Chapter 386 - The Divine Image Of The Sun

After finally calming down Celeste, who had gotten upset when I brought up Stardust, we continued going back and forth across the hill I was leading her up.

And a moment later.

Whooooosh

"...Why on earth is it like this here?"

...For some reason, the wind had started blowing fiercely on the hill.

This place I had brought her to was like a distinctive prairie covered with green hills.

For some reason, there were hardly any people here, and as we ventured deep into the hills, fog began to form and strong winds started blowing.

"Well, because the secret I mentioned to you is here."

"...Can't we just fly there?"

Celeste was clearly exasperated. Just moments ago, this had been a sunny green hillside, but after walking a few more steps, fog had suddenly appeared and strong winds were blowing.

As her elegant silver hair whipped wildly in the wind, I responded with an awkward smile to her irritated expression.

"That probably won't work. This place is formed by special abilities, so the path won't open unless we follow the prescribed method."

"...It seems that way. My abilities don't work either, seeing as the fog won't disappear."

At my words, Celeste raised her hand and muttered.

...It seems she had already tried to stop the fog and wind. Though it didn't seem to have worked.

"Haha. Can't be helped, right? Let's go together. I'll guide you."

"Hmph..."

When I said this with a smile while extending my arm, Celeste took my hand with a sullen expression.

As her slightly slender and cold hand touched my palm, I hid my surprised reaction.

...Hmm. I had offered my hand expecting a response like "What are you doing? I don't need that, put it away!" but she took my hand without hesitation, which actually caught me off guard.

"What are you staring at? Let's hurry up and go."

"...Yes."

Anyway, as we walked up the windswept hill holding hands, Celeste covered her face with her other arm and continued grumbling.

"Seriously, you said this was a date... What kind of date is this? There better be something amazing at the end of this."

To her irritated voice, I responded with a casual smile.

"Haha. You don't need to worry about that."

The reason I brought her to this hill somewhere in America under the pretext of a date.

Of course, I didn't just find this place on the internet as a date spot. There's something here.

Probably something that has a high chance of winning Celeste's favor.

For that reason, we continued climbing the foggy hill where we couldn't see a step ahead.

Of course, the process wasn't entirely smooth.

In the middle of our climb.

"...! Watch out!"

"...?!"

Suddenly, something flew toward us from the shadows in the strong wind, and I reflexively pulled Celeste into my arms.

...Thinking about it, Celeste is probably stronger than me, so I quickly let go and apologized, wondering what I was doing.

"Hmm. Well, these things happen."

Celeste didn't seem to mind at all.

...Rather, with slightly flushed cheeks, she nodded and made hmm sounds.

However, she did start to move a little away from me. I noticed she had already let go of my hand...

Perhaps she was embarrassed.

By the way, whatever trash-like thing had flown at us earlier had already been turned to dust by Celeste before it could even touch our bodies.

So we continued walking against the wind for a few more minutes.

"...So, what exactly are we supposed to find here?"

Just as Celeste was starting to get irritated.

"We're here."

That's what I said.

Because we had finally reached the summit.

Whoooooosh...

The wind had finally stopped.

After climbing uphill for quite some time, we finally reached a flat, open area.

...Although it was still impossible to see ahead due to the thick fog, we could tell we had reached the top since we were now on level ground.

And in that fog-filled place.

Confident that we had reached the summit, I could finally smile.

We finally arrived.

At this place from the original work, a place I could never have come to alone.

"...Don't tell me this is the end, Egostic?"

While Celeste was asking me that in the foggy summit.

"How could it be? This is just the beginning. Now, Celeste. Don't you feel something strange?"

"What do you mean... Wait. Hmm..."

At that moment, as if sensing something unusual, she put her hand to her chin and muttered.

To her, I subtly gave a hint.

"Try using your power of the sun. Try drawing out your ability to its maximum limit."

"...Alright. Hmph...!"

At my words, Celeste closed her eyes, stretched out her hand, and focused her energy.

Ping-

In that instant, with a clear sound, a warm golden light burst from her hand.

And at that moment.

Swoooooosh

Like the parting of the sea, the thick fog at the hilltop began to push away and disappear.

And when our view finally cleared, what we saw in the distance before us.

"Wow..."

Kuuuuuuuung

A white statue, so enormous it seemed to pierce the sky, with the sun shining behind it like a halo.

The identity of this statue, nearly the size of a building, carved in the image of a person, emanating a divine and overwhelming presence.

"...No way."

"Yes. That's right."

Perhaps she sensed something without realizing it. In front of Celeste, who was trembling slightly.

With a grin, I spread my arms wide with the statue in the background and said:

"Welcome. To the statue of the Sun God."

The statue of the Sun God.

The only remaining sculpture in this world depicting the image of the Sun God.

***

Celeste.

As described in the original work, she was a complete devotee of the Sun God.

Perhaps even more so because she had been saved by the deity when her life had no hope.

Of course, even she agonized and suffered when the Sun God ordered the destruction of the world in the original work, which shows just how terrible the Sun God really was...

Anyway, the conclusion is that she, still unaware of the Sun God's true nature, remains a fan of the Sun God.

What even she didn't know was what the Sun God looked like when manifested as a human.

How would she feel seeing it for the first time, not as a 1:1 scale figure but as a 100:1 scale statue?

She would probably be overjoyed.

"This... This is the true form of the Sun God..."

On the hilltop in the sky, where the massive statue of the Sun God stood tall.

I gave a bitter smile as I watched her, hands clasped as if in prayer, continuing to look up at that sacred figure with a deeply moved expression.

How could she be so pleased?

'...To someone like her.'

I'm quite cruel to encourage her to betray the Sun God with her own hands.

If only that deity hadn't tried to destroy the world... Sigh.

With such complicated thoughts, I too looked up at the image of the Sun God.

A sharp-featured man with ordinary hair and an indifferent expression.

...To be precise, it had a gender-neutral appearance without a specific sex, but anyway.

This figure was the beginning of all tragedy.

The man who brought the Star God to death, imprisoned the Moon God, and after a long battle, was sealed away himself.

...And the man who caused so much suffering for Stardust and me.

The Sun God Helios.

'...I will defeat you, no matter what.'

After looking up at his brazen face and muttering that, I grinned and turned my head to step forward.

And the best way to defeat him might be to have his only saint betray him.

With that thought, while Celeste was distracted by the statue, I quietly headed to the back.

A small stone door visible behind the pedestal where the Sun God's feet were placed.

'...While pure solar power is needed to reveal the statue of the Sun God.'

Once it was revealed, there were no more security measures.

Thinking that, I opened the stone door. Inside was.

"..."

A small ring.

I took out the silver ring with a golden stone embedded in it and examined it carefully.

This was the Sun God's fifth relic and my main purpose for coming here.

The Sun God's ring. Invidia.

Also known as the Ring of Jealousy.

After taking it out, I quietly headed toward Celeste.

"...Ah! Egostic."

When I approached, she finally noticed me and turned around.

"Are you satisfied?"

"...Yes. I'm really, really satisfied. Thank you, Egostic."

Perhaps because we were near the statue of the Sun God. Somehow she seemed more reverent and sacred than usual.

In front of her, I grinned, hiding the ring behind my back as I spoke to her.

"It's not over yet. I have one more gift for you."

"...A gift? What is it?"

To her puzzled response.

With a smile, I asked her:

"Celeste. Could you extend your hand for a moment?"

"My hand?"

At my words, still looking confused, she extended her left hand.

I took her hand and then...

Under the gaze of the Sun God's statue...

...I took out the ring I had been hiding and quietly slipped it onto her ring finger.

"....Huh?"

Startled by my action, she flinched and then stood there with a deeply flushed face, not knowing what to do.

I smiled slightly and said:

"This is another sacred relic of the Sun God, the Ring of the Sun. I thought you might like it."

"Ah..."

"Thank you for always being with me. And it suits you well, Celeste."

At my words, she quickly withdrew her hand and, with a reddened face, covered it while speaking to me in a pretend angry tone:

"...You should have said that from the beginning. Making people misunderstand...!"

"Hahaha."

"Hmph... Anyway, thank you, Egostic."

I grinned as I watched Celeste looking down at the ring, muttering in a slightly softened voice.

She seemed more conscious of the fact that I gave her the ring than that it was a sacred relic of the Sun God.

...Somehow, putting a ring on Celeste's finger right under the statue of the Sun God felt strange, like I was stealing his saint right before his eyes.

Well, all's well that ends well.

Anyway...

Looking at Celeste, who was hiding her smile while turning the ring this way and that, I quietly thought:

...This should be enough.