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Altair.

Our lord deity, who must be revered.

The only sun in the sky.

The arbiter of fate.

The countless titles that describe her convey what kind of being she is. In terms of ability, Altair was truly worthy of her titles without any exaggeration. If there is anyone in the world who is the most esteemed, it must be her, who bears all these titles.

People have defined their god with these grandiose descriptors to express their respect and fear for Altair. However, they know nothing about her as an individual, Altair.

Because she is a god. Humans and gods cannot be on the same level, so even royal offspring, who could be called descendants of the gods, could not know Altair as a person.

The only ones who might claim to know her well are probably the founders of the four great houses who were by her side when she founded the Empire. Since then, Altair has never descended to the mortal realm, leaving people with no means to learn about her.

How did I come to know such an Altair?

At the time, I thought it was simply coincidence or fate, like a shooting star falling from the night sky, but now that I think back on it, I’ve realized it was not just a coincidence.

The first time I met Altair was a year or two before foreign beliefs descended upon this land. That day was just an ordinary day where I attended the Imperial Palace, summoned by Orcus, to take care of menial tasks, far from anything special.

Having received a request from Orcus, I was about to leave the palace to resolve the matter as usual, but for some reason, I wanted to take in the sight of the Imperial Palace, a place I hadn’t paid much attention to until then. I thought it was just a passing whim, but it seems it was not the case.

Though I heard no strange whispers or visions, that sudden thought itself was likely her summoning me. Initially, I thought it was merely nostalgia for Noel, who came to mind after such a long time, but it went too deep for mere longing.

Feeling curious about a new place is somewhat understandable, but exploring a place I had previously given no thought to was hardly normal.

Unless she had called me, it was implausible for me to walk by myself deep into the Archbishop’s Temple within the Imperial Palace.

When I first met Altair, I wondered if Noel had come back to life. That was how much Altair resembled Noel in appearance. The blue eyes gazing playfully at me while seated were exactly as I remembered Noel’s.

Now that I know Noel is the avatar of Altair, it isn’t surprising, but back then, I had no idea.

Thus, I ended up committing the embarrassing mistake of mistaking her for Noel and calling out her name.

Despite Altair glaring at me just inches away, embarrassing memories from the past surfaced, causing laughter to escape me involuntarily. No, perhaps that’s the very reason I laughed.

Though some aspects aligned with Altair’s intentions, more often than not, my conversations with her turned out to be beautiful enough to be called memories.

That’s why I found it amusing. It was too ridiculous to have us glowering at each other like this.

The moment the one who had been glaring at me burst into laughter, Altair looked at me with an expression of surprise. Did she take it as me mocking her? As she pouted, I waved my hands to clarify that wasn’t the case.

“Why are you reacting so sensitively? I just smiled because a fond memory came to mind, so don’t look at me like that.”

“Are you telling me to believe that? You weren’t mocking me?”

“My pride… Why would I do such a thing to you? You know I always talk and hang out with Damian like this. If you felt I was mocking you, that was just your misunderstanding. I have no reason to laugh at you.”

“How can you say there’s no reason? You’re showing off how well you’re getting along with him!”

“Hmm, should I be looking up at the sky and laughing every time? You’ve been watching all this while, so why are you suddenly being so prickly?”

Though I said this, I indeed knew that Altair hadn’t seen our usual interactions. It wouldn’t be entirely incorrect to say she equated what Noel saw with what she saw, but Altair, not being Noel, had only just awakened.

Though Altair understood what I said, she seemed to want to be angry and continued to glare at me, huffing and puffing before finally turning her head away.

To others, she is the most revered deity, but I know she has this childish side to her.

As though the fact that we were just raising our voices until a moment ago was a lie, I naturally approached Altair and stood beside her. Altair turned her head, not wanting to look at me like a sulking child, but she did not stop me from getting closer.

Once the silence enveloping us felt no longer awkward, I asked her.

“Why did you do that in the Archbishop’s Temple? There’s no need for a hero anymore. Why did you try to make him a hero?”

“You saw it too, Elena. The creature of foreign beliefs was just wandering inside Ruden. So, we need heroes. It’s dangerous.”

Knowing her words were merely excuses, Altair still wouldn’t meet my eyes. Telling her that making her obey my words could be dangerous was akin to saying I, too, was in jeopardy.

As I continued to glance at her, perhaps feeling the pressure, Altair finally turned her head away. With a face like a child throwing a tantrum, she spoke to me.

“I can’t help it! That’s the only connection I have with him! Besides, this situation is way too favorable for you, Elena!”

“Aha, that’s true. After all, that’s why he regressed. But I never thought our relationship would end up like this…”

It’s often the case that imagination and reality differ, but in this relationship, things surpassed what I had hoped for. Reflecting on how limited my imagination was back in the times of no experience, I smiled, while Altair returned to her previous annoyed expression and shouted at me.

“Ugh!! What is that face! Don’t make that kind of face! You are indeed mocking me!”

Thinking about how to respond again seemed like it would make my comments sound like excuses, so this time, I said nothing. In fact, part of the enjoyment in my current reaction came from her words.

Altair continued to huff and puff for a while before finally calming down, looking at me with a more relaxed expression. Normally, it wouldn’t be unusual for us to part ways after merely locking eyes without exchanging a single word, but after talking like this, it felt like something between us had loosened.

Perhaps it was because we both understood that our issues weren’t complicated enough to warrant a punch-up. While there might be emotional rifts, we recognized that it wouldn’t escalate into a major problem.

This was solely the issue of Elena Edelweiss and Altair. Therefore, it was appropriate to prevent others from interfering.

“Have you spoken to him?”

“No, not at all. This is all your fault, Elena. Somehow, since that day you intervened, I feel he views me as an enemy or something hostile.”

Altair’s whining seemed to strike a deep chord within me.

That day, Altair acted too hastily and upset Damian, but her anxiety truly was the right call to interrupt their meeting; it’s not strange at all that Damian now treats Altair with caution.

While it was partially her own doing, it was still true that she forcibly took away a bit of her time, so I didn’t shy away from Altair’s reproachful gaze.

“I won’t disturb you this time. I think both you and he understand that you need to talk.”

“Really? But Elena, you know? You’re really obnoxious! Every word you say oozes confidence as if the answer is predetermined!!”

I didn’t say anything in response to Altair’s attitude, which seemed to criticize me regardless of how I responded. After all, what she said was correct.

The anxiety I had before thanks to Damian’s promise was completely blown away. Now, occupying that empty space was the confidence that even if he were given memories of the past, he would still remain by her side.

As she said, the answer was already decided, so I spoke to Altair.

“Altair. You can think of it as the confidence of a winner. However, I’ll say this because I feel you will regret it if you just leave it be. When you stand in front of him this time, confess directly with your own mouth. It doesn’t matter if you give him your memories. Just make sure it’s you, not Noel, who speaks.”

With that, I embraced her once and left the place.

Though Altair looked at me with a surprised expression, not understanding the meaning of my words or actions, that was all I could offer her.

 

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