing such a thing.)
She briefly considered such a possibility. But something else felt odd, why was she considering this now?
(Could it be something else? W-Wait, could it be? Their emotions are being influenced by some strange powers?)
Alya concludes, her eyes widening. Startled, she hurriedly turned towards the vendor currently in the middle of preparing the fried crab to confirm.
"Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking, does this kingdom have a way of dealing with the threats of Zestril kingdom?"
She asked, her slightly apathetic voice seems to carry no expectations on a favourable answer.
Although it was highly unlikely for an ordinary civilian to possess such information, she wanted to make sure his thoughts or emotions weren't being manipulated.
For a brief moment, Alya's emerald eyes glowed faintly, she seems to be able to see through all deception and falsehood.
"Hm, oh you mean that announcement a few days ago. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure his majesty already has it covered."
The man replied, with a small shrug of his shoulders. He didn't seem to put much thought into the matter.
And seeing his indifferent reaction, Alya concluded someone must've used some large-scale spell to manipulate the emotions of those living in the city. Alya's brow furrowed slightly in doubt. She was troubled.
Casting spells capable of affecting the entire city seems extremely unlikely. It would take a caster of exceptional abilities, but also...
"Wouldn't the magical energy consumption for such a spell be stupendous for such a feat to be feasible? At the very least, it wasn't something ordinary mages should be able to handle in a practical sense, which means—!"
(Either it was cast by the efforts of multiple skilled mages, or someone must've used a high-quality artifact as a catalyst for casting it.)
"The Albanian kingdom is among the most prominent nations on this continent, it shouldn't be a surprise if they had such artifacts."
Alya murmured to herself. Her long silky green hair swayed slightly as she brought a finger to her lips, seemingly lost in thought.
(When it comes to spells capable of manipulating emotions, it falls into the category of holy magic, or rather light magic. Which means—)
A surge of energy swelled up within her, Alya used spirit arts to shield her mind from attacks aimed directly towards influencing one's subconsciousness.
Although she didn't think whomever casted the spell had any bad intentions, she loathed the idea of her mind being manipulated by others.
(Where is the magical presence coming from?)
Alya narrowed her eyes, she rapidly spread her senses to cover a vast distance, enveloping the city. Nothing within the city could go unnoticed by her.
Her lips curled upwards when she detected a certain building which held traces of magic being used, the magical energy was far more potent when compared with anywhere else. Those cold, yet beautiful gem-like eyes of hers stared off into the far distance.
"… Over there."
She quietly mumbled, staring off towards a particular building which towered above the rest of the buildings in the vicinity.
"Your order is ready, oh—?"
The vendor said, turning around to hand Alya her serving. However, when he glanced around the surrounding area all he could see was a large group of people going about their way.
…
Back inside the discussion room of the holy temple…
Catalina had just informed Princess Sofia of the reason behind her sudden request to meet with the king. In short, she saw a vision of the world being consumed in black flames, demonic beast ran amok, along with several destroyed cities.
It was truly a hellish scene. Catalina's gorgeous face became ashen as she recalled that nightmare.
"… The return of the demon king."
Princess Sofia's face paled at those words. Three hundred years ago, the demon king went on a rampage along with his demonic army, thousands of lives were lost in the battle, and several major kingdoms fell.
It was the most bloody and savage battle ever recorded in history.
Even to this day, those who hear the name of the demon king would be filled with terror. The ones who suffered the most were naturally the humans, who had their loved ones turned into mindless demonic monsters.
Although Sofia wasn't born during that time, even she would be filled with nerve wrenching fear whenever she hears the story of the war.
"So, I really was summoned here to face the demon king, then?"
Katsumi bit her lips as she tightened her grip on her sword. A multitude of conflicting emotions surged up within her.
A moment of silence fell over the room. The pleasant aroma of the warm tea wafted through the room.
However, contrary, to the pleasant aroma, princess Sofia, Katsumi and Catalina each wore troubled expressions on their faces.
"That's not all… During that cataclysmic event, that woman will also get involved."
Catalina said sternly, breaking the silence, hinting at a certain someone. At those words, Sofia narrowed her beautiful gem-like eyes.
"Do you mean… The white empress?"
Princess Sofia said with a soft gasp. The white empress was the complete opposite of the demon king who specializes in dark magic, she was a pure, and sacred being, someone loved by light.
Her real name was only spoken of in legend, unfortunately, such things were lost through the river of time.
It was unclear when it all started, but some legends say the white empress and the demon king had been stuck in a fierce clash throughout time, never changing.
No one had ever laid eyes upon her divine figure, and it was impossible to tell of her appearance. Some even doubt that such an existence even existed to begin with.
Her feats were only told in old tales from those who lived in old time before she lost interest in worldly affairs.
"Yes, I couldn't see her appearance, but… During that chaos, there was a dazzling light that seemed to deny the existence of the darkness that threatened to devour the world."
Catalina explained, her brow furrowing.
The sight of that figure shrouded in pure white light was truly remarkable. It was a scene splendid enough to take one's breaths away, one could only imagine how beautiful the figure is, who was shrouded by light.
However, as though remembering something her captivating sapphire like eyes suddenly widened as she exclaimed.
"Actually, there was someone else, someone working alongside her."
"Really? Do you know who it was?"
Princess Sofia inquired curiously.
"It was a young black-haired youth… I-I don't recognize him, unfortunately."
"A young black-haired youth?"
Princess Sofia tilted her head slightly in suspicion, for a moment a figure came to her mind. It was a certain boy whom she had met during her stay at the royal academy in the Watanabe kingdom.
(Was it him?)
She briefly wondered to herself, before dismissing it with a short shake of her head.
(Impossible, perhaps it was one of the summoned heroes?)
She assumed. When considering it, it indeed makes a lot of sense for it to be the heroes. After all, whenever humanity is in danger and under the brink of ruin, who exactly does the common people put their faith in?
The answer was obvious, they would turn their faith into something extraordinary, something divine.
It wasn't mere coincidence that the heroes conveniently appeared during these times. The elemental goddesses were most likely involved, which means—
(They probably predicted, or rather, they knew the demon king would be returning during this time.)
Princess Sofia collected her thoughts, as she exhaled a deep breath. The situation was already beyond her control.
If the demon king was truly returning, then even the matters of the Zestril kingdom was trivial in comparison.
After all, the fate of humanity would be in the hands of the demon king in the off chance the situation veered into his favour.
The demon king and his demon lords would be the only monarchy. In which case, humans would be regarded as mere slaves.
The brave was seen as the most foolish. And the coward was viewed as the wise. That was more so in such disadvantageous situation, with the chances of victory so slim, it was no different from a delusion.
Pointless struggle could be seen as pure stupidity. Such endeavours could potentially lead to more unnecessary casualties.
It was said that the demon king's five demon lords' servants were so powerful that even the four guardian lords of the white empress struggled against them.
Under such oppressive powers, there was no way to proceed without losses. Could regular knights stand a chance against them?
Sofia concluded it was impossible, they could only depend on the strength of the heroes, but—
(The heroes aren't experience in battle, could the current heroes even win against a demon lord?)
The casualties of such a war could be unimaginable. She brought a hand to her head as though enduring a headache just thinking about it.
"… I understand why you were so urgent about having an audience with father. As the princess of this nation, I shall report the situation to his majesty with haste."
Princess Sofia said, bowing deeply to Catalina as she stood up from her seat. Her intentions were clear, she would return immediately to report this news to the king.
Catalina was about to open her mouth when suddenly, her eyes widened slightly. Afterwards, her sharp, observing gaze fell onto the hero, Katsumi.
Katsumi also hurriedly got to her feet, with the intention of following her, but—
"Lady Katsumi, would you kindly remain with me for a while?"
Catalina requested politely. Strands of her long silky silvery white hair flowed down to her shoulders as she got to her feet.
"Mm, with me?"
"Yes, there is something I'd like to show you."
"I see… Princess?"
"You need not worry, you are welcome to remain here if you want, I'll leave a knight to serve as her guard."
Princess Sofia said, with a faint smile tugging at her lips. She was curious about what Catalina wanted to show Katsumi, but she wasn't unreasonable.
Knowing that it was something she didn't want others to see, Sofia said her farewell and left with a young knight.
"What is it you wanted to show me?"
"Follow me to the centre of the holy temple."
Catalina instructed and promptly led her towards the centre of the temple. They walked for several long minutes in silence, before entering a particular room.
The moment Katsumi entered; it was as if she had entered a completely different world entirely.
The density of the magical energy was even higher here, lush grass filled her vision.
Above their heads was an endless, vast sky. However, something about it felt off, it felt illusive, as though it was something created by one's imagination, or perhaps illusion magic.
"What is this place?"
"This place was built by the founder of the temple. Roughly three hundred years ago, at the end of the Great War. The elemental goddesses had blessed this place with their divine blessings. As such, it became a beautiful oasis."
Catalina explained, the trees were all filled with fresh fruits, as colourful butterflies flew around them in droves.
Furthermore, newborn spirits that were yet to have gained self-awareness also called this world their home. A soft wind which carried the scent of nature swept through the field, rustling the leaves and grass in the process.
A large lake extended across the grassy field, the field was split up in multiple sections, a path of flowing water moved to form a line, each coming together to carve the image of a star. In the centre of the star shaped ponds, there was a single statue.
The statue depicted the image of a young girl beneath a waterfall.
It was the goddess of water, Aqua.
"My goddess, I have brought the chosen hero exactly as you ask me to."
Catalina bowed gracefully as she stared at the statue with great reverence and respect from the bottom of her heart.
However, as Catalina announced Katsumi's arrival, a powerful presence filled the surrounding area. The pressure was as if the sky was about to split open, welcoming the arrival of a god. Under the force of the pressure, Katsumi fell onto her knees.
At the same time, a blurry silhouette of a young girl condensed from water materialized before them.
…
Meanwhile, Alya had already blended in with the air, as a spirit of wind, she could easily merge with the wind, becoming one with it.
Her beautiful figure was ethereal, seemingly unreal and yet, the presence she gave off was unmistakable.
She bypasses the guards at the entrance and had entered the temple. Many priests and priestesses could be seen moving about, but without exception they all failed to discover her existence.
"I can't lower my guard."
Alya told herself as she strode through the temple.
Despite keeping her aura suppressed, it was inevitable that a sliver of her aura would constantly leak as she kept herself hidden within the wind.
Had the goddess of wind had appeared herself, Alya's presence would've been discovered as soon as she entered the temple. Fortunately, the will of the goddess that had appeared was not the goddess of wind, but the goddess of water.
"This pressure, is it Aqua?"
Alya narrowed her eyes slightly, the presence felt awfully similar to the goddess of water in her memory.
"No, it's too weak, perhaps she didn't appear here personally, but rather an avatar of herself."
(Either that, or maybe she came in a weakened state. Either way, if one of the elemental goddesses chose to descend here, it must be for a reason. Perhaps it has something to do with the seals weakening.)
After all, the elemental goddesses shouldn't have discovered Haruto's existence yet, and there was no way for them to have found out about his identity as the reincarnation of the god of creation, their creator.
Which means, the reason for her arrival has to be something else.
When she reached that conclusion Alya's illusory figure vanished, she moved at an astonishing speed towards the direction of the pressure she had felt just now.