"I judged that your life is worth more than all of the Custodian Order's combined, including my own."
"I see… I'm flattered by the evaluation, I suppose."
Ashen awkwardly spoke while rubbing the back of his neck.
"I thought there was another reason there, but that makes sense, haha…"
The Goddess's apathetic white eyes turned intense for a moment.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
"There is."
"Ah?"
"Even without the second protocol, I would have moved to save you."
"Why?"
"Because we share the same blood."
"Accordingly, that makes you my only family on this Earth, biologically."
The moment she spoke those words, it seemed as if a seal had been lifted.
The apathy temporarily melted from her being. Her white eyes turned a little less mechanical as she slowly reached toward him with her small hand.
Ashen unconsciously caught it.
"I am glad…"
Her fingers gently closed around his.
"...so glad that this planet depends on you for its survival."
"Now…"
Her voice remained as expressionless as ever, but something beneath it seemed to tremble.
"Now, I can protect something I truly want to keep alive…"
"Thank you… for granting me this privilege."
Ashen's hand tightened around hers.
Despite her numb demeanor, he could almost feel a volcano of emotions locked behind it.
His eyes drifted toward her white hair, and he involuntarily remembered his own sister, who had hair just as white.
'Family, huh…'
He knew that it was mostly his blood generating this overwhelming sense of familiarity.
But he wasn't particularly inclined to resist it.
'Maybe having another sister wouldn't be so bad after all?'
A gentle smile appeared on his face as he made the decision.
'I just hope Lapis doesn't get jealous over this.'
"Then… from now on, I will be your brother."
"Understood."
She answered as if he had merely given her another instruction. But Ashen felt her hand also tighten around his own.
He reached out with his other hand and began gently caressing her hair.
"Since you are my sister now, I will give you a proper name. We can't keep calling you Goddess, right? No matter how fitting that may be."
The Goddess leaned slightly into his caress.
"I was not given any designation aside from Goddess. My brother can do as he wishes."
"Hmm…"
Ashen wasn't surprised by that.
'Based on how badly she was treated by those fools from the Custodian Order, expecting them to give her a proper name is a bit far-fetched.'
He tilted his head in thought, searching for something suitable.
'Since she was given a soul by Miratheris, and is a Goddess, Mira would be quite suitable.'
She even had the same hair color.
Based on Ashen's memories of Miratheris's appearance, they could even pass as mother and daughter if they stood beside each other.
"Then, from now on, you will be called Mira."
A grin spread across his face.
"Mira Hart. Sister of Ashen Hart."
"How 'bout it?"
"...Yes."
She was silent for a moment.
"Mira Hart."
"That's you."
Ashen ruffled her hair, making her head bob along with the motion.
She didn't seem to mind.
Instead, she kept quietly repeating the name under her breath.
"So?"
He finally allowed her now-disheveled hair some respite.
"Are you going back now?" He asked somewhat reluctantly.
"...Or will you come back with me?"
"It depends on your orders, brother."
'My orders…?'
Ashen's lips twitched.
'Wait, don't tell me…'
"Is this also according to your second protocol…?"
"Yes."
She answered without hesitation.
"From now on, I shall give myself to you. Having someone of my power at your disposal will increase the odds of victory more than staying under the Order."
Ashen immediately started massaging his temple.
'How does that even make sense?'
He was sure that whatever allowed her to make all these calculations and arrive at such predictions was far more credible than whatever orders he might give.
So, this act of 'giving' herself to him did not sound remotely logical.
Even though, admittedly, he was feeling quite satisfied at reaping the fruit that had taken the Custodian Order who knew how many centuries and how many endless resources to cultivate.
'Wait… I'm so stupid.'
His eyes widened slightly.
'I can just ask her what the best course of action is and act accordingly. No need to struggle on my own.'
Ashen had an 'aha' moment right then and there.
He curiously looked at her.
"According to you, what would the consequences of you following me be?"
Mira tilted her head in thought for a couple of seconds.
Then, Ashen sensed a surge of mana reaching toward her brain as her white eyes glowed silver.
"The World Ender will be repelled and sealed in three months."
"The Custodian Order will be wiped out in four months."
"And the Outer Gods will move toward humanity's domains and use hit-and-run tactics to sow chaos and death."
She spoke as if she had personally witnessed all those events unfolding in real time, leaving Ashen with no room to argue.
"...Despite all this, you would still be willing to follow me if I said so?"
"Yes."
"Doesn't that conflict with your second protocol?"
"It does not."
She silently looked at him for a moment before offering further explanation.
"Brother, you possess the ability to defy every measure of calculation through your own power."
"During my observation of you over the last eighteen months, I calculated your inevitable death no fewer than eleven times."
"Yet you proved me wrong eleven times."
"In my eyes, you are a walking paradox."
"So, even if every prediction points toward a bad ending, I would still follow your every word."
Ashen blinked.
"In fact…"
Her silver eyes glowed faintly.
"I had already rewritten the second protocol from freeing this planet to taking you as my master."
She paused.
"Because, paradoxically, doing so is the only way to achieve it."
Sigh.
Ashen shot her a helpless smile.
"That's a lot of responsibility you're heaping on your poor brother's shoulders, oh sister of mine…"
Mira white eyelashes fluttered. Then, her eyes widened fractionally. She lowered her head and muttered, "I'm sorry."
She had just realized that what she was doing was the same thing the Custodian Order had done to her: straddling him with a duty he had never asked for and crushing him beneath its weight.
It was a weight she was all too familiar with. After all, she had been carrying it until now.
"Don't worry."
Ashen reached out and pulled her into a hug when he saw her sudden timid appearance.
"This responsibility doesn't conflict with my goals. I was already going to do it regardless."
He looked down as she awkwardly wrapped her arms around him as well and added playfully,
"You see, your brother might have a bit of a savior complex, so your decision isn't really an inconvenience. I even gained a sister out of it, so I'll venture to say it's a pure win for me."
"I understand."
Her voice came out muffled against his bloodied chest.
"Good. Now, tell me what your calculations are if you go back now."
Ashen asked gently, almost in a murmur.
Mira lifted her head to look at him, and he saw the same silver glow appear in her eyes for the second time.
"The Custodian Order would normally be able to hold out for another three years before we are wiped out."
"Since three Outer Gods have died, we will be able to hold them off for five years."
"Five years, huh…"
Ashen fell silent.
For a couple of minutes, a look of struggle appeared on his face before he finally sighed resignedly.
"Then, Mira…" He looked down at her. "Can I ask you to hold them off for me?"
Mira failed to understand why he spoke with such guilt.
She did not know that, for Ashen, the biggest sis-con alive, asking his newly gained sister to do something like this was practically blasphemy.
"I understand."
She answered in the same monotone voice and took a step back, preparing to leave.
"Wait."
She stopped accordingly and looked at him patiently.
"Since you are now mine, I'll give you a few instructions before you go."
Ashen spoke lightly.
"First, forget everything about not harming natives or whatever that is. As long as someone wrongs you, you're free to retaliate."
"Of course, if anyone disrespects you, don't force yourself to stay quiet."
"Also…" His expression turned serious. "Your priority isn't holding the enemies back."
His voice became more authoritative. "It's your own life."
"If you judge that you're going to die, run away. Understood?"
"Understood."
Ashen didn't know if it was just him, but he felt that this 'understood' was a bit different from the others.
A little warmer, perhaps?
Either way, he gave her one last look before turning around.
"I promise I'll come back before those five years are up and take you back with me."
She watched him wave casually as he started walking away. But she didn't miss the bitterness hidden in his voice.
"So don't you dare die before then."
He didn't look back.
"That's an order from your big bro."
The Goddess did not move from her place.
She simply fixed her gaze on the disappearing back of her newly gained family.
In the end…
She quietly murmured.
"Understood…"
…This time, the voice was indeed much warmer.
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[Mira Hart ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡]