Hikari observed the two girls who burst from the carriage. She'd heard their combined exclamation, and now they looked up at her with reverence. The two girls prostrated themselves deeply, and the knights surrounding them followed. What should I do about this? All I did was cleanse some low level skeletons!
She had a chance to read the skeleton king's status before she killed him.
[Skeleton King]
Level: 60
Title: [Crown Summon of Gregore]
Strength: 588
Agility: 432
Intelligence: 234
Wisdom: 87
Faith: -324
Health: 800
Mana: 300
Stamina: Null
Their leader was barely on the level of the first world boss in the game. Moreover, the followers of the Skeleton King only went up to level 40, with the lowest ones being level 25. Hikari could make a deduction that the strongest adventurers in this world would be able to take out the skeletons as well.
The only danger of skeletons is their infinite stamina, but with their massive weakness to light and faith magic, they were easily dealt with by low level healers and paladins.
As she pondered, the blue-haired girl spoke slowly. "Thank you for saving us, Goddess Amelia."
The faint twitch of Hikari's eye wasn't enough for the two girls to pick up on. She had to correct this assumption before things spiraled. "I am not your goddess."
The blue-haired girl looked up in disbelief. Her mouth opened like a bass. "B-but, you answered my prayers!"
"I did no such thing. Don't you think your behavior is odd? If you intend to converse with people, you should give your name."
The girl jumped up fast and bowed. "Sorry! I am Esalda Ringa, the heiress of the Duke family, and this is…"
"There's no need for that. I will introduce myself. I'm Morticia Gloria."
The elf smiled and nodded. "I'm Hikari." She looked back to where her companion landed. "And this is Kurayami."
"Hi-Hikari?" Esalda asked. Then after a second, she gave the elf a knowing look. "I understand."
Hikari wanted to groan. This lady doesn't understand at all. I'm pretty sure she's making some odd assumption right now! The elf looked back to her dragon, but Kurayami didn't appear thoughtful. Her eyes were narrowed at the humans. Hikari felt it wasn't fair. In the first place, her dragon was the one who dropped her. I suppose I ordered her to…
The elf had a few options, but all of them were troublesome. If she left these people to their own devices, no doubt, a strange rumor would start to spread. Hikari nodded, finally deciding on something.
"Where are you two heading?" Hikari asked while looked at the kneeling Esalda. You're getting your dress dirty!
"We were on our way to the capital…"
Hikari stopped her with a hand. "No need for further explanation. Is there a chance we can ride with you?"
Esalda gasped and her eyes widened. "For someone like you...No, we would love to have you!"
There was enough room in their carriage for Hikari and Kurayami to easily fit. The two sat across from the future Duke and the emissary. Esalda spilled the beans about their journey without much probing. Hikari couldn't help but wonder if this girl would be okay. It's like spilling national secrets!
Other than being presumed to be a goddess, something else bothered Hikari. Anyone with a sliver of intellect would deduce that the skeleton army wasn't a random attack. What were they after? Are they trying to create a divide between the kingdoms?
The gorgeous elf smiled, warming the hearts of the passengers. Hikari could smell the scent of conspiracy. It seemed that the journey to the capital might prove even more interesting.
Esalda smiled at her savior. "Miss Hikari, you should meet the queen when we get back. Everyone will put in a good word for you."
The elf spoke honestly without concealing her thoughts. "It sounds troublesome."
"Right, for you something like the ruling of a country is nothing, isn't it?"
Hikari sighed. Was there any way to show them she wasn't a goddess? If they reported her status as a goddess to the people, Hikari would see no end of problems. What could she even do? The reverence in Esalda's eyes showed she'd not be convinced of anything Hikari said. In that case, is it better to make up a backstory? I don't want to be worshiped!
The elf nodded. Even if she had to be a goddess, she'd do it on her own terms. "First of all, I will correct your assumptions. Your thoughts are so easily readable, but I'm not the goddess Amelia. From my understanding, that goddess doesn't appear as an elf."
Esalda and Morticia nodded together.
Morticia spoke with a hand on her chin. "True, but it's undeniable that Esalda prayed to the goddess in that moment. Well, if you are an emissary like me, would that make you an angel?"
The dragon glared at Morticia. "Master cannot be compared to a lowly angel. There's only so much disrespect I can tolerate, human."
Hikari once again felt that headache returning. There were only two paths out of this in her mind, and one of them was something she'd never do. It was lucky that only the people in this formation saw her magic.
"Right, I am no emissary of Amelia. I'm a goddess in my own right. However, you absolutely cannot tell anyone, and you should instruct the knights to do the same. I'm more of a wandering goddess, but you absolutely cannot tell anyone. Consider that if you tell anyone...you'll be cursed."
Esalda gulped. "I will brief the knights." She raised her hand in the air. "On the honor of the Duke's family, I, Esalda Ringa, will tell no one."
Hikari was a bit relieved. Swearing on ones family doesn't seem to be taken lightly, and Morticia quickly followed suit. Hikari felt like this would at least buy her a bit of time until she did something else that was perceived as absurd.
However, Hikari couldn't miss the small thread of dark magic that connected from her dragon to the two girls the moment they swore. With the dragon's temperament, she'd have to make sure the punishment wasn't too severe later.
As she had that thought, the city finally came into view. The royal castle could be seen rising from the ground inside of the massive stone walls, creating a towering mountain of civilization. The city covered a whole horizon in front of her. Hikari believed that this city must easily house a million people.