Divine Domain

The woman with strikingly beautiful silver hair and pale light-blue eyes leaned in close to peer at my face, and suddenly her eyes became moist.

“I’m glad that the human who saved me turned out to be someone kind-hearted like you. You are the savior of this world. After all, you saved me, the Goddess of Peace.”

My mind completely stopped working from the sudden situation, and all I could do was open and close my mouth without any words coming out.

Um… what is going on? Is this a dream? Or was I attacked by a monster in an instant without realizing it, and this is the afterlife?

But if that were the case, she wouldn’t be talking about a savior or about saving the Goddess of Peace. Actually, judging from what she just said… is the person in front of me the Goddess of Peace?

“Are you surprised by all of this happening so suddenly?”

Seeing the woman before me change her expression with concern, I realized I had to say something and opened my mouth.

“U-um… I don’t really understand what’s happening. Am I… dead?”

“No, you are alive. I’m sorry for confusing you. I was so happy to be saved that I got ahead of myself. I’ll explain properly. I am the Goddess of Peace, Seremees. Several hundred years ago, my divine statue was thrown into this mountain by a servant of the God of Destruction, and I have been waiting here ever since for someone who would help me.”

That story sounded somewhat similar to the tales my mother told me when she was still alive. Could those stories about the conflicts between gods actually have been real?

“A god can only summon the human who touched their divine statue right before to the Divine Domain, and cannot even make them into a servant otherwise. Furthermore, gods cannot directly interfere with the mortal world. That is why I have been waiting all this time for a human who would notice the divine statue abandoned here. Thank you so much.”

“I see… um, if I was able to help, then I’m glad.”

Not even knowing whether this was reality or a dream, I gave a vague response, but the Goddess of Peace who called herself Seremees still showed me a gentle smile.

“So, this is sudden, but… would you like to become my servant?”

A servant… a divine servant. Wait, me!?

“W-what do you mean!?”

At that sudden proposal, the dazed state my mind had been in from the shock of speaking with the Goddess of Peace instantly cleared.

I knew that beings called divine servants existed. Humans who became servants of a god rarely made that fact public, so throughout history only a few people were known as divine servants, but those few were famous enough that anyone with basic awareness knew of them.

Because every single one of them possessed overwhelming power. Some saved the world from great disasters, some rescued kingdoms that were on the verge of destruction due to monsters overflowing from dungeons, and some single-handedly defeated calamity-class monsters. Countless such legends remained.

For someone like me to become such a servant… that’s impossible!

This isn’t something to brag about, but I’m a man who nearly gets killed by monsters that normal people could easily defeat alone. Even if I became a servant, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“A god can choose only one servant, and I would like you to become mine. Someone kind-hearted like you is perfect as a servant of the Goddess of Peace, don’t you think?”

The goddess winked playfully, as if what she said was obviously the correct answer.

“No, no, um, that’s impossible for me! I really can’t do anything. I became an adventurer because I wanted to save as many people as possible, but no matter how hard I tried, I was useless. Someone at the very bottom as an adventurer like me becoming the servant of a goddess…”

As I explained, I was forced to recognize my own incompetence again, and my voice gradually became quieter in discouragement. But the goddess resolved my concern with a single sentence.

“You don’t need to worry. When you become a servant, you are granted special power, so you become strong.”

“…Is that really true?”

“Yes. It’s a power so strong that your original abilities hardly matter at all. At the very least, ordinary humans wouldn’t stand a chance against you. You could even fight calamity-class monsters on equal footing.”

—If that’s true, then becoming the goddess’s servant would mean I could finally part ways with my useless self.

And I could become an adventurer who helps reduce the number of people with tragic pasts like mine, even if only a little. I could fulfill the dream I had nearly given up on.

Realizing this moment could become the turning point of my life, my hands trembled with tension.

“…C-could you really make someone like me your servant?”

“Of course. If that is what you wish.”

“Do I have to pay some kind of price…?”

“You don’t need to give anything like that. But yes, I would like you to sympathize with my ideals and help me achieve them. The goal I aim for is world peace. Doesn’t that overlap with your own goal?”

That was exactly what I had originally aimed for… what I had wanted to aim for.

There was no reason to refuse anymore.

Rather than refusing, this was something I should be begging for myself.

“If the Goddess of Peace is willing, please make me your servant. I beg you…!”

I bowed my head forcefully, then slowly lifted my face again. The Goddess of Peace smiled softly at me.

“Thank you. Then I will make you my servant. What is your name?”

“My name is Luca.”

“Luca, I will now pour my divine power into you. Do not resist—accept it.”

Immediately after hearing her words, I felt something warm envelop my entire body. As I entrusted myself to that warmth instead of trying to escape it… that warm sensation began to seep into my body.

And after several dozen seconds, the warmth disappeared. However, I could clearly tell that my body had changed.

“With this, you have become my servant. Luca, I look forward to working with you from now on.”

“I look forward to it as well!”

When I hesitantly placed my hand over the hand that the Goddess of Peace extended to me, her hand felt… strangely like touching a refreshing breeze.