I was looking at a sleeping mousekin girl. Her soft breathing made me a bit worried…

 

She has short grey hair and a massive pair of mouse ears. She's a bit taller than me. She looks really thin... Like she has not eaten properly in weeks. Her facial features are extremely adorable...

 

“How is she?” I asked.

 

“She’s out of the danger zone.” Junko replied while clearing the sweat from her forehead with a towel.

 

“...” Silvia was sitting on a desk while reading a bunch of letters.

 

Silvia, Junko, Elise, Arrat, the sleeping mousekin and I were currently at the castle. Everyone else stayed behind to have dinner.

 

They managed to fully explore the bandits’ hideout. They found gold, weapons and armor, corpses and… The girl that is currently resting on our bed.

 

“Junko, then are you sure she was not…?” Elise didn’t finish her sentence.

 

“She was not raped. Her chastity was protected by a spell and a very advanced one on top of that. She also has a locating spell attached to her.” Silvia said while still reading the letters.

 

Elise told me that Silvia found a dozen corpses at the bottom of a pit. All of the corpses apparently belong to demihumans.

 

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened to them…

 

Mara and Na found the mousekin girl tied against a wall. She was covered in scars and whip marks. Thanks to Junko and Silvia and their healing magic, she doesn’t have a single scar left.

 

They also found the letters that Silvia is currently reading… According to Elise and Silvia, the leader of the bandits was part of a large-scale conspiracy. The leader of the bandits and someone called Wyvern were planning to kill the King of Bilna…

 

There’s a lot going on in my head right now… 

 

Guilt… While I was leisurely listening to Arrat’s story, my other wives experienced something unpleasant… I should have been there to support them...

 

Pity… The mousekin girl has suffered so much… The other demihuman women also suffered a lot… I can’t help it, but I find them pitiful…

 

And finally anger… Against the bandits and myself for not making them suffer more…

 

“Well, it is just as Silvia said. She must be part of some sort of royalty. These kinds of defensive spells are not something that you would see on a normal person.” Junko said while looking at the mousekin girl.

 

"We should expect to meet the person who put these spells on her very soon." Silvia added.

 

“I see…” Elise closed her eyes.

 

Elise was the most affected by this…

 

Arrat suddenly patted Elise’s head.

 

“You did well, Elise. We will give them a proper burial before departing tomorrow.” Arrat smiled warmly.

 

I walked towards Elise and held her hand.

 

“Ru… Lady Arrat…” She looked at the mousekin girl… I could feel anger and indignation coming from her.

 

“calling me Arrat is fine, Elise.” Arrat said while she was still patting Elise’s head.

 

“Arrat… Why do the gods don’t intervene when things like this happen…?” Elise asked.

 

Oh...

 

“Ah… I was not looking forward to this question…” Arrat said with a bitter smile.

 

“Ah! I was not accusing you of anything! Please pardon my rudeness!” Elise suddenly panicked.

 

“We’re now family, Elise. I know you didn’t mean it in a bad way. Where do we start…?” Arrat took a deep breath.

 

I wonder what is the reason for the gods to not intervene when some awful shit is going on...

 

“Elise, I’m sure that you remember the commandments that we gave to mortals, right?” Arrat said with a gentle tone.

 

Elise simply nodded.

 

“Us gods also have some commandments that we must follow. We can’t deprive mortals from their free will. Because of that, we cannot punish sinners and evil directly… Well, even if we could, it would be meaningless.” Arrat caressed her cheek.

 

“Meaningless?” Elise looked confused.

 

“Good and Evil cannot exist without each other, just like Order and Chaos. Without evil, good will not exist. Without Order, Chaos will not exist. That's a natural law that even us Gods cannot go against.” Arrat closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 

I’m kinda lost now…

 

“We could intervene, punish all the traitors, killers, rapists and sinners, but… More people would eventually replace the previous criminals.” Arrat said with a sad tone.

 

“But… Wouldn’t you be able to fix that if you physically reigned over mortals?” Elise asked.

 

Ah… The presence of the Goddesses is something very powerful, I think that could actually work…

 

Contrary to my expectations, Arrat simply shook her head...

 

“We would be stealing their free will if we did that. You remember what happened when we met at the temple, right? What did you feel at that moment?” Arrat asked.

 

“…” Elise didn’t seem to be able to answer.

 

“If us gods tried to reign over mortals, it would be no different from indoctrination. We want believers, not mindless cultists.” Arrat explained with a blank expression.

 

Junko suddenly closed her eyes and prayed.

 

“Thank you for your prayers, Junko! You see, Elise… We have Heroes and the clergy act in our name for a reason. The task of the clergy is to spread lessons of love and freedom, while the Heroes have the mission of defeating those who go against the commandments and the free will of people.” Arrat explained.

 

Ah… So I had to do something like that… I might need to ask Electra about my full responsibilities as a Hero…

 

“But it is not like we allow those criminals to be forgiven after being punished by our Heroes. Their souls will be properly punished for their crimes. Until they genuinely repent and feel the suffering they have caused to others, they will not get another chance at life.” Arrat explained.

 

“Are you saying that Hell really exists?” I asked.

 

“It does. Heaven as well. Although most people get sick of Heaven after twenty years or so... Most of them choose to reincarnate after that.” Arrat explained.

 

Is that how it is…? Huh...

 

“Elise, I know that you feel a bit guilty for what happened to those women, but I can assure you that their next lives will definitely be happy ones. I put my honour as a Goddess to guarantee that.” Arrat whispered in Elise’s ear.

 

“Thank you… That does make me feel better.” Elise muttered.

 

“No worries! If you want to know more about this, I will always be open to teach you about it.” Arrat smiled warmly.

 

This was an interesting theological lesson…

 

“Arrat, is there anyone from the church involved in this conspiracy?” Silvia asked.

 

“S-Silvia…!?” Junko suddenly flinched thanks to Silvia’s question.

 

“There’s a few. They hold a lot of influence despite their ranks.” Arrat replied with a smile.

 

Wait… What? There’s also priests and nuns in this conspiracy...?

 

“Ehh?” Junko seemed dumbfounded…

 

“So even in the church…? What would they gain from it…?” Elise looked confused.

 

“I assume that you won’t tell me who they are.” Silvia said while taking a sip of her cup of tea.

 

“That's correct. There’s no need for you to know about them. I have already sent a message to a certain paladin of mine. She and her group are already on the move to deal with them.” Arrat replied with a smile.

 

There’s a certain atmosphere between Arrat and Silvia that it is difficult to describe… I think I can only describe it with the word “Trust.”

 

“That’s good... We will only need to focus on four targets then.” Silvia said with a flat tone.

 

Silvia then stood up and walked towards us.

 

“Wyvern, Tryhorn, Faren Bull and Gold Dragon... Those are the names mentioned in the letters that were directed to the leader of the bandits, a former knight of the Yutkan Empire, Neville Retam.” Silvia explained.

 

“So… Those are the ones who want to kill the king?” Elise asked.

 

Silvia nodded.

 

“Arrat, can you tell us who they are?” I asked my wife.

 

She suddenly caressed my cheek and smiled.

 

“That would be intervening too much and I would be breaking Divine Laws… So, I can’t... However, I can point you in the right direction.” Arrat smiled warmly at me.

 

At least I tried...

 

“I see… Then what do we do?” I asked.

 

“Just go to Alorari. We will eventually end up finding them.” Arrat kept smiling warmly.

 

“Sigh… You know, sometimes I wish you said things clearly and told us what to do.” Silvia sighed heavily.

 

“That takes away all the fun from living!” Arrat said with a bitter smile.

 

I guess being the Goddess of Destiny must be annoying… I don’t think you would be able to watch a movie at all… It would take all the fun out of it…

 

“Ah! She’s waking up!” Junko suddenly shouted. She was wagging her tail furiously.

 

“It seems we’ll have to continue this strategy meeting later. It will be for the best.” Arrat said with a teasing smile.

 

“Yeah, we need to explain this to everyone else.” Silvia nodded.

 

“I hope she’s not too traumatized by the event…” Elise muttered.

 

I hope so… This is the kind of thing that would leave anyone scarred for life…

---

-----??? POV-----

Where am I?

 

I looked around me and I found myself in a strange luxurious room… There were some unknown faces that didn’t belong to my captors…

 

Ah… I was sold again… Mother… Your spells have protected me so far, but… For how long will they last…? 

 

You said that you would find me, no matter where I am… Where are you…?

 

I’m scared… I want to see you again… Mother…

 

You said that I’m strong, but… I’m so scared…

 

“Calm down.” A beautiful and tall red haired woman smiled brightly at me.

 

Ahh… What is this…? Why is her presence so calming…?

 

The red haired beauty simply kept smiling at me.

 

“Does it hurt anywhere?” A girl with brown hair and dog ears asked me.

 

“Are you alright!?” A brown haired human girl asked. She seemed nervous.

 

“Don’t bombard her with too many questions at once…” A blonde elf spoke while showing me a gentle smile.

 

Who are these people…? Why do I feel safe with them…? Ah! Could it be that they are trying to make me lower my guard!?

 

What do they want from me!?

 

“Calm down, little one. We are not with the people who were hurting you. On the contrary, these three over here saved your life.” The red haired woman pointed at the elf, the dog eared girl and the human.

 

I… I was… I was saved…? Really…?

 

Ah! The spell! The spell that detects lies! I must use it! 

 

…

 

Ah… She’s telling the truth…

 

Sniff… I was saved… Mother… I was saved…

 

"It is fine to cry your heart out. You've suffered a lot. But you have been a strong girl and endured everything. You did a good job. You may rest now. It is finally over." The red haired woman said while patting my head…

 

"Sniff…"  Tears were streaming down my cheeks...

 

Mother… Why does this person feel so similar to my own mother…?

 

The door of the room was suddenly opened… 

 

A goblin with golden skin and a horn came into the room… He was carrying a steaming wooden bowl...

 

"I went back to the camp running and brought what you asked… This is what was left…" He spoke with a rather manly voice…

 

He has blonde hair and blue eyes… He looks way smaller than me…

 

"Thank you, Ru." The girl with the dog ears grabbed the bowl and thanked him.

 

Ru…?

 

The girl with the dog ears suddenly looked at me with a gentle expression.

 

"Are you hungry?" She smiled warmly.

 

I couldn't say anything… I just nodded at her and averted my gaze.

 

"What's your name?" The human girl asked.

 

…

 

"N-Nozomi…" I stuttered a bit.

 

Sigh… Even with my saviours, I can't even talk properly…

 

"So your name means 'Wish' huh… That's really cute!" The elven woman said.

 

Huh…? She knows about the meaning of my name…? Is this person just like my mother…?

 

"Quite beautiful actually! I think it suits her!" The red haired woman nodded in agreement.

 

“Does the name have that kind of meaning? That’s interesting.” The golden and small goblin nodded to himself.

 

“Of course! I can teach you a bit of Japanese later!” The elven woman smiled brightly at the small goblin.

 

Japanese… So she is like my mother… A person from Earth. That mystical land where the buildings reach the sky and humans learned how to fly without wings…

 

“Nozomi, it is a bit hot but I can assure you that it will be very tasty! C’mon taste some!” The young girl with the dog ears offered me a spoonful of the stew.

 

She blew some air to cool down the steaming stew…

 

“Umm… W-W-What are your names…?” I asked them…

 

For some reason all of them looked delighted when I spoke…

 

“Cute…” The human girl muttered…

 

Ah… That’s so embarrassing… She’s way prettier than I am…

 

“My name is Junko. As you may have noticed, I am a nun.” The young girl with the dog ears introduced herself with a smile.

 

“Elise. I am a martial artist and an adventurer.” The human girl smiled from ear to ear.

 

“I’m Silvia, just a common magician.” The elven woman said with a gentle expression on her face.

 

“My name is Arrat, just a common goddess.” The red haired woman said while smiling warmly.

 

Huh…?

 

“I’m Ru… Just a common goblin.” He said while imitating Silvia and Arrat.

 

“Yeah, I don’t think the word common applies to anyone in our group.” Elise smiled bitterly.

 

Arrat, Ru and Silvia just laughed in response…

 

“Anyhow, it is a pleasure to meet you Nozomi. I’ll be helping you until you feel better, so let's get along, okay?” Junko smiled warmly at me.

 

“Y-Y-Yes!” I said nervously…

 

Mother… I think I was saved by good people… Hopefully, we will meet again soon…

 

“She’s already on her way to find you, Nozomi. Fufufu! Tomorrow will be fun!” Arrat said with a mischievous smile.

 

Ehh? She is…?

 

“For some reason I’m feeling shivers down my spine… Should I be concerned?” Ru looked confused.

 

“Ah! It seems like I spoke too much! Just forget about it, dear.” Arrat then crouched and hugged Ru.

 

“No, I’m actually getting a bit concerned about it…” Silvia smiled bitterly.

 

“Just forget what I said! For now, let’s take care of Nozomi.” Arrat smiled.

 

“I don’t think this bad feeling will go away any time soon…” Ru looked a bit stressed.

 

This may be a bit disrespectful, but I find this group a bit funny.

 

“Nozomi, your food will get cold, so please open up!” Junko said with excitement.

 

“A-Aaah…” I opened my mouth.

 

Junko then shoved a spoonful of stew into my mouth…

 

The stew was extremely tasty… There was a perfect harmony between the meat and the vegetables…

 

Ah… This reminds me of my mother’s cooking… 

 

“I’m melting…” Elise suddenly muttered.

 

All of them looked extremely delighted  while looking at me for some reason… They are acting just like my mother…

 

“Here comes the second one! You need to eat a lot of it, okay? You need to recover your strength!” Junko said before shoving another spoonful of stew into my mouth.

 

I didn’t resist… The stew was way too tasty to resist… Ah… It has been weeks since I had a warm meal...

 

“I think this will not be enough for her… I will be cooking more food for all of us then.” Arrat stopped hugging Ru and walked towards the door.

 

“Ah! I will check on those guys… I have a bit to talk about with them…” Elise had a sinister smile on her face.

 

The two of them quickly left the room.

 

“I will go with Elise. We don’t want to have some dead bandits in our castle.” Silvia said before running to catch up with Elise.

 

Dead bandits…?

 

“Not gonna lie, I feel the same way as Elise… Though I wish we hadn’t killed that Neville guy. It would have helped us out to find Wyvern or the others…” Ru said with a bitter smile.

 

Huh…? Neville is dead…? The man who tortured me is gone…? Ah… I’m so glad…

 

“Ru! Don’t talk about that group in front of her! She shouldn’t hear about them!” Junko got mad at the small goblin.

 

“Sorry… That was my bad…” He apologized.

 

“N-No… Don’t worry… I want to know what happened to them… No, I need to know…” I said to the two of them.

 

The two of them looked at each other… Ru suddenly opened his mouth.

 

“The leader of the bandits, Neville, was killed by one of my sisters. We captured most of the bandits and we are on our way to deliver them to the authorities. Elise and the rest of our group found you in their hideout.” Ru explained.

 

“I see…”

 

They are gone… No else should suffer the same way we did…

 

“Nozomi, this might be a bit traumatic for you, but do you remember how you were captured?” Junko asked with a serious expression.

 

Ah…

 

I closed my eyes and tried to remember how I ended up in this situation…

 

“I-I-I lived in a remote place in the Kingdom of Ruthenes… I don’t remember much clearly, but I was kidnapped by a group of men and women all covered in black. My mother had to go out for work… I was alone for a few hours when they came into our home and knocked me unconscious…” I tried as hard as I could to remember...

 

The two of them looked at me with pity…

 

“I don’t remember much after that… I think they were feeding me some kind of potion… I remember being in several underground cells. I think I was sold as a slave at least four times... Then the last thing I know is that I was tied against a wall being hit with a whip repeatedly by that evil guy Neville…” My efforts to remember all the details were fruitless.

 

“Nozomi…” Junko was starting to tear up…

 

“...” Ru looked pissed… He was clenching his fists… There was blood coming out of his hands thanks to his claws…

 

Why are they reacting like that…? They barely know me…

 

Junko then suddenly placed the bowl in the nearby nightstand and hugged me.

 

Huh!?

 

“As long as I am alive, no else will do something so horrible to you again! If they do, I will bring the holy inquisition upon them!” Junko was wagging her tail furiously.

 

Ah… She would go that far for someone she just met…?

 

Ru nodded in agreement.

 

“If you want to get revenge for how you were treated by the bandits, you’re free to do so. They are all tied up in the garden.” He said with a strange expression on his face.

 

“I-I’ll think about it…” I said nervously...

 

For some reason, they spent the next five minutes trying to make me feel better in any way they could…

 

I’m glad… Mother… They really are nice people… I think you will like them when you meet them!