“…”
Ban stared blankly at Orma’s face for a long while. Well, it seemed his god had tried to frighten him into fearing him… but he only felt sorry for Orma. Somehow it felt like he was miserably saying that all this time he had been so lonely, that he had wanted to die, and Ban unknowingly raised his hand to gently stroke his face.
Ah, because of his still-wet hand, that face as beautiful as finely crafted porcelain became slightly damp. Oh no. It was water contaminated by the Seeds of Calamity, and he hadn’t thought about it. He had rammed the waterspouts with his own body to prevent them from touching his god even a little.
When Ban hastily withdrew his hand, Orma’s eyebrows rose instead. Just as he was about to open his mouth with a face that seemed displeased about something, Jaena spoke up before him.
“Di-did God Banan brew divine liquor?”
“…Yes.”
“Then…”
Then isn’t that strange? Jaena held back what he was about to say and forcibly closed his mouth. It was because Banan, who had been about to attack them again, slowly lowered her hand with blank eyes and turned her head.
Emotions gradually began to dwell in her expressionless face, and her doll-like beautiful countenance slowly began to distort. Whatever was tormenting her so much, he didn’t know, but at least from Ban’s perspective, Banan still retained enough reason to hear and think about their conversation.
Then wouldn’t it be okay to attempt a dialogue?
“Banan.”
“…”
Her hazy gaze reached Ban. Her expression still looked troubled and uncomfortable, but at least she seemed to recognize that someone was calling her. Ban slowly lowered his sword and stared intently at Banan.
While observing humans, one could roughly infer what they were thinking or how they were feeling, but since gods were different… it was difficult to grasp, as her expression only distorted slightly with no other reaction. The moment their eyes met, Banan’s figure standing near the waterway’s core momentarily became hazy, then appeared again, rippling like waves.
At that moment, with a splash, the giant Vanellas surged upward.
“Ahhhhh!”
It was the largest Vanellas they had seen so far. Splashing water here and there as it appeared, it floated up into the air as before it was transformed. Then, as if guarding the waterway’s core, it slowly circled around it, keeping watch over Ban’s group.
“…It still doesn’t seem to have any intention of conversing.”
As if echoing Ban’s thoughts, Orma’s words came from behind. No, seeing how he stood askew with a sneer looking down at Ban, he might have put in his own feeling of not particularly wanting to talk. But Ban pretended not to hear and called out to Banan once more.
“Banan-nim.”
This time there was a reaction. However, seeing how she only muttered while moving her mouth with blank eyes, it didn’t seem like she was conversing with him. Still, since they couldn’t continue this standoff, Ban recalled Orma’s words from before coming here and opened his mouth.
“What will happen if those birds full of sunlight come here?”
“They’ll shed the shadow that contained the light with my divine authority.”
“When they shed the shadow?”
“The fallen shadow will release the light it had gathered, and then an explosion might occur.”
“…Will this place burn?”
“Even so, it’s just sunlight, so it won’t affect the waterway’s core.”
At Orma’s flowing answer, Ban glanced at him. It seemed like the best method they could use with Banan not coming to her senses right now, but…
“Why?”
“Will it really be okay?”
“What will.”
Seeing how Banan was calling the waterway’s core her “baby” and trying to protect it, it seemed her mind wasn’t completely sound right now. She seemed to be confusing her memories from when she was human with the present.
The problem was that in that situation, he couldn’t predict at all what action Banan might take upon seeing the birds full of sunlight. What if she became wary of the birds and once again raised waterspouts to attack? As Orma said, it wasn’t Muhwi’s fire but sunlight, so it would be easily extinguished, but this was something they needed to think about and act on more carefully.
“For now, since Banan-nim might get excited again upon seeing the birds, it would be better to get her out of here and burn them.”
“How.”
How are you going to get out a god who’s lost her mind and won’t even communicate. Orma retorted with a displeased face. It wasn’t wrong, but still Ban spoke the conclusion he had reached after careful thought.
“…I’m truly sorry to bring this up to Orma-nim, but.”
“What are you trying to say now.”
“Seeing how she’s treating the waterway’s core as a ‘baby’ and trying to protect it, it seems she’s confusing her memories from when she was human with the present.”
“…So?”
“Do you have any objects related to when Banan was human, when she was Orma-nim’s mother?”
At his bold words asking him to tell if such a thing existed, Orma was left speechless. Well, he had sensed that Ban seemed to have caught on to his and Banan’s relationship. But he hadn’t expected him to speak so directly. Not only that, but now he was looking at him with even the conviction that there must be a “related object.”
Whenever those refreshing eyes like they contained the sky were directed solely at him, strangely he couldn’t hide anything. Sneering, cursing, turning his head away—even lying became impossible.
They were all things he had enjoyed doing when dealing with humans, so why was Ban different? Because he was his apostle? What meaning did that have? In the end, I’m not a true god or anything…
Orma, who had been staring blankly at Ban, eventually raised his hand and pointed at the ring on Ban’s finger.
“…That.”
“Do you mean this ring?”
That’s why Banan had smiled slightly upon seeing this ring yesterday.
But recalling Orma who had told him to sell it since it would be expensive, in the end it seemed he could tell how deep the emotional rift he had built up was. Hadn’t he casually thrown it somewhere among the treasure piled up like a mountain, then easily given it away to a human who was threatening him?
Ban recalled the past when he had said he wanted to keep this ring because it was pretty and briefly thought ‘…I’m glad I didn’t sell it’ before looking at Banan again.
And without fear, he began striding closer, step by step.
From behind, he could hear Jaena’s surprised voice saying “Wh-what? Ban-gong! Where are you going! I-is it okay to do that? Orma-nim!” but Orma didn’t particularly move or restrain him, just left him alone. However, his gaze staring intently at Ban continued. It seemed like he intended to see what exactly he was doing.
Banan showed no particular action until Ban approached in front of her. Only when those unfocused, blank golden eyes were right before him did Ban kneel on one knee and offer reverence to the god.
“Banan.”
Banan. At the call of the god’s name, the golden eyes sparkled for an instant. She slowly closed and opened her eyes, then looked at the face of the human kneeling on one knee before her. Banan’s lips moved at those sky-blue eyes that seemed pure as if untainted by a single speck.
“…Speak.”
Did calling Banan’s name help? Banan seemed to have realized that she wasn’t merely a human, a princess of a fallen kingdom, but a great god, a transcendent being served by all.
Whatever effect the Blue Tears had to bewitch even a god, he didn’t know, but it was a golden opportunity for Ban. He removed the ring he had been wearing and respectfully held it out before Banan. At the same time, a system window appeared, blinking.
[Will you offer a tribute to the god ‘Banan’?
Yes / No]
Offering tribute to a god was a kind of content that had existed in the game as well. If you obtained a specific object and offered tribute to a specific god, hidden quests concealed by the developers would open or you could obtain precious items that couldn’t be obtained elsewhere.
Of course, Ban had never properly offered tribute to a god while searching for guides or such. Still, while looking into information about Orma in the game community, he had once read content saying “I accidentally offered a low-grade olivine as tribute to Muhwi, and received a precious spear imbued with the power of fire.”
…Since olivine with value as a gemstone is called peridot, now Ban could understand why Muhwi had given a gift. Whatever the case, Banan couldn’t just pass over this ring either. Because it was none other than her wedding ring.
Ban held his breath and without responding to the system window at all, held the ring even closer toward Banan.
“…Ah.”
Finally, Banan let out a small gasp as if she realized what the ring Ban was holding out was. And without hiding her trembling fingertips, she slowly reached her hand toward the ring. The moment her hand touched the ring, Ban stared intently at Banan with an expressionless face and activated his skill.
[Human Sleep Therapy (B-rank) is activating!]
Just for a very brief moment, though their fingertips only touched, Banan weakly closed her eyes and collapsed toward Ban. Whether Jaena screamed in surprise from behind or whether Orma rushed hurriedly toward him.
Ban, supporting Banan with one arm as if holding her, selected “No” on the choice asking if he would offer tribute with an indifferent face while gripping the ring and thought.
‘…This works.’
He had thought it might work because Orma was a demigod, but it worked on a complete god like Banan too. He could make good use of it in the future as well.
And really, was there any need to return the ring to its owner? Now this was a gift my god gave to me… Right, absolutely not.
Ban put the ring back on his finger and lifted Banan up, smiling brightly at Orma who had approached him.
