".!"
When the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet returned, Shien jolted awake as if by reflex and involuntarily reached one hand out before him, as though trying to hold something back.
However, Shien had already returned home and reappeared in his room rather than that familiar temple.
"Haah..."
Shien was speechless for a long time before finally sighing and withdrawing his outstretched hand.
"Looks like that Goddess won't reveal anything more."
Shien's feelings became complicated once again.
Thinking back on that Goddess's every action and her distinctly suggestive words, Shien seemed to have already guessed her identity.
"I never thought she had really awakened..."
Shien did not know how to describe how he felt at that moment.
Should he feel honored?
After all, he had met a supreme being no one else could possibly meet and had even received some hints from her.
But she clearly had no intention of intervening in this situation, making Shien feel that she truly was as indifferent as the rumors claimed.
Then should he feel indignant and condemn her for standing by and doing nothing?
Shien could not do that either.
Perhaps she truly was as indifferent as the rumors claimed, so indifferent that she seemed somewhat inhuman, cold-blooded, and heartless. But she was still a god, a truly omnipotent deity. Judging her with ordinary human standards was not even worthy of being called moral blackmail.
So the best approach was to treat her as an observer who knew nothing of everything, just as she had said.
Looking at things from that perspective, Shien should instead be grateful that he had managed to receive some hints from her.
Shien shook his head, throwing all his complicated thoughts about her out of his mind.
Then, Shien focused all his attention on the hints