Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 8

Ch.8 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Sion uncovered the bloody truth behind the Baron’s household. Pleased with his first heroic act, he fell into a deep, contented sleep.

The next day, Rebecca awoke and took charge of the situation.

Once things had settled slightly, she summoned Garfenn and Sion.

“Thank you. You really saved me, Sion.”

“I thought it might be a trap…”

Sion hesitated before speaking the words Garfenn had taught him:

“I upheld chivalry.”

“Oh my.”

Rebecca smiled shyly.

It was a successful line.

“Leaving so soon? You could stay longer.”

“Our journey is urgent.”

Disappointment dripped from Rebecca’s eyes.

She brushed her fingers over Sion’s hand and made a request.

“Sion… Could you become my knight?”

The surprise was fleeting.

Sion refused outright.

He already had a master to serve.

“My only master is the Goddess of War.”

The Goddess silently covered her mouth in emotion.

Even Rebecca’s heart trembled at such a romantic answer.

‘What impressive smooth talk.’

Garfenn, too, was silently astonished.

Even he had never managed such polished words when first becoming an apostle. He hadn’t even thought of it.

But Sion adapted frighteningly fast.

His tongue was sharper than any sword.

Perhaps the concept of the ‘ultimate sword’ wasn’t so abstract after all.

“What a shame. You would’ve made such a dashing knight.”

Setting aside her disappointment, Rebecca smiled and made another offer.

“Then will you visit sometimes? Starting today, the War Apostle is always welcome in this city.”

“Of course.”

Rebecca promised to officially change the city’s religion to the worship of the Goddess of War. The process would begin as soon as she formally inherited her title.

The statue of the Goddess of Wisdom had already disappeared from the parlor.

The city’s carpenters were busy sculpting an effigy of the Goddess of War.

[Sniff!]

Achille wiped away a tear, deeply moved.

How long had it been?

She could barely remember.

“And… this.”

Rebecca held out a sword to Sion with both hands.

“My father’s sword. A family heirloom. Please take it. It’s yours now.”

Sion glanced at Garfenn.

Garfenn gave a slight nod.

This, too, was the victor’s right—a spoil of war.

“Thank you, Lady Rebecca.”

Sion accepted the sword. Even the scabbard alone marked it as a masterpiece.

“Lady Rebecca… This is presumptuous, but may I ask one more favor?”

Sion paused while examining the sword.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Of course. Speak freely.”

“Could you clear up the misunderstandings about the Goddess of War? Let people know that my master came to this city not to bring bloodshed, but to prevent it.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Rebecca shrugged.

“You slew demons for us, and all you ask is that? The War Apostle is modest.”

“Clearing misunderstandings is the most important thing right now.”

Garfenn and the Goddess watched Sion’s actions with quiet pride.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the Goddess of Light, they had stubbornly remained silent, believing it uncool to explain themselves.

Sion, however, found that strange, unspoken doctrine childish and foolish—so he acted to change it.

[Traditionally, such things are revealed later for dramatic effect…]

‘But Goddess, hasn’t the misunderstanding only grown like a snowball until now?’

[This time, it seems to have worked out because that girl fell for Sion.]

‘Are you implying I lack charm, in so many words?’

The Goddess fell silent for a moment before speaking.

[Garfenn. You misunderstand me.]

‘…Regardless, Sion has done splendidly. Better than expected.’

[Indeed. A new age calls for new winds. Let us observe Sion’s methods.]

‘Understood.’

The next day, the truth about the Goddess of War spread through Rebecca’s domain.

Though people found it hard to believe, rumors began reaching other regions.

The War Apostle had slain demons and saved the land.

***

A week after leaving Rebecca’s domain, Sion’s party paused on the road to rest.

In the rare peace, Garfenn spoke to the Goddess.

‘Goddess, you seem in unusually high spirits today.’

[Oh, my magnificent warrior. Is it that obvious?]

‘You’ve been humming in my ear. Only a fool wouldn’t notice.’

[I see. The truth is, I’ve been in excellent spirits lately.]

Goddess Achille smiled softly.

Her cheerful humming drifted like a breeze.

Garfenn watched her with a gentle smile, his expression laced with loyalty and relief.

‘It’s because of that boy, isn’t it?’

[Hush. He’s too adorable. I can’t remember the last time I had a city worship me. Small as it is, I can hear their prayers! To celebrate, I opened a bottle of my treasured wine.]

‘When I tried persuading you before, you refused so stubbornly. This warrior feels a bit slighted.’

The Goddess chuckled playfully and stroked his cheek.

Her touch was warm, but there was a loneliness beneath it.

[Do not think that way. Back then, my heart was as cold as midwinter.]

‘True. But I always knew your heart would warm like spring someday.’

[My warrior, your words grow sweeter by the day. I know it is all thanks to you.]

Garfenn bowed humbly.

‘Only because you guided me, Goddess.’

[Garfenn, it is your sacrifices and efforts that allowed me to begin anew. All of this is built upon the foundation you laid.]

Garfenn recalled the Goddess’s past.

When they first met, Achille had been cold and sharp.

But now, she was full of laughter.

Garfenn desperately wished this would continue.

‘It all started with that boy.’

In the distance, Sion was tending to his siblings.

The Goddess and Garfenn watched quietly.

Sion’s siblings had learned to take care of themselves, gathering firewood and fetching water with their small hands.

‘As we raise him, we’ll face opposition from other Goddesses.’

[Naturally. They won’t be pleased to see me nurturing another apostle.]

‘I will be your shield.’

[I trust you, my warrior…]

Sion returned shortly after.

Garfenn’s gaze turned to him.

“Sit, Sion.”

“Yes, Master.”

Sion settled by the campfire.

The flames cast a glow over his face.

“It’s time I taught you what you need to know.”

“There’s more to teach?”

“Well… truthfully, no. Your swordsmanship is instinctive—teaching might ruin it. Tampering could regress you.”

The Goddess agreed.

Sion wielded his sword by instinct.

Forcing instruction upon him would only break what made him exceptional.

All he needed was experience—walking the line between life and death.

“Then what will you teach me?”

“History.”

“Eh?”

“The important history a War Apostle must know.”

Sion looked slightly bored but straightened his posture to listen.

“Think of it as an old tale.”

“…Understood.”

“Don’t look so skeptical. I’m quite the storyteller.”

“Of course.”

Sion smirked at Garfenn’s bravado.

Nearby, his siblings were cooking a simple soup under Ruina’s guidance.

As the water boiled, Garfenn began.

“In the lofty heavens lies the Divine Hall, where a round table stands. Even infants know this.”

“Random question—are there no male gods?”

“A male god? I’ve never even imagined such blasphemy. What kind of irreverent thought is that? You really…”

“Never mind, then.”

Sion shrugged.

Garfenn cleared his throat and continued.

“Long before you were born, a great war raged.”

“I’ve heard of it. The War of the Goddesses.”

“So you know. The Goddesses turned on each other. Led by the Goddess of Darkness, who became the Evil God.”

It was ancient history, now treated as myth.

“Our Goddess sided with the Goddess of Light and helped crush the rebellion.”

“I see.”

“For ages beyond human reckoning, the Goddess of War, Achille reigned as the mightiest of all.”

Sion pondered.

‘With frequent wars, her prominence makes sense.’

But soon, a question arose.

If she was so powerful, why was she now scorned, without a single proper church?

Garfenn answered before he could ask.

“That became the problem. The Goddess grew too powerful. The others envied and feared her. In the end, they framed her.”

“Framed?”

“Yes. They poisoned her chalice with madness-inducing venom. A despicable act!”

Sion swallowed hard, now engrossed in what he’d expected to be a dull history lesson.

“After that, the Goddess, consumed by madness, turned her blade on her fellow deities. Many perished… and she was stripped of her True Name and imprisoned.”

“But—that’s unjust!”

“It was.”

Garfenn smiled bitterly, sharing her grievance.

“Because she submitted without resistance, the Goddess of Light acknowledged her innocence—but did not forgive her for harming others.”

“…”

Sion gritted his teeth.

The injustice burned.

Even a non-believer would rage at such a story.

Garfenn sighed deeply.

“She had to atone. Banished from the Round Table, she was demoted and tasked with cleansing her sins.”

“Cleansing… how?”

“Descending to the mortal world. Eradicating evil—demons, apostles of the Evil God—completely.”

“That’s impossible! With all the restrictions and hatred, how could she?!”

“Exactly.”

Garfenn’s scarred face twisted into a smile.

“As you said, misfortune piled up. The War Faith lost its divine power and influence. Misunderstandings led to rejection. No humans remember the Goddess’s plight. By my time, only a thread of the faith remained.”

Garfenn’s hardships were etched into every wrinkle.

“Our duty as apostles is to cleanse her sins—until she regains her name and returns to the Round Table.”

“It’s complicated and difficult.”

“For now, you needn’t delve deeper. Just slay the wicked. As many as you can.”

“Master, have you been fighting the Evil God’s apostles all this time?”

Garfenn clenched his fist.

“Countless times. And now, here we are. My mission is over. Reviving the War Faith is your task.”

Sion nodded silently.

No answer was needed.

Garfenn’s face, his scars—visible even when he bathed—spoke clearly of the battles he’d fought.

‘I want to succeed like Master.’

Sion fell into thought.

His path was becoming clear.

‘Help people, defeat enemies, and rebuild the War Faith. It’s simple. That way, my siblings can live safely within it.’

His purpose solidified.

Sion smiled, resolved.

To protect those dear to him, he would become the Goddess’s blade.

Serve as the Goddess of War’s sword.

Build a grand manor in her garden.

That would be the happiness of Sion, his siblings—and Achille herself.

“My shoulders feel heavy.”

“Sion, you’ll succeed. I guarantee it. The Goddess believes in you too.”

“Really?”

“She’s smiling beside you right now.”

A slight shiver ran down Sion’s spine.

But if the Goddess believed in him, he had nothing to fear.

The two exchanged smiles.

“I’ll do it.”

“I trust you.”

By then, the meal was ready.

Ruina handed out bowls of soup.

A delicious aroma rose from the pot.

“It’s done. Eat up.”

It tasted terrible.

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