According to the guidance of the demon lord, who received knowledge from the Demon God, we sought the “God of the Ethereal Realm.”
Walking through the desert where the God was said to have hidden, I suddenly had a question and asked the demon lord.
“Is the Demon God higher than the Goddess?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“The Demon God seemed to suggest that it can see things the goddess cannot. That made me curious.”
The demon God had previously mentioned that he can see his own “fate” better than the goddess can.
So, is the Demon God’s status higher than that of the goddess?
“There is no definite answer, but I think their status is similar. Both are great deities who rule over entire worlds.”
“Really?”
“It’s just that the goddess might reside in a slightly lower position. The Demon God seems to be closer to an unresponsive deity compared to the goddess. When the Demon God descends, my body cannot withstand him and I almost die.”
“So, the Goddess is deliberately lowering her status?”
“Something like that. The greater the gap in status, the greater the shock when descending. The Goddess may deliberately reside in a lower position to not burden the Saint. When I receive messages from the Demon God, I need to borrow the power of the demon God by praying.”
“Ah, I see…”
Basically, the higher the status, the more information one can know, but the greater the burden when interfering with the world.
I don’t know who designed the structure of this world, but I thought this was a reasonable constraint.
“Of course, the Saint is a particularly unique case. Originally…”
“Originally?”
“I cannot speak about it, as there is a constraint placed on it.”
“A constraint?”
“It’s not difficult to release, but in this case, the will of the ‘master’ is important. It’s a constraint placed by someone in the Hero party.”
“Hmm?”
“If that’s the case, just don’t say it. Well, the Saint must have had a reason to keep it a secret.”
“I understand.”
But I find it hard to imagine that the Saint is hiding something.
She’s always so diligent and obedient.
Perhaps it’s related to the goddess.
If the goddess told her to keep it a secret, the Saint would have followed her will.
“Instead, is this where the ‘God of the Ethereal Realm’ is? We only see the desert.”
“You’ll see soon. It’s, um… over there.”
I looked to where the demon lord was pointing, but all I could see was sand.
“What’s over there?”
“It’s obscured by an illusion, but it definitely exists.”
“I see…”
An illusion, huh?
It couldn’t be a natural phenomenon like a mirage.
Maybe some kind of magic or sorcery?
At times like this, there was a sure and effective solution.
“Wizard, can you show us what’s there?”
“Heh heh.”
The wizard drew a few magic circles on the spot, erasing and redrawing them several times.
After a few attempts, the wizard completed a suitable spell and activated it.
The illusion was lifted like a curtain, revealing the inside of the mirage.
“Heh heh!”
“There’s a village…”
I expected something like a pyramid, hiding an ancient God in the desert, but what appeared beyond the illusion was a village protected by a fence.
Inside, people dressed in white and wide attire typical of desert tribes were bustling about.
It seemed they were unaware that the “mirage” had disappeared.
We approached the fence slowly.
The people inside, who had been moving around inside the fence, looked surprised and pointed fingers at us as we approached in a straight line outside the fence.
Although I pride myself on being able to speak most languages, they were using a language I couldn’t understand.
“Wizard, cast a translation spell.”
“Heh heh!”
The wizard’s magic enveloped us, and we could finally understand what the villagers were saying.
“How did you find your way here? Outsiders…”
“We have a good companion. We came here looking for a being called the ‘God of the Ethereal Realm.’ Can we meet hin?”
“The God of the Ethereal Realm… Are you referring to the Shaman?”
“Shaman…?”
Suddenly, a somewhat Eastern word popped up.
I wondered if there was a problem with the translation spell, but since it was cast by the “wizard,” there shouldn’t be any issues.
In other words, among the vocabulary I knew, the word “Shaman” seemed to fit best for that presence.
It meant a being distinct from the Saint.
“Um, it seems likely.”
“…Please wait a moment. It’s been a long time since an outsider has come… We may not be able to let you in easily.”
“Oh, I see.”
“It won’t take long.”
After waiting for a while, a woman came out.
Similarly, she was dressed in light, flowing clothes suitable for the desert climate, with her face covered by a veil made of cloth.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“…Yes?”
“You’ve come to find the Shaman of the Lake, haven’t you?”
Glancing at the Demon Lord, who nodded slightly, it seemed that we had found the right person.
I nodded affirmatively.
“Ah, yes. We came here to find the ‘Goddess of Ethereal Realm’… um, could you please explain what exactly the ‘Shaman’ means?”
“The Goddess of the Ethereal Realm… Ah, I see. Please come in first. I’ll explain it to you slowly.”
“…Thank you for your hospitality.”
“It’s the doctrine of the desert to be kind to travellers.”
She introduced herself as a Shaman and was kind, but there was something awkward about her.
It didn’t feel like she was lying, but rather, the situation itself felt twisted and hard to explain.
It was like a stage malfunctioning in a play.
Despite the awkwardness, I managed to keep my composure and followed the Shaman into the tent.
There, under the tent, I listened to the Shamans’ story.
“I am a Shaman who accepts the ‘Gods.’ Our Gods watch over us who live in the dry desert, bestowing upon us the grace of fertile crops and abundant rainfall.”
“I see…”
“We cannot always offer prayers to the Gods. We wait earnestly until the night of the full moon, and on that night, we offer our prayers with all our hearts. So if you have come here seeking our ‘God,’ you may have to stay here for several days.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“You don’t have to worry. Since you are a guest who has come to seek our God, we will serve you well during your stay.”
It didn’t seem like a strange story, so I nodded my head.
If it required time, I could use the wizard’s teleportation to visit the city of adventure, but there was no need to refuse their hospitality.
I just felt that their reactions were too extreme and positive, which seemed a bit strange.
Could they afford not to be guarded against strangers?
It seemed unclear whether it was simply the effect of ‘luck.’
“I will prepare a meal for you. Please wait a moment.”
“Ah, sure.”
Let’s see what they’re up to.
Even if they have bad intentions, it wouldn’t be difficult to deal with them.
If it was poison or a trap, there was no way I would fall for it, and if they used other means, the wizard could handle anything.
It would have been safer if there had been Hero… Well, it would have been noisy if I had brought the Hero.
Hmm, I didn’t think the Hero was necessary.
Ultimately, something unexpected happened.
We were told to stay in separate tents, so I was a bit tense, wondering if it was a trap.
So, even late at night, I remained vigilant, but someone came to my tent.
“…Shaman?”
“Hehe, yes, it’s me.”
It was the Shaman I had seen during the day.
Since she didn’t seem hostile, I relaxed a bit.
In fact, she seemed more friendly than she had during the day.
She still covered her face, but her voice felt friendly and sticky.
“Isn’t the night quite chilly? It’s as if the heat of the day is nothing.”
“The temperature difference is quite extreme.”
“That’s why I came to visit you.”
“…Yes?”
The Shaman removed the cloth covering her face.
Her eyes were a sparkling turquoise colour, which was unusual for the desert and therefore even more mysterious.
“To warm your night… ”
The Shaman slowly removed her clothes.
The sound of cloth brushing against the tent filled the air.
Feeling a little embarrassed, I took a step back, but the Shaman approached more aggressively.
“…Hehe, am I not enough? I think I’m quite pretty… ”
“It seems too much trouble…”
Unable to choose my words carefully, I ended up uttering a single word.
“…Goddess.”
“…Yes?”
“Because this is not my first time with a goddess…”
“Yes?”
Right now, this Shaman was channelling something divine.
Probably what is called a ‘Goddess.’
Thanks to my experience with the goddess, I could recognize it easily.
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“…Can’t you just pretend you don’t know?”
“Do you think it’ll work?”
TL Note: In case you wondering why God changed to Goddess its cause they didn’t know the gender of the Goddess before ha ha ha~
According to the guidance of the demon lord, who received knowledge from the Demon God, we sought the “God of the Ethereal Realm.”
Walking through the desert where the God was said to have hidden, I suddenly had a question and asked the demon lord.
“Is the Demon God higher than the Goddess?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“The Demon God seemed to suggest that it can see things the goddess cannot. That made me curious.”
The demon God had previously mentioned that he can see his own “fate” better than the goddess can.
So, is the Demon God’s status higher than that of the goddess?
“There is no definite answer, but I think their status is similar. Both are great deities who rule over entire worlds.”
“Really?”
“It’s just that the goddess might reside in a slightly lower position. The Demon God seems to be closer to an unresponsive deity compared to the goddess. When the Demon God descends, my body cannot withstand him and I almost die.”
“So, the Goddess is deliberately lowering her status?”
“Something like that. The greater the gap in status, the greater the shock when descending. The Goddess may deliberately reside in a lower position to not burden the Saint. When I receive messages from the Demon God, I need to borrow the power of the demon God by praying.”
“Ah, I see…”
Basically, the higher the status, the more information one can know, but the greater the burden when interfering with the world.
I don’t know who designed the structure of this world, but I thought this was a reasonable constraint.
“Of course, the Saint is a particularly unique case. Originally…”
“Originally?”
“I cannot speak about it, as there is a constraint placed on it.”
“A constraint?”
“It’s not difficult to release, but in this case, the will of the ‘master’ is important. It’s a constraint placed by someone in the Hero party.”
“Hmm?”
“If that’s the case, just don’t say it. Well, the Saint must have had a reason to keep it a secret.”
“I understand.”
But I find it hard to imagine that the Saint is hiding something.
She’s always so diligent and obedient.
Perhaps it’s related to the goddess.
If the goddess told her to keep it a secret, the Saint would have followed her will.
“Instead, is this where the ‘God of the Ethereal Realm’ is? We only see the desert.”
“You’ll see soon. It’s, um… over there.”
I looked to where the demon lord was pointing, but all I could see was sand.
“What’s over there?”
“It’s obscured by an illusion, but it definitely exists.”
“I see…”
An illusion, huh?
It couldn’t be a natural phenomenon like a mirage.
Maybe some kind of magic or sorcery?
At times like this, there was a sure and effective solution.
“Wizard, can you show us what’s there?”
“Heh heh.”
The wizard drew a few magic circles on the spot, erasing and redrawing them several times.
After a few attempts, the wizard completed a suitable spell and activated it.
The illusion was lifted like a curtain, revealing the inside of the mirage.
“Heh heh!”
“There’s a village…”
I expected something like a pyramid, hiding an ancient God in the desert, but what appeared beyond the illusion was a village protected by a fence.
Inside, people dressed in white and wide attire typical of desert tribes were bustling about.
It seemed they were unaware that the “mirage” had disappeared.
We approached the fence slowly.
The people inside, who had been moving around inside the fence, looked surprised and pointed fingers at us as we approached in a straight line outside the fence.
Although I pride myself on being able to speak most languages, they were using a language I couldn’t understand.
“Wizard, cast a translation spell.”
“Heh heh!”
The wizard’s magic enveloped us, and we could finally understand what the villagers were saying.
“How did you find your way here? Outsiders…”
“We have a good companion. We came here looking for a being called the ‘God of the Ethereal Realm.’ Can we meet hin?”
“The God of the Ethereal Realm… Are you referring to the Shaman?”
“Shaman…?”
Suddenly, a somewhat Eastern word popped up.
I wondered if there was a problem with the translation spell, but since it was cast by the “wizard,” there shouldn’t be any issues.
In other words, among the vocabulary I knew, the word “Shaman” seemed to fit best for that presence.
It meant a being distinct from the Saint.
“Um, it seems likely.”
“…Please wait a moment. It’s been a long time since an outsider has come… We may not be able to let you in easily.”
“Oh, I see.”
“It won’t take long.”
After waiting for a while, a woman came out.
Similarly, she was dressed in light, flowing clothes suitable for the desert climate, with her face covered by a veil made of cloth.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“…Yes?”
“You’ve come to find the Shaman of the Lake, haven’t you?”
Glancing at the Demon Lord, who nodded slightly, it seemed that we had found the right person.
I nodded affirmatively.
“Ah, yes. We came here to find the ‘Goddess of Ethereal Realm’… um, could you please explain what exactly the ‘Shaman’ means?”
“The Goddess of the Ethereal Realm… Ah, I see. Please come in first. I’ll explain it to you slowly.”
“…Thank you for your hospitality.”
“It’s the doctrine of the desert to be kind to travellers.”
She introduced herself as a Shaman and was kind, but there was something awkward about her.
It didn’t feel like she was lying, but rather, the situation itself felt twisted and hard to explain.
It was like a stage malfunctioning in a play.
Despite the awkwardness, I managed to keep my composure and followed the Shaman into the tent.
There, under the tent, I listened to the Shamans’ story.
“I am a Shaman who accepts the ‘Gods.’ Our Gods watch over us who live in the dry desert, bestowing upon us the grace of fertile crops and abundant rainfall.”
“I see…”
“We cannot always offer prayers to the Gods. We wait earnestly until the night of the full moon, and on that night, we offer our prayers with all our hearts. So if you have come here seeking our ‘God,’ you may have to stay here for several days.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“You don’t have to worry. Since you are a guest who has come to seek our God, we will serve you well during your stay.”
It didn’t seem like a strange story, so I nodded my head.
If it required time, I could use the wizard’s teleportation to visit the city of adventure, but there was no need to refuse their hospitality.
I just felt that their reactions were too extreme and positive, which seemed a bit strange.
Could they afford not to be guarded against strangers?
It seemed unclear whether it was simply the effect of ‘luck.’
“I will prepare a meal for you. Please wait a moment.”
“Ah, sure.”
Let’s see what they’re up to.
Even if they have bad intentions, it wouldn’t be difficult to deal with them.
If it was poison or a trap, there was no way I would fall for it, and if they used other means, the wizard could handle anything.
It would have been safer if there had been Hero… Well, it would have been noisy if I had brought the Hero.
Hmm, I didn’t think the Hero was necessary.
Ultimately, something unexpected happened.
We were told to stay in separate tents, so I was a bit tense, wondering if it was a trap.
So, even late at night, I remained vigilant, but someone came to my tent.
“…Shaman?”
“Hehe, yes, it’s me.”
It was the Shaman I had seen during the day.
Since she didn’t seem hostile, I relaxed a bit.
In fact, she seemed more friendly than she had during the day.
She still covered her face, but her voice felt friendly and sticky.
“Isn’t the night quite chilly? It’s as if the heat of the day is nothing.”
“The temperature difference is quite extreme.”
“That’s why I came to visit you.”
“…Yes?”
The Shaman removed the cloth covering her face.
Her eyes were a sparkling turquoise colour, which was unusual for the desert and therefore even more mysterious.
“To warm your night… ”
The Shaman slowly removed her clothes.
The sound of cloth brushing against the tent filled the air.
Feeling a little embarrassed, I took a step back, but the Shaman approached more aggressively.
“…Hehe, am I not enough? I think I’m quite pretty… ”
“It seems too much trouble…”
Unable to choose my words carefully, I ended up uttering a single word.
“…Goddess.”
“…Yes?”
“Because this is not my first time with a goddess…”
“Yes?”
Right now, this Shaman was channelling something divine.
Probably what is called a ‘Goddess.’
Thanks to my experience with the goddess, I could recognize it easily.
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“…Can’t you just pretend you don’t know?”
“Do you think it’ll work?”
TL Note: In case you wondering why God changed to Goddess its cause they didn’t know the gender of the Goddess before ha ha ha~
