Medusa, Reclaiming Her Title as a Goddess [Please Give Flowers! Please Vote!] / Building a Temple and Raising the Torch [Please Give Flowers! Please Vote!]

Following their ancestors' last wishes, they had not forgotten.

On this land already ruled by the Greek gods, they still clung to the ways of the past.

This was the Age of Gods, after all.

Without the gods' protection, humans could scarcely survive.

As heretical Pelasgians, they had not been sheltered by the Greek gods. It was hard to imagine how they had endured until now.

No one knew how they had reached The Invisible Island.

"Medusa, what do you think?"

Moran turned and spoke to Medusa beside him.

Looking at the starving old, young, women, and children before them.

Who knew how many had died on their journey to The Invisible Island? They had likely come with the resolve to stake everything on one desperate gamble.

All to meet the goddess their people worshipped.

They believed that their Mother Goddess of old would surely bestow her mercy upon them.

"Th-This is the Mother Goddess!?"

The elderly man had not recognized Medusa at first.

The idol they worshipped depicted the most primordial Medusa.

More precisely, it depicted her triune form.

The current Medusa was merely one aspect of her.

Her appearance had already differed somewhat from Medusa's, and the passage of time had further worn away the idol's features.

Later generations could only repair it again and again.

In the end, the idol and Medusa had become two separate people.

It was no surprise that the believers had not recognized Medusa immediately.

Though the idol's appearance did not match Medusa's.

The aura and divine bearing lingering upon it, however, could not possibly be changed.

After hearing Moran's words.

They carefully observed Medusa and reached a consensus.

Though her appearance differed slightly from what they knew, she was undoubtedly the genuine goddess.

"Mother Goddess... there can be no mistake...!"

"Ah... she really exists... Our faith was not an illusion... She is as real as the gods of Olympus!"

"Please grant us mercy... please..."

Before Medusa could speak.

The Pelasgians had already fallen to their knees and begun praying.

"Moran... wh-what should I do!"

Seeing their devotion, as though they were offering up their very bodies and souls, Medusa did not know what to say for a moment.

She did not think she was sacred enough for this.

Moran shrugged.

"I'm not a goddess. You are. This is the time for you, Goddess, to make the decision."

"Stop teasing me. I don't have the right... This sort of occasion would suit my eldest and second eldest sisters far better! Honestly, my memories of the past are very vague..."

Medusa looked on the verge of tears.

Even when speaking with Moran, she had to keep out of the Pelasgians' sight.

Although Medusa looked like an icy beauty, appearances did not necessarily reflect reality.

Usually, if she held Moran's gaze for too long, she would blush.

She looked like a mature beauty, yet was unexpectedly innocent.

"It's true that the Mother Goddess worshipped by the Pelasgians is me. More accurately, it was the primordial Medusa, the me from before I was cursed. Only by completely becoming one with my two elder sisters might I be able to recreate my former appearance as the Mother Goddess..."

Medusa explained the reason to Moran.

Medusa had originally been a complete Earth Mother Goddess.

Only later had the notion of her threefold form emerged.

In the Greek Age of Gods, the curse had manifested more directly upon her, which was why she had become this triune existence.

"So you want me to reclaim my identity as a goddess... Mmm... Isn't that asking too much of me...?"

"Even so, the Pelasgians have already decided that you are their Mother Goddess. It isn't about whether you deserve it. They themselves believe you are a Mother Goddess worthy of worship."

Moran hit upon the most crucial point.

The Pelasgians had always worshipped Medusa.

Since ancient times, most gods had been self-important egomaniacs. Ones like Medusa were rare.

The moment she wondered whether she was qualified.

She had already surpassed countless gods.

After all, some gods truly went beyond all reason.

They committed demonic deeds while wearing the mantle of gods.

There were simply far too many examples like that.

"Medusa, have more confidence. In my eyes, if even you are unworthy of being called a goddess, then nothing in this world deserves that title. Don't worry. I'll always be by your side."

"Moran..."

Medusa felt the warmth in her hand.

She looked at the man who had always stayed by her side.

What she thought of was not becoming a goddess, but spending the rest of her life with the man before her, until the seas ran dry and the rocks crumbled.

How deeply she depended on him.

Trusted like this, and looked upon with such earnest eyes.

Beyond her shyness, Medusa also wanted to respond.

Receiving trust from the one she loved, it was only natural that she wanted to become more like a goddess.

She wanted him to like her even more.

"Those children believe in me. They came here prepared to face death. No matter what, I can't be cruel enough to send them away like this... So... I'll give it a try..."

"You can be more confident than that."

"I'm trying my best! Moran, you have to help me, or I don't know whether I can keep going..."

Medusa looked at Moran with tear-filled eyes.

She looked exactly like when Stheno and Euryale bullied her, so adorable it was almost too much.

She looked so pitiful that no one could possibly ignore her.

No wonder those two loved teasing Medusa so much.

Moran immediately understood.

Thus, Medusa reclaimed the name of goddess.

The Pelasgians were moved to tears by the goddess's return, offering the Gorgon Sisters the purest faith.

Though Medusa was unaccustomed to it, she believed that with your help, she could become a qualified goddess.

Stheno and Euryale found it quite interesting.

They believed that goddesses ought to have believers worshipping them, so they gladly accepted the Pelasgians' faith.

Though the Pelasgians were few in number.

Their faith was exceptionally pure.

The Pelasgians who came to the island built a village, and the island gradually began to brim with life.

You possessed the Golden Fleece, which symbolized wealth and happiness.

The Pelasgians on the island harvested bountiful crops every year, while the Dragon Kind summoned by the Golden Fleece protected them from magical beasts.

For a time, harmony reigned across the island.

The people were grateful to Medusa for bringing happiness and stability, believing that the Mother Goddess had bestowed all this upon them.

Their faith grew stronger by the day.

What was more, after the first Pelasgians settled down, Pelasgians scattered throughout Greece heard the news and began to learn that the Mother Goddess they had once worshipped still lived in the world.

More and more devout believers rushed there. They were people of the old age who could not board the ships of the new era, and to them, The Invisible Island was the world's last remaining Noah's Ark.

The final sanctuary of faith from the old age.

As devout Pelasgians continued pouring in, their original number of several dozen grew to hundreds, then thousands.

The settlement, once the size of a village, expanded into a town.

"My child was safely born! Praise the Mother Goddess!"

"This year's harvest is abundant! It's all thanks to the Mother Goddess's protection! When we go fishing at sea, even sea beasts dare not approach us!"

"And Lord Moran! He secured our foreign trade! A merchant ship from Iolcus will arrive tomorrow! The magical beast pelts can fetch high prices again! Our winter stores..."

"We must repair and rebuild the Mother Goddess's temple as soon as possible! We must repay the kindness of the Mother Goddess and Lord Moran!"

Though life on The Invisible Island had been difficult at first.

Every face was filled with happy smiles, and their eyes shone with hope for a better future.

They feared no hardship.

Because they believed in their goddesses.

P.S. Yesterday had eight updates, so let the author catch their breath. Four updates today for now.

Building the Temple, Raising the Flame

They built a temple and raised the flame high.

They once again offered faith to the Earth Mother Goddess of the past.

The people and wyverns carried foundation stones into the ruined temple, while craftsmen carved and built with the utmost reverence.

Several years had passed since the Pelasgians came to the island.

The forests grew ever more abundant.

Many Phantasmal Species that had once been impossible to encounter gradually began appearing on the island.

Hunters were filled with gratitude for the Mother Goddess's blessings.

Every seed scattered by the farmers yielded an abundant harvest, and all of it foretold flourishing prosperity.

You watched it all unfold.

The solemn and immaculate temple radiated a holy atmosphere.

It stood atop a small hill overlooking all of The Invisible Island, rebuilt upon the ruins of the old temple.

"They're working so hard. Those humans down there are as interesting as ants. My memories are too vague and distant—I haven't seen a sight like this in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years."

Stheno lifted a grape between her slender jade fingers and placed it in her mouth.