第９４８堀：女神の説得と彼女の在り方 (Part2)
……That should be the case, but why can’t I shake this sense of unease?
No, this is a helper arranged by my husband, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
With that in mind, we contacted Archbishop Enor and were granted an immediate audience.
“……And so, the policy for Weed is to export the Magic Gears.”
“……I see.”
After hearing the report from Enora, Archbishop Enor simply replied with his eyes closed.
Though his expression didn’t change, he was likely turning many thoughts over in his mind.
After all, the majority of the Magic Gears had been produced beneath this very cathedral.
As I hesitated, wondering what words could possibly comfort him, someone spoke up.
“Hey, Enor. You don’t have to worry about it so much.”
“……Lady Hairen?”
Lady Hairen spoke to him gently.
For a moment, I thought about stopping her, but since neither Sota-san nor Enor-san made a move to intervene, I held back.
“I know what happened here, of course. I was inside the jewel, after all. But that was Aquenoki’s doing; you and your people did nothing wrong. And you don’t need to feel guilty about them being used, either.”
“How can you say that? They will be used in war. These Magic Gears, which absorbed the lives of the believers who trusted us and followed us.”
“Yeah, I know. But there are lives that will be saved because of them. It’s not like we’re going to keep making new ones. But since they already exist, I think it’s fine for them to fulfill the role they were meant for.”
“Fulfill their role, you say?”
“That’s right. Just as you offer prayers for peace, there are many people fighting while wishing for peace. We were the same, after all.”
Lady Hairen said this to the Archbishop with a slightly awkward expression.
That’s right. Lady Hairen, along with Sota-san and Enor-san, had fought in desperate situations.
……Wishing for peace, they had taken the lives of their enemies.
“The way the Magic Gears were created was certainly a terrible method, but if what was born from it can become something that saves people, I think that’s better than just letting them sit idle while you offer prayers. Because then, they won’t be objects of sorrow anymore. They will become things that protect people.”
“Lady Hairen…… but by doing so, many lives will be taken, will they not?”
“Yes, I know. But I can’t stand by and watch my acquaintances die while I do nothing. I can’t abandon a starving child right next to me just to protect the lives of people I don’t know.”
“……Is that how it is? Even if the scale is different, it is the same principle, is it not?”
“Exactly. We have always saved the lives we could. The only difference is that before it was monsters, and now it’s people. Besides, even back during the Aquenoki incident, people were our enemies too. If we can properly convey our feelings to that Emperor Yupia of the Zurable Empire, I think it will be fine. Because Yuki-shonen and Kagura-chan say it’s okay.”
Lady Hairen said this with a smile.
……Why does Lady Hairen look so divine at times like this?
In a situation where everyone is lost, she provides a straight answer.
When she brings up my husband and Kagura, we cannot argue otherwise.
The decision my husband made was the result of deep contemplation, an answer reached so that no one would suffer or feel discomfort.
And Lady Hairen affirmed that without a hint of hesitation.
Upon hearing those words, Archbishop Enor—no, all the believers accompanying him—knelt on the spot.
“““As the Goddess wills.”””
They replied in unison.
Indeed, for this moment, Lady Hairen was undoubtedly a goddess.
“Alright! Then, Enor, let’s get ready!”
“Eh? Ready for what?”
“Why, to convey your current feelings to Emperor Yupia, of course! If you don’t put your thoughts into words, they won’t get across.”
“……Yes. I will entrust my thoughts directly to Emperor Yupia.”
Archbishop Enor said this with a wonderful smile, but……
“……Lulua. Did it sound to you like Archbishop Enor is now going to the Zurable Empire?”
“……Did you hear that too, Enora? How are we going to explain this to my husband……”
It seemed certain that we had just increased my husband’s burden.
I’m so sorry, Husband!?
Lady Hairen is that kind of person.
Well, everyone takes action because they want to do something about the misfortune right in front of them.
Not for the sake of some stranger, but to help the people they know.
The only difference is the scale of that circle—whether it’s family, villagers, a town, or a country.
Regardless, in these moments, Hairen is a splendid goddess who never falters.