Chapter 379
Now, let's rewind time a bit.
This was a moment of judgment exceedingly rare even among the gods.
The divine world also has organizations akin to courts.
A space rarely used, and utterly unreasonable, where judgment is delivered unilaterally.
"You deceived us."
"If we speak only of the result, that is correct."
The judges and the judged.
Now, the Goddess of Light, Rina, whose position had been clearly defined and who was equipped with restraints, glared at the God of Observation, Haze, who had been summoned nonchalantly as a reference witness.
"However, one could also say I merely fulfilled the duty assigned to me."
"Was your job to deceive us? That sounds like quite an enjoyable job."
Beside her stood the Goddess of Earth, Juri, similarly clad in restraints.
Rina bared pure emotion, while Juri directed a gaze as cold as ice towards Haze.
"The accused shall remain silent."
Into the completely frigid exchange between the two, a stern voice that resonated in their heads echoed through the venue, as if intervening.
Appearing were thirteen pillars of light.
They did not take human form; these existences, mere pillars of light from which immense power could be sensed, were gods who had existed since ancient times.
"......"
Before these existences, neither Rina nor Juri could do anything but fall silent.
"Henceforth, judgment shall be passed upon the Goddess of Light, Rina, and the Goddess of Earth, Juri."
With their silence, the proceedings advanced.
There are no defense attorneys in the judgment of gods.
Only facts exist.
"Before that, God of Observation, Haze. The charges against these two pillars."
"Understood."
In this divine world, material evidence holds no meaning.
In this divine world, circumstantial evidence holds no meaning.
In this divine world, emotional arguments hold no meaning.
"Through my power of Observation, the Thirteen Court Gods have seen their actions, but allow me to explain again."
What is necessary is simply whether the gods themselves actually saw it or not.
This fact alone is what becomes important.
And lies do not work between gods.
That is to say, no matter what camouflage the God of Observation, Haze, might employ, that camouflage would be exposed through conversation between gods.
"I received a certain request from the Goddess of Light, Rina, and the Goddess of Earth, Juri. It was..."
Therefore, in this place, there is no choice but to speak honestly.
Without hesitation, and utilizing divine memory, Haze accurately recounted all events that had transpired thus far, concealing nothing.
Receiving the request, suggesting methods to interfere with the lower world, what they would do in return—he told everything about the events that had occurred recently.
"...From the above account, they had motivation to actively interfere with the lower world, took action, and in fact, showed no intention to refuse, proceeding right to the verge of executing said interference."
If they had stopped at the preparation stage, they might still have been overlooked.
However, they showed absolutely no sign of stopping until the execution stage.
"Therefore, after conducting the final confirmation for execution, and upon receiving their affirmation to proceed, I feigned the execution with my own hand and subsequently restrained them."
"Hmm. It matches what we have observed."
Furthermore, with words urging execution sporadically seen, there was no longer any room for doubt.
"All assembled, the actions these two have taken are those that disrupt the order of this world. We shall take a vote on passing judgment upon this."
And by the stage they were summoned here, there was no room for argument.
They were merely summoned, and judgment was solemnly passed.
They could protest that it was a trap, that they were deceived, but it was already too late.
The God of Observation, Haze, had not lied to them about anything.
He had said what he could do, he could do, and cooperated where he could cooperate.
Only one thing: he remained silent about being a decoy, and he merely observed their actions constantly and reported that observed information.
The question of whether they had been exposed had certainly been asked.
To that question, Haze had answered thus:
'They have not been exposed.'
At first glance, this might sound like a lie, but Haze originally had no intention of hiding it, so his interactions with Goddess Rina and Goddess Juri did not constitute concealment.
Therefore, the statement 'they have not been exposed' did not become a lie.
It might be sophistry, or perhaps a forced excuse.
But for the gods, this sophistry also becomes reason.
A serious god would not commit the rule violation of interfering with the lower world.
However, exceptions exist in every age.
Hence, they continued to position Haze, an existence that tests rationality, as he was.
Because this trap had continued for so long, all of his actions ceased to be lies.
'Seat One, concurs.'
'Seat Two, agrees.'
It is not that those who are deceived are at fault.
Those who do wrong are at fault.
That is all Rina and Juri did.
They ran amok solely to save their younger brother, and as a result, sought to disrupt the world's order.
This is an unforgivable great sin for a god.
Solemnly, the pillars of light acknowledged the two goddesses' sins.
'By the resolution of all thirteen seats, the exile punishment for Goddess Rina and Goddess Juri is decided.'
An unchangeable fact is decided here.
The worst would have been annihilation through deprivation of divinity, but exile to the lower world is also a punishment close to the worst for a god.
'Release shall be on the day we again pass such a resolution. Though the memory of this conversation shall be sealed and you will be unable to recall it, that is the punishment. Until the day we are convinced you have reformed, walk your lives.'
Solemnly, the judgment proceeded, and the closing of the court was declared.
'With this, the judgment concludes. Bring both goddesses to the center.'
The punishment is executed immediately.
Preparations for it are complete.
Carried to the center by male gods.
There, at the center of the pillars of light.
"......"
Not permitted to say anything, the two pillars merely glared at the pillars of light, who said nothing in return.
'Seal.'
''''''''Seal.''''''''
Following the representative pillar, immense power overflowed, enveloping Rina and the others.
Without even a moment to speak, the two goddesses were encased in crystal, unable to move.
Then, from within that crystal, particles of light floated out.
Those particles of light fell towards the lower world through a gate opened by the pillars of light, like a single snowflake descending.
Watching the falling souls of the goddesses, the goddesses' bodies encased in crystal were transferred elsewhere.
The gods seeing them off spoke in flat voices, as if having finished a task.
'That is all. Dismissed.'
The time of judgment ended.
'Haze.'
"Yes."
'Continue your observations.'
"Understood."
The pillars of light vanished one after another.
The last remaining pillar left instructions for Haze before disappearing.
"......"
Fallen gods.
Many such pillars have existed in the past, living various lives in the lower world.
Some gods have returned to the heavens, while others have yet to return.
The Raging God is a good example.
No matter how many times he is reborn, he can only become an existence that is vicious and capable of nothing but rampaging.
To reform, one must possess a heart capable of reforming.
Such an existence is reborn on earth time and again.
"Well, I shall return to my chambers as well."
To continue watching such existences.
That, too, is the duty of the God of Observation.
Without letting his emotions waver, Haze left the chamber of judgment.
He continued watching the fate of the light through the authority of the God of Observation.
Amidst the countless—truly countless—gazes he had continuously watched, only two more were added.
If by some chance Liberta could see these two gazes, he would doubtless be dumbfounded at the sight that followed, wondering what kind of miracle this was.
Was it the doing of the goddesses' fortune, or was their misfortune simply strong?
The light danced through the night sky, carried by the wind, and slowly descended to the earth.
The place it fell was the land of a minor noble who held territory in a remote region.
Though not quite affluent, it was not impoverished either.
There were slightly unusual twin siblings, and apart from the unease surrounding them, the light descended onto a noble's land that could be found anywhere.
As if guided by fate, the light flew only into the eyes of the twins. Concerned about the light's destination, the twins chased the light, which fell straight towards the foot of the mountain.
Eventually, they would leave this territory.
The two, who had been preparing for this, knew the area well, possessed knowledge unbecoming of nobles, and few in the household worried about him and her.
Even if they left home late at night, no one minded.
Along the familiar nighttime path, the siblings advanced, each holding their weapon in one hand, chasing the light.
What was the light that fell from the sky?
Along the way, the siblings voiced their doubts but never hit upon the truth.
A new type of monster? Or perhaps a spirit?
Though they had seen that light so clearly, they wondered why there was no commotion. But it wasn't an illusion; it was a light clearly visible to their eyes. They chased it.
Falling to the earth slightly faster than they could run, yet more slowly than a thrown stone, the light descended.
When they caught up to the light, the siblings' eyes widened.
"Girls?"
"But... they fell from the sky, right?"
"Yeah."
The taciturn brother's eyes widened. The sister, more talkative than her quiet brother, looked up at the sky again to see if there were any other lights.
Before him and her were a girl with beautiful golden hair and a girl with beautiful flaxen hair.
"That's good, Brother. They don't seem to be monsters."
"Yeah. So... spirits?"
"Hmm, they look different from the pictures in the books I've read."
As they slowly approached the girls sleeping peacefully—perhaps unconscious—the light gradually subsided.
Then, the surrounding area grew dark, with only the lantern the brother held serving as a light source.
Bringing that light closer slowly, the faces of the well-featured, similar-looking girls were illuminated by the lantern's flame.
"...They're human, right?"
"I think they're human. No dragon-like horns, no beast-like bodies of beastmen, no ears like elves or dwarves."
The manner of their appearance was far too abnormal and fantastical. The brother, bewildered, confirmed and sought agreement from his knowledgeable sister.
"What should we do?"
"If we report it at home, it'll become a huge deal. At the very least, with looks like this, I doubt they'd just be left alone?"
Physical labor for the brother, wisdom for the sister.
The division of roles for the siblings who had lived and survived in that household.
Yet, decisions were always made after proper consultation.
"Should we take them with us?"
"Well, we have no choice."
Looking at the sisters with similar faces, the brother and sister—who themselves were twins with similar faces—judged they couldn't just leave them.
"The old man at the mountain lodge will look after them."
"Yeah."
Slowly approaching and shaking their shoulders, there was no sign of them waking. The brother sighed, and the sister gave a wry smile.
If left here, they'd either be attacked by monsters or picked up by someone from the village and sold to merchants.
Poor households might do who knows what.
Understanding this, the siblings resolved to first take them to someone they could trust.
"Aren't they heavy?"
"If I said they were, you'd kick me, wouldn't you?"
"Of course. For Brother's body, any girl is light."
Though petite, carrying two girls was quite a task, but his trained body lifted them effortlessly, and he began walking slowly.
The sister kept watch of their surroundings as they proceeded.
An odd experience, the siblings conversed along the way.
Thinking they'd have to ask when the girls woke, they enlivened the journey with chatter as they headed for their destination.
And if Liberta had seen their figures, he would likely have said:
'They're the protagonists!'
Their appearances matched the default character designs of the protagonists in FBO.
Male or female.
Despite that difference, Liberta would not have mistaken them.
Their location was the protagonists' hometown.
Recently, it had become somewhat rough due to a major noble's downfall, but being too far from the center, the effects weren't too severe.
Why were there two protagonists? Why did the sealed goddesses coincidentally descend to such a place?
If Liberta could have known the trial's result, the process until their descent, and their meeting, he would doubtless have retorted, 'What kind of cliché is this?!'
Or perhaps he might have considered it a butterfly effect caused by the existence of a boy named Liberta in this world.
However, as a result, in a place he knows yet doesn't know in this world, an unknown meeting is taking place.
What influence this will have is something not even the gods can know.