---

“Did you just hear that sound?”

“Yeah. But it’s hard to call it a voice-”

“Right?”

It was different from the telepathy I’d recently experienced from Wales.

What I heard was merely the sound of an unidentifiable radiant light clanging like a doorbell, yet my mind felt as if it was grasping the meaning within it.

I had some prior experience meeting three gods directly.

[What are you looking at? Over here. Right here.]

Just then, as I was looking around here and there, the cheerful chime became a bit clearer, and Karem and Catherine turned their heads towards one side of the kitchen.

An old metal measuring scale, rusted, had been glimmering faintly with some dim light in a corner of the kitchen for who knows how long.

So, what’s going on here? While Karem was staring dumbfounded at the scale, unable to mask his confusion, Catherine, who was beside him, opened her mouth instead.

“Could it be Lady Yustitia?”

[That’s right. You recognized me right away.]

The scale let out a definitive chime.

“How did you know?”

“The scale. It’s a typical symbol of the goddess of justice and judgment.”

“Why would the goddess of justice and judgment…?”

As Karem spoke, the light emitted from the scale dimmed a bit more and started flickering rapidly, as if hesitating.

[Um, ahem. So… uh, how should I put this.]

Karem, who had been flustered by the sudden conversation with a god, quickly adjusted as the hesitation on the other side went on for too long. It dawned on him that talking with gods wasn’t something new. Besides, he had a chat with a dragon before!

“…What trouble have you caused this time?”

Catherine whispered with a suspicious glance, barely making a sound. Karem felt wronged.

“But the mood was good just a moment ago.”

“Be honest about it.”

“I swear, I didn’t do anything!”

“…That does seem to be true.”

Of course, the recent events that had taken place in Bendleig were indeed extraordinary. But if that were the case, he would have been summoned to the Grand Sanctuary of Bendleig.

No, before that, Catherine would have known too.

Karem didn’t have time for any strange antics like before.

There was just room for suspicion.

[Ughhh… Argh, I don’t know! That rascal Tutatis was shameless, so why wouldn’t I be!]

Huh? What? Tutatis? As that familiar name slipped out in an unexpectedly relaxed tone, both lovers gazed simultaneously towards the scale.

[I want to eat dessert too!]

“Dessert. Suddenly.”

[It’s not sudden! It’s spreading from Seophone Island all the way to Europa, and those boring worshippers and followers are only offering me the things they’re sick of eating! I want new dishes, new desserts!]

“…If you’re saying you want to eat?”

[Um… honestly, I did feel a strong temptation!]

Amidst it all, Karem started to hear the voice of a hesitant girl amidst the light and the chime of the scale.

[So, I would feel a little proud, or maybe embarrassed… ]

Karem felt something refreshing.

After all, the gods he’d met included Skadi, Tutatis, and the nameless Traveler. Especially his first encounter with the nameless Traveler and Tutatis was etched firmly in his mind.

But the god speaking through the scale now didn’t feel majestic; it felt more like a girl who wanted to ask for something but was too shy to say it outright.

“So… what should we do?”

Catherine was taken aback, staring at Karem, who was speaking to her.

“Are you throwing the decision onto me?”

“Well, I am the personal cook after all.”

Of course, that was true. However, how could one refuse a god speaking to them directly and requesting something?

Just at that moment, it seemed Yustitia interpreted their worried conversation differently, shouting urgently.

[Blessing! I will grant you a blessing!]

“Oh.”

At those words, Karem exchanged glances with Catherine simultaneously.

We should definitely do this.

Of course, that was a given.

[But what’s being baked over there now-]

“Oh, that can’t be eaten just yet.”

[Hmm. I see.]

*

The time was late, but since they hadn’t eaten a late-night snack, there was nothing stopping them. Karem quickly called for Mary to commence the making of some delightful snacks.

And it was the very person who had ordered it.

[This isn’t what I meant…! This isn’t how it was supposed to go…!]

Yustitia was silently writhing in self-loathing.

Her craving for something to eat had grown so overwhelming it had stripped away her divine air.

If anything, she wished she could shout at the top of her lungs, but her divine position wasn’t hers alone.

Right now, Yustitia was situated in the outer ruins of the divine realm. Once part of the Temple of Many Gods, it still bore the scars of devastation.

Because of that, aside from Yustitia, the owner of this divine realm, no one would visit, and if she raised her voice, it would be obvious something urgent was happening, thus she suppressed her boiling self-contempt.

[…Should I maintain my dignity as a goddess even now?]

Yustitia was quite serious.

She needed to show an example and dignity to her followers so they could lay down their worries and pain in reality and heart. What she had done until now… her actions…!

[Ughhhhh!]

But it was already too late.

A goddess’s dignity once diminished does not return.

Moreover, if that dignity was diminished by others, surely there was no way to retrieve it—thus the impulsiveness of the young goddess rushed uncontrollably.

All she was allowed was to repent for the self she had been just moments before.

“Um, well then, Lady Yustitia? I’ve made it, but how should we…?”

[Ahem. Ahem.]

Yustitia cleared her throat softly and glanced over at the measuring scale with an inquisitive tilt.

[Huh? This dessert is new to me. A cake?]

“It’s a… kind of cake? It’s a croquembouche.”

“Karem, my junior.”

“Oh, even if Cream Puffs and Croquettes were originally developed here, I’m the one who first stacked this cake.”

[Ahem, then hurry and place that cake in front of the scale.]

As soon as a multitude of round mountains was placed before the scale, Yustitia pulled it towards herself. Her promised blessing—a blessing to strengthen her body appropriately—was granted.

“Now, enjoy—”

[Offering received well. Have a good time!]

Yustitia cut off the connection to stop any further antics from displaying her shameful self.

Someone might say it’s just a single dish and a blessing, but in reality, those noble gods are more susceptible to gifts filled with genuine sentiment than to anything truly valuable.

And Karem had struck a chord with her feelings.

Yustitia set the dish down on the stone table.

[Oh, ohhh.]

The beauty of the Palatino Empire’s desserts, designed with sincerity beyond any civilization, was in no way inferior.

Round, well-baked sheets, puffed up like spiraling cones, stacked high.

All of it draped with fine strands of sugar placed atop like clouds, thinner than eyebrows.

This sugar, slightly thicker than a spider’s web, sparkled like starlight under the night sky.

[How should I eat this…?]

It had been a long time since Yustitia contemplated such a question. However, she had done something like this once before, so doing it again was not impossible.

Steeling her resolve, Yustitia carefully reached for one of the cream puffs composing the croquembouche. Some of the sugar strands snapped and fell away.

The weight was definitely more perceptible than she had anticipated.

Suppressing her fluttering heart caused by the sweet aroma, Yustitia cautiously took a bite.

Crunch, squirt—

[Oh my!]

Surprised by the exploding custard cream, she relaxed momentarily, glad it hadn’t spilled onto the ground.

Yet, she couldn’t suppress the smile blossoming on her face due to the unique taste and aroma she had never experienced in millennia.

All the desserts she had ever consumed were lavish and varied.

But if she stripped away all the decorations and left only the basics?

Sugar-coated fruits and nuts. Cream or syrup with dense cakes soaked in honey. Various flatbreads topped with fruits and cheese, and honey.

Of course, during that time, sugar and honey were incredibly rare, and she had been satisfied without knowing the existence of other ingredients.

However, the current Yustitia had learned far too much.

There are too many dishes in the world she had yet to taste.

The crunch of the first bite gave way to a soft dough.

The sugar coating was crispy but vanished quickly, melting into the sweetness of the custard cream.

The dough, never before experienced, felt entirely different. The sweet sensation was in a form she had never savored.

A strange yet delightful texture from familiar ingredients.

[Could custard be this fluffy…?]

A storm of cultural shock swept through young Yustitia from the ancient Palatino Empire.

By now, a third of the cone shape had been sliced off from the top, yet Yustitia trembled and hummed a tune.

The cream puffs constituting the croquembouche were eaten in a myriad of ways.

She tore it in half, nibbled at the outside, sucked out the filling, and munched on just the shell, biting it in various portions.

Above all, the crunchiness, softness, and the sweet aroma swirling amidst the exploding cream were far sweeter than honey.

[What is this fragrance…?]

It didn’t emit the rich scents of laurel, roses, or tulips. Nor did it possess the faint aroma of common wildflowers.

Just then, Yustitia suddenly tore apart the cream puff she had split in half and observed it closely. The bright yellow custard cream had tiny black specks resembling pepper sprinkled throughout.

Without a doubt, it was the source of that alluring yet addictive fragrance.

[Could this be some kind of pollen?]

If Yustitia had known the truth, she would have seriously wondered if Karem was treating her as those ancient priest-kings who disrespected gods.

However, she was a goddess of justice, not of wisdom.

Focusing on the dense custard within the torn cream puff, Yustitia wrinkled her nose and swiftly tasted it.

After all, what was more pressing at that moment was enjoying this enchanting, delicious, soft, and rich cake.

Wait.

[Oh? Did I eat this much already?]

What once towered tall with dozens of cream puffs had dwindled down to a third.

And with the sight of the shrinking croquembouche, Yustitia finally remembered a weighty concern.

[…What will happen if I eat it all?]

To Yustitia, Karem was a believer of the Triune God.

Moreover, he was a treasured recipient of adoration, far more than any other saint.

At last, Yustitia recalled the words spoken by that Triune God and grinned brightly as she resumed eating the croquembouche.

[…Tutatis, I’m merely following what you said?]

Yustitia decided to be a bit bolder.

[I should ask for that… called cola next time.]

Honestly, she had been quite curious about it when the three of them drank together.

 

---