A Single Mother's Farm of the Gods
Chapter 119: Reason for Staying

Chapter 119: Reason for Staying

"What? Staying here until the end of summer? Just what kind of things are you even planning on doing then?" the Harvest Goddess immediately showed her little hostility to the merfolk. She is showing her dislike for the woman openly.

"Calm down, Harvest Goddess, let’s hear her out for once, okay? No need to be hostile."

"Tch..." the Harvest Goddess clicked her tongue but she didn’t force herself and just decided to return to the stream.

Elaina sighed before she returned her attention to the woman before her.

"So? What is the reason you are pleading to stay here for a while?"

"We are currently escaping from the people of our kingdom. This child of mine is meant to be used as a sacrifice to the god of the water as a way of tribute for a bountiful harvest and healthy life. However, I didn’t volunteer for my kid to be used as a sacrifice as it was chosen at random and it is just a coincidence that she got it. Because of this, I decided to escape while I was still pregnant with my child since the schedule of the sacrifice to be sacrificed for the ritual was right after my birth which is why I was desperate."

"And so you two have escaped the grasp of those people?"

"Yes. I know this is a tradition to honor the gods but is it really necessary to sacrifice an innocent baby’s life just for a bountiful harvest? It just seems absurd to me. And because of this, I am certain that the people are already seeking for me to capture and take my baby back."

"And so as a desperate attempt, you want to stay here and hide for quite some time with the baby until everything is over then?"

"If possible. Of course, I am not forcing anyone including you to agree. I am just asking if it is possible to do so."

Before I could even say anything, the Harvest Goddess immediately answered. "It’s fine Elaina, let them stay."

This caught Elaina by surprise. After all, the Harvest Goddess usually doesn’t say anything or even decide on anything and usually just leaves it for Elaina to make the final say. And yet, the Harvest Goddess was preemptive with the decision and already decided to agree to let her stay despite her clear hostility earlier.

"I thought you were against her?" Elaina was not expecting the decision of the Harvest Goddess at all.

"After hearing her explanation, I can see why she is so desperate to find her daughter to the point that she is willing to go and search for her in the human world. She is afraid that her kid must have been taken by those people of hers who are seeking her and offering the baby as a sacrifice. As one of the gods, despite being a lesser god, abhors the idea of a live sacrifice of one’s species as an offering to the gods."

The merfolk woman was surprised by the Harvest Goddess’s decision. She was expecting her to reject her proposal outright so she was prepared for the harsh words and the rejection. But it seems that asking first and explaining was the right idea.

"Well, I am not against you staying. If what you are saying is currently happening, then her life is in extreme danger just because of that reason and if the people are seeking the two of you, then they are more determined to find the two of you than ever," Elaina said.

"Yes. While I was looking for my daughter, I found a few of the patrolling merfolk and they were indeed looking for me and were all ready to find and take me back to the kingdom."

"If that is the case, where are you going to stay? We no longer have a free space for new occupants, especially with the house still under repair."

"Don’t worry about that, Elaina. I will take care of their lodging at the moment. You don’t have to worry about it in the slightest."

Elaina is once again surprised. Just what was the Harvest Goddess’s game here for her to be this willing to do everything for the two? However, Elaina wouldn’t know about it at all. But Elaina didn’t want to dig deep into this and just let the Harvest Goddess do her thing.

"W-well, if that is how it is, then go for it. I am not going to stop you."

"Don’t worry, I will do everything in my power to help them overcome everything. You can rest easy Elaina."

Despite the weirdness of what the Harvest Goddess is doing, Elaina still agrees and now, the two are living with the Harvest Goddess inside the stream. Elaina is more than happy that she is helping someone out but she is also uncertain about what the future might bring. But Elaina didn’t care much. It’s only for that summer anyway, and until then, they will be with them for a while as part of their family.

...

...

...

While Elaina and the Harvest Goddess accepted the mother and daughter Merfolk into the farm, the Merfolk people who are tirelessly looking for them have decided to return to the kingdom after a fruitless search.

The soldiers returned to the kingdom carrying no news of the whereabouts of both the mother and the child she was carrying.

"So the whole ocean is already searched over and yet no one found her?" the king of the Merfolks frowned. He is the father of the father of Mier’s Mother and also the one who offered the option to offer her granddaughter to the god of water.

"Yes. We have searched over the ocean, both the upper part and the lower part of the ocean. We also visited the neighboring areas as well to ensure that we didn’t miss a spot but there were no traces of her hiding there. It was like she disappeared altogether after her escape," one of the soldiers said.

The king frowned and looked at the top of the ocean. Although he is not a hundred percent certain, he often recalled her daughter’s wishes to try and stay in the land for quite some time for a vacation. If every soldier already scoured all the areas in the sea and no one has seen or even found a clue about her whereabouts, there is a big chance that the place they haven’t visited yet is the place where she is also staying.

"Prepare the land dweller scouts and issue a quest for them. To search the land and bring her back, no matter what it takes. Including her child. For she has committed a severe mistake that the god of water will not forgive, we will have to issue a punishment to her and sacrifice her as well once we capture her. That way, we can appease the anger of the gods. Even if she is my daughter."