Goddess’ Blessing

When I gave the name Dolce to the little girl, something peculiar just happened.

“Dolce-chan, congratulations!”

“Hehe, thank you!”

The old lady that we passed by on our way to Dolce’s pastry shop congratulated her. And it wasn’t just that old lady, many others congratulated her.

“Are you surprised, Lapis-sama?” Ollie asked me while Dolce was leading the way.

“Ah, yeah… how did the other people know about Dolce’s name?”

“In this world, having a name is the same as receiving the Creator’s Blessings. The moment that you gave Dolce a name, everyone here recognized it as such. It was like being awarded with something special and being acknowledged by the world.”

“So in other words… Everyone in this town knows that Dolce gained a name?”

“Exactly!”

So it was that big of a deal.

I can’t believe that giving a name like that is so special. Everyone recognized right away that Dolce gained a name…

What would happen if I gave a name to this town, I wonder?

“Ollie-kun, can I give this town a name?”

Ollie looked at me with a concerned expression. “Lapis-sama, you don’t have to ask that to me. This is your world.”

“I just want to ask someone in case I make a wrong decision. Even if this is indeed my world, I don’t want to make everything worse than it already is.”

“Hmm… you’re too diligent, Lapis-sama. You’re probably the only person who thinks that way after reincarnating to another world.”

Hm? I feel like what Ollie said just revealed something of note.

“There are other reincarnators?!” I asked in disbelief.

“It’s rare but there are. Though Lapis-sama is the one and only Creator Goddess.”

“Eh?! How is that possible?!”

Ollie shook his head, obviously clueless. “I’m not informed how, but I know that it’s possible as long as they are related to Lapis-sama.”

“Related to me…?”

Like my family or friends?

It’s hard to believe something like that, and I honestly wish that someone related to me in my former life is not here. If there is… that means they also passed away in our former world.

It’s just horrible thinking that someone else also died.

Well, Ollie said that it is rare. Maybe the chances of reincarnating here are really low.

Going back to the talk about naming the town, I’m planning to give it a name later. As well as giving other townspeople names as well.

It was my own irresponsibility that these people were deprived of names that normally should have always been a given.

Thinking about it, the world is wide, but at the same time, it isn’t.

The world of stories is limitless, but a story told from the perspective of the main characters alone is extremely limited. There are a lot of things going on in the background that don't have anything to do with the plot, thus being considered irrelevant. Yet, if you look carefully into it, those mundane and normal things on the sidelines are not that irrelevant at all.

The world beyond the eyes of the protagonist is much wider, people lead lives that might be as complicated as those of main characters. It was just that they are not the ones in the spotlight.

________

After a while, we arrived in front of a pastry shop. The sign simply says “Pastry Shop” without indicating the name of the owners.

Dolce led the way inside and as soon as we entered, we were welcomed with the sweet and warm smell of bread and sugar.

Ollie looked like he’s drooling from the smell alone. I can’t help but chuckle slightly at him. He’s so cute.

“I’m back, Papa, Mama!” Dolce exclaimed and ran towards the couple on the counter. “You won’t believe what just happened to me! I was blessed by a Goddess!”

A lady with neatly tied hair in a bun and a man who looked slightly older than the lady greeted Dolce with smiles.

“Congratulations, dear!” Dolce’s mother beamed.

“We’re so happy for you, Dolce! We should celebrate today, what kind of cake do you want? Papa will make it for you!” Dolce’s father declared.

“I brought some friends, Papa! I want to treat them with our pastries!” Dolce turned to look at us.

The couple also greeted us warmly.

“Welcome to our pastry shop. Are you Dolce’s friends?” Dolce’s mother asked gently.

“Yes. Nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Lapis Lazuli, and this is Ollie. We bought some Flower Candies from Dolce during the bazaar,” I politely said.

“Oh, you’re from outside. It seems you're also blessed by the Creator. Maybe meeting you brought luck to our daughter~ Thank you for looking after her.” Dolce’s mother lowered her head.

“Ah, it’s just a coincidence,” I awkwardly said. “Dolce-chan is a really sweet child, no wonder the Creator favored her.”

“Ahem!” Ollie stared at me suspiciously as if saying something that I’m blatantly lying to others.

Just so you know, I’m not lying! It’s called ‘keeping a low profile’!

He shrugged and then ran off to Dolce’s side to chat with her.

“My, you sure do get along with your little brother. I’m glad that Dolce finally has a friend of her age.” The lady smiled as she watched over the two children.

“Hm?”

“Ah, Dolce is just a little different from other kids. She wants to be recognized quickly, that's why she rarely plays around like kids her age.”

“Recognized? What for?”

“As you know, this is a nameless town with nameless people. Since nameless people haven’t gained the favor of the creator, the only way for us to be recognized is to stick to a profession and live our lives as such. It’s really a blessing that our Dolce gained a name, that means she has a brighter future ahead of her,” the lady said with a sincere smile and slightly teary eyes.

Names… really meant a lot to this world.

We soon sat at one of the tables. Dolce was helping her parents prepare the pastries that she’s treating us with. While we were waiting, I looked around the shop.

It was a fairly spacious shop that had dining tables with cute table cloths and flower decorations. In the modern world, this could pass as a picture-perfect cafe that will definitely become trendy and gather a fair amount of customers.

Not that I actually went into one. Given my financial struggles, it was a dream to go to places like that. I just cope with it by scrolling through the posts of teenagers and influencers on SNS.

“I’m excited, Lapis-sama!” Ollie cheered.

“Ollie-kun likes sweets, right?”

“Yep! I like sweets, Lapis-sama also like them, right?”

“Yes. I like them too. I guess that’s one thing we can agree on.” I smiled at Ollie.

We continued waiting. This time, I decided to reread the story while we’re passing time. The blank pages before Chapter One are still there. That’s to be expected, I have yet to do anything about it.

I continued reading the story starting from Chapter One. The story started with a mysterious feeling of finding out the person behind the death of the royal twins, but there are also times where the tone of the story is lighthearted and carefree.

In Chapter Six, Prince Blane went out into one of the towns to buy something to take as an offering to the graves of the twins. He met a patissier buying ingredients in the general store and she introduced herself as Dolce, the young owner of a pastry shop—

I stopped when I just read something strange. My eyes widened as I read it again and again.

I’m not seeing things, am I?

“Lapis-sama, is there a problem?” Ollie curiously asked.

I leaned closer to him and whisper-yelled, “It changed… Ollie-kun, something changed in the story!”

“Eh? Does that mean…”

“I don’t know yet, but it seems that we might be on the right track. We just have to keep trying and find out.”

“Okay, let’s do it!” Ollie firmly nodded in agreement.

I can’t believe it, something really changed in the story. In Chapter Six, five years after the death of the twins, Prince Blane indeed went to town, but Dolce wasn’t mentioned there. In the first place, Dolce wasn’t even a character I remember writing before.

Does this mean… something can be changed?

No, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Dolce’s appearance in the story is just a filler. From a writer’s perspective, it was just a supplement to give the story a lighter feeling. The plot hasn’t changed.

Still, finally seeing a sliver of chance… I can’t help but hold onto that small hope.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! Here is Dolce’s Special Cake, please enjoy it!”

Dolce put a whole cake in front of us. The first thing that I noticed was the Flower Candies on top of it. No matter how many times I see it, it’s really amazing.

“Hehe, are you that amazed with my cake, Lapis-sama?” Dolce confidently asked.

“Un. It looks pretty, I’m sure that it tastes great too!” I smiled at Dolce.

“Of course, it is. I want to become a great patissier someday, you see. I still have a long way to go, but I’ll work hard for it!”

Just like that, I could see a little girl from the past… my own past… a little girl who dreamed of becoming an accomplished novelist and sworn to work hard for it.

“One day, I’ll become a great author!”

There was a time like that, wasn’t there?

Too bad, I wasn’t able to fulfill my dreams.

But I’m sure, Dolce is not like me. In five years, she will become a great patissier capable of running the pastry shop.

“I’m rooting for you, Dolce-chan!” Ollie said.

“Me too, I’m sure Dolce-chan will become a great patissier someday.” I smiled at her.

“If I have the Goddess’ Blessing, I’m sure that it will really come true!” Dolce beamed brightly.

The three of us had a great time chatting together while eating the cake. As expected, the cake was really delicious, Ollie even wanted to buy one to take home but Dolce said that the Dolce Special Cake can only be made once per week because the process of making Flower Candies is time consuming.

Ollie looked disappointed so Dolce promised that she’s going to make more cakes in the future so that we will have a lot of choices. In which Ollie lit up and said that he’s looking forward to it.

I share the same sentiment, I can’t wait what kind of cakes Dolce will make in the future.

And just like that, it was time for us to go. The entire family is standing outside to send us off.

“See you around, Dolce-chan!” Ollie waved at the girl.

“Thank you for your hospitality. See you around, ma’am and sir. Dolce-chan, do your best, okay?” I bid my farewell to the family.

“Yep! Bye-bye, Lapis-sama and Ollie-kun!” Dolce waved us goodbye.

With that, Ollie and I went on a short grocery trip to stock up on foods and other necessities for our home. The shopkeeper was this nice old man that gave us a huge discount because we bought a lot. We thanked him sincerely and he sent us off with even more freebies.

We tried declining, but he said that it’s his way of welcoming new customers so that they will become regulars. I mean, it’s not like there are other general stores in this town, but this old man really knows business.

As we were walking back home, Ollie and I had a small chat.

“What do you think, Lapis-sama? This town is really nice, right?”

“I agree. I think this town deserved a proper name. What do you think about Espoir?”

“Espoir?” Ollie looked at me with curiosity.

“Un. In a language from my former world, it means ‘hope’,” I smiled as I stared at the sky. “This is the town where all hope was once lost in the previous cycle, but I won’t let that happen once again. This town is the place where I regained hope after all.”

“Waaah! It’s a great name!”

“I guess from now on, this town will be known as Espoir.”

I want to give names to other townspeople, but for now, this is enough.

Espoir Town, if one day, the main character goes here, then the story of the world will have some changes. I can’t check the book now since we’re carrying a lot of goods so I’ll do it later.

I’m not an optimistic person, but if this town can become a place where others can also find hope… it must be nice if that were to happen.

“Arf!”

A small bark came from behind us.

“Hm?”

“Ah, there’s a puppy!”

“Arf! Arf!”

Ah, it’s true. There is indeed a puppy barking at us.

It is a small puppy with a golden coat. It honestly looks cute. Can I take it home?

Ahem! It must be a lost puppy. I wonder where the owner is…

“This puppy…” Ollie narrowed his eyes on the dog.

“What is it, Ollie-kun?”

“Hmm…”

Ollie continued staring at the dog with narrowed eyes. Strangely, the dog is also staring back at him without barking.

“Lapis-sama, let’s take it with us, please…” Ollie looked at me with pleading eyes.

“H-hey, what if it has an owner?” I averted my gaze, because I know very well that if I look at Ollie, I will be convinced easily.

“Please…”

Uuuu… No, I shouldn’t get easily swayed. Even if Ollie is pleading with that cute expression… even if the puppy is also doing the same… I… I…

I give up.

“Haah… okay, let’s take it with us,” I sighed in defeat. “But! Listen to me Ollie-kun, raising a pet is a huge responsibility, okay? You have to take it out on walks, and feed it on time, not to mention you’re also going to clean after it, can you do it?”

“Really? Of course! Thank you, Lapis-sama!” Ollie cheered, then stared at the dog again. “You hear that, you’re coming with us. Follow close, okay?”

“Arf!”

Hm? Did the dog just answer him? There’s no way, right?

I just shrugged the thought away because it sounded stupid.

“Lapis-sama, can you give him a name?”

“Eh? Me?”

Ollie nodded.

I mean, if it’s a name, maybe it’s fine. A simple one will do, how about this…

“Sol. Let’s call him Sol, he looks like a cheerful puppy just like the sun.”

“Sol, it is!”

Ollie kept looking after the dog on our way home. If he really likes it, then that’s great. Ollie seems responsible enough to have a pet anyways.

“We’re home.”

I opened the door and went inside first, expecting Ollie and Sol to follow, but strangely, they didn’t.

“Ollie-kun, what’s the problem?” I asked.

“Lapis-sama, Sol can’t get inside.”

I looked at the puppy trying to get in, only to be stopped by what seemed like an invisible barrier.

Ah, that’s right! This is still a Sanctuary, a permission to enter is needed.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. Sol, you can come in. This is also your home now,” I said.

“Arf!”

The puppy ran inside and barked at me cheerfully before running to Ollie’s side.

“Thank you, Lapis-sama!” Ollie beamed at me.

I cleared my throat a little, holding myself from pinching Ollie’s cheeks because he’s so cute and I need to act like a proper adult.

“No problem, leave the sorting of groceries to me. Can you give Sol a bath first?”

“Roger!”

Ollie picked up the puppy and talked to it. I could not hear what he said since they were already walking away so I did not pay it any mind. I’m sure that’s just Ollie trying to talk to the puppy childishly.

Well, it seems like we gained a new family member.

I started sorting out our groceries and quickly finished up.

I sat on the dining table and faced the book in front of me.

Let’s check the story now.

I opened the book and started reading. There are no changes until Chapter Three… but the following one…

Espoir Town became the setting of Prince Blane and Lady Mira’s first meeting?!

Wait, wait, wait, this is bad news!

The town where Prince Blane, the hero, and Lady Mira, the heroine, met is attacked by the people aiming to get rid of the prince and suffered losses after that.

I gritted my teeth and checked Chapter Six where Dolce showed up.

I knew it, Dolce’s pastry shop wasn’t in Espoir Town anymore. She most likely left the town after the attack.

This is bad news, isn’t it?

In the original, I just wrote it as a town and never bothered to give a name. Now that I named it, it was revealed that Espoir Town will indeed be attacked in the future. This time, it’s no longer a Plot Hole.

Once we reach that point, it’s impossible to redo.

This is horrible…

“Lapis-sama, I’m done bathing Sol— Lapis-sama? Is everything okay?”

“Ollie-kun, I could not change anything.”

“Eh? W-what happened?!” Ollie frantically asked.

“Espoir Town will be attacked in the future, it wasn’t a Plot Hole. M-maybe it was a wrong decision to name the town—”

“That’s not true, Lapis-sama!” Ollie argued with a huff.

“Arf!” Sol seconded.

“What…”

“Espoir Town only showed up in the story when you gave the name to it, right? That means the town will definitely be attacked in the future regardless of whether you give it a name or not.”

“T-that sounds reasonable…” I muttered.

“Of course, it is. Lapis-sama’s weakness is that once you see an inconvenience, you always focus on the negative side.” Ollie crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted.

“But…”

“Lapis-sama, now that we know that the names you give can clarify what will happen in the future… that means we can see the whole picture now, right?”

The whole picture…

I hurriedly opened the book again and stared at the words once more.

That’s right…

I am a writer.

My weapon is my words, names are a form of words. If words can clarify the vague future, then it’s possible to use it the other way around.

I got it.

As if I just had a prophetic enlightenment, I finally thought of a plan that is worth giving a shot. It wasn’t that certain, but it’s still worth trying.

If I do this, then it might be possible to cheat on this tragedy-stricken world.