Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 176

Ch.176 Apostle of the Goddess of War

"Ahh~."

"Ah."

"How is it?"

"I just swallowed it."

Sion answered with food in his mouth. Ruina carefully wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth.

"How is it?"

"……It's delicious."

"My cooking skills have improved, right?"

"Just a little?"

"Tsk."

To an observer, they looked exactly like a couple. The people of Elim tacitly accepted that Ruina was Sion's partner.

The world was doomed, and the ground surface was crumbling into dust moment by moment.

It was a do-or-die situation. In a world where even a wedding was a luxury, living like a couple was not a strange sight.

People conveyed their true feelings to their loved ones and did things they hadn't done before. Some let go of everything and went on trips, sinners apologized, and others made their final confession to the Goddesses.

Such daily life flowed precariously.

It was the same for Sion, Ruina, and Set and Kaili sitting beside them eating lunch boxes silently.

It looked like a peaceful daily life, but in reality, it was the life of prisoners waiting for execution.

It was anxious and uncomfortable like a thorn in the throat, yet there was nothing to be done.

Except looking at the sunset on the horizon and reminiscing about the past….

Light had returned, but it was the light of destruction. Minds and the world collapsed. It was the first time humans longed for darkness.

As the sun set, Sion and Ruina entered their temporary shelter and lay down. Due to the hasty relocation, there were no proper bedding. It was the same for all humanity.

They patched together suitable pieces of cloth and lay on animal hides to sleep.

Ruina lay beside Sion and said,

"Now… what will happen to us?"

Sion did not answer and stared blankly at the ceiling. Moonlight seeped through the gaps of the completely collapsed building.

'The temple I destroyed.'

Sion agonized. After opening his eyes, he only repeated the same thoughts. He had shown no motivation or will.

'What is the difference between what I did and what the God of Destruction does?'

Having power, he thoroughly crushed the opposing side that went against him. The result was the ruined Temple of Fire.

Sion was lying in a place he turned into dust with his own hands. It was ironic.

"Brother?"

Ruina called Sion again, who gave no answer. She raised her body slightly and looked at Sion.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

"……Ruina."

Sion opened his mouth blankly. His voice was hoarse from long silence.

"Why? Are you worried about something?"

"Don't you have any worries at all? The world is ending."

"Hmm."

Ruina turned her body over and lay down again. She stared at the same ceiling where moonlight entered, which Sion was looking at.

"I have no worries."

"Why?"

"It's sad that the world is ending, but still, I'm with you. So, it's okay."

"What is okay?"

Ruina blinked twice and spoke again.

"I told you. Because I'm with you. It's okay even if the world ends."

"Even if the world ends?"

"Humans are going to die anyway, so what if we die a bit earlier? The reason we suffer while living is to find happiness, isn't it?"

"Is… that so?"

Sion answered bitterly. Ruina drew a curve with the corner of her mouth and hugged Sion warmly.

"I found my happiness. So, even if my story concludes a bit earlier, it's okay."

"……"

Sion closed his eyes without speaking. He also held Ruina's arm and fell into a long silence.

Ruina said nothing. She knew better than anyone what burden Sion was carrying and how great his worries were.

Offering comfort rather than advice or urging was Ruina's best option.

She made no demands that would hurt Sion, such as asking him to save the world or defeat the God of Destruction to restore peace.

At least she tried to be Sion's roof and a cozy fireplace.

After a long time, deep into the dawn.

Sion said softly,

"Thank you, Ruina."

"……Yeah."

"Huh? You weren't asleep?"

"……Let's sleep quickly."

"Okay."

***

"Brother. Brother Sion."

"Uh, uh-huh?"

Sion opened his eyes alone. Ruina had already disappeared. Set was looking down at Sion with a sullen face.

"The sun has risen. Aren't you sleeping in too late these days?"

"……Can't I sleep a bit? You brat."

When Sion grumbled, Set also whined in turn.

"Still, it's a promise between men. Isn't it too much? Breaking a promise? As the Apostle of the Goddess of War."

"Haa—"

Sion pressed his forehead. He recalled his promise with Set belatedly. It was a promise to spar with swords.

"Is this a promise worth waking someone who is sleeping soundly in the morning to keep?"

Sion struggled to raise his upper body. His body felt as heavy as a lump of iron.

"The size of the promise isn't important, Brother. Or rather, Lord Apostle of the Goddess of War."

"……You brat, you've become quite cowardly?"

"Who do you think I learned from?"

Sion had no choice but to get up. After washing simply and eating the bread and cold porridge Ruina left, he went down to the beach with Set.

Crunch, crunch.

"The sensation of stepping on sand feels good no matter when."

Set, walking ahead, said suddenly. Sion's ears perked up.

"You like that kind of thing?"

"Why? I like good things too."

"No, just…."

Sion closed his mouth. He was lost in thought again. He realized he had been careless until now.

'Since becoming an apostle, I've had almost no time to interact with my siblings.'

Come to think of it, the time known to his siblings wasn't that long. They only became close because they suffered and shared hardships together intensely in a very short time.

In terms of time alone, the period joined in Elim was longer.

'Actually, it's fair to say I know almost nothing about them.'

Ruina, Set, even Kaili.

They were younger siblings and family, and he thought he must protect them with his life, but he didn't know their tastes or what they liked in detail.

'Well, it's not bad.'

There are new things to learn in ordinary daily life. Sion liked that.

'The sensation of stepping on sand….'

Sion also stepped on the sand. He focused his senses on the soles of his feet.

Sand grains slipped between his toes, and broken seashells pricked his soles slightly.

The moderately warm temperature felt really good.

"I like it too."

"Huh?"

Set turned to look at Sion.

"Stepping on sand. It's quite nice."

"Right?"

"Yeah."

"I only learned what a sandy beach was after coming here! It was so nice, plus training here is much harder so it helps!"

Sion lifted his head.

"Training?"

"Yeah."

"Come to think of it, why are you practicing swordsmanship?"

Sion asked foolishly. With the destruction of the world unavoidable, Set was foolishly swinging a sword.

Leading some War Knights, he ran on the sandy beach every morning, swinging his sword to sharpen his mind.

'Why on earth?'

What use is all that now?

To Sion's question, Set answered lightly. As if it were trivial.

"Just doing it."

"Just?"

"Yeah. Because I'm a War Knight."

Set poked his chest with his thumb. Then he wore a cheerful smile as if proud.

"I will be a War Knight even when I die. I will die holding that pride."

"You—"

"What status I earned! I was always protected by you, Brother, and lived only looking at your back. You don't know how much I hated my powerless self."

Sion closed his mouth and listened to his younger brother's inner thoughts. It was repentance from his younger brother he had never heard before.

"So I like it now. Even if I die tomorrow, I am a War Knight!"

"Hmm."

"Have you put down your sword now, Brother?"

Set asked while scratching his head. His face was incredibly pure.

"Well…."

Sion also scratched his head. Had he put down his sword?

'Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since Lady Achille hasn't called for me.'

Since moving here, only his siblings came to find Sion.

He heard everyone was busy. Survivors intended to fight until the end. Goddesses and Evil Gods were also joining forces now. Apostles of other cults were the same.

Only Sion was alone, spacing out and resting.

'Is this alright?'

Sion turned his head and looked at the horizon. Gentle waves slapped the sandy beach.

It felt as if all worries were being washed away by the seawater.

'I don't want to think about troublesome things. For now….'

If Sion was needed, they would have looked for him long ago. Perhaps the Goddesses were giving Sion time to recover.

'I don't know.'

Sion didn't want to think about anything right now. His body and soul were exhausted to the limit. He was like a sandcastle that wouldn't be strange if it crumbled at a mere touch.

'Haa—'

For now, he just wanted to spend time with his siblings. Since the world was going to be destroyed anyway, building memories for the last time would leave fewer regrets.

'I miss my master.'

Sion suddenly thought of Garfenn. He would be living on the other side of the world created by Eru about now.

He would be resolving old grievances with his former family in a world beyond the hall of Goddesses.

'I'm envious, I'm envious, Master. Please appear even in a dream at a time like this.'

However, he does not dream. Sion slept so deeply every night that he couldn't dream.

"Brother!"

Snapped back to his senses by Set's call, he saw him holding a wooden sword.

"Aren't you going to do it? Is your body not well today?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine."

Sion picked up the wooden sword fallen on the ground. He brushed off the sand and felt the curve in his hand.

Even holding it after a long time, it felt like part of his body without any discomfort. The distinction of boundaries had become meaningless.

Tap, tap.

Set tapped the wooden sword on his shoulder. To Sion, it was an arrogant attitude.

"Why are you thinking so deeply, Brother."

"What about?"

"If we're going to perish anyway, we should enjoy it."

"If we're going to perish anyway, why train? You might as well go out and catch some demons."

Set chuckled.

"Brother, the demons are all dead now. Only humans gathered in this area remain."

"……Really?"

"You really have spaced out, Brother. Seriously."

Set spun his wrist with a grin.

"We're just playing, you know."

"Huh?"

"Not training, I just want to play with you, Brother. Do I have to say it this clearly for you to understand? You're not the brother I knew, really."

Set giggled. It seemed he felt good teasing Sion for the first time in his life.

"Haha."

Sion's cheeks trembled. Set had grown enough to tease him, and Sion had become that weak.

His mental state was so bad he couldn't even distinguish a joking tone.

"Okay. Let's play."

Sion laughed.

He had attached meaning to every action and word, seeking worth. The life of an apostle was like that, but not now.

Now was the time to pursue Sion's happiness in every action and word.

'The happiness I seek is….'

Set ran.

"Here I go!"

Clack!

Sion lightly parried Set's attack. Set rolled on the ground.

Swish!

Set threw sand. Blocking Sion's vision, he got behind him. However, Sion's wooden sword was already stabbing behind him.

"Cough!"

Set's shoulder was pierced. Even a wooden sword hurts like hell.

"Ugh!"

Set struck Sion's wooden sword hard and maneuvered to the side again. Sion twisted only one corner of his mouth and sneered.

"You're slow, Set. Boasting about being a War Knight or whatever, is this all you've got?"

"What?"

Set convulsed. He thought he could land a hit if his brother had lost his mind, but that wasn't the case.

With this level of gap, Set wouldn't be a match even if Sion were asleep.

"Aaaah!"

Set charged again. Sion swung his arm lightly.

Splash!

Set flew into the sea and fell in.

Sion laughed pleasantly and teased Set as he swam out.