novelapdf Bonus: The Sacred Realm’s New Melody
Bonus: The Sacred Realm’s New Melody
A week had passed since the "mysterious" cataclysm shook Flambell City."Ohh~!!"
Official reports spoke of an unprecedented atmospheric anomaly; but for the citizens, the only real thing was that their wounds had healed and the city now glowed with a renewed vitality following that golden rain.
"WE'RE FINALLY HERE!!!"
But while the world tried to find logic in the chaos, those responsible were already leagues away.
"YES, YES, YES~!"
On the border of the Sacred Kingdom—where white marble architecture and golden domes defied the mountain altitude—the air was so pure it felt almost sacred. It was there that a sonorous shout, charged with vibrant emotion, ripped through the air.
"IT'S HERE!!! LOOK AT ALL THIS!"
Melioris crossed the threshold of the kingdom with frantic enthusiasm. She ran along the reliefs of the walls and leaped between cornices with an agility that defied gravity, as if physical laws were mere suggestions to her.
"There's so much faith~!!"
She moved with the excitement of a creature discovering a new horizon, pointing at the high golden spires and crystal-clear water fountains with eyes that devoured every spark of light.
"Did a gust of wind just pass me?"
"Achoo!"
"I should have brought warmer clothes..."
However, despite her loud behavior and acrobatics, not a single inhabitant or passerby who walked near her noticed her presence. They were only shadows who felt a sudden chill or the brush of non-existent air.
"Have you heard the reports of the events in Flambell City?"
"Yes... It must have been a hard blow after the loss of their priestess..."
Priests in immaculate robes and paladins in silver armor passed just inches away from her without even noticing her presence.
"It's interesting to test this effect on others~!"
Despite her thunderous shouts and the clatter of her boots against the sacred stone, no one turned their head.
"I wonder how they would react to other forms of frequency!"
Melioris wasn't invisible in the literal sense, but her presence was such a profound distortion that mortal senses simply filtered her out, erasing her from their perception to preserve their sanity before a reality they shouldn't understand.
"Well? What do you think of the place?"
Beside her, the "Goddess" asked, walking with an elegance that seemed to merge with the white architecture, letting a slight tone of pride escape her voice as she watched her companion's reaction.
"Mmm-mmm~"
In response, Melioris, with a fluid movement, climbed the facade of an official building until she reached the highest point of the roof.
"....."
Upon reaching the top, she sat on the edge, letting her legs dangle into the abyss, swinging them side to side with a carefree rhythm.
"It's great~!"
From there, the city stretched out like a sea of white stone and gold under the midday sun.
"It shines so much it almost looks like glass! It's a perfect stage... I wonder what kind of sounds this place will make when things start moving."
Sitting there observing everything, she laughed with her gaze lost on the horizon, while deep within her essence, her soul vibrated, resonating with the euphoria of the entity that now watched the world from the heights of the Sacred Kingdom.
"Hey, don't leave me curious."
Then the "Goddess" suddenly appeared beside her on the cornice, without even disturbing the air.
"A being like you doesn't cross half the world just to admire architecture."
Though her face was of a marble-like and divine beauty, her voice emerged with a masculine and direct harshness, breaking the facade of elegance.
"What do you have planned for this place?"
It was the Archbishop of Greed speaking, discarding the mask of perfection while using the Goddess's body, unable to contain his inquisitive nature any longer.
"Mmm... For now, nothing concrete."
But despite that, Melioris didn't stop moving her head rhythmically from side to side, following a melody that only she could hear.
"Though it's curious... something is happening here that is accelerating my plans."
Her white and gold eyes seemed to filter the sunlight in a different way as she smiled cryptically.
"I feel a new rhythm, a heartbeat that wasn't there before... but I must still wait for the music to be right."
However, hearing those words, the Archbishop let out a snort of protest, and the deity's expression momentarily turned bitter.
"That doesn't seem fair. I've invited you into my domain, I've served as your guide through these sacred lands... I even allow you to observe all this from the heights!"
The Archbishop ranted in such a way using the Goddess's body that, if her most fervent believers had seen the scene, they would have fainted with indignation.
"The mortals of this kingdom would sacrifice their lives and fortunes just for their 'deity' to favor them with a look, and I am giving it all to you for free."
And mean-spiritedly, he emphasized his point by sweeping his hand toward the city at their feet.
"Nop, nop, nop!"
So Melioris, with no other choice, finally stopped and wagged her index finger side to side in a childish gesture of reproach.
"Nothing I do is free, dear 'goddess'. I don't like having debts... or having them owed to me."
Next, after saying those words, Melioris, with a quick movement, reached into her pocket—which defied the laws of space-time and volume—to extract a bundle of ancient parchment blueprints, tied with a thread of black silk.
"Here you go~"
She proceeded to hand them to the goddess in an instant...
"What is this?"
Taking them, greed flashed in the deity's gaze at the touch of the ancient material.
"What are you really giving me?"
Her fingers traced the lines drawn in ink that seemed to glow dimly as she asked, slightly unrolling the parchment.
The "Goddess" examined the blueprints with a mix of reverence and suspicion, feeling the air around the parchment vibrate with heavy static.
"Mmm... That."
Melioris, for her part, was no longer paying attention; her gaze was fixed with devouring intensity on a high-ceilinged restaurant located a couple of streets down.
"I was in my school library when I found it while looking for a specific book I really need, but instead I found an ancient box."
She replied with her attention still fixed like a hawk on the restaurant, gesturing toward the bundle of blueprints with her shoulder.
"It was sealed with so many warnings it seemed like a joke. They said the content drove anyone who dared to read it mad, something about impossible geometries and truths the brain can't sustain."
Hearing those words, the Archbishop squeezed the parchments tightly, feeling a shiver of excitement.
"And you simply opened it?"
At his question, Melioris's expression slowly began to darken as she watched the chef cook, before responding.
"Of course! It was an accident, I swear. I read it all and, since nothing happened to me at all, I kept it in my dimensional pocket. It was taking up space and gathering dust, so I thought it would be better to give it to someone with as much 'curiosity' as you. Put it to good use!"
Hearing that response, the "Goddess's" expression turned pale as she gasped with excitement, looking at the blueprints with total interest.
"HOW DARE YOU!!"
However, before the Archbishop could ask another question, Melioris's face changed drastically.
"NO! THAT IS AN INSULT TO COOKING!"
Her curiosity vanished, replaced by fierce indignation. Her eyes locked onto the window of the restaurant below, where a chef in a white tunic was serving a dish that didn't seem to meet her invisible standards.
(VROOOOOOOOOM!!)
And so, with a burst and without warning, Melioris launched herself from the roof.
"OUT! YOU! YOU LITTLE MORTAL WITHOUT A CULINARY EAR!"
She didn't fall, but seemed to glide through the air like a silver exhale and, before the customers could understand what was happening, the establishment's door burst open.
"What are you—?!"
Next, with absurd strength, Melioris grabbed the chef by the collar of his uniform and, with a masterful kick that sent him rolling across the sacred pavement, expelled him from his own kitchen.
"From now on, I am in charge!"
The man was left babbling on the ground, while Melioris, already wearing an apron she had pulled from nowhere, began throwing pans and knives into the air with maniacal precision, taking control of the place.
"......"
Meanwhile, from the roof, the Archbishop watched the scene with the forbidden blueprints in one hand and the other on his forehead, wondering at what point his Sacred Kingdom had become the playground for such an entity.
"Well... whatever."
Only to ignore the problem in favor of satisfying his curiosity.
"I WILL SHOW THEM WHAT COOKING IS!!"
And so, a new culinary revolution began...