"Ms. Scarlett, you're a goddess? A real goddess?!" Kozuha asked, her eyes wide with excitement as she followed right behind Scarlett. "Goddess of what? When did you become one? Wait—are we really standing in front of a divine being? Did we actually summon a god?!"
She threw out question after question like rapid fire, barely giving herself time to breathe.
Scarlett let out a tired sigh and slowed her pace just a little, feeling a slight headache coming on from Kozuha's endless curiosity.
"I'm the goddess of battle and beauty," she said, waving one hand lazily. "And I'm not one of those goddesses who live up in the sky doing nothing. I live with my people."
It wasn't a full explanation—more like a small excuse—but it was enough.
Kozuha blinked, taking in her words. "Goddess of battle and beauty?" she repeated with awe. Then she smiled brightly. "That actually suits you perfectly!"
As they reached the ground floor, they spotted Sora waiting patiently near the door. The moment she saw them, she stepped forward quickly, concern on her face.
"What happened? Did everything go well?" she asked.
Before Scarlett could even open her mouth, Kozuha rushed to Sora like a little girl with a juicy secret. She leaned in close and whispered like it was the biggest gossip of the year.
"Do you know? Ms. Scarlett is actually a goddess! A real one! Goddess of beauty and battle! Isn't that amazing?"
Sora's eyes widened just a little, showing her surprise, but she quickly composed herself. With a calm smile, she walked over to Scarlett and offered her hand.
"Never thought I'd shake hands with a goddess. Feels like a dream," she said warmly.
Scarlett smiled back and shook her hand politely, her touch soft but confident.
"So... you're really going back to your world now?" Sora asked.
Scarlett gave a small nod. "Tonight," she said firmly.
Kozuha, who had been smiling moments ago, suddenly looked down. Her voice turned quiet, almost like a sad child's.
"I know you probably have important things to do... but are you really leaving just like this? And... never coming back?"
Scarlett looked at her for a moment, then gave a soft chuckle and gently patted her shoulder.
"Of course not. Didn't I say I'd try to find a way to connect our two worlds? One day, you might even be able to visit mine."
Kozuha's face lit up immediately, her earlier sadness completely forgotten.
"That would be so cool!" she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She sounded so thrilled that she forgot she was a grown-up officer and not a little girl at a theme park.
Scarlett watched her with a small smile, thinking to herself, "She may act silly sometimes, but she's smart and passionate. I think she'd make a great secretary for President yumi"
Turning toward the exit, Scarlett gave a nod. "Let's go," she said with calm confidence.
Just as Scarlett was about to leave the building, Sora suddenly called out, "Wait a minute!"
Scarlett paused and turned around, her face calm and patient. "What is it?" she asked, not sounding annoyed at all.
Sora hesitated for a second, her cheeks turning a little red. She looked like she was trying to gather courage. After a deep breath, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. "I… I wanted an autograph!" she said quickly, her voice a little shaky.
Scarlett blinked in surprise. "An autograph?" she repeated. She didn't expect that. For a moment, she stood still, unsure how to respond. Then she let out a small sigh and smiled gently to herself.
"Right… I forgot that Sora's just a student at hunter academy," Scarlett thought, her eyes softening. "Of course she'd be amazed by everything I done!"
As she stepped closer to take the pen and paper, Scarlett caught sight of her own reflection in the large mirror wall of the building. She looked at herself—her confident posture, long flowing hair, and calm eyes behind her blindfold. She looked like someone older, Dominative, someone strong.
But in her heart, she whispered, "I'm still just eighteen."
So many things had happened—fighting the demon king, chasing revenge, saving a world. Things people only heard about in stories. Her life had changed so much in such a short time.
"Wasn't a hero supposed to go on a long journey, grow step by step? And have a character development?" she wondered. "Guess the author of my story is a little lazy."
She chuckled quietly at the thought and focused back on Sora.
Scarlett held the pen, ready to write, but her hand moved by habit. She almost wrote her old name—"Aoto." But she stopped herself just in time. With a small smile, she instead wrote in beautiful Japanese letters:
スカーレット・ノヴァ
(Scarlett Nova)
She handed the paper back and turned to walk out the door.
"Wait! I want one too!" Kozuha called, hurrying after her.
Meanwhile, Sora stood frozen, staring at the autograph. Her eyes slowly widened.
"She wrote it in Japanese?" she whispered to herself. "When did she learn that? Wait… Why hasn't anyone noticed that we could understand everything she was saying… even though she's from another world?!"
She turned sharply, ready to go report this strange fact to her superiors—but after just one step, she stopped.
She placed her palm gently against her forehead, let out a quiet laugh, and smiled.
"I guess… that's just how goddesses are," she said softly, still holding the paper like it was a treasure.
----------------------------
Soon, night fell.
At the same place where the summoning ritual had happened a month ago, another ritual was now being performed — the *de-summoning* ritual. Bright lights filled the area as many S-rank Hunters who specialized in summoning stood in a wide circle, chanting and controlling the large glowing magic circle at the center.
Outside that circle, a huge crowd had gathered. People stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a wide ring around the Hunters. Flashlights blinked from cameras, and some people were live streaming the event. Faces were lit with excitement, joy, and even a little sadness.
In the very center of the glowing circle, Scarlett and Irish sat cross-legged on the ground. Scarlett looked calm and elegant as always, while Irish's shoulders drooped slightly. Her eyes were downcast, and she looked a bit gloomy.
"You're going back to your own world once we return, right?" Irish said in a low voice, not looking up. "We only got to spend one month together... it passed too quickly."
Scarlett gave her a gentle smile and reached over to pat her shoulder.
"Hey, don't be sad," she said warmly. "It's not like I'm leaving forever. Once your exams are over and you graduate from the academy, you can come live with me. Forever!"
Just then, the magic circle under them began to shine even brighter. A soft humming sound filled the air, and the light started rising upward like golden mist.
The crowd outside clapped and waved their hands, cheering loudly.
"Thank you for everything!" someone shouted with emotion in their voice.
"Pray to Goddess Scarlett!" another yelled, raising both hands in the air.
"Goddess of beauty and battle!" a group of girls chanted together.
"I'm a big fan of Ms. Irish too!" a young man screamed proudly.
"Yeah! Irish is amazing too!" another added.
Scarlett and Irish smiled as they looked around at the crowd, their eyes soft and thankful. They saw familiar faces—Sora, Kozuha, and others from the academy—all waving and smiling with tears in their eyes. Scarlett and Irish raised their hands and waved back gently.
And then, with a sudden whoosh, everything around them disappeared in a flash of light.
Their vision blurred for a second, and when it became clear again, they found themselves sitting on the floor of Irish's dorm room inside the Hero Academy.
Scarlett blinked, then looked around and smiled. "Finally back!"
She stood up and walked over to the window. Sunlight poured in through the glass, filling the room with a warm, golden glow. Outside, she could see the green garden of the academy, full of flowers and trees swaying in the wind.
"It's daytime here..." Scarlett muttered to herself.
She looked over her shoulder at Irish. "When we left, it was night. How many days have passed here, I wonder? We spent a whole month in the other world... maybe four or five days here?"
Irish stood up and nodded, brushing dust off her uniform.
"Let's go meet Aoto and find out what happened while we were gone," Scarlett said, already heading toward the door.
They walked around the academy, checking Aoto's dorm room, the training grounds, and even the library. But he was nowhere to be found.
Then, while turning a corner, they suddenly bumped into someone—Princess Ingrassia of the Darwitz Kingdom.
She looked just like she did a year ago—long golden hair, sparkling golden eyes, and a youthful, proud face. Her royal uniform was neat and flawless as always.
"Wait... Ms. Nova? You're still here?" she asked, surprised.
Scarlett smiled politely. "We went on a small journey and just came back. Do you know where Aoto is?"
The moment Ingrassia heard Aoto's name, her expression changed. Her soft, curious look turned into an annoyed frown. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest.
"That rascal?" she muttered.
Scarlett blinked in surprise. "Did something happen?"
Ingrassia let out a sigh and nodded firmly. "He flirts with every girl he sees. Then when someone confesses to him or flirts back, he acts all innocent. As if I wouldn't notice!" Her tone became sharper. "Just let him come back... I swear I'll beat him up!"
Scarlett swallowed hard. "O-oh..."
In her mind, she sighed deeply.
"Yeah... Aoto's in real trouble now. That's what you get for thinking you're a harem protagonist, dummy!"
Even though he was her best friend, Scarlett found herself agreeing with Ingrassia more than with him.
Ingrassia let out a small sigh and answered Scarlett's question with a shrug.
"The day you arrived, the very next morning, Aoto said he was going to find some treasure or whatever," she said, clearly annoyed. "He promised he'd be back in a week, whether he found it or not."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "So… how many days has it been now?"
Ingrassia thought for a second and replied, "Six days. So he might return today or maybe tomorrow. If you want to see him, you can stay."
Scarlett paused. She looked down for a moment, her mind racing.
"Six days?, A little more than i expected", she thought. "I should head back."
She lifted her head and gave a small smile. "No, that's okay. Just say goodbye to him from my side when he returns."
Scarlett then turned to Irish, who was standing beside her quietly. Scarlett smiled gently and took a step closer.
"I've learned telepathy," she said softly. "We can talk anytime now, whenever I have a little free time."
Then she leaned forward and gave Irish a light kiss on the cheek.
Irish's eyes widened slightly, and a gentle pink color rose to her cheeks. Her lips parted, but she didn't say anything. She just stood there, frozen for a moment, her heart quietly beating a little faster.
Scarlett took a step back, waved her hand warmly, and turned around.
"Take care," she said, and with a blink of light, she vanished using teleportation magic, heading straight back to DreadHaven.
As the shimmer of her magic faded, Ingrassia turned to Irish and gave her a confident smile.
"So… how about we have another duel? I've still got a lot to learn."
Irish blinked in surprise but then slowly nodded. She tried to keep her usual tomboyish expression, but it was clear from her eyes—she was the same soft-hearted girl inside. Even though she had just returned from a tiring, month-long journey to another world, she couldn't say no.
"Okay!" she said softly.