✦ ✦ ✦
Ferdinand pinned my arm down while Eglantine quickly rolled up my sleeve. The moment the final charm was removed, Mestionora’s voice echoed through my mind.
“I shall dismiss you for a short while. But this time, I will not grant you access to my library.”
And with that, my consciousness was plucked away. The world around me faded into a blank white void.
I’m banned from the Goddess of Wisdom’s library?! NOOOOOO!
Gone was my only reason for looking forward to the afterlife. The despair had just set in when Mestionora’s voice reappeared in my head.
“I am finished. Now go.”
“Um, did something happen? Did you do something to my body?” I asked. Ferdinand would probably keep me in the dark again, so this was my best chance to find out.
“The last time I descended into your vessel, I dyed you completely. You would not have felt so much pain if you had waited for my influence to fade, but alas. That contributed to how the gods’ power reacted inside you.”
“Was there another reason?” I asked.
“Quinta’s magic tools blocked my descent, no? The gods answered Erwaermen’s call for aid and channeled their mana into you with enough force to overwhelm your charms.”
W-Was that really necessary?
The charms were designed to block the descent of a certain goddess, not to stop the gods’ blessings, so the rush of divine power meant to overcome them hadn’t faced any resistance whatsoever. The gods’ power had slammed straight into me, racking me with more pain than any human could endure.
“The gods were not acting with malice, but they did wish to spite Quinta for lashing out at Erwaermen.”
So they’d put me through hell to get back at Ferdinand. I couldn’t say I was impressed.
“I regret that you were wrapped up in all this. Still, I shall say no more. Return before Quinta starts to rampage in his impatience.”
She was making him out as some kind of angry beast, which simply wasn’t true. Sure, he was calculated and ready to do anything—however immoral—to accomplish his goals, but for the most part, he was really quite even-tempered.
“I wouldn’t say he’s impatient...”
“No? He acts under Ewigeliebe’s influence, and any discipline he might have vanishes when it comes to his Geduldh. From now on, I would rather you both stay far, far away from Erwaermen.”
Mestionora sounded genuinely concerned for the former god. Plenty of stories claimed she was devoted to him—he had saved her life, apparently—and it seemed that they were true. I could understand why she wouldn’t want Ferdinand near him when he had charged into the Garden of Beginnings with explosives in hand.
If one looks only at the things he’s done there, then yeah—the angry beast comparison makes sense.
“Understood. Upon my return, I will take Ferdinand and leave the Garden of Beginnings.”
“Good. And make haste in dyeing Yurgenschmidt’s foundation. That is Erwaermen’s wish and why the gods lent you their power to begin with.”
Though my exchange with Erwaermen had spiraled out of control, it was true that the gods wanted Yurgenschmidt to survive. I wasn’t opposed to granting their wishes; their divine power would prove essential to our cause, and they had given me various blessings in the past.
“I thank you for your assistance, O Goddess of Wisdom. Praise be to the gods!”