Chapter 408
Clutching onto past glories.
There are many people who do such things.
Former executives of major corporations, once-famous athletes, actresses who were in high demand on TV back in the day, students once hailed as geniuses.
However, that glory belongs to that time and is not eternal.
Even gods follow the same logic.
"Look! He who does not work shall not eat!! If you don't finish today's work, no dinner for you!""Why has it come to this?!""If you have time to flap your mouth, go chop at least one piece of firewood!!"
Those girls who became a mysterious meteor and fell from the sky that night.Normally, there would be a story that starts from there, but the person who picked up the Goddess of Light, Lina, and the Goddess of Earth, Juri, wouldn't allow it.
"Don't swing that axe with such poor posture!! How many times do I have to tell you?! Sink the axe in first, then bring it down with a light swing!""This isn't work for a pitiful girl who's lost her memory!!""Your sister is working diligently in the fields!"
By chance or by fate, a person Liberta would call a protagonist if he saw them.
A girl whose name is also the default name, Stella Lunanda, with her indigo hair in a ponytail, instructs the girl she picked up with a spirited expression born from being trained by her family.
"Don't lump me in with Juri! That girl is strangely good at farm work! I'm good at magic!!""Someone whose only talent is glowing, swing that axe! Come on, finish all that firewood by sunset!""Ogre! Demon! Inhuman! Flat-chest!""I see. It seems you have a death wish."
Desperately splitting firewood, the girl—the former Goddess of Light, Lina, transformed into a powerless girl with sealed memories—let her original personality cause trouble, pouring out complaints frankly.
The sensations from when she lived as a goddess remain, even if sealed.A hazy sense of having lived a more luxurious life, a nostalgia for having held greater power.
Because she feels this intuitively, she feels an illusion that her almost powerless self is not herself.
"Eek!?"
That's probably why she flinches at the sight of the human girl pulling a chicken from the coop and cleanly severing its head with a single stroke of a large kitchen knife.
"Do you want to end up like this too?""F-fine! I'll work! I just have to work, right?!""That's right, that's right. As long as you understand. But, I haven't forgiven you for your earlier words. Your dinner tonight, no meat for you.""Tch!""If you split double the amount of firewood on that pile, I'll add some meat for you.""I'll do it!!"
Her slender figure could be called a model's build, and her body seems to prioritize functionality, well-trained.The single stroke from that trained body, the sight of the chicken hung upside down to drain the blood, accompanied by a cold smile.
Sensing instinctively that this was dangerous, Lina returns to the unfamiliar task of chopping firewood.
"Honestly, you're all talk."
With a strange encounter and a sense of responsibility not to abandon those she picked up, even if strictly, Stella is about to aim for the next chicken when she spots a figure walking from afar.
"Brother, how did it go?""She was experienced."
Carrying a basket on his back with farming tools visible, his knees stained with dirt—Stella's brother, Astel Lunanda.His indigo hair, the same as his sister's, is cut short. A quiet expression adorns his muscular, giant frame, his stride adjusted to match the person walking beside him.
"Thanks to her, the work finished faster than expected.""Is that so, is that so? Then I should give Juri-chan a bit more meat.""Oh my, how delightful."
A girl with chestnut-brown hair floats a leisurely smile. Even with her memories sealed and most of her abilities sealed, should one say the dignity of the Goddess of Earth is still evident?
She doesn't avoid touching soil, senses the will of plants, and immediately understands how to properly grow vegetables.Utilizing that ability, the farm work finished much earlier than usual.
Her personality is also gentle, unlike Lina's. One might sense an atmosphere of hidden depths, but she's hardworking and doesn't complain.Because of that, Stella and Astel's evaluation of her is high.
"And, I heard some information from a traveling merchant earlier.""Could it be... rumors about the academy?""Yeah. As expected, it's safer not to go as planned."
Despite being children of nobility, the two treat work like commoners: processing livestock, chopping firewood, farming.The residents of this land don't find this strange.
Stella and Astel are children of a concubine.It's a well-known fact they are neglected because they are not of the main bloodline.
Therefore, they often receive sympathy from the townsfolk.And because they proactively do farm work and hunting, they are recognized as different from other nobles and have gained connections with merchants as well.
"It's that bad, huh?""Read the letter for details.""Yeah, let me see it."
Stella, who prepared this environment, removes her work gloves, hides her innate cheerfulness, and takes the letter from her brother to read its contents.
Being nobles, they can read, write, and do calculations.She's grateful for being educated in that regard, but still doesn't think her current environment is good.
Thinking about the future, the academy that nobles can prioritize entering was also a potential path.
"Yep, no good. It's a completely hierarchical society favoring nobles. No, better to call it a nepotism society. There's a hundred harms and not a single benefit to entering here."
The rumors about that academy aren't good either.So, she asked a merchant acquaintance to gather information for a preliminary investigation.
The result was black. You could say it's pitch black; no good stories were heard.
"In that case, becoming adventurers as planned after all?""That possibility has greatly increased."
Given their position, if they simply went with the flow, Stella would be married off to some noble for a political marriage—being the legal wife would be one thing, but the possibility of becoming a concubine is higher.Astel would be forced into the military and compelled to achieve military exploits.
To avoid that, they are working to become independent early, saving money.
"But, rather than just being adventurers, there's a place we'd like to go while adventuring."
While it's a safe job option, becoming adventurers is the strongest candidate for the siblings.No one probes into your past; anyone can become one.
There's a training period, but if your skills are recognized, you can live a wealthy life.
"The North?""As expected of brother, you understand me.""You've been gathering information only about the North. It would be strange not to know."
Against the BGM of firewood chopping, with the girl's screams mixed in as noise, their conversation continues.Glancing repeatedly, Lina sends pleading looks to her sister Juri for help, but Juri pretends not to notice her sister's gaze, as if to say, "I did my work properly."
Shocked by that, but when the sound of chopping stops, Stella's sharp gaze is cast sideways at her, forcing her to resume.
*Huff huff...* While grumbling, Lina works. Watching her with satisfaction, Stella nods, then smiles at her understanding brother.
"The North, you say?"
However, Juri, who they only recently met—or rather, who they picked up just a few weeks ago and was given the choice of being sent to an orphanage or working together—doesn't fully understand Stella's actions.
"Yes, there are rumors an interesting town is being built there."
It's partly because a trusting relationship hasn't been built yet, but they can't know from where information might leak and reach their family.Working outside the house like this to become independent isn't opposed in itself, but they know the family would interfere if they tried to take noticeable actions.
Stella and Astel.The only ones they can trust are their blood-related siblings.
Although they keep Lina and Juri by their side as guardians, if they don't judge them trustworthy enough by the time they take action, the siblings intend to set out on their journey leaving the sisters behind.
Stella and Astel's current evaluation of the Lina and Juri sisters is: "Leave Lina behind. Take Juri conditionally.""If taking Lina is a prerequisite, then leave Juri behind too."
That's how dry their relationship is.
"An interesting town, you say?""Yes. Rumor has it it's a town being built by an Apostle of the Gods, but the most interesting thing is that it's become independent from this country."
What meaning do the words Stella says with a bright smile hold for Juri, given their relationship?
"Will you go immediately?""Of course not. We have travel funds saved, but considering we need to buy equipment, it's not quite enough. We'll save a bit more before setting out."
That's to announce the time limit.
"I think you understand, but as things stand, we will leave you two behind. If you want to come, do your best."
Because they picked them up, they take responsibility to help them live.That's goodwill, not an obligation.
To be clear, Stella and Astel have no reason to continue protecting Lina and Juri, whom they picked up.
"Yes, I am aware of that.""Yeah, you're working properly. Juri-chan is a good girl."
That was the first thing Stella said to the sisters when they woke up on the morning after that day's encounter.
*'We just found you. So, we brought you to a minimally safe place. After that, you're free to do as you please.'*
That detached emotion is a survival skill Stella acquired to live in this harsh, severe world.Her brother Astel is taciturn as a survival skill to avoid saying unnecessary things.
Behind the smiles and praise, calculations of profit and loss writhe.That is the relationship between the siblings and the sisters, still continuing in its distorted form.
"You helped us, who had nowhere to go, so this much is only natural.""Oh my, I want to make Lina over there drink a decoction of Juri-chan's nail clippings.""They're covered in dirt, so that's no good."
For the sisters who remember nothing but their names, being able to connect with people from whom they felt goodwill immediately upon waking was considerable luck.
What Lina and Juri remember are their names, that they are sisters to each other, and that they each have a specialty.
That's all.
"Hey! I can, hear you, you know!""Yes, yes, don't stop working."
And they do understand they are in a predicament.In such a situation, it's not that they don't understand the disadvantages of leaving these two, who have the potential to help them, who they live with, who are reasonable yet good people, and building new human relationships.
While complaining, they work diligently, obediently following while not neglecting to observe.Their original temperaments remain, even if sealed.
"That's how it is. The remaining days aren't that many, but what you do is your freedom. However...""Yes, I understand. I won't get in the way of Stella-san and Astel-san's actions.""As long as you understand. We'll listen to your requests, but whether we grant them is up to us."
However, a sense of crisis that they must adapt to the environment has sprouted.
"Yes.""It's alright. If you work hard, you can at least live modestly in this town with your sister."
They've forgotten something they mustn't forget.Driven by that anxiety, while thinking "I mustn't leave these two," Juri simultaneously feels a premonition that "something will change if I go with these two."
What does her sister Lina, desperately swinging the unfamiliar axe to split firewood, think?She wants to exchange opinions, but it seems that will have to wait until before bed, when they're exhausted.
"Alright, break's over. Brother, put away the farming tools and come help here.""Got it."
How will the schemes of these siblings intersect? Not even the gods know.