"Kjeragandr?" Alina could hardly believe her ears. It was beyond her imagination that the unassuming maid standing before them was none other than the venerated deity worshipped across this snowy realm.
"Yes, I am indeed an incarnation of Kjeragandr," Kjera replied, nodding with a faint, warm smile that confirmed her true nature. "And I truly must thank you both for not exposing my secret in front of Enya. I haven't quite figured out how to explain all of this to the girl just yet."
"It really is astonishing. You don't look like a deity at all!" Alina peered closely at the unassuming servant, trying to reconcile her modest appearance with local legend. "To think the physical form of a deity would look like this..."
"If you're curious about what a deity ought to look like, I'm afraid I can't offer much insight," Kjera said with a helpless shake of her head. "Ever since I first opened my eyes in these snowbound lands, I was entirely alone. I've never encountered another creature like myself. Even the title of 'deity' was simply something given to me by those who came much later."
"So... instead of accepting the worship of your people from afar, you chose to walk alongside each generation's Saintess as a humble maid?" Alina felt as though she were listening to an almost absurd fairytale.
"Not every Saintess," Kjera clarified softly. "I only choose to assume this form and remain at their side when I happen upon a child who truly catches my interest."
"That sounds considerably more reasonable," Alina murmured, glancing toward Jeanne. When she thought about it, her companion was also someone who lived under the constant gaze of the divine.
After a long pause, Alina offered a gentle smile. "I suspect you and Enya would have quite a lot to talk about when it comes to dealing with the divine."
"I don't think we have much in common at all," Jeanne promptly countered. "Our situations just happen to share a few superficial similarities, that's all."
"Indeed, you and Enya are vastly different," Kjera agreed softly. "Not only in personality, but in how you approach the world. In fact, the God who watches over you seems far more helpful than I could ever hope to be."
Though her expression remained calm and smiling, Jeanne and Alina caught the subtle trace of lonely self-deprecation laced within her words. The arrival of an actual Saintess from the outside world seemed to have stirred something deep inside this local deity.
"Before you arrived, I always assumed that the relationship between a deity and their followers could only ever exist in one specific way. So, I remained a quiet observer, watching Kjerag evolve from afar," Kjera admitted, speaking her innermost thoughts freely before the two who had seen through her disguise. "But now, learning of the vast world beyond our mountains and meeting a Saintess like you, I've begun to wonder if my passive approach was wrong all along."
"You shouldn't doubt yourself just because we showed up," Jeanne urged, anxious that her presence might push this somewhat fragile deity into a crisis of faith. "No one can truly define what the 'correct' relationship between mortals and the divine ought to be. It's a confusing mess no matter how you look at it."
The last thing Jeanne wanted was for her arrival to trigger a divine breakdown. If this local god went dark or lost her way because of a few casual comments, Jeanne's stay in Kjerag would become anything but peaceful.
Besides, she certainly didn't want to leave these mountains carrying the reputation of someone whose words corrupted local deities. None of her own experiences should have been enough to rattle Kjeragandr like this anyway.
"My spirit isn't quite that fragile," Kjera chuckled softly. Though she lacked the power to read minds, Jeanne's expressive face made her internal panic painfully obvious. "It's just that recently, through the mountain winds, I've caught whispers of the outside world and the dire threats drawing near."
She walked over to the window, gazing out at the twin moons shining brightly above the snow-capped peaks, and let out a quiet sigh. "I don't know how terrifying these 'Seaborn' truly are, nor how much longer I can shield these children. My strength is exceedingly limited... Why, even a particularly violent Catastrophe is enough to force me into a deep slumber..."
Before these two outsiders, she freely acknowledged her own weakness. Kjeragandr was never an all-powerful god; she was simply a strange, ancient creature capable of sheltering this solitary snowfield.
"Even so, you've kept this land safe for countless generations," Alina said gently, feeling a pang of sympathy for the deity. She could fully understand the confusion weighing on Kjera's heart. "Across the rest of the world, not a single corner escapes the endless scourge of Cataclysms. Yet under your care, this place has remained a peaceful sanctuary, hasn't it?"
Through the passing breeze, a deity who knew nothing of the outside world had learned that her protective umbrella had left her people isolated. Now, with existential threats looming on the horizon, she found herself lacking the confidence to protect them any longer.
"Even with your protection, those who wished to seek out the grander world still chose to step outside," Alina continued softly, placing her hands together over her chest. "And you never raised a hand to stop those ambitious children. That alone shows how deeply you care, doesn't it?"
Looking into Alina's gentle, understanding eyes, the ancient deity froze for a brief second.
"At the very least, your sense of responsibility is light-years ahead of that pathetic excuse for a deity we ran into back home," Jeanne added, taking the opportunity to throw another jab at Kashchey.
Comparing the two made the contrast absurdly clear. One was doing everything she could to shield her people, while the other spent centuries orchestrating misery. How could two entities claiming divine status be so vastly different?
It was no wonder that under the gaze of true divine power, that miserable snake had been dragged through three whole years of pure torment.
Far away in Ursus, the remnant spirit of Kashchey suddenly felt an icy chill run down his neck, as if someone were discussing his utter humiliation.
"That's certainly true," Alina agreed with an approving nod. Strictly speaking, that pathetic snake had no redeeming qualities worth comparing.
"I appreciate your kind words," Kjera said with a warm smile, the heavy burden in her chest lifting noticeably. "Hearing you say that makes these difficult choices feel far less daunting."
"Now that we've cleared the air," Jeanne leaned in eagerly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity, "care to tell us what House Silverash is actually plotting? What did you mean by those warnings earlier?"
Why waste time investigating when she could just use a cheat code? In this realm, what secret could possibly escape the ears of its own deity? Jeanne practically congratulated herself for being such a clever thinker.
"I must apologize," Kjera offered with a look of genuine regret. "While I am well aware of what is unfolding within House Silverash, please forgive my slight selfishness. I have no intention of revealing their plans to anyone before the curtain falls on this drama."
Having her very first question turned down left Jeanne blinking in surprise, while Kjera offered a sheepish smile at having to refuse her new confidante.
"Which means Enciodes is definitely still alive, and that explosion was entirely staged by him!" Jeanne declared instantly, her eyes lighting up with absolute certainty.
In that exact moment, Kjera realized her casual refusal had inadvertently sold out the ambitious young lord anyway. She rubbed her forehead in helpless amusement.
"Please, keep that to yourselves," Kjera requested in a gentle, negotiating tone. "If my interference brings his grand show to an abrupt end, I would feel terribly guilty toward that child."
"Fair enough. It seems you really hold that young clan leader in high regard," Jeanne conceded. While spoiling the big secret right away sounded immensely entertaining, one look at Kjera's earnest expression made her back down. "Did you start paying attention to him because of Enya?"
"Not at all. I've been watching Enciodes for quite a few years now," Kjera explained. "He's always bringing back fascinating new contraptions I've never seen before. It's just that when he sets out to accomplish something, he tends to be far too impatient."
"That's completely understandable," Jeanne remarked. "If I were a noble in this isolated land, saw how advanced the outside world was, and then looked back at how stuck in the past my homeland was... I'd be in a rush to change things too."
The gap between Kjerag and the modern world was a massive abyss. This snowfield was no immortal paradise capable of remaining isolated forever, nor was the world outside a peaceful haven.
"So," Jeanne paused, her eyes narrowing slightly as another thought crossed her mind, "does Enya know about her brother's true scheme?"
"She has no idea," Kjera replied softly. "Just as the rumors outside claim, the bond between Enya and her brother shattered the very day he forced her to take up the mantle of Saintess. From that moment on, they became worse than strangers."
"I see..." Jeanne nodded slowly, falling into deep thought as she processed the revelation.