And as long as the elves no longer guarded against Shane, with his affinity for nature so close, wouldn’t the days of mutual goodwill be near?
Nadura was making such wishful calculations, and it could be said she was being quite earnest.
This Nature Goddess then firmed up her stance, only guiding, not interfering or intervening.
At least, in Nadura’s view, becoming friendly with Shane was absolutely a good thing.
"The dramatic growth in Merica’s magic power is actually because of you, otherworldly Hero," Nadura suddenly said, petrifying both Shane and Merica, who were huddled together.
"The reason lies with me?"
Merica was also visibly astonished.
Nadura turned her gaze to Shane.
"At this point, I’ll not beat around the bush," Nadura said, looking directly at Shane with a piercing gaze, word by word: "If I’m not mistaken, the Blessing you possess should be that of the Mother of the Divine Race, the Creator of the World, the truly omnipotent Goddess — Supreme God Ominis, right?"
Upon hearing this, Shane’s eyes narrowed as he fell silent.
Merica, on the other hand, was shocked.
"The Supreme God’s Blessing...!?"
Merica, with a face full of shock, looked toward Shane.
Mr. Shane actually possesses the Supreme God’s Blessing...?
This must be a joke, right?
Sadly, jokes are not made this way.
"If you’re asking whether it’s true, then I don’t mind answering you,"
After a moment of silence, Shane lifted his head with a relaxed demeanor and replied.
"The Blessing I possess is indeed named — [Supreme God’s Blessing]."
He admitted a fact shocking enough to disturb the entire Omni Potanssen.
Nadura let out a breath.
Although she had long speculated and was fairly sure her guess was correct, she hadn’t completely ruled out other possibilities until she heard the confession from Shane’s own lips.
Until this moment, it wasn’t until Shane’s admission that Nadura discarded the thought and confirmed the fact.
Merica also couldn’t help but cover her small mouth; the shock on her face just wouldn’t fade away.
She knew Shane was a Hero and one that should not have appeared again, bearing enormous secrets.
But Merica, out of consideration, had not pursued these matters, or rather believed she had no right to do so. Along with the rest of Vivian’s Team, there was an unspoken understanding to never mention this in front of outsiders.
Even within the internal members of Vivian’s Team, the subject was almost never brought up.
The intent was to protect Shane’s privacy, his secrets, to allow him to live peacefully in this world.
Who would have thought that this secret was just the tip of the iceberg, and yet so terrifying.
The Supreme God’s Blessing?
Is this the sort of Blessing a member of the Human Race could receive?
Hadn’t the Top Level Blessing always been recognized as that of the Three Great Goddesses?
Even Heroes were blessed by the Three Great Goddesses, weren’t they?
Merica’s mind was completely thrown into chaos.
She had never heard of anyone having received the Supreme God’s Blessing, including historical Heroes and various famous heroes.
Yet Shane had surpassed the understanding of everyone in this world, giving Merica the absurd notion, "So the Supreme God can also bless others?"
Anyway, Merica was bewildered, lost.
In contrast, Nadura, ultimately unable to restrain herself, asked a question.
"I have heard from Anima that you do not know why you were summoned to this world and have no knowledge whatsoever regarding the Hero Summoning, right?"
Nadura gazed intently at Shane.
"Yes," Shane said unflinchingly, "When I came to my senses, I was already in a forest filled with demons, with nothing but the Holy Sword by my side. I didn’t even know about the Hero or the Hero Summoning until later, so, I have no idea why I was summoned, let alone why I appeared in such a place."
This was the explanation Shane used to fend off Anima.
Now, he was using this same story to fend off Nadura.
Regarding the matters of Nien, Shane had been instructed by her never to tell any of the Goddesses of the Divine Race.
Shane did not plan to betray Nien by divulging everything to the Nature Goddess he was meeting for the first time.
If Nadura pursued this matter further, it was bound to end fruitlessly.
However, just as Shane was thinking this...
"I won’t ask about the redundant details, but I hope you can tell me one thing, as a personal request of mine," Nadura bit her lip.
Shane looked towards Nadura.
After a moment of hesitation, she lifted her eyelids and gazed at Shane.
"Have you ever seen the Supreme God, seen Ominis, seen our Mother Goddess?"
When such words came from Nadura’s mouth, Shane was at a loss for words.
Because at that moment, there was no trace of pursuit for the secrets Shane held, nor scrutiny on the truthfulness of his words in Nadura’s eyes. There was only a faint, burning, anxious expectation.
This Goddess was eagerly awaiting news about her Mother Goddess from Shane’s lips.
Not for anything else, but purely for the nostalgia and the barely concealed fervent emotions in her heart.
Clearly, Nadura deeply yearned for Ominis.
Just like Ai Yi always filled with nostalgia and sadness whenever she spoke of Demon King Cladis.
Shane could even sense that knowing any news about Supreme God Ominis was all that mattered to Nadura, and she could disregard everything else.
Like the inner workings of Shane’s summoning as the Hero, Nadura could overlook it.
This demonstrated how profound Nadura’s feelings for Ominis were, and how important the Supreme God was to her.
Seeing Nadura’s anxious gaze and expression, and recalling her consistent regard, sincerity, and dignified politeness towards himself, Shane’s heart softened.
He knew it was best not to tell anyone else about this.
Otherwise, his previous statements would become a mess of inconsistencies.
After all, if Shane truly didn’t understand why he was summoned to this world, and if he came to his senses already in the forest without any knowledge, how could he have possibly met Supreme God Ominis?
The lie would surely be exposed.
But Shane chose to trust Nadura.
Shane revealed the secret that made Nadura and Merica shudder.
But before Nadura could become excited, Shane immediately spoke up.
"I entered the Holy Sanctuary involuntarily and saw the Supreme God in a deep sleep there, so don’t get too excited. The Goddess has not awakened, nor has she ever left the Holy Sanctuary, let alone been involved in any affairs."
Shane laid it all out.
Hearing this, Nadura’s complexion turned pale, and she fell into a long silence.
The faint expectation and unease in her eyes also dimmed and eventually turned into thick disappointment.
Shane tentatively offered this apology.
"No, it’s not your fault," Nadura gave a wry smile and said, "It’s my own unwarranted expectation, hoping that the Mother Goddess had already awakened and had blessed you herself."
In fact, Nadura had long guessed that Ominis would not awaken.
"The Mother Goddess only ever had eyes for that Demon King, only held that Demon King in her heart. Everything else, to the Mother Goddess, is but toys that can be easily crafted, so why would she care?"
"After the Demon King’s passing, there has been nothing in this world worthy of the Mother Goddess’s attention. A Mother Goddess like that will not awaken, I shouldn’t be clearer on this matter."
Yet in Nadura’s voice, there was still an unmistakable tinge of disappointment and loss.