Chapter 97: The One the Goddess Watches
Chapter 97: The One the Goddess Watches
Vespera remained silent for several seconds.
The night breeze stirred the leaves above them, sending a faint rustle through the otherwise quiet academy grounds.
Andras waited.
Whatever she was about to say was clearly not something she spoke about often.
At last, she drew a quiet breath.
"I wanted to tell you about something that happened to me shortly after I became the Saintess."
Andras raised an eyebrow.
"I don’t see what that has to do with me."
"Neither did I at first."
The gentle expression that usually rested upon Vespera’s face had disappeared.
Her crimson eyes grew solemn.
"But you should hear it."
Andras studied her for another moment before giving a slight nod.
"All right. Go on."
Vespera lowered her gaze.
"Before I became the Saintess, there was another woman who served the Goddess."
She paused.
"She once received a prophecy directly from Her."
Andras’s expression remained calm.
"A prophecy?"
"Yes."
Vespera’s fingers tightened slightly.
"About the Chosen Hero."
Andras’s eyes narrowed.
The change was subtle, but Vespera noticed it.
"I won’t tell you who the Chosen Hero is."
She looked toward the moonlit sky.
"That is not something I am permitted to reveal."
Andras said nothing.
"After I became the Saintess, I began wondering whether I was meant to follow him."
Her voice was quiet.
"Perhaps guide him."
She paused.
"Perhaps protect him."
Andras listened without interrupting.
"But I didn’t know whether that was truly the Goddess’s intention."
Vespera lowered her gaze.
"So one night, while I was praying..."
Her expression changed.
"I asked Her."
"And then..."
She hesitated.
"I heard a voice."
Andras’s gaze sharpened.
"A voice?"
Vespera nodded.
"An ancient voice."
She searched for the right words.
"It didn’t sound like the voice of an ordinary person. It felt as though it had existed long before this world."
Andras’s eyes remained fixed upon her.
"What did it say?"
Vespera slowly turned toward him.
Her crimson eyes met his violet ones.
"It said only one thing."
A brief silence followed.
Then she spoke.
"Keep an eye on Andras Darkmoor."
For a moment, even the night seemed to fall silent.
Andras didn’t move.
His expression became unreadable.
The Goddess...
Had mentioned his name?
After several seconds, he finally spoke.
"You were asking the Goddess whether you were supposed to follow the Chosen Hero..."
His voice remained calm.
"...and Her answer was that you should keep an eye on me?"
Vespera nodded slowly.
"Yes."
A troubled expression crossed her face.
"I don’t understand it either."
She gave a faint smile.
"That’s why I came to speak with you."
Andras leaned back against the bench.
"So you were watching me during the ranking ceremony."
"I was."
"And you came to my room tonight because you wanted to see what kind of person I am."
"Exactly."
Her gaze remained steady.
"I wanted to understand why the Goddess would mention you."
"And I wanted to know how you would react when you heard what She had said."
Andras fell silent.
Outwardly, he remained composed.
Inside, however, his thoughts were racing.
So the Goddess knows me.
Not merely that he existed.
She had mentioned him by name.
Why?
What did she want from him?
And more importantly—
How much did she know?
Does she know that I’m a transmigrator?
Andras’s gaze darkened slightly.
Or...
Was she the one who brought me here?
His thoughts immediately turned toward the Devouring System.
His transmigration.
His arrival in a world that had once existed only as a novel on Earth.
The strange circumstances surrounding his rebirth.
Too many questions had accumulated over the years.
Until now, they had remained disconnected pieces.
But this...
This was the first clue that seemed capable of connecting them.
Perhaps the Goddess knew everything.
Perhaps she knew exactly where he had come from.
Perhaps she even knew about the system.
A faint smile touched Andras’s lips.
If that’s true...
I’ll get my answers eventually.
When I meet her.
There was another reason the revelation fascinated him.
The original novel had revealed almost nothing about the Goddess.
She had always existed in the background as an unseen divine presence.
A name.
A religion.
A source of blessings.
Nothing more.
The novel had never shown her directly.
And now—
She had apparently spoken his name.
Interesting.
Andras turned his attention back to Vespera.
"But there’s something I still don’t understand."
Vespera looked at him.
"What?"
"If the Goddess wanted you to keep an eye on me, why didn’t She tell you why?"
Vespera shook her head.
"I don’t know."
"Did you ask?"
"I did."
"And?"
"There was no answer."
Andras nodded thoughtfully.
Even the Saintess doesn’t know.
That makes this even more interesting.
Vespera studied him.
"Does this frighten you?"
Andras gave her a faint smile.
"No."
His gaze shifted toward the darkened academy grounds.
"I’m curious."
Vespera blinked.
"Curious?"
"How often does a Goddess mention someone’s name?"
Vespera couldn’t help but smile.
"I suppose that’s one way to look at it."
Andras’s expression became thoughtful.
"Whatever Her reason was, worrying about it won’t give me an answer."
He turned toward Vespera.
"So I’ll find out eventually."
Vespera regarded him for a moment before giving a small smile.
"You’re much calmer than I expected."
Andras shrugged.
"There are more interesting things to think about."
Vespera laughed softly.
"Fair enough."
The tension surrounding the conversation gradually eased.
After a brief silence, Andras spoke again.
"So..."
Vespera turned toward him.
"What are you planning to do now?"
"Now?"
"After hearing the Goddess’s words."
He gestured lightly toward himself.
"You’ve already come to meet me. So what happens next?"
Vespera thought for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"I think I’d like to get to know you better."
Andras raised an eyebrow.
"Me?"
"Yes."
She glanced toward the night sky.
"At first, I thought I should follow the Chosen Hero."
"After all, he was chosen by the Goddess."
Her expression became thoughtful.
"But the more I think about it, the less necessary that seems."
Andras listened.
"If the Goddess has truly chosen him, then perhaps his path has already been decided."
"Whether I follow him or not, he will likely reach the destiny prepared for him."
Her crimson eyes settled on Andras.
"But you..."
She paused.
"You are different."
Andras remained silent.
"The Goddess didn’t tell me to follow you."
"She didn’t tell me to protect you."
"She simply told me to keep an eye on you."
A faint smile appeared on Vespera’s lips.
"And that makes me wonder why."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You’re not the Chosen Hero."
"Yet the Goddess went out of Her way to mention you."
Her eyes remained on him.
"So, for now..."
"I think I’m more interested in you."
Andras looked at her for several seconds.
Then he gave a small nod.
"That’s a reasonable way of looking at it."
He paused.
"All the best with getting to know me."
A hint of amusement entered his eyes.
"Because I don’t even understand myself that well."
Vespera stared at him.
Then she laughed softly.
"We’ll see."
She rose from the bench and brushed a few leaves from her clothes.
Andras stood as well.
Vespera looked at him.
"Then..."
She hesitated.
"Do you want to be friends?"
Andras considered her for a moment.
A Saintess.
Someone directly connected to the Church.
Someone who had heard the Goddess mention his name.
There was little reason to reject such a connection.
"Why not?"
Vespera smiled.
"Then it’s settled."
The two began walking back toward the residential district.
As they walked, Andras remained thoughtful.
Vespera wasn’t merely a powerful mage.
She was someone with a direct connection to the divine side of this world.
Knowing her could prove useful.
More importantly, he was genuinely curious about her.
System.
The familiar mechanical voice answered within his mind.
[Ding!]
[Yes, Host.]
Show me Vespera’s status.
A translucent interface appeared before his eyes.
[Name — Vespera]
[Race — Human]
[Age — 18]
[Class — Mage]
[Realm — Mid Fourth Circle Mage]
[Talent — Divine Grace (-S Rank)]
Andras’s eyes lingered on the final line.
-S Rank.
His interest deepened.
Show me the details of her talent.
[Ding!]
[Talent — Divine Grace (-S Rank)]
[Description:]
[A rare divine talent granting exceptional affinity with Divine and Light Mana.]
[The wielder possesses extraordinary compatibility with divine energy, significantly enhancing healing, purification, protection, blessing, and Light Magic.]
[Primary Effects:]
[• Greatly enhances healing and recovery magic.]
[• Allows the purification of curses, poisons, corruption, and dark magical influences.]
[• Strengthens allies through divine blessings.]
[• Increases the efficiency and potency of Light Magic.]
[• Allows the creation of powerful protective barriers.]
[• Grants the ability to sense abnormal, corrupted, or contaminated mana.]
[• Allows gradual recovery of the user’s mana through divine energy.]
[Unique Trait — Faith Resonance:]
[The greater the wielder’s faith and determination, the stronger Divine Grace becomes.]
Andras’s eyes narrowed slightly.
An ability that grew alongside faith and determination...
That was considerably more interesting than a simple affinity for Light Magic.
Its potential would depend heavily on its wielder.
And Vespera possessed the kind of conviction that could make the talent even more formidable with time.
Vespera noticed his thoughtful expression.
"What is it?"
Andras dismissed the system window.
"Nothing."
He glanced at her.
Then, after a brief pause, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Although..."
Vespera raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"We can certainly be friends."
He paused.
"But perhaps..."
His smile widened slightly.
"...we could become something more in the future."
Vespera stopped walking.
Her eyes widened.
For several seconds, she simply stared at him.
"You..."
A faint blush touched her cheeks.
"Are you not being a little too direct?"
She glanced at him incredulously.
"You already have a fiancée."
Andras shrugged.
"I’m only telling you the truth."
His expression remained perfectly calm.
"I’m a very honest person."
He paused.
"When I think something, I prefer saying it directly."
Vespera stared at him for another moment.
Then she shook her head.
"You’re certainly unusual, Lord Andras."
She continued walking.
"It’s late."
"We should return to our rooms."
Andras followed.
"All right."
Then he added casually—
"My friend."
Vespera glanced at him.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Good night, Lord Andras."
"Good night, Saintess."
They eventually reached the entrance of the residential building.
Vespera turned toward her corridor.
Andras continued toward Room Three.
Neither looked back.
---
When Andras reached his door, he knocked twice.
Knock.
Knock.
A moment later, the door opened.
Lyra stood on the other side.
Her expression immediately softened when she saw him.
"Young Master."
Andras gave her a small nod.
"Still awake?"
"I was waiting for you."
Andras stepped inside.
"You should have gone to sleep."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"I couldn’t sleep until I knew you had returned safely."
Andras paused.
He looked at her for a moment.
"You worry too much."
"Perhaps."
Her smile remained.
Andras said nothing more.
He simply walked toward the bedroom.
Lyra quietly followed.
The room was peaceful now, illuminated only by the soft glow of the crystal lamp.
Outside the window, the academy grounds had fallen almost completely silent.
The day’s excitement was finally over.
Andras lay down on the bed.
Lyra settled beside him.
Neither spoke.
For once, there was nothing left that needed to be said.
The exhaustion accumulated throughout the day gradually overtook them.
Andras closed his eyes.
Yet one thought remained.
The Goddess knows me.
And somehow...
That thought was far more interesting than it should have been.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Andras finally drifted into sleep.