Chapter 244
While Mana presided, Rager stood one step behind. Still wearing the holy knight’s attire he had worn before, he held a longsword, old but still shining. He was not directly participating, but was going to connect the two from behind in a supporting role.
Mana, paying no attention to his surroundings, half-closed his eyes and looked down, quietly chanting something. It seemed to be the first time the women had seen Mana like this, as some of them wore slightly surprised expressions.
“Oh source of life’s budding, we believe that you purify the chaos of this world and give us new hope within.”
He reverently held a white, wide vessel and raised it, filled with water, and bowed his head. Then, everyone around him bowed their heads together. It seemed to be a prayer that the followers of Aiha naturally knew, and they began to recite the prayer that followed in their own voices, which was very solemn.
For some reason, Roina felt a tingling sensation in her chest again. It was a similar feeling to when she first met Mana. She simply pressed down on her chest with one hand.
Mana raised his head and stepped back, then drank the water directly. And at that moment, Rager plunged his longsword into the ground, knelt on one knee, and put his hands together, bowing his head. His small voice was constantly echoing, and surprisingly, it was a language that no one could understand.
Mana poured the remaining water, about half of what he had drunk, into a slightly indented groove below the altar. Since the ground was made of earth, the water should have soaked in immediately, but instead, it flowed along the groove, separated from the ground. As she watched this curiously, she saw that the water gradually grew larger and began to glow as it flowed.
Mana and the crowd, who were watching this scene, seemed surprised. This was apparently not how the ritual was originally supposed to be. Surprisingly, the water stopped in front of Rager, who was kneeling on one knee, and its shape gradually resembled that of a person. Roina suddenly felt warmth in her chest.
“Ah?”
Her necklace, the mirror, was shining in response. When Roina took it out from inside her clothes, the mirror was emitting a faint light and twinkling. Meanwhile, Rager opened his mouth as he looked at the figure of a woman made of water in front of him.
“Goddess. I seek to save humanity by passing through your divinity. Is that alright?”
Then, the water woman—presumably the goddess Aiha—nodded once and smiled shyly. Then, she turned her head towards Priest Mana, who was staring blankly at her, and approached him, embracing him as if he were precious. Mana was not wet at all by the water. He blinked blankly and murmured,
“Mother…”
A tear rolled down his cheek. That drop fell directly onto the water woman and was absorbed, rippling naturally, like a raindrop falling into a puddle. The woman spun around him, as if giggling, and then slowly disappeared.
By the time Mana regained his senses and reached out his hand, all traces had already vanished. He momentarily lowered his eyebrows and wore a melancholy expression.
“You must finish it.”
At Rager’s words, staring at Mana, he seemed to finally come to his senses. He recited the remaining prayer in a slightly trembling voice.
“-May peace be within the mother who blesses all, may it pour down upon all.”
As if that was the end, he rang the white bell on the altar, and an incredibly clear sound filled the space. It was like the laughter of a young girl. This also seemed to be different from the original sound. Mana was now constantly shedding tears. His expression was very pure, like that of a young child.
“…Thank you.”
His voice trembled pathetically, yet it was clear that he was very happy and moved.
At that moment, Jason, who had been silent, spoke up.
“Is it all over now? Can we go?”
Roina kicked Jason’s shin as hard as she could, the master of ruining the atmosphere. She used magic beforehand to create a vacuum around him so that his screams wouldn’t be heard by anyone nearby.
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