I Healed the Cold Dark Goddess’s Loneliness, and Now She Won’t Let Me Go! - Chapter 26

This is a series of events that, under normal circumstances, should have taken place.

If a girl named Haruno Hiiragi had never come to this world.

If there had been no one to stay by the side of the lonely Goddess of Darkness.

Once, the lonely Goddess of Darkness happened to overhear a foolish plan by humans to overthrow the God of Light. A male deity who was her polar opposite: bright, kind, and beloved by all.

The Goddess was furious. Furious at the ungrateful humans. But more than that, she was furious at her own counterpart, who seemed content to simply let this atrocity happen.

“Sulug! You fool, do you truly intend to permit the schemes of those humans?!”

The Goddess traveled to the God of Light and warned him. She spoke of the end that awaited him and urged him to change his course.

“Even if what you say is true, Reine, I shall simply accept it.”

However, the God’s answer remained unchanged. Even when informed of the details of a plot to harm him, he felt no anger. He merely wore the same everlasting, gentle smile that brought peace to the people. But to the Goddess, that smile looked horribly distorted and repulsive.

“I believe in the people. Even if they turn their blades toward me, if they believe that is the right path, then—”

“Why do you not understand?! How can you tolerate such betrayal?!”

The Goddess’s voice trembled with rage.

“You truly are beyond saving! Ugh, do as you wish! I shall look forward to the moment you pay the price for your folly…!”

No matter how much they spoke, their paths remained parallel, never to meet. Sickened by the truth of it, the Goddess spat out a final parting shot and vanished from the spot.

—I don’t care about that man. He should just let the humans devour him as he wishes—

So the Goddess told herself, over and over. And yet, even so.

In this world, even if she found him loathsome, even if he was a nuisance who visited several times a year without permission. Even then, the God of Light was the only person the Goddess had to talk to.

Whether out of obligation or perhaps a primal fear of true solitude, she moved.

At the place where those planning to usurp the God’s power had gathered to prepare their strike.

The Goddess manifested.

The humans, who harbored fragments of the Divine within them and wielded power as if it were their own, were arrogant. They swung their power around to test it and spoke of dreams of what they would do once they possessed even more.

I heard the God of Light has a counterpart. Once we subdue him, maybe we should go after her next— Such conversations were indeed audible.

Everything about it was unforgivable to the Goddess.

“Wh-What is this?!”

“Gyaaaaaaaah!!”

Screams. One after another, the shrieks of the dying echoed through the air.

Emerging from the darkness was a Goddess with flowing silver-ash hair. Her eyes were cold, burning with a quiet fury.

“I am Reine. Reine, the Goddess of Darkness.”

Her voice resonated through the clearing.

“Look well upon the fate of fools who defy a God. Sear it into your eyes.”

Then, by her own judgment, the Goddess slaughtered every human who had conspired to harm the God of Light, using methods so gruesome they would make one’s hair stand on end.

Humans were swallowed by shadow, torn apart, and erased. The Goddess made an example of them. To ensure such folly would never be repeated, she piled their corpses into a mountain in the center of every city in the Domain of Light.

As a result, the plot to harm the God of Light was crushed.

However—

Fear of the Goddess spread like a plague among the people of the Light Domain. And their prayers went straight to the God of Light.

“She is a dangerous being.”

“Please, destroy that evil Goddess.”

“We beg of you, Lord Sulug. Protect us from that terrifying existence.”

If you ask the God, he will grant your wish. That had been their culture and the result of their learning over many years.

It was now the unanimous will of all the people.

The God understood that the Goddess had acted out of concern for him.

And yet, even so, he was a being who lived only to grant the desires of humanity.

“Why… Why, Sulug?!”

The Goddess’s cry echoed through the void.

She stood now in the center of the Domain of Light, confronting the God. Or rather, instead of a confrontation. She was being sealed.

It was little more than a sneak attack. Between the God of Light, who had distributed his power among humans, and the Goddess, a fair fight was no longer possible. Knowing this, the God chose to seal her away, not caring if the method was cowardly.

“I am sorry. I am sorry, Reine.”

The God’s voice held the resolve to accept any and all vitriol. His eyes were filled with deep sorrow.

“This is the wish of everyone. You may hate me as much as you like.”

“I don’t understand, I don’t understand, I don’t understand!”

The Goddess spat out curses as if shrieking.

“If you seal me, you too will! If the balance is broken, you will lose control! Do you not even understand that?!”

“Before that happens… I intend to give all my remaining power to the people,” the God spoke softly.

“If I do that, there will be no fear of a rampage. The people will inherit my power and surely create a wonderful world.”

“I don’t understand… Ah!”

For the first time, tears fell from the Goddess’s eyes.

“I am sick of your words! I cannot forgive anything, I cannot comprehend anything. It is all filthy!”

And then, a curse was born.

“I have decided, Sulug! I shall curse everything!”

Her voice was filled with madness.

“Even if I am sealed, my power shall continue to destroy everything in this world! Live to regret this! Haha, hahahahaha!”

“……Reine.”

The God called her name sadly. But no words could reach the Goddess anymore.

And so, the God of Light sealed the Goddess of Darkness.

The price was steep. Even from within the seal, the Goddess’s malice leaked out, becoming a curse that birthed monsters and dragged people into the dark, lingering in the world forever.

After giving all his power to the people, the God could no longer maintain a physical form and became a powerless ghost, watching over the world.

Still, he tried to continue guiding humanity. He gave power to a chosen girl, leading her to save the world.

And so, the story—

Connected to the world told in the game Contrast, five thousand years later.