Chapter 27: Pandora
Garfield and Hannah spun around to the sight of a tall, beautiful woman with long silver hair and a long white dress. Normally, Garfield wouldn’t use his sensing magic on a non-enemy without permission, but this woman entered his backyard without permission. Garfield cast the spell.
He learned several things. First, the person before him was named Pandora, the very same name as the Lance of Longinus’s creator. Second, she was a Goddess, at least by title. Third, she was the Goddess of !)@(#*$&, whatever that meant.
“Pandora, I presume?”
“It’s been eons since someone’s referred to me in such a familiar manner, but yes.”
Hannah proceeded to hide behind Garfield.
“Welcome to my home. Did you have an appointment?”
“Appointment? Why would I need an appointment?”
“I’m sorry, but unless you’re the Goddess of !)@(#*$&, you’ll need to make an appointment. I told that Diego chap as much.”
Pandora narrowed her eyes. A fox-girl maid came walking over.
“Master, do you have a guest?”
“Hm? It seems you will not be needing an appointment. In that case, yes I have a guest. Ms. Pandora, how do you like your tea?”
“I will have you answer some questions,” she responded.
“Indeed! Over tea. Like I said…”
“Whatever is fine!” Pandora shouted, exasperated.
Pandora stomped over to the nicest table and sat down in a chair. Garfield nodded to the maid, who ran back into the building. He then sat opposite Pandora.
“You will tell me how you gained those unusual powers.”
“Certainly. While we’re waiting for tea, however, let me ask what you think of my home.”
“…It’s lovely.”
They sat, mostly in awkward silence, until the tea came. Hannah observed from afar. The maid was dismissed.
“Finally! How did you get those unusual powers?”
Garfield took a slow sip of his tea. Pandora furrowed her brows.
“I actually will answer that. But just to clarify, what do you mean by unusual?”
“You killed a Goblin King recently, did you not? In death, he described to me a creature that you summoned with magic. That creature is unlike anything of this world.”
This did ring a bell. Pandora continued.
“I know not how you summoned it or where you summoned it from. That is what I mean by unusual magic. That enormous hydra is the same. I assume you summoned that.”
“You mean Lord Kelvar, the Goblin Emperor who can summon more goblins to form an army?”
“Yes… that.”
“The power was granted to me,” Garfield explained.
“By whom?”
“He didn’t tell me his name.”
“…Can you describe him?” asked Pandora.
“He was undergoing an effort to rapidly ‘cross-pollinate’ worlds by transferring people from one to another.”
“As I thought. Normally, He wouldn’t grant unusual powers to people. Did you not have these powers in your previous world?”
“No.”
“How did he even grant you these powers? I’m not aware of any place you can summon such creatures from. He’s not all-powerful…”
“Well, I’m not, and neither are you, I imagine. If you want me to tell you more, shouldn’t you offer to share information with me as well?” Garfield proposed.
“…Like what?”
“What your plans are for this world, this Kingdom, my household, myself, that cup of tea you haven’t tasted yet…”
“You deign to comprehend the designs of a goddess?”
“The last god-like entity I spoke with could barely comprehend intermediate mathematics. He denied that He was truly a god, and I believed him. I think he’s completely reworking his plan after I discussed its flaws with him.”
Pandora once again furrowed her brows as Garfield continued his explanation.
“He only offered me powers as a thank you for helping Him realize the errors of his ways. Perhaps I misunderstood, and I was simply failing to comprehend His godly plans?”
Pandora didn’t seem eager to provide a response.
“Have a sip.”
Pandora sighed, and took a sip.
“Actually, this is pretty good,” she admitted.
“I know.”
“To your other question,” Pandora finally offered, “I’m prepared to destroy you since you hold sufficient power to get in my way, but I’m not certain that’s necessary yet. I care little for your household or kingdom or whatever else.”
“There’s something I really want to ask now, but I believe it’s my turn. I’ll attempt to explain why my powers are so unusual. That chap asked me what powers I wanted, and I described them to him.”
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Now Pandora leaned forward in anticipation.
“He gave me the powers exactly as I described, with one limitation that doesn’t seem germane at the moment. I'm not summoning these creatures from another world. In most cases, I’m summoning them directly from fiction.”
“What? But wouldn’t that mean He granted you a power of creation that exceeds even His own power. How is that possible?”
“I have some theories, but this is outside my area of expertise so I’ll keep them to myself,” said Garfield.
“Hmmm…”
“What specifically would cause me to get in your way?” he asked.
“No, I will not share that with you. Not today. You have given me a great deal to think about. One could say you have even opened my eyes. I did not realize a single mortal could change everything so easily…”
“And I didn’t realize silver hair and white clothing paired up so nicely. It seems we both benefited from this exchange.”
“You…” Pandora felt various conflicting emotions well up within her. She thought to herself, ‘I’ve never been treated this way before. Half of me wants to destroy this insolent creature, and the other half wants to enjoy this new experience. Hmm…’
“Unless you need to hurry along, I could call for some snacks…” Garfield offered.
“No, I will take my leave.”
“Pity. Say hello to that Diego fellow and the Goblin King for me, will you?”
“…I’m certain you will hear from me again.” Pandora disappeared, without so much as a puff of smoke. Hannah came running over.
“Garfield!”
“Hannah, would you like some snacks?”
Hannah’s face revealed her shock, then she broke into tears and collapsed into Garfield’s arms. After sobbing for a few moments…
“How are you so calm, after dealing with… that?”
“You expect me to get all flustered every time I interact with a pretty lady?”
“Huh? No! She was even scarier than that archangel you summoned!”
“Hm, well I guess it’s not my first time in a situation like this. The first unusual entity I ever conversed with was pretty friendly and laid back, after all. Maybe I got used to it then?”
“I… see…”
“In all seriousness, we really do need to watch out for her. I still have no idea what would constitute getting in her way, or what exactly she’ll do in that case…”
“Yes…”
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“Have you heard of an entity named Pandora?” Garfield asked Kay, Court Mage.
“…Don’t let someone from the church hear you ask that. Actually, don’t let anyone hear you ask that.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Pandora is one of the gods worshiped both inside and outside of the Fenwick Kingdom. When people say, ‘thank the gods,’ she’s one of the gods they’re referring to. The divine beast we’ve seen on multiple occasions is theorized by many to be her avatar.”
“I see…”
“Wait, why are you suddenly asking me this?” Kay asked.
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“…Against my better judgment… Yes, please tell me.”
“She visited me.”
“What!? Like a vision? A dream?”
“No, She and I had tea in my backyard.”
Kay’s head hit the table in front of her.
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“Welcome to Bretten Cathedral!”
“Thank you… Minister?” Garfield attempted to confirm.
“Indeed. Have you come here to pray? To learn? For another reason?”
“To learn. I haven’t been to church much in the past, but I realized that’s a mistake.” Garfield also thought to himself, ‘It would be more honest to say I’m here for another reason, specifically to learn about the goddess Pandora so that I’m prepared to defeat her in combat, but I don’t imagine that would go over so well…’
“Ah! It’s never too late to correct your ways. Come, let me walk you both around the cathedral.”
Garfield and Hannah were shown the various displays and were told to direct their attention to multiple artistic displays of stained glass up high. Several divine entities were depicted including Pandora, a tall women in white with long silver hair, Col, a man shrouded in darkness, and She’Sin, related to the sun somehow.
“Can you tell me about Pandora?”
“Certainly. Her wisdom and beauty reverberate through the ages.”
‘One for two?’ Garfield wondered as he choked down a laugh.
“She is credited with ensuring bountiful harvests, fertility for all who desire it, and even hope for any who seek romance. It is common to pray to her when seeking any of those things.”
“Are there any stories of her interacting directly with us mortals? Especially recent ones?” asked Garfield.
“Hm. I’m not aware of gods directly interacting with us lowly humans in the current age, but there’s no way to truly understand their intentions to begin with. We know only that they love and support us for so long as we love and support each other.”
Garfield wasn’t entirely opposed to that philosophy.
“There’s a verse discussing mortal efforts in the distant past to court our goddess Pandora due to her beauty. She politely declined in every case, ever maintaining her image as an all-loving divine being.”
“Are there no stories of her getting mad and smiting people?”
“What? Heavens, no,” the minister replied, somewhat shocked. “At least, none that you will find reference to in this cathedral.” The minister turned his gaze towards Hannah. “Little lady, is there anything that you are interested in?”
“Do any of the scriptures discuss vampires?”
“Vampires? Well, yes, a couple of verses come to mind…”
The minister discussed a story of how a misguided cult that worshiped Col while harboring dubious intentions was somehow cursed by Him to become creatures of the night. Supposedly, She’Sin took mercy on them and reversed most of the curse. However, that process somehow pushed a fraction of the curse into the blood, passing along the lingering effects to some descendants. The effect ironically triggered with too much exposure to She’Sin, that is, the sun.
‘Hm, Kay’s research seemed thorough, but she must not have thought to look at religious texts…’ Garfield figured.
Hannah was too busy processing what she had heard to provide much of a reaction. Garfield stepped in.
“Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us despite our ignorance.”
“Please, come any time. Our doors are always open to those who seek to learn or pray.”
Garfield and Hannah left the cathedral. Another church official walked over to the minister.
“Minister, what were you discussing with the Duke?”
“The Duke?”
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Back at Garfield’s estate, he delivered some very disappointing news to Hannah.
“There’s something I need to do, and it will require a great deal of concentration. I’ll need to be left alone for this.”
Hannah’s cheeks puffed up, but she didn’t argue. “What should I do? How long will this take?”
“I probably just need a day or so. I have an idea. There’s a boy who helps out in the restaurant at the Bretten Sunset Inn.”
‘I don’t want to become friends with some boy…’ Hannah considered privately.
“He’s a student at the Magic Academy and is learning to cast support magic. His advisor was interested in speaking with me based on stories about my unusual magic. Why don’t you track that advisor down and compare notes on magic?”
Hannah suddenly appeared more eager. Although she always wanted to be with Garfield, she really did have an interest in her own magic too.
“Don’t reveal anything unusual about my magic, but discuss your magic with him all you like. I bet he’ll be interested and he might even be able to offer you some guidance.”
“Okay.” Hannah left, and Garfield began working in his task.
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The next day, at about the same time…
“Master, Ms. Yttria Polonio is here.”
“Oh, I’ll meet her downstairs,” Garfield told the butler. By the time Garfield got to the parlor, Yttria was already there.
“Sir Garfield, I haven’t heard from you in a couple of days, so I thought I’d stop by and see how you are doing. I was also curious if you were planning to accept any more requests at the guild…”
“I’ve been busy with another matter, although that’s pretty much wrapped up… I need to meet with Assistant Duke later regarding who will serve as magistrate in my domain, but beyond that I’m free to accept a request.”
“Wonderful. Where is Ms. Hannah?”
“She’s been discussing magic with the Magic Guild. I thought that might be a good use of her time while I was so busy,” Garfield explained.
“Ah, I see. Shall we meet up with her and then go to the guild?”
“She might actually be really enjoying what she’s doing right now, so I’d rather not interrupt her unnecessarily. Why don’t we go, just the two of us?”
“Just the two of us…” Yttria repeated back. “I must confess I like the sound of that.”
From behind Garfield, one of the maids gave Yttria the stink-eye, but she ignored it.
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The pair proceeded to the guild on foot. While they were glancing at the request board, Garfield’s minimap started going crazy.
“This is…”
“What is it, Sir Garfield?”
“Duke, is everything all right?” another adventurer asked.
Garfield had an unusually serious look on his face as he walked out of the guild, with Yttria following close behind.
“«Transonic Flight».”
Garfield shot up into the air at breakneck speeds, leaving a shocked Yttria behind.
“Why did he suddenly do that!?”
She was not surprised he was able to take such an action… just that he revealed it so openly. After the better part of a minute, Garfield flew back down and hovered half a meter off the ground, opposite Yttria.
“We have a problem.”