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Chapter 332 part 2

The water sphere, which could be considered Wokua’s terminal, appeared unchanged from the last time Hadiya saw it.

It seemed entirely unaware of the turmoil that had occurred after Hadiya’s return – perhaps this was just Hadiya’s twisted perception.

Noticing Earthima’s concerned gaze in this situation, Hadiya smiled back instead of telling her not to worry.

There had been a similar exchange when she was first offered, but Hadiya’s state of mind today, coming to live freely in the future, was completely different from that time when she had resigned herself to death.

It seemed that not many people had come directly to this ritual, and among the clan representatives and guards, some appeared tense and awed in the presence of Wokua, the heart of Shandia.

Soha, one of the few who wasn’t tense, looked Hadiya up and down before speaking.

「We came here in a hurry, but it seems you really have no intention of running away or struggling. In that case, it might be better to cleanse your body and change into proper attire.」

Normally, one would change into ceremonial attire before arriving at this ritual site, but in case of emergencies, rooms for changing clothes and resting were prepared along the passage leading to the underground lake.

Soha suggested using these, but Hadiya didn’t listen and had already turned towards the lake surface.

「That’s not necessary. It’s a trivial matter for Lord Wokua.」

Hadiya took off her sand-protection robe and, with her senses sharpened as she approached the underground lake, moved towards the water sphere floating above the lake surface.

Hadiya’s feet didn’t get wet, and she walked on the lake surface without sinking.
This was a feat anyone present could perform by calling upon the water spirits, but Hadiya’s sudden action caught them off guard. They thought Wokua might be calling only to Hadiya and hesitated to stop her.

This was also because Earthima, who had thrown away her position and honor to help Hadiya escape, stood with arms crossed, silently watching Hadiya.
(It’s strange. I thought I’d be terrified of possibly dying this time, but… yes, I have this strange certainty that things won’t go badly. There’s no basis for it, but…)

Before she knew it, Hadiya had reached the spot where she had knelt before the water sphere last time. The water sphere remained unchanged, and Earthima, Zebe, Soha, and the others watched with bated breath.

Would Hadiya’s life be offered this time, or would she be returned alive again? Would Shandia’s history continue as before, or would it be forced to change? They were witnessing this historic moment.

Hadiya knelt on the lake surface just as before, clasped her hands together, fixed her gaze on the water sphere in front of her, and began to call out to Wokua in the spirit realm.

「Great Spirit Wokua, bringer of blessings to the land of sand and wind, hear my plea…」

Words flowed from Hadiya’s mouth one after another, as if reciting poetry. Soha, who had been silently listening to Hadiya’s invocation, sensed the growing presence of Wokua leaking from the water sphere and narrowed his eyes.

「What a pity. That girl is calling out to Lord Wokua splendidly on her own. If she had grown up, she would have become a great spirit user.」

In response to Soha, who sensed Hadiya’s talent would be lost in this ritual and lamented the loss of her talent rather than her life, Zebe replied in a slightly cold tone. This young, talented woman seemed to be somewhat partial to Hadiya.

「Elder Soha, isn’t that something we won’t know until it’s over? And if my thinking is correct…」

As Zebe’s gaze narrowed slightly, the water sphere in front of them suddenly expanded greatly, then burst into countless water droplets that swirled and merged, soon transforming into a sphere of water large enough to completely engulf Hadiya. This was the descent of the great water spirit Wokua.

「Lord Wokua, I now offer again the soul of Hadiya, the offering of this generation. Based on the ancient covenant, please bestow the blessings of pure water upon the people of Shandia. 」

Facing Hadiya, who bowed her head deeply, Wokua created several ripples on the surface of the water sphere. This was the reaction that occurred when conveying will.

『Why?』

It was a calm voice reminiscent of a woman about the age of Hadiya’s mother. The tone was flat, showing no emotion, but at the same time, it was as pleasant as the babbling of a brook.

However pleasant it might be, Wokua’s single word of doubt was unexpected for everyone except Hadiya, Earthima, and Zebe. They had imagined that Wokua would absorb Hadiya’s soul this time to produce more water, just as in previous rituals.

「The previous Gifted Children all perished after offering their souls, but I returned alive. Does this mean my soul wasn’t fully offered?」

Wokua pondered before answering.

『No. As per the contract between myself and the people of Shandia. I received sufficient magical power from Hadiya to produce water to nourish the people. There was no need to convert Hadiya’s entire life into water-producing power.』

Spirits come in various forms, but Wokua seemed to have a sensibility and thought pattern different from human emotions. His? Her? voice, which spoke facts in a slow, list-like manner, conveyed no discernible emotion.

However, from the experience of having offered her soul once before, Hadiya judged that she wouldn’t get the information she wanted unless she spoke up. So, despite having many thoughts, she continued speaking.

「Lord Wokua, you use the souls of the offerings to create water, right? That’s what we, the people of Shandia, have been told. Then why was I the only one who was sent back alive? How am I different from the previous offerings?」

Hadiya had been bluntly told by Lenia beforehand that while she had talent as a spirit user, her soul wasn’t particularly strong or pure. At least, she didn’t have a superior soul compared to the previous offerings. Sad as it was, Hadiya acknowledged this.

「There is no significant difference between you and the previous offerings. As time has passed since the beginning of the contract, the land of Shandia has obtained water, overcome drought, and become moistened. Naturally, the amount of water I need to produce has decreased.」

「So the amount of water needed from Lord Wokua’s power has decreased compared to the past?」

「That is correct.」

「The amount of water to be produced has decreased. So the amount of soul from the offering used has also decreased? Is that why you didn’t need to use all of my soul, and I was sent back alive?」

「That is also correct regarding your question. Even if new offerings are sent, from now on, everyone will return alive. Hadiya happened to be the first to return alive. Even if offered again, I have already produced the water necessary for Shandia. The initial contract was to produce water to moisten the land and people of Shandia. Since water production is already complete, there is no need to receive the offering’s soul, and even if received, I cannot produce new water. That would violate the terms of the contract.」

Hadiya slowly exhaled at the facts Wokua was stating, closed her eyelids, and took a deep breath. Lenia had repeatedly implied that it wasn’t that she was special, but that Shandia itself had changed. Hearing this directly from Wokua himself, Hadiya realized that truly, not only herself but the offering ritual itself had reached a stage where it no longer required anyone’s life as a price. This fact made Hadiya inexplicably happy.

However, those who were not satisfied with this included Soha and others who clung to the traditional offering ritual. While Wokua’s words should have been good news for Shandia, many were confused and murmuring. Only Zebe, having heard Lenia’s words and drawn her own conclusions, was less shocked compared to those around her. It could be said that everything fell into place for her.

「You don’t seem very surprised. Did you know this would happen, Maffa Zebe?」

Soha looked at Zebe with a gaze that could be described as skeptical, if not quite glaring. Zebe shrugged with a dubious gesture.

「Well, if we got a different result despite performing the ritual as usual, shouldn’t we investigate various things? So, from the changes in water volume for each ritual of the past offerings, to the situation in Shandia before and after the first ritual was performed. And then? Well? The clan elders have been striving to improve Shandia’s water situation for generations, so even as the population increased, the system to supply more water has gradually been established…」

「And that made sense to you?」

「Until we came here, it was just a guess very close to the truth, but? Lord Wokua has now answered us. I suppose a future will come when we no longer need to prepare offerings.」

「… For someone like me who has sent off many offerings, this is an unimaginable story.」

「Perhaps. But this is only about the water situation, and invasions from other countries or natural disasters are a different matter? The steering of the country won’t immediately become easier, right?」

「That’s true, but we’ve been handling those without Lord Wokua’s power anyway, so we’ll manage somehow… Now, what should we do with Hadiya?」