《Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I鈥檓 Going to Sleep》 Prologue Prologue "Oh, Lord Guardian Dragon! Are you sleeping?" Someone is waking me up again. Annoying. Sleepy. I''ve told them over and over not to wake me during hibernation, why do they keep waking me up and making a fuss! Haven''t I protected you for thousands of years, isn''t it time you stopped waking me up? I''ve been helping you since the time you couldn''t even speak properly?! "Lord Guardian Dragon!!!" Ah, damn it! I''m up! I''m up!!! You human beings are like annoying flies!! If only I hadn''t been tempted by that being called a god, I wouldn''t have to deal with this annoyance. How I ended up reincarnated as a dragon in another world, tormented by these humans who are like mosquitoes on a midsummer night.... requires a bit of a long story. A long story that begins right after this world was created. Chapter 1: Hello. World! Chapter 1: Hello. World! Before continuing reading, please note that this is a work of fiction. Don''t always connect it to real life, such asmon sense, religion, etc. Like below, it is not what you think it is in real life. This is fiction, so please don''t be offended. --- What is a god? I had never thought deeply about it until now, but I could definitely tell that something in front of me was a god. It had the shape of a human, but its body was made of the universe, a strange being. Just looking at it was overwhelming and oppressive, if this isn''t a god, then what is? "Oh, you''ve opened your eyes. I''ve waited quite a long time." And then it speaks in an unnecessarily familiar tone! As if it''s talking to a close friend!"There''s a lot I want to say, but it would be meaningless to you now. I''ll only say what''s necessary." The god, who had no face, smiled. No, it has no eyes or mouth, so how did I notice it was smiling? What? What''s going on? "I''ve created a world, would you like to be reincarnated there?" Reincarnation...? Is this some kind of reincarnation genre? Wasn''t that trend over? It''s a bit outdated, isn''t it?! "Of course, you have the option not to ept my offer, but in that case..." The god moved its hand to draw a rectangle, and that rectangle emitted a bizarre light, showing a different scene. "Your original body is already dead." What? "Sudden cardiac arrest. Died from myocardial infarction while sleeping, so there was nothing you could do." I''m dead...? Without having truly achieved anything, just as I was starting to step into society...? "So, what will you do? Will you ept my offer?" If I''m already dead... I have no choice but to ept. Damn it... "Yes. You''ve made a good choice. I''ve prepared the best body for you. You''ll definitely like it." But why is this god making me such an offer? Why me? Does it have a purpose? "Purpose? There''s none. I just wish for you to live a joyful and happy life." Saying that, the god thought for a moment and then added, "But if I just send you off without anything, you might not feel motivated... Alright! I''ll give you one condition." Condition? "If you achieve something in that world that satisfies you, I''ll grant you one wish." A wish? "Anything you desire, I''ll only grant one. If you wish to return to your original world, I''ll make it happen." Return to my original world...? "But, I''ll be strict in judging. You have to be truly satisfied, from the bottom of your heart, thinking nothing could be better. It won''t be easy." After saying that, the god quietly pped its hands, and suddenly the ground beneath my feet gave way. "Have a good journey!" Falling into a deep abyss, my soul began to flow somewhere, and in the endless darkness surrounding me, I lost consciousness. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [The creator god of this world. Opinions vary on why this nameless god created the world, but no facts have been revealed. The kingdom''s Guardian Dragon, known as the first creation and the first intelligent being, also did not know the god''s intentions. Essentially, no one in this world knows the creator god''s intentions. Perhaps, the creator god wished for a world where its creations could live as they please. Historian Edward Rochus] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I once read a phrase in a book. [A bird struggles to break out of the egg. The egg is the bird''s world. Anyone who wishes to be born must destroy a world.] It was definitely... Demian, wasn''t it? There was more to the phrase, but that''s not important right now. I was experiencing this phrase literally, without any metaphor. The world surrounding me. I was pushing hard against this infinitely solid world. The me, yet unborn, must destroy this world to be born. Hmm... Am I an egg? A bird? A lizard? Seeing that I have limbs, I guess I''m not a snake. The god said it prepared the best body for me... Not a human, but an animal then! Among creatures born from eggs, the best body could only belong to... perhaps, a creature from legends, a dragon. Well, fantasy might be considered nonsense, but from the moment I faced a god, reality and unreality became meaningless. The best body or whatever, I''ll find out after I''m born. I pushed with all my might against the walls enclosing me. iling and twisting my body in the cramped space, the egg enveloping me finally shows a tiny crack. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now A very faint line. A sliver of light seeps through, barely visible unless looked at closely. That was the beginning. As I push hard, the thin line extends, splits, and widens. Thus, the world that enveloped me breaks and crumbles. With dazzling light and a cold breeze, I break out of the egg''s world and face a new one. Hello. World! A greeting to the new world. With that, the once-still world begins to move. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I was born a dragon with silver scales. Still young, with a rtivelyrge head and quite small wings attached to my back. Anyway, a dragon is a dragon. I look at my reflection in the water pooled nearby. The appearance of a young dragon covered in silver scales... it felt like a lizard with horns. What is this? Kind of a cute lizard? The feeling that it might appear in a movie by the world''s most famous mouse animationpany. It''s fortunate that there''s no difort in moving my body despite being so young. I lift my body and look around where I was born. A small cave with nothing in it, except for a corner where water pooled. No trace of the parents who bore me, not even the sound of insects or birds in this strange space. Yes. The world I faced was a peculiar space. How should I put it, unfinished? A result with manycking aspects? If asked what''scking, I could mention this and that, but for starters, the trees are small. Thergest tree doesn''t even reach my waist. It''s as if all the trees are saplings that were just nted. Moreover, there''s no sound of insects. Not even the sound of birds. There seems to be no life at all. Is this world okay...? As I was thinking, something popped up from the bottom right of my vision. ?? The shape of a small envelope. What''s this? Like a message... I carefully touch the envelope with my scale-covered fingers, and suddenly it unfolds. ©°©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ©¦Looks like you''ve reincarnated safely! ©¦ ©¦That world hasn''t been around for long. ©¦So there probably aren''t any proper creatures yet. ©¦ ©¦But don''t worry! ©¦I''ll give you some abilities as a reincarnation bonus. ©¦ ©¦First ability is the power of creation. ©¦You''ll be able to create anything you want! ©¦ ©¦The world itself is like your toy. ©¦I''ll imprint how to use the ability in your mind. ©¦ ©¦Fill this world with life you create! ©¦But to create life, you need to know a lot. ©¦ ©¦So, the second bonus is the ability to ©¦look into information from other worlds. ©¦ ©¦The inte, was it? There was something incredible about it, you know. ©¦Of course, you being from that world should know well. ©¦ ©¦I think it will definitely help you. ©¦ ©¦Lastly, I''ll give you the ability to manipte time. ©¦ ©¦Even if your lifespan is infinite, ©¦If you live day by day, ©¦Even you will likely be exhausted. ©¦ ©¦Stopping time, elerating it, or reversing it can be ©¦a bit risky, so I''ll put some restrictions on its use. ©¦ ©¦In that world, you can be an omnipotent being. ©¦ ©¦By the way, this was made as a messenger for gods. ©¦ ©¦Named GodTalk! ©¦For now, it''s just you and me using it. ©¦ ©¦Maybe someday, if there are gods in that world, they''ll use it? ©¦ ©¦If you have any questions, ask through this messenger. ©¦I''ll answer as kindly as possible. ©¸©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ What is this. At that moment, a massive something begins to crawl into my mind. The first bonus. The power of a god. The power to create. The power to create life. All those methods of using power fill my mind. Following that, knowledge rted to the second bonus flows into my mind, and I use the ability without hesitation. As I use the ability, a square window appears in front of me. It takes the familiar form of a web browser. Seeing the appearance of the most famous search engine from the previous world, I am at a loss for words. This is... the reincarnation bonus...? Chapter 2: Hello. World! (2) Chapter 2: Hello. World! (2) Like augmented reality, a search box appears in a floating square window before my eyes. But without a keyboard or mouse... what am I supposed to do with this? The cursor is blinking in the search box area, but... it''s not like it''s going to read my mind and automatically type for me. Is there some kind of brainwave input feature? Should I search with a brainwave input device? Just as I think this. [Brainwave input device] The words automatically appear in the search box and the search results show up. Hmm. Maybe... Search TreeWiki.[TreeWiki] Indeed, this is how it works. Scrolling up and down adjusts automatically based on where I look. Closing the window also happens when I think about it disappearing... It might be better than I thought. This thing. It can useful for killing time or searching for various knowledge when needed. Well, it''s only for reading, but that alone is very precious to me right now. Having somewhat understood the second bonus, knowledge about the third bonus now pours into my mind. The power to freely control time. The power to speed up, pause, and reverse the flow of time. The way to use this power... was to materialize a small pocket watch. The pocket watch, connected by a thin chain, disyed not only the current time but also the year, month, and day. However, everything is currently set to 0, and both the hour and minute hands are stopped at the 12 o''clock position. There''s also a ? symbol disyed on this strange watch. On the edge of the watch, there are two buttons and a dial that can be turned, a curious device. Is this how I control time? I cautiously press one of the buttons on the watch. Tick. As the sound of the winding spring stops, everythinges to a halt. The slight breeze no longer blows. The dust stirred by my footsteps doesn''t settle. Nothing can move. A scene where time has frozen. Instead of the [ ? ] symbol, a [ II ] shape now appears on the watch. I press the button again, and the paused time starts to flow once more. Indeed, this is how it works. But to include such a cheat-like ability as a bonus... what was it thinking? Well, how could I possibly understand the thoughts of that god? I might spend a lifetime thinking and still not understand. Putting aside the thought of that god, a zero-productivity task, I continue to investigate the watch. I carefully turn the dial attached to the top. If I''m right... The flow of air speeds up significantly. The sun in the sky starts to move at a visible speed. The ? symbol on the watch soon changes to ??. Turning the dial further changes it to ???, and turning it once more changes it to ?¡Á4. As I continue to turn it, the number behind changes, and the sun sets while the moon rises. In a brief moment, the moon sets and the sun rises again. Though it feels like only a few seconds have passed, a day, then two days go by. I hold the dial and turn it in the opposite direction, hoping for the flow of time to return to normal, and it goes back to ?. Indeed, it''s easier to use than I thought. Just by thinking of the desired speed of time and turning it, it changes to the appropriate speed. I turn the dial, thinking of making time flow even slower, and the symbol on the watch changes to ?¡Á0.1. Slowing down the flow of time to an extreme wouldn''t be much different from stopping time... but, well, it''s meaningless to me now. As I elerate time again, days pass by rapidly, repeating the cycle of sunrise and sunset. In sync with that speed, the minute and hour hands on the watch also spin busily. With each sunrise and sunset, the day indicator on the watch increases by 1. Even though days are continuously changing, I don''t feel the slightest change. I''m in a situation where I don''t feel even the slightest hunger, something that any living being should naturally feel. I let out a small sigh and return the flow of time to normal. It seems I''ve stepped out of the category of living beings. Well, to call an entity that can create everything, connect to other worlds, and manipte time at will a living being... would be a bit difficult. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I sigh once more and press the button on the pocket watch that I hadn''t pressed yet. Then, click. The ss covering the pocket watch opens. So, what am I supposed to do with this? I carefully wound the second and minute hands backward with the tip of my finger. Somehow, I felt like this was what I needed to do. After turning it several times and setting the date disy back to 0, I closed the lid, and a small window appeared before my eyes. [ Seeking consent from the past point... The past point has consented. Would you like to rewind time? Y / N ] Consent from the past point? Hmm... Is this the restriction that god mentioned? Even if I want to rewind time, I can''t unless the past point consents. Hmm. I pressed the Y part with my fingertip. Then, the pocket watch began to turn backward. Is time rewinding? The sun and moon in the sky reverse, rising and setting in the opposite direction. After a brief moment, the date disyed on the pocket watch had returned to 0. The third bonus is quite intuitive and easy to understand. And it''s also powerful. It might be fun to shout "The World!" and stop time. Un. I rewound and then summoned the pocket watch again, and then rewound it once more. The pocket watch, which disappears when it leaves my hand and can be summoned again at any time, must be a power bound to me. Now, it''s time to test the most important bonus, the first bonus, the power of creation. The ability to create anything I desire. The ability to fill this world, which has no living beings except for some nts, with new life. What should I create with this ability? Humans? In a world with nothing? That''s unreasonable. Humans are at the top of the food chain. Without enough creatures below them, they would starve to death. Should I start by creating basic life forms? But that feels a bit daunting. Or... maybe it''s better to create a bunch of primitive single-celled organisms and induce their own evolution? It would take a lot of time, but time isn''t much of an issue for me, who can change its flow as I wish. The downside might be that there''s no guarantee the evolution of life will go as I want. Ah, no. Maybe I can create them with a direction for evolution? For example... creating them so that mutations ur more frequently, more abundantly. I''m not well-versed in biology, but if I create a bunch of creatures with such characteristics, scatter them across the world, and elerate time... they should evolve and thrive on their own, right? There''s a possibility that some bizarre creatures might emerge... but I can tweak that a bit. If I don''t use this method and create everything directly... it seems like it would take a very long time. Let''s just do it this way. If something goes wrong... I''ll handle it myself. After all, I am a dragon, so I should have that much ability, right? Ah, speaking of which, as a dragon, shouldn''t I also use magic? I need to think about magic too. Hmm... can I create magical power? Or do I need to create something imbued with magical power? Well, either way, I''ll just do it. The ability to create anything truly is omnipotent. I stretched lightly and stood up, then used the first bonus, [Creation]. A translucent window appears before me. A window that allows me to make detailed settings about what to create. Let''s see... First, a creature. As simple as possible. High vitality, good environmental adaptability. Lifespan... maybe about a year. Since I''m going for something simple, let''s reference single-celled organisms. A creature so resilient that even if split in half, both parts would remain alive. As for food... hmm... photosynthesis? No, no. There should be consumption and predation. They might end up eating each other... but since it''s the first attempt, let''s go with this. They might nibble on abundant leaves or something. Increase the mutation urrence rate and frequency... Gic mutation? What''s this... hmm... let''s include it! Those well adapted to the environment will survive, and those that aren''t will die. Speaking of which, that person is really cruel. Why did he include nts but not animals? Sigh. Oh, wait. Should I also create bacteria or viruses? Or has god already made them? Hmm, I''m not sure. Well, if there''s a problem, I can just rewind time and do it again. Thus, I was able to create a creature that would be themon ancestor of all life. Chapter 3: Hello. World! (3) Chapter 3: Hello. World! (3) Creating new creatures was a good idea, but how do I scatter them all over the world? I''d like to just dump a bunch in one ce and leave it at that, but that wouldn''t spread them all over the world properly. Hmm... Well, I have plenty of time, so maybe I''ll just wait and see? If it doesn''t work, I can find another wayter. I waddled out of the cave where I was born. Hmm... Walking is annoying. My legs are oddly thick, making it ufortable to walk unlike when I was human. I have wings on my back, but can I actually fly with them? But wouldn''t a dragon that can''t fly be no different from a dinosaur? I looked at the small wings attached to my back. Being a dragon, with a longer neck, allowed me to see my back, which would have been impossible as a human.My small, unconvincing wings. For now, I had no choice but to try using them. I touched my wings with the tip of my nose, trying to remember the sensation. The feeling of something touching near the wing bones on my back. A strange sensation of a body part that was different from when I was human. After engraving the feeling of moving them by touching them with the tip of my nose into my mind, I tried to replicate that feeling by moving my back. It was quite difficult to move a part that wasn''t originally there, but as I moved it a little, I started to get the hang of it. Hmm, ah. Is this how it''s done? As I moved something on my back vigorously, the small wings fluttered. But it doesn''t seem like I can fly with this. Hmm... At that moment. ?? A letter envelope icon popped up from the bottom right of my vision. ©°©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ©¦How do you find the new world you''re facing? ©¦It''s stillcking a lot since there''s not much there. ©¦ ©¦But don''t worry! I''ll help you as much as I can! ©¦ ©¦By the way, I''ve also prepared magical power there. ©¦The concentration of magic is thin now, but it will thicken over time. ©¦ ©¦Once the magic bes denser and a system is established, ©¦you''ll be able to use magic. ©¦ ©¦Of course, your dragon body should be able to handle that magic ©¦at an instinctual level. ©¦ ©¦Arge dragon flying with small wings is possible thanks to the power of magic! ©¦Of course, you''ll be able to breathe fire too, so give it a try! ©¦ ©¦I''m looking forward to seeing whates out of your mouth. ©¦ ©¦As for the ecosystems too small for you to create, ©¦I''ve prepared them, so don''t worry! ©¦ ©¦I might be taking care of too much for you! ©¦ ©¦But still, this world is for you. ©¦Enjoy it freely! ©¸©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ Ah, thank you so much! Whether there''s magic or not, what use is it if I can''t feel it! You said I could use it at an instinctual level! I don''t even know if it exists!!! Ah! Just like this! pping my wings doesn''t make me fly with magic! Like this! Like this! My body lifts and I start to rise... rising.... Huh? Am I flying...? My feet have left the ground??? What''s this! Just by pping my wings, a strong wind is generated?! My body is lifting?! What? What is this??? I''m flying! Flying!!! I''m flying!!!! My body rises higher and higher. Oh! Amazing! By slightly changing the direction of my wing ps, I can move forward, backward, turn left or right! It''s incredible! Fascinating! Fun! Even as the height of my flight increased, there was no difficulty in flying itself. Amazing! This is fun!! But my back is getting sore, and I''m getting tired. Hmm. Is it because my muscles aren''t fully developed since I was just born? Or is it because the muscles around my wings aren''t used to it? At that moment. The muscles near where my wings are hurt! Ouch!!! Cramp, I got a cramp!!! Aaaargh!!!! I''m-I''m falling!!! It''s quite high! The height is quite high!!! Falling from here would be terrible!!! My wing muscles hurt so I can''t p my wings!!! I''m going to die!!! Save me!!!! Crash!!! And so, before I could even try anything, I fell to the ground. Perhaps the only good thing is that, despite hitting the ground hard enough to create a big crater, my body didn''t hurt at all. Well, it hurts! The wing muscles where I got a cramp hurt!!! But I can''t even massage the wing muscles because my arms are too short!!!! We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Was it because I was newly born, or because it was a part of my body that originally didn''t exist? Anyway, I never imagined getting a cramp in my wings. From now on... I guess I should do some stretching before pping my wings. It was perhaps fortunate that my body itself was very sturdy, as I didn''t get hurt even when falling from a high ce. I''m not sure how tall I am now, but if I consider it simr to my height when I was human... Falling headfirst from the height of about 3 stories and not getting a single scratch definitely proved the sturdiness of my body. Anyway, that''s not what''s important. Once again, I moved my wings and took off into the sky. This time, I felt a faint energy enveloping my wings. Could this be magical power? The energy faintly permeating through the air? It was so faint that I wouldn''t feel it unless I paid close attention, but as I pped my wings and soared, I started to get a sense of it. The concentration is still low, so I don''t know what to do with it yet... But maybe I''ll be able to use magic in the future? Something about the future seems a bit exciting. Yes. And so, I soared high into the sky. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The first thing I did, now that I could fly around the world, was: "Come forth, life!" I went around the world scattering the creatures that would be the ancestors of all living beings I created. I also added a little bit of shock absorption, so even if they fell from quite a height, the creatures would be okay. The process of adding shock absorption somehow made their bodies soft and squishy, but that was a minor detail. I also added self-replication, the ability to adapt to the environment, the ability to absorb air for energybustion, and the ability to mutate... Ah, these are slimes. No, it wasn''t intentional, but they''re totally slimes!!! Moreover, they engulf small things with their bodies to feed! They can''t swallow anything too big! They consume things like moss and leaves from the ground! Hmm... Well, does it really matter? It''s a fantasy world with dragons and magic, after all. What harm could having slimes do? In fact, adding the function for slimes to consume waste and dpose it might be environmentally beneficial. I also added the function for slime mucus and the bodies of dead slimes to be fertilizer for the soil. Thus, creatures that would exist just above the bottom of the food chain were born. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What is the origin of humanity? The Church of Life, which worships the Goddess of Life, ims that the Goddess of Life gave birth to all life in this world, but this is not correct. After decades of research, I, a professor at the Imperial University, argue that slimes are the origin of all life. Slimes that adapt to the environment and bring about change! They are the true origin of all living beings! This can be confirmed by slime fossils found around the world- - A presentation by a certain professor of the study of ancient lifeat the Imperial University. - After this presentation, the professor was dered a heretic by the Church of Life and the Pantheon, and went missing. - There are rumors that the Empire''s Guardian Dragon was involved in the professor''s disappearance, but the truth remains unclear. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I scattered slimes all over the world. And watching those slimes turned out to be more fun than I expected. No, I mean, the process of change in slimes differed from one region to another. And in simr environments in different regions, they underwent different evolutionary processes. For example,paring two simr swamp areas, in one, the slimes became mud slimes that absorbed the mucus of mud, while in another, they became poison slimes that collected rotting material in the swamp to produce poison. After struggling in the pit for a while, the pain in my wings gradually disappeared. Ugh. It hurt so much. It was a pain I never wanted to experience again. In addition, in environments full of ice, there were ice slimes as hard as ice, and in volcanic areas, there wereva slimes with burning fire. Slimes that eat leaves and produce leaf-like camouges. Slimes that consume and absorb ores to transform into ore-like beings, and so on. The world of slimes was endless. Slimes that entered water usually dissolved and disappeared due to osmotic pressure caused by concentration differences, but asionally, slimes that adapted to living in water also began to appear. And quite miraculously, slimes adapted to water started to change their body surface to prevent their bodily fluids from being taken away. From being single-celled, slimes began to divide themselves to create a tougher body surface, starting to protect the moisture within. However, because the surface changed, they started to develop mouth-like structures to easily absorb their microbial prey. They also began to create fin-like structures for more active movement. And to ovee the impossibility of proper breathing underwater, they began to develop gill-like organs to absorb something like oxygen in the water¡­? Is it really oxygen? Anyway, they started to absorb something like oxygen in the water. Thus, slimes began to transform into fish-like beings. Chapter 4: Hello. World! (4) Chapter 4: Hello. World! (4) Watching the fish swimming around, having transformed into fish-like beings, I carefully dipped my hand into the seawater. The cold sensation. When I slightly licked it, the salty taste was distinctly felt, seeming not much different from the seawater I knew. Hmm. I want to explore the underwater world more... But there''s a limit to what I can see from above. Should I go in? But how do I swim with this transformed body? A dragon with a considerably sturdy lower body swimming... Hmm... I''m not sure. Well, there''s no way to know without trying. I cautiously started to enter the sea. The cold seawater soaked my legs and tail. Not a bad feeling. Ah, but wouldn''t it sting to open my eyes in the sea? I hesitate a bit since I''ve never tried it before. Ugh... Ah! Whatever, it''s all about taking on challenges! As if a dragon would die from drowning! If I can fly with my wings, water should be no big deal!With that, I took a deep breath and dived into the sea. And surprisingly, I waspletely free in the water. No need to hold my breath, no difort in opening my eyes, and I could move morefortably as I felt almost weightless. Swimming was... easy enough by just moving my tail back and forth to propel myself forward. Hmm, as expected of a dragon! I worried for nothing!! I quickly swam around, observing my surroundings. A sea where seaweed and corals were slowly growing. Although there weren''t any proper fish yet, it had its own charm. And there were slimes gradually transforming into fish shapes that caught my eye. Slimes adapting to their environment were transforming into various forms. Some slimes took on the typical appearance of fish. Some oddly resembled squids. There were those transforming into forms like trilobites or shrimps, and even some turning into bizarre deep-sea fish-like appearances. I wonder how many of these slimes will survive? It was bing quite interesting. Looking back, the ones I released onnd were transforming to gain different attributes, but the slimes in the water were somewhat different. Thus, I traveled the world, releasing slimes, and spent my time observing their transformations. One day, two days, three days, four days. Time repeated with the rising and setting of the sun. As time flowed, the world gradually changed. The sight of life slowly spreading from nothing. In such a scene, I found myself bursting intoughter unknowingly. With my actions and choices, the world was changing so much, I felt like a magnificent being. Well, it''s right for a dragon with godlike powers to be magnificent. After observing the changes in life for days, weeks, months, another change wasing to this world. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What is magic power? The driving force for using magic. A mysterious power widely spread throughout the world. A grace bestowed by the gods upon this world. The realization of the will to cause change. As many magicians as there are, there are many definitions of magic power, but I think of it this way. It''s like the blood flowing through the veins of the existence called this world. - Content of the first lecture in the basic ss of the Kingdom''s Magic School. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - At first, I didn''t notice because the changes were minor, but as time passed, it became clear. The magic power of the world was gradually intensifying. It was indeed mentioned in the message sent by that person, but what would happen due to this magic power... was a bit unpredictable. Still, it''s good to have a means I can freely use. As I sighed softly, the magic power within me reacted, releasing a small breath. Since I didn''t perform any attribute transformation, it was just a breath of wind. Had I wished for a certain attribute and exhaled, it would have shown such a change. I could have exhaled fire, lightning, cold, or even water. That was what magic power was. The power to realize what one desires. The force that brings about change by cing intentions and will upon magical power. Whether this power would bring change to the world... was a concern, yet also something I looked forward to. Unlike my situation, the slimes were thriving today as well. The slimes that flowed into the sea had already taken on the appearances of various creatures. Some had evolved hard shells and resembled insects, while others had fully taken on the form of fish. However, those that underwent such evolution, perhaps because they were no longer just simple slimes, required a lot of energy to maintain their bodies... meaning they needed to eat. Well, it can''t be helped. While slimes could just absorb things, fish had scales, the ability to swallow and digest with their mouths, and the function to breathe with gills. The required energy was worlds apart. Thanks to that, it wasmon to seerge fish swallowing smaller ones. A scene of the survival of the fittest. Perhaps this too was part of the flow of evolution. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now On the other hand, the slimes onnd hadn''t strayed far from the category of slimes. There were slimes that spat fire or exhaled cold, but it was hard to consider those creatures as living beings. Ah, but the rock-like slimes were somewhat fascinating. Because of their solid bodies, moving was difficult, so some had developed small legs to move around. The appearance of these rock slimes with legs reminded me of golems. They stillcked arms or heads, but anyway. Thus, I continued to observe the changes in life and traveled the world. Due to the thickening magical power, I noticed that anomalies were gradually urring in the world. To be specific, strange natural phenomena began to ur. "Hmm... How should I think about this?" Giant whirlwinds formed incessantly between massive canyons, and huge whirlpools appeared in parts of the sea. Magical power was circting in the world, causing various phenomena. No, if it were just that, it wouldn''t be called an anomaly. The biggest problem was. "Ah... Ahhhh..." That these phenomena were beginning to possess a slight amount of intelligence. I sighed softly as I looked at the whirlwind before me. A whirlwind of considerable strength, but still not enough to move my body. A faint voice could be heard from within it. "Ahhh..." The voice of an intelligence that had not yet been properly defined. Something wasing into being in a world where I was the only one who could think. Destroying this phenomenon wouldn''t be difficult. Just exhaling a breath filled with magical power would easily destroy it. But, I didn''t want to do that. I didn''t want to destroy a being that this world had given birth to. So, I said. "What is your name?" "Ahah... Naa... Naaneun..." "Okay. Your name is?" "Naaneun... Whooooo...?" But, the newly born intelligence couldn''t define itself as anything. After all, it was like a nk sheet of paper, how could it know? Therefore, it was up to me to give it a name. A giant whirlwind. Perhaps I should take a name from the wind spirits. "I will give you a name. Sylphid. That will be your name from now on." "Syl... Phid?" "Yes. Sylphid." A name synonymous with the King of Wind Spirits. Giving such a name, a peculiar movement arises from the whirlwind. The wind that had been swirling around now approaches me bit by bit. "I am... Sylphid... Sylphid...!" "Yes. You are Sylphid." "Sylphid!!!" The whirlwind was very happy. So much so that I could feel its joy even from a distance. Simply put, the wind was bing quite fierce. "Name! Happy!!!" "I''m d you''re happy. Then, I will go see something else." "Yes! Name! Thank you!!!" Leaving the whirlwind writhing in joy behind, I flew off to another ce. Whether it was due to magical power, phenomena beginning to sprout consciousness were not just one or two. In the volcano that birthed an eternal me. In the giant whirlpool that formed in the sea. On the world''s tallest mountain. In the tree that grew asrge as a mountain due to magical power. Even in the darkness where not a sliver of light entered. Even in the light of the midnight sun that never sets. Natural phenomena with their own consciousness were emerging. That being said, not one of them shares the same attribute. It''s as if, someone intended it... Wait, do I have to name these natural phenomena? Me? Hmm... My naming sense isn''t that great. This is troublesome. Chapter 5: Hello. World! (5) Chapter 5: Hello. World! (5) I traveled around the world, checking on natural phenomena with their own consciousness, and confirmed a total of 7 natural phenomena, including the whirlwind named Sylphid. The natural phenomena, which had just been born with a pure self, were like newborn babies. Pure children without a speck of dust. I wondered if it was okay for someone like me to name them... But there''s no helping it. I am the only proper sentient being in this world. So, I gave names to the natural phenomena that developed consciousness. For the eternal me, I named it Ifrit. It was the easiest to name because it was the most straightforward. For the giant whirlpool, Elquine... Hmm, that doesn''t seem right. im..., this doesn''t feel right either. Should I just simply name it Undine? But just Undine seems tock something.Eventually, I named it Thetis, after one of the gods from various mythologies. I wanted to give it a better name... My naming sense is really bad... For the one in the world''s tallest mountain, I named it Ymir... Hmm, is that a death g? Should I name it Everest instead? It''s fitting since it''s the tallest mountain. No, this is what wiki searches are for. Help me! Knowledge from another world!!! After searching, I named it Sagarmatha, the Nepali name for Everest. Exining its meaning, which is the forehead of the world, was a bonus that it really liked. T/N: Sorry Nepali, if that''s the wrong meaning. For the tree asrge as a mountain, I named it the World Tree... Yggdrasil. Honestly, it felt like there was no other appropriate name the moment I saw it. For the darkness where not a sliver of light entered, I named it Erebus, taken from Greek mythology. Although he was a very quiet child, he seemed to like him very much. Andstly, for the light of the midnight sun that never sets, I named it Shamash, taken from Sumerian mythology. Thus, the spirits of the seven children I named grew rapidly over the decades. "Mom!" They started calling me mom. Not dad, but why mom! I really don''t understand! "I am not your mom." Hoping that the pure spirits of the children would grow up properly, I had told them various stories from another world, including about families. Maybe that''s why. After all, I am a dragon, and these children are natural phenomena that are hard to call living beings. I''m not sure if this is right. "But you gave us names." "That''s true." I nodded slightly at Sylphid''s words. "If you hadn''t named us, I would have just been a whirlwind that appeared and disappeared." "The reason you children developed selves is because this world became filled with magical power, not because I named you. And I''m not your mom. Call me dad instead." "We don''t like that. And wasn''t that magical power because of you, mom?" Sylphid, what are you talking about. "The magical power was created by someone called the Creator God. I had nothing to do with it." "But you said that Creator God has never appeared in this world." "Well, that''s true but..." "Even if that Creator God was the one who first made this world, what else did he do besides sending you down to this empty world?" "Uh, um... increased the concentration of magical power?" "That''s just your im, mom. There''s no proper evidence. It''s more convincing to say that the concentration of magical power increased because you exist." Ugh... Surely, this child used to stutter and was infinitely cute, but how did it be so logical in just a few decades? Now there''s no cute charm left... "By the way, the other also agree with calling you mom!" "The other children too?" Being the only one able to fly freely thanks to being born from a whirlwind, Sylphid often visited the other children to talk, acting like a messenger. "Ifrit said [Calling you mom feels warm and cozy, so I like it!]. Thetis said [I wish mom would visit more often.]" "Hmm. I haven''t visited Thetis recently." Unlike the other children, it''s not easy to see her because she''s in the middle of the ocean. "Sagar(Sagarmatha) said, [Yes. I like mom.] and Yggdrasil said, [I don''t mind either way if it''s mom.] Then she whispered softly, [Actually, I prefer mom.]" Even Sagarmatha, who speaks little, and Yggdrasil, who would gently shake its branches in greeting. Want to call me mom... "Erebus said, [I prefer being called mom. After all, I think I''m male, so it makes sense to have a mom.] and Shamash said, [Isn''t it more beautiful to be called mom?]" Hmm... I don''t know about the other children, but why has Erebus turned out this way? We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I never told them stories about males and females pairing up to be families. Hmm. I don''t know. I don''t understand. Is there anything more difficult than parenting in this world? "I also prefer calling you mom!" "I thought my gender wasn''t decided." It''s hard to tell whether this dragon''s body is male or female. Looking at my reflection in the water, I seem like a splendid silver dragon, so maybe I''m male... ?? Then, after decades, a letter envelope popped up in front of me. What nonsense is this Creator God going to say now... ©°©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ©¦Of course, you''re female!! ©¸©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ...... Did this damn thing send a message after decades just to say this one line?! In this world devoid of life, I''ve gone through all sorts of hardships to create a basic ecosystem, and he didn''t help at all!!!! And now he sends a message, and it''s just this one line?! Are you joking?! Huh?! Are you messing with me!!!! You trash!!! You trash!!!!!!! I wanted to spew all my anger, but I held back in front of Sylphid. I had no choice but to restrain myself. I couldn''t possibly get angry in front of Sylphid. I took a deep breath to exhale the thousand fires burning inside me. The breath that came out was literally fiery, but that''s a minor issue. "Wow! Did you breathe fire because you disliked it that much?" "It''s not your fault. The Creator God sent a message after decades, and it was just one line, so I got angry." "Hmm... You said you received a message, but I can''t see anything, so I don''t know." It seems Sylphid can''t see the square message window... GodTalk that appeared in front of me. "But what kind of message made mom angry? It seems like it''s been decades since I''ve seen mom get angry." "The content is a secret. But have I ever gotten angry before?" "Yes! You got angry when Ifrit burned a little thing crawling on the ground." Ah, I remember. It was not long after a creature, which had evolved over decades from a slime and no longer resembled a slime, came out of the water. Excluding various attribute slimes, it was the first terrestrial life form! I was quite moved, but some of those creatures went near Ifrit''s volcano... Ifrit, unable to contain his curiosity, caused a disaster by burning them. Just as a pure human child might harm small insects, a sentient natural phenomenon would do much the same. So, all I could do was scold him for his wrongdoings. Well, to be honest, it was also because I felt it was a waste to burn and kill the creature that had finally emerged from the water. Hmm. It was a small lizard-like creature, and thinking about it now, it does feel a bit regrettable. "But thanks to being scolded then, Ifrit doesn''t burn other creatures now." "Hmm. If I hadn''t scolded him then, that child would have burned everything that entered his territory." The variously evolved slimes gained diverse functions but lost their simplicity, making it impossible for them to increase their numbers through division, so it was a loss. Anyway, that''s enough about Ifrit. "But the world these days feels quite lively." "I think so too." Decades after scattering the first life forms, the sea life that had been rapidly evolving and mutating soon returned to thend and began to prosper. No longer was the surface a deste world devoid of life. "Kuwoooooo!!!" "Kyaaaooooo!!!" "Ah, mom! Look over there! The big ones are fighting!!" "That''s true. Though they are still smaller than me." A world filled with life. However, the appearance of this life... was from a much more distant past than the era I remember. Simply put, it was the age of dinosaurs. "Why has it turned out like this...." All I could do was sigh softly. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It is known that in ancient times, there were countless dragons. Now, only a very few dragons remain, including the Guardian Dragon of the kingdom. The fossils currently on disy in this museum are from the age of dragons, the age when dragons prospered. These are the fossils of wingless dragons. To think there were countless dragons, each capable of shaking a whole country. Truly, it was a terrifying era. - A curator of a museum in some country. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Chapter 6: Age of Dragons (1) Chapter 6: Age of Dragons (1) The first life forms to emerge onto the water''s surface were fish-like creatures that used their pectoral fins as front legs. Driven by the fiercepetition for survival in the water, these creatures fled to the surface. Initially, they evolved to escape to the water''s surface during emergencies. Then, perhaps realizing that life above water was better than expected, they began to evolve lungs instead of gills and transformed the fins behind their gills into front legs. Truly, I had made them capable of mutation and evolution, but seeing them develop front legs in such a short time was truly shocking. Thus evolved, they grew by feeding on various nts and slimes, increasing their numbers, evolving, mutating, and eventually developing hind legs as well. Some even evolved into lizard-like forms, and some into amphibian-like creatures... The melting pot of evolution was truly chaotic. Anyway. Those that emerged ontond began to evolve and diversify... And somehow, they started to grow in size.At first, I didn''t understand why, but after some observation, I discovered the reason... Most of the problem started with magical power. Magical power, a strange force that brings about change ording to the will of others,bined with the will of living beings, caused bizarre phenomena! Changes that were physically impossible were truly unexpected. A small lizard grew rapidly, turning into arge dinosaur, and the front legs of a lizard looking up at the sky transformed into small wings, allowing it to p its wings. Well, it''s good to see various evolutions... but isn''t this a bit too fast? It''s much faster than the speed of evolution I had in mind. I thought it would take thousands of years for such evolution, but it waspleted in just a few decades! Dinosaurs have already appeared! Dinosaurs! I was nning to watch the fish with legs evolve into small animals, but suddenly dinosaurs appeared. It was unimaginable. "But it''s fun to watch." "That''s true." Watching therge dinosaurs run around and fight is indeed fun. And since they all evolved in different directions, it''s interesting to see them fight with their unique weapons. Some fight withrge jaws and sharp teeth, others use their ws and agility as weapons, and some rely on horns or tough skin. Thanks to that, I''ve been enjoying watching their fights these days. "Watching them fight so fiercely makes me want to have a physical body too." "A physical body... I''m not sure how you, natural phenomena, would acquire one." "The others are also pondering the same thing. Especially Erebus. He says he needs a physical body to be mom''s partner." "Is that child still unable to let go? Sigh." As I sighed, Sylphidughed softly and added, "Don''t be too hard on us. If we were male, we would have wanted to be mom''s partner too." "Ifrit is male, isn''t he?" "He''s just a kid. It''s been decades, and he''s still like a little child." I agreed with Sylphid''s words and nodded. That child really doesn''t seem to grow up. I had scolded him before for burning life... Not only because the burned life was precious, but also to educate Ifrit, who recklessly burned life. If it was just about the preciousness of life, I could have reversed time and revived them. No, maybe I should have just rewound time to before the life was burned and scolded him then? But then the point of scolding would be diminished! Well, let''s just leave it at that. Yes. "Would we be able to live as fiercely as them if we had bodies like that?" "Hard to say. Even if you had bodies, I don''t think you would live like that..." After all, they are giant natural phenomena, so they are in apletely different position from thoserge lizards. Even Sylphid alone has the power to carve mountains with great winds. If these children were to obtain physical bodies... They would be quite remarkable beings. Well, not as much as me! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After some time had passed. "Mom! Erebus found a way to create a body!" "So, that child finally found a way." "Yes! But he said he needs Mom''s cooperation for it, shall we go together?" "My cooperation?" The children need my help to create a body, what kind of help could that be? Curious, I headed to the cave where Erebus was, along with Sylphid. A long cave leading deep into the ground. A space of darkness itself, where not a single ray of light shone. There, Erebus, an intelligent darkness, was present. "You''ve arrived. Mother." "Just until recently, you used to call me mom, and now it''s mother. It''s okay to keep calling me mom." "I won''t always be a child, you know." "I came too! Erebus! I brought Mom, so praise me!" "Hm. Good job, Sylphid." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Erebus, with a strangely dignified voice, weed us in the dark cave. "So, how do you create a body?" "Strictly speaking, it''s not creating a body. It''s more like borrowing one." "Borrowing a body?" At that moment. Thud. A small footstep sound came from the darkness. "Hm? Footsteps? Erebus. Seems like a lizard got in here?" "It''s not a lizard." Something is approaching. Something is walking towards us in the darkness where you can''t see an inch ahead. "Erebus. I''m sorry, but I''m going to need some light." I gathered magical power and created light. Then, something walking towards us from the far end of the dark cave came into view. A small dinosaur with ck skin, unlike other dinosaurs. However, the aura felt from that dinosaur was... an endlessly deep darkness. That is, identical to Erebus''s. "Erebus?" "As expected of mother. You recognized me at a nce." "What? How? Did you steal a body?? Amazing! How did you do it???" "Steal? I wouldn''t do something so barbaric. I just borrowed the body of one that wandered into the cave and starved to death." Borrowing the body of one that starved to death... Isn''t this like necromancy? "Of course, since it''s already dead, I can''t prevent the body from decaying, and it can''t withstand my power for long... But it was usable as a temporary body." "Decay... Now that you mention it, it does smell a bit rotten." The skin being dyed ck... Is it because Erebus is inhabiting it? "Anyway, thanks to borrowing this body, I''ve caught a bit of a clue. In the process ofpensating for the body''s loss with my power, I figured out a way to create a body of the desired form using my power." Since most of their power is magical, using magic to create a body... wouldn''t be impossible. Magic has the nature of realizing will. It might have acted on the children''s will to have a body. "However, our powers are too strong, so ordinary bodies won''tst long. That''s why I think special materials are needed." "Hmm... Ah, by needing my help, you mean... borrowing my body?" I already have plenty to do, maintaining the bnce of life forms around the world. Lending my body to the children might be difficult. "If it means borrowing Mother''s body, I''m against it! I want to fly with Mother, not be Mother and fly!" "I never had that intention in the first ce." "It''s not about borrowing my body?" The ck dinosaur possessed by Erebus nodded slightly and said. "It''s not the entirety of Mother''s body that we need. Just one of Mother''s scales should suffice." "One of my scales?" "Yes. If we use one of Mother''s scales as the core and utilize our power to manifest it, we believe we can obtain a body simr to Mother''s." A body simr to mine... Are they talking about a dragon''s body, different from dinosaurs? "Giving one scale is not difficult, but will that be enough?" "Yes. One of Mother''s scales should be more than enough to contain all of our power." Hmm. Giving away one scale isn''t hard. After all, they grow back anyway. I plucked one scale from beneath my neck and handed it over to Erebus, who was in the form of a ck dinosaur. "Will this be enough?" "Yes. It should be sufficient." "Mom! Give me one too! Me too!" I plucked another scale and gave it to Sylphid as well. "But how do we do it? Do we just infuse it with power?" "Rather than infusing it with power, think of it as inhabiting it. Feel like you''re putting all of yourself into it and wish for a body to be created." Erebus said this and held the scale in his hand. Then, a ck energy began to seep out, slowly inhabiting the scale. As this happened, the ck color of the dinosaur''s body started to fade, and my silver scale turned ck. Once the dinosaur''s ck colorpletely disappeared and my scale was fully dyed ck, the dinosaur copsed to the ground with a thud. "Hmm... Mother''s scale contains far more than all of me. But it seems entirely possible." Along with Erebus''s words, a ck mist started to seep out from the ck scale, gradually forming a body very simr to mine. A long neck and skin covered in scales. A long mouth and sharp teeth. And horns protruding here and there on the head. Slightly short front limbs andrge wings. And sturdy hind legs and a long tail. "Wow! Amazing! It''s Erebus resembling Mom!" "Though it''s much smaller." The overall shape resembled me, a dragon... Although it was significantly smaller and there were slight differences in the details... Erebus had created a body of a ck dragon. "It''s a sess, Mother. Now, I have obtained a body just like Mother''s." Beneath the neck of the ck dragon that Erebus had be, my scale had returned to silver and was attached upside down. Chapter 7: Age of Dragons (2) Chapter 7: Age of Dragons (2) "Whoah. So this is the world Mother sees." The ck dragon, Erebus, looked around with a sense of wonder. "It''s amazing that you could transform with just one of my scales." "Without Mother''s scale, it would have been impossible. Because the body I''ve created with my power is based on the information from Mother''s scale." "My information?" Information about the body, like gics? "But even with all my power, I can''t perfectly replicate Mother''s body." "That''s true." Although it greatly resembled me, it was so small, not even half my size.Even with all the power of Erebus, who could be said to be darkness itself, it couldn''t create a body identical to mine... Am I stronger than I thought? "Ugh... I don''t understand!" Unlike Erebus, who had seeded in creating a ck dragon''s body, Sylphid seemed to be having a hard time. It seemed like she couldn''t infuse her power into my scale, which was being tossed around by the wind. "It''s better to do it calmly. First, try to infuse all your power into Mother''s scale." "My power... Ugh..." Sylphid kept trying to infuse her power into my scale, but it seemed difficult. "Maybe it was only possible for Erebus? Maybe I can''t do it?" "I don''t think that''s the case... Maybe you''re just not getting the hang of it." "The hang of it..." "I got the hang of it through that small creature''s body. Maybe Sylphid should try that too." Following Erebus''s words, Sylphid seemed to look at the small dinosaur lying on the ground. "That little thing... Hmm... It smells a bit, so it''s a bit gross." "It''s not like you have to keep using it, just try to get the hang of it for a moment. How about inhabiting that body first?" Sylphid hesitated, then approached the small dinosaur lying on the ground. "It''s a bit unpleasant... but if I can fly with Mom...!" Sylphid inhabiting the dinosaur. Did she really want to fly with me that much? Even as the wind, she flew with me, but maybe she wanted a proper body. As Sylphid inhabited the dinosaur, its skin began to turn white, surprisingly. Erebus turned ck, and Sylphid turned white? "Ugh... The body is so heavy..." "I agree. I didn''t know a body could be this heavy." Sylphid, inhabiting the dinosaur, slowly got up with a movement that seemed very heavy. For children without bodies... flesh and blood must feel incredibly heavy. "But I think I''m getting the hang of it a bit." Sylphid, inhabiting the small dinosaur''s body, moved around and even jumped up. The somewhat silly movement made meugh unintentionally. "If you''ve somewhat adapted to the body, now it''s good to try inhabiting the scale. Remember the sensation of having a body and create one based on Mother''s information inside the scale." "Hmm... I don''t quite understand, but I''ll try!" So Sylphid left the dinosaur''s body and began to inhabit my scale. "Hmm... The sensation of having a body... Mother''s information...? Anyway, I''ll try to create it with my power..." Sylphid tried her best to create a body. After several attempts, including creating something covered in scales and a wingless lizard, she finally seeded. "I did it!!!" After several hours of effort, she was able to create the form of a white dragon. Perhaps the unique feature was that it had two pairs of wings. "Mom! Look! It''s a sleek body!" "That''s true. It feels thinner than me." The overall feel was thin and slender. With two pairs of wings, it felt like a body made for fast flying. "It took some time, but this should be enough." "Hehehe. Now I can happily fly in the sky with Mom! The other kids will be so jealous they''ll cry!" "Until you made a body, you couldn''t cry though." Watching Erebus and Sylphid bicker, I smiled. "Alright, then let''s teach the other children this method too." "That''s right! Mom! It feels somewhat unfair that only we have bodies!" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Hmm. Meeting the other ones directly... It''s the first time." I chuckled softly at Erebus''s words. Except for Sylphid, the other children were fixed in ce, unable to move elsewhere. "Oh, so the children who have only heard stories about me and Sylphid all this time will finally get to meet us. How interesting." "Don''t worry! Erebus! They''re all good kids!" At mine and Sylphid''s words, Erebus slowly nodded. Now, let''s meet Ifrit, who''s the closest... "Ah, since the other children might also have trouble getting the hang of it, maybe it''s a good idea to bring this small body along?" "That''s true. There''s a possibility the others might also struggle to get the hang of it." Just like in Sylphid''s case. The others might be simr. I picked up the dinosaur lying on the ground. Although it had already cooled down and even started to rot slightly... well, carrying it wasn''t difficult. Holding the small dinosaur''s corpse, I said to Erebus and Sylphid, "Then let''s set off. Starting with the nearest, Ifrit." With the two children who had acquired new bodies, I headed towards the burning volcano. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The process of the other children acquiring bodies had its ups and downs, but eventually, everyone managed to get a body. In the process, the small dinosaur''s corpse, which had been overworked under the guise of ''getting the hang of it'', could no longer maintain its shape and was buried in the ground. Anyway. "I never imagined we''d all gather like this! Hello! I''m Ifrit!" A slightly smaller red dragon greeted us cheerfully. Perhaps because of its childlike aspect, it felt younger than the others. "Now there''s no need to be alone in the vast ocean. I''m Thetis. Nice to meet you." The blue dragon with fins instead of horns introduced itself in a calm voice. "Yes. I''m Sagarmatha." The dragon with a body made of transparent gems spoke less than the others. But why is Sagar made of gems? I don''t understand the criteria for scale color. "I''m Yggdrasil. Moving like this is new to me, so it''s quite awkward, but I look forward to getting along." The dragon with green scales spoke in a gentle voice. "I''m Erebus. I''m the one who came up with the idea of borrowing a scale from Mother to create a body. So, everyone owes me one." "Erebus. Don''t say things like that." "Yes, Mother." Erebus, who was the first to borrow a scale from me to create a body, spoke with a slightly boastful tone, but quickly backed down when I lightly scolded him. Really, how did such a childe to be? "I''m Shamash! I''ll be the most beautiful being!" The dragon shining in gold boasted about its beautiful scales. Sagar and Shamash, why are their scale colors like that? Is it because of their unique attributes? "I don''t need to introduce myself, right? I''m Sylphid! I met everyone even before I had a body!" The white dragon with two pairs of wings smiled brightly as it spoke. That being said, they''re all a bit small in size. Since thergest, Sagar, was about half my size. With the children having acquired new bodies, I''m somewhat looking forward to what they''ll do next. I scratched my bare lower jaw, where scales had been plucked to be distributed among the children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Every dragon has a unique scale under its lower jaw. That scale, growing in the opposite direction to the other scales. ording to historical records, that scale was said to be the dragon''s weakness, and those iming to be dragon yers pierced through that scale to take the dragon''s life. However, considering that most of the dragons that Dragon yers im to have in are actually drakes or wyverns, the scale growing in reverse is unlikely to be a weakness of dragons. Such an inverted scale. Just as the curiosity about the reverse scale deepened, a schr from a certain empire happened to get an opportunity to ask the empire''s Guardian Dragon about that scale. The Guardian Dragon of the empire, seemingly annoyed, summarized it in a single sentence. "There is no inverted scale on me." The empire''s Guardian Dragon, with scales shining in silver, did not have an inverted scale on its lower jaw. Instead, there was just a patch of skin not covered by scales, the size of one scale. The empire''s Guardian Dragon, who has been the shield of humans for the longest time, a teacher to humans, a guide for humans, and a friend to humans. What really happened to that dragon, whose name has even been forgotten? It was a moment that sparked even greater curiosity among schrs studying dragons. - Records of a schr fascinated by dragons. Chapter 8: Age of Dragons (3) Chapter 8: Age of Dragons (3) How long had it been since the children acquired the body of a dragon? Once again, a new change was approaching the evolution of life. "Kraaaak!" "Krrrk! Kyahak!" The fight between dinosaurs. No, the fight between a dinosaur and a pack of dinosaurs. Several smaller dinosaurs began to hunt arge dinosaur together. The strength of each individual was weak, but by increasing their numbers, they were oveing the disadvantage. "Grrrrr...." Thus, therge dinosaur, struggling alone, fell to the ground covered in wounds, and the small dinosaurs were able to obtain arge piece of meat without any sacrifices."Mother. What are you watching?" "Hm? Ah, Erebus." Erebus, quietly revealing himself from the shadows. It''s fascinating that he can appear anywhere the darkness touches. "I was watching other life forms. Look there. The small dinosaurs have started to form a group." "The small dinosaurs... are banding together to survive." "That''s right. That too is a choice for survival." While some of the small dinosaurs guard the prey they hunted, others bring small offspring from somewhere. Hiding the offspring in a safe ce and feeding them the hunted prey. They are trying various methods for survival. "Is this what the family in the stories you told me about looks like?" "Un. A proper form of family hasn''t appeared yet, but for now, it would seem so." Neither a definite intelligent being has appeared nor has a form of society been created yet. It could be considered a primitive form of family. "Mother... Do you wish for such a family?" "Hm? Me? Well... I''m not sure yet." After having this dragon''s body... I''m not sure. I don''t particrly feel lonely. The faint feeling of loneliness I had felt disappeared thanks to meeting the children. They are not my own children... but thanks to these children, I feel like I can endure my current existence. I stroked Erebus''s head with my front paw while looking at the small dinosaurs filling their stomachs with therge dinosaur. "There''s still time, so let''s keep watching. The concept of family is still vague in this world." Although these children call me mother, it''s ambiguous to say they are a real family. "By the way, do you know what the other children are doing?" "The other children... are probably ying, doing whatever they want." Doing whatever they want... If it were me, just traveling around the world would be enjoyable. "They seem to be having fun traveling around." "Yes. We didn''t have bodies to travel around before." I smiled at Erebus. It was worth it to have my scales plucked, seeing how happy these children are. The ce where the scales were plucked feels slightly prickly and ticklish. But I can endure this much. "But why are you spreading life across thisnd, Mother?" "Hm?" Why spread life? Hm... Why indeed... Although that being called God dropped me into this world, there was no need to spread life. But now, I am traveling around this world, scattering new life. Not only scattering it but also continuing to look after it and asionally making adjustments. It seems my actions appeared curious to Erebus. "Maybe. I just didn''t like the silence that settled on this world." A world where the only moving being was me alone. Perhaps the sight of such an empty world felt incredibly lonely. "It felt lonely too." "I see. I understand." Erebus seemed satisfied with my answer, simply smiling and nodding. Even though Erebus has the appearance of a dragon, it''s interesting that his expressions can be read. It seems I''vepletely be a dragon now. Dinosaurs were thriving, and the children were enjoying life with their newfound bodies. Lately, what I''ve been interested in is... the method of using magic power. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Simply put, it was magic. Magic power is the strength to realize one''s will in reality. Therefore, if you were to utilize this power... "Hmm. Is it a sess?" It means that even changing one''s physical form is possible. Of course, since it''s only changing the appearance, the actual physical specs don''t differ much from the original. I looked at my reflection in theke water. A girl with pure white silver hair. A girl with small horns on her head. Though the figure was that of a very small child, I should be satisfied with just having transformed into a human. Yes. I tried to smile at my reflection in the water, but my facial expression didn''t change easily. When I was a dragon, it wasn''t hard to change expressions... but now that I''ve transformed into a human, I''m quite expressionless. This is it. But still, it should be fine. Since I''ve transformed into a human in a world where humans don''t exist. I did well. Yes. To think I can transform this much... The potential of magic power is truly amazing. Maybe... I could even use magic like meteor falls? Ah, of course, I have no intention of using it in the current situation. I don''t n to bring about the extinction of the dinosaur era with my own hands. However, it seems necessary to research magic more. It''s possible to light a fire, sprinkle water, or lift objects with telekinesis, and so on. Since it''s not yet systematized, it seems necessary to organize it. While I was researching magic... "Hmm? This energy feels like Mother''s energy...?" A blue dragon was poking its head out of theke where I was looking at my reflection. "Thetis. What''s the matter?" "Ah, Mother? Why do you look like that?" "This appearance? Hmm... It''s the appearance of beings from another world." Since there are no humans in this world yet. It would be easier to exin it this way. "Another world... Now that you mention it, Mother, you could see other worlds!" "Yes. That''s right." It''s roughly that setting. Well, it''s true that I can see through the inte of another world. The stories I told the children were also about events from other worlds, so it wouldn''t be an awkward exnation. "By the way... You look incredibly cute. So very small too." "Though I''ve only changed the appearance, the body itself remains the same." I looked up at therge head of Thetis. From this angle, it''s as big as a decent-sized van. "Anyway, what brings you here?" "Oh, it''s nothing much. I was just curious about the dinosaurs." "Curious?" I tilted my head slightly, and Thetis looked at me with a deep smile. "Oh my! Mother in that form is really cute! To think that the great Mother could transform into something so adorable! My goodness! My goodness!" "Ah, it''s a bit embarrassing. You rascal. Continue with what you were saying." "Ah, yes. So... where did I leave off?" "You said you became curious." When I pointed it out, Thetis seemed to remember and said, "I became curious. Just by receiving your scales, we were given bodies, so what would happen if we shared our scales with those dinosaurs? That''s the curiosity." Hmm, the children''s scales? "Well, I haven''t really thought about it. Sharing my scales with you all was also the result of Erebus''s various considerations." "Ah, I see. Hmm... Actually, when I was swimming in the ocean, a few dinosaurs would swim around and y near me." "Near you? I guess they''re not afraid of you" At my words, Thetisughed softly. "They are indeed fearless. Since they are sorge, they don''t have any natural predators." "Large dinosaurs, huh. Well, if it''s in the ocean, beingrge wouldn''t pose a problem." "Yes. I was curious about what would happen if I shared my scales with those creatures, just like how you shared your scales with us." Hmm. Sharing their scales with the dinosaurs. That does pique my curiosity. "But would it be alright? Sharing your scales means giving away a part of your body." "Even if you say that, it''s something you did, Mother. You also shared a part of your body with us." Ah, that''s true. It seems Thetis wants to imitate what I did. Just like a child mimicking their parent''s actions. Chapter 9: Age of Dragons (4) Chapter 9: Age of Dragons (4) "If you want to do it, I won''t stop you." "Really?" "Of course, how could I stop you from doing what you want?" At my words, Thetisughed very happily. "However, since we don''t know what the consequences of such an action will be, you must be careful. Understand?" "Yes? Yes! I understand!" Ah, she doesn''t seem to get it. She''s too happy to listen. That aside... I was able to create bodies for these children by sharing my scales, but what would happen if they shared their scales with the dinosaurs? I''m a bit curious."Just in case, I''ll watch over it with you. If a problem arises, you might need my help." "Yes! It''s reassuring to have Mother''s help!" With that, I changed back into my original form, a dragon. "Then, to where the dinosaurs are... Ah." "Hm? What''s wrong?" Thetis looked back and forth between theke she was in and me, then said, "I was going to transport Mother through theke by opening a portal through the water..." "And?" "It seems Mother''s body is too big to fit in theke." Ah. "Then, it seems you''ll have to transform into a smaller form." Thetis said as if it were troublesome. Well, my body is indeedrge. "No choice then." I used my magic to transform my body into that of a small girl. "Then, would you hold onto the fin on top of my head?" "Hm. Let''s do that." I created wings with my magic and flew up to sit on top of Thetis''s head. "Let''s see... This seems right to hold onto." I grabbed one of the fins protruding from the side of Thetis''s head. "Does it hurt?" I held it with just enough force to not fall off, but it would be problematic if it hurt. "It''s an unfamiliar feeling, but it''s okay at this level. Then, let''s go!" With that, Thetis dived quickly into theke. Even though we dived into the water, I didn''t feel like I was suffocating, which meant that even in a human form, my body was still essentially that of a dragon. It was convenient not needing to breathe. My whole body and hair were soaked in the coldke water. Since bing a dragon, I hadn''t had hair, so it felt quite fresh. In the middle of the coldke water, Thetis''s magic gathered to form a circle, and without any hesitation, she jumped into it. As soon as Thetis swam through the circle, the surroundings changed. From a quietke with no movement unless Thetis moved, to a vast sea constantly churning. The salty sea water. Countless fish. Long seaweeds and coral reefs. We were in the middle of the brightly shining sea. "We''ve arrived. They should be around here... Ah, there they are!" Thetis swam quickly through the vast sea. At the spot where Thetis stopped, there were five dinosaurs that had evolved to adapt to the sea. "Have you been waiting long? I got permission!" Whether they understood Thetis''s words or not, the five sea dinosaurs started to circle around Thetis. Ah, it''s spacious here, so there''s no need to maintain a human form. I let go of Thetis''s fin and started to move away from her. "Mother?" "It seems there won''t be any problems if I change back to my original form here." I moved away from Thetis and took off the white slime leather cloth wrapped around me. Now, if I change back to my original form... "Kyao!" Hm? Just as I was about to change back to my original form, one of the sea dinosaurs circling Thetis, with a long neck like a sea serpent, charged towards me. Ah, um... Does it see me as prey now? "Aah, stop!" "Kyauu!" Therge dinosaur opened its mouth wide, trying to swallow me in one bite. It seems to have underestimated me quite a bit. "Tsk." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I lightly flicked my index finger in the direction of the dinosaur. Kwoong!! In an instant, a tremendous shock passed by the dinosaur''s side. Well, I avoided a direct hit for Thetis''s sake. "You should choose your opponents more carefully. This is why beasts are beasts." Even though the shock from the flick only grazed by the dinosaur, its skin became tattered in an instant. "Kraaaak!" The dinosaur, twisting in pain. If it had been a direct hit, its body would have been torn into hundreds of pieces. "Oh dear, what should I do!?" "Hmm, it wouldn''t matter if we lost one, would it?" I spoke to Thetis in a calm voice, and Thetis, not knowing what to do, bowed her head slightly. "I carefully chose one with a good head, but I didn''t expect this. Uhh... That one had quite a good head on its shoulders." The dinosaur, bleeding and suffering. Well... it was an instinctual action, so it couldn''t be helped. I gathered my magic and lightly enveloped the dinosaur. Then, I hoped that the dinosaur''s wounds would heal with the magic. "Kreuh?" As the dinosaur writhed in pain, light swirled around its body, and the wounds began to disappear. "Mother, what was that just now?" "I used magic to heal the wounds. I thought it might work, and it did." "Waah...." Thetis was very amazed. Well, I didn''t expect it to be this effective either. Anyway, it seems the situation has been sorted out. I transformed my body... let''s just call it polymorph. The other dinosaurs showed signs of fleeing at my sudden appearance, but it was a minor issue. When Thetis called them back, they quickly gathered again. "Now, I''ll pluck my scales and share them with these dinosaurs. I wonder what the result will be?" "I wonder too." Thetis plucked five scales from under her chin and distributed them to the five dinosaurs. Strangely, the scales automatically found their ces under the chins of the dinosaurs. "Oh, what''s this?" "I wonder." The children I shared my scales with initially had no bodies, so that''s understandable, but what would happen to these dinosaurs that already had bodies? Water magic, simr to Thetis''s, spread from the scales under the chins of the dinosaurs, covering their bodies. The dark scales of the dinosaurs began to turn blue, and their bodies started to change. Fins transformed into front and back legs, and they began to resemble Thetis. They had wings, albeit a bit smaller, and instead of horns... fin-like shapes appeared. After a brief moment, the dinosaurs transformed into beings that looked a bit like smaller Thetises. They looked like a blue dragons. Except for one. "That one... it''s the one that attacked Mother earlier." "Hmm. That''s weird." The dinosaur that had attacked me... perhaps because it had been tattered and wounded, couldn''t fully absorb the power contained in Thetis''s scale. It looked like it was halfway transformed into something resembling Thetis. Although it had blue scales, it ultimately transformed into something closer to a giant sea serpent. Hmm, perhaps it couldn''t fully ept Thetis''s scale because it was battered by my attack. The dinosaur, resembling a sea serpent, realizing it was too different from the other dinosaurs... the Bluedragons, bit the scale that had fallen from its body and started to flee somewhere. "That one... Hmm..." "Will you chase it?" "No. It''s okay. It wouldn''t matter if we lost one." On Thetis''s face as she said this... was a trace ofplexity. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The cmity of the sea. Sea serpents were known to be monsters far removed from dragons, but recent research has revealed them to be distant rtives of dragons. More precisely, they are ssified as Lesser Dragons, a category that includes monsters like drakes and wyverns, which, while not as powerful as dragons, are still formidable creatures. ¡­¡­ While the sea serpent, freely swimming through the ocean and attacking ships or harbors, does not exhibit the same intelligence as dragons, the strength of its scales is undeniable. As hard and strong as dragon scales, these scales are among the best materials for armor, and many adventurers have lost their lives trying to hunt sea serpents in hopes of striking it rich. Hunting a sea serpent, with its tough scales, may seem impossible, but there is one spot. A vulnerability exists. Right under the jaw of the sea serpent. There is a patch of skin about a handspan in size where no scales grow, and this skin is quite fragile, so it can be pierced with a sufficiently powerful arrow or crossbow bolt. Of course, the feat of hitting a single weak spot while a giant Sea Serpent is rampaging in the sea is a trivial matter. - Monster Encyclopedia. Sea Serpent Edition. Chapter 10: Age of Dragons (5) Chapter 10: Age of Dragons (5) The dinosaurs that fully epted Thetis''s scales and changed their appearance... No, it would be more fitting to call them Blue Dragons now. Anyway, the Blue Dragons, quite miraculously. "Thank you for bestowing your scales upon us. Mother." It seemed that they had developed intelligence as they transformed. "Mother?" "Isn''t that what you call the one who has given you scales?" At that, Thetis looked at me. Well, considering Thetis and the others call me mother, it''s not incorrect. "But..."Thetis nced at me repeatedly. What could the meaning behind that gaze be? "Calling me mother... means you should call mother, grandmother...?" "Is that what you were worried about?" "But! Mother is beautiful! In the stories you''ve told, grandmothers are old and wrinkled, their beauty faded. But our mother''s scales shine beautifully!" "What are you talking about." What does beauty have to do with dragons in the first ce? The standard of beauty is ambiguous anyway. "I don''t mind. Call me whatever you like." "Yes! Mother!" Whether those Blue Dragons call me grandmother or not, what does it matter? The important thing is that a new intelligent being has been born into this world because they received the scales. "It seems giving out the scales turned out better than I thought, so I''ll be on my way now." I followed them in case of any problems, but if there are none, there''s no need for me to stay. "Ah, but the names of these children..." "Shouldn''t you be the one to name them? You are their mother." At my words, Thetis hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly. "Yes. They are my children, so I should name them, just like you named us." I simply smiled at Thetis. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And when the other children heard that Thetis had shared her scales. "If we share our scales with dinosaurs, they will be like us? Then I want to share!" "Yes. Me too." Sharing scales became a trend among the other children. "It''s fine to share, but you should carefully choose who you share them with." "Eh? Can''t I just share them with anyone?" Ifrit... Are you not thinking at all...? "Sharing your scales means you are dividing your power among other dinosaurs, making them your children. You understand the significance, right?" "But mother also shared her scales with us?" "And that''s how I made you my children." Though it makes the space under my jaw itch. "Anyway, choose wisely who you will share your scales with. Choose those who will follow you well, and whom it would be alright to share your power with." The other children agreed with my words. Sharing one''s power with another requires careful consideration. Thus, the children traveled the world, selecting dinosaurs to receive their scales. Each child''s criteria were quite interesting, but to put it simply... "I chose ones who, like me, wish to fly in the sky." Sylphid brought dinosaurs that longed for wings to fly. "I brought brave ones, like mes! They''re all incredibly brave!" Ifrit brought dinosaurs that were brave... or rather, had fiery personalities. But is that right? They seem rather ferocious. "I chose ones who, like me, love nature. They''re also gentle." The dinosaurs Yggdrasil chose were simr in temperament to Yggdrasil. It seems like the children are bringing dinosaurs simr to themselves? "They''re all dependable and good children. They don''t talk much, though." Sagar brought quiet and reserved children. But they''re so quiet they don''t speak at all. "I chose ones who, like me, want to be beautiful. Children who want to emte me!" The children Shamash brought were showing off their appearances. Their golden scales were shining. But in an era where the concept of beauty is still unclear, does Shamash think of themselves as the epitome of beauty? Well, having confidence is a good thing. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "I chose children who wanted to be family. Thanks to that, the number was quiterge." "Erebus... you... your scales...!" Erebus came with dozens. No, you have hardly any scales left under your jaw! Only one of the silver scales I gave you remains! "It''s okay. If I can increase my family, this is a small price to pay." "If that''s what you want, I won''t say much... but, I wish you knew moderation." It seems Erebus values family, perhaps because of the stories I told about family. Honestly, I was worried he might bring children like himself, dark offspring of the shadows. But this is much more positive. It''s good that so many dragons have been born... "What about those children?" In the direction I pointed, there were dinosaurs that hadn''t fully epted the power of the scales and hadn''t be dragons. There were ones whose front legs had turned into wings, walking on two legs, a bit smaller than dragons, and those that didn''t grow wings and crawled on all fours. They looked a bit pitiful, but what can we do? It''s their own fault forcking the strength they desired. Even if I wanted to help... it seems there''s nothing I can do. "Those guys were prepared for this much when they epted it. Even though they''ve transformed like that, they''ve be much stronger than before." I looked at the dinosaurs that hadn''t be dragons. They were pitiful, but perhaps they were satisfied in their own way. Well, if they''re content, then it''s fine. "Let''s call the ones with wings wyverns, and the ones without wings drakes." "Huh? Oh, okay." Wyverns and drakes, staples of fantasy. It might not be the best names for children who couldn''t be dragons, but they fit too well. "What do you n to do with those children?" "Hmm... there''s nothing we can do. They''ve already partially epted the power of the scales and transformed." "What about the scales?" "We''ve recovered what we could. Erebus spread his scales so much that many were lost..." "That was within my expectations." "Well, if Erebus says so." Hopefully, the unrecovered scales won''t cause any problems. And so, dragons came into existence in the world. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It''s good that dragons havee into existence, but... "Another fight?" "The red ones attacked first!" "The ck ones invaded our territory first!!" "We were just passing by! We even told Ifrit!" "I didn''t hear it!!!" It wasplete chaos. Especially the hot-tempered red dragons and the cks, who were too numerous to control, often caused problems. Haha. What a mess. "Great Creator Dragon, please make a judgment!" "Who''s the Creator Dragon? Who?" "But everyone calls you the Creator Dragon. Aren''t you the divine dragon that has existed since the beginning of the world, right?" "Well, that''s true, but..." It''s quite burdensome to be called by such a grand title. "Although the ck child did invade the territory, they had informed Ifrit beforehand... So, I think it''s Ifrit''s fault for not properly conveying the message." "What?! Why?!" "Or, it''s the fault of the red child who attacked the ck child without confirming with Ifrit." "But..." Honestly, the red child is at fault for attacking without assessing the situation. "From now on, don''t attack first. You''re not mindless beasts, try to solve things through dialogue. Don''t try to solve everything with violence." The red child, knowing their fault, nodded slightly with a sullen expression. "And you, ck child. Don''t just fight to the death if they attack first. Try to solve it through dialogue." "But..." "Though the other side is more at fault, you also fought back. You know what the reds are like." "That''s... but when they attacked first, I just reacted..." "This time, I''m siding with you because the red''s fault is clear, but remember that fighting itself is wrong." The young dragons, with their slightly better than beast-like mindset, were quite wild. But well, it''s fortunate they can understand through conversation. And so, I spent my time mediating among the numerous dragons. Chapter 11: Age of Dragons (6) Chapter 11: Age of Dragons (6) "But why have you transformed into that appearance again, Mother?" "Hm? What do you mean by that appearance?" Shamash asked, looking at me transformed into a human form. "What''s wrong with this form?" "Um... Normally, Mother shines and is as beautiful as ever, but now, Mother looks more cute than shining." "But it suits me, doesn''t it?" I smiled slightly and poked my cheek with my index fingers. "Well, it does fit! It''s cute! But I prefer Mother with your shining beauty!" "But isn''t this also good in its own way?"Since I have be a woman, shouldn''t I enjoy it? Well, that''s not to say I n to marry and have children. Now, I have seven children, not mine, but still. Indirectly born, but like grandchildren, plenty of them. A whole lot of them. Unlike when I roamed the world alone creating life, there''s a noisy joy to it now. "Great Creator Dragon!!! This wretched Blue Dragon!" "No, it''s this foolish Gold!!!" It''s quite a tough job looking after the other children from this standpoint. Certainly a small number... ah, except for the cks. The cks started with dozens. Anyway, the dragons started with a small number, but now there are hundreds of dragons spreading their wings in this world. Therefore, a tremendous amount of work was pouring down on me, who was mediating these children. "If it''s not a serious matter, can''t you resolve it through conversation? What was it. If Thetis and Shamash could just talk it out...." Ah, no. That wouldn''t be resolved. Because they were made from my scales, the children sided with those who had the same scale color as themselves. Anyway, I was the only one who could listen to the children''s words from a neutral standpoint. So today, too, I was being troubled by the children. "Mother! Please return to your original form! Let''s show your shining beauty to the other children!" "It''s bothersome. And my body is too big and gets in the way." Since I''m twice as big as thergest, Sagar. Honestly, it''s hard to sit calmly with that body. And more importantly, being in this human form allows me to reminisce about being human. Yes. If humans are born someday... it would be nice to live among them. Ah, but I also have to do something about these horns. Even if I transform, the horns remain, which is quite troublesome. "Or... how about you try transforming into this form?" "Me? Transform?" Shamash was astonished by my words. Is that really something to be astonished about? "How could I give up this shining beautiful body and transform into such a fragile-looking form? That''s ridiculous!" "Fragile-looking... Even in this form, I''m much stronger than you are now." Even in a human form, the essence of the body is dragon. That strength doesn''t just disappear. Honestly, even in this form, I could easily defeat Shamash in a fight. The dignity of the strongest being in the world. Ahem. Hmm... Is it because the human form looks like a child? I feel like my mental age is getting younger. Is it just my imagination? "Or, do you dislike it because your beauty will disappear if you transform into this form?" "M-My beauty disappear? That''s impossible! I''m beautiful in any form!" Shamash confidently dered. Indeed, Shamash''s golden shining form is beautiful. I''m curious about what a human form would look like. "Well, then... gather your magic power... and transform into the same form as Mother..." Shamash gathered her magic power, struggled for a while, and then began to transform with a small light. And the transformed Shamash''s appearance was... "A blonde beauty." Somehow, it seemed like the blonde beauty shouldugh with an "Ohoho!" "Right? Ah, you mean it''s beautiful! That''s what you mean!" "Yes. That''s right." A blonde young girl. Somehow, it seemed like she would suit having her hair curled with a curling iron into a bun. "Hmm... Even in this form, I am indeed beautiful!" "Shamash. Why don''t you tryughing with an ''Ohohoho''?" "Huh? Ah, yes. Ohohohoho!" As expected, it was augh that suited her very well. The feeling of a blonde nobledy. Hmm. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Hmm... Even this form of mine is quite beautiful! Mother was too small and cute, though." "That''s what I''m saying." I looked like a child, while Shamash appeared to be a teenager, not far from adulthood. I''m older, but... I don''t understand why there''s such a difference. Really. "Being small has its own advantages, I suppose. It seems like I could enter ces I normally couldn''t." "Hmm. It''s more convenient than I thought." Being in a human form is pleasing to the eyes as well. Honestly, while the dragon form is cool... seeing it too much gets a bit old. Yep. And so, starting with Shamash, transforming into a human form became a trend among the other children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Time continued to pass, and the number of dragon children gradually increased. I was worried thend might not be enough with so manyrge dragons, but nowadays, living in human form has be the standard, so it was more manageable than expected. And by living as humans, an unexpected change urred that I hadn''t anticipated. "Krruk." "Hm? Ah, you''vee." The human form seemed to have been a significant stimulus for the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs of smaller size began to mutate into forms closer to humans. These human-like dinosaurs... conveniently called lizardmen, turned out to be quite intelligent creatures. They knew how to use tools and make fire... roughly the intelligence level of primitive humans. Lizardmen appeared before humans... Is this a conspiracy of the reptilians?! Well, just joking. "What brings you here today?" "Krruk. Shk! Shk!" Lizardmen, who had changed in admiration of the dragons transformed into humans, still had a mouth structure not quite suitable for speakingnguage, making sounds closer to cries. What was held in its hand was a small flower. "Hmm, is this for me?" "Krru! Kruup!" "Thank you." I smiled and epted the flower given by the lizardman. A small white flower. Amon little flower that bloomed around here, but receiving it as a gift made me very happy. "Then I must give something in return. What do you wish for?" "Krruk. Kruu!" The lizardman handed me something it carried with its tail. A broken stone spear. A spear with a de made of shiny ck obsidian. "Hmm. A broken spear, I see. Do you wish for it to be repaired?" Though it couldn''t speak, the lizardman nodded slightly in agreement. I didn''t know what had caused it to break, but it must have been an important item to this lizardman. I took the spear handed to me by the lizardman. Hmm. What should I do to fix it? Well, the answer is simple. I raised my magical power and wrapped the spear with it, then used magic. Well, although the system of magic hasn''t been fully developed yet. I could still use fragmentary magic as much as I wanted. The magic I''m using now is... a very simple time reversal magic. Simple as it may be, even when I tried teaching it to other dragons, they couldn''t use it! Well, since it''s a magic based on my special privilege, maybe it''s to be expected. The broken spear shaft automatically clung together, and the crack that had formed slowly disappeared. And not long after, a spear with no trace of having been broken waspleted. And an additional bonus. I cast a time freeze magic on the spear so it wouldn''t break again. "Here, it won''t break again. Use it well." "Krruk! Khuff! Khuff!" The lizardman, extremely happy. Seeing it so purely happy makes me happy too. Compared to the dragon children whose personalities have started to worsentely... This is nice. Definitely. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The treasure of the lizardman. The ancient obsidian spear is a sacred treasure given by the legendary Creator Dragon to the ancestors of the lizardmen. ording to legend, the ancestor of the lizardmen offered a white flower to the Creator Dragon and received the magic-infused obsidian spear. Due to the magic, the obsidian spear never dulls, and its shaft never breaks under any attack. What magic the Creator Dragon cast on the spear is still a matter of debate, whether it''s simply a strengthening magic or an abnormal effect by primitive magic, and it is said that even the dragons, masters of magic, do not understand this magic. The ancient obsidian spear is still passed down to this day and serves as a treasure of the lizardman race, handed down from generation to generation to the representative and the chief of the major tribes. - Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons. Chapter 12: Age of Dragons (7) Chapter 12: Age of Dragons (7) There was a problem. Not a minor problem... but rather a serious one. "Doesn''t it seem like there have been more dragons aroundtely?" "Not just a few." I add a word to Ifrit''s grumbling. It was fine when it started with just me alone, and then there were seven children born from self-aware nature, and from their scales, dozens of dragons were born... But now, hundreds of yearster, dragons have been pairing up andying eggs, and before we knew it, their numbers had nearly reached the thousands. "I never imagined that the extinction crisis of dinosaurs woulde not from a meteorite but from dragons." The dragons born after me and the seven children were originally transformed from dinosaurs, so they couldn''t escape the limits of being a creature.Simply put, they were creatures that had to eat to live. Dragons, needing to consume arge amount of food to maintain their huge bodies. Thousands of such dragons were spreading their wings over thisnd. Naturally, their prey was therge dinosaurs that were mostmon on thisnd. It''s probably a relief that they don''t touch the smaller dinosaurs, lizardmen, or the few small mammals. Well, with the size of dragons, eating such things wouldn''t even make a dent in their hunger. "I''m worried about the decreasing number of dinosaurs. But I can''t tell the children to starve." "I''ve heard that there are dragons starving due to being pushed out of the foodpetition. They came to me asking for help, so I used magic to turn arge rock into meat..." It was the first time I used transformation magic to turn a stone into meat. I used it because I felt sorry for the children clutching their hungry bellies... Honestly, the meat wasn''t very tasty. It was lean and tough. But the hungry children devoured it anyway. "We have to do something, right? At this rate, all the children might starve to death..." I understand that something needs to be done, but how? Should I scatter new creatures here? No, the ecosystem that''s finally stabilizing would be chaotic again. Well, it''s already chaotic with dragons rampaging... Hmm... Maybe it doesn''t matter? No, there could be other problems. Let''s leave that as ast resort. If it''s not a simple creature like a slime, there will definitely be problems. Then... would it be better to transform the dragons? But transforming a creature that''s already been created is a very tricky task. It''s not impossible... but honestly, I don''t want to. If only these children could photosynthesize like trees, it would be so much easier. Wait, photosynthesis? "Did youe up with a good idea?" "I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but... a small idea hase to mind." I''m not sure if it will work, but it''s an idea worth trying. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dragons are creatures. But at the same time, they are beings that received scales from self-aware natural phenomena. From such a birth background, I thought of one solution. To put it simply. [If there''s no meat, why not eat magical power?] That''s the conclusion. Dragons are physical beings. And at the same time, they are children of natural phenomena. Therefore, they can be seen as half natural phenomena. What if we utilize the magical power that has be quite abundant in this world? If we can maintain the body through magical power and minimize eating? If we can use magical power as a nutrient to maintain the body? "Therefore, I would like you to teach your children the magic of transforming their physical forms." I gathered the seven children and broached the topic. I exined that the situation was so dire that dinosaurs might be extinct, and if dinosaurs go extinct, most dragons wouldn''t be okay either. "Was the situation that serious?" "Yes. There''s a limit to how much meat I can distribute. It would be better to teach magic to substitute the body with magical power, given the current situation." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "I had no idea the situation had deteriorated to that extent..." I nodded slightly at Thetis''s words. After all, the sea, where Thetis and the blue dragons resided, was teeming with countless numbers of fish. The story was different from thend, where dinosaurs were facing extinction. Well, some dragons driven by hunger did go to the sea to catch fish and ended up shing with the blue dragons... But that was just a cute quarrel. "But for the children to maintain their bodies with magical power... Is that even possible, Mother?" "There''s no reason it couldn''t be." I replied briefly to Erebus''s words. After all, Erebus wasrgely responsible for how things had turned out. Thanks to him creating dragons until almost all the scales on his neck had fallen off, the number of dragons had increased the most among the ck dragons. If Erebus had restrained himself a bit, the situation might not have been so serious. "Ahem. Then let me start the exnation." I began to exin the magic I wanted to convey to the children. Magic is a power of infinite possibilities that changes ording to will. If you can handle that power well, nothing is impossible. Well, what you can do with magic varies depending on your own amount of magical power. But let''s skip that for now. "The magic I''m going to teach now is to minimize the biological elements that dragons possess and increase the proportion of natural phenomena. It also involves transforming the heart to collect magical power through breathing." "Transforming the heart, is that really okay?" "In theory, there should be no problem." In fact, this magic was inspired a bit by the concept of a dragon heart I saw in a fantasy novel. With the massive amount of magical power that dragons naturally possess, plus the magical power that umtes in the heart over time, the body will be maintained automatically. Unless it''s a newly hatched hatchling, it should be fine to eat the bare minimum. Newly hatched hatchlings, well, there''s no helping it! They have to be fed meat! "If we don''t act now, it''ll be toote, so we need to hurry. Understand?" "Yes. Well, if the children can live without eating like trees, they''ll be happy to be more like me." At Yggdrasil''s words, the other children and I burst intoughter. After all, Yggdrasil was the World Tree itself. "Now, you''ve all memorized the magic I taught you, right? Then use it on your children without missing a single one. Just by using this magic, your children will no longer have to go hungry." With that, my children set off to use the magic I taught them on their offspring. With this... I hope we can dy the extinction of dinosaurs a bit. I wish dinosaurs could survive far into the future. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After some time had passed. The effects of the magic I taught were exceptionally great. For the dragons who no longer needed to swallow food, eating became not something they had to do to survive, but a leisure activity to enjoy the taste. The incidents of two dragons fighting bloodily over a piece of meat also decreased. The lizardmen also reduced their need to hide from dragons hunting dinosaurs. Especially the lizardman... no, the Lizardman Chieftain, who inherited the spear I enchanted. Anyway, that lizardman was quite pleased. The meat of arge dinosaur was a special treat that could feed the entire tribe with just one hunt, but they couldn''t dare to hunt because the dragons were ughtering and devouring the dinosaurs. Thanks to this, the lizardmen were thriving more and more, and they began to evolve from a hunting-based tribal life. They started to create a primitivenguage, and not just hunting, they also showed signs of entering a sort of agricultural society. And the most surprising thing was that they began to build structures that looked like temples. The deity worshiped in that temple was... well, naturally. It was me. Specifically, they were worshiping the name Creator Dragon God. It was a name that felt very much like something out of a teenager''s fantasy... But what could I do? It had be an inseparable name. Now, I had entered an enjoyer mode. Ah, right. That''s true. The magic that transformed the dragons worked almost perfectly... but there was one unexpected side effect. Now that the dragons had be half biological and half natural phenomenon, with about 1-2 parts biological and 8-9 parts natural phenomenon... for some reason... The dragons wereying eggs very rarely. Was it because their natural phenomenon increased? Or was it because their lifespan increased, leading them not to have offspring? The annual birth rate among dragons dropped sharply, and soon there were situations where not even 10 dragons were born in a year. This is scary... Chapter 13: War of the Dragons (1) Chapter 13: War of the Dragons (1) The decrease in dragon birth rates had several causes, but the biggest reason was the dragon''s arrogance. When they were living beings, their instincts would have whispered to them the need to leave offspring, but now, about 80% of their existence had transcended biological life. It was natural. Still, since the dragons'' lifespans had increased... even if the annual birth rate decreased, they could somehow maintain their poption. But. "How lonely..." Lately, the number of childrening to see me had started to decrease. The asional lizardmen visits had now dwindled to just once a year to offer meat. Only the seven children who had received my scales came to visit asionally. Is this what it feels like to be an old man in the back room?At least, it wasforting that the overall environment was starting to stabilize. The number of dinosaurs, which had been on the brink of extinction, was slowly recovering, and the friction and disputes among dragons were decreasing... Well, they''re noting to me, so it must be decreasing, right? The number of lizardmen was increasing, too. It would be nice if mammals diversified at the right time and primitive humans appeared. Hmm.... Thus, I spent my time leisurely, observing the overall situation of the world, and soon felt a bit sleepy. After all the tiresome events, it''s only natural to feel sleepy. Yes. I wrote a note in the cave where I lived, saying I was going into hibernation for a while, and then moved to the top of a high mountain to dig out arge cave. Here, I wouldn''t be disturbed by others. And so, I began my first hibernation. Well, even though it was hibernation, only my body slept, and my mind was awake. This time, I should thoroughly check out the inte of other worlds. Time seems to fly by. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - How long had I been asleep? "War!!!" Suddenly, a loud roar reached the top of the mountain where I was sleeping. War? What sudden war? Had aliens invaded? Or had a transcendent octopus-headed monster awakened from the abyss? If not... could it be? Due to my long sleep, my body had stiffened, and it took me slowly moving to loosen up. Ugh... How long had I been asleep? It took me days just to loosen up my body. Once my body moved smoothly, I leapt out of the cave where I lived, flew into the sky, and saw. "What is this?" Numerous dragons were flying in the sky, breathing fire at each other. "What in the world is happening?" A dreadful scene where they not only breathed fire but alsoshed with tails and tore each other''s scales with teeth and ws. Most of the attacks were on the children of ck, with Red, Gold, and Blue mainly attacking ck. It was a chaotic situation. In the midst of this. Kwaang!!! A me suddenly flew in from somewhere and hit my face, exploding. Hmm, slightly warm. "A giant silver dragon...? Could it be?!" "Could it be the Creator Dragon God who disappeared hundreds of years ago?!" "Creator Dragon God or whatever! Don''t stop attacking! This time, we''ll burn all the cks!" "Creator Dragon God, what a tacky name!" "It''s just an old thing that''s fallen behind the times! The world already belongs to us ck dragons!" Tsk. These brats have such foul mouths. What insolent lizard brats. A not-so-enlightening time to see how poorly the seven children have been educated. "What do we do about the Creator Dragon God?!" "I don''t know! Just counterattack!" "Breath! Dodge it!!" Once again, the breath of fire is hastily dodged by the children of ck. And the missed breath hits me once again. Kwaaaaaaa!!! A breath of fire that could melt rocks intova in an instant. But to me, it was just a slightly warm breath. However, the problem wasn''t the damage from such attacks. How dare. They. Breathe fire at me? I looked at the Red dragon that had breathed fire at me. A considerablyrge dragon. Not an immature young dragon, but one that had been an adult for a long time. I slowly pped my wings and approached the Red Dragon. "Hi-hiieeek?!" The Red Dragon, perhaps frightened by my approaching figure, kept breathing fire. However, such lukewarm mes couldn''t even make me feel a slight warmth. "These kids these days... have no manners. Breathing fire at their elders like that." As I got closer, the Red Dragon panicked and tried to flee with its wings. But. "Slow." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I was much faster in grabbing the Red Dragon''s face than it was in escaping. "Ifrit has really messed up the education of these young ones. What a pitiful sight." "Kh, khoughh!" The Red Dragon struggled to escape from my forepaw, but its feeble resistance couldn''t even affect one of my ws. "Do you want to die?" "Uuuugh...." Something twisted inside the grip of my hand. And the groaning of the Red Dragon slowly lost its shape and flowed away. I sighed softly while looking at the Red Dragon and then spread my forepaw. The Red Dragon, now with a bloodied head, fell lifelessly. "......" Silence descended on the battlefield. All eyes were focused on me, and not a single noise could be heard. I spread my wings and headed elsewhere. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - My former home, the cave I used toe to when the dragons had a dispute. My home before hibernation. The cave waspletely blocked due to the mountain copsing from the war. The temple of the lizardmen located near the cave was already in ruins. The temple that the small lizardmen had diligently built by stacking stones had now turned into a pile of rubble. I sighed softly and looked up at the sky. A chaotic scene of giant dragons fighting in the air, attacking each other. The aftermath was destroying the ground. Giant trees were burning and copsing, numerous dinosaurs and animals were losing their homes and dying while trying to escape, and small animals were digging burrows to survive in a hellish scene. Amidst such a scene, I let out an annoyed sigh and said softly. [Stop] Unknowingly, magic was imbued in my sincere words, and the dragons that my voice touched stopped moving and plummeted to the ground. A slight annoyance is rising. What exactly happened for these immature ones to wage war? "What is this?!" "My body won''t move...!" Looking down at the dragons that had fallen and created dozens ofrge craters, I swallowed my annoyance and said. "What happened while I was asleep? You there. Speak." I spoke to the ck Dragon groaning in pain in one of the craters, and the ck Dragon looked up at me and said. "Creator Dragon God...! Please withdraw your killing intent!" "I didn''t harbor any killing intent, though." "Then why can''t we move our bodies?" Well, why indeed? Perhaps it''s because I was rudely awakened by the noise from a nap, only to find the world I had been tending to shattered by these grandchildren-like creatures waging war? Well, it must be because of the one sincere word I spoke. I spoke sincerely again. [Move] Then, the dragons that had been struggling to move were freed. "Why did this happen? Exin slowly." "Well, it''s a very long story if I start talking..." "Summarize it shortly." "The insolent Gold Dragon attacked our hatchlings! One hatchling was sacrificed!" What? The hatchlings? In a situation where the birth rate is already disastrously low, and each one is precious? "You there, Gold. Is what he said true?" "Well, that''s..." "Speak clearly." "We did attack the hatchling, but... ck first expanded their territory excessively and invaded ours!" So, ck messed up the territory first, and Gold attacked the hatchling in anger because of that? Then why did the others get involved? "You there, Red. Blue. Why did you join the fight?" "Because ck was wrong! We couldn''t just watch ck cause chaos with their numbers!" "It was so bad that ck even reached out to the sea. This is unfair!" Hmm... So, it''s ultimately a matter of territory. I let out a small sigh. [Erebus. Shamash. Ifrit. Thetis. Sylphid. Sagarmatha. Yggdrasil. Appear before me.] I called the names of my seven children, and the children whose names were called were summoned before me. "Ugh?! M-Mother?!" "What is this...? Mom?!" The children, suddenly summoned, were surprised to see me. "Exin. What happened while I was asleep?" Seeing my angry appearance, the seven children found it difficult to speak. Chapter 14: War of the Dragons (2) Chapter 14: War of the Dragons (2) The children, who had been rolling their eyes here and there as they saw me looking very angry, slowly opened their mouths. "T-That''s..." "It''s just that. The children were a bit wild..." "We couldn''t stop the children''s rampage from the moment the hatchling died. Sorry, Mother." "Ah! Erebus! That''s mean!!!" "Sagar and I were neutral, but we couldn''tpletely stop the children from jumping into the fight on their own." "Yeah. Yggdrasil too." "But everyone has experienced an invasion of their territory by the ck dragons at least once, right? I think Erebus isrgely to me." Is the problem the invasion of territory, or is it the killing of the hatchling?Of course, both are big problems. Big indeed. But that doesn''t mean it''s okay to start a war where they kill each other. I let out a big sigh, and with that sigh, mes burst forth right in front of where the children were standing. "So, who is going to take responsibility for this?" "Well, that''s..." It felt like I could hear their eyeballs rolling. Do they understand that they did something wrong? Or are they just trying to avoid my anger? Either way, it doesn''t change the fact that I need to scold these children. "Invading the territory of the ck dragon children is wrong, but it is a mistake that can be forgiven and the territory can be returned. However, I think harming the hatchling is an irreversible mistake." Erebus spoke calmly. Certainly, his words are correct, but why does it feel like he''s trying to avoid his own mistakes? Is he trying to hide a small mistake behind a big one to escape the situation? However, the other children couldn''t make any other excuses to Erebus''s words. "Do you all think so too?" "That is..." "Certainly, that might be the case..." At the point where they couldn''t properly refute, the answer was already decided. So. "How sad..." The dragons who waged war, the seven children who couldn''t properly control such children, and I, who had been asleep without knowing such things were happening. Everything was just sad andmentable. "When exactly did the hatchling die?" "That''s... about a month ago." Erebus hesitated before answering my question. A month... It hasn''t been that long. I took out a pocket watch that could turn back time. "If we could make all this never have happened, would the war disappear?" "What? Make it as if it never happened?" "Mother...? I have a bad feeling about this..." I pressed the button on the pocket watch and quickly rewound the hands. One turn for 12 hours. Two turns for a day. After winding and winding, the pocket watch showed a time about a month ago. "Let''s return this world to before the mistake was made. That would be alright, wouldn''t it?" "Mother?!" I let out a small sigh and closed the lid of the pocket watch. [Seeking agreement from the past point.... The past point has agreed. Would you like to rewind time? Y / N] Unlike when I tested it on myself, I''m rewinding a world with other children and dragons.... But it''s better than leaving this detestable war alone. Thus, the world began to rewind. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I forced my body, which was not moving well due to a long hibernation, to move. My whole body was stiff, not just sore, but I couldn''t just stay still. Why would I have rewound time if not to prevent the mistake before it was made? "Huuuu..." I summoned the children while loosening my stiff body. [Erebus. Shamash. Ifrit. Thetis. Sylphid. Sagarmatha. Yggdrasil. Appear before me.] Then, the children suddenly appeared in the cave where I was sleeping. A sudden summoning. Since they had no experience with such an event, all the children looked bewildered. "Mother?!" "Mom?! Weren''t you asleep?" "That''s what I thought. It seems I can''t sleep peacefully." I said, forcing my stiff body to move. I had to prevent the war, so I couldn''t use my stiff body as an excuse. "I want to establish one rule for you all." "What? A rule all of a sudden?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Calling us out of the blue, and now a rule... Mother, you seem different than usual, somewhat strange..." "There is a reason. A reason." I can''t just say I saw the future and rewound time. And looking at the children''s reactions... it seems their memories from before the rewind are gone. Well, does it matter? "It''s a rule that should have been established before but before it''s toote, before a big problem arises, I think I need to tell you." "A big problem? What kind of problem are you talking about?" "It''s a rule about hatchlings." At my words, all the children tilt their heads in confusion. "Hatchlings?" "Why suddenly hatchlings, Mom?" These children don''t know what will happen in the future, so they react this way. So, even if it''s a bit forced, I have to establish the rule. Isn''t it better than letting a war happen? "After my magic changed the dragons, the act ofying eggs and raising hatchlings has not decreased, has it?" At my words, the children nod their heads. They all must be feeling the drastically reduced birth rate. So. "I will establish a rule that harming these hatchlings is prohibited, and if someone injures or takes the life of a hatchling, all dragons, regardless of scale color, must unite to exterminate the perpetrator." Only by speaking this strongly can we prevent future incidents of harming or killing hatchlings. "Who would harm a hatchling?" "If they were in their right mind, they wouldn''t do such a thing." Well, what about that? If they were in their right mind, would they have killed a hatchling and waged a war before time was rewound? How deep must the emotional rift between the dragons have been for them to take such irrational actions? It was difficult for me to understand. "Anyway, spread the word to the other children. If anyone harms a hatchling, they will not be forgiven." Even if it''s another dragon. I will not leave any room for war to be used as an excuse. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - That''s how all the problems were solved. Or so I thought I had.... "Why would you engage in such a fight..." A localized fight between ck dragons and red dragons. As a result, two ck dragons and one red dragon lost their lives, and many others were injured, some severely. I caught the perpetrators of the fight and asked them why. "But those ck ones were so annoying!" "The red ones started the fight, how could we not respond? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Attack for an attack." The red ones and the ck ones screaming at each other, each iming they were right or better. Just shouting and being annoying, it felt like a thousand fires were burning inside me. "And to engage in a fight like this..." I rubbed my throbbing head and sighed. When they killed a hatchling, I could press down on them with rules and such, but stopping these big and small disputes was not easy. No, to those children, the hatchling was just an excuse for war. Even without killing a hatchling, dragons were resentful, using various excuses to engage in big and small fights. Despite my presence as a deterrent, dragons sneakily avoided my warnings, growling and escting their disputes with each other. No matter how much I try to stop the fights, these cunning dragons ignite mes where my gaze doesn''t reach. Sigh... I just want to smash everything. Drop a meteor and wipe out everything, dragons and all. But I can''t do that. At least, in my position, responsible for spreading life on thisnd, I can''t do something so irresponsible. Then, should I rather subjugate all the dragons and oppress them under numerous restrictions? [The future point wants to rewind time. Would you like to synchronize with the future point? Y / N] Eh. What''s this now? Could it be that this appears when I rewind time from the future to the past? Wait, rewind time again? From this point?? I carefully pressed Y with my finger. [What is the Creator Dragon! Isn''t it rather a dragon that destroys the world!] [It can''t be... Even with all the dragonsbining their powers, they can''t win...!] [Mother¡­] [How sad. So very sad¡­] The memories of the future flow into my mind. At the end of my attempts to control the arrogant and proud dragons, there was nothing but ruins where no life survived. The seven children also had their scales taken away and returned to natural phenomena, and a miserable future where all the dragons who tried to resist despaired and took their own lives. Dinosaurs, lizardmen, small mammals, all disappeared, and I, who had decided on oppression, only shed tears over the devastatednd. That''s probably why I turned back time. Chapter 15: War of the Dragons (3) Chapter 15: War of the Dragons (3) I can''t oppress them. I can''t persuade them either. What should I do with those arrogant dragons who think they are above the sky? How can I control those who cannot be controlled? At that moment, a sh of lightning crossed my mind. If they won''t listen to me, why not have them listen to those they would listen to! After all, there are children who are perfect for the job! [Erebus. Shamash. Ifrit. Thetis. Sylphid. Sagarmatha. Yggdrasil. Appear before me.] "Mother?! Did you call us again?!""Please stop calling us with this! I get dragged away from other things!" "Uh... I''m Fine." "Sagar and I always have time. You can call us anytime. But what''s the matter all of a sudden?" I pointed silently at the red and ck dragons. Seeing the dragons covered in wounds, Ifrit and Erebus''s expressions hardened. "These children have fought, and some dragons have died." "Uh, mom? The kids might be a bit willful, but... maybe it''s okay for kids to fight a bit?" "What kind of children fight to the extent of taking each other''s lives? Especially when the dragon birth rate is plummeting, and their numbers are decreasing. To try and kill each other over trivial disputes..." I sighed deeply and said. "At least I made a rule not to harm hatchlings... That way, the newly born could be protected. Without such a rule, those reckless ones would have surely killed the hatchlings." It was also something that escted into a war. "Anyway. Since I can''t suppress all the children, you''ll have to take responsibility for your own." "Us? Those troublemakers?" "My children are rtively obedient... but what if other children start trouble?" "Obedient? The ck dragons? Those who are insanely increasing their numbers?!" "Yeah! The cks being obedient? Impossible!!! There are so many of them! Recently, among the newly born hatchlings, only the cks are in double digits! That''s unfair!" "It''s not unfair. It''s just that dragons of other colors are less proactive in increasing their families." Well, about half of the hatchlings are ck dragons, though. "Anyway, since they are children born from you, you should properly manage them. I can''t manage all the children." "Is there something even Mother can''t do?" At Erebus''s words, I sighed. "That''s right. I thought about forcibly managing them a few times, but it only led to destruction." "De...struction?" "No, it''s nothing." No need to mention rewinding time from the future. "And... if you don''t manage properly, I''ll give you a penalty. I should have done this sooner..." "What? Us? Suddenly?!" "Oh my... That would be troublesome for Erebus, who has many children, right?" "Um... My kids. They''re well-behaved." "My children too. They don''t fight unless provoked. It should be fine." Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha''s children rarely cause problems, so it should be fine. The biggest issue is with the cks and reds... but I have no choice but to leave that to those two. "Mother. If we manage our children properly, instead of punishing us for failing, will you reward us?" "Hm? A reward?" At Erebus''s words, I was momentarily speechless. I hadn''t thought of that? Hmm... Alright! "For the next 100 years, to the parents of children who do not kill other dragons..." The children''s eyes focused on me. With eyes full of expectation for what woulde out of my mouth. Eyes that were slightly burdensome. "Just one thing. I''ll grant anything. As long as it''s within my power." At those words, all the children looked at me with surprised eyes. What? Is that so surprising? "A...Anything?" "Are you serious, Mother?" "Yeah! Mom! You shouldn''t say such things lightly!" "Mom! You should take care of your body!!!" "Uh... I disagree...!" "Oh my... What''s going on!" Why is the atmosphere like this? Just granting one request, why is it such a fuss?? "Hmm... None of you are confident in managing your children, I see? Then, this contest is... my victory?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Shamash''s words, brimming with confidence, make all the other children bristle in unison. "That statement! We can''t just let it slide!" "This is why she is a golden glitter with no brain!" "I''m confident in managing my children!" Uh, well... do your best in managing? "By the way, the penalty will be confiscating the dragon scales I gave you." Upon my brief addition, the children''s expressions stiffen. What. Why. What. The scales I gave you. Since you''re not doing your job properly, I''ll confiscate them. Is there a problem with that? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thus, the not-a-bet I proposed, hoping the dragons wouldn''t kill each other, turned into... "Why has ite to this..." A war where they do nothing but not kill each other. "Surely! I said not to kill!!!! But why are they thinking of ways like plucking out wings! Or severing limbs! Or barely keeping each other alive!!!" I looked down at the dragons copsed at my feet with a wretched appearance. "Especially the ck dragons! Erebus!!! Intentionally provoking other dragons to induce attacks! Using your family in such a way!!!" I clutched my throbbing head. A war where lives are spared. A war where countless dragons try to tear each other''s limbs off. This... was not the oue I wanted. Above all, what infuriated me... was that even after rewinding time over and over, it converged to the same result. Even after rewinding time dozens, hundreds of times, changing conditions, adding prohibitions, stopping fights, the cunning children finding loopholes in the weak rules to start wars... made me feel dizzy. But to ban everything would be the same as oppression, leading only to destruction. Being unnecessarily smart, yet not listening at all. If I knew it would be like this, I would have just turned everything back to nothing... no, that''s not it. Right. Even if I''m angry, there are things I should and shouldn''t do. I sighed and healed the dragons rolling at my feet. I couldpletely regenerate their lost bodies, but doing so would only make them jump back into war. It was the same thing over and over again. Dragons drawing lines with the color of their scales, rejecting each other. Dragons considering only those with the same scale color as family, ignoring those of other colors. At this point, I even started to wonder if the existence of dragons was wrong from the start. No, I''m a dragon too... but I''m different from those children. So. Let''s just endure a little more. Just a bit more. The set period of 100 years. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In the ins where all dragons, except for the unknowing hatchlings and unborn eggs, are gathered. In the ins where all children, including Ifrit who lost his body after losing his scales, are gathered. I spoke softly. "I set a condition hoping you wouldn''t fight, but you all aimed to eliminate each other, eyeing only the reward." During the set period of 100 years, the children didn''t stop warring for even a moment. Not taking lives, that''s all. No, even that was vited when a red dragon killed a ck dragon, causing Ifrit to lose his scales and return to mes. The red dragons, having lost their parent, wandered without a ce to go and were now under my protection. "Mother... but..." "Shut up. Erebus. I did not give you the opportunity to speak." Erebus. Erebus... Clever Erebus. Cunning Erebus. Why use that brilliant mind to eliminate other children? To use your own family, your own children, as bait, as sacrifices to eliminate other children. I am so very sad. "Did I seem so insignificant in your eyes? Because I have always been a kind mother to you, did my words seem like they could be ignored?" The children do not answer. Despite having grown relying on my kindness, my goodwill, my heart... the children ignored my words, no different from seeking to spread their wings ording to their own will. "I did not want to be a scary and fearful parent, so I tried to be as kind as possible, to persuade with words as much as I could." In the clearing where all dragons are gathered. Dragons with healthy bodies and those with injuries. I let out a small sigh at the sight of dragons gathered ording to the color of their scales. Even in this situation where I am angry, still distinguishing each other by the color of their scales. "Now my patience has reached its limit. I have been patient for a long time, and even after rewinding dozens, hundreds of times, your foolishness keeps repeating, and I am sick of it." So. I will show you true fear. I will show you that you should have feared a much more powerful being than hating and fighting each other. Quietly, I used a magic I did not want to use. Summoning a meteor that was quietly orbiting in space, and casting it down upon this world with magic. Meteor. Meteorite fall. It was the moment when the cosmic strike that would destroy the world tore through the clouds in the sky and revealed itself. --- T/N: I will continue the chapters after umting a $15 donation for this novel from anyone. ?Well, I need to buy the something like membership to ess the raw chapters. $15 ACHIEVED, PLEASE WAIT, I WILL POST THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON The total amount will be umted, and those who donate will be whitelisted for the next chapters. This means that if there is a time-locked chapter, you will have free early-ess to it (only this novel). Chapter 16: War of the Dragons (4) Chapter 16: War of the Dragons (4) T/N: First of all thank you to :
  1. myfutureisbleak (Hahaha, How did you select that nickname out of all the possible nicknames you could think of?),
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  8. RayShift
Thank you to all of you. With your support, I can continue this novel, and we can all enjoy reading it. As mentioned earlier, if there are any time-locked chapters, the individuals listed above will have free early ess to them (only for this novel). If I have inadvertently missed mentioning anyone, please kindlyment and let me know. Let''s continue the story together! ¡ó¡ó¡ó The giant meteor piercing through the clouds. In the eyes of the dragons looking at it, there is astonishment, fear, despair. "Mo-Mother?! What is that?!""Mom?! Please calm down!!!" "My goodness¡­" I have never exerted such power before, to be forced to take such measures. "Mom! We were wrong!!! Please forgive us!!!" "So-sorry. Mom¡­" "If that falls, the world will be destroyed! Completely shattered!!!" The pressure of the giant meteor weighs down the world. The pressure is so great that even the robust bodies of dragons can hardly move under the immense pressure. Even though the meteor has not fully fallen yet, a huge crater begins to form on the in. Just the prelude is this severe, what would happen if the meteor actually falls? Of course, the world would be doomed. "You underestimated me too much, so I just showed you what I could do." "Mother?!" "Of course, I had no intention of actually letting the meteor fall." Because I do not wish for the destruction of this world. Just to show these foolish children a bit of my power. Ipletely dispersed the clouds and looked at the meteor revealing its true form. The giant meteor, burning red as it passes through the atmosphere. A meteor asrge as a mountain. If it falls, the crust would turned upside down,va from the ground would boil over, and the rocks and soil thrown up by the impact would be a giant dust cloud covering the world. But such destruction is not what I wished for. I gathered magic power in my mouth and blew it out forcefully. A silver breath. The nature contained within it¡­ annihtion. The breath of destruction that annihtes everything it touches. A streak of silver, reminiscent of the Milky Way, strikes directly at the giant meteor. "Mother''s breath¡­?" "How could such a breath deal with that meteor¡­!" The children''s eyes were still filled with despair. because it seemed no different than pouring a trickle of water on a massive wildfire, naturally. But. BOOM! As the breath hits the meteor, the situationpletely changes. The breath, like a chopstick piercing soft tofu, prates the entire meteor, then slowly spreads over and envelops it. The silver mist, which annihtes everything it touches and turns it back into magical power, erodes the meteor. In just a few seconds, numerous cracks spread from the silver hole, and the giant meteor, turns to silver and shatters into pieces and scatters. With not a fragment of the meteor left, the dragons were left speechless. "Have you forgotten who spread life in this world? Who gave you your bodies? If I wished, I could destroy this world by myself, but you just thought I would remain silent." Fear takes root in the children''s eyes. Astonishment. Dread. It''s already toote. Irreversible. But, perhaps this was for the best. "My children. Return the scales." I spoke softly. "You have failed to properly control your children. Failed to manage them. Until the moment my patience continued, you showed no results, merely exploiting the loopholes in the rules to cause trouble." I approached the children closest to me. Sylphid. "Return to the wind." "Mo-Mom!" As I removed the silver scale from Sylphid''s lower jaw, Sylphid''s body disperses into a gust of wind. Not dead or annihted. Just that the loss of the body caused the self to scatter. Like with Ifrit, over time, it will return to its original gust after a while. "Thetis." "M-Mom¡­" "Return to the sea." "N-No!!" Thetis shook her head, not wanting to return, but it was already toote. Haven''t you failed to properly heed my words? Haven''t I given you numerous opportunities? If you didn''t want to return, shouldn''t you have managed the children properly? Thetis, with the silver scale removed from her jaw, disperses into water. As this water flows and makes its way to the sea, it will awaken once again. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Sagarmatha." "Yes. Sorry. Mom." "Return to where you belong." Sagarmatha silently epted his punishment and handed over the silver scale without any resistance. Thus, Sagarmatha''s shining scale turned into dust and scattered. The forehead of the silent world will return to its original ce once again. T/N: Isn''t this a metaphorical phrase? "Yggdrasil." "I''m sorry, Mom. We should have done better¡­" "Regret is always toote. Return to your original form, a tree." I removed the scale from under Yggdrasil''s jaw, and Yggdrasil''s green scale turned into leaves of the same color and scattered. When buds sprout, leaves grow, and flowers bloom on Yggdrasil''s original form, a giant tree, it will awaken again. "Shamash." "Uh, Mom¡­" "Shamash." "I-I''m sorry. I am¡­. I am¡­." "Shamash." I called Shamash''s name three times, and then Shamash finally handed over the scale. "I''m really¡­ sorry¡­" "This is a punishment. A punishment for not properly managing your children." "Mom¡­" "And a punishment for me as well. For not properly managing you. Though our blood is not the same, it''s a punishment for taking away the bodies of my precious children." I removed Shamash''s silver scale, and Shamash disappeared into a dazzling light. And finally. "Erebus." "Mother." The child, like ck darkness, looked up at me. "Do you have anyst words?" "I''m sorry. I was too foolish. I was too impatient." "You shouldn''t have apologized to me. You should have apologized to your children." What must have been the feelings of children who had to be sacrificed for the greed of parents they trusted and followed? Yet, how must have those children felt, following their parents'' orders despite everything? That''s why I couldn''t just leave Erebus alone. Because he was smarter than the other children, a good child who longed for a family. I couldn''t just leave him alone. "Return to the darkness." I should have paid more attention. Could I have paid more attention than now? If I could turn back time, could I have achieved a better oue? I don''t know. It was unknowable. I was just tired. "Give me the scale." I reached for the scale under Erebus''s jaw. "Ugh!" Suddenly, there was an explosion of magical power from Erebus''s silver scale. "Erebus? What have you done now?" "I''m sorry, Mother." Was it because of the explosion? The silver scale under Erebus''s jaw was split into two pieces. "I''m really, really sorry." And then, Erebus disappeared into the shadows in an instant. "Erebus? Erebus?!" Even though I called his name again, Erebus did not answer. [Erebus! Show yourself!] Even though I called with sincerity and magical power, Erebus did not reveal himself. Did he not want his scale to be taken away that much? How could he have been so greedy? I just wanted to live peacefully with the other children. Where did it all go wrong? From the beginning? Was it when I gave the scales to the children? Or was it when those children wanted to share their scales with other dragons like me? I was just filled with regret. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Creator Dragon is a unique faith held by the Lizardmen. It is a primitive faith that believes that this world was created by a giant silver dragon, and that those whomit sins will be taken away by the Dragon of Destruction, who is the mate of the Creator Dragon. Schrs argue that the origin of this faith is the primitive dragon faith. They say that the origin of this faith is the era when countless dragons ruled the earth. To the primitive Lizardmen, who were the first inhabitants of the earth before humans, the existence of the strong and fearsome dragon must have been a god-like existence. And this faith in the Creator Dragon mentions the existence of the Dragon of Destruction, who ends everything. It says that when this world is filled with sin, the benevolent Creator Dragon will be disillusioned with everything and be the Dragon of Destruction, who will destroy the world. The Lizardmen say that the obsidian spear they received from the Creator Dragon is proof that the Creator Dragon existed. They say that in the era when countless dragons existed, the Dragon of Destruction opened its eyes due to the anger of sin and war. After that, the Lizardmen im that the Dragon of Destruction destroyed the majority of the dragons that had disappointed it, but schrs do not ept this im. The most likely exnation of the end of the Dragon Age is believed to be the destruction by a giant meteorite. It is imed that countless dragons burned their own lives to prevent a meteorite that would destroy this world from falling. This is imed to be evidenced by the results of dating the numerous dragon corpses excavated from dragon graves and the fact that the thick magicalyer created by the enormous magical power used to destroy the meteorite was created at the same time. This is currently the most epted theory. - The Lizardmen''s faith: The Creator Dragon and the Age of Dragons. Chapter 17: End of the Age of Dragons (1) Chapter 17: End of the Age of Dragons (1) The other children returned to natural phenomena, and even Erebus ran away. In such a situation, I looked at the other dragons. Dragons that had transformed from dinosaurs upon receiving the scales. The children born from those dragons pairing up prospered and were born as dragons. There were so many dragons that they covered thend. The majority of those dragons were bowing their heads in front of me. "Do you understand your wrongdoing?" I spoke in a low voice. But no answer came back. Even if there were thousands of mouths, no answer woulde out.If they knew they were wrong, they should stop. Why repeat the same mistake? Is it because they are living beings? Would they be satisfied if they shed their biological shell and abandoned the seven emotions to be beings without them? Then they could no longer be called living. I looked at the dragons with sad eyes. "What should I do with you? How should I ept your wrongdoing? I truly do not know. What exactly do you desire, to rot my insides like this?" If I don''t understand myself, how can I understand others? As I looked down at the dragons, one dragon in the front raised its head. It was the old blue dragon that first received Thetis''s scale. "I''m sorry, Creator Dragon." "I didn''t ask for an apology. What did you desire that you waged such wars?" Killing them all wouldn''t be difficult. But I didn''t want to. They were the children that my children made. The children that stemmed from those children. I didn''t want to take their lives. "We want to beplete beings." "Complete beings?" The blue dragon suddenly brought up a strange topic. "What do you mean byplete beings? Are you saying that you are iplete beings now?" "Shamefully... yes." "Huh..." That body? The body that flies freely, is strong and uses magic at will, and breathes powerful breaths? Is that iplete? "Why do you say it''s iplete?" "Although the Creator Dragon has enchanted us to a certain degree ofpleteness, we are trapped in the shackles of the body and have not achieved perfectpleteness. Our parents said that if they won the war, they would fulfill such a wish." "Shackles? The body?" The blue dragon quietly bowed its head. "How can a being that gets hungry over time, cannot resist sleep be consideredplete? Isn''tpleteness being in a state where nothing else is needed?" Ispleteness being able to exist alone without needing anything? "Just as the Creator Dragon, we too wish for suchpleteness." "You thought that waspleteness?" How foolish. To say that biological instincts are iplete. "Do you know what happens if you give up those things?" "We think we will be beings that rely on nothing, existing solely on our own." I took my eyes off the blue dragon, looked around, and spoke. "Do the rest of you think the same?" Surprisingly, a significant number of dragons agreed with the old blue dragon''s words. Really, did they believe that? Being without food, not sleeping, not seeing offspring ispleteness? In thepleteness that those dragons spoke of, I felt d¨¦j¨¤ vu. If that''spleteness, then I, and my seven children, areplete. Ah... is that so. These children saw their parents. They wished to be like their parents. They wanted to transcend and be beings beyond creatures. I nodded slightly. Was that the wish of these children? "Then, what do you wish to be?" "Just as the Creator Dragon transformed us, we wish to be transformed into even more perfect beings." Me transforming them... does that mean adjusting the ratio so that dragons can exist through magic? The current dragons are about 80%posed of natural phenomena. Are they asking to adjust that ratio to 100% natural phenomena? Do they understand what that means? Are they saying they want to give up being creatures? I became profoundly sad. "Do all of you think the same?" Then, a significant number of dragons nodded their heads. "Are there any among you who do not wish for this? Raise your hand." Then, a few dragons raised their hands. No, some were scolded by nearby dragons and lowered their hands again. How sad, and yet again, sad. "I understand. If that is your wish." I spoke without showing my sadness. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Those who do not wish for this,e behind me. There. Do not oppress another child. This choice must be one''s own. It should not be swayed by the will of others." Thus, a few dragons came behind me. Young dragons. Dragons that had just emerged from being hatchlings. "It''s only you guys." I said with sad eyes. "Why are you so sad?" "How could I not be sad?" Thepleteness these children speak of. It''s entirely different from what they imagine. How could I not be sad seeing them make a foolish choice without knowing that. If they had listened to me, there wouldn''t have been wars in the first ce. "Then, Let''s begin." After sending the young dragons behind me, I used magic on the dragons that were bowing their heads. I changed the ratio of natural phenomena and biological aspects inherent in the dragons, raising the ratio of natural phenomena from 80% to 100%. Then, the bodies of the dragons lying on the ground began to move this way and that. "Argh...!" "Cough! Kuhuk...!" "Kahak! Stop...!" The dragons screamed in pain. But what can I do? It''s about detaching the soul and mind entangled in the body. It wouldn''t be painless. That''s the price of leaving the body. The dragons wed at the ground. Their brightly colored scales became dirty with dust and dirt. Yet, the magic does not stop. When the heart stops, the flowing blood stops, and the body stops, then. The dragons were reborn as beings with only natural phenomena and spirit, leaving their bodies behind. [Is this...pleteness...] [What is this omnipotence... It feels like I can do anything now...] The dragons, freed from their bodies, were momentarily intoxicated by that power. Perhaps it''s the feeling of being freed from a heavy and bothersome body. How do they not realize that it was armor protecting their soul and spirit? The anomaly began small. [Hmm?] The bodies of the dragons transformed into various natural phenomena began to lose their form gradually. [Creator Dragon! Something is wrong!] [My body is scattering...!] I could only speak in a sad voice. "Did you not know how fragile a soul and spirit are without the armor called a body?" The body and spirit, the soul, are inseparably linked. If they were forcibly separated, what would happen? [Creator Dragon!!!! Please help us!!!!] [I didn''t wish for this!!!!] [I don''t want this... I don''t want to die!!!] "It''s not about dying." I said with a voice soaked in sadness. "It''s about transforming into a form that your souls can handle." Though my children received scales and gained power, that was based on their original bodies that were once dinosaurs. Once they left those strong bodies, they couldn''t maintain that power. The spiritual bodies of the dragons transformed into natural phenomena began to shrink to a suitable size. As time passed and all the power drained away, the dragons as natural phenomena became... small beings imbued with the pure energy of nature. Their appearance resembled their parents... almost like spirits. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Goddess of Life said to the foolish ones. "Do you truly think that by shedding that life, you will beplete?" To which the foolish one replied. "Indeed, we believe that by escaping the prison of the body, we will be whole beings." "Do you truly think so?" "Without a shred of falsehood, that is what we believe." The Goddess of Life, with sadness, took the hands of the foolish ones and asked again. "That body, that life, is not a prison that confines you but an armor that protects you, how can you reject it?" "How can armor evoke meaningless desires? By escaping this prison of the body, can we not free ourselves from all meaningless desires and beplete beings?" Realizing the foolish ones'' resolution was firm, the Goddess of Life understood she could no longer sway their will. "Does everyone think this way?" There was no answer. "Truly, does everyone think this way?" Again, there was no answer. "Onest time, I ask. Is this the will of all?" Then, among the foolish ones, twelve raised their hands. The Goddess of Life gathered them. And the Goddess of Life said. "Come behind me. Watch the oue of their foolishness." And with tears in her eyes looking at the foolish ones, the Goddess of Life took the life from their bodies. - Excerpt from the Church of Life. Chapter 18: End of the Age of Dragons (2) Chapter 18: End of the Age of Dragons (2) "O Creator Dragon God.... What on earth is this...." A dragon hiding behind me spoke. ording to the other dragons, it seemed to be quite shocked by their tragic state. "It''s the end of fools who thought they could be like their parents just because they received scales from them." Perhaps, if I had persuaded them more, this end could have been avoided. But how could I break their stubbornness, as tough as the tendons of a dragon? They would rather choose death than be broken. My persuasion would have been meaningless. "Do we... do we end up like this too?""If you give up your body and life." "How could this happen...." I let out a small sigh. "Do you know how special your ancestors... my children... the seven children were?" The children shook their heads at my words. "How many natural phenomena exist in this world. Don''t you see the specialness in the fact that only those seven awakened to self-awareness among them?" "Is that really so special?" "Of course it''s special." I nodded slightly and said. "Natural objects, natural phenomena, are originally beings that cannot possess self-awareness. But those children, through the miracle of magic, came to possess self-awareness. They were more special than any natural phenomenon on thisnd." Indeed, after those children gained self-awareness, no natural phenomenon could clearly possess a self-awareness, which would be the proof. "Then... their current form is...." "Conversely, it could be said that beings who had self-awareness have be natural phenomena." At least, having self-awareness allowed them to maintain even such small forms. But that only made the sight all the more pitiful. "Cr-creator Dragon God.... What happens to us then?" I looked at the twelve children huddled together, trembling slightly. Young children just out of hatching. Young dragons not yet tainted by hatred and anger. Perhaps, if I take good care of them... they might choose a different path from the foolish dragons. "I have gathered the young hatchlings and unhatched eggs elsewhere, let''s go there." As I stretched out my arm slightly, the children flinched. Fear was evident in their eyes. Of course, it couldn''t be helped. How frightening the things I showed them must have been. Showing them the destruction of the world, eradicating that destruction, and reaping the life from numerous dragons'' bodies. If this is not frightening, what is? "Be at ease. As long as you do notmit the same sins as they did, I will not do the same thing again." Only after such reassurance did the children harbor a weak sense of relief. I was too angry, too impulsive, and acted too harshly... but I will not do so anymore. There''s no need to stay here any longer, so let''s leave. But before leaving. I looked at the bodies of many dragons left on the in after their spirits and souls left their bodies. The lifeless corpses. I couldn''t just leave so many dragon corpses like this. I manipted magic to pull arge amount of soil from beneath the in, creating a huge cavity. Then, I caused a shock to the surface of the in, making the entire in disappear into the ground, dropping the dragons'' corpses into the giant hole. Finally, I sprinkled the soil pulled out when creating the cavity over the hole to finish. Let''s call it the dragons'' tomb for now. It might have been okay to leave it, but as their parent, I couldn''t just leave theirst moments unattended. It made me a bit sad... but this would be their conclusion. All other matters had been settled, but one anxiety remained in my heart. Where did Erebus go? What kind of tricks did you use that made you not respond to my summons? I looked at the empty space where Erebus had disappeared. Looking at the empty space, the sadness and emptiness of my most cherished child turning his back and running away washed over me. Should I turn back time? If so, to when? Even if I turned back to before the scales were stolen, could I see Erebus with the same eyes as before? I might be able to catch the child trying to run away because he didn''t want his scales stolen, but could I capture his heart? If I turned back even more time, I might be able to change the child''s mind... but I was too mentally exhausted to do so. I just want to rest a bit after everything ends... I want to give up on everything, but I can''t. So. I ignored the small anxiety nestled in a corner of my heart and moved through space with the twelve children. Now, I will open a new world with these young children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Dragon''s Tomb is one of the seven major prohibitions of the world and is presumed to be an area used as a tomb for dragons during the era of dragons that existed in ancient times. It is presumed that this area, originally a vast in, contains numerous dragon corpses buried within it, and depending on the situation, the intact bodies of dragons with bones and skin can still be excavated. However, this area is one of the seven most dangerous prohibitions in the world, and those who step foot here cannot guarantee their lives. The aura of death emanating from the numerous dragon corpses erodes the flesh of living creatures, stealing life, and bodies consumed by the aura of death soon be undead, craving life and moving. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Fortunately, the temples of the Church of Life surrounding this area prevent the aura of death from escaping, and therefore, one cannot enter the Dragon''s Tomb without their permission. If you, reading this, are confident in your abilities, why not take the test of the Church of Life and challenge this prohibition? Even obtaining a small bone or skin fragment could make you rich overnight. Of course, there''s also the possibility of bing undead and not making it back out. - A guide for adventurers exploring the world. Chapter of the seven major prohibitions of the world. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After that, well, I spent peaceful time teaching the young children. Since they were children not yet tainted by hatred and anger, it was a very positive result that I could instill at least some new morals in them. Including the hatchlings and newly born dragons... Hmm... Although the number is only in the tens, at least they''re not trying to kill each other, which is much more positive. As I was teaching various things to the young dragons, "Waaaaah!!! Mom!!!!!" Sylphid came crying. "Have you awakened?" "It''s not about my awakening!!! How could you do such a cruel thing!!! The children have all turned into small fragments of wind!!!" "That''s what those children wished for." If they hadn''t wished for it, they wouldn''t have gone that far. "Otherwise, did you wish for those children to bepletely annihted?" "No, how could that be?! I just feel sorry for the children...." "I may have been a bit too harsh on those children, but I have no intention of turning back." If I had any intention of turning back, I would have rewound time first. Of course, even if I rewound time, it wouldn''t have led to a different result. "Huwaaaah...." "I won''t return your scales either." "What?! Why?! I think I''ve been punished enough!" "A few years is hardly punishment. Unless something extraordinary happens, I have no intention of returning them." "Huwaaaah.... Mom, you''re too harsh...." "You''re the ones who are too harsh. How many times have you betrayed my expectations.... Sigh." I pushed Sylphid away with a p of my wings as she sulked. "If you truly wish to regain your scales, find Erebus. If you find that child, I will return your scales." Where could that guy be hiding... He''s not even properly summoned when I try. "Erebus?! If I find him, you''ll return my scales?! You promise?!" "Yes. I promise." I scratched the spot under my chin where scales were not present. The space the size of one scale... I had a feeling it would never be filled again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Krrr! Oh, Creator Dragon God...!" "Hm? Oh, you guys. You''re alive. And now you even speak." Not long after Sylphid came, a lizardman holding a spear I recognized came. Despite the surface being devastated by the foolish dragons'' war, they somehow managed to survive. In a situation where dinosaurs are almost extinct, these guys have somehow managed to survive. Did they survive by digging burrows underground? "Th-thank you for ending the era of dragons...!" Hmm, did I end it because I wanted to...? It feels more like it ended somehow. "It''s nothing. I just did it because those fools crossed the line." "W-We saw everything. The destruction of the world... We don''t want to see such... things anymore... Therefore, we will offer a sacrifice!" "Sacrifice?" Behind the lizardman, other lizardmen appeared. Lizardmen carrying chunks of meat from the now scarce dinosaurs, and a small lizardman bringing a bouquet of white flowers. "For a long time, it has been passed down... to offer sacrifices and hold rituals for the Creator Dragon God... It has been difficult, but we will not miss it anymore..." Hmm. That''s quite admirable. But there''s really no need to go to such lengths for a ritual. "Thank you. But just take the meat back with you." I said that and received the bouquet of white flowers. It was the same type of flower I had received when I fixed the lizardman''s spear before. "Offering me these flowers is enough. Take the meat back and eat your fill." I could eat it, but it''s not a must. It would be better to give it to the lizardmen, for whom not eating could be life-threatening. "How gracious you are!! Thank you! Oh, Creator Dragon God!!!" In a situation where there are hardly any dinosaurs left, such arge chunk of meat would hold great value. Perhaps, today would be a big festival day for them. "Today is a day to eat our fill!" See, it is a festival, isn''t it? The lizardmen started to head down with the meat in very excited steps. Watching the lizardmen, I brought the bouquet of white flowers to my face, and a slightly sweet smell tickled my nose. Seeing such innocent creatures made me feel like I could look forward to the future a bit. Chapter 19: The Dawn of Human Life (1) Chapter 19: The Dawn of Human Life (1) Time kept flowing. The dragons, seemingly intent on not repeating their past mistakes, lived together as amicably as possible. They even began early moral education for the existing hatchlings and those just emerging from their eggs, teaching them that dragons must not fight among themselves. They act this way because they remember how angry I get when simr problems arise. If fear can serve as a deterrent, I''m more than willing to y the viin. The lizardmen alsoe once a year to offer me flowers and hold festivals among themselves, showing a harmonious atmosphere. Their regr visits were quite endearing. The spirits, having lost their physical forms and scattered here and there, now live like carefree children, having forgotten what they once were. It''s too sad to call it the end of an era for the dragons. As for the rest... I''ve met each of the seven children, except for Erebus, who had returned to natural phenomena over time. Unlike Erebus, these children epted their mistakes. Well, that doesn''t mean I n to return their scales.I''ll consider it if Erebuses to me. Oh, and there''s been one problem. The dinosaurs have gone extinct. Their numbers drastically reduced during the dragon wars, and after the dragons disappeared, dinosaurs were pushed out by wyverns, drakes, and sea serpents, their numbers dwindling to the point of no return... Eventually, they vanished from my sight. Although descendants of dinosaurs have survived, they can no longer be called dinosaurs... like birds or various reptiles... They might be living somewhere out of my sight, but since they''re not on the surface, it''s right to consider them extinct. Hmm. It''s very sad, but it was inevitable. Not that the dinosaurs were bad, but it''s time for the age of mammals to begin. Oh, but thanks to their intelligence, the lizardmen are still surviving... With only a few dragons remaining, the world''s former rulers are gone. In such a situation, it''s about time for humans to make their appearance. It''s time to pass the baton of the era! Well, mammals are still only a bit bigger than mice, so there''s a long way to go! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Time flies quickly. I appointed one of the most mature dragons, who is well-followed by the others, as the leader of the dragons, the Dragon Lord, and outsourced the management to them. I left them in charge of overall management of the dragons, hatching of eggs, andmunal rearing of the young. Especially for hatching eggs andmunal rearing, I instructed them to pay attention, so they should do well. If they are born and grow up together, regardless of scale color, there should be no more wars drenched in blood. There have been cases where dragons of different scale colors paired up, but... well, it''s not particrly important. It seems that the offspring of mixed-scale dragons don''t mix colors but inherit one of their parents'' colors. It didn''t seem to be a problem. The overall natural environment was being maintained by the children who had returned to natural phenomena and the spirits, in a moderate manner. The small spirits, despite having forgotten about themselves, still remember or feel familiar with their parents'' energy, and they follow their instructions well. Thanks to this, the small spirits traveling around the world under their parents'' instructions, making this world more diverse, was an unexpected benefit. And the lizardmen, currently the only intelligent beings besides dragons, seem to have increased in number. The agriculture I taught them out of boredom turned out to be more sessful than expected, and the lizardmen''s poption was rapidly increasing. I slightly modified a nt simr to corn and gave it to them, and they managed to farm it well on their own. Considering the energy consumption, I also provided them with a bean-like nt. After a few farming attempts, they were alternating between corn and beans, which made me feel quite proud. And the much-anticipated mammals were... "Oooh! Eeek!" They had be monkeys. No, of course, but! Doesn''t it feel like the speed of evolution has slowed down a bit?! I understand that moreplex organisms evolve more slowly!!! Perhaps it''s fortunate that among those monkey-like mammals, intelligence has begun to sprout, as they''ve started to grasp branches and use them like tools. Hmm. That''s quite positive. Using tools will develop their forelimbs... hands, so they might evolve quickly. One concern is whether the lizardmen might hunt these mammals. But that worry has been resolved thanks to theirpletely different living environments. Well, since lizardmen are cold-blooded, they''re severely affected by the environment. Dinosaurs might have minimized external influences with theirrge bodies... but it seems lizardmen couldn''t. So, it seems difficult for lizardmen to live if the temperature or humidity doesn''t suit them. Hmm. That''s why lizardmen can''t spread all over the world, even though they''re physically quite strong. Ah, by the way, I''ve instructed them not toe and hold rituals for the Creator Dragon anymore. I asionally go into hibernation, and if the lizardmene to hold rituals during that time, they would be disappointed. Moreover, since the environment has changed due to the spirits, the lizardmen have also moved their base, anding to me would be a burden. I''ve decided to ept their intentions only. Just their intentions. But instead, I''ve taught the lizardmen a bit of knowledge. It''s nothing grand, but it''s the ability to resonate with spirits, which other creatures, except dragons, can''t even see. Lizardmen had almost no talent for magic, but whether it''s because of their excellent ability to interact with nature or because both dragons and lizardmen share themon root of being dinosaurs, they even managed to create a kind of sorcery that borrows power from interacting with spirits, which is quite positive, isn''t it? Ah, but the important thing isn''t the lizardmen. "kkiig! kkig!!" I watched the monkeys from a distance. They were picking fruits from trees and ying with other monkeys. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now How much time will pass before these creatures form a civilization? It felt like it would take quite a lot of time. "Mom. Were you watching those furry ones again?" "Hmm. I never get tired of watching them." Their every action feels like watching a pstickedy. It''s fun because they have a bit of intelligence. "The dragons were smarter..." "Were they so intelligent, they waged war?" T/N: Aw... "......" Sylphid couldn''t say anything else. With a sinmitted, and even if she had a mouth, she couldn''t speak. "Have you still not found Erebus?" "Yes. The other children became sullen and stayed quietly in their ces... but even when I went to the original cave where Erebus was, he wasn''t there. I wonder where he went..." A slight worry crept into my mind. I''m endlessly worried about what mischief that cunning child might be up to. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I fast-forwarded time a bit to observe the changes in the monkeys. Monkeys evolving in various directions. Some resembled goris, and others looked like chimpanzees. Though evolution has no direction, they''re really evolving in a haphazard manner. And such evolution wasn''t limited to monkeys but urred in other creatures as well. "Kyaaong!!!" "Quiet, you." I grabbed the head of an animal resembling a tiger that was rushing at me. A saber-toothed tiger, perhaps? A tiger with exceptionally long fangs. Surely the beginning of mammals resembled a mouse-like animal, but how could they evolve so rapidly? Even though I''ve expedited mutations and evolution, this seems a bit too rapid. Maybe it''s a good idea to control the evolution of creatures a bit once it''s on track. "Kyaaaooong!!!" The saber-toothed tiger, trying to bite and chew my arm as if to tear it apart. Look at this guy. It''s not even ticklish. I grabbed the saber-toothed tiger by the back of its neck and lightly tossed it, and with a scream of Kyaaaaaaaang!!!! it flew far away. Cats can fall from high ces without getting hurt, so throwing it like that shouldn''t kill it. It won''t die, right? Hmm. By the way... when will humans appear? It''s fun to see animals evolving in their own ways all over the world... but the really important humans are not appearing, it feels exactly like a gacha. A gacha where the character you want doesn''te out. While animals resembling bears appear, and animals like horses grow horns, and creatures like cows and elephants are emerging. Some monkeys, having grown a bit toorge to live in trees anymore, started living on the ground and began to evolve into a form simr to primitive humans. Hmm. Is this finally the appearance of primitive humans? I''ve waited quite a long time, but they''re finally appearing! Ah, wait a minute. There are monkeys starting to resemble humans in other ces too? At least 3 ces... and ces I haven''t checked... Hmm... Well, more would be better. It could be more diverse. Monkeys resembling humans scattered from the forest, spreading in all directions. What changes will ur where their steps reach? I harbored a small expectation in my heart. So, I began to watch over the world. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Despite many races denying it, it''s a clear fact that all races originated from humans. Excluding dragons and lizardmen, for whom there is clear evidence of existence before humans appeared, the origin of other races was human. Primitive humans, or primitives, adapted to various environments and changed, bing various races. Primitives who headed to the forest where the World Tree is became the ancestors of elves, and those who headed to the highest mountain in the world became the ancestors of dwarves. Only humans among the numerous races have maintained purity! Therefore! Humans must rule this world! It must be humans, excluding all other races!!! - Statement by a human supremacist. The human supremacist who made this statement was arrested and dragged away by the guards. --- T/N: BHAHAHAHAHA Chapter 20: The Dawn of Human Life (2) Chapter 20: The Dawn of Human Life (2) After bing capable of bipedal walking, humans were able to acquire two types of weapons. One was the two hands capable of holding tools. Instead of having sharp teeth or ws, holding long tools allowed them to attack other animals from a safer distance. Especially, throwing objects like stones as a form of long-distance attack enabled them to hunt muchrger animals. The other weapon was the endurance to run long distances continuously. Humans, having acquired remarkable endurance instead of instantaneous speed, hunted other animals by following them until they were exhausted. This also significantly expanded human territories by increasing their range of movement. Thus, with these two weapons, the poption of humans, as a species, exploded. This might seem like a good situation, but unfortunately, reality is harsh.The overcrowded poption led to problems with limited food, living areas, and so on. To alleviate the unbearable poption, some human groups began to expel members. Well, it''s only natural. They hadn''t even started farming yet. Fruits from trees weren''t always in season, and they weren''t always sessful in hunting. Moreover, they could lose their prey or even their lives if they encountered dangerous predators during hunting. Of course, if they were lucky, they could get a two-for-one deal on prey! But such cases were extremely rare. Usually, it ended with giving up on the prey. Anyway, humans expelled from their groups began to scatter around the world. Some couldn''t survive the harsh environments outside their groups and lost their lives, but not all humans met such a fate. After all, life is about adapting and changing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - When I first created slimes, I made them prone to frequent mutations and evolutions. And magic is a power that brings about change in response to will. When those twobined, creatures that had just emerged from the sea, like lizards, could undergo astonishing transformations into giant dinosaurs. "This change is a bit unexpected." I discovered a group of humans settled in a very cold forest. There were about fifteen of them. It was a considerable number for wandering humans, but fortunately, it seemed they had enough food thanks to the abundant prey in the cold but rich environment. But that''s not what was important. Humans. Giant humans. Humans that had grown two to three timesrger than other humans. I really don''t know if these creatures have a tendency to grow at any opportunity. Seriously. Their significantly increased size meant they needed much more food, making it a bit difficult to sustain the group... But the environment was rich enough, except for the cold, so maybe it didn''t matter much. The sight of giants pulling out trees to use as clubs and huntingrge animals looked more like human-shaped monsters than humans. Actually, looking at their current behavior, it hardly feels like they possess intelligence. Is it that if you have a huge and powerful body, you don''t need intelligence? Or is it the result of focusing all the necessary elements for evolution and mutation on physical enhancement? Well, either way, it doesn''t really matter. Having such giants is a uniqueness in itself. Oh, and perhaps influenced by these giants, the animals around here also started to increase in size. It might be the judgment that having a giant body, like the giants, is more beneficial for survival than a small body that could be crushed with a single blow. I was really surprised to see a deer as big as a giant. Of course, the deer''s head was smashed by the giant''s wooden club. For wild animals living in the fierce wilderness, weight and size were sufficient strengths on their own, but the food needed to maintain that size was a problem, so it was fortunate that the poption was small. I wondered if releasing suchrge creatures would cause chaos, but surprisingly, they didn''t spread far, seemingly heavily influenced by their environment. What was it... Ah, search search. The thing about animals growingrger in colder environments... Bergmann''s Rule? The tendency for animals to increase in size in cold environments? Anyway. I''m not sure if the same principle applies in this world. During the era of dinosaurs, there were no spirits, so the overall environment was warm. Perhaps it was thanks to the varied environments created by the spirits that I was able to witness such a scene. Anyway, that''s enough giant-watching for now. I need to look around other ces, can''t stay here forever. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A giant is a sub-race that is three times the size of an average human. Although slightly lower in intelligence, they are capable ofmunication to some extent and can be excellent workers if given properpensation. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now However, one must be careful. Never anger a giant. A giant throwing rocks and swinging trees is truly a force to be reckoned with. Even dozens of veteran adventurers would struggle to face a giant. But a slightly civilized giant can be a goodpanion, physically destroying obstacles in an adventurer''s path. Many have coveted the powerful strength of giants, but unfortunately, all such attempts have failed. The reasons are varied, including their reluctance to leave their homnd and their inability to use their full strength if the temperature rises slightly. The biggest reason was their intelligence, not understanding long-term contracts. It wouldn''t be strange to say that an army led by giants would not exist unless the god of wisdom bestowed wisdom upon them. - A Guide for Adventurers Exploring the World. Chapter on sub-race. The Giants - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Humans scattered across the world in search of a way to live. Primitive races that could be called human first appeared in three ces, the north, east, and southwest of the continent. The giants I saw earlier were humans who had split off from a group in the north. "Kyaaooong!!!" "Take it easy." I grabbed and pressed down the back of the neck of a bipedalrge cat that was trying to bite me. Perhaps because I was wandering around in human form, wild animals kept attacking me. It''s quite troublesome. If I wandered around in my dragon form... it would definitely cause chaos. Annoying, but unavoidable. "Kyaaaang..." "Looking at me with those eyes won''t make me let you go." A bipedalrge cat. Moreover, its front paws were bing like human hands. A very suspicious cat. Well, if monkeys living in trees coulde down to the ground and be primitive humans and giants, there''s now saying other animals can''t transform into humans. Lizardmen were originally dinosaurs but transformed into human forms out of admiration for dragons. It''s not strange for other animals to be influenced by humans and change. And the result was this furry bipedalrge cat in my hand. In other words, a cat beastman. The term "furry" naturallyes to mind. Hmm. Suspicious, suspicious. Of course, it''s not just cats that are like this, which is quite a peculiar feeling. There were werewolves, asmonly seen in fantasy, and creatures with the heads of cows or pigs scattered around the world. I''m a bit worried that bipedal animals might push humans out and take over thend. "Kyaaooong..." The human-shaped cat began to look up with unnecessarily sparkling eyes. I wouldn''t be scratched or bitten by their ws or teeth, but I''m a bit worried about other humans. Their intelligence is still at the level of beasts, but if they evolve to be as smart as humans, they might surely harm humans. I sighed softly and threw the bipedal human-shaped cat far away. If humans evolve a bit more, I should give them a little gift. I wanted to avoid direct involvement, but I didn''t want to see humans decline and be overtaken by other creatures. After all, even in a world with dragons and lizardmen, humans should still be the main focus. It would be quite nice to see a world where various sub-races harmonize with humans as the main axis. Let''s see. What would be a good first gift? That decision was quickly made. What humans need now is all too clear. Alright. It''s time to be the Prometheus of this world. Let''s gift fire to humans. Chapter 21: The Dawn of Human Life (3) Chapter 21: The Dawn of Human Life (3) What could be the biggest difference between humans and other animals? The use of tools? That''s a pass since some primates and otters that crack open shellfish with rocks know how to use tools. The presence or absence of intelligence? Many animals are not far behind in terms of intelligence. For example, dolphins, crows, and even dogs and horses have intelligenceparable to that of young children. I think the biggest difference between humans and animals is the ability to use fire. Fire, with its hot heat and bright light, all advantageous to humans, must have been extremely important to primitive humans. It provided warmth in cold environments and safety from the threats of wild animals through its bright light, a precious element that allowed the first step of human civilization. Well, there are cases like fire bears that do not fear fire and are rather curious about it, but those are very rare exceptions. Moreover, discovering how to cook food with fire, making inedible food edible, and using heat to remove parasites and microbes for long-term food storage are also factors. There is nothing as important as fire in taking the first step of humanity.There were also cases where fire was sanctified, with the goddess of the hearth being worshipped as the guardian deity of the home, or fire itself being considered a sacred being and creating religions around it. It''s an inseparable element for humanity. Anyway, holding the tool that could create such mes, I looked at thergest group of humans in this world. A prosperous environment. A fertilend where countless animals could be hunted and easily picked tree fruits were abundantly hanging everywhere. Thanks to such an environment, hundreds of primitive people gathered and lived in a primitive vige. That ce would be sufficient to pass on the fire. Ah, of course, I nned to give fire to a few other ces as well. Including the lizardmen. It wouldn''t be fair to favor only one group of humans. It should be treated as fairly as possible. Well, whether they can learn the skill to ignite fire depends on their ability. I can easily light a fire with magic, but... I prepared methods such as rubbing a thin wooden stick against a grooved wooden board, making a primitive rope by thinly tearing grass and rubbing it like a bow, or furiously pushing a wooden branch back and forth on a grooved wooden board to ignite fire.... I wonder how many of these they could follow? I''m not sure. Should I just put the power of spirits into a small flint to make it easier to ignite? But then, there would be a significant gap between those who have the flint and those who do not. Well, let''s teach them first. Yeah. Somehow it will work out.... Somehow. Even if I didn''t teach them, they would eventually learn some way to make fire. I''m just shortening the process. Holding the bundles of wood I would give as gifts, I started walking towards the group of primitive people. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "kkiik! kkik!" Primitive people whomunicate with cries as they have nonguage yet. Such primitive people started to threaten me strangely. Well, my appearance is quite different from the primitive people. Not furry. Different facial shape. Silver hair. Above all, I have horns on my head. Primitive people holding branches as weapons and being on guard. After scanning such primitive people once, I slightly spread my magical power to dominate the surrounding space. Primitive people, who do not yet know about magical power, were just on guard without knowing what I was doing. With a light fist and lowering it, I pressed down on the shoulders of the primitive people surrounding me. "kkiak!!" Primitive people suddenly kneeling and screaming under the pressing force. Those guys wouldn''t understand what was happening right now. Well, it''s easier if they don''t understand. I have no intention of exining. "Your heads are too high." T/N: Wow.... intimidating!! "kkiiik... kkiik!" "I wonder when you''ll learnnguage. It took hundreds of years after the first birth for lizardmen to learn it." Well, wouldn''t it take more than hundreds of years? Moreover, teaching the samenguage to humans scattered all over the world is... practically close to impossible, isn''t it? No, no. What if I empower the one who is learning thenguage to conquer the world? If that one spreads thenguage across the world? It sounds a bit far-fetched, but it would be fun if possible! "kkiiik..." "Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment." I released the pressure I was exerting on the primitive people, and they slowly raised their heads, seemingly relieved. And then, my eyes met with the one at the forefront of the primitive people. A primitive person ofrger build than the others, clumsily wrapped in animal skins around his waist. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now When I was observing from a distance, this one seemed to be the leader of the group. As the pressure on his shoulders lifted, he prostrated on the ground and bowed to me. Then, the others surrounding us also bowed to me in unison. Did I scare them a bit? No. This much is necessary to make these creatures listen. After all, the humans of now are primitive people, infinitely close to animals. I piled up some of the firewood I brought and drew up magical power to create mes. "Kyaaak!!! Kiyaaak!!" The humans were terrified by the mes I had lit. Have they never seen mes before...? Well. Unless they go to where Ifrit is, there would hardly be any asion to see fire. I transferred the mes I created to the pile of firewood and dusted my hands lightly to shake off the fire. Good. It seems to have caught well. The firewood burning hotly. The humans unable to approach easily. I gestured lightly to the one who seemed to be the leader. "kkiiik...?" The leader, not understanding the meaning of my gesture, just looked around by moving his head back and forth. Hmm. Language is indeed needed. I used magic to pull the leader towards the burning firewood. "kkiikk!! Kyaaak!!" The leader, who seemed terrified as if I was trying to burn him alive. How is he the leader if he''s this scared? Can''t be helped. Sometimes, not only a whip but also a carrot must be given. I picked up a stone rolling nearby. It was slightlyrger than the palm of my hand. And I used a magic on this stone! The magic that turns stones into meat, and the hard stone transformed into delicious meat with just the right amount of fat. The first time I used it, it turned into dry fillets, but after repeated improvements, now it produces meat that wouldn''t lose to any ordinary meat. Anyway, after roasting the meat created with magic over the fire, turning it this way and that, I took it out when it smelled well cooked. Hmm. Smells good. Maybe I should cut it into bite-sized pieces. "Kiek? huff huff... (Sniff sniff)" Attracted by the appetizing smell, the leader also drooled, sniffing the scent of the meat. I offered a piece of the cooled meat to the leader, and after hesitating for a while, he could no longer resist his instincts and put the meat in his mouth. Good. Hooked. "!?!?!" The leader, unable to make a proper sound. Putting well-cooked meat on a tongue used to raw meat and fruits would do that. The leader''s expression melting. Can''t let him enjoy this deliciousness alone. I used magic to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and distributed them to the humans surrounding us. Initially wary, the humans couldn''t resist the appetite-stimting smell of freshly cooked meat. "kkiik...?" "Kyak!!!" Really, learn somenguage. Can''t understand what you''re saying. Anyway, they should have learned the usefulness of fire by now... Wait a minute! Why are you suddenly trying to put your hand in the fire?! I stopped the leader''s movement and shook my head to convey that it wasn''t allowed, but the leader didn''t understand my intention. Sigh... It''s so inconvenient withoutnguage. I quickly extinguished the firewood fire and handed over a few tools for making fire to the leader. The leader, after examining the items I handed over, threw them away again. This beast-like creature, really... I suppressed the rising anger slightly and demonstrated how to make fire using each tool. I tried to create fire by rubbing a wooden stick against a wooden board with a small groove, making a bow with grass and lighting it, and finally, after vigorously rubbing a wooden stick on a grooved wooden board. "Ukkiik!! kkiik!!" The leader seemed to have understood that these items could be used to make fire. Sigh... Can I, leading these beast-like primitive people, guide them in the right direction...? My worries are piling up like a mountain... Chapter 22: The Dawn of Human Life (4) Chapter 22: The Dawn of Human Life (4) I employed all sorts of methods to somehow teach the primitive people how to make fire. Honestly, it wasn''t easy teaching such things to creatures that could barely use tools and didn''t speak the samenguage, and although there were numerous trials and errors and the destruction of wooden boards... Still, I guess it worked out since I managed to teach them in the end. Let''s skip over the fact that the humans got blisters on their hands from rubbing them so much. After they managed to light a fire and keep it going with firewood, which was good... These humans are, how should I say, overly curious. Initially, they were terrified of the hot heat and bright light and wouldn''t go near the fire, but after realizing that the fire didn''t affect them if they kept their distance, they started to stare at it nkly, and now they''re experimenting with putting various things in it. Somehow, they''ve started to roast meat they hunted and skinned on sticks over the fire, and even tried lightly charring fruits. They even screamed in pain after burning their hands. Why would you put leather in there?! Don''t put grass or wood! The fire will grow!!! There were a few minor problems, ahem, minor incidents due to items some humans threw in that almost caused arge fire, but I guess that''s a minor issue. Anyway, since I''ve taught them how to light and use fire, it seems my work here is done. Maybe I should go elsewhere and teach the use of fire.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Krrrrrgh?! that form... the Creator Dragon God?!" "Oh, you remember me, that''s impressive." It seems the lizardmen somehow remembered me. It must have been dozens of generations by now, but it seems the stories about me were really passed down in detail. "Of course! Krurk! The deeds of the Creator Dragon God and the numerous histories about the Creator Dragon God will be engraved on stone tablets and passed down through generations!" I didn''t think it needed to be passed down through generations... And they even engraved it on stone tablets?! "Especially when the world is filled with sins! As the Destruction Dragon God, the act of punishing the sins prevalent in this world must definitely be passed down! As descendants of those who witnessed such events! We will not forget the warning!!" What''s with the Destruction Dragon God!!! That naming sounds like it''s suffering from a severe case of chuunibyou?! Is that about the time when I ended the era of dragons?! That was because I was really angry!!! It''s something I somewhat regret even now!!! I wouldn''t do such a thing again?! Engraving someone''s dark history and passing it down like that! What''s with that! That''s too much!!! Hiding my inner thoughts, I didn''t let it show on the outside and opened my mouth. "I''m d to see you''re doing well." "This is all thanks to the Creator Dragon God who has looked after us. The sacrifices made to the Creator Dragon God have now be a festival, but our faith in the Creator Dragon God remains unchanged." Hmm. Despite how they look, they''re good guys. Really. Despite looking like muscr lizard humans. If only dragons had followed even a fraction of these guys'' example, that incident wouldn''t have happened. Sigh. "But what brings you here all of a sudden?" "Ah, it''s nothing much. I just came to give a little gift." At the mention of a gift, the lizardmen tilted their heads in confusion. "We''ve already received so many things from the Creator Dragon God, and you''re giving us another gift?" "I thought it''s about time I shared this with you." I gathered magical power and lit a me in my palm. "This is...?" "me. It''s hot heat, light that drives away darkness, and a hungry creature that swallows everything." The lizardman looked at the fire with curious eyes. Ah, but these guys. Didn''t they develop sorcery that borrows the power of spirits? Among the spirits, there should have been fire spirits... But I haven''t seen them use fire. "This energy... It''s simr to the energy of spirits that don''t listen to us." "Hm? They don''t listen?" "Yes. There are spirits that are capricious and don''t properly listen to us. The energy they hold seems simr to this thing called fire." Uh, um... Maybe it''s because they''re notpatible with the fire spirit? Looking around, there were water and wind spirits. There were also asional earth spirits, but fire spirits were almost nonexistent. Is it because lizardmen are notpatible with them? Or is it because the humid environment where lizardmen live is not favorable for fire spirits? Well, I''m not sure. But it seems there''s some issue. "Anyway, knowing about this fire will be very useful in various ways, so take it." I distributed the items needed to start a fire to the lizardmen. Ah, it''s convenient when we canmunicate. I really should teach humans to speak too. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Isn''t this wood?" "Yes, it''s wood. It would be simple if you could borrow the power of fire spirits, but since you can''t, you''ll have to use something like this." Hmm. Maybe it''s a good thing that lizardmen and fire spirits are notpatible. Imagine how awkward it would be if I came all prepared to give them a gift and they said [We already know about it!]. I demonstrated how to start a fire using wood to the lizardmen. Rubbing a wooden stick vigorously to create friction heat and producing small sparks, then rubbing dried grass or leaves against the sparks to kindle the fire. Of course, blowing on it to supply enough oxygen is a given. Lizardmen''s skin is covered in scales, so it''s convenient that they don''t get blisters. "Wow... It starts burning from the wood." "Right. Now, if you attach this to well-dried firewood... Oops." Come to think of it, the environment where lizardmen live is humid, but can they produce well-dried firewood? And with the hot heat causing moisture to evaporate, would lizardmen be okay being exposed to such heat? Hmm... Surely, there are lizards that live in environments like deserts, but what about lizardmen? I''m not sure. "By attaching the kindled me to well-dried wood chunks, you can start a fire." But the me doesn''t grow asrge as expected. It''s less than half the size of when humans started a fire before. Hmm... Is it rted to the fact that fire spirits hardly show themselves around here? It''s a bit curious. "It''s very fascinating, but what can we do with it?" "What can you do... You can illuminate the darkness and gain heat. Aren''t you weak to the cold?" "Indeed, that''s true..." Since lizardmen can''t regte their body temperature, it''s difficult for them to survive in non-warm environments. If they can use fire... their range of activities could significantly expand. Maybe... they mighte into contact with humans? Humans who still can''t use stone tools and lizardmen who use obsidian tools due to environmental influences. It''s quite curious what would happen if the two met. Hmm. "If lizardmen in a situation where their body temperature drops are ced near this fire, their body temperature will rise quickly. That alone makes this fire valuable." "But just approaching it makes the scales feel like they''re drying out..." "It''s not different from the sunbathing you guys often do, just a bit faster and stronger. Just be careful of that, and you can use this fire to expand your range of activities even more. Pay more attention to hydration." The lizardman bowed his head in gratitude at my words. "To receive such a precious thing, I don''t know how to express my thanks." "Don''t mention it. Even if I hadn''t told you, you would have discovered it eventually. I just shortened the time a bit." I smiled and pointed at the well-burning bonfire. "This fire will not only provide you with warm heat, but also... it will offer light in the darkness...." With a slight flick of my finger, I pulled a fish that was drying nearby. A fish gutted and cleaned for long-term storage. "Using the hot heat, you can cook fish or meat like this." The slightly fishy-smelling fish, after circling above the campfire for a while, turned into a deliciously grilled fish. It would have been tastier with some salt or other spices... But there''s nothing we can do about that! "There are also various other uses, but discovering those will be your homework." It''s definitely not because I''m toozy to tell you. Definitely not. "Ah, there are other ways to start a fire, but I only showed you this one." I briefly demonstrated how to start a fire using a bow made from grass rope and rubbing a stick into a groove on a piece of wood. Honestly, starting a fire by rubbing hands is the hardest method. I should teach them various methods. As for flint... Maybe the lizardmen will figure it out on their own? They are using stone tools, after all. Hitting stone against stone is already a familiar task for them. Now, let''s see how much fire will change human civilization... I''ll observe for a while. Chapter 23: The Dawn of Human Life (5) Chapter 23: The Dawn of Human Life (5) It is said that the basic desires of humans are appetite and sleep. Ah, of course, that''splete nonsense. Upon looking it up, there was no academic or scientific basis for this im at all. Anyway, to such an extent that such a misconception could be formed, appetite was an important element for humans. Well, it''s obvious since if you don''t eat, you die of starvation. Anyway, the act of eating is an essential act that must be performed for the survival of a living being, and as such, it is an act that cannot be neglected by living beings. To the primitive people who only ate raw meat and fruits, what would happen if they were given delicious grilled meat to eat? "kkiig! kkig!" "kkyag! kkyagk kyaag!" The answer to that question was unfolding among the group of humans.Well, after eating meat grilled over fire for the first time, they would probably continue to dance around the fire like that. I''m not sure if that can be considered dancing. Anyway, it''s the same in terms of being an expression of joy. Their hands, constantly dancing around the campfire, held meat on sticks with steam rising hotly. It''s nice to see them so happy. Seeing this makes me think it was good to teach them how to start a fire despite the hardship. Therefore, I''ve prepared another gift today! Ta-da~! At first nce, it''s just a white rock! But this rock is not an ordinary rock! That is...~! Ahem, I got a bit excited. Let''s calm down for a moment. While wandering around the world to check on the overall situation and to look for traces of the disappeared Erebus. I discovered a ce that used to be the sea but is nownd, and out of curiosity, I found a somewhat interesting rock. A white rock with a faint pink hue, emerging from the barrennd where grass hardly grows. Is it some kind of gem? While investigating, I saw herbivores passing by and licking the rock a few times. It was none other than rock salt. Hmm. I wondered if it could be? I was slightly surprised to find it really existed since the ce was definitely the sea hundreds of years ago but had somehow bend. Whether thend rose or the sea level fell, I''m not sure... It might be due to the movement of the earth spirits in the ground causing the terrain to change. Well, what''s good is good. Thanks to that, I was able to obtain such a gift. Well, I could have created it with magic, but I wanted to give something naturally found. Maybe humans will try to find rock salt on their own if I give them this? I can''t keep giving gifts forever. I approached the group of humans with the white rock salt in my hand. "Have you been well?" "kkiig? kig! kiiig!" Seeing me, the primitive people started excitedly jumping around. They still remember me teaching them how to start a fire, showing a warm wee. "Woo! Oooh!! Kyaa! Ooh!" "I wish you would learn somenguage." I don''t know how long it will take, but how long must I listen to these grunts and groans. Hmm... Surely, these guys won''t create their own uniquenguage that I don''t know? "kiig! kou! kiii!" "Ah, thank you." As I approached, one of the primitive people managing the campfire handed me a piece of meat they were grilling on a stick, as if to proudly show that they were using fire so well. Hmm. Quitemendable. Even though they might not have much food for themselves. Such a kind fellow deserves a gift. I levitated the rock salt with magic, pinched a little off with my thumb and index finger, crushed it into powder, and lightly sprinkled it over the meat. Not too much, just a little, as it would be salty. Just a tiny bit. The white powder lightly sprinkled on the meat quickly dissolved and seeped into the juices. Hmm. Good. That should do it. Ideally, I should have sprinkled it before grilling... But there''s nothing I can do about that! After examining the salted meat, I handed it back to the fellow who gave it to me. "kkiig?" "Try eating it." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "kii...." Hmm. I wonder when they''ll learn to speak properly? I want to have a proper conversation. Oh, Isn''t there a way to solve this with magic? umm¡­ Trantion magic? No, since itself doesn''t exist, it would be difficult to call it trantion. Perhaps a magic that conveys''s intentions to another? Hmm, it might worth a bit of research. "Kuuu..." The primitive man who received meat sprinkled with salt examined it, then took a bite. "iek?!" His face changed into a look of astonishment. Hmm, even though his face is covered in fur, I can still see his expression. Quite fascinating. "Uk! Kyak! Ukyak!" The primitive man, holding the meat sprinkled with salt, started jumping around and tearing into the meat. Watching him eat the meat with such joy, other primitives began to gather around. The other primitives looked at the suddenly jubnt man as if he was out of his mind. Well, I too would think someone suddenly jumping around next to me was crazy. I smiled at the other primitives. Good. It seems these primitives also like the meat sprinkled with salt. Maybe I should lend a hand. I lifted a nearby rock with magical power, then used magic to transform the rock into arge chunk of meat. Then, I sliced it to an appropriate thickness with a de of magical power, crushed a part of the rock salt into powder, and sprinkled it evenly over all the meat. To finish, a me of magical power. Arge me burst forth, quickly cooking the meat. The delicious smell and the juices dripping from the meat made even me, who doesn''t need to eat, feel hungry. "Kyak! Ukyak!!" "Kiek! Kieeek!" The cheers of the primitives, who had yet to developnguage. Amidst their cheers, I distributed the appropriately sized pieces of meat to the surrounding primitives. Here you go. This is what delicious means, young humans. Well, seeing them so happy makes me a bit happy too. Thus, my routine became asionally visiting the group of humans to give them various gifts. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What is human''s favorite color? Red, blue, green, etc. Among the many colors in this world, it is said that silver is human''s favorite color. Is it because the mostmonly used currency in the Empire is silver coins? Or is it because the Empire''s symbol, the Guardian Dragon, has silver scales? ording to Professor Irene M. Pleione, a schr at the Empire Academy, humans'' preference for silver is an instinctual phenomenon. Professor Irene: After experimenting with hundreds of children, when given two identical toys, one painted gold and the other silver, most children instinctively chose the silver toy. This means that even young children, who have not yet been socialized, instinctively prefer silver. Reporter: Is it only young children who show this reaction? Professor Irene: No. There are slight differences depending on age and race, but the results show that over 80% of all age groups prefer silver. Reporter: Why do you think this is? Professor Irene: The academic world defines this phenomenon as an instinctual preference and is working to identify the cause. Some have argued for a preference for silver coins, as silver coins were the representative currency used even before the Empire was established. However, this does not exin why even young children who have not been socialized prefer silver. Reporter: The most representative silver would be the Empire''s Guardian Dragon, but could it be due to this Guardian Dragon? Professor Irene: It certainly could be, but sozy.... Oops Sorry, please edit this part out. T/N: Not sure what the zy'' part mean, and who is being described aszy.. our dragon MC maybe Reporter: Understood. Professor Irene: I think it''s unlikely that the Guardian Dragon, who stays secluded in itsir and does not engage in external activities is the cause of this phenomenon. Reporter: Then what could be the cause? Professor Irene: Here, I have formted a hypothesis. The instinctual preference for silver among humans could be because the existence of silver brought great benefits to the ancestors of humanity. Reporter: Are you referring to the Guardian Dragon? Professor Irene: It''s unlikely it would bother with such a task. Ah, please edit this part out as well. Reporter: Understood. If not the Guardian Dragon, then? Professor Irene: I have hypothesized that it could be an extraterrestrial being from outside this world. An alien with silver skin! The ones I''ve named Grey Aliens, who gifted various things to the ancestors of humanity... This year''s trend color is silver! If you want to dye your hair a sparkling silver like silver coins, this is the product for you!!! (The article continues with a promotion for hair dye.) - An article published in the Empire''s entertainment magazine. A certain schr at the Empire Academy seemed to be quite angry after reading this article. Chapter 24: The Dawn of Human Life (6) Chapter 24: The Dawn of Human Life (6) Some time had passed. As their numbers continued to increase, humans spread out across the world, and finally, some of them arrived in the territory of the lizardmen. Well, it wasn''t originally the territory of the lizardmen. Thanks to the method of maintaining body temperature with fire that I had taught them, the lizardmen had been able to expand their territory beyond the limits of their race. During this time, they were quite bewildered uponing into contact with humans and learning of their existence. What did the lizardmen, who saw creatures walking on two legs like themselves but without scales or tails and covered in fur, think? Perhaps because I had met the lizardmen in human form, there was no hostility towards the humans. Well, if they had fought, the lizardmen would have won. The robust bodies, perfected from the massive size of dinosaurs, possessed a strength that frail humans could not imitate. Moreover,pared to humans who only used simple wooden sticks, the lizardmen warriors wielded very sharp weapons made of obsidian. Really, it was fortunate that the lizardmen were quite benevolent. Had a proper war broken out, humans would have been ughtered without being able to lift a finger.Anyway, the humans and lizardmen began to form a rtively peaceful rtionship, advancing to the point of exchanging necessities with each other. Though, most of the necessities were on the humans'' side. Food? The lizardmen, with their superior physical bodies, were natural hunters and rarely failed in their hunts. They had the strength to defeat most wild beasts alone and could swiftly swim and catch fish with their hands using their thick tails. Thanks to this, the lizardmen nevercked food. Considering they were also growing corn, beans, and pumpkins using the farming methods I had taught them... It was more likely that they would offer food to the humans rather than ask for it. Indeed, they were showing efforts to build a close rtionship by sharing food with the humans. As they interacted with humans, the lizardmen were also seen teaching themnguage bit by bit. It was truly a moving scene when humans, who had only been making barbaric cries, awkwardly began to speak under the guidance of the lizardmen. Lastly, the lizardmen gave humans the final gift of teaching them how to make stone tools. The method of breaking stones to create hand-held axes. The lizardmen, who had long experience with obsidian and other stones, passed on their know-how. Of course, due to physical differences, humans struggled a bit... While lizardmen could easily break stones by hitting one stone with another, it wasn''t easy for humans. Using grass to make primitive ropes and tying them to branches to create primitive axes and spears was a significant advancement for humans. After bestowing many things upon humans, the lizardmen asked for obsidian and white flowers in return. Due to sudden environmental changes, the lizardmen had to move and, in haste, had to abandon their previous obsidian quarry. Although they had a certain amount of obsidian in reserve... reserves are just reserves. If they don''t increase, they will eventually run out. Thus, while expanding in search of a new obsidian quarry, the lizardmen encountered humans... Humans, not constrained by body temperature, could potentially search further than the lizardmen. As for the white flowers... well, they said they were short of flowers for a festival. No, I''m happy they still remember the white flowers they used to offer to me, but there''s no need to go to such lengths for a festival... Hmm... Should I talk to the lizardmen when I visit them next? But I don''t want to dampen the spirit of the festival. I might need to think about this a bit more. Or perhaps, I could just solve it by creating a flower garden for the lizardmen? Well, I''ll think about itter. Yeah,ter. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Festival of White Flowers is the most important festival for the lizardmen. This festival, which starts on the day that marks the beginning of the year, honors the Creator Dragon God who bestowed treasures upon the lizardmen in exchange for the insignificant white flowers, and aims to wash away the sins of world so that the Creator Dragon God does not be angry. Streets filled with white flowers. The spectacle of white flowers carried by the wind spirits feels almost like walking through a street nestled in the clouds. How about weing the start of a new year with white flowers? - Festival of White Flowers promotional pamphlet. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The development of humans continued rapidly. Making stone tools, learning agriculture from the lizardmen, and gradually trying to follow it, humans continued to evolve. During this period, they met other groups of humans, exchanged necessities, and sometimes engaged in minor conflicts. Humans began to do many things. I held in my hand a new gift to pass on to them. A spinning wheel, a tool for making thread, was the first to appear. And with that spinning wheel, thread made and needles made of bone. Lastly¡­ a wooden fishing rod. Honestly, the fishing rod is just an extra! The main things are the thread and the spinning wheel for making thread. Fishing¡­ Since humans were still in the situation of throwing stone spears into the water to catch fish, I thought it might be time for them to have thread. I approached the group of humans I always visited. The group had grown muchrger than when I first visited. There were so many humans living there that I wondered if they might run out of food. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "kkiig? Wh-who?!" "Oh, you can speak properly now!" A human speaking somewhat awkwardly. Judging by the stone spear in his hand, he seemed to be a guard. "I''vee to find the leader of this group, so make way." "You are¡­!" The guard, greatly surprised upon seeing me, bowed and said, "Please,e in!" A respectful greeting. The intelligence in their movements felt as if their days as beasts were a long time ago. "I will guide you." "Good. Lead the way." The guard led me through the paths nestled among numerous huts, and I followed him. As we walked, many humans looked at us¡­ Well, it''s always like this whenever Ie, so I''m used to it now. "That person¡­" "Here theyes again. Thanks...." Do they remember my face now? Well, I have visited often. It seemed the guard recognized my face as well. Following the guard''s guidance, we arrived at a hut that waspletely different from the others. Arge house situated on a small mound of earth, unlike the cone-shaped huts, this one was properly built with severalrge pirs. This must be where the leader of this group lives. Following the guard''s lead, I entered the house and saw the leader sitting on a spacious rock. "What''s the matter¡­ Huh! You are!!" A younger human than the leader I had seen before. A human I vaguely remembered seeing before. "Please,e in¡­" "Are you¡­ the son of the previous leader?" "Yes, that''s correct." Indeed, had the previous leader died of old age? Althoughmunication was difficult, he wasn''t a bad fellow. As a living being, he couldn''t escape the limitations of lifespan. "I am the new leader." His face was so covered in hair that it was hard to guess his age¡­ but he looked to be in his 30s. But¡­ "Why are you wearing branches on your head?" The new leader was wearing something like a crown made of branches. A primitive crown? Or something like aurel wreath? I wonder if wearing that on your head isn''t prickly? "This is, well¡­" The leader took off the crown of branches he was wearing on his head and held it in his hand, saying, "I wanted to, imitate, you." T/N: Aww...... "Imitate?" Imitate... Could he be talking about imitating me? Wearing branches on his head like the horns on mine? "As the new leader, the others... did not listen well. When I imitated you, they listened." Hmm. Is that so. It''s an imitation of me. It seems there was resistance because he''s the new leader. Quite a clever move. But such a crown of branches doesn''t look good, and the branches poking into the head must be ufortable... Right. Let''s give another gift. I created a lump of pure silver with my power of creation and began to change its shape using magic. Let''s see, first make it resemble aurel wreath. Not too heavy, easy to wear on the head. So it doesn''t slip off. And even a magic that changes size to fit the wearer. Adding to it an appropriate sense of authority with splendid decorations. Somehow, as magic seeped into the pure silver, it felt like it was transforming into something else... but that''s not my business. The object that was created was a splendid silver crown. Chapter 25: The Dawn of Human Life (7) Chapter 25: The Dawn of Human Life (7) "that¡­?¡± The leader''s gaze was fixed on the crown in my hand. A dazzling silver crown. It''s naturally remarkable at first nce. I twirled the crown on my finger, tossed it up, and caught it again. The crown and the leader''s eyes moved in unison, which was somewhat amusing. "Do you want this?" "Yes...!" The leader did not hide his desire for the crown. A desire honest to its primitive nature. Even after learningnguage and forming a primitive society, that desire remains as honest as that of a beast. Well, I made it to give it away in the first ce, so it doesn''t really matter.Pure silver... no, now that I look closely, it has been transformed by magic. Anyway, to the humans living in the Stone Age, this metal crown must seem like an iprehensible artifact. It''s natural for them to desire it. That''s why it holds even more value. "Alright. I will give you this crown." "Really?" "But, there is a condition." I said with a faint smile on my lips. "Lead the humans well. That is the condition." The number of humans is not yetrge, so I could intervene and meddle. But if the number of humans increases, I won''t be able to care for all of them. If I ask the leader to look after the humans in my stead, wouldn''t he do well? Just like how I left all matters of the dragons to the Dragon Lord. "Is that all there is to the condition?" "That''s all? Do you know how difficult that is?" Even the dragons who inherited my scales hardly listen to me, let alone humans. Creatures with strong egos are hard to manage. Un (nod). Ah, right. I should add some magic to this crown to help him govern the other humans. Not too powerful magic. Just a modest... minor effect should be fine... maybe something like an increase in charm? Even if it''s an increase in charm, not too dramatic of an effect, just something that makes the person wearing the crown be seen more positively, with more favor. And add immunity to disease and poison so he doesn''t die prematurely... while I''m at it, should I also add an increase in vitality? If it works properly, it should extend his lifespan a bit... My magic flowed from my hand into the crown, bestowing it with magic. A weak enchantment that captivates the minds of others. Magic thatpletely negates poison and disease... Ah, congenital diseases can''t be helped with this. It''s a mechanism that reverts to the base state when a disease or poison is detected. Congenital diseases are considered the base state, so there''s nothing I can do about them. If I were to cure that disease, it might revert back to the base state and the disease could reappear. Well, would that even happen? Unlikely. Surely not. In addition to a slight increase in vitality. The silver, transformed by magic, seems to absorb the magic well. Un. I examined the crown in my hand, now faintly glowing due to the magic I had bestowed. The crown, glowing faintly, certainly looked like a precious item. Hmm. Quite a nice feeling. Honestly, I could make it a cheat item if I wanted to, but since it''s supposed to be a light-hearted item... Just wearing this crown should slightly extend one''s lifespan. Not a tremendous effect, but it should be fine! Let''s see, the magic used includes... Automatic size adjustment. Charm increase (minor). Poison immunity. Disease immunity. Vitality increase (minor). Something like that. Hmm... Would a slight increase in charm or vitality be enough? Should I add a bit more? No, this should be sufficient. It''s still an era without magic or anything. This level of magic should be enough. Surely. And as a finishing touch, let''s add an automatic repair magic. More precisely, a time-rted magic that reverts to a designated point in case of damage. Just by wearing it, one gains favor from others, bes immune to diseases and poison, and even increases vitality. And if it gets damaged, it automatically repairs itself. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now With these minor magics applied, it''s a modest crown, but in an era without magic, this should be more than enough. "Take it." I levitated the crown with my magic and sent it in front of the leader. "This crown is a token of your promise to me. If you keep your promise to lead the humans in the right direction, this crown will bestow blessings upon you." The crown, emitting a faint light. The human leader stared nkly at the crown and threw away the branch crown he had been wearing on his head. "If you do not lead the humans in the right direction, the crown will fall off your head. So be careful, and remain vignt." The crown settled perfectly on his head. As if it was meant to be there all along. "Oh... Ohhh...!!" The crown on the leader''s head began to glow brighter. It looked as if a halo was shining from behind his head. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Immortal Crown. One of the symbols of the Emperor of the Empire, and one of the three wonders of humanity. The year of creation is unknown. There are theories that it was created right after the birth of humanity, but due to being made of pure mithril, it is impossible to measure its magical era, and thus it cannot be confirmed. It''s natural, considering it''s an imperial treasure that has never been approved for era measurement. It protects the wearer''s life from poison and disease and enhances the wearer''s charm with primitive magic, and because it is made of pure mithril that enhances magic, its effects are maximized. However, more important than the magic it carries is its symbolism. Since ancient times, it has been used as a symbol of power among human kings, and there is even a legend that whoever possesses this crown bes the king of humans. Its symbolism is so immense that wars have broken out among those who coveted this crown, leading to the disappearance of several kingdoms into the annals of history. Although there was a period when it disappeared from history, it became a symbol of the Emperor of the Empire and a national treasure of the Empire after the founder of the Empire overcame all sorts of hardships to find it again. ording to some theories, when one wears this crown, it asks a question, and if the answer is incorrect, the wearer cannot fully benefit from the crown''s effects, and if the answer ispletely wrong, the crown tightens around the wearer''s head, causing pain. - Encyclopedia of Legendary Armor. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now that I''ve given away the roughly made crown, let''s get back to the main point. Since the humans, still without thread, are pitifully wrapping themselves in leather. I presented a spinning wheel, thread, and a needle made of bone. "This is a gift." "This is...?" "It''s a tool for spinning animal fur or nt fibers into thread like this. You can''t always live wrapped in animal skins, can you?" It''s troublesome since I don''t have knowledge about sewing. Could I figure it out by searching on the inte over there? I can make materials as much as I want... Well, it''s better to do it than not. "How do you use this?" "This? You use it like this." I snapped off a branch from the hut, trimmed it appropriately, and fitted it with a spindle that would act as a weight. Then, I sharpened the back into a hook shape, intertwined the animal''s down well, and spun the rod with the spindle attached to spin the thread. Of course, it''s a primitive form, so the efficiency isn''t great, but for humans at the Stone Age level, even this much would be a big help. "By spinning it like this, you can make thread like this. You can use this thread and needle to sew leather, use a fishing rod and hook to catch fish, and by weaving the thread horizontally and vertically, you can also make cloth." I levitated the thread in my hand, weaving it back and forth in the air to make cloth. The sight of thread being woven into cloth. The leader of the humans just stared nkly as the lines stackedyer byyer, turning into fabric. "Well, I don''t expect you to do this from the start. For now, just focus on using the thread made from this for various purposes. Making cloth is a task forter." You can''t expect to be full with the first spoonful, can you? Telling those who have no concept of thread to weave cloth is no different from telling a baby who can''t even crawl to run. For now... it should be enough to just let them know that such a thing exists. Moreover, this spinning wheel can be made by carving a stone appropriately or by firing y... Ah,e to think of it, they don''t have pottery yet, do they? I thought pottery would appear soon since they have fire and can use tools. Hmm... Well, they''ll probably figure it out on their own. Surely I don''t have to teach them everything one by one, do I? Chapter 26: Subrace (1) Chapter 26: Subrace (1) Humans began to forge their own paths. Using the gifts I had given them as a stepping stone, little by little, slowly but surely. The one I handed the crown to started to lead people with great enthusiasm, and began to merge surrounding human groups. Sometimes through persuasion, sometimes through force. The owner of the crown merged other human groups to form evenrger ones. This sight could be seen as the birth of a primitive state. Well, it did lead to food shortages, but they managed to supplement theck of food somehow through farming learned from the lizardmen, fishing with the thread I gave them, and exchanging necessary obsidian with the lizardmen for food. They also made pottery by baking y with fire and made crude clothes by weaving leather with thread and needle. The humans were developing, albeit slowly but surely. Hmm. Good. It seems I can reduce the gifts now. It''s so nice to see them finding their own ways. It''s nice not having to intervene.If possible, let''s just observe the humans without interfering. It would be bothersome for both me and the humans if I meddled in everything. I''ll only help with problems they absolutely cannot handle on their own. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As I observed the humans, time passed. Enough time for the owner of the crown to change several times. A world where humans have spread across the continent, making it rare to find a ce without humans. While looking over such a world. "Mom. Do you have a moment?" Yggdrasil''s voice came from a nearby tree. "Yggdrasil?" "Yes. It''s me. Yggdrasil. I have something I''d like to consult with you about, is it okay to talk?" It''s unusual for Yggdrasil, who has been reflecting on its main body for a long time, to speak to me. Must be something. Well, I think it has reflected enough. "What is it?" "Could youe to my main body? It would be quicker to exin if youe." "To your main body?" A tree asrge as a mountain. The gigantic tree located in the northwest of the continent. Thergest of the nts that have been in ce since the world was created. Yggdrasil was calling me. After the era of dragons ended, Yggdrasil has been reflecting on its main body, waiting for me... Calling me. What could it be? I flew in the direction of Yggdrasil''s main body, puzzled. "What did you call me for?" "You came quickly. Mom." Well, crossing a continent for me is not a difficult task. It would be over in minutes. "The matter I want to consult with you about is... not something else." Yggdrasil moved one of its branches to point at the tree''s base, where arge number of humans were gathered closely. "These people have started to gather around me, and I don''t know what to do." Yggdrasil''s voice sounded strangely flustered. "I still haven''t reflected enough to face you, Mom... But they keep gathering around me... I don''t know what to do..." Hmm. Is that so. This child still feels guilty towards me. Well, since I never really got angry at Yggdrasil, the guilt must have grown. I''ve already let go of that anger. "It''s okay. You''ve reflected enough." "But..." "There''s no need to me yourself too much. Isn''t that enough reflection?" Yggdrasil didn''t respond to my words. "Let''s put that aside for now, are these humans causing you trouble?" "What? Oh, yes... It is troubling. Really troubling." Troubling enough to bother Yggdrasil. What are these humans doing? "They... started to worship me." "Hmm?" Worship? "At first, they were humans who came to the forest looking for food, but upon seeing me, they silently kneeled and bowed. Then they went back, brought more humans, and the new humans bowed too, and brought even more humans... This repeated and..." There were easily over a hundred humans gathered around the base of Yggdrasil. "They''re causing you trouble, is that what you''re saying? Then should I drive them away for you?" "Ah, no! It''s not, It''s not that kind of trouble..." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Yggdrasil hesitated for a moment before speaking. "May I, take them in?" Is that all you called me for? After the chaos caused by the dragons, the children, especially Yggdrasil, felt a great deal of guilt. I never thought Yggdrasil would rely on me for such a trivial matter... "Do as you wish. There''s no need to feel guilty about the past anymore. Haven''t you reflected enough?" "But..." "Much time has passed since then. My anger has subsided, so don''t worry." Honestly, Yggdrasil was more entangled by the other children. It might feel a bit unfair. "I''m not hesitating for that reason. I''ve seen you for several years, Mom. I can tell at a nce whether you''re still angry or not." Hmm? That''s not it? "The reason I hesitate is... Humans are creatures you particrly cherish, is it okay for me to take them in?" "Hm?" I particrly cherish? Humans? "You do cherish them, don''t you? Humans?" Do I? I thought hard. Did I particrly cherish humans? Of course, I gave them various gifts, made them a crown, and especially took care of them but... Hmm... Wait, am I... incredibly biased? No, wait, I didn''t think I was biased? Was I actually biased? Thinking about it, I never really gave gifts to the dragons, and they only caused me trouble until I finally got angry... As for the lizardmen, the gifts were... fixing a spear, teaching them farming and fire... Hmm... I was incredibly biased. No, originally I was human too. The humans, just out of their monkey phase, seemed pitiful. So, I ended up taking care of them... Un... Let''s reflect. Reflect. "Did you not realize?" "That''s... right..." I was favoring the humans.... Hmm.... "Anyway, it''s okay for you to take in those humans. It seems they want to worship you." "Really? Then I''ll take care of them! I won''t make the same mistake again!" Yggdrasil spoke confidently, the guilt gone from its voice. Though it said otherwise, Yggdrasil must have been hesitating because of my previous anger. Then... let''s see how the humans Yggdrasil takes in will develop. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Elves. Children of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Guardians of the Great Forest and the quiet people of the woods. With a beauty iparable to humans and a lifespan much longer, they are a subrace living vastly different lives. With magical aptitude and the ability tomunicate with spirits far beyond humans, along with agile movements and amazing archery skills, each of them is a formidable scout, archer, and mage. Their skills are recognized by most adventurers, and if one embarks on an adventure with an elfpanion, the journey is highly likely to seed. However, even elves have a downside. If you''re traveling with them, even a single tree branch must be treated with care. ''A tree branch?'' Anyone might think like that, but to the quiet people of the woods, the children of the World Tree, trees are as family. From the moment an elf joins the party, breaking a branch is akin to breaking a family member''s arm. Naturally, starting a fire with a tree branch is unthinkable, and cutting down a tree is like dering a life-or-death battle with an elf. Of course, not all elves are so rigid. Especially those adventurous enough to be adventurers are much more open-minded. Consulting with an elf to break a single twig or make a piece of firewood, and only being able to do so after talking to the tree and receiving permission. If the adventure leads into the forest, one might have afortable journey with an elf as a guide, or endure a painful adventure filled with the elf''s nagging. Another peculiar aspect to mention is their unique dietary culture. Considering trees as family, they fundamentally do not eat meals but are known to sunbathe or eat meat. The idea of filling one''s stomach with sunbathing might seem absurd... However, since they themselves say so, and there are indeed elves who live on water and sunbathing for a month without eating... It might be a blessing bestowed by the World Tree. Schrs who have studied such elf ecology have concluded that they cannot understand the principle behind it. Therefore, when adventuring with them, it is advisable to prepare a meat-based diet as much as possible. Otherwise, you will find yourself facing an elf drinking only water with slightly resentful eyes throughout meal times. Anyway, despite such inconveniences, elves prove to be powerfulpanions worth having on your journey. Ah, of course, the story might be different if you''re a dwarf. - A Guide for Adventurers Exploring the World. Chapter on subraces. The Elf Edition. Chapter 27: Subrace (2) Chapter 27: Subrace (2) T/N: I didn''t know Yggdrasil''s gender when it changed into its human/dragon form, so I''ll use ''it''. --- Yggdrasil began to earnestly take care of the humans around it. To the hungry, it provided fruits, to those without a ce to live, it wove shelters out of branches, and to the sick, it offered medicinal herbs. Yggdrasil tenderly cared for the humans under its shade. It even created shade with its leaves when the sunlight was a bit too strong, which seemed a bit excessive, but for some reason, Yggdrasil would only reply with "Isn''t that something a mother would say?" I don''t know why my story ising up here, but anyway. The humans living around Yggdrasil began to gradually change in nature. Whether they changed because they admired the giant tree Yggdrasil, or because they ate the fruits it provided, is unclear.The idea that humans woulde to resemble a tree was a bit hard to understand... But what can I do? It''s actually happening. Their growth slowed down, but their lifespan increased, and their hair could photosynthesize... Hmm... Why? Isn''t photosynthesis supposed to ur through chlorophyll? But these humans don''t have chlorophyll? Are they using magic to cause a simr effect to photosynthesis? How is that even possible? Hmm... I don''t know. I don''t get it. I handle magic too, but sometimes I wonder how far this power of magic can go. I don''t like it when everything is simply chalked up to [Thanks to magic!]. I''m curious about why these things happen! Hmm. I should thoroughly research this sometime. And while I''m at it, I should organize magic more systematically. It''s fine for now since there''s no one else but me and the dragons who use magic. Both I and the dragons just cause phenomena by moving the abundant magic within us with our will, so there''s hardly any proper system in ce. Someday, if others also start using magic, we should avoid such makeshift magic. Let''s organize a bit in preparation for the time when many others will use magic. Well, it''s not an immediate concern, so let''s move on. The bodies of those living around Yggdrasil also began to change. Their limbs bing slender like a model''s, are minor stories. Bing beings infinitely close to Yggdrasil, they gained the ability tomunicate with spirits, and thanks to their increased lifespan, the amount of magic umted in their bodies also increased. Notparable to dragons, but an amount of magic iparable to other humans. I thought I had seen this somewhere before... Except for not having long ears, it''s no different from the elves in fantasy! This! But there was something missing. Ears! Elves are supposed to have long ears! And they should be good at shooting bows! An elf that doesn''t shoot a bow can''t be recognized as an elf! My inner elf fundamentalist insists!!! Therefore. [Do you want to give those children a gift?] "Un. It''s nothing grand." [A gift all of a sudden...] "I thought it would suit those children." I held a bow made from wood that bends well but doesn''t break. The bowstring was made from fibers extracted from vines. And with wooden arrows! The basic elf set isplete! If I give this and lengthen their ears, the perfect elf I envisioned will beplete! [What''s that? It looks like a strange branch.] "I made it thinking it would be useful for the humans you''re taking care of. You hang this wooden stick on this string, pull it back, and shoot it far away." I slightly pulled and released the empty bowstring. Twang! The bowstring vibrated. "And I''ve alsoe up with a fitting name for the humans living around you. A name for their race." [Uh, um... You''re not just showering these children with gifts because you once said you favored humans, are you?] "How could that be? I''ve simply prepared this for the humans you''re taking care of!" I oddly feel a distrustful gaze from Yggdrasil. Though it has no eyes. [Alright. Then I''ll gather the children together.] And a short whileter. Humans gathered in the small za at the base of Yggdrasil. "Who are you...?" "A wanderer, here to deliver gifts from the World Tree, Yggdrasil." [You sure have the nerve to say such shameless things.] Shhh. These children are Yggdrasil''s, so it''s best I keep my interference to a minimum. I blocked the humans from hearing Yggdrasil''s voice and continued speaking. "I thought you''d need weapons to protect yourselves, so I brought this." I took out a bow and arrows and showed them to the humans. Then, I heard them gasp briefly. Hmm...? Not the reaction I expected.... "How could you do such a thing..." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "To cut branches so brutally..." "That thin thing... Did you pull out tree vines thinly? Horrible..." "Those small branches... Horrible..." Huh...? This isn''t the reaction I was hoping for! "Beast! Monster! Lumberjack!!!" "You''re not human!" "Get out of this forest!!!" Why are they reacting so violently! It''s just a bit of woodworking! Ah, trees... Maybe... These humans must have developed the ability to hear the voices of trees. To such humans, I, who cut branches and extracted fibers to make string, must look like a monster who carves out human bones and pulls tendons to make a bow. Quite horrible, yeah. "Wait! I understand why you''re angry! But this is something I made after consulting with the tree and cutting its branches!!" Of course, that''s a lie. I didn''t consult. What are you going to do about it? Yggdrasil is my child. So, I''m not angry at the young humans'' foolish words. Hmm. I''m not angry. Just a yellow card. Collect 100 and it''s the advent of the Doom Dragon. Just kidding. [You''re being strangely petty, Mom.] Quiet. It''s the humans who are bad for getting angry as if they''re going to throw stones, even though I brought them gifts. Even considering they''re still immature humans. "Or, are you nning to ignore the heart of Yggdrasil, who thought of you and sent these gifts?" My words caused a stir among the humans. The murmuring voices grew louder. To these humans, living thanks to Yggdrasil, ignoring the heart of Yggdrasil must carry a strong meaning. "If the World Tree wishes it... We''ll understand." An older human spoke as a representative. They should have done so from the start. Why get angry at the person bringing gifts. It''s like getting mad at Santa. Ahem. I''ll swallow my anger for now. "This tool is called a bow. You hook this arrow here, pull it back, and shoot it far away." I hooked an arrow onto the bowstring, pulled it back moderately, and shot it at a rock a short distance away. Boom! The rock shattering from the lightly shot arrow is a minor detail. Un. "You can''t always live on the fruits given by Yggdrasil. Your numbers will continue to grow." There''s a limit to the fruits Yggdrasil can create, after all. "That''s true but..." "Does the World Tree think the same?" "Of course. The World Tree might dry up because of you, you know." [t''s not like I''ll die from making a few hundred fruits] "It''s just a figure of speech." And if the number of humans continues to increase, a few hundred won''t be enough. "Anyway, I''ll give you this bow and arrows. Use them to hunt and gather food." "Thank you for your words, but giving us just one... Are you saying we should imitate this and make more?" I looked around at the humans. A strange fear was swirling in their eyes. Hmm. Is it that difficult? To make bows and arrows? Since they have to be made by cutting branches from trees that canmunicate? It might be like asking someone to make a bow out of another person''s bones and tendons... Some might even say they''d rather not use a bow at all. That would be problematic, of course. "Then let''s do it this way." I slightly lifted my foot and stomped on the ground, and in an instant, a fairlyrge hole was dug. The humans recoiled in horror, but that''s not something to worry about. I scattered the bow and arrows into the hole and filled it with magic, then used a growth spell on the bow and arrows. The bows and arrows, made from still-living trees. As a result of using the growth spell, a tree grew rapidly. The fruit that formed on the tree was... a fully-formed bow and arrows. Instead of cutting branches and making them one by one, it would be more convenient to have them form in thisplete shape. [You really use such absurd magic.] Well, there are all kinds of fruits in the world. And since it''s a fantasy anyway, it wouldn''t be strange to have a tree that bears bows and arrows, would it? --- T/N: Bow Fruits!! Chapter 28: Subrace (3) Chapter 28: Subrace (3) "If there''s a tree that bears bows and arrows like this, it wouldn''t be a burden for you." Considering that the fruits created by Yggdrasil are already a staple in their diet. Bows and arrows that form like fruits shouldn''t pose any problem. Surely, they wouldn''t refuse this as well. If they dislike this, how are they managing to eat the fruits of Yggdrasil? "How can you... nt an item made of wood and make the tree grow..." "Who exactly are you...?" Hmm. I did it, but it seems like an extraordinary act even to me. It''s definitely extraordinary! "I am simply one who wishes for you to use this bow." Upon my words, the humans all knelt down and began to bow to me."O great one...!" "Oh-ughh, that''s not necessary." [These children do have some discernment.] Ignoring Yggdrasil''s interjection, I lifted the prostrated humans with my magic. "I am just a passerby. I have no intention of revealing my name to you. So, don''t worry about it." "Such... No, if you are the great one, you must have your reasons. Understood. If you wish to keep your name hidden, we will respect that." I nodded slightly at the humans'' words. "Instead, I will give you another gift." I gathered my magic and enveloped the humans, beginning to change their bodies. No, they could no longer be called humans. I sharpened their sight and hearing even more. I didn''t touch the other senses as bing too sensitive could be a hindrance. And finally, I elongated their ears. They transformed into shapes resembling long leaves. Thepleted form of these beings was not different from the elves I had in mind. "This... What exactly is..." "I have enhanced your eyes and ears. Now, you can see farther and catch smaller sounds. With this, you will be natural hunters." The humans were confused by the sudden change in their senses. Well, it''s natural to be confused when your senses change. It''s like... getting new sses? But much more intense than that. "Your ears have be longer in the process of enhancing your hearing... But the shape of those ears reminds one of the leaves of the World Tree, so it will serve as a proof of being children of the World Tree." [Mom? What have you done to these children?! Their ears are long?!] "And now, resembling the World Tree, you shall name your race. You, the children of the World Tree, will henceforth call yourselves elves. Those long ears will be your proof." [Mom?! Mom?! Don''t ignore me?!] "From now on, you will live as guardians of the quiet forest, protecting the World Tree Yggdrasil." [Mom?! Mom?!?!] Thus, elves were born upon thisnd. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A very long time ago. When the World Tree Yggdrasil created the elves. The god of hunting, who was close to the World Tree, gifted bows and arrows to the elves, the children of the World Tree. However, those bows and arrows were made of wood. To the elves, who listened to the voices of trees and lived closely with them, trees were no different from family. Therefore, the elves couldn''t even dare to hold the wooden bows in their hands. But how could they discard such a precious gift from the god of hunting? Not wanting to incur the god''s wrath, the elves tried to force themselves to hold the wooden bows, but they couldn''t bring themselves to do it and could only cry. It was the World Tree Yggdrasil that extended a helping hand to these elves. Yggdrasil nted the bows and arrows in the ground and made a tree grow. From that tree, bows and arrows began to form like fruits, and the elves were able to harvest and use the bows and arrows with the tree''s permission. Since then, the tree that bears bows and arrows has be a treasure to the elves and is said to be under the strict management and protection of the elves and the World Tree. Even now, when a young elf bes an adult, it is said that the highlight of the elf traditionaling-of-age ceremony is asking a tree for a bow that they will use for the rest of their life. ¡­¡­ In the distant future. When the elves face a crisis of existence, it is said that the one chosen by the World Tree will retrieve a bow and arrows rooted in this tree and save the elves and the World Tree. - Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now 1) The record refers to an unnamed deity, so there is a divided opinion in the academic world about who the deity that gave the bow and arrows is, but the most popr theory is that it was the god of hunting because of the symbolism of the bow and arrow. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Mom. That was too much. Suddenly making the children''s ears so big.] ¡°But they look nice, don¡¯t they?¡± [Well, that¡¯s true but¡­. ] Compared to when they were just humans with long limbs, handsome or pretty, now they definitely give the impression of being a different race. That impression came from the long ears I extended, which even Yggdrasil agreed with. ¡°In the future, various races will appear on thisnd. Shouldn¡¯t there be a clear way to distinguish your children from those races?¡± This is aplete lie. I just wanted to see elves with long ears. Well, it seems the elves are quite pleased with it, so there¡¯s no problem. [Since the children seem to like it, I¡¯ll let it slide¡­. But what if other humanse to live around me wanting to? Should I change them like that too?] ¡°Hmm, are there many new humansing in?¡± [Not many, but not none. Just a fewe in every once in a while.] I nodded at Yggdrasil¡¯s words. If there were none at all, there would be no problem, but if even a fewe in, we can¡¯t just ignore it. ¡°If new humans want to change like the other elves, it will take a long time, so we need to speed up the transformation.¡± [Right. It took a long time for these children to change like that, so I don¡¯t think humans who just came in from outside will ept the amount of time it takes for the children to change.] ¡°Un, well. In that case, manually transforming them might be best¡­. But transforming every single aspect of humansing from outside would be quite a hassle.¡± Maybe a magic that copies and transforms the racial traits¡­. Hmm¡­. Such magic doesn¡¯t exist yet¡­. Well, why not just create it? First, target designation. Choose the target to copy the traits from as target 1. Choose the target to ovey the traits onto as target 2. Byparing the racial traits of the two targets and oveying them, transform target 2 into the same race as target 1¡­. This process is limited to transforming only racial traits. Carefully consider not to mistakenly transform physical features or mental aspects. Hmm¡­. This should be about right. With that, I created a new magic to copy and paste racial traits. It¡¯s a magic that only copies things like racial traits, and the amount of magic power required is so significant that even dragons would find it difficult to use. But Yggdrasil, who has endured countless years, should be able to use it. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a magic I just created. This magic should solve your problem.¡± [Did you prepare this in advance?!] ¡°How could that be? I just made it. Just now. It¡¯s not optimized, so it consumes a lot of magic power, making it unusable even for dragons.¡± Yggdrasil seemed astounded by my words. [What¡¯s that? What¡¯s the point of such magic.] ¡°At least it has meaning for you. It¡¯s a magic that can transform new humans into beings like those elves.¡± The easiest method would be not to ept outsiders at all, but Yggdrasil is oddly kind and can¡¯t seem to think of sending them away. If you can¡¯t send them away, you have to ept them. With this magic, new arrivals can also be epted as members of the elves. [Really, I don¡¯t understand how Mom creates magic. How do you handle such finicky magic power as if it were your own limbs?] "What do you mean, can''t you just do it?" [Usually, you can''t just do it like that! Creating even one spell requires so much care! I really don''t understand.] Hmm, is it that difficult? I''ve been doing it so naturally that I didn''t realize. Hmm. Anyway. "The newly grown tree over there... take care of it for me." [Yes. Since it''s a tree, I had no intention of just leaving it be. It seems like the elf children will be quite dependent on that tree, so I''ll protect it even if it means wrapping it with my roots.] Yggdrasil spoke as if it were a matter of course. When ites to trees, there''s no one more expert than this child. [But are you sure? Hiding your existence from those children.] "It''s fine." Right now, it''s just a simple primitive society, so it doesn''t matter if I interfere here and there... But as time passes and society grows, and things like politics and power structures beplicated... I shouldn''t carelessly intervene. It''s like not wanting to step into a carefully built model garden with muddy feet. When that timees, I just need to quietly observe this world while hiding my presence. Well, if an unbearable crisises to this world, then I might step in. The biggest thing is, by that time, I''ll probably be sozy that I''ll just hole up in a corner of the room. But for now, my sense of responsibility is a bit stronger than myziness. The responsibility of having brought life into this world. Chapter 29: Subrace (4) Chapter 29: Subrace (4) The elves began to prosper quickly. Using bows and arrows from trees to hunt animals in the forest and cultivating various trees to expand the great forest, they quickly expanded their territory under the shade of Yggdrasil. There were also those from outside the great forest who wanted to join the elves, and eventually, they were transformed into elves by Yggdrasil and joined. With the great forest where Yggdrasil is located as their base, the prosperity of the elves took its first step. However, there was also an element of unease for the elves. Those who settled near Yggdrasil first and were transformed into elves by me, began to differentiate themselves from those who joinedter. They imed to be more pure and noble elves since they had been around the World Tree from the beginning. The beginning of discrimination was such a firste-first-served reason, but over time, various other reasons began to be added. Elves transformed by me were said to have longer and more beautiful ears, more sensitive senses, and bettermunication with spirits.The difference arose from the difference in magical proficiency between Yggdrasil and me... but it was a very small difference. It seemed they were just looking for reasons to discriminate. Anyway, it was still a very minor difference, but... over time, it could cause a major rift within the elf race. Should I leave it alone? Or should I intervene? If it were humans... I would have intervened without hesitation. Hmm... I guess this is why Yggdrasil said I was too biased. Leaving it alone might result in the so-called noble ones bing High Elves, and those who rebel and flee bing Dark Elves... Hmm, I can''t just watch. I went to Yggdrasil and said, "Are you going to just leave their disputes alone?" [I do feel the need to do something... but even if I scold them, it''s only for a moment, and they soon start fighting again... How can I make them stop fighting?] What if you just tell them fighting is bad? They''re not children, would they stop with that? Well, maybe it''s okay to prescribe a bit of a harsh remedy at times. There was a myth in another world. A myth about the sun goddess who, tired of tyranny, hid in a cave and deprived the world of light. Wouldn''t it be alright to imitate that roughly? "How about doing this?" It might be a bit spicy for them, but for those causing strife within the same elf race, it would be an appropriate remedy. "After you scold them,pletely ignore them. Until they realize their mistakes and reflect on them." [Ignore them? But those children are fragile and can''t survive without my care!] "That''s why it would be an effective remedy. If they don''t realize their mistakes on their own, it will directly threaten their right to survive. However, this method should only be used this time as it might backfire if used frequently." [Hmm... Okay. I''ll trust you. But what if they don''t realize their mistakes and keep fighting?] "Then I''ll step in. What they are doing wrong, how you will return. If I pressure and scold them, they might reflect, right?" Is this a kind of carrot and stick? No, it feels more like both are sticks. Well, at least I''m suggesting a solution. [Okay, then please take care of the kids.] "Leave it to me." And so, Yggdrasil began to scold the elves. [Why do you divide yourselves like this! All of you are children under my shade! I can''t stand it anymore! Until you reflect on your mistakes and swear not to make the same mistakes again, I will not listen to your voices!] Yggdrasil''s stern voice reached the elves, and they were greatly rmed. Though they had started hunting with bows, it was still in the early stages. They can''t make a fire properly, so they''re eating mostly raw meat.... Their main food was the fruits of Yggdrasil. The elves had thought Yggdrasil would not withhold the fruits, but... Days passed, and what they thought impossible became a reality, shocking them greatly. "World Tree! We were wrong! It''s all because of those impostors!!!" "What?! You guys ignored us! Yggdrasil said we are elves too! Then why do you guys ignore us?!" "What did you say? I can''t hear the words of those with short ears." Wow. Look at the hate speech. No. This isn''t the time to just watch. The elves began to me each other and fight when Yggdrasil stopped bearing fruits. There hadn''t been any physical conflicts yet... but it was only a matter of time. It''s time for me to step in. I jumped down among the elves gathered in the square, and they were greatly surprised by my sudden appearance. "Stop." I spoke in a low voice and slightly increased the gravity in the square to immobilize the elves. "You were told not to fight, yet here you are, fighting. You foolish ones." The elves, pressed down by the sudden increase in gravity, couldn''t move properly and were shocked by my sudden appearance. Even the elves, confident in their keen senses, hadn''t noticed my presence at all. I wonder if this is what it feels like to see something that shouldn''t exist. "You are..." The elves I had personally transformed seemed to remember me, unable to easily start speaking. If they remembered me shattering rocks with arrows, that would make sense. But. "An outsider...?!" The elves who didn''t know me seemed to be in disbelief. Well, that makes sense. Those who joined the elvester wouldn''t know me since Yggdrasil had transformed them directly. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Outsider, get out! This is a matter for the elves..." "You idiot! Do you know who this person is?!" "What?! Did you just call me an idiot?!" Here they go again, fighting among themselves. Even though their bodies should be heavy due to the gravity, they''re still trying to punch each other. "Quiet." I increased the gravity in the square even more, and the elves could no longer stand and fell t on the ground. "Yggdrasil started ignoring you because it''s sick of you fighting like this, and yet you try to fight again. You truly are fools." "Ugh..." "Grgh..." The elves, t on the ground like bugs, groaned. They looked somewhat pitiful. "I came here because I have a way to solve this problem... But in this state, you won''t be able to use that method. It''s regrettable, truly regrettable. To think this is the end for the elf race." I sighed softly and released the gravity magic pressing down on the elves. Slowly, they caught their breath and got up. "Are you.... able to solve this problem?" "Of course. Don''t you also know how to solve this problem?" The problem itself isn''t difficult. If they''re willing, it could be resolved quickly. But, they don''t seem to have the will to solve it. "That''s..." "We don''t know who you are, but this is an internal issue for the elves. This problem arises because they don''t treat us as equals." The voice of someone who didn''t know me. Indeed, they were the ones who discriminated first. "Can''t we all live together peacefully under the shade of the World Tree as elves?" They had no answer. Such pitiful creatures. "First, you need to understand each other''s feelings." If they experience each other''s situations, maybe they''ll understand a bit. I used magic. I swapped the races of those divided into two sides, like choosing sides. The elves transformed by me became like those transformed by Yggdrasil. And those transformed by Yggdrasil became like those transformed by me. The difference is very subtle. But to them, it will definitely be felt. T/N: TEAM SWAP! HAHAHAHA "What is this?!" "Huh..." The change in perception is severe, but the reverse will be severe too. "How do you feel now that you''ve be each other?" "Very... frustrating..." "I can''t believe there''s such a difference..." Good. It seems they''re starting to understand each other''s feelings. "Do you swear not to fight anymore?" "Yes! We swear!" "Could... Could you change all of us like this?" Huh. Well, it''s not difficult. But what about the elves whoeter? Am I supposed to change them all? Yggdrasil would be annoyed, right? "Yggdrasil personally changed you. Are you dissatisfied with that?" "No, it''s not that..." To the elves, Yggdrasil holds an absolute position. If they''re dissatisfied with what Yggdrasil has done, I wonder what would happen. It would be quite interesting, wouldn''t it? "Understood. We will also not fight with them anymore." "Them? Aren''t you all elves? Get along well. Be friendly." Anyway, after mediating the elves'' fight like that, I returned the elves to their original forms. The elves, whose senses had be dull again after being sharpened, seemed a bit disappointed. "Now that you''ve reconciled, I''ll tell you how to appease Yggdrasil." I called over the spirits that were hovering around. The spirit of fire. The spirit of water. The spirit of wind. The spirit of earth. And the spirit of trees. The spirits of light and darkness are a bit fewer in number. I shared my magic power with those spirits and materialized their forms. "This is...!" "You can talk to spirits, but you''ve never seen their forms directly." If I share my magic power, I can materialize them like this... but there were no beings on the surface that could do this. Ah, dragons can. "I will teach you how to borrow the power of these spirits." After all, if it''s elves, it has to be spirit magic! Of course! Chapter 30: Subrace (5) Chapter 30: Subrace (5) Spirits. Long ago... No, maybe not so long ago. It hasn''t even been a few thousand years. Anyway, in the past, the spirits, who were once dragons, wandered the world like innocent children, having forgotten even about themselves. If there were a king of spirits to rule over them, it would be the seven children who became the ancestors of dragons... But let''s skip over those children for now. After the dragons turned into spirits, their influence led to the birth of even smaller, more numerous spirits. In other words... the spirits that were dragons became higher spirits, and the newly born spirits became middle or lower spirits. Anyway. The method to borrow the power of such spirits was not difficult. To contract with a spirit and supply magical power to materialize the spirit. It''s simple if it''s simple, and difficult if it''s difficult.One must consider thepatibility with the spirit and the aptitude for magical power... but it should be possible for elves. Lizardmen have a very low aptitude for magical power, so they cannot materialize spirits and only create spells to borrow the power of spirits... but that has its own vor, so it''s fine. Ahem. The story has drifted elsewhere. Let''s get back on track. Elves, who can converse with spirits, tend to have a high aptitude for magical power, so they should be able to materialize spirits. "Contract with the spirits and provide them with magical power to materialize them. Then the spirits will listen to your requests." At my light gesture, various spirits begin to dance in the air. Wind spirits dancing lightly in a circle. Fire spirits frolicking and swinging orderly mes. Water spirits dancing smoothly like flowing water and earth spirits expressing faint emotions with static movements. The ballroom created by the four elemental spirits exudes a dreamy atmosphere. "How beautiful..." "Show this beautiful sight to Yggdrasil and appease Yggdrasil." "Can''t you do it for us?" At an elf''s words, I shook my head. This guy is trying to get a free ride. "The problems that originated from you must be resolved by your own hands. I am merely suggesting the method." As I wave my hand again, the spirits join hands and form arge circle. I wonder what the elves, seeing the spirits of all four elementsing together and holding hands in harmony, are thinking. If they still don''t realize anything even after being shown this scene of unity, then maybe I''ll have to crack their heads open myself. "Understood. Please teach us the method." Fortunately, it seemed I wouldn''t need to intervene directly. I taught the elves how to contract with spirits. "Spirits are innocent but at the same time cunning and capricious. To easily handle such spirits, you must make a contract." Ah, of course, dragons like me don''t need such things. After all, we are superior. In power and in position. "Talk with the spirits that approach you, and make a contract to borrow their power in exchange for providing magical power. If you do so, the spirits will move as if they were your own limbs." You don''t necessarily need a contract document. The contract with a spirit is engraved within the spirit itself. Of course, if an elf were to treat a spirit harshly, that contract would soon be invalidated... But surely, I don''t think there wouldn''t be anyone who would mistreat a spirit that serves them like their own limbs. That would be foolish. "Excuse me, but... how should we use magical power?" Hmm? Ah... Right. Magical power. Since dragons instinctively use magical power, I''ve never really taught it and forgot about it. Well, these ones probably haven''t handled magical power before either. "Magical power is a force that circtes in this world and resides within all beings." In the flowing stream, within the solid rock, and even in the cool breeze. Magical power exists. And within their bodies as well... magical power existed. "Close your eyes and focus on the presence of the magical power flowing within you. The magical power that enters with your inhtion and exits with your exhtion. Focus on the magical power that gradually umtes in your body during this process." Since there is no martial arts technique like internal energy cultivation that filters out magical power from breathing... It''s inevitable that they can only gather the magical power thates in and out with simple breathing. Well, given the lifespan of elves, I think they should be able to gather enough magical power to feel its presence. As I expected. The elves began to slowly realize the existence of magical power residing within their bodies. It''s a relief that things are easy. If they hadn''t felt the magical power, I might have had to increase the concentration of magical power around here to make them notice. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Of course, that might have been a bit painful. Like a human breathing air suddenly drowning in water. High concentrations of magical power are a bit dangerous, but it''s certainly possible to adjust... Hmm. Let''s move on from that. Anyway, the elves began to notice the magical power within their bodies. But, noticing it and moving it are two different stories. "Many spirits will speak to you. Try speaking to the spirit you think is the biggest and strongest." Spirits fundamentally follow a strict hierarchy. Even if you make a contract with just one of the strongest spirits, all the spirits below it will automatically follow. Thus, the elves began to make contracts with the spirits that spoke to them. Depending on their aptitude, elves made contracts with one or two spirits. Among them, the most outstanding could make contracts with three. Is that impressive? I''m not sure. After all, I canmand spirits with just a gesture. Given that I''ve looked after the children who could be called the kings of spirits, why wouldn''t the spirits listen to me? Even the not so numerous spirits of fire, as well as the spirits of wind and water that scatter them. And the spirits of the rising earth and lush trees. Speaking of which, I don''t see the spirits of light and darkness. Hmm... They must be a bit finicky. Especially darkness, since its parent, Erebus, is hiding. That unfilial child... Just wait until I catch him. I''ll give him a piece of my mind. "Now that everyone''s spirits are ready, let''s appease Yggdrasil." At my words, the elves began to move their spirits. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "It is known that this is the beginning of the Great Spirit Festival, a festival of the elves." "The Great Spirit Festival?" "Yes. The Great Spirit Festival." At the elf''s words, the hero, looked out the window. A ballroom filled with spirits on the streets. A scene as if dropped into a world where only spirits exist. The festival of white flowers I saw in the lizardmen''s vige was beautiful, but the sight before my eyes now had a different kind of beauty. "After showing such a beautiful dance of spirits, the World Tree''s heart was softened, and it began to look after the elves again. In return for showing such a beautiful festival, the World Tree bestowed upon them a branch. That was the Branch of Harmony, the treasure of the elves and the symbol of the elf royal family." The Branch of Harmony. A branch of the World Tree decorated with jewels containing the essence of spirits. The symbol of the elves and the treasure of spirit mages that maximizes the power of spirits. They came under this World Tree to borrow the power of that staff. "And ording to some stories... It was a dragon priestess like you who taught the elves such spirit magic." "Like me?" "Yes. Like you." At the elf''s words, the silver-haired girl with dragon horns simply tilted her head slightly. T/N: What are you doing!? - A record of adventure from a certain hero party. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thus, all internal conflicts among the elves were resolved. The elves held a ball of spirits to create a harmonious scene so that Yggdrasil wouldn''t be upset, and Yggdrasil, touched by the elves, bestowed upon them one of its branches. I also made a gift of a jewel that strengthens the power of spirits. Hmm. They probably won''t fight like before now. I might have wanted to see the proud high elves, but if those elves fought, Yggdrasil would be sad. Right. Let''s hold back here. Leaving Yggdrasil, I moved on to find another group of humans. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Perhaps, I had been underestimating humans. The potential of humans might be so vast and immense that it''s beyond the reach of my imagination. Otherwise... There''s no way humans who have formed families with bipedal furry dogs or cats could exist! They even had children!!! Humans with animal ears! These animal-infused creatures!!!! No, that cat''s daughter over there looks exactly like her mother!!!! How did ite to this.... It might be the end of the human era.... Chapter 31: Subrace (6) Chapter 31: Subrace (6) No, surely humans were also animals like them, but how could this happen? Did these suspicious bipedal animals change because they wanted to be with humans? How is this even possible... I couldn''t understand. Of course, if we trace back to the root, we all came from the same branch! It hasn''t been that long since the branches split!!! About a thousand years?! Still, this is a bit strange!!! No, maybe another element was involved. For example... magic. If it''s magic that causes changes in response to will, then it might be possible.. But no matter how much I think about it, I don''t understand! I really don''t get it?!Moreover, the children born between them are strange! Some kids have only animal ears and tails on a human body! Some kids are closer to bipedal furry animals with their whole body covered in fur! What is this! Are the genes unstable or what?! Is it okay to leave this as it is? Won''t there be any problems?! No, let''s calm down first. Calm down. The bipedal animals also seem to be satisfied living alongside such humans. If they blend into human society... Well, there''s nothing I can do about it. All I can do is hope that they don''t cause any problems. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After a few suspicious species joined some groups of humans, little changes urred. First, humans mixed with beasts... To avoid sounding discriminatory, let''s call them beastmen. As beastmen joined humans, humans were presented with another option. Not just hunting or farming, but directly raising animals to obtain various by-products like meat or fur. Simply put, it was the beginning of livestock farming. Initially, it was just hunting animals like wild boars or bison, but the joining of beastmen created another option. For some reason, the words of beastmen could directly convey their meaning to animals, so some beastmen started to take in stray animals and raise them, which was the beginning of livestock farming. Humans realized that raising animals and obtaining various things from them was more beneficial than just hunting them. Thus, humans obtained wool from sheep, milk from cows, eggs from chickens... and just meat from pigs. Of course, that wasn''t all. The power of cows was also used to make farming easier. Anyway. Through such processes, the potential of beastmen was revealed. Beastmen were natural hunters and shepherds. Was it because of their animal blood? With their instinctual senses, they could hunt, directly convey their intentions to animals, and protect livestock from other predators as shepherds. Beastmen were... blending into human society better than I thought. Really, why has ite to this. I don''t understand. Beastmen hunters, who could track down animals'' habits on an instinctual level and hunt with simple traps, had the potential to supply enough meat for humans. With their bravery in taking care of livestock and protecting them from predators... Humans who didn''t have prejudice against their appearance generally weed beastmen. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Of course, not everyone epted beastmen. Since their appearance was inherently different, not everyone could ept beastmen. In other worlds, people discriminated against each other over skin color, so how could they not discriminate against those who looked like a different species? Moreover, even if we lump them together as beastmen, the type of animal each beastman is varies greatly. So, the option for beastmen to band together andbine their strength is not an easy one. Still, the effort to be part of humanity ismendable! Anyway, I had no particr involvement with beastmen. Until a major problem arises, all I can do is watch. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Surprisingly, there were no problems in having children between humans and beastmen. However... there were some issues with the animalistic traits beastmen possessed when having children. Heat periods, shedding. There were many problems... but perhaps the biggest issue was the hybridization. For example, what happens when one is a carnivore. The other is a herbivore? And their ecology and appearances arepletely different. The answer seems to be that the child inherits the traits of one side. I don''t know much about gics. Anyway, that''s how beastmen were living among humans. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Beastmen live between the forms of animals and humans. There are three types of beastmen, those close to humans, those close to beasts, and those in between. First, the human-like beastmen,monly known as humanoid beastmen. Except for their tails and ears, they almost resemble humans, and because they are close to humans, their unique senses as beastmen are dull. Of course, being beastmen, their strength and agility are superior to humans, but they are certainlyckingpared to other beastmen. However, because they are so close to humans, they live among humans without much discrimination. Second, the beast-like beastmen,monly known as beast-type beastmen. These are close to beasts, walking on two legs, using their hands, and able to speak. Their facial structure and oral structure are close to beasts, making their speech unclear, and many have legs structured like an animal''s reverse joints, making them appear quite strange. At a nce, they might seem like a subrace or even monsters, and in some areas, they are frequently mistaken for monsters and attacked. Of course, their intelligence is iparably higher than that of beasts, and with the physicality of beastsbined with human intellect, they excel as hunters. Of course, they often get into trouble due to being overwhelmed by their strong wild instincts, but even considering that, they can make excellent adventurers. Lastly, the intermediate beastmen, existing between the two. These are beastmen perfectly situated between the two, inheriting both their advantages and disadvantages. Their facial features are close to humans, but their body is covered in fur, and while the skeletal structure of their hands and feet is close to humans, their muscles are like those of beasts, boasting strength far superior to humans. However, due to their ambiguous appearance, they are not easily epted by either side, making them quite lonely individuals. But... why is it that among these very few, many are wealthy or hold power? Perhaps those who covet wealth and honor, biting at each other like beasts, instinctively desire beastmen with beast-like appearances. - A Guide for Adventurers Exploring the World. Chapter on Subraces. Beastmen Section. Chapter 32: Subrace (7) Chapter 32: Subrace (7) In this world, there are several subraces besides humans, but the most vile among them are the beast-like beastmen! It is by expelling all of them, that we must cleanse the sins of humanity! Beasts to the forest! To the fields! Back to the wild!!! That is the most natural form! Therefore, killing all the beastmen in this world is what promises a bright future for us humans¡­. W-What! You beasts!!! Get lost! Get lost!!! You fur-smelling creatures!!! Don''t you dare touch me!!! - Statement by a human supremacist. The human supremacist who made this statement was barely saved by the guards while being beaten by beastmen and was dragged away. A few dayster, he was found as a cold corpse in a cold prison. It is rified that this person''s statement does not represent all humans.How terrible and horrifying is this thought? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Some time passed. Roughly a few hundred years. Thinking of a few hundred years as just a bit¡­ My sense of time has really gone awry. Heh. Well, when you live through time quickly, a few decades can pass in the blink of an eye. Anyway, by the time it became not umon to see beastmen mixed with animals among human groups. I lightly checked the technologies possessed by humans. First, the really important technology, agriculture. The basic farming I initially taught to lizardmen was passed on to humans, gradually evolving and changing. Farming that involves not just sowing seeds, but leveling thend, nting seeds, and managing them until the sprouts grow. And then, pulling out all other nts except for the crops being grown to achieve the maximum yield. Of course, there were still many shorings. Due to ack of understanding of the power of thend... soil fertility, they didn''t know why to grow crops that increase soil fertility together, and thinking that nting many crops was enough, they overnted and ruined the agriculture. Various mistakes were emerging. But,pared to the beginning, there was definite progress, so wasn''t that good? Thanks to raising cows as livestock, they were able to obtain greatbor force¡­ It could definitely be said that there was progress. Although the production was quite poor because they hadn''t done any breed improvement yet. Maybe I should improve it myself if necessary. Hmm. Well, those detailed things can be thought aboutter. Let''s move on from agriculture. Thus, the grains obtained from farming were stored for a long time through pottery baked by fire. Of course, there was still muchcking, so they were only making pottery with rough edges likeb-pattern pottery. But the fact that grains could be stored was a great advantage for humans. Compared to the days when they hunted daily and starved if the hunt failed, this was practically heaven. The importance of savings! Next is livestock farming. By raising various livestock, they were able to obtain meat and various by-products. Together with agriculture, livestock farming made humans no longer solely dependent on gathering and hunting. Eggs, milk, wool, and other by-products were greatly helpful to humans¡­ The usefulness of livestock farming goes without saying. Next is spinning to produce thread. And weaving to make cloth¡­ Ah, weaving was still clumsy. But they were doing things like fishing with the thread they made. They must be trying their best. I wonder when they''ll start making clothes out of cloth? I''m curious. Other than that,nguage, transitioning from chipped stone tools to ground stone tools, making simple baskets out of tree bark or leaves¡­ Well, roughly that was the extent of human technology. Maybe it''s time to teach them something else¡­. While I was thinking that. Humans discovered a new technology on their own. Well, to say on their own might be a bit much. "ck stone! Dig it up! Trade with lizardmen! Food in exchange! Everyone! Works!" They were mining obsidian through the quarry left by the lizardmen. That''s right. It was mining. Humans who discovered the quarry where lizardmen were mining obsidian began to mine it themselves, creating tools like stone axes and stone pickaxes. Still unaware of even bronze, let alone iron, the only thing humans could mine at the moment was obsidian. However, they were well aware of the value of obsidian, perhaps due to previous trades with lizardmen. Thus, some humans gained the knowledge that digging into the earth could yield valuable resources. Hmm. It''s a very positive oue that they''ve acquired a skill I didn''t teach. At this rate, they could continue to develop even without my intervention. Of course, I had no intention of stepping back just yet. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Time flew by, and humans continued to develop. They progressed to the point of clumsily making cloth from threads and even creating clothes. They began to ponder what else they could do with the thread, and before long, they twisted it into something like rope. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Using the rope they made, they built houses, saw trees floating on water, and tied them together with rope to make primitive rafts. It''s quite remarkable that they skillfully fished using thread, wooden poles, and needles made of bone. How they knew fish ate bugs, I''m not sure, but they baited fishing hooks with worms. And another notable discovery was... bronze. The initial discovery was amusingly started by baking pottery and trying to bake various other things alongside it. Among the baked items, there was a metal with a rtively low melting point, which turned out to be bronze, apound of copper and another metal. Bronze. The first metal. Although there were incidents where humans marveled at the molten bronze turning into liquid in the hot mes and lost hands and lives... a minor issue, isn''t it? Of course, they couldn''t use the metal that had turned into liquid due to the high temperature as it was, but thanks to the help of some kind soul, humans learned to melt the metal in stone bowls and pour it into molds made of sand to cool and solidify. They were still making clumsy items, but over time, they would be able to make more impressive things. Maybe even the dwarves, a staple of fantasy, would appear. Hmm, that''s something to look forward to. If there are elves, there should be dwarves too! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To the rapidly developing humans, I gave another gift. Yggdrasil and Sylphid might grumble about my favoritism... but what can I do? I was once human too, though it was thousands of years ago. But I''ve reduced it a lot! I''ve been watching for a very long time before preparing a gift! Anyway, the gift I prepared was none other than... the wheel. An object with a circr shape and an axle in the center. An important tool used not only for carts and wagons but also for bicycles, cars, and more. I presented the wheel to the leader of the humans... no, it would be more appropriate to call him a king now. Anyway, I gave the wheel to him. I wonder how many generations of his descendants have passed since I gave the crown to a human. The crown had changed hands almost a hundred times by now. But it seemed that stories about me continued, or perhaps memories of me remained in their bloodline. There was no problem in epting my gift. After showing the wheel and its rotating movement around the axle... I assembled a simple handcart and gifted it, and the king of humans found the handcart quite fascinating. After that, they began making wheels out of wood, creating carts. A new horizon opened in transportation, but that''s a minor story. What''s important now isn''t such trivial matters. [Mom.] As I was observing humans and wandering around, a small voice reached me. The voice of my most reticent child. The highest mountain. The forehead of the world. Sagarmatha''s voice. "What''s the matter?" I listened to Sagarmatha''s voice and asked, and Sagarmatha spoke with a hint of difficulty. [Can I wipe out the humans?] "What on earth are you talking about?!" A sudden deration of human extermination! Was this child always so reckless?! No! Absolutely not! This child was taciturn and cautious, not one to act rashly?! [Humans have started to dig into me. Can I exterminate them?] "No, won''t you exin a bit more?! Why suddenly exterminate them!" At my words, Sagarmatha sighed softly and calmly spoke. [Humans entered the caves within me, and now they''ve started to dig down into the ground from inside the caves. It''s bothersome, so I''ll exterminate them.] "No, stop with the extermination already!! It''s too brutal!" This child used to speak so little, how did it be so fixated on extermination! First, I need to check on the humans who''ve dug into Sagarmatha. "But why did you ask me?" [Because you greatly favor humans. I thought I needed your permission to exterminate them, even if it''s about humans.] Hmm. So Sagarmatha says that too. Do I appear to be greatly favoring humans in the eyes of my other children? Well, can''t be helped. I was human, after all. "First, I need to take a look at the humans who''ve dug into you." What could the humans who fearlessly dug into Sagarmatha''s great height, seeking the caves, be after? What are they digging into the caves for? Don''t they think that digging the wrong way could cause the rocks to copse and bury them alive? I''m not sure... but let''s take a closer look. Why they have dug into Sagarmatha. If they are harboring some wrong idea... I''m even thinking of forcibly pulling them out. Chapter 33: Subrace (8) Chapter 33: Subrace (8) They were our ancestors. Our ancestors were curious beings. Our ancestors were creators of new things. They were explorers who sought unprecedented new answers amidst the heat where mes and ores mingled. They were the hungry ones, craving more knowledge, more materials, more discoveries. Thus, our ancestors roamed the world in search of new answers and grasped pickaxes to uncover the faint answers buried in the ground. At the moment when the silver wisdom of foresight found those wanderers, they became pioneers treading new paths. They were Dwarves. So, descendants, pick up the hammer. Take up the pickaxe.We are pioneers forever illuminating the dark path ahead. Until the silver wisdom of foresight finds us again. We will walk eternally. That is who we are, Dwarves. - A Dwarven Proverb. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¡°So, you went into the caves because digging through the ground was hard?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right¡­.¡± I rubbed my throbbing head as I looked down at the humans prostrating before me. [Mom. I really want to annihte them.] ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that¡¯s not allowed. Just stay put.¡± [As expected, Mom is too kind to humans. You y favorites.] Just be quiet, Sagarmatha. I¡¯m aware of it myself now. I''m realizing that it''s not good to show too much favoritism. Maybe I should help other races when I have time¡­. ¡°To recklessly dig through caves. Don¡¯t you know the meaning of moderation?¡± ¡°But¡­. It was difficult to carve through the rock with our stone pickaxes. If it¡¯s a soft cave, we can dig through it as much as we want¡­.¡± The human speaking more fluently than others I¡¯ve encountered probably has superior intelligence. Well, it¡¯s much morefortable than listening to stuttering. ¡°Then you could have just dug around the nearby hills. Whye all the way to this mountain? Don¡¯t you know that if this mountain gets angry, all of you will be buried in the ground, bing a handful of dirt?¡± [Yeah. Just a slight pressure and it¡¯s annihtion.] ¡°Sagarmatha. Be quiet.¡± I¡¯m talking right now. ¡°But¡­. Is there a mountain greater than this one?¡± [Yeah. That¡¯s true.] Let¡¯s ignore Sagarmatha chiming in. ¡°We seek somethingpletely new. Something that could change the world. If such a thing exists, we thought it must be within the greatest mountain.¡± Hmm¡­. Considering the current humans are around the Bronze Age, what they are looking for is probably iron. But they don¡¯t have to find iron in Sagarmatha. There are plenty of ces with iron ore. But did these humans just dig through Sagarmatha¡¯s caves thinking [Since this mountain is the greatest, we can find it here!]? Should I call this smart or dumb? [Yeah. They have quite the eye.] Sagarmatha. Be quiet. I sighed softly and looked at the humans. Humans covered in dirt and filth. Humans who wandered and dug through narrow caves with torches. Their appearance was truly pitiful to describe. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate you haven¡¯t gone too deep yet. If you had gone deeper, you all would have died.¡± Especially since they lit torches inside the cave. If fresh air hadn¡¯t continuously entered from somewhere, they might not havested long before suffocating. ¡°There were a few times when the cave was at risk of copsing. Fortunately, we were able to evacuate without major harm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point. If you light something like a torch in an enclosed space, you¡¯ll suffocate. You¡¯ll die fromck of air.¡± ¡°Suffocate¡­?¡± Hmm. They really don¡¯t know anything. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel stuffy? Isn¡¯t it hard to breathe deep inside the cave? Don¡¯t you feel the air is different inside the cavepared to outside?¡± ¡°That is¡­. Indeed, it was.¡± ¡°Deep inside the cave, the air necessary for humans to breathe bes scarce. Foolishly entering the cave. It seems your lives are as numerous as eight.¡± The humans had no particr response to my words. "Even carrying torches and stirring up dust with pickaxes inside the cave. If I hadn''te, a few corpses would have been cleaned up in a few days." "Aren''t torches only dangerous because they''re hot?" At one human''s question, I slightly shook my head. "A torch needs more than just wood to burn. It contains something that makes fire burn well in fresh air. And that very thing is also necessary for breathing." There''s no need to exin oxygen in detail. Just a rough idea that such a thing exists should suffice. "Does that mean... if we put more of that breathing-necessary thing into the fire, the fire can grow bigger?" "Um? Yes, that''s right." "Then, if we make the fire even bigger, can it be hotter?" "Well... yes, but..." "Then, with a hotter me, can we melt more things?!" What''s with these kids, really. "You can melt things, but..." "Then we might be able to melt various ores that we couldn''t melt before!" "If we melt those ores, we might find something new!!" "Let''s postpone digging the ground! Melt the ores first!!" Really, what are these guys. I sighed, feeling a slight headacheing on. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fortunately, the ores they had did not melt. With the current advancement of human civilization, they couldn''t create a me hot enough. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now At best, they could fan a bonfire a bit. That''s not enough to melt all sorts of ores. Well, a few ores did melt. "A bit hotter... we need to blow more wind..." "But how? Everyone''s arms are falling off from fanning!" "Ugh... we need to find a way somehow... it''s not easy." "Wouldn''t it be better to dig caves and mine useful ores? Maybe there are other ores that melt in the mes we''ve fanned." "That''s true, but..." The humans, who were having a meeting, nced at me and then started whispering among themselves again. "If we try to enter the cave, that person stops us. She says the mountain will get angry." "But... why would that person stop us?" Exactly. Why am I stopping you guys. Risking your lives without a care. Should I just stop caring whether they live or die and leave? Sigh. [Mom.] "Hm? Why do you call? Sagarmatha. Are you doing well in stopping those humans from digging through your cave?" [For those humans, I''ll allow the surrounding mountains.] "The surrounding mountains?" The towering Sagarmatha and the several peaks that rise around it. Is that what she means by allowing them? [As long as it''s not me.] "That''s quite a selfish thing to say." [It''s okay to dig through the other peaks. And... those fools. They do have quite the eye.] At Sagarmatha''s words, I let out a small sigh. Is she acting like this just because she heard a bit of praise? How did this child be such an easy mountain. [Of course, I won''t allow myself.] "Alright. I''ll convey that then." Well, even if they start digging through the mountains, it won''t be easy. The issue of oxygen supply and various other problems haven''t been solved yet. And they can''t properly smelt iron since they don''t have the firepower. So... um... Wait. If I... tweak these humans a bit... Could they be Dwarves? I thought for a moment. They like digging. They''re curious. They like things like metal smelting. Really, with just a little tweaking, I could create the Dwarves I''m thinking of? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Creating a race from scratch isn''t easy, but if there''s another race that could serve as a base, it''s not that difficult. It was the same with Elves. Even if I don''t intervene, races like Giants or Beastmen might emerge unexpectedly. But that''s almost like a disaster. "Therefore, using my power, I can change you." I brought up the topic in front of numerous humans. It was those who had attempted to dig through Sagarmatha, and the numerous humans who followed them. "There''s the issue of bing a bit shorter, but your bodies will be much sturdier, and your strength will increase. If there''s anything more you desire, I can apply it. How about it?" A benefit that other races haven''t enjoyed? Have I ever openly offered to change them like this? If there''s a needed ability, I can bestow it as much as needed? It seems like without doing this, the Dwarves I''m thinking of couldn''t exist! Short but sturdy and strong, bearded Dwarves! If there are Elves, there should be Dwarves too!! At my words, murmurs started among the humans. "Even if you offer to change us..." "What are you suddenly talking about..." "It''s difficult for us to ept such words..." Hmm. It seems it wasn''t easy for them to ept after all. Honestly, it''s unlikely they could easily ept such suspicious words. "It''s good to be sturdier, but bing shorter is indeed a problem." "Wouldn''t being shorter make it easier to explore caves? I see it positively." "If we be stronger, would we be more skilled at using pickaxes?" Amidst the murmuring humans, a hand was raised. "I lost one arm in a cave-in ident. If I ept your offer, can you restore my lost arm?" A one-armed human. A human filled with the desire to regain what was lost. Seeing such a human, I nodded and said. "It''s entirely possible. Sacrificing height in exchange for the bodies you desire is an opportunity." I drew upon my magical power, enveloped the human who raised his hand, and regenerated his severed arm. Several humans were horrified at the grotesque sight of the skin at the amputation site disappearing and the bone and muscle regrowing, but the one being regenerated watched the regeneration of his arm as if it was a wonder. After a very short time, as the arm was regenerated, he sped his restored arm and said, choking up. "Thank you... I''ll do anything. Height is not a big deal." The miraculous sight of a severed arm being regenerated. At that sight, people one by one raised their hands and said. "Can you make us withstand hot mes better?" "Of course." "I like making things, can my craftsmanship improve?" "Absolutely." "Lighting a fire is difficult, is there an easier way?" "My uncle was severely injured by being crushed under a rock! Please make it so rocks don''t injure us!" "Fan-blowing to stoke a fire is hard, isn''t there a better way?" Really, these humans have so many desires. "Such greedy creatures. Fine. I''ll grant you as much as I can." Thus, they were reborn anew through my hands. Chapter 34: Subrace (9) Chapter 34: Subrace (9) "You are now beings that can no longer be called humans, so from now on, you will be called Dwarves." "Dwarves...?" "That sounds a bit like the elves who live in the Great Forest. What does it mean?" Even if you ask what it means... If I say it means ''dwarf'' in thenguage of another world, wouldn''t they be hurt? It''s not nice to make fun of someone''s physical shorings! Well, I''m the one who made them dwarves, though. "It means ''sages of the earth.'' Isn''t it a fitting name for you who dig through the earth in search of new things?" Of course, that''s aplete lie.But sometimes, a lie of goodwill is necessary. "Wow... It really is a great name that suits us. Thank you! Thank you!" Humans... no, I should call them Dwarves now. The Dwarves were very moved and thanked me. It''s strange to receive thanks for something I did out of my own desire. I looked at the transformed Dwarves. Although they had be shorter overall, their physical abilities had significantly strengthened. Maybe call itpact muscles? Short but thick and solid. Thick and solid skeletons. stic and tough muscles that don''t easily tear. Added respiratory abilities that don''t cause problems even in oxygen-deficient environments. Additionally, excellent resistance to fire and heat. Night vision that allows clear sight even in dark caves. And exceptional dexterity that enables detailed carving with simple tools. Fulfilling their requests one by one, I wonder if it''s really my fault that a being that makes you question if they were ever human was born. It''s really not my fault. Hmm... Isn''t this what real favoritism looks like? I''ve created a tantly overpowered race. Well, even with such creation, if we''re talking about physical strength, Lizardmen are still stronger, which is both shocking and horrifying. Those guys are originally dinosaurs, or maybe because they had the potential to be dragons, they boast an abnormal strength. It''s a huge relief that they''re greatly affected by the environment due to their difficulty in regting body temperature. Well, they were strong enough to survive in the battlefield caused by the dragons. And... the Dwarves I''ve created this time, though not as strong as the Lizardmen, are still designed to be quite strong. Truly a body carved with care! Shortness is the only w! Well, roughly speaking. That''s how the Dwarves came into existence in this world. Oh, and for female Dwarves, I set them to look like young children. Since they remain youthful without aging, the women seemed oddly pleased. If it wasn''t for the appearance of a young girl, it would have had to be a beardless male Dwarf. I couldn''t bear such a sight. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Dwarves settled on the peaks surrounding Sagarmatha with its permission. For now, they''ve only built huts and formed a vige. But over time, they''ll probably build a proper city. Maybe they''ll dig into the mountain to construct a massive underground city? Or perhaps they''ll carve out a vige in the cliffs? Either way, it''s going to be an exciting Dwarven city. Well. I could have guided them in that direction, but too much interference isn''t good. Let''s ignore the fact that I''ve already interfered a lot. Just ignore it. "But are you really sure it''s okay to settle here?" "Being close to the mountain is good, so this is enough for us." The Dwarves, boasting confidently, looked quite admirable. However, from my perspective, this location had some uncertainties. And that uncertainty was none other than the food issue. "Your bodies have be stronger, but as a side effect, you will need much more food. But settling on such a ridge... Farming is out of the question for now." Maybe farming could be possible if they built terraced fields, but there''s no way humans could do that now. "We''ll manage with hunting. We''re skilled at making traps for hunting. After all, we were a group that roamed around and never even considered farming." Traps... With their dexterity, it might be useful... "But because you''ve cut down all the trees in the nearby mountains, the closest mountain has be barren. In such a situation, do you think you can catch any game?" "Well, the number of prey has decreased a bit, but we''ll manage somehow. If necessary, we''ll go a bit further. We will always find a solution. It has always been that way and will continue to be so." The Dwarf, who only speaks optimistically, is troublesome... "Still, if we''re short on food, we can take the things we''ve made to other ces and exchange them for food. The bronze items we''ve made are quite popr." So that''s how they''ve been maintaining such a scale in this barren ce, by making items from bronze and exchanging them for food. "It might be a bit hard on the stomach while carrying the goods back and forth. But what can we do? We just have to wait for it toe back. It''s fortunate that there''s clear and clean water flowing. If necessary, we can fill our stomachs with water." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I sighed at the sight of the Dwarf smiling nonchntly. I wonder if the Dwarves will end up starving to death. Hmm... I want to help somehow. Food that can be obtained in the current situation... The water is clear, so fishing might be possible, but it seems difficult for all the humans here to eat their fill. Unless they can swim as well as the Lizardmen. With the short limbs of the Dwarves, it would be difficult. Even if they fish... It would be difficult to feed the entire poption here. Hmm. Other possible food sources... Hmm... At that moment, a small memory shed through my mind. Caves. And mushrooms. I had heard somewhere that mushrooms are grown in caves. If I refer to that story... I might be able to help the Dwarves a little. Besides... It might be a bit miserable, but if I could make moss edible... Would that be okay? Of course, it would beckingpared to proper food... No, I just have to modify it myself. It can be used as food, but the taste might be a bitcking. In a way that it can be grown in caves or mountains. Yes. Let''s do that. Especially since mushrooms are eaten by humans elsewhere as food. There shouldn''t be a problem. There have been humans who died from eating unknown mushrooms. But let''s think of that as a necessary sacrifice. Just as those who first ate pufferfish must have thought. Anyway, I obtained mushrooms resembling button mushrooms and made some modifications. The direction of modification is rapid production. And sufficient calories. Mushrooms that can be produced quickly and provide enough calories with just a few. The taste and aroma may becking, but if I make it too delicious, these humans might end up eating only this! They need to eat other things to bnce their nutrients! Additionally, I made edible moss and spread it widely on the nearby mountains. Not only in various valleys but also inside several caves, so it grows wildly, so I''ll tell them to pick and eat itter. It might feel a bit unfamiliar, but if they eat it thinking of it as eating seaweed, it should be fine. And if they''re hungry, they''ll dig up tree roots to eat. If I make these, they''ll eat them on their own. And... I added the function to the moss to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, maintaining an appropriate oxygen concentration. If they grow this moss abundantly, even if they go deep into caves, there won''t be any breathing problems. Honestly, making venttion for deep cave digging is frankly a bit difficult. Having something like this would make the Dwarves dig down, wouldn''t it? Well, it''s fantasy, so it''s okay to have such moss! "Eating mushrooms and moss?" "Yes. I''ve modified them a bit to grow them stably in caves. It might be unfamiliar food to you, so you might be hesitant..." "We''ve never eaten mushrooms because they''re dangerous, but you''re saying these mushrooms are safe to eat?" "Un. There''s a possibility that toxins remain if eaten raw, so they must be cooked before eating." "That''s very interesting! How do we grow them?" The Dwarf showed great interest in the new food. Indeed, he is a creature of immense curiosity. "It''s not particrly difficult. If you transfer the spores of the mushrooms onto dead trees, I''ve made it so they''ll grow on their own. Just prepare some dead trees, and the spores will spread and increase on their own." In other words, if there are no dead trees, they won''t grow. It would be problematic if mushrooms grew just anywhere. "As long as you maintain a certain level of humidity, the mushrooms will grow well on their own. That''s how they''re made." "What an amazing nt." "It''s not exactly a nt, but let me tell you about the moss next." "Moss! Isn''t that the strange grass that grows on rocks in the valley?" "Roughly simr. However, I''ve tinkered here and there so it''s be edible moss." Since eating only mushrooms would lead to an imbnce in nutrients. The moss, being nt-like, has been made edible to provide at least the minimum nutrients. Well, it would be better to eat other foods too. Like meat. Or meat. Or meat, for example. "And this moss has a function mixed into it that produces what living beings need to breathe. Growing this moss and cing it in deep caves will solve the problem of feeling suffocated." "What living beings need to breathe... Are you referring to what you mentioned before?" "Yes. The thing that''s needed when making a firerger." They don''t need to know about the existence of oxygen yet. "These mushrooms and moss are made for you, so take good care of them." I handed the Dwarf a piece of wood with mushrooms growing on it and a stone covered in moss. "By the way, I''ve already made the moss and mushrooms grow in the caves, so make good use of them." "Thank you...!" Hmm, giving these out to the Dwarves like this. Could this be considered favoritism? Well, a newly born race might need that much help, right? Though I haven''t given any special help to the beastmen or giants! Chapter 35: Subrace (10) Chapter 35: Subrace (10) After handing over the mushrooms and moss to the dwarves, I took out thest gifts I had made for them. "What is this?" "These are items I made thinking they might be of help to you. Take them." I handed a one-handed hammer made of ck metal to the representative of the dwarves. "Is this... a hammer?" Hmm, recognized at a nce. Well, primitive forms of stone hammers exist even now. The material ispletely different though! This hammer is made of steel, not bronze, which is the most advanced material currently! Moreover, it''s a hammer made of steel that has somehow been altered by my magic! "Someday, you will discover a new metal. A metal that will barely melt in mes hotter than the ones you handle now. This hammer will be used to work that metal, so I made it in advance for you."The dwarf held the ck hammer I handed him. A hammer made of steel altered by magic. It was an item created with the thought of what would happen if steel was altered by recalling the altered silver, but it turned out to be even more solid than expected. I think it''s quite remarkable that it remains intact even when I hold it in its original form. I''m curious how ordinary steel changes like this when magic is applied. Additionally, it has the added effect ofpletely repelling magic, and it possesses fire resistance to the extent that it remains intact even at the temperature at which steel melts. It might be the best item for a cksmith''s hammer. It feels a bit short to be used as a weapon... But it''s notpletely unusable either. Well, it''s not without its drawbacks... Since itpletely repels magic, no other magic can be applied to it, and it''s quite heavy. But with the strength of a dwarf, it should be well handled. "When you find that metal, heat it in hot mes and strike it with this hammer. The metal, tempered by the endlessly hot mes and the solid hammer, will be reborn into the item you desire. This will be proof that you are walking a new path." Upon my words, the dwarf hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Can we... really find that new metal?" "Of course. But I won''t tell you what that metal is or what properties it has. I''ll only tell you about its existence. It''s up to you guys to find it." "Of course. Just knowing that is enough. The rest is for us to solve." The dwarf, his mouth hidden by his beard, grinned and held the hammer. Dwarves and hammers, of course. "And this is a bellows made to more easily add wind to the mes." Originally, I nned to imbue them with an affinity for spirits so they could handle the spirit of mes... But for some reason, the spirits wouldn''t easily listen to these guys. At least the earth spirits followed Sagarmatha, their parent, ensuring the dwarves wouldn''t get hurt even if they were crushed by rocks. But neither the spirit of mes nor the spirit of wind would listen to them. In the end, it was up to the dwarves themselves to light and intensify the mes. Feeling sorry for the dwarves who had to fan desperately, I ended up making this bellows. By the way, it''s just an ordion-style bellows. A bellows without any magic. Giving them this to understand the principle so they can replicate it, right? "Grab both sides and expand and contract it like this, and wind wille out from this side. Much more efficient than fanning." "Ooh... What a fascinating item. And the wind it produces is quite strong too." "Yes. If you use this to add wind to the mes, you can create even hotter mes. So make the same thing and distribute it to other dwarves. The structure isn''t tooplicated, so you should be able to imitate it easily." Simply put, it was a prototype. "To give us such precious items... Thank you. Truly, thank you!" "Un. Work hard. I have high expectations for you." Now that I''veid the foundation for the dwarves I remember... The rest is just to watch how these guys develop. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The rhythmic song of iron and hammer fills the underground city. Like a skilled trainer taming a wild beast called mes, the dwarves skillfully nurture the mes, heating the iron in the fire. They pick up the red-hot iron with tongs, ce it on the anvil, and strike it with the hammer in their right hand. ng! The exhrating scream of iron. Normally, even if struck, the iron would only leave a slight mark, but the iron, having been in the mouth of hot mes, begins to change shape due to bing slightly softened. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Once. And again. After continuously striking the heated iron with the hammer, it is shaped as desired and then quickly cooled by being ced in a bucket of oil. Thus, the iron gains even greater durability. This entire process was like a form of art. "The dwarves'' smithing skills are truly artistic." The hero eximed in admiration after seeing the skills of the dwarves. ck iron. Or what is called adamantium, an ore said to be impossible to melt with ordinary skills, yet these people were calmly refining such materials. T/N: Remember Chapter 30? When our MC appeared as in the warrior''s party in ''A record of adventure from a certain warrior party''? Turns out, it''s a ''hero,'' not a ''warrior.'' I''ll change that, though. This note is just to inform those who have already read it. "My father is quite skilled. It was just bad luck that he missed the position of the forge master by a paper-thin margin." "Don''t me myck of skill on luck. A defeat is a defeat. And next time, I will not lose." The young dwarf girl assisting the cksmith said with a dissatisfied face. "Honestly, it really was bad luck. How could the forge master have known to find a vein of high-purity mithril ore there? If it weren''t for that mithril ore, my father would have won." "Sagarmatha blessed that hand." The cksmith murmured softly and then examined the iron cooled in oil. A ck circr shield. But a shield not yetpleted. The cksmith silently put the shield back into the fire. "Due to the high purity of the ck iron ore we obtained, it looks like we''ll have to divide the work into several stages. Sorry, but it seems it will take a bit more time." "That''s fine. I was nning to stay here for a while anyway. But make sure to craft the item well. It''s a shield for a preciouspanion." "Don''t worry. Dwarves don''t speak with two tongues." The cksmith once again stoked the forge, intensifying the mes. The zing mes grew even hotter, attempting to engulf the ck shield. In front of such mes, the cksmith quietly asked the hero. "So. Hero. Can that Demon Lord be defeated?" T/N: Yeah, it seems like our MC is ying in the hero party, hahaha. The hero did not answer. The hero himself thought it was a reckless endeavor. Countless monsters poured out and rampaged, and several countries had already fallen. In a desperate situation where half of the world had fallen into the hands of the Demon Lord. In such a situation, the Demon Lord tempted humanity with sweet words. He said he didn''t need anything else as long as he got what he wanted. But the Demon Lord''s demands could never be met. Therefore, someone had to defeat the Demon Lord. Regardless of the risks involved. It was something that had to be done. Therefore¡­ Even if it meant burning one''s own life. It was something that had to be done. "You''re taciturn. Much more reliable than those who are all talk." The cksmith seemed to think highly of such a hero, showing a deep smile with his mouth hidden by his beard. "I''ll talk to the Dwarven Trade Guild. Your equipment will be prepared here. There''s nothing better than the equipment from here, except for whates out of legends." "Thank you." The hero conveyed his thanks in a low voice. "Let''s see. Your party was all of 5 people, right?" "Father. You haven''t forgotten that I''m included, have you?" "Hmm. Including my unfortunate daughter, that makes 6. Moreover, each from different races. Even the Church of Life''s cherished Dragon Priestess, who appeared after hundreds of years. Quite the splendid lineup." The hero affirmed quietly to the cksmith''s words. The elf who is the greatest genius spirit mage and an excellent archer, having contracted with spirits of light and darkness. A young but strong dwarf warrior and cksmith assistant. The always reliable lizardman great warrior who does not retreat even when facing a thousand enemies alone. The fox beastman who is awkward with others but fully performs her role. And, the Church of Life''s cherished Dragon Priestess who had revived him after he had died... had it not been for her, who brought back to life the hero himself after he had almost lost his life... no, had lost his life to a monster attack... the hero and hispanions would not have been able to gather and head towards the Demon Lord like this. "They are all preciouspanions." Speaking softly, the hero steeled his resolve. - Record of an adventure of a certain hero party. Chapter 36: God (1) Chapter 36: God (1) Heart of the Earth. Named for the sound of beating hot iron resembling the heartbeat of the earth, this hammer made of pure ck iron is a symbol of the Dwarf Grandmaster, coveted by all dwarves. Made of pure adamantium, the hardest metal in the world, dwarves hold apetition every 5 years to vie for the chance to wield this hammer, capable of refining any metal. The winner earns the right to use the Heart of the Earth for 5 years, along with the title of Dwarf Grandmaster. Of course, this alsoes with the duty to represent all dwarves, but the honor of being the finest craftsman among dwarves and obtaining the Heart of the Earth is well worth it. In a way, it can be said to be a crown that rules over all dwarves. However, its power should not be underestimated just because it''s a craftsman''s hammer. Made of the hardest adamantium, it''s said there''s nothing this hammer can''t break, and legend has it, it could even shatter dragon scales. Of course, whether those scales were truly from a dragon remains unclear. - Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -The world began to develop at a rapid pace. Humans started tobine their strengths with other groups of humans to create viges, bothrge and small. With primitive forms of clothing and significant advancements in agriculture, humans now had a living environment iparable to before, leading to another explosive poption increase. While previous poption increases were much faster than the supply of food, causing humans to spread across the world, now, with an ample supply of food, the growth of human viges became the driving force. Leaving human stories aside for now. As for the stories of other races... Dwarves dug into mountains, going deeper to mine new metals. Wait, that hammer was given to refine metals, not to smash rocks and dig caves! Sure, there''s no rock it can''t break, but that''s not the point! That''s not what it''s for! Ahem. Let''s not worry about the dwarves for now. It''s hard to keep track of them as they go deep underground. I tried creating some magic to see through the ground, but it gets harder to see the deeper you go, and it''s annoying. I was speechless seeing them use the gifted hammer to dig deeper into caves. Next, the elves. The elves lived quietly, not straying far from the World Tree. They hunted animals with bows and arrows made from trees, cooked meat with the power of fire spirits, and devoted themselves tomuning with spirits. Excluding the fact that they''re pure carnivores, they are the epitome of fantasy elves, slowly increasing their numbers under the shade of Yggdrasil. There were quite a few new elves being born. It seems that the transformation from human to elf has be somewhat rarer. Probably because it''s known that elves hardly eat any vegetables, the number of humans wanting to be elves has decreased. After all, humans were half carnivorous and half vegetarian. Next, the lizardmen. As always, they lived peacefully. They expanded their territory using magic borrowed from spirits and campfires, but since they''re not a particrly greedy race, conflicts with other races were rare. Well, facing the sturdy bodies of lizardmen, anyone would lose the desire to cause friction. Anyway... Lizardmen are doing well on their own, so there''s no need to worry too much. Beastmen were living among humans, blending in. Despite having beastly features, those who wished to be human utilized their unique skills to integrate into human groups. And finally... Giants continued their lives battling beasts in cold environments. Still, their size and weight alone were significant weapons, allowing them to live as apex predators within their territories. Anyway, various subraces and humans formed viges,rge and small,peting and sometimes cooperating with each other, leading to growth. Thus, several cities were born, and in thergest of these cities... the owner of the crown I gave was reigning. Thanks to their overwhelming charisma in leading other humans, their city was thergest and most prosperous. Soon, the first nation might be born¡­. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I quietly observed the development of civilization. Without interfering with humans, watching which direction they would develop felt like watching a simtion game filled with AI. Or like watching a strategy game broadcast? Even without my interference, just watching was fun. As I watched humans, new things began to emerge among them. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now First was writing. A method to recordnguage. Although thenguage I taught to dragons and lizardmen had spread everywhere, allowing various races tomunicate, there was no writing system to record it¡­. Primitive writing began to emerge among humans. It started with pictographs, drawing objects. Naturally, the origin of this writing system was the lizardmen. They carved pictures on stone tablets tomunicate many things. It was only natural for their pictures to evolve into writing. Their carved stone tablets would be the first records. As lizardmen''s records were passed down to humans, the pictures gradually simplified and became primitive ideograms through human hands. However, primitive ideograms, despite their symbolic status as the first writing system¡­. were not widely used. A single word carrying a single meaning made understanding the characters not too difficult¡­. but there were a vast number of characters, and since it was closer to drawing than writing, learning how to use it was not easy. Had I not, in disguise, spread an alphabet made of consonants and vowels¡­. they might have suffered for hundreds of years trying to learn ideograms. Anyway, as writing spread among various races, civilization faced both big and small changes. The most notable change was primitive religion. Primitive religion was born to exin natural phenomena that humans could not understand. These disparate gods, barely even formed, began to take shape little by little, powered by human belief. Well, even though they were called gods, they were only slightly better than lower spirits. For example, the god born to exin lightning and thunder originated from the faith of giants who feared them. Being taller than trees and often struck by lightning, giants believed that when they sensed lightning, it was the fearsome Father Giant scolding loudly. To avoid Father Giant''s wrath, they would lie t on the ground, and after adopting this behavior, the number of giants killed by lightning dramatically decreased. A fearsome Father Giant, tall enough to reach the sky and scolding his children with a booming voice, was thus born from the giants'' fear. And I, too¡­. was already being called a god. As writing spread, the lizardmen''s faith, which had been without direction, began to pour into me. As if spreading writing was a prerequisite for a god''s existence. And what made this fact clear was. ?? The appearance of a small envelope icon in the corner of my vision. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What is a god? What is faith? The lizardmen say. The Creator Dragon God is the greatest god who created this world. The elves say. The great mother, World Tree Yggdrasil, is the guardian deity of nature. The dwarves say. The silent Sacred Mountain Sagarmatha is the pir that supports the world. The beastkin who admire the first beast, the giants who respect Father Giant, the merfolk who worship the great flow. The Church of Life that adores the Goddess of Life. All live calling upon gods, yet they do not know the truth. No, they are ignoring the truth. The fact that gods were originally born to exin phenomena that intelligent beings could not understand. I write this book to correct such perceptions. I have some idea of the shock this book will bring to the world, but still, I will not put down my pen. For human intelligence cannot develop further until the illusion of gods is dispelled. - The Illusion Named God. This book has been designated as a banned book in the kingdom, and merely reading it results in being dered a heretic by the pantheon. Chapter 37: God (2) Chapter 37: God (2) ?? A letter envelope quietly floating in the bottom right of my field of view. I clicked (tsk) my tongue slightly at the sight of the envelope, which had not appeared for thousands of years. The creator of this world, who left me in this world and had not contacted me for a very long time... What on earth is he trying to say by sending this? Suppressing the slight irritation rising, I touched the envelope with my finger. ©°©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ©¦Congrattions! ©¦ ©¦Intelligent beings have learned writing.©¦They have taken the first step in primitive faith! ©¦ ©¦Due to the faith of intelligent beings, ©¦GodTalk is activated. ©¦ ©¦Increase the faith towards you! ©¦The path to omnipotence is not far! ©¦ ©¦This message is automated. ©¸©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ Sighh... Look at this. Now he only sends automated messages? T/N: Hahaha Or what? Was it reserved in advance and just now opened? Was it set to activate this feature when writing is spread? Hmm... What exactly does that creator god expect from me? As of now, I have no idea. I sighed softly and neatly folded away my thoughts about the creator god. It''s a loss to worry about an inscrutable being. As for GodTalk... Thinking about it, there was such content in the message sent by the creator god when it was first opened. I scrolled up and open messenger to check the first message I received. ©¦By the way, this was made as a messenger for gods. ©¦ ©¦Named GodTalk! ©¦For now, it''s just you and me using it. ©¦ ©¦Maybe someday, if there are gods in that world, they''ll use it? Seeing that part... It was meant to be used like this from the beginning. I closed the message window. It said it was a messenger for gods, but I don''t know how to use it... ?? Once again, a message window pops up in the corner of my view. This time, there''s a small number attached to the corner of the envelope. It looked like how a messenger indicates how many unread messages there are. That number is... 10, 30, 50, 100... What''s this? Why does it keep going up? The number, incessantly increasing, stopped at 999+. What''s this... It looks like countless messages have piled up. Swallowing dryly at the overwhelming number, I cautiously touched the envelope icon with my finger. Then, a message window of immeasurable length appears before me. The name of the God to whom the message was addressed was the Creator Dragon God. The senders were numerous lizardmen. Hmm. So... It seems each prayer sent by the lizardmen to the Creator Dragon God is listed here. And looking at the sent times, the messages have been piling up until GodTalk was activated, at which point they all rushed in at once. The prayers raised by lizardmen from the time they began to believe in the Creator Dragon God until now are all gathered in this message window... H-How am I supposed to read all this... Even if I stopped time, it seems daunting. While seriously considering ignoring all the messages, fortunately, I discovered that the message window has a feature to filter prayers. Well, of course. How could all prayers be answered? Minor prayers are lightly skipped over. Yes. Let''s filter only the prayers of the chief of the lizardmen tribe for now, and take a closer look if there are really desperate prayers. Fortunately, the filtering of prayers was very detailed, so I could check for sincere prayers as well. Hmm. So.... [Oh, Creator Dragon God! Are you sleeping?] Is a recent prayer. A prayer sent by the chief of the lizardmen tribe. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hmm... A prayer seeking me. Well, I haven''t done much for the lizardmen in thest few hundred years. They might feel like they''ve been neglected. Maybe I should have shown my face asionally? But I was preupied with other races, so the lizardmen were put on the back burner. I didn''t pay much attention to them, strongly believing that the lizardmen would manage on their own. Hmm.... Maybe the lizardmen... their faith in me, their faith in the Creator Dragon God, fading? I examined the prayers received in the name of... no, under the authority of the Creator Dragon God. There were plenty of prayers sent from ancient times, but their frequency was gradually decreasing. Indeed... There haven''t been many prayers sent recently. The faith of the lizardmen towards the Creator Dragon God was noticeably diminishing. Hmm. I wasn''t particrly fond of the name Creator Dragon God... but it''s a bit concerning that the prayers towards me are decreasing. Right. Since I''ve been preupied with other races and haven''t taken care of the lizardmen, maybe I should start helping them out a bit from now on? But even if I want to help... I''m not sure what the lizardmen immediately need. They are physically strong, notcking in food. They consider the development of technology sufficient with obsidian stone tools and are not advancing further... Ah, right. How about selecting one of the lizardmen and bestowing a blessing? If I hold something like a martial arts tournament and choose the strongest lizardman to grant the title of Great Warrior, and give a slight blessing to the Great Warrior, their faith in me would quickly be restored. Hmm. Should I mix in something else? Since lizardmen use magic with the power of spirits, how about creating the position of Great Shaman as well? A feeling of constituting the rulers of the lizardmen with three people, the Great Chieftain, Great Warrior, Great Shaman? Separation of powers? Ah, this is a bit different. The Great Warrior would be chosen through the festival''s martial arts tournament, and the Great Shaman would be selected from among the lizardmen who have the most talent for magic... Let''s keep the Great Chieftain as it is now, inherited through lineage. Un. Speaking of which, do they still have the obsidian spear I fixed myself in the past? Hmm... If the spear is passed down to the Great Chieftain, it might be better to create apletely new weapon for the Great Warrior... Since the obsidian spear is already passed down to the Great Chieftain, I can''t tell them to use that. I need to think a bit. What kind of weapon should I bestow upon the lizardmen''s Great Warrior? No, no. Let''s change the approach. Instead of bestowing a weapon, how about blessing the weapon the Great Warrior already uses? Unlike the Great Chieftain, who inherits their position through lineage, a privilege that the winner of the martial arts tournament can obtain needs a tailored reward. Rather than fixing the type of weapon, blessing the weapon that the winner is ustomed to, that fits in the winner''s hand, would be better. It would also be better for the one chosen as the Great Warrior. Additionally, let''s enhance them physically. Hmm... Since they are lizardmen, how about evolving their bodies to make them akin to dragonkin? Of course, they would be inferiorpared to real dragons, but a lizardman bearing some of the dragon''s power would surely be valuable. Alright. That should be enough for the Great Warrior, next is the Great Shaman... Hmm... How should I go about this? Should I select the lizardman with the most outstanding talent? A Great Chieftain selected by lineage, a Great Warrior standing tall through their own strength, and a Great Shaman chosen for their exceptional talent... Hmm. Seems like a well-bncedbination. Additionally, the Great Shaman could have the privilege of directmunication with me, or if they need something, I could immediately teach them, or improve and teach the lizardmen''s magic... Hmm. For the Great Shaman, it might be better to lend knowledge in this way rather than material help. Lastly, for the Great Chieftain... Since they have power inherited through lineage, that should be fine, right? Alright. Now that I have a general direction, I''ll slowly make a decision and then inform the lizardmen... no, it would be problematic to announce it to all lizardmen, so maybe I''ll just talk to the Great Chieftain. At the next festival, I''ll hold a tournament to select the most outstanding warrior and decide on the most talented shaman to have a direct conversation with me. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The representative festival of the lizardmen. On thest day of the Festival of the White Flower, a martial arts tournament is held to select the Great Warrior representing the lizardmen. Only lizardmen can participate in this martial arts tournament, and the winner will receive the honorable title of Great Warrior and the blessing of the Creator Dragon God, allowing them to transcend lizardmen and be dragonkin. Of course, it''s a temporary blessing allowed only for the year one serves as the Great Warrior of the lizardmen. But even a blessing limited to one year should not be underestimated. From the moment one receives the blessing, their body returns to its prime, and any physical ailments arepletely eradicated. ording to records, one Great Warrior had several issues including a serious heart condition, but because their skills were the best among the lizardmen, they were able to ascend to the position of Great Warrior. Upon receiving the blessing of the Creator Dragon God, it''s said that all problems with their body were resolved. And a yearter, when another became the Great Warrior, the blessing of the Creator Dragon God left their body, but for some reason, all the physical problems remained solved. Simply by bing the Great Warrior and receiving the blessing of the Creator Dragon God, minor issues like diseases were all resolved. - Festival of the White Flower promotional pamphlet. Chapter 38: God (3) Chapter 38: God (3) Let''s see. Now that I''ve roughly organized my thoughts, I should contact the lizardmen. Hmm... Should I go and speak to them in person? But it''s been quite a while since Ist visited the lizardmen... They say they keep records of me, but I''m not sure if they still remember me... Ah, right. This GodTalk essentially has a messenger function. Maybe I can use this to convey my message to the lizardmen? Thinking this, I fiddled with the messaging window with the lizardmen. [Oh, Creator Dragon God! Are you sleeping?] I pressed on thest message sent by the lizardmen chieftain with my finger. If this is a smartphone messenger, there should be various functions to connect... like a reply function...There is? Reply. I cautiously pressed on the partbeled ''reply''. Then a small window with a tiny button appeared. A small microphone icon drawn inside a red circle... Is this a recording button? Hmm. So, sending a message here means recording my voice? And what''s with the microphone icon. Why is there a microphone icon? I''m the only one in this world who would understand what this icon means. Could it be... Am I the only one who can use GodTalk? I shook my head slightly, brushing off the sudden thought. I can''t be the only god in this world. There could be other gods appearing, right? I cleared my throat softly to tidy up my voice and thought about what to say. First, I should ask if my voice can be heard, and if it''s really the Great Chieftain of the lizardmen... Maybe I should tell them this and that. It kind of feels like I''m delivering an oracle. No, is it just an oracle itself? Hmm... First, I''ll instruct them to hold a martial arts tournament at the festival. I will bestow my blessing along with the title of Great Warrior to the winner. Ah, I mustn''t forget to instruct them not to kill their opponents in the tournament. What I want to see is a martial arts tournament, not a ughter where they kill each other. I just want to select the strongest person. The direction should be to subdue the opponent without killing them... If there''s a draw, then the judges or the audience can decide the winner... Good. Next, I should think about selecting a Great Shaman too. Um (nod). Wait. Magic... Talent for magic... Do I need to study magic myself to understand this better? Hmm... Well, it involves borrowing the power of spirits, so it could be reasonably modified for efficiency. The lizardmen are currently using magic by borrowing the power of spirits and applying it to their bodies. For example, borrowing the power of water spirits to swim faster, the power of wind spirits for more agile movement, or the power of fire spirits to maintain body temperature in cold environments. Since their magical power is limited, the direct effects by spirits are minimized. If this kind of primitive, brute-force magic could be transformed into something more systematic and efficient... It would certainly be more beneficial to the Lizardmen as well. Well, it might be a bit harsh on the spirits. But giving the spirits more specific instructions rather than vague ones might be better for both sides. Good. I''ve roughly organized what I want to say. I pressed the red recording button in front of me. Then, buttons appeared on either side of the red recording button, and its shape changed. And a small number appeared above the button, quickly increasing. Let''s see... Is this disying the recording time? It''s going up by 1 every second. Below the number, located above the changed recording button, was a white circle with || drawn on it. Is this the pause recording button? The two newly appeared buttons also had very familiar shapes. On the right, a ck square ¡ö was drawn inside a white circle, and on the left, a y symbol. ? was drawn. Hmm. At a nce, it seems like the triangle is for ying back the recorded voice to check, and the square is forpleting the recording. It''s intuitive, which is nice. Alright. Let''s do this. I pressed the square to stop the recording. Then, a small window popped up above the recording window. [Would you like to send the recording? Yes / No] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now As expected. Such a system. Alright. I get it. I pressed No to cancel and reset the recording, then cleared my throat again to tidy up my voice and pressed the recording button. Numbers going up. Alright. It''s properly started. I spoke in a low voice while looking at the recording screen. "Can you hear my voice?" A short phrase. After pausing the recording with the pause button, I pressed the y button to check the recorded voice. [Can you hear my voice?] A tender and soft voice flows from the recording screen. Hmm... As expected. The voice I hear when I speak and when it''s yed back feels different. It''s something about the voice resonating inside the body when I speak myself, or something like that, I think I read somewhere. Um. Because of that, the recorded voice feels like it''s not really mine. Anyway, it seems like the voice itself was properly recorded... I pressed the stop recording button, and then pressed Yes in the small recording send window that appeared. Then, something new popped up at the bottom right of the message window with the lizardmen''s great chieftain. A round button with a right-facing equteral triangle drawn on it. Pressing it, the voice I just recorded ys back once again. Is this for checking the voice message I recorded and sent again? Hmm. Quite nice. I smiled satisfactorily at the first message. Now, while waiting for a reply from the lizardmen''s great chieftain, I''ll lightly skim through the lizardmen''s magic... [Oh, Creator Dragon God! Creator Dragon God!!!! To bestow an oracle upon us!! Our long prayers were not in vain!! The weak-willed old ones say that Creator Dragon God has abandoned us, and the ignorant young ones are losing their faith in the Creator Dragon God! But you have answered our call once again! What a great honor this is! Thank you!!! Creator Dragon God!!! Thank you!!!] Wow, that was a quick reply. And so much content. And quite intense. After briefly skimming through the slightly overwhelming reply message, I let out a small sigh. It seems I''ve been neglecting the lizardmen for a while. Um. I feel a bit sorry... I pressed the recording button once again and started speaking. "Managing this world has taken a lot of time, but now there is no ce that needs my immediate attention. Thus, I have found a small moment of leisure to respond to your call." Hmm. Is the voice okay? Is it right to speak like this? Make sure it''s not too light. Speak with a moderately weighty voice. And check if the recording went well... Alright. It''s reasonably listenable! I sent the recording, and not long after, a reply came. [Oh. Creator Dragon God... Thank you. Since you have answered our call like this, we will create a new stele in your honor! Please ept it, and forgive the sins of us foolish ones!] No, stop with the stele. Seriously, stop. "Enough with the steles. Your sins are as good as nonexistent, so don''t worry. Rather, I called upon you because there is something important I need to tell you." Alright, send again. [Tell us anything! If it is something the Creator Dragon God desires, we will do anything! If you wish, we will harvest the heads of those insolent humans and offer them to the Creator Dragon God!] Stop harvesting human heads! That''s really not it!!! If you guys start harvesting humans with determination, humans won''t be able to do anything and will be swept away!! "That''s not necessary. What I have to tell you is that I am preparing a small gift for you who worship me." [A gift! For us, who are so insignificant! That is too much honor!!] Ignoring the overwhelming gratitude written in the messenger, I continued to send voice recordings. "What I want you to do is something at the next festival. On thest day of the festival, determine who among you lizardmen is the strongest." [The strongest, you say?] "Yes. You must select the strongest one. However, in the process of selecting the strongest, no one should lose their life, and the victory must be clear. If the match is too close to call, let the other lizardmen decide the winner. And nothing other than the sh of bodies and weapons should interfere in this contest." [We understand that you desire a pure duel without any magic involved. If that is what you wish, we will follow it.] "Good. To the one who stands at the end of that duel, I will bestow my blessing. That person will be the strongest among the lizardmen and will be my de." Well, even though I say my de, I don''t actually n to wield that de! I guess if I say it somewhat appropriately, I can figure something outter, right? Chapter 39: God (4) Chapter 39: God (4) T/N: Shaman / Shamanism -> Mage / Magic Great Shaman -> Archmage --- Alright. It seems like I''ve set up the martial arts tournament to select the great warrior. Now, what''s left is the archmage. Since understanding of magic is required for the Archmage, should I talk about it after some research... Or should I mention beforehand that I will select one? Let''s talk about it first. I''ll say that I will select the one with the most outstanding talent in magic as the Archmage. From now on, I will convey my message through that chosen great shaman. The great chieftain, the great warrior, and the archmage should check and cooperate with each other, maintaining the lizardmen in such a rtionship? Here, the great chieftain is seeded by bloodline, the great warrior changes every year, and the archmage... will continue unless someone with more outstanding talent appears... Alright. This should work."And I have be interested in the magic you possess, so I will bestow the title of archmage on the one among the lizardmen who has the most outstanding talent in magic, and through that child, I will convey my voice." [What? Are you not going to convey it to me?] "Aren''t you the great chieftain? Already possessing much... Do you seek more?" [No! I apologize! Please forgive me!] Not that I''m angry or anything. Hmm... "You already possess much, be content with that. Then, I will convey the details once the child to be the archmage is decided." [Understood. We will thoroughly prepare for the festival. But, may I ask one question?] A question? "What is it?" [What If..., if one persones to hold the great chieftain, the great warrior, and the archmage... what would happen?] "One person?" Hmm... It seems nearly impossible. But if so... wouldn''t it be quite interesting? The lineage of the lizardmen''s leader, the talent of the most outstanding mage, and the body of the strongest warrior. If all these elements were concentrated in one person, wouldn''t they rightly be called the lizardmen''s hero? "Then, that person will be the lizardmen''s hero and will be my representative." Whether it''s possible or not, leaving such a meaningful story seems interesting. Who knows. Maybe such a person... no, lizardman will appear. [Understood. Then, as youmand, we will hold a tournament to select the strongest lizardman during the festival. Please watch over us.] "Look forward to it." Alright. That''s the end! Now, all that''s left is to wait for the lizardmen''s festival and proceed with the research on magic! Now, let''s see what kind of feeling the magic created by the lizardmen has... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Magic is a general term for the technique of borrowing the power of spirits and bestowing it upon the body. Originally, the lizardmen, who are closely connected to nature, had the ability to interact with spirits, but they faced the problem of not having enough magical power to enve the spirits. To ovee this disadvantage, the lizardmen used magic in a way that bestows the power of spirits onto their own bodies. Borrowing speed and agility from the wind spirit, and sturdiness and heaviness from the earth spirit, the initial use of magic was quite simple, making it not difficult for the lizardmen with theirck of magical power, but the effects were said to be minimal. A significant change in such magic urred with the appearance of the archmage. Chosen by the Creator Dragon God and able to hear its voice, Archmages began to develop magic in an astonishing direction. It was not about borrowing the power of spirits, but bestowing the spirit itself onto the body. By trusting the spirit and offering part of the body, it became possible to bestow the maximum power of the spirit with minimal magical power. This type of magic is called spirit possession. Spirit possession showed a vast difference from the previous magic, and for this, spiritual interaction with the spirits became important. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Spirits instinctively desire a body, and recklessly offering one''s body to them could lead to the problem of the spirit taking over the body. Therefore, by interacting with spirits and forming a close rtionship, and only after achieving a level of intimacy that prevents spirits from taking over the body, can one use spirit possession magic. Thus, the essence of lizardmen''s magic lies in valuing interaction with spirits and treating them as friends, which is entirely different from the elves'' spirit magic that binds spirits through contracts- "Wait. You make it sound like there''s something wrong with elf spirit magic." "But it''s true, isn''t it? Unlike elves, we lizardmen ept spirits as friends." The elf frowned at the words of the female lizardman adorned with various ornaments. "Our elves'' contracts with spirits are sacred rituals made with mutual consent! Not vague like your makeshift friendships." At that, the female lizardman also raised her voice in retort. "Makeshift friendships? We build friendships with spirits to the point where we can entrust our bodies to each other without any problems. It''spletely different from the cold, heartless contracts of the cruel elves." "Vague friendships instead of clear contracts. Where else would you find something so strange? Who even came up with that?" "The spirit possession magic was originally taught by the Creator Dragon God. It''s disrespectful to the great Creator Dragon God. Creator Dragon God, please forgive this person''s ignorance." Then, the door opened, and a silver-haired girl with dragon horns on her head peeked in. "Huh? Did you call me?" "We didn''t call you. But how about some honey sweets? It''s made from the flower honey that lizardmen pride themselves on." "Yum. It''s delicious." The silver-haired girl chewed on the honey sweets. "There''s plenty, so feel free to rx in your room and enjoy them. Ah, but don''t fill up on sweets, we have dinnerter. Got it?" "Uh-huh. Thank you." After retracting her head, the silver-haired girl closed the door, and the elf, having observed the conversation between the lizardman and the silver-haired girl, spoke in an astonished tone. "Hey. Aren''t you tantly favoring that child?" The lizardman replied as if it were only natural. "Huh? Well, she''s the Saintess of the Church of Life, and she''s such a cute child. How could there be anything to dislike?" "That may be true, but your attitude ispletely different with others. We''re all part of the same hero party!" "Hmph. Of course. The others are just women who might try to deceive you at any moment!" "Well, that woman might have a beautiful look, but it''s a bit harsh to say that in front of herrades. And if we''re talking about beauty, the Dragon Priestess is more beautiful... almost the most beautiful in the world." At the elf''s words, the lizardman looked skeptical. "Hmm... Well, let''s leave it at that. Anyway. As a priest serving the Creator Dragon God and an archmage, I have no reason to view the Saintess of the Church of Life poorly! If anything, I view her favorably!" The elf tilted its head and asked. "What''s the rtionship between the lizardmen''s tribal god and the Church of Life? They don''t seem rted at all?" "Hehehe. This is why elves without theological knowledge are problematic. It''s because I believe that the Creator Dragon God and the Goddess of Life are the same entity." "What?" "It''s a bit of a minor im even among lizardmen, but I believe in it." "The im that the Creator Dragon God and the Goddess of Life are the same entity? Isn''t that a bit far-fetched?" "But the more youpare the deeds of the Creator Dragon God and the Goddess of Life, the more simrities you find. From creating this world and filling it with life, to even calling the Saintess of the Church of Life the Dragon Priestess." "Huh? Did you call me?" Again, the silver-haired girl peeked her head in. "We didn''t call you. Well, we mentioned you, but we didn''t call you." With that, the silver-haired girl retracted her head. - Records of an Adventure of a Hero Party --- Just want to ce it here.. Chapter 40: God (5) Chapter 40: God (5) Hmm. It''s good that magic has been tweaked and improved, but it''s problematic that there''s no way to test this changed magic. I can''t recklessly teach something that hasn''t been tested either. After all, testing and debugging are indispensable steps after creating anything. Hmm... A testbed... I need a testbed... But using it myself wouldn''t create the same environment as when a lizardman uses it. Hmm... What to do. If I were a lizardman, it would be simple, but unfortunately, I am not a lizardman... Hmm? Wait a minute. If I''m not a lizardman... then bing a lizardman would solve the problem, right? Using polymorph to change... that would only change the appearance, not the essence, making it difficult to achieve the same results. Should I try creating a clone instead? A clone... Hmm... Alright.I nodded slightly. There was nothing I couldn''t create with my power of creation, so let''s create a lizardman. If I connect my consciousness to it and make it into a clone, wouldn''t that work? Fortunately, there were plenty of lizardmen to serve as blueprints. Just pick one at random, copy, and create. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - So, I created a lizardman. The lizardman with silver scales waspleted in a usible form. Good. The body is ready. Now, if I connect my mind to this body... Hmm... I connect the main body and the clone with magic. Shall I name it mental synchronization magic? The lizardman, who had been closing its eyes as if asleep, slowly opened them, and in front of it was me. No, in front of me was my form. Um. The recognition that both are me doesn''t leave my mind. One mind. Two bodies. Hmm... Moving together isn''t easy. Especially the main body. Moving the clone isn''t too burdensome... but when I move the main body, it seems like there''s not enough resources to move the clone. Is it because I''m concentrating on moving the main body, neglecting the clone? Well, there''s no need to move both the main body and the clone right now, so let''s move on. If improvements are needed, we''ll fix it next time. But why do I feel like even without the power of creation, it might be possible to form a body purely with magic? Of course, it consumes a significant amount of magic, so ordinary creatures wouldn''t dare to use it, and the body created this way would have much lower capabilitiespared to the amount of magic consumed, making it a less than useful ability... If you''re more than just a creature... for the children that treated as Spirit Kings... might it be possible? Hmm. Speaking of which, it''s been a long time since I took scales from the other children, except Erebus... Even if returning the scales is problematic, wouldn''t it be okay to share this much? With this method, even if a body is created, there would be many limitations on its abilities, so it wouldn''t cause the same chaos as before. Using arge amount of magic to form a body and connecting a mind to create a clone... Magic? Can this be called magic? The amount of magic consumed is so immense that not even humans, let alone elves, could use it. Anyway, I decided to name this method... Avatar. Considering the amount of magic consumed, it wouldn''t be usable unless by beings worthy of being called gods. After disconnecting the connection with the lizardman clone, I started to modify the lizardman here and there. I changed its race to human, tried making it an elf, a dwarf... Hmm. Beastkin are possible too. It''s like customizing a character in a game. I can change the appearance... Is gender change not possible? Hmm... Well, does it really matter? For some reason, even in human form, horns are basically included like when using polymorph, but they can be removed anytime... Removing the horns seems to further reduce the total power the avatar can exert. Well, how often would I need to use power with the clone? If I were to use power, I''d use the main body. Um. Anyway, after changing the clone back to a lizardman, I began to test the magic I had improved. Magic that allows a spirit itself to possess a body. I possess the body of the lizardman with a verypliant fire spirit. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now [Body! Fresh body!!] Spirits, especially those that were originally dragons, seem to instinctively long for the time when they had physical bodies, craving the body of the lizardman I created and beingpletely absorbed into it. Then, the body of the lizardman began to burn as if it were on fire. Hmm... When a spirit possesses it, the body itself bes closer to a spirit. First of all, the performance itself is excellent. Since the body has be half spirit, it can deflect almost all physical attacks. Hmm... It feels like the Devil Fruit of a certain pirate manga, doesn''t it? Of course, there''s nothing to be done against attacks powerful enough to harm the spirit itself. Moreover, the possessed spirit''s attribute perfectly manifests, so if a fire spirit possesses it, every movement is apanied by mes. Let''s skip over the fact that possessing a wind spirit could allow it to fly through the sky. Still, if the spirit doesn''t steal the body, or if it bes friendly enough, there shouldn''t be a problem. Or it''s also possible if the spirit ispletely subdued and made unable to resist. There are issues like spirits constantly coveting the body if there isn''t enough interaction with them, or the variance depending on the power of the possessing spirit. But it was undoubtedly a good technique. There were minor issues like the lizardmen''s low magical power limiting the strength of the spirits they could possess... But that''s something I could fix by teaching the lizardmen a simple meditation technique to gather magical power. If the user is on friendly terms with multiple spirits... Hmm, could they possess multiple spirits at once? That''s something I''m curious about. But bing friends with all those spirits wouldn''t be easy. Spirits are like capricious children who won''t easily listen. Wait. Spirits, listen...? At that moment, a spark of an idea shed through my mind. The talent of a Archmage. That is... the ability tomunicate with spirits and quickly be friends, perhaps a kind of social skill? No, calling it social skill sounds a bit odd. A personality that quickly bes intimate? A talent? Like a capybara? Hmm... No, maybe it''s a talent for taking care of children? Since one must gently coax the whimsical and willful spirits to be friends... If it''s easier to soothe spirits, then one could use magic more excellently. I chuckled softly to myself. A mage''s aptitude being social skills. How did ite to this...? But, being close to spirits has many advantages, so isn''t it fine? If it''s a spirit with considerable power, it could even influence the environment or weather. A skilled mage could coax such spirits and obtain what they need. Hmm. It might even be useful for rituals like praying for rain. To alleviate droughts or stop rain when a flood is about to happen. Though individual lizardmen have little magical power, spirits would willingly use their power for a close friend. Alright. Having decided this, I need to designate one of the lizardmen with outstanding social skills as a Archmage. Thinking this, I opened GodTalk, and something caught my attention. A few buttons located at the bottom of GodTalk. One of them is shaped like a speech bubble, so I understand it''s the current message window... But what about the star-shaped one? I pressed the star shape with my finger and saw the message list change to a different window. Yggdrasil. Sagarmatha. And the name Shamash appeared on the screen. It looked like a screen showing a list of people in a messenger. I see. So, this screen shows a list of gods. But Shamash? I understand the other two, but Shamash? Why is that child listed here? Hmm... Is the faith in Shamash spreading among humans? It''s natural to sanctify the light that illuminates darkness... Ahem, does it really matter? Having one more god to look after humans isn''t bad. Favoritism? It is favoritism... but it can''t be helped. Without such favoritism... humans might be pushed out by other races and disappear. Humans, who have no other advantages except being widely spread across the world and having arge poption, can''t be left to go extinct. Because I, who was once human long ago, part of me says to help them. That''s why I am favoring humans. Chapter 41: God (6) Chapter 41: God (6) Putting aside the favoritism towards humans for now, I lightly touched the name Yggdrasil that was floating in the list. Then, it switched to a screen that looks like a personal message window, just like various messengers. There really is no separate messenger. Sending a message is... well, not much different from sending one to the lizardmen. Record a voice message. Well, without something like a keyboard, this would be convenient. I pressed the microphone-shaped button and recorded my message. "Yggdrasil. Can you hear me?" [Mom? No, you''re not around, are you? Suddenly hearing a voice?!] "It seems you can hear. It looks like it''s working properly."[Could it be, directly into the mind...!] "I''ve discovered quite a useful feature." If all the children are revered as gods... I couldfortably convey messages through this. It wouldn''t take much time to visit them in person. But still, it would be bothersome to visit the children scattered all over the world. Especially Shamash... Unlike when she first became self-aware, it''s hard to find her because she roams anywhere there''s light. It seems to be the same with Erebus... [Is it a feature that transmits voices from afar?] "That''s right. Isn''t it convenient?" [It is. I''m rooted in one ce and can''t move around to find you, Mom. Being able to convey messages like this will be handy.] Um. That''s true. This feature might be more for the children than for me. With me wandering around the world doing this and that, it would be nearly impossible for the children to call me. Except for Sylphid, who could follow me. That child could follow by riding the wind. "If you have something to tell me in the future, convey it through this method. No matter where I am, your voice will reach me." [Yes. If I need Mom''s help, I''ll do so.] Good. That should be the end of what I have to convey to Yggdrasil. Hmm. Maybe I should ask how things have beentely. "Have there been any notable events recently?" [What? Oh, no. I''ve been spending time normally. The elf children are also doing fine. Now that the children are hunting well, I''ve been making fruits less frequently.] It seems the elves are growing smoothly. Good. Um. It looks like they''re not fighting over origins like before. Well, after causing trouble once and Yggdrasil getting stuck, they probably don''t want to experience that again. "That''s good to hear. As the number of elves grows, you can''t make fruits for them forever." [It''s not that hard though!] "Still, making enough to feed an entire race would be difficult, wouldn''t it?" [Not really! Lately, for some reason, a strange power has been flowing into me, so even if I make several times more fruits than before, I don''t get tired. Thanks to that, the range of my roots is expanding too.] A strange power...? Hmm... Could it be the faith of the elves? It seems the elves'' belief and reverence for Yggdrasil as a god are bing Yggdrasil''s strength. Wait, then what about me? The lizardmen call me Creator Dragon God and believe in me, so why don''t I feel such power? Hmm... Perhaps,pared to the power I possess, the power gathered from their faith is too small to notice? I''m not sure... but, well, does it really matter? I''m not particrly interested in a power that''s insignificant enough to ignore. More importantly, Yggdrasil is spreading its roots widely? Hmm... It doesn''t seem like a good idea. It reminds me of the dragon in Norse mythology that gnawed on one of Yggdrasil''s roots. Nidhogg, was it? "Roots? Wouldn''t it be bad to spread them too far?" [It''s okay. It''s fine. Hardly anything can leave a mark on my roots. And if I keep spreading my roots, maybe I''ll eventually reach where Erebus is hiding?] Hmm... This child intends to fill the whole world with its roots. [Anyway, the elves and I are growing smoothly.] Yggdrasil confidently asserts that everything is fine. "If anything happens, contact me." [You worry too much. I''m not the clueless tree of the past anymore. I''m in the position of a patriarch, responsible for a race!] I smiled slightly at Yggdrasil''s words. "When you were in charge of the green dragons before, you made a mess, didn''t you?" [Ugh! Tha-That was... because I was immature too!] "It''s good to be confident, but be careful not to be too arrogant. Understand?" [Yes.] Perhaps because of the karma built up, Yggdrasil quickly backed down. Ah, right. "If you ever need a body that can move freely, let me know." [Huh? Are you going to give me back my scales?] "Ah, how could that be. I''ve already said I won''t return them until we find Erebus." [Then... why did you say that?] I chuckled softly at Yggdrasil''s grumbling voice. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "It''s because I''ve created something like magic. It''s not a dragon''s body, but a method to create a body that can move freely and connect the mind." [That''s... quite appealing.] "Um. If you need it, I''ll tell you next time." [Yes! Honestly, I''d like to know right now! But since Mom is busy with various things, please let me know when youe to where I am.] "Alright. Let''s meet next time then." [Yes! Let''s meet next time! Mom!] That''s the end of the conversation with Yggdrasil. And the conversation with Sagarmatha was almost identical to Yggdrasil''s, so I''ll skip it. About how the number of dwarves around her mountain is increasing, how the dwarves are worshipping her as a god, and how she would like to have a body to be free. Well, she''s a child of few words, so we didn''t talk much, but it seems she''s doing fine without any big problems, which is somewhat relieving. Andstly... Shamash, who is somehow listed in the list of gods. I spoke to the child whose reason for being in the list of gods was unknown. "Shamash." [......] "Shamash?" [Who dares to call the god of light so carelessly! How disrespectful!] What''s this. "Shamash." [To call the name of the god of light, justice, andw! I don''t know who you are, but it seems you wish to experience a world without all light!] "Shamash." [To continue being disrespectful! Good! You will learn the fear of losing light.... mm? Huh? Is this the voice of the believers....? No, it''s not¡­?] "Shamash. How foolish. Young Shamash." After my words, Shamash was silent for a while before cautiously responding. [P-Perhaps... Mom?] "You''re slow to catch on." [Hieeekkk! M-Mom!!] I sighed softly. Originally, she had a bit of narcissism, but it seems to have worsened since being worshipped as a god. I didn''t expect my voice to not be recognized properly. "Shamash." [Yeep! Y-Yes!] "What do you do if you''ve done something wrong?" At my soft voice, Shamash spoke in a voice as if crawling into a mouse hole. [I should apologize....] "That''s right. So?" [I''m sorry. Mom....] Um. Good. At least she''s not turning away from his mistakes. More importantly. "How did you be a god?" [Huh? A god?] "Yes. Unlike the other children who are responsible for a race, you are being worshipped as a god...." I''m also being worshipped by the lizardmen as a god. So, there''s not much difference between Yggdrasil or Sagarmatha and me. But why Shamash? [Uh... well, humans were very afraid of the dark, so when I shone a little light, they started worshipping me on their own?] "Light?" [Yes. I couldn''t use much power because it was night, but when I maximized the moonlight and starlight to make it less dark, they started worshipping me as a god.] Hmm... So, you became a god by brightening the starlight and moonlight? What''s with that strange judgment. Normally, in such situations, wouldn''t they believe in the god of the moon or stars? "Then what about the god of justice andw?" [Hmm... When humans were judging those whomitted crimes, they shouted that my light sees everything. So, I slightly dimmed the light shining on the heads of the wrongdoers, making it darker, and they started believing in me as the god ofw and justice.] Hmm. Is that okay? To worship this self-absorbed and shy child, who is quitecking without her sparkle, as the god ofw and justice? Seems quite dangerous, doesn''t it? If she''s the god ofw and justice, shouldn''t she clearly distinguish right from wrong? [Anyway, I am now quite a remarkable being! I''m different from the past me who only sparkled! Different from Shamash! Different from!!] "You are still Shamash, aren''t you?" [It''s just a figure of speech!] A tone as if clearing her throat. Really. Such a troublesome child. --- PUT MC AGAIN! Chapter 42: God (7) Chapter 42: God (7) Justice. The right way. Indeed, what is the right way? Even for me, who has nurtured life for unimaginable years after ceasing to be human, it was a concept I couldn''t grasp. What is right? What is justice? All of it felt vague. But could this simple, self-absorbed, and troublesome child be responsible for such a difficult concept? I think it''s unreasonable. [Anyway, I am now quite remarkable! It''s okay for Mom to praise me! When the small and weak humans fear the darkness, they call my name!] Well, I can understand the title of the god of light... since I knew that child is no different from the light itself. What worries me is the part about being the god of justice andw. "What do you think justice is?"[Justice? Hmm... What I think is right!] See. No thought whatsoever. "What do you think is right?" [Of course, that I am beautiful!] Is this kid really okay to be the god ofw and justice? [Anyway! Now that I''ve be so great! I''ll rule the world in ce of Mom!] Hmm? "Shamash. What are you talking about?" [Mom has been nurturing the world even before we appeared, right? I don''t know how long it''s been... but it must have been a tremendously long time! But that''s not okay! Mom needs a rest too!] "Rest...?" Do I need that...? The world is vast, and there are many lives. Creating an environment where all those lives can live without major problems is not an easy task. But I thought I was doing it well, splendidly. Rest? me...? You''re good at joking. [No matter how great Mom is, it''s tough to keep going without rest. So, let me rule the world and give Mom a break!] Hmm... It seems you''ve been thinking about that for my sake. I guess she wasn''t just a naive child with a nk mind after all. But that''s impossible. "How would you rule the world?" [How? Hmm... I''d just sprinkle warm light around.] "And?" [And? Uh, hmm... Just set some rules and execute those who don''t follow?] "Anything else?" [Else... Uh... They''ll just live well on their own, won''t they?] At Shamash''s words, I sighed softly. "That''s why it won''t work." [What? Why?! If everyone just lives well on their own, there''s no problem, right? Even if they quarrel a bit, I''ll scold the wrongdoers! Isn''t that enough?] "It would be nice if the affairs of the world could be resolved so simply." It would have been so convenient if just cracking the heads of wrongdoers and punishing them was enough to make everything OK. "Then let me pose a problem. If two women were arguing over a baby, each iming it as their own, what judgment would you make?" The widely known judgment of Solomon. A wise decision using the motherly instinct of the mother who wanted to save the baby. It''s not a difficult question, but what answer will Shamash give? [What? Two women and one baby? Uh... Hmm... Is it two moms? Having two moms would be nice, right?] Two moms... "That''s not it. Among the two women, one is the baby''s mother, and the other is a thief who coveted the baby. But no one knows who the real mother is and who the thief is, so what would your judgment be?" [Um... Only one is the real mother... Hmm...] After pondering for a while, Shamash hesitantly said, [I''d order the beheading of the two women who called upon a god for such a trivial matter.] "Are you serious...?" [I haven''t finished talking yet. First, I''d make such a judgment, and if it seems like we''re really going to behead them, the baby thief, not wanting to die, would confess to being the thief, wouldn''t she?] Uh... um... Why does that seem convincing? [Since the god ofw and justice was called upon, it must be a trial with a heavy crime. Anyway, the baby thief goes to jail, and the baby''s mother takes the baby home. Wouldn''t that work?] "What if the baby''s mother says she''s the baby thief?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now [Then wouldn''t she be disqualified as the baby''s mother? She''d be giving up the baby to save her own life.] "Then... if both refuse to give up the baby until the end?" At my words, Shamash pondered for a moment before slowly speaking. [That''s really difficult. Well... there''s no choice. Since we can''t determine which one is the mother and which one is the thief, we have to behead both. The baby will probably go to an orphanage, but it''s an unavoidable sacrifice.] Wow... a psychopath... No, I thought I had provided enough emotional education when they were young, but how did they be such a heartless child? [Well, there are countless humans anyway. One more dying won''t make a difference. Honestly, I think by the time they called upon me, the god ofw and justice, for such a trivial matter, they were both prepared to risk their lives.] Um... Is it the difference in position between the king of humans and the god ofw and justice? The position of humans and gods is vastly different, after all. A difference in perspective... Hmm... I''m not sure. While Shamash''s words seem somewhat right, I also feel that it shouldn''t be this way. [If not this, then we would have to resort to threatening to split the baby in half, but if both refuse to give up the baby, then the innocent baby would be the only one to die, right?] Uh, umm... Is that how it works? Thinking about it, Solomon''s judgment was strictly based on the assumption that the baby''s mother would cherish her baby... If the mothercked such maternal love, the thought alone is horrifying. [It''s either killing the innocent baby or killing both the baby''s mother and the baby thief. One of the two. Plus, if the mother can''t be determined by the threat of splitting the baby, then the poor baby will just die...] "Is that how it works?" [Yes. Perhaps it would be better to definitely kill the baby thief, even if we don''t know who the baby''s mother is. It''s better to kill an innocent person than to let a criminal go free.] No, thatst statement is really dangerous. What happened to the principle of presumption of innocence? Uh, umm... Is it seen differently from a god''s perspective? Do you think it''s okay for one of the many humans, like ants, to die? This needs to be corrected. If she is not careful, she might end up with the terrible oue of killing 100 innocent people just to punish one criminal. Alright! Let''s correct Shamash, even if it means beating some sense into her. The principle of presuming guilt is not okay. Even if it''s a time when human rights don''t exist, it''s not right for the god ofw and justice to think this way! Ah, is it because human rights don''t exist that she think this way...? The concept of human rights will be born muchter in the future. It might not be strange for Shamash to think this way. Yeah.... But still, it needs to be corrected. Um. I can''t let innocent humans be killed. [If it''s such a vague issue, perhaps it would be easier to create a method to distinguish lies from the truth, Mom. Could you please help with that?] "Hmm? A request?" [Yes. When making judgments, there are really a lot of criminals trying to deceive me with lies. I wish there was a way to read their minds and detect lies.] Reading minds and detecting lies... Hmm... It doesn''t seem too difficult to read thoughts. Yes. Since she has already ascended to the position of the god ofw and justice, instead of arguing back and forth, it would be better to provide a means to make judgments more easily. But that doesn''t mean I shouldn''t correct them! "Indeed, having such a method would make judgment easier." [Right? Please, Mom! With that, I can conclude human trials on my own! It won''t bother you with the world''s affairs anymore! We can clearly distinguish right from wrong!] "Alright. I''ll see what I can do to create such a method." Creating magic to read and verify thoughts shouldn''t be too difficult. I''ve already created magic to connect different bodies and minds... Just need to modify it to temporarily, one-way read thoughts. That aside. "While creating that method is one thing, I can''t just overlook sacrificing innocent people to punish criminals." [What? But... there are so many people in this world. They keep calling me to judge their cases. It''s faster to just kill those who are definitely guilty and interrogate those who are uncertain, and if they confess, kill them. Killing a few more won''t make much of a difference in the number of humans.] "That''s why it''s not good. Rather, you should thoroughly distinguish the weight of the crimesmitted and let humans handle the lighter crimes, and you only deal with the serious crimes that involve life. That way, your workload would decrease." [But... then the number of trials I get to watch would decrease! Watching trials is so much fun!] Watching...? [Shamash. Appear before me.] I summoned Shamash with a low voice filled with power. Then, in front of me, a dazzling mass of light began to take shape. I grasped that form with one hand and created an avatar. Then, a blonde young girl appeared in front of me. It was Shamash, in human form. "Uh, Mom?!" Surprised by suddenly gaining a physical body, I swung a fist filled with power towards the top of Shamash''s head. Thud! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thus, to punish the errant god of light, the Creator Dragon wielded its power. And for a moment, the world lost its light. Thus, an eclipse urred in the world. - Inscribed on an ancient stone tablet by a Lizardman. Chapter 43: God (8) Chapter 43: God (8) I looked at Shamash, who was kneeling in the air, and said, "Trials?" "They are not spectacles..." "Judgments?" "They must be fair..." "False usations?" "Should not be punished..." "Good." After creating a brief eclipse by striking Shamash on the head, I proceeded to educate Shamash with physical force.It was a somewhat harsh education, but it was appropriate for Shamash, who treated courtrooms where the fate of people''s lives was decided as mere spectacles. "From now on, do not treat trials as spectacles, and approach judgments sincerely. Do you understand?" "Yes..." Shamash''s avatar, still with a dent on the top of her head. The dent on the head of the blonde young girl looked somewhat odd. But was my strike that painful? So much so that it caused an eclipse for a moment. Well, it might also be due to using the avatar created from my own body. It means it was that painful. Speaking of which, an eclipse... It would be troublesome if other humans saw the eclipse and got scared. Hmm... I should say something through the Lizardman. That my child did something wrong so I had to smack it quietly, kaang! Leaving a simple message would prevent humans from getting scared, wouldn''t it? "By the way, this body... It''s really fascinating. I can feel pain just as it is." "Since it''s a body made using your own essence, of course, it would hurt." "What...?" Shamash brushed her body in confusion. She seemed quite surprised by her body emitting faint light. "I did it to punish you. Beating up an avatar made from my clone wouldn''t make you feel pain, would it?" I was curious if it would only tickle even if the clone was smashed to pieces. "If it was made using the original body... Can I return to my original form?" "That''s not difficult." With a light flick of my finger, Shamash''s body dispersed and returned to its original form of light. [Wow! I really returned!] "Creating a body using the original essence allows you to feel sensations perfectly, but you''d feel pain just the same. I never thought hitting the head would cause an eclipse." [That''s exactly what I wanted to say! To hit my head so hard it dents! I thought my beautiful head was going to be squashed.] "Still, since it''s a created body, it seems you won''t die. It just hurts a lot. Even if it''s destroyed, you just return to your original form." [Still, I don''t want to feel that pain again. It really hurts. really.] I nodded slightly at Shamash''s words. Well, I hit her because it was supposed to hurt. If it didn''t hurt, Shamash wouldn''t remember. That''s bad. Of course. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After teaching Shamash how to create an avatar, we spent some time unraveling the stories that had umted while trying out the avatar creation. I wanted to find Erebus and regain the dragon''s body, but Shamash, being light, could never find Erebus. After that, she wandered the world without a purpose, just shining light. Now, being revered as the god of light by humans, she felt quite happy. Law and justice seemed harder than she thought, and she felt she needed to think more. "Ah, when will I be able to read memories and detect lies?" "I''ve already made it." Um. I had long created magic that connects minds. Modifying it a bit wouldn''t take much time. However, I ced a restriction that it could only be used when there''s an overwhelming difference in status between the caster and the target. Considering Shamash might y around and cause trouble with it, such a restriction seemed appropriate. I taught Shamash the magic to read memories. Being a god, even with many shorings, she learned it quite easily. "Um... Can''t I read your memories, Mom?" "Unfortunately, it can only be used on beings of a lower status than you. It would be usable only on criminals." While it is possible to read the memories of all humans, I deliberately do not teach that fact. "Hmm. Well, it doesn''t matter. This will make me easier to make judgments." Judgments. Judgments, huh... Come to think of it, did humans have something likews now? It''s an era where they write on stone or y tablets. Would they have properws? Probably not, right? "Shamash. Do humans have anything like clearly definedws?" "Huh? If there were such things, they wouldn''t ask me to make judgments, would they?" Hmm... That makes sense. That''s why they rely on Shamash to make judgments. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Since there were no clearly documentedws, Shamash, who makes judgments, must be important. "Then... we need clearws." Laws. Rules. Codes. They might be called by various names. Humans... no, there were subraces too. Um. If rules that intelligent beings should not break are defined and given, clearer judgments could be made. "Why don''t I just make all the judgments?" "Do you think you can make all the judgments as more and more trials happen in the future?" For now, it might be possible for Shamash alone... but there''s no guarantee it will stay that way. "I''ll try if I can! Those foolish humans need a god ofw and justice!" "Still, if clear rules are set, wouldn''t they try not to break them?" Wouldn''t it be unfair to be judged based on vague standards in the first ce? "Hmm... That''s true. For fair judgments and to prevent innocent punishments, clear rules are necessary." "Un. Then let''s establish some simplews." I created a pure white crystal tablet. It was a crystal tablet of pure white color without a single stain. "Let''s write thews on this and bestow it upon humans as a code ofws. In the name of the god bestowing the crystal tablet, let''s write your name, Shamash." Come to think of it, the god who bestowed the famous Code of Hammurabi was also named Shamash. Is fate embedded in names? It''s a bit fascinating. "My name? Not yours, Mom?" "The god ofw is you. It wouldn''t be good to invade someone else''s domain." It''s better to respect the defined domains. Anyway. I started to write on the crystal tablet with my finger. First, it''s necessary to clearly state who is bestowing this code ofws. "I, the god of light,w, and justice, Shamash, establish justice on thisnd to punish the wicked, protect the weak from the strong, and illuminate the world from above with my light. I hereby bestow this code ofws." My fingers swiftly wrote the text. Elegant letters were inscribed on the hard crystal tablet. "First, let''s define the most important rules that need to be established." There are countless things to define, but we have to start by clearly writing the main principles. Let''s see... Shall we start with the most famous Ten Commandments? Of course, I can''t use the Ten Commandments as is, so I''ll have to modify them. "One. Worship the gods with sincerity." "What does worship mean?" "To admire and respect... Hmm, humans probably won''t understand either. Let''s write it in easier-to-understand words." I rubbed out some of the letters with my finger and wrote again. "One. Admire and respect the gods with sincerity." "Two. Do not despise the gods of others." "Three. Honor and be dutiful to your parents." "Four. Do not take life recklessly." "Five. Do notmit things that go beyond limits." "Six. Do not steal." "Seven. Do not lie." "Eight. Do not discriminate against yourself or others." "Nine. Do not harm yourself." "Ten. Rest one day out of seven." "Those who break these 10 rules will be punished ording to the weight of their sin." Hmm. Does this roughly cover it? It''s a bit of a knockoff with just a few changes to the Ten Commandments... "Is this the basic rule? Some of them are a bit hard to understand." "There''s a reason for everything. Now, let''s write down the specific punishments." There''s still plenty of space left on the modified version. Much more can be written. And first... an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. It''s important to clearly state that no punishment greater than the crimemitted can be imposed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Shamash''s Code. It was a long time ago. In the distant past when there were no establishedws. A pure white crystal tablet given to humans by Shamash, the god of light, justice, andw. The code, made of unbreakable crystal, contained detailedws that became the foundation of kingdomws. Especially, rules that seemed to foresee conflicts between different races or those who worship different gods, and rules intended to prevent sacrifices due to excessivebor, are said to be rules that foresaw the distant future. Currently, this code is enshrined in the innermost part of the Temple of Light, and despite countless times passing, it emits a pure white light without a single stain. As the god of light watches over you, please view it with a reverent attitude. - Temple of Light Guide. Chapter 44: God (9) Chapter 44: God (9) After Shamash gave the humans the code ofws, crimes among them decreased a bit. Well, just a bit. It''s only natural. Just because a stone tablet withws was given, it doesn''t mean all humans would have thews engraved in their minds. And well, it would take enough time to spread it among humans scattered around the world. Still, seeing them follow it reasonably well after setting a clear standard, it seems like thewless state before the code was quite problematic. Anyway. The content of the code given to the human king was transcribed onto y tablets by many human hands and scattered around the world, delivered wherever human influence reached. Of course, it was only natural that it was also delivered to other subraces. To the territory of lizardmen, and to the realms of elves and dwarves. The giants in the north... since they couldn''t read properly, they learned through human speech. By the way, since beastmen lived mixed with humans, the spread of the code to them almost simultaneously with humans is a minor story.Um. Thanks to humans paving ways all around the world, if it''s delivered to humans, it reaches every corner of this world. From the perspective of a ruler governing a group of humans, it would be convenient not to punish humans indiscriminately through arbitrary trials. This led to a reduction in excessive punishments and a decrease in the number of humans executed. In an era where every single humanbor force is important, it was a situation with absolutely no downsides. And deciding and executing judgments without establishedws would also be a troublesome task. Thus, the firstws of humanity slowly, but surely, melted into the rtions among humans. Well, for some subraces, it wasn''t much of a big deal! Lizardmen, elves, and dwarves valued their gods more than thews and followed them. Thews given by the god ofw seemed like rules applicable only in the human realm. It''s only natural. With a god they believe in and follow right there, what use would a stone tablet from the god ofw be? The god is close, but thew is far. Still, thanks to a few words I said to Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha, the message that in the human realm, humans should follow humanws was conveyed to elves and dwarves. Lizardmen? Lizardmen are... Hmm... [The sight of the god of light arbitrarily deciding sins without a clear standard, the Creator Dragon God was greatly angered, but the god of light did not even pretend to listen. The Creator Dragon God tried to persuade the god of light, but the god of light did not listen at all and repeated the same mistakes. Thus, to punish the god of light for her wrongdoing, the Creator Dragon God wielded its power. For a while, the world lost its light. Thus, an eclipse urred in the world.] With just a few words I said, they blew it out of proportion like this. [However, the Creator Dragon God forgave the god of light andmanded her to weigh the sins with clear rules. Thus, the god of light created rules to weigh sins and gave them to humans, which became the firstws.] It didn''t take long for a stone tablet with this written on it to be created. Really... such unnecessarily enthusiastic beings... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Time continues to flow. There was an event where a great warrior was chosen at the lizardmen''s festival, and through my blessing, the great warrior became a dragonkin surpassing lizardmen, but it wasn''t that important. Illuminating the final winner of the martial arts tournament with a dazzling light, and after endowing strong power in between, reconstructing the body to make an existence surpassing lizardmen was... something I did, but it was quite fitting. The body of the winner turned dragonkin became stronger, more agile, andrger. Its scales became tough enough not to be cut by sharp obsidian des, its nails became hard enough to tear anything apart, and its tail became strong enough to break a thick tree with a strike. Truly, it was fitting to be called an existence surpassing lizardmen. Ah, by the way, there are no wings. Horns did grow on the head, but wings would be troublesome. If a new organ suddenly appears, it would be difficult to ept and cause confusion. And blessing the winner''s weapon was an extra. I thought about giving it a blessing to never break... but I already gave that to the spear of the Lizardman Great Chieftain. Wouldn''t it be troublesome to create many items with the same ability? Therefore, during the reconstruction of the body, I asked what kind of blessing to give to the weapon and proceeded in a direction that actively reflected the user''s opinion. By the way, since it''s a position limited to one year, the blessing will be withdrawn and the body and weapon will return to their original state when the next year''s festival begins. That''s only natural. You can''t participate in a martial arts tournament with such blessings. It''s unfair! It''s cheating! That can''t be allowed! It''s rather a penalty! Because they got used to the body strengthened by the blessing for a year, they would feel a sense of reverse after returning to normal! We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Still, if they win the tournament again, that would be quite something. Anyway, the great warrior who won the martial arts tournament praised the name of the Creator Dragon God as he became a dragonkin, and the Lizardmen began to be more moved by the fact that the Creator Dragon God did not abandon them. Another hit. The birth of an Archmage who can hear the voice of the Creator Dragon God. A Lizardman with an excellent ability to interact with spirits and a spirit-friendly personality was chosen as the Archmage, causing another stir among the Lizardmen. Of course, I didn''t give any blessing to the Archmage. I just helped a bit to make it easier to interact with spirits. The talent was purely the talent of the child chosen as the Archmage. After that, only the Archmage could hear my voice... The birth of the chosen Archmage who can hear the voice of the Creator Dragon God! By the way, the term of the Archmage is... for life, unless a Lizardman with more exceptional talent appears, and unless they decide to quit on their own. And quitting is free! The benevolent Creator Dragon God guarantees personal freedom! There are no restrictions on things like marriage either! But if they do something suspicious in the name of the Creator Dragon God, they will be punished. Thus, through the great warrior and the Archmage, the Lizardmen gradually recovered their faith in the Creator Dragon God, and the prosperity of the Lizardmen began with the Great Chieftain, the great warrior, and the Archmage. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After finishing with the Lizardmen''s affairs, I quietly looked at the names listed in GodTalk. World Tree Yggdrasil. The guardian god of the Elves. The forehead of the world, Sagarmatha. The sacred mountain worshipped by the Dwarves. God of Light, Shamash. The god of light,w, and justice. The rest of the list was empty. Hmm... It seems like more names should be added to this list. Specifically, about three. Yggdrasil is revered as a god by the Elves, Sagarmatha is worshipped as a sacred mountain by the Dwarves, and Shamash is worshipped as the god of light and justice by humans... It''s a bit regrettable that Sylphid, Ifrit, and Thetis are not worshipped as gods. Um. I roughly know the reason. After all, those children are in environments where it''s difficult for humans to worship them as gods. First, Thetis. To begin with, the location is not good. It''s a giant whirlpool located far away in the middle of the sea, away from thend where humans live. Since human navigation skills are not good enough to approach Thetis! Currently, they are only moving around the coastal areas with simple rafts! Unless navigation technology advances further... they won''t even be able to discover Thetis. Next, Ifrit. Hmm... Ifrit, well, just the surrounding environment is extremely harsh. The main body of Ifrit is an eternally burning me. The temperature is needless to say hot, so nothing can live around it... not exactly. Hmm. There are creatures that have adapted to such an environment, but they are not intelligent beings like humans. Most nts are either dried up or burnt. It''s a region difficult for non-heat-adapted creatures to survive. As a result, the area around Ifrit has be a desert. It''s fortunate that the desert area around Ifrit is not yet vast... A hot desert even at night around Ifrit. What''s this? Wasn''t itmon sense for it to be cold at night? Ahem. Anyway. Since it''s a harsh environment to live in around Ifrit, humans have not been able to easily settle there. Therefore, there are no worshippers of Ifrit. Unless humans who can settle in this hot desert appear someday. It''s probably too much to ask right now, just past the Stone Age. Lastly, Sylphid. How can one worship the wind that cannot be seen? Moreover, how can one worship Sylphid, who does not stay in one ce but keeps moving around? Certainly, Sylphid possesses strong power, but how can anyone worship Sylphid, who does not wield that power? There needs to be a trigger for worship to ur as a deity. And Sylphid. Such a trigger has not yete. Someday, if peoplee to fear or admire the wind, Sylphid may be able to rise as the god of wind. I''m not sure when that will be... but it doesn''t seem too far off. Chapter 45: About Death (1) Chapter 45: About Death (1) Time flows, and the world continues to change. The time when a small vige bes arge one, and a shallow stream gradually grows into a respectable river. The time when a small sprout grows into a towering tree, and falls to the ground, cut down by human hands. As such time passed, something that greatly caught my attention appeared as I wandered around the world. Something that looked like a human with a blurry form. It didn''t have a physical body, but it definitely existed there, moving. It was quite blurry, but it was something that maintained a bit of self-awareness. Different from spirits. Something very frail, fleeting. I was able to quickly realize what it was. Because there was a dead human body at its feet.A human body that looked exactly like it. It was the soul of a dead human. [Ah... Ahh...] The soul, which was a young man, stood nkly, letting out a small voice, as if it didn''t know it was dead. This was my first time seeing such a soul... What? Why has this appeared? No, if souls existed, there should have been countless souls in this world by now? How many humans have died until now... Could it be... As human intelligence gradually increased, they began to think about life, death, and souls? Thinking about it, in the past, when one died, that was it, and it ended with just burying the body in a designated ce... But nowadays, humans seem to be doing something simr to funerals... Has belief in the afterlife emerged? Is that it? And so, belief in the existence of souls began to establish? Then there must have been some event that served as a trigger... Hmm... If it changed so suddenly, among the most recent events, the cause could be...ws? No, executions due to the enforcement ofws have been around for a long time. If souls started appearing because of executions, they should have appeared long ago. Could there be a cause I''m missing? I''m not sure. Hmm... Is it because of the clear existence of gods that they started thinking about whates after death? Or is it because of the sr eclipse that happened before? I don''t know. There are too many guesses to be certain about anything. I approached the soul standing still. [Ah... I am... Where is this... Exactly...] It seemed the man hadn''t been dead for long. Whether he slipped and fell from a high ce, he was covered in wounds, and his neck was broken, but... the body wasn''t severely dposed. How pitiful. Seeing a stone axe for woodcutting at his waist, he must have been a woodcutter who came to gather suitable firewood. Hmm... I cautiously spoke to the man''s soul. "What is your name?" [I-I am... My name is...] The soul responded to my words but couldn''t properly speak about itself. Hmm... This is troublesome. I didn''t want to leave this body and soul here. No choice then. I raised my magical power and lifted the man''s broken body, moving slowly. First, let''s head towards the nearby human vige. As the body began to walk, the soul, which had been standing nkly, also started to follow behind the body. Thus, the man''s body, his soul, and I headed towards the nearby human vige. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Finding the man''s family wasn''t difficult. As soon as we entered the vige, people who saw the man''s body were shocked. Roughly counting, the vige''s poption was about 50 people. In such a small vige, it would be impossible not to recognize a member of the vige. "Good heavens! Krut! What happened to you!" "Go call right away! Krut hase back in terrible shape! Bring all the herbs you have!" The humans, who hadn''t noticed me hiding in in sight, saw the man called Krut and thought he was injured, attempting to care for him. But what could they do in a situation where he was already dead? I withdrew the magical power that was moving the man''s body, and the body lifelessly copsed. "Damn it! Krut!" "After a heavy rain, I told you not to go to the mountains! You insisted on going anyway!!" The people supported the man''s corpse and entered the vige, and not long after, a loud cry was heard. It seemed to be the crying of the man''s family... his younger sister. [This is... our vige...] The man''s soul, after standing still and watching the vige, entered, and soon saw a girl hugging his corpse and crying. [Oh... ... my... sister...] Even though he had forgotten everything about himself, did he remember his family? It was then that the man''s soul seemed to realize his own death, and he weakly fell to his knees. [Am I... dead?] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Yes. You are dead." [Who are you?] The man''s soul looked at me. Empty eyes. The eyes of a man facing death. What emotions were contained within them? Regret? Pessimism? Sadness? Desperation? It''s hard to tell. What are the emotions of a dead person? What are the emotions of someone who died leaving behind their beloved family? [Are you... a god?] "Why would you think that?" [I don''t know. You just seem like a very grand being to my eyes.] Is it because he''s a soul that he can see? Or is it because he''s in a state of having faced death? It seemed the man''s soul could see a bit of my power. Of course, he couldn''t have seen all of it. If such a weak soul fully saw me, he wouldn''t have been able to withstand it and would have perished. I was suppressing and hiding my power appropriately, so perhaps what he saw was just that reduced amount? [If you are a god... can you bring me back to life?] "Well, I''ve never tried, so I don''t know." That''s a lie. I could rewind time and save him. Just rewind time to before his death and save him. But would that be the right thing to do? I''m not sure. As for restoring the body and putting the soul back in... I haven''t thought about that. After all, this is the first time I''ve seen a soul. Hmm... I wonder what would happen if I tried? I''m a bit curious. [What will happen to me now?] "I don''t know." This is the first time I''ve seen the soul of a dead person. I''mpletely unprepared for dealing with this. There''s no Grim Reaper or Death God. I haven''t decided what to do with the souls of the dead in such situations. Ah, do I have to decide and create it? An afterlife? Really? How troublesome.... [You don''t know anything...?] "It''s humans who... despite having faced death not once or twice, I don''t understand why only now the souls of the dead have started to appear." Should I create something like heaven? Or should I make the souls of the dead reincarnate? Which should I choose? I''m not sure. Um. Either way... it''s clear I''ll have to work hard to create it. Tsk. [I don''t want to... die like this... I can''t leave my sister behind... I don''t want to die...] "Hmm..." The man''s soul began to squirm a bit. Whether it was having a fit or negative emotions were transforming the soul. The translucent soul was slowly turning ck. "This is another interesting phenomenon." [Revive me... back to my sister''s side...!] "Sorry, but that''s not possible." The soul, turning ck and growing into a monster-like form, charged at me. "Ah." [Aaargh!] A light flick of my finger and its upper body flew off. "Hmm... Has he turned into an evil spirit? That''s troublesome." Is this what happens if the soul of a dead human is left unattended? It feels like a manga about a Death God I read before. There, the evil spirits had holes in their chests. [Ugh, aargh...] Despite its upper body being blown off, the evil spirit continued to squirm. I barely touched it, and yet it still maintains its form, which is quite something. "I can''t revive someone who''s already dead, but I can help you protect your sister." [Cough... ah... what do you mean...?] "It''s simple. I''ll make you, a soul, into your sister''s guardian spirit." It seems even as a soul, he has some power. He should be able to fulfill the role of a guardian spirit. "If you don''t like that, the only option is to extinguish you here. What will you do?" The man, whose upper body slowly regenerated, simply nodded. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Well, that''s the gist of it. After attaching the first soul I encountered as his sister''s guardian spirit and burying the man''s body, I once again wandered the world. Souls began to appear all over the world. They did not appear when animals died, but only when humans or other intelligent beings died. It seemed that the developed cognitive abilities of intelligent beings were the reason for their appearance. Was it the existence of a god that triggered thoughts about death and the afterlife? Hmm... If so, it must have been inevitable. Could it be said that the thoughts and magical power of intelligent beings at the moment of death brought about their appearance? Anyway, it felt something like that. Leaving these souls unattended... the world might be overrun with evil spirits. So, it seems necessary to collect and process these souls. Alright. Let''s create it! The afterlife!! Chapter 46: About Death (2) Chapter 46: About Death (2) Well, just because I decided to create the afterlife doesn''t mean everything gets made instantly. First, I need to decide what system the afterlife will operate on. The afterlife I envision can be broadly ssified into two types. First, a type of afterlife that collects and stores souls. This is simr to themonly mentioned heaven or hell, Valha, where dead souls are neatly stored. The good go to heaven, and the evil go to hell, something like that. An afterlife that collects and stores dead souls. Second, a type of afterlife that reincarnates souls. Where the dead soul''s sins are judged, and it is reborn into another life, cycling the soul. Sort of like collecting dead souls, processing them appropriately, and then reincarnating them. It sounds strange to say processing souls.Anyway, these were the two main types I was considering. Of course, there''s themon task of collecting dead souls... but I have something in mind for that, which I''ll exinter. First, the type of afterlife that stores souls. This is quite simple. Just collect souls and gather them in a designated space. Here, it might be necessary to create a good environment for good souls or make evil souls pay for their sinsmitted in life. The downside is... if we keep collecting souls, eventually, the space for storing them might overflow. Unless the space for souls keeps expanding indefinitely, it will eventually fill up. And since we need to collect good and evil souls separately, multiple spaces are necessary, right? Ah, that''s right! It might be a good idea to separately collect the souls of heroes who achieved great deeds in life, like Valha. If I collect the souls of heroes and need their power... summoning them could be useful, right? Like the famous game about summoning heroic spirits. Well, these are just thoughts for now. Let''s move on. Next, the type of afterlife that reincarnates souls. This would have the advantage of not needing much space for storing souls. Just judge the dead souls, bleach them appropriately, and let them be reborn. Though some space might be needed to make souls with heavy karma pay, it would require much less than just collecting them indiscriminately. The downside might be... we have topletely create a new system for judging and processing souls for reincarnation. Unlike simply collecting souls, this requires a thorough processing method. That means additional research is needed. Hmm. It won''t be an easy process. Analyzing something new like souls thoroughly and establishing apletely new method of processing them. And a lot of manpower will be needed in the process of reincarnating the processed souls. It won''t be easy, but... if properly made, it would be convenient for a long time. I pondered over these two methods. A simple and easy method that might cause problemster? Or a method that''s convenient in the long run but hard at the beginning? Both methods seemed equally valid. Hmm... which one should I choose... I momentarily shelved the two methods in my mind, deciding to decide on themter. For now... I need to gather thebor force that will collect souls on my behalf. Regardless of which method I choose, their cooperation will be absolutely necessary. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What''s immediately needed are spiritual beings that will collect dead souls. Grim reapers... or entities known as death gods. And I need managers to oversee them, and spaces where they can collect souls... Un. There''s a lot needed. Suddenly, I feel overwhelmed... but since souls are constantly increasing, I need to deal with this as quickly as possible. For the workers who will collect souls, I already had some beings in mind. Among the spirits, there were those who fit the bill. Dark spirits. Originally, they were the sad end of children who were ck dragons. Due to their father Erebus causing trouble among the dragons and inciting my anger, and even managing to escape punishment, the dark spirits were receiving hatred from other spirits to the point where they couldn''t properly roam around. If Erebus had been properly punished, the dark spirits wouldn''t have had to hide... but what''s done is done. Even if I were to turn back time now... I wouldn''t want to undo everything I''ve done so far. It''s too bothersome. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Anyway, dark spirits who are secretive enough to not be easily seen by others... would be optimal for collecting souls. And for middle management... well, I need someone to manage the dark spirits. I''ll handle it for now, but if I find someone suitable, I''ll pass it on. I can''t do everything myself. Above all, it''s bothersome. First, let''s go find the dark spirits. Many of the dark spirits, hated by other spirits, were gathered in one ce, avoiding the others. That ce was none other than where dragons had transformed into spirits in the old days. The ce where the bodies of dragons turned into spirits were buried. In this ce, avoided by other spirits, the dark spirits were gathered and living. I felt a bit sorry for them... but I had left them alone, thinking it was a collective responsibility for Erebus''s crime. Now, I could somewhat lift that burden off them. Though they would have to do a tremendous amount ofbor in exchange. I arrived at the ins where the dragons were buried. The ins, which once had trees and grass, had be a deste ce where hardly anything but some weeds grew. Hmm. Did the bodies of the dragons have some effect on thisnd? It''s worrying that nothing grows here. Moreover, there was a lot of fog. Perhaps because wind spirits or fire spirits didn''t approach at all, the thick fog didn''t clear. Quite a creepy atmosphere. It''s like a ce where ghosts might appear. Tsk. I stepped into the fog and spoke in a low voice. "Children hiding in the darkness,e forth. I havee to lighten the burden of your sins." Then, the shadows cast on the ground began to stir slightly. Um. True to being dark spirits, they were crouching in the shadows. [Who are you...?] "Don''t you recognize me anymore? Well, it has been quite a long time." How much time has passed since the age of dragons ended. The dinosaurs that once roamed thend are now all buried in the ground. [This aura, could it be... the Creator Dragon God...?] One of the dark spirits, who still maintained a sense of self, appeared before me. Though it had lost its body and declined into a spirit, it was a child with considerable power. Compared to other spirits, could it be considered a high-ranking spirit? "What is your name?" [I have forgotten the name I had when I had a body. Now, the children call me Shade.] Forgotten your name... Even though it was my doing, it''s somewhat bitter. "Alright. Shade. I havee to release the cor of sin that weighs on you all." [Is that so... Finally... We can be freed from the persecution we have suffered for so long.] "Of course, there will be a price to pay..." Shade responded without hesitation. [It''s alright. If we can shed the sin imposed on us by our parent. We are willing to pay any price.] "I see. That''s good to hear. Un. Then, gather all the dark spirits. As many as possible." [All the dark spirits? It won''t take long if it''s just the dark spirits gathered here, but it might take some time for those who are scattered and hiding.] "That''s fine. In exchange for lifting your sins, I n to give you all a significant task." [A task...? Could you tell us what it is?] Nodding slightly, I replied. "I can only give you a rough idea. Roughly, it''s about collecting and organizing things that will overflow in this world." Souls, that is. [Organizing and collecting... Understood. If it means we can shed the sin imposed on us by our parent. We will do anything.] "Good. Then gather as many dark spirits here as possible. The more hands, the better. Those born here and those not yet born. As many as possible. Really a lot. If the number is too small, it will be hard on you all." [Understood.] With that, Shade and the other dark spirits melted into the shadows and dispersed. Ah, I didn''t say that they had to do this forever... Well, it should be fine! A permanent job! A ck job with no holidays! But an important job to maintain the system of the world! Now, while the scattered dark spirits gather the others, I should investigate the souls. By thoroughly investigating, I''ll be able to understand what can be done with these souls. Chapter 47: About Death (3) Chapter 47: About Death (3) I traveled the world collecting various types of human souls. Well, saying it like this makes me sound like a dark wizard who uses souls as offerings for something. But still, I gathered them through moderate means, by putting in the legwork! The easiest way would have been to collect them by killing humans! But I didn''t want to do that! I continued to search for and gradually gather the souls of those who had met death in various parts of the world. I collected souls from the bodies of young people who died suddenly in idents without even knowing how they died, from criminals who were executed for their crimes, from old people who died of old age after living a long life... and although I was reluctant, even from stillborn babies who died before they were born. After traveling around the world and collecting the souls of the dead, I was able to learn about the structure of souls to some extent through investigation and research. It might be a bit of a boring story, but I guess I should exin the nature of souls. First, although souls appear to be a single entity, their internal structure revealed upon closer inspection consists of two opposing parts intertwined. Like the Yin and Yang ?, where each part consumes and merges with the other to form a whole?One side is bright, light, and warm, while the other is dark, heavy, and cold. These twopletely opposite qualities are tangled together to form a soul. First, the bright part. This is the part I arbitrarily named the soul »ê (h¨²n). This part was rted to the innate nature of humans. It was formed from abination of innate personality, tendencies, and elements inherited from parents, and had a tendency to fly to the sky because it was basically warm and light. Next, the dark part. This is the part I named the spirit ÆÇ (P¨°). This part was rted to the personality formed after a human is born. It was rted to the personalitypleted through various memories and experiences created during the growth process, and had a tendency to sink to the ground and scatter because it was basically cold and heavy. Thus, the innate nature and the personality formed after birth intertwined toplete a human soul. If you ask how I knew about these two... I could say it was a fact I learned by examining various souls. First, sample A. The soul of an old man who died satisfied after living a long life. The soul of a human who survived for an incredibly long timepared to the average lifespan of humans in this era was significantlyrger than other souls. Roughly the size of two of my fists when I transformed into a human. Moreover, the soul of someone who lived for over 80 years had an abnormal ratio. If we consider the entire soul as 10, the ratio of soul and spirit in the old man''s soul was about 2:8. Apletely unbnced form of soul. Nheless, the old man''s soul showed no significant abnormalities. Next is sample B. The soul of a stillborn baby who couldn''t even be born. Its size was very small, not even half the size of my fist. The ratio of this sad soul was about 9.9:0.1. Meaning, it was almost entirely soul. A sad soul that remembered nothing but what it heard in its mother''s womb. Therefore, the spirit was not properly formed. How pitiful.... As for the other samples... In the case of a death row inmate, the ratio was 4:6, for a young person who died in an ident, it was 5:5, and most souls seemed to bnce out to a ratio of 5:5 around the age of 20. From there, as one ages, the size of the soul and the proportion of the spirit gradually increase, and if younger, the size decreases and the proportion of the soul increases a bit more. Perhaps around the age of 20, the bnce between soul and spirit stabilizes the soul, and as one ages and umtes more memories and experiences, the proportion of the spirit in the soul increases, thereby breaking the bnce of the soul. So, is that why problems like dementia ur as one gets older? Hmm... This is quite interesting. Then, what about elves, whose lifespans are more than 10 times that of humans? Do they maintain a solid bnce between soul and spirit because they have a nt-like mentality? I''m not sure about this. There seems to be a definite difference based on race, but that part requires more research. I released the souls I had roughly researched, and many of them began to separate and drift away in various forms. As the clustered souls slowly separated, the soul flew to the sky and the spirit scattered to the ground. If I abbreviate it to four characters, it would be soul-flight-spirit-scatter (»êïwÆÇÉ¢). This is also why I named the two parts of the soul as soul and spirit. Most of the released souls disappeared quickly. Hmm... Do ordinary souls disappear this quickly? If so, what are the souls that remain on the ground now? That question was quickly resolved. I had released all the souls I had collected, and most had disappeared, but one soul was still left. The soul of a death row inmate. The soul of someone who hadmitted a crime, been tried, and executed. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now The soul of the death row inmate, who continued to deny his own death even after leaving the body, did not scatter and remained. Investigating this soul, I could understand why some souls remain on the ground. Mostly, after the body dies, the soul leaves the body and stays for a very short time before splitting into two and disappearing... asionally. A soul harboring strong negative emotions at the moment of death develops something like ck soot, preventing the soul and spirit from separating and scattering. Because the soul and spirit did not disperse as they should have, the soul continues to stay near the corpse, continuously denying its death while the ck soot that has invaded the soul growsrger. Eventually, the growing soot...pletely ckens the soul, transforming it. Such ckened souls be something difficult to call a soul anymore. It would be appropriate to call them evil spirits. I conjured magic to bind the soul of the death row inmate that had turned into an evil spirit and began to examine the evil spirit. The transformed soul. What is this ck soot? Is the soul transformed by negative emotions? But it''s strange for it to transform just by emotions... It''s like... something external is acting on it... No, it must be my imagination. Anyway, I started to carefully scrape off the ck soot covering the evil spirit using magic. The damp and heavy fragments of the soul covered in ck soot. This is... the spirit. It seems the fragments of the spirit were transformed by emotions. On the other hand, the soul still maintained its form even in the state of having turned into an evil spirit. It seems this ck soot transforms the spirit. I infused a very small amount of magic into the scraped-off ck soot, and the soot quickly dried up, shriveled, and scattered on the ground. Hmm... Is magic the weakness of this ck soot? Physical contact hardly affects it, but it seems weak to magic. Now, I roughly know how to deal with the souls remaining on the ground. If I strip the ck soot from the souls where the soul and spirit have not separated, they should separate on their own. After separating the soul and spirit from the dead soul, scatter the spirit, and the soul... should I send it to the sky? More importantly, where does the soul that flew to the sky go? The spirit scatters and disappears, but the soul that flew to the sky? Since the existence of souls, numerous intelligent beings must have died? Where did all those souls go? Well, if I don''t know where they went, I should track them. I attached a faint thread of magic to the soul of the death row inmate and slowly floated it into the sky. Then, the soul gradually ascended into the sky. The presence of the soul was so faint that it would be difficult to notice without paying attention, even for me. At least I could definitely know its location because I had attached a thread of magic. Thus, I followed the soul that had risen into the sky and flew up, and only after reaching quite a high ce could I see where the soul was headed. Above the sky, arge number of souls were gathered so densely that it resembled a cloud. The gathered souls varied in size, but for some reason, souls significantlyrger than others split in half and divided into two, maintaining a simr size to other souls. Hmm. Do souls have a property to maintain a certain size? I''m not sure. But looking closely at the gathered souls, there''s something somewhat creepy about it. Watching these faint, round things gathered inrge numbers..., I get the feeling that something is bound to happen if so many souls gather like this. In the meantime, some of the souls floating in the sky fall to the ground. Souls so faint they''re almost imperceptible pour down like raindrops, and I follow them down to the ground. As if being drawn by something, the soul that fell from the sky drops onto a small cabin and seeps into it. It seemed as if something was pulling the soul in. And inside that cabin... humans, to a fetus? I flew back up to where the souls were gathering. Hmm... It seems that there is some cirction of souls after all. Although a considerable amount has already gathered, it''s still better than having no cirction at all. Wait, if souls gather like this... what about the spirits? The spirits scattered on the ground? Do they just disappear? Or... Do they seep into the ground... and go down...? I had a very ominous feeling. How long has it been since souls started to appear? If so many souls have gathered, what about the spirits? The spirits scattered and seeped into the ground?? If the spirits, which turn ck just by being exposed to negative emotions, and transform souls into evil spirits, seep into the ground inrge numbers...? If something triggers the spirits filled in the ground to develop soot? Then... And most importantly, the ground is... a likely ce where that child ran off to... Not good. Yeah, not good. I feel like something big will happen if we don''t hurry. Indeed, souls require thorough management. If left alone, who knows what problems might arise! But wait. If souls gather like this, and spirits scatter like that... what about those who died before souls existed? Do their souls not exist? Or have they disappeared? What happened? And... what about me? Does my soul exist within me? Many questions arose... but for now, let''s bury them... I got the feeling that it''s not good to think too deeply about it... Chapter 48: About Death (4) Chapter 48: About Death (4) Putting the creepy feeling deep down. The analysis on souls has progressed to some extent, and it seems that the dark spirits are also gathering. What remains now is preparing the location where the afterlife will be created and deciding the system of the afterlife. Among these two, the first thing to do should be creating the ce where the afterlife will be located. So... what should I do? Should I create the afterlife somewhere in this world? In Greek mythology, the underworld exists within the earth, and the dead souls cross the River Styx there. Maybe underground is good after all? No, no. There was an element of unease underground. The element of unease called Erebus. The only ce left where that child, who is darkness itself and whom I couldn''t find the slightest clue about even after thoroughly searching the surface, could be hiding is underground, and to create the afterlife there?And to have that child''s descendants, transformed into dark spirits, work there? Surely, it''s 100 percent certain that problems will arise! Hmm. Underground won''t work. Not underground. At least not until I find Erebus and give it a good thrashing. It''s out of the question. Then, how about above the sky? Since souls naturally rise to the sky, it might be quite easy to gather them... Ah, this won''t work either. Due to the nature of the dark spirits, it''s impossible to be above the sky. Dark spirits can move by seeping into the ground, or in ces with little light, or even in ces with light if there are shadows, they can hide in the shadows and move stealthily, but they can''t operate properly in ces with strong light or without shadows. And above the high sky... there''s nothing like the ground for dark spirits to seep into, and except for the faint clouds, there won''t be any shadows, and the light shines strongly. Dark spirits with a certain level of power might be able to move somewhat without shadows... but their number is limited. They are just a few. Weak dark spirits will inevitably be unable to move easily. If it''s the night sky after the sun has set, they might be able to move freely... but then, people who die during the day can''t be led to the afterlife. Hmm. If I want to make use of the dark spirits, the sky is also out of the question. Perhaps, is it impossible to create the afterlife somewhere in this world? I let out a small sigh. I didn''t want to use this method... but I have no choice. I used the first privilege I received from the creator god. Creation. A translucent window appeared before my eyes. A window where I could set what to create. A screen that could create anything I wanted... Using that ability, I created a door. Arge door made roughly from ck rock. Ignoring the bizarre sight of a door standing by itself without any wall to anchor it, I opened the doors wide on both sides. Inside the giant door, which opened wide like spreading wings, was a wall of ck rock. Although it was a door not attached to anything, inside was a bizarre sight filled with ck rock. It looked like it led to another world. Hmm. I tried it out just in case, but it really got created... A door leading to another world. I only wrote and created it as ''a door leading to another world'' in the setting of creating objects... I never imagined it would really be created. Moreover, a door leading to a world with nothing but rocks. It perfectly reflected the setting. Really... even though I made it, I couldn''t help but think, what is this? This power of creation. How far can it go...? Could it create a new world? How is this different from a creator god? No, let''s put aside unnecessary thoughts for now. Isn''t it good to have good things? I''ve confirmed that the possibilities of my abilities are even more infinite. Yes. I let out a small sigh, closed the door again, returned to my normal form, and held the rather heavy door in my hands. It''s good that I made this door... but where to ce it is also a concern. Hmm... Since it''s going to be a door leading to the afterlife, it should be in a ce that''s not easily essible, right? Moreover, it should be a ce where the workers... the dark spirits can ess without a problem. Since it leads to the afterlife, it might also affect other creatures, so it should be in a ce without any other creatures... Combining all these conditions, it bes quite a difficult task. But fortunately, having traveled every corner of the world, I knew of one ce that met all the conditions. If it were just about being hard to ess, there could be a few more choices, but there''s only one ce that satisfies all these conditions. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I spread my wings and began to fly to that ce. The ce I was heading to was at the very northern end of this world. It was and covered in white snow and ice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A coldnd filled with snow and ice. A deste space where other spirits also hardlye due to the cold chill. At the northern end where no more animals were seen on the way up. There was a small ind surrounded by a sea with waves of sharp ice like des. In the middle of this small ind, where waves of ice-filled sea ceaselessly crashed, I firmly ced the door I brought. No other life to be seen, far from human territories, not underground, and no significant problem for the dark spirits to operate... Hmm, can those children move through the sea? They should be able to, right? No, it''ll be fine. I''ll just make a bridge connecting this small ind to the maind. And the material for that bridge will be the ck rocks filled inside the door. After transforming into a human form, I opened the door wide. A door filled to the brim with ck rocks. Alright. Let''s first cast a spell on the door so it doesn''t break. Of course, excluding the ck rocks inside. Those are meant to bepletely shattered! After confirming the door wouldn''t break by lightly tapping it, I looked at the sealed wall, clenched my fist lightly, and thrust it forward with all my might filled with magical power. Kwaaaaang!!! With a massive roar, the ck rocks shattered into pieces and spilled out of the door. Just one punch. Even though I filled it with magical power, it''s hard to believe this small fist wielded such destructive power. With that single strike, arge hole was formed inside the door. Hmm... Good. After gathering the shattered fragments with magical power, I poured them into the sea facing the ind and the continent. Of course, this alone wouldn''t be enough to connect the ind and the sea. I clenched my fist again. Mining starts! Hmm. It strangely reminds me of an old game. A game where you smash square blocks and mine ores. Now, without something like a pickaxe, I''m smashing everything with my bare hands and pouring the fragments into the sea! Let''s see... Since the inside of this door is another world, there shouldn''t be any worry about Erebus invading from somewhere else, right? If ites through the door, I canter cast a spell on it to immediately capture Erebus if detected. I began to break down the world of ck rocks inside the door at an angle as I descended. Of course, while pouring all the fragments into the sea. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero who inherited the blood of a god. Rychlen, who achieved numerous feats, killed a friend while drunk and decided to go to the afterlife to retrieve the soul of his dead friend, embarking on an adventure. However, this journey was not an easy one even for Rychlen, a hero among heroes. Having learned the way to the afterlife from a sage in the deep forest, Rychlen heads to the northern end of the world where the entrance to the afterlife is said to be. Rychlen, heading towards the end of the world. Sometimes with the help of giants, sometimes attacked by wild beasts and creatures, Rychlen headed to the northern end where the entrance to the afterlife is said to be. The ce Rychlen reached, after crossing the ck bridge surrounded by a sea with waves of sharp ice, which once crossed, one could never return, was the door to the afterlife, terrifying just by looking at it. [Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.] The terrifying ck door of the afterlife, inscribed with these dreadful words, was attached to a ck rock, a terrifying object that seemed to grip the soul with pain just by looking at it. Ordinary people wouldn''t even be able to make it here, and even a considerable hero would run away just by seeing this door, but Rychlen, a hero among heroes, did not back down and silently rolled up his sleeves before starting to push the two doors. The door to the afterlife, so heavy that even with the strength to move mountains, it took a great effort to barely move. Rychlen, who took half a day just to open it enough for one person to pass through, finally entered and proceeded towards the afterlife. The experiences Rychlen had afterward... were entirely different from any adventure Rychlen had embarked on before. Descending into a ck cave leading underground, Rychlen had to tremble with fear at every step he took. Not even with the strength to move mountains, nor with skin as invulnerable as steel to any de, could protect him from the fear of the afterlife. ... In the hell where countless souls suffer, facing innumerable crises and enduring fear, what Rychlen encountered were the three officials who govern the afterlife. Themander who gathers the souls of the dead from the darkness, leading the messengers of death. The inspector who finds the souls of the dead in the registry, checking if they met their proper end. The judge who hangs the souls of the dead on a scale, weighing the weight of their sins to pass judgment. The three officials of the afterlife were beings that, no matter how heroic, could never be opposed by someone alive. For they were beings who could easily turn Rychlen, renowned as a hero among heroes in the world of the living, into one of the dead with just a flick of their finger. - The adventure of the hero Rychlen. Chapter 49: About Death (5) Chapter 49: About Death (5) I, who had been digging through a world of nothing but ck rock for a while, took a moment to catch my breath. By breaking the rock with my bare hands and pouring the fragments of the broken rock outside to create a path, I was able to reach a ce that would take a whole day of walking without rest for an ordinary person. Hmm... Alright. Maybe I should create a gate here. It''s the path to the afterlife, after all. Wouldn''t it be boring if there were only a path without any gates? And there should be a being guarding that gate too! I gathered the shattered fragments of rock, stuck them together, and started to carve them out. For the image... How about a knight in armor! Even though there''s nothing like armor or knights yet! A knight made of ck rock that looks solid and intimidating with its angles. A knight so strong that an ordinary human wouldn''t even think of opposing it. Well, even if it''s called a knight, the body proportions are bizarre for a human. The image is that of a robot. Specifically, a ck robot that remains vivid in my memory. While carving the rock, I thought of a robot from a cartoon where an iron man, originally an enemy, bes an ally of the protagonist after various incidents.Of course, I can''t make it exactly the same. Just borrowing the overall feel. Big and strong. With shoulders and legs noticeablyrge. Arms smaller than those, but definitely bigpared to the head. The torso also in a sturdy form. And the overall image should have a lot of sharp points. A fierce and sharp image. Thus, a ck knight about 10 meters tall is created. Good. Now that the overall shape isplete, I should also work on the less visible parts. I''ll lift it with magic to carve the back a bit, and also engrave grooves on the sole to prevent slipping. Hmm... But it''s a bit in with all ck. The chest part feels especially nd. Then, let''s mix in the design of another robot. For the chest... Let''s carve a lion. Like that robot of destruction that looks like the final boss despite being the protagonist''s robot. Carve a lion on the chest. Tails and wings... Well, it''s just going to guard this ce, so no need to make those. Let''s be satisfied with the knee drills. Hmm. Good, it''s be more colorful. Now, shall we paint it in different colors? It would be nice to mix dark red on the instep, forearm, and shoulders. Ah, let''s also paint the head red. And for the lion on the chest and the knees, let''s add a golden highlight. For the eyes... Hmm, red would suit them. To give the impression of a fearsome knight guarding the underworld. Paint the eyes red. For the face, to give a non-human impression, go for a robot look with sharp angles. Um. And the most important, the horns. Horns that spread diagonally in a V-shape from the forehead... Should be made of gold, right? Red or gold? I debated in my mind, but after all, the robot''s horns should suit gold. Of course, there might be opinions for white, or red, or such. But this is purely my personal opinion. After deciding all the parts to paint, I magically color the ck knight. The dark red is... about RGB 133, 0, 8? HEX #850008. Hmm, a reddish-brown close to brown. A color that reminds one of slightly dried blood, making it seem like anyone would lose their courage just by looking at it. And the gold. For the parts to be changed to gold, I''ll thinly transform the ck rock into gold for ting. Hmm. Good. It looks more splendid than I thought. It looks strong and terrifying. The lion on the chest is also splendidlypleted..., uh..., ummmm.... I-I was supposed to make it feel like a gatekeeper guarding the underworld... Why did I end up making a splendid robot when I came to my senses? Hmm... Can''t help it! Since it''s already made! It would be a waste to destroy it now! The gatekeeper of the underworld. The ck Knight of the Netherworld! Completed! Ah, but should it have a weapon? It''s not like this ck knight will be firing rocket punches or shooting guns or beams. For the weapon... Hmm... Let''s make the weapon out of the same ck rock! And coat it with ck iron or something!! What kind of weapon should I make? A sword? An axe? A spear? A one-handed sword and shield are also good, or a heavy two-handed sword... Yes! A two-handed sword would be great! A two-handed swordrger than its own height. A two-handed sword so powerful that it could split the earth if struck down! Holding such a two-handed sword and aiming it forward would truly be an unparalleled swordsmanship! I roughly mined arge rock from the surroundings, then carefully carved it with the edge of my hand. Big and crude. But sharp. Decorations can be addedter, so for now, it''s all one piece from the de to the handle. No need for a scabbard. After diligently carving, a giant two-handed sword ispleted. It was too big to be called a sword. A two-handed sword so huge, thick, and heavy that it would be more appropriate to call it a mace. The motif was, of course, the two-handed sword of a protagonist from a certain manga. The dwarves might get angry if we call this a sword, but what does it matter. After roughly finishing the rock sword, I covered it with ck iron, sharpened the de, and carved delicate sculptures on the sides. The carvings were of a skull relief. A relief of a powerless skull, bound and unable to move by chains. Only after engraving a sculpture that would plunge the viewer into fear on both sides of the sword, could I smile with satisfaction. Moreover, since it was made of ck iron, it could cut through anything. Hmm. Afterpleting the sword, I ced it in the hands of the ck knight and infused it with magic. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Thus, the knight moved. T/N: Uh.. umm.. is that a bit too overpowered for a gatekeeper..? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rychlen advanced through a cave made of ck rock. Relying on the light from the magic stone he held, he continued without rest. How much time had passed? About a day after passing through the door, the narrow and winding cave gradually widened into a vast square. And on the other side of that square, stood a giant. No, this being was different from the giants he had met before. The first guardian of the underworld, as told by the sage of the deep forest. The Obsidian Colossus, Talos. A watcher of the underworld, monitoring every being heading to the afterlife with those red eyes, and a de that cuts down those who disturb the underworld. Upon seeing it, Rychlen immediately turned off the light from the magic stone and held his breath. Rychlen, who saw the figure of the ck rock giant examining everything in the passage with its red eyes, swallowed dryly due to excessive tension, and at the same time, a faint sound of his gulping scattered. Simultaneously, the red eyes turned towards Rychlen''s direction. Realizing he couldn''t escape that eerie red gaze that seemed to see through everything, Rychlen tensed up and gripped the object inside his cloak. - The Adventure of Hero Rychlen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, this ck knight will be the first golem to move through my magic. Un. Golem. That''s important. A giant rock moving on its own is also the romance of fantasy! Ah, my thoughts are drifting. Back to focusing on the ck knight. Let''s see. I''ll add a function to automatically absorb the surrounding magic power and store it for energy, and also cast a spell for regeneration in case it''s destroyed. I could cast a spell to make it indestructible, but there''s a special charm when such robots are destroyed! But I don''t like the idea of it beingpletely destroyed, so I''ll be satisfied with the regeneration feature!! Additionally, to ensure it fulfills its role as a gatekeeper, I''ll add a function to search for beings entering this space with its gaze, adjust the output for it to move strongly and agilely, and perhaps give it a suitable level of intelligence to assess situations and repel intruders. A robot... a golem that regenerates when destroyed, finds enemies with its gaze, moves swiftly despite its size, and each attack is heavy. Finally, to prepare for a possible invasion by Erebus, I''ll add a device to monitor the darkness. Sort of like a magical night vision, you know! Plus, make it capable of detecting beings with magic! To finish, I''ll coat it with magic power so it can inflict damage on Erebus, the embodiment of darkness! As for special features... Hmm, I guess it doesn''t really need any, does it? Or well, if a special function bes necessary, I might as well create abining robot or something! Thebination of robots is a fantasy, after all. Kukuku¡­. The knight made of ck rock rises. Alright. Then, let''s give it a name. Hmm¡­ Since it''s a huge statue, Colossus? No, that''s a bit boring. ck Rock Giant¡­ No, that sounds like something out of a martial arts novel. Giant. Titan. The Colossus of Rhodes. Hmm¡­. So¡­. That''s right. Talos! That''s a good name! Talos! Surely it was the name of the bronze giant made by Hephaestus in Greek mythology! "Your name shall be Talos. How does that sound?" Then, the intelligent Talos nodded slightly. It was the moment the giant with red eyes, Talos, waspleted. Now, then¡­. "I shall give you your firstmand." Talos stood proudly as if waiting for anymand, and I said with a small smile. "Use that sword to break and dig through the rocks!!" It was thepletion of a worker who digs through the ground without rest. Chapter 50: About Death (6) Chapter 50: About Death (6) The ck Knight, Talos, began to relentlessly smash rocks of the same material as himself with his greatsword. Un. Good. Good. As expected, hunting is auto-hunting. Mining is also auto-mining. Although I hade down by digging holes with my bare hands, it was bothersome. In that sense, Talos was a golem created at just the right time. Well, Talos, who is expanding the space by smashing rocks with the greatsword I made for him, seemed to be cursing me with his eyes for some reason. But what can I do? I created Talos. I am your master! Anyway, as Talos smashed the ck rocks and pushed the fragments behind him, I started to n the afterlife by moving the fragments outside with my magic. Let''s see. How many gates do we need to start with? Would about 7 be enough? Since the first gate, Talos, is ready, I should secure the remaining 6.After passing thest, the 7th gate, if something like a god ruling the underworld appears¡­. Hmm. Good. I like this. Now, let''s think about what kind of gatekeepers to prepare. Well, one of them was already decided. If it''s a gatekeeper of the underworld, of course, it has to be that. A guardian dog or wolf to prevent the souls of the underworld from escaping. In Greek mythology, there was Cerberus, and in Norse mythology, there was Garmr. So, there has to be a wolf or dog to guard the souls. Ah, and I would also like to have that. The ferryman. Was it Charon? But for the ferryman to row the boat, a river is needed¡­. But here, there''s nothing but ck rocks, which is problematic. Well, if there isn''t one, I''ll just have to create it. As for the other gatekeepers¡­. Hmm¡­. I''ll think about itter. For now, just this much, and I can expand and increase it gradually. So, then. What form should the afterlife I create take? Should I gather the dead in heaven or hell? Or should I reincarnate souls into a cycle of rebirth? Well, the direction my heart was leaning towards was already decided. I was thinking of creating a form of afterlife that mixes both ways. If both have their pros and cons, what if Ibine them? That was the decision that came from such a thought¡­. It might be a bit of azy decision. But still, it would be nice if only the advantages of both werebined. Reality is harsh. Usually, the disadvantages of both are alsobined¡­. But still, I wanted to create abined afterlife. First, the appearance of the afterlife I envisioned is as follows. First of all, the dark spirits. In the future, they will be called messengers of death, gathering the souls of the dead from all over the world and bringing them here. Then, from the entrance of the underworld, slowly descending, showing the souls the appearance of the underworld to make them regret their sins. Well, it doesn''t matter if they don''t regret it. But it''s better if they do. Un. If they regret it, their sins will be slightly lessened at the final judgment. Souls heading deep into the underworld past various terrifying gatekeepers. Souls without bodies will not be able to think of escaping or avoiding the gatekeepers. Ah! I must not forget to show the souls the suffering souls during their descent into the underworld. Various forms of torture are needed. Just watching such scenes should be enough to make them regret their sins. Anyway, by witnessing terrible sights, it makes it easier for souls to confess their sins, and then their names, causes of death, and sinsmitted are meticulously recorded. And then, finally, the sins of the soul are judged. Weighing on the scales, if themitted sins are heavy, the scale will drop. Through such a process, the soul is judged. Souls without or with few sins are allowed into heaven, and if they wish, they can be sent in the direction of reincarnation. And souls with sins¡­. Well, they will suffer in the underworld. Depending on the sinsmitted, they will roll in various types of hell and suffer. By doing so, the impurities within the soul are scattered, and only the pure soul remains, allowing for reincarnation. Here, if there are many sins and a lot of impurity, then¡­. The more pain they will have to endure. Well, there is a method ofpletely annihting them with overwhelming power, but wouldn''t that be too much work? It would be more efficient to process them all at once in a wide area by pushing them in together. After cleanly handling them, the process of the soul''s reincarnation ends by reincarnating the pure souls. Thus, the afterlife I envisioned ispleted. Of course, there would be the issue of inserting souls into newly born babies, but this is... something that the clouds formed by the souls floating above automatically did. Hmm... It would be nice to have something like an angel that inserts souls into newborn babies. It seems more thorough than indiscriminately inserting souls. Well, let''s skip over what to think aboutter. Even as I was nning, I continuously sent the fragments of rocks that Talos had smashed outside. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Ugh! Chah!" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now After loosening my slightly stiff body, I looked at the icy sea filled with fierce winds. No, to be precise, I looked at what used to be the sea. "It''s really being filled." Between the small ind and the continent, there was a sea with cold waves swirling around, but now it was filled with ck rocks that had sunk to the bottom. I lightly jumped onto the ck rocks that had risen in front of the ind. Un. The rocks are stacked solidly enough not to shake even when I climb on them. Due to such rocks, a thin connection was being made between the continent and the ind. Hmm... It would be fine to leave it as is, but somehow it doesn''t sit right with me. Alright. Let''s carve it. Let''s shape it into a proper bridge. It won''t be satisfactory unless it''s a decent bridge! After setting up the waterway, I began to carve the ck rocks by infusing magic into them. First, I cut off the rough parts to make them t, attached the cut fragments to both ends, and then carved them into handles of appropriate height. Without touching the rocks connected to the sea, just by simply touching the top part, a rather decent bridge ispleted. Alright. With such a bridge, anyone should be able to cross it. Even giants or dragons would be fine! [O Creator Dragon God!!] Suddenly, I hear someone calling me. No, to be precise, it wasn''t a voice I heard, but my Godtalk reacting. Who is calling me? [O Creator Dragon God!!! We need your help!!!] A voicees from afar. The owner of this voice is... Ah! That''s right! It was the voice of the child I had appointed as Dragon Lord before! It took me a while to recall because it had been a long time since I heard the voice and it was a bit vague. I lightly jumped up and flew in the direction from where the voice came through Godtalk. [O Creator Dragon God!!!!] "Why do you call out to me like that?" A giant dragon with golden scales. The Dragon Lord was calling out to me desperately. [Oh... O Creator Dragon God... You were in such a remote ce. We need your help...] "Help? My help?" I asked with a puzzled face, and the Dragon Lord did not deny it but nodded. [There has been an incident that we cannot handle on our own. Please, we ask for your assistance!] An incident the dragons cannot handle? Although they are quiet because they hardly engage in external activities, what could it be that dragons cannot handle? "I thought there was nothing you all couldn''t aplish. To think that you woulde looking for me... It actually piques my curiosity." I suppose nothing is impossible for dragons. Though they live quietly out of fear of me, they are dragons after all... [I am truly sorry. But we could not resolve it on our own. Then, allow me to guide you.] With that, the Dragon Lord began to lead the way, flying ahead, and I followed behind. And the ce we arrived at was. "This is..." [The ce where the bodies of the foolish are buried.] It was the very ce where the dragons had turned into spirits in search of the dark spirits. "What happened here?" [Nothing else, but an anomaly urred here, and one of our dragons was investigating it.] An anomaly? Could it be... [The anomaly was that all the dark spirits that had been staying here disappeared.] Am I the cause! No, that''s not an anomaly! It''s because I had work for them, so they all scattered! [While investigating this anomaly, a ck dragon, like my younger sister, was suddenly engulfed by a sinister and bizarre energy that surged from the ground... and it seeped into the child''s body.] Sinister and bizarre energy? What''s that? I just had the dark spirits do some work, why is such a strange energy suddenly surging? Could it be? Erebus, is it you again?! [This way, please.] Following the Dragon Lord''s guidance, I entered a nearby cave. [Ughhh...] Inside that cave, I saw a ck dragon in a state hard to believe it was alive. Chapter 51: Life and Death (1) Chapter 51: Life and Death (1) The glossy scales were dried and cracked, and the flesh that was revealed between them was half-rotten, with pus flowing down from the ck dragon. It was as if, while alive, its body was rotting away. "What in the world...?" [An evil and bizarre energy seeped into this child''s body, causing its living flesh to start rotting like this. We tried to expel the energy with our magic power, but... we could only maintain the status quo, unable to improve the condition.] I approached the suffering ck dragon child. Hmm... This energy is... "It feels close to death." The energy I faintly felt from the corpses of dead humans was simr to this, but the energy that had seeped into this child was iparably stronger and more persistent. I drew upon my magic power to push away the energy that was causing the ck dragon child''s body to rot, but the energy was only pushed away momentarily, then clung back to the rotting flesh and scales. Hmm... So just pushing it slightly doesn''t move it at all. I used my magic power once more, this time more forcefully.Crack! This time, the half-rotten body of the ck dragon began to split, unable to withstand my magic power. [Creator Dragon God?!] "Ah, it seems my power was too strong for this child to bear." If I use too much power, the child''s body breaks, and if I use too little, I can''t expel the energy. This is troublesome. Very troublesome. When it can''t be physically expelled, it might be better to help the child ovee it on its own. I pushed my magic power into the ck dragon child once more, but this time I used it differently. This energy is the death aura that arises from dead bodies. If so, if I make it move away from death, it should be detachable. The opposite of death is life. So, if I enhance the life energy of this child, wouldn''t it be possible to expel the death aura? I used my magic power to activate the life energy, the vitality, within the ck dragon child''s body. Then, the vitality, which was only a very small part left due to being pushed back by the death aura, seemed to gain strength from my magic power, and began to grow little by little. Hmm. It would be nice if vitality could be clearly quantified, but reality is not so amodating. But well, I can roughly sense it. I continued to draw out the ck dragon child''s vitality. Then, the vitality began to move more vigorously, starting to push away the parts invaded by the death aura. As if the child itself was refusing death. As if it was longing for life. With my help, its vitality grew even stronger. The life aura pushing away the death aura. The vitality, boosted by my magic power, began to slowly expel the death aura from the ck dragon''s body. Of course, the death aura resisted, not wanting to be pushed away, but the life aura, strengthened by my magic power, began to expel it relentlessly, and after a short time. The death aura that hadpletely covered the ck dragon''s body had to give up half of its territory to the life aura. Why is it so persistent? ording to my intentions, the death aura should bepletely expelled by the life aura?! It should be getting better by now?! Hmm... Can''t it push away any more with this child''s life aura? Well, even just this much seems to not endanger its life.... But this means half its body is alive and half is dead. If I forcefully expel the death aura from its body, the child might die first. Hmm... This is troublesome. Besides, why is the death aura so dense? Even if human corpses are buried and rot, the death aura wouldn''t be this dense! Maybe I should investigate the ce where the dragons'' bodies are buriedter. [How is it?] "I managed to make it so its life isn''t in immediate danger, but... I couldn''tpletely expel that energy." [Is that so...] "Why did you end up investigating that ce? The dark spirits are scattered because I had different work for them." At my words, the Dragon Lord replied with surprise. [Was that the case?! Ahem. We didn''t know that, and thought a major anomaly had urred, so we hastily ordered an investigation.] "They''ve been quiet no matter what''s happened elsewhere." [But the dark spirits are his descendants, aren''t they? If they were to move somewhere, we thought it might mean he has reappeared...] Ah, so that''s how it is. Moreover, the ce where they reside is where the foolish ones are buried. It''s a ce they pay attention to, patrolling once a month. It''s only natural to investigate if such an anomaly urs there. That makes sense. From the perspective of the surviving dragons, this ce could be considered where their family members are buried. If a problem arises there, they would have no choice but to investigate. This is... my fault for proceeding with the work without informing the dragons in advance. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "I''m sorry. I went ahead without telling you, thinking there wouldn''t be a big problem since you all were quietly staying put..." [Ah, no, it''s not something for the Creator Dragon God to apologize for. It''s because this child approached too carelessly.] Following those words, we looked at the child of the ck dragon. The ck dragon had turned into a grotesque shape, half of its body dead and half alive. "Besides, to think that an energy capable of consuming a dragon like this has appeared. How did such energye to be?" [My guess is that the death aura emanating from the bodies buried there couldn''t escape due to the dark spirits and became condensed.] "Condensed..." [And after the dark spirits disappeared, it emerged from the ground, and we suspect it attached itself to this child who came to investigate the situation...] If such things keep emerging, it wouldn''t be strange if all life on the surface disappeared. This happened because of something I did thoughtlessly... Hmm... Reflection cer. For now, the priority is to somehow deal with this child. This time... not only boosting its vitality but also trying a different approach. If I force the death aura out, the child might not survive... Let''s use a lure. If pushing doesn''t work, then pulling is the way to go. I once again infused magic power, boosting the child''s vitality while offering a bit of my magic power in front of the death aura. The death aura, without a moment''s hesitation, clung to my magic power, and as if I had been waiting, I started pulling on my magic power to extract the death aura. The death aura resisted like a live fish iling, but once it clung to my magic power, it couldn''t escape. As the death aura was being pulled out by my magic power, the vitality, as if not wanting to miss the opportunity, began to push the death aura out. Continuing to pull on my magic power, and asionally loosening it when the death aura seemed about to break, I managed to lure the death aura out as if fishing. "Gotcha." The sticky death aura, looking like ck mud, was extracted, clinging to my magic power. Once I cut off the magic power attached to the death aura, it swallowed up all of my magic power and, as if that wasn''t enough, began to slowly extend to its surroundings. "Hmm... Fascinating." I froze the death aura and its surrounding space, and the death aura becamepletely immobilized. Un. This looks exactly like the ck alien substance from a superhero movie. It also somewhat resembles slime... I''ll have to investigate it separatelyter. Anyway, with this, most of the death aura that had seeped into the ck dragon''s body was extracted, and the half of the ck dragon''s body that was like a corpse began to recover quickly. The rotting flesh began to regenerate and fill out again, and the dried, cracked scales started to recover, shining with their original ck luster. After a little time, the ck dragon child began to breathefortably, as if the pain from its decaying body had disappeared. [Is it over?] "It seems so for now." Since it looks so well on the outside. It must be definitely over. [To drive out an energy that consumes magic power and flesh... Did you boost its life force to drive it out?] "That''s right. If death can be driven out, then life seemed to be the answer. If I had forcefully pushed it out with my power, the child wouldn''t have survived." It''s like using a medicine too strong that, while it can cure, the body can''t withstand it. "That''s why I changed the approach of extracting the death aura, by maximizing the vitality and using its own life force to drive out the death aura." Moreover, there was a peculiar liveliness in its movements... It seemed that its will to live was quite strong. Hmm. [Thank you, Creator Dragon God. How can I ever repay this kindness...] "What kindness? It''s not such a big deal." [But...] I lightly flicked the head of the Dragon Lord, who kept trying to say something, and then said, "Don''t say anything more. And don''t worry about the dark spirits anymore. It''s not an anomaly." [Understood. Then, what should we do about this evil and grotesque energy?] "That energy, you mean?" I looked at the unpleasant energy writhing on the ground. Even a dragon filled with vitality and magic power is consumed by this energy, other creatures would rot immediately upon contact. It seems the dark spirits were suppressing the energy by being on top of it until now... Hmm... This is troublesome. I have a use for those guys. Chapter 52: Life and Death (2) Chapter 52: Life and Death (2) Deathly Aura. Regarding this energy that originates from death, it seems more investigation is needed, so let''s keep it for now. Who knows? If this dangerous energy is processed well, it might be used effectively. And if vitality is utilized well, it seems possible to suppress the deathly aura, so some control seems feasible. "Looks like we can suppress this deathly energy using the energy of life for now... but it seems more investigation is needed, so I''ll take this with me." I picked up the frozen chunk of deathly aura. Because we can''t just leave such dangerous energy unattended. The reason for this energy''s emergence... I have a rough guess. It probablyes from the decaying bodies of dragons buried underground. Yuck. Those bodies remain a problem over time. Especially the energy that clung to this ck Dragon child... Even though I adjusted my power to prevent the child''s body from breaking apart, he had enough strength to withstand my magic power. Perhaps the deathly aura emerging from the bodies buried underground continued to umte and concentrate without escaping the ground due to the dark spirits, resulting in this sticky deathly aura.Ah, then would the deathly aura emerging from there not be as persistent as the one that clung to this child? Hmm... I''ll have to check on thatter. [Ughhh...] [Hm?! Are you regaining consciousness, Seres?] [Where is this...] The ck Dragon, called Seres by the Dragon Lord, slowly opened its eyes. [Uh... human...?] [You''re still not fully awake, don''t judge by appearances.] "Don''t be too harsh. It''s natural, considering this child was half-dead." [That is true, but...] Anyone would struggle to grasp their situation properly if they were dying from their body decaying alive, especially just after recovering from such a situation. In fact, it''s impressive that this child can open its eyes properly. [Uh... Ah! Are you perhaps the Creator Dragon God?!] "Un. I see you recognize me." [Of course! Where else would you find a human with such horns on their head?!] At that, I touched the pair of horns on my head. Certainly, with these, anyone could recognize me. But hiding them... feels like it reduces the power I can naturally emit, which is inconvenient. Hmm... But I can''t just create humans with horns on their heads. Should Ie up with some kind of disguise? Well, I''ll think about itter. Yupter. "Anyway. How do you feel?" [My chest feels heavy, but I''m not in pain. Rather, I feel more energized than before.] "Your chest?" I ced my hand on Seres''s body and let my magic power seep in to examine the chest area, noticing a small amount of deathly aura clustered inside Seres''s chest. Unfortunately, it was in a rather problematic location. "Ohh. It seems the deathly aura has settled in the Dragon Heart." [What?!] I thought I hadpletely extracted it, but some of the deathly aura remaining in the body had gathered in the Dragon Heart inside Seres''s chest. When extracting arge chunk, even if a small portion is left behind, I thought it would bepletely eradicated by the life force. But is it enduring because it has found a ce within the powerful Dragonheart filled with magical energy? It seems to be maintaining a bnce by continuously converting the magic power emanating from the Dragon Heart into deathly aura, surrounded by Seres''s vitality, preventing further spread... What should I do with this? Should I fish it out with magic power again? Would the deathly aura clinging to the Dragon Heart, which produces a vast amount of magic power, be easily lured out? Moreover, since it''s clinging to the Dragon Heart, the deathly aura tries to grow by converting Seres''s magic power but is reduced again by the surrounding vitality of Seres and emits purified magic power in a cycle. "This is troublesome. It seems I couldn''tpletely deal with it." [What?! Do I have to suffer again?! I hate pain!!] "That''s the thing. It seems the deathly aura was special, having been concentrated for a long time. I didn''t expect it to be this persistent." To think it would do this even to a Dragon Heart once it clung on. Quite a toxic energy. [Good heavens... Creator Dragon God, is there no other way?] "Another method... Unless you give up your physical body, it might not be too much trouble. Or you could carve out the Dragon Heart and create a new one..." [Isn''t that almost the same as choosing death...] When I tried to forcibly remove it, the energy was so tenacious that it wouldn''t detach until the body was nearly destroyed. If it stays like this... If the energy of life is vigorous, it won''t be a problem thanks to the bnce between vitality and deathly aura, but if vitality shows even a slight weakness, the deathly aura will try to take over the body again. It''s like living with a bomb filled with poison attached to the heart. [Ugh... I don''t want to die... I hated suffering too...] "First of all, if you sufficiently boost your own vitality, you should be able to suppress the deathly aura that has settled in the Dragon Heart." [Really?! Please teach me how!] The method... "Use magic power to enhance your vitality. Isn''t it simple?" [Huh?] At my words, Seres tilted their head as if they didn''t understand. [Creator Dragon God, normally, that''s not something anyone can do.] "Hm? Why not? Just do it." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now [Huh?] At the Dragon Lord''s words, I merely tilted my head slightly. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To put it simply. [Was this even possible...?] "I''ve told you several times that it is!" After dozens of attempts, the Dragon Lord and Seres mastered the method of using magic power to enhance vitality. "Without even trying to do it yourself! You just saying it can''t be done over and over!!" [So-Sorry...] [But it''s not easy. A dragon''s magic power has a fixed attribute, so it''s not easy to perform different actions, but this is the first time I''ve realized it could work like this.] Hmm... Is that so? I didn''t know since magic power didn''t have attributes to begin with. Well, it might be difficult for other dragon children since their attributes are fixed. "But still, enhancing one''s own vitality directly like this isn''t too hard, is it?" [That''s true, but...] "It''s also possible to transfer the enhanced vitality to others." The two dragons merely nodded slightly at my words. Whyin that it can''t be done. Tsk, tsk. Back in my day, I tried this and that first. That''s how dragons were created, humans were born, and so on. As Seres was enhancing their own vitality, they suddenly seemed to remember something and said. [But if we can use this vitality to drive out the deathly aura... couldn''t we eradicate the deathly aura emerging from the ground?] "The deathly aura emerging from the ground?" I thought for a moment. I don''t know exactly how the deathly aura emerges from the ground, but considering the tendency of vitality and deathly aura to repel each other. "Hmm... There might be a possibility." Of course, vitality that can only exist inside a body will gradually dpose and disappear if it doesn''t enter the body of a living being. If we create a barrier using vitality... maybe we can prevent the deathly aura from escaping? Of course, I have no idea how much vitality would be needed to do that. And since the gradually disappearing vitality needs to be continuously replenished... the consumption would be enormous. Or if there''s something that can store vitality, like a gem or a stone, and use it to create a barrier... that would be much more convenient. Un. I''ll have to record this as something to doter. We can''t just let the deathly aura keep escaping. [Hmm... But since the deathly aura has settled in my heart, can''t we use it somehow?] "Hmm?" [What are you saying, Seres. You''re talking about using the energy that tried to consume and kill you.] [No, but brother. If we already have it, wouldn''t it be good to use it? Magic power mixed with darkness and death. Doesn''t that sound incredibly cool?] [Ah, you foolish child. Ah, I''m sorry, Creator Dragon God. This one is one of the younger ones among us...] A ck Dragon that handles the energy of death... ck Death Dragon...? Something inside me feels a stirring of my inner adolescent fantasy... "You might be able to use it, but it won''t be easy. If you''re not careful, it''ll try to consume your body." [Hmm. So you''re saying I can use it if I try? Since we''re living together in my body, I should at least try to make it work! After all, I can suppress it again using my vitality!] Un. I wonder if this is recklessness or naivety. "If you use such power, you might be ostracized by other dragons." [Ostracized? I''ve been facing that for a long time already! I''ve faced discrimination for my scale color. I''m not so weak as to be hurt by that now!] [I-I''m sorry, Creator Dragon God.] Hmm. Discrimination because of scale color... This is all Erebus''s fault. Just like the dark spirits were ostracized, now the ck Dragons are facing discrimination too. "Tell the other dragons. We''re all same kin, so don''t discriminate based on scale color. If they go too far, I might get angry." [Ah, understood! I''ll definitely pass the message along!] Saying this should make the dragons reflect on their actions. I doubt I''ll need to get angry. "Ah, and Seres." [Y-Yes?!] "If you''re discriminated against by other dragons because of the deathly aura within you,e find me." [What?! Are you nning to make dragons extinct again?!] Why does it always go in that direction? I mean, there is a precedent, but still. "If you, who harbors the aura of death and are considering using it, might be helpful for what I''m nning to do." [Me? Helpful?] "Yes." If I create the afterlife, I''ll need someone to manage it. A dragon would be suitable for that role, especially one that already harbors the aura of death. Un. I think about three managers for the afterlife would be good. One could be thergest shade among the dark spirits. Un. [What kind of work is it?] "I''m preparing to collect deceased souls, assess them, and then reincarnate them after judgment. It''s still in the initial stages, but once it''s fully operational, we''ll be able to organize the souls wandering this world." There aren''t many wandering souls in the world yet, but it''ll be problematic as they umte. We need a system for timely processing! Chapter 53: Life and Death (3) Chapter 53: Life and Death (3) [Deceased souls...] "It might take some time since it''s still in preparation, but it''s necessary for this world." The afterlife is important, whether it''s religious or spiritual. Just the knowledge that there''s a heaven and hell after death, or the fact that one can be reborn through reincarnation, would reduce the evil deedsmitted by humans! Even the vague concept of its existence can reduce the wrongdoingsmitted by humans! Of course, those who don''t believe in such an afterlife would not care and continue tomit evil deeds. But such sinners wouldn''t stop their wrongdoings no matter what. For those types, judgment in life mighte sooner than judgment after death. Well, what those sinners face after death can only be described as their karma! Hmm... Maybe there should also be sacred texts to teach humans, like a moral code.Now thatnguage and writing have been passed down, it''s time for knowledge and wisdom to start umting... Hmm... After the creation of the afterlife, I should do some research. If there''s any strange knowledge going around... that wouldn''t be good! I can''t just watch the humans I''ve carefully nurtured get corrupted by strange knowledge! Ah, the elves and dwarves will be managed by Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha, so I don''t need to worry about them. The lizardmen are under my direct management, so they should be fine. The real problem is with humans. And the beastmen as well. [Hmm... I appreciate the offer, but may I take some time to think about it?] "Of course. I''m not in a rush to get you started on the job. And since it involves dealing with the dead, being able to use the death aura within you mighte in handy." [That... might be a bit interesting.] "Just remember, the job involves managing the world itself, so be prepared for a longmitment." In the worst-case scenario, it mightst until the end of the world. Looking at it this way, it really is a ck job. A real ckpany, the afterlife. Hmm... For now, there''s nothing I can do, but once we have more employees... Speaking of which, it really does feel like apany. Like Death Company Inc. Anyway, once I have more employees, I''ll ensure they have enough rest by rotating shifts. It would be sad to work for a ckpany that doesn''t even allow proper rest. And as thepany grows, I''ll need a leader to manage the employees. A head. A managerial position. Like the president of apany. Honestly... Erebus would have been perfect for that role, but that fool betrayed me and ran off into the ground without leaving a trace. If he hadn''t escaped through the crack created by the shock of splitting my scale, I might have just confiscated his scale, scolded him a bit, and after some time, handed over the position of the god of death. But what''s the use of thinking about a runaway now? It would be faster for him to run away than for me to search the ground for him. I don''t know what he did, but he doesn''t appear even when I summon him... It''s really troublesome. Maybe I should use the power of creation to... make something that can capture him? If that child is causing trouble somewhere in this world... that wouldn''t be good. Hmm. Let''s think about thister. The Erebus capture n. But if I can capture him... could I forgive him? If I can forgive him, what kind of punishment should I give? Why am I even thinking about rehabilitating someone whomitted such acts and ran away?! But let''s not forget. Before washing machines were invented,undry was beaten with a washboard to remove stubborn stains. No, since Erebus is entirely ck, that might not be enough. I''ll have to beat him until he''s ragged, slightly heal him, and then beat him again until all the stubborn stains are gone and he turnspletely white. I don''t often get angry, but Erebus should remember that when I do, it''s terrifying. Tomit such a mistake and then run away. Still, as a parent-like figure, I won''tpletely annihte that child. Since there are sinsmitted, I n to beat him until his ego is half shattered! I intend to beat him so he won''t ever think of causing mischief again! After that, I n to burden him with the position of the god of death for the rest of his life, buried under a mountain of work. Of course, there will be no such thing as a vacation for this guy. That should wash away some of his sins! Hmm... Why do I feel like even that might not be enough? How much must I punish Erebus before I can forgive him? It''s my own heart, but it''s a bit hard to guess. My head tells me to punish him moderately and then forgive him, but my heart screams not to forgive him... It''s really troublesome. Really. Well, I haven''t even found a trace of Erebus yet, so it''s all just spection. Lost in thought, Seres said in a small voice. ["I''ll think about it. I''m not sure if I''ll end up working or not."] ["Even if I say this, when there''s a chance to work, dragons are eager to volunteer. Most dragons live a life of idleness and hibernation in their caves, not wanting to anger the Creator Dragon God... If there''s a chance to go outside, they all volunteer."] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hmm. Have they been forced into a corner because they''re wary of me? On thest day of the era of dragons, I said that if they don''tmit the same sins, they won''t have to do the same work. That''s a bit regrettable. ["This child too. I gave him work because I felt sorry for him crouching in a corner of the cave... But then he caused this trouble. It''s really troublesome."] "Well, it''s not like this child wanted to cause trouble. Besides, he suffered because of it..." ["It hurt so much! I thought I was going to die!"] "Actually, he almost died and came back to life." At my words, the Dragon Lord could only give a bitter smile. "If the dragons have be reluctant to leave their caves because of me, tell them they don''t have to do so anymore. I only warned them because I was worried they might repeat the same mistakes as those before them." At my words, both the Dragon Lord and Seres looked slightly surprised. ["Is that so? But we remember seeing the Creator Dragon God transform other dragons..."] ["That was really scary at the time. Seeing other adults being pulled out of their bodies and turning into spirits..."] Hmm, from the perspective of young dragons and hatchlings, it must have been a terrifying sight. "As long as you don''tmit the same mistakes, it''s fine. Anyway, pass that message along." ["Understood. The other dragons will be pleased."] ["But somehow... Even if we pass along that message, why do I feel like everyone will still huddle in their caves and not move properly?"] Hmm. I''m not sure why. Maybe because dragons seem like they would bezy? Well, I''ve said it! They''re free to live as they please! ["By the way, what do you n to do about the ce where the evil energy was spewing out?"] "Let''s see. I think I need to investigate a bit and then decide on the follow-up actions..." Since that evil energy is vulnerable to vital energy, sprinkling a lot of vital energy might temporarily purify it... But then again, that means more work for me. Hmm... It''s bothersome. Should I just dig up the corpses buried in the ground and annihte them all? Dragon corpses are annoyingly durable to get rid of. Hmm... ["If it''s okay, can we handle it on our side?"] "On your side?" ["Yes. We n to give the dragons a reason to go outside. If we teach them how to increase their own vital energy and have them sprinkle it around that ce... Wouldn''t that neutralize the evil energy rising from the ground to some extent?"] "That makes sense." Since dragon vital energy is stronger than that of other creatures, if they''re taught properly, they should be able to do it. ["It would also serve as an excuse to get the other dragons moving around."] At the Dragon Lord''s words, I nodded slightly. Indeed, it sounds like a good n to solve the problem of the evil energy while getting the dragons to move around. "Go ahead with that n. It sounds good." ["Thank you, Creator Dragon God."] "But, since it''s a dangerousnd to manage... I''lle by myself asionally to check on its condition." ["Yes, please do so."] Good. It was something I felt I had to do anyway, so if the dragons can take care of it themselves, I''m grateful! That''s right! As a reward, maybe I should give a title to the dragons who do this work! "I''ll give a title to the dragons who do this work, as it''s also a fate." [A title?] "Yes. Since they increase their own vital energy to drive away the evil, from now on, call those who do this work [Life Givers]." Hearing my words, the Dragon Lord pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, ["Thank you. They will be very happy to use the title given by the Creator Dragon God."] Un. If they''re happy, I''m happy too. After all, it would be interesting if dragons stopped hibernating in the corners of their caves and, disguised as humans, brought change to civilization. Chapter 54: Life and Death (4) Chapter 54: Life and Death (4) After handing over the rough blueprint of the afterlife to Talos and pushing off the expansion work - Talos''s expression seemed incredibly sad, but that must be my imagination. When does a golem have expressions? - I watched over the dragons, the Life Givers. It seemed they were bored in their corners, as a considerable number of dragons had gathered, which was quite a spectacle. [Hiiieeeekkk?! Creator Dragon God?! Why, Creator Dragon God?!] [Lord! This is different from what you said!! You said the Creator Dragon God wasn''t here!!! I have to get out of here!!!] [O noble Creator Dragon God. Please look upon us with your merciful heart. O noble Creator Dragon God. Please look upon us with your merciful heart. O noble Creator Dragon God. Please look upon us with your merciful heart.] Ha-ha-ha. What a mess. The only thing I could say while watching this chaos was, ¡°Do not be afraid.¡± A phrase that was entirely not reassuring.¡°I know what you fear, but my presence here is not for that reason. I am here just to ensure that what you are trying to do is properly aplished.¡± I looked around at the gathered dragons and said, ¡°So do what you must do.¡± The Dragon Lord, agreeing with my words, spoke up. [As the Creator Dragon God has said, we must do what we have to do. We don''t want to waste our lives dozing off in dark caves where the sunlight doesn''t reach anymore!] [That''s not too bad though!] [Shut that guy up!!] Ignoring the clueless dragon who was being targeted by the tails of the surrounding dragons, the Dragon Lord continued speaking. [If we perform this task well, the Creator Dragon God will no longer extract us from our bodies to turn us into spirits! Thus, we will gain freedom!] No, I''m not going to do that. This guy... He knows I won''t get angry about that anymore and is using it to control the dragons... [From this day forth, we will be called the Life Givers, and the Creator Dragon God will entrust us with the task of caring for the many lives in this world! We will be the workers who freely roam the world and nurture the tree of life ording to the will of the Creator Dragon God!] The task I entrusted to the Lord was merely to neutralize the rising malice from the ground, but why is the story going in that direction? This guy... is sneakily expanding the scope of their assigned tasks...! What''s the intention? Surely he doesn''t have a perverse hobby of increasing his workload! [Now, O Creator Dragon God. Those who will follow your will have gathered, so please say a word to them.] Huh? Suddenly turning the attention to me? I''m not sure what he''s hoping for, but... might as well y along. "I''ll be cheering you on, so do your best." At the same time, the roaring voices of numerous dragons filled the world. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¡°So, what''s the scheme?¡± ¡°Scheme?¡± The Dragon Lord, polymorphed into a human form, calmly smiled and said, ¡°I just wanted to offer a different choice to my kin who were inclined to do nothing.¡± ¡°There was no need to involve me in that.¡± ¡°No, it was necessary.¡± The Dragon Lord continued in a light tone, ¡°Thest of the dragon era. The scene shown by the Creator Dragon God... became a strong bond for the surviving dragons. The sight of countless dragons losing their bodies and turning into spirits at your mere gesture... even thinking about it makes me tremble.¡± I thought that was a bit harsh, but... it was what they had wanted. Even knowing the oue. It was what they had wanted. "If that''s the case, so what about the other dragons? They would think that if they fall out of your favor even slightly, they will end up like those spirits." "I said I won''t do that anymore." "Even if you say so, it won''t resonate the same with the other dragons. In such a situation... Vo. A new task has emerged." "A new task..." It must mean the task named Life Givers. "A task directly ordered by the Creator Dragon God, named by you, and even supported by you. By doing this task... the dragons will have a faint belief that they won''t be abandoned by you." "I wouldn''t abandon them in the first ce." "Even if you say so... it''s different for the other dragons." Are you saying the dragons were too scared toe out of their corners because of me? Hmm... Indeed, I might have been a bit harsh back then... "Anyway, now the dragons will start to move a bit, so I hope you continue to support them. If you do, all the dragons will move as if they were your limbs." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now At those words, I nodded slightly. Indeed, there wouldn''t be a creature stronger than dragons on thisnd. Their usefulness would be unparalleled. Though, I would have to worry about the bnce of the world possibly copsing due to their overwhelming strength. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thus, the dragons began to neutralize thend brimming with malice... thend named the Dragon''s Tomb, with their life force. The dragons, who greatly increased life force with magic and washed away the malice with the increased life force. While observing such dragons, I researched the condensed malice and also created a spring that would restore the life force of dragons who used too much of it. A spring whose water was effective whether drunk or poured on the body. This spring was proving to be of considerable help to the dragons who had excessively used their life force. But, building buildings around such a spring and eventually creating a grand temple... what''s all that about? Moreover, they offered me the best room in that temple. I''m a bit grateful, but I think this isn''t necessary... Well, it''s not something I should worry about. While conducting various research and observing the dragons'' work, the Dragon Lord, with an urgent expression, opened the door to the room I was staying in. "Creator Dragon God, the dark spirits are gathering." "The dark spirits?" "Yes. I''ve heard their numbers are countless. One of the dark spirits mentioned doing the task you assigned..." At the Dragon Lord''s words, I nodded slightly. It seems they have followed my instructions to gather as many dark spirits as possible. "So many of them, it seems they have properly carried out the task I assigned." It''s good to have many hands on deck, so it seems they''ve brought a lot. "Where are these dark spirits?" "I will guide you." Following the Dragon Lord''s guidance, I headed towards the Dragon''s Tomb. [Creator Dragon God, we have carried out the task you assigned. Please give us the next instruction.] I discovered a scene where numerous dark spirits, including shades, had gathered. This is quite a spectacle. Thend haspletely turned into darkness. "It''s truly amazing. The malice cannot even approach the dark spirits." "I''m a bit curious if other spirits are the same, but the priority is what we need to do first." Approaching thergest spirit in front, Shade, I said, "You''ve gathered quite a lot. Do you know how many there are?" [We have gathered so many that counting them would be meaningless. We hope our efforts will be of help to the Creator Dragon God.] Shade spoke politely. I looked at Shade and smiled slightly. "The ce where you''ll work is still being prepared, so there''s nothing to do right now... Un. For now, it might be good to learn how to transport souls." [Transporting souls?] "Yes. The task I''ll assign to you is to bring the souls of the dead." Right now, I don''t have any souls to show you how it''s done, but I''ll have to teach you once I get some. Ah, right. "And for you, as the representative of the dark spirits who will be doing the tasks I assign, I have a gift." [A gift, I am truly honored.] I took out an item made using condensed malice. Arge scythe, entirely ck, from the de to the handle. Un. Indeed, if you''re a reaper, you''ll need a scythe! [This is¡­.] "It''s a scythe made by materializing condensed malice. It''s a weapon made for you, the leader of the dark spirits who transport souls." I handed therge scythe to Shade, and Shade carefully epted it. As expected. A scythe that might be dangerous even to hold for other creatures has no effect on the shade, a dark spirit. That aside, it suits him just as I thought. And here''s one more gift. "I will give you a new name. You, the leader of those who transport the souls of the dead, will henceforth be called Thanatos." The god of death from Greek mythology. That was the name I was giving him. [Thanatos... my new name.] "Yes. I look forward to working with you, Thanatos." The dark spirit, who lost his name in life and was called a shade, now bore the name Thanatos and seemed very moved, bowing his head towards me. Chapter 55: North Pole (1) Chapter 55: North Pole (1) Thanatos, having received a new name, headed towards the entrance of the afterlife located at the northern end, along with numerous dark spirits. Since it was still under construction, the ce was empty except for Talos, who was digging the ground. Sending them there was meant to familiarize them with their future workce, and it was a bonus to have them dispose of the rocks broken by Talos into the sea. Let''s see. The work of neutralizing the morale emanating from the dragon''s tomb was progressing well, and there were so many assigned to the task that a significant number were idle, to the point ofints. I had even chased out the dragons lounging around in the newly built temple to take a look around the world! Of course, I left those who needed to neutralize the morale from the dragon''s tomb. I rotated the personnel for the morale neutralization work periodically, and sent the rest to explore various parts of the world. Naturally, hiding the fact that they were dragons! Just casually exploring the world! And to practice handling life force, I also had them heal injured people. Kind of like wandering doctors? In this era, where the concept of medical care wasn''t well established, minor wounds often led to death. I sent them out with the intention of helping such people a bit¡­. The dragons quite liked my orders.Hmm. Dragons that like traveling¡­. How did ite to this? Well, it''s not for me to worry about. So, gathering the dark spirits, directing the work of neutralizing morale, and sending the dragons cooped up in corners on world travels are all done¡­. Un. It''s time to prepare teaching materials for the work of transporting souls, the future task of the dark spirits. Then, I should gather souls¡­. Shall I go east this time? I''ve often looked around the west, north, and sometimes south, but I should visit the east as well. Come to think of it, the humans in the east¡­. are bing simr to the East Asians, Asians from another world, but why such a change? Is it the environment acting on humans? Is it because they live in the east that they resemble East Asians? What''s that about? I don''t understand. If someone manipted things to make it so, I''d like to see their face. Why would they do such iprehensible things? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The humans in the east lived inrge numbers. In thergest city, someone using the king''s name had already established and was ruling a country, making it difficult topare its scale with other ces. Simply put, the poption was enormous. It was two to three times that of other ces. Why are so many born? How can so many people live? Hmm¡­. They grow rice in the east, could that be the reason? What was it? Carrying capacity? Even if you farm the same area, rice can feed more people than wheat? I seem to have heard something like that¡­. Maybe that''s the reason. And so many people living means. "Aaaah!" "When will youe back?" That there are also many who die. The dead person''s body is ced in a wooden coffin¡­. a bier, and then carried somewhere by a few young people. Following the bier, several people were walking, wailing. Hmm. Is funeral culture quite developed here? Well, it means that many people died. I quietly followed the bier. The bier, decorated with various trees and flowers, headed towards a mountain north of the city. Not very tall, but a mountain with splendid terrain. However, that mountain was filled with numerous graves. People called that Mangsan Mountain. Mangsan. Mangsan¡­. Hmm. Because the people living here resemble East Asians, is the name also styled in an Eastern way? After hearing Western-style names all the time, Eastern-style names feel very unfamiliar. I''d really like to see the face of the person who created such names! Regardless of whether I was lost in such trivial thoughts, the bier continued on its way up the mountain path. It seemed that this Mangsan was amunal cemetery for those who died in that city. After continuing on a somewhat rugged mountain path, the bier was carefully lowered at a spot where the ground had been dug out to the size of the coffin, as if it had been prepared in advance. Then, they separated the coffin from the bier, ced it into the hole, and began to bury it by sprinkling soil over it. Hmm¡­ A proper funeral. I hadn''t seen a funeral of this extent in other ces¡­ It was a formal funeral event,plete with a proper burial mound. After burying the coffin, the humans carried the empty bier down the mountain. The fact that the wailing did not stop even on the way back suggests that the person buried in this grave must have been quite a good person. Now, to collect the soul¡­. [Has another person been buried today?] Hmm? The ground next to the newly buried grave rose, forming the shape of a person. The person, wearing a strange hat with a broad rectangr board attached to the top, and long cloth hanging in front and behind,pletely covering the face, wore severalyers of old-fashioned clothing. No, not a person. Though dressed like a human and wearing a strange hat¡­ it was a spirit, not a human. Judging by the energy it held, it was a spirit of the earth. And it must be the spirit of this mountain. [Let''s see. The third with the surname Jang. Jang Sam. Died of old age without any particr illness, so it was a peaceful death.] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now The mountain spirit inserted its hand into the newly buried grave, then pulled something out. What was held in its hand was the soul of the deceased. [Let''s have a thorough talk until you disappear. Until there''s no regret left in your life.] [Ah¡­ Mountain God¡­] [Yes. I am the mountain god of Mangsan, as you call it. Say everything you want, everything you couldn''t say. Make sure nothing remains in your heart. So that not a single bit of regret is left.] Thus, the mountain spirit began to converse with the soul it had extracted all day long. About the entirety of a person''s life. Until the soul that had ended its life had no more hesitations. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Has it disappeared¡­?] ¡°Hmm.. Fascinating.¡± [?!] To think that, even before I created the afterlife¡­ there was someone dealing with dead souls. Moreover, to converse with them until no regrets remained, making all the regrets harbored by the soul disappear. This¡­ I cannot overlook! [Are you¡­ the Creator Dragon God?] ¡°It seems you also remember about me.¡± [Of course. It''s been a while... because I was a dragon.] Judging by it being an earth spirit, it must be one of Sagarmatha''s children. ¡°Most of the spirits I''ve seen couldn''t properly maintain their previous selves. But you seem different.¡± [I was confident in my solidity.] ¡°Sagarmatha''s children did tend to be like that, but I didn''t know it also meant mental solidity.¡± [Only a few of us could do it. But what brings you here all of a sudden?] I said, looking at the mountain spirit in its strange attire. ¡°Let''s see. What is your name?¡± [I have forgotten my name when I was a dragon. Now, I am called by this mountain''s name, Mang.] ¡°Then I''ll call you Mang. Do you fully understand what you just did?¡± Mang nodded slightly, and the cloth hanging from the hat fluttered. [I understand. I made the soul of the deceased disappear.] ¡°Why did you do such a thing?¡± Mang seemed to organize its thoughts for a moment, then slowly said. [To ensure that the deceased''s regrets do not remain.] ¡°Regrets?¡± [Yes. The souls of the deceased, if they have lingering attachments, do not disappear, and over time, they often transform into grotesque shapes.] Un. You seem to know quite urately. It seems you didn''t do such a thing without knowing anything. [There have been a few incidents where such beings attacked the living. However, if we sufficiently converse with them so that no regrets of the deceased remain, they do not transform in such a way.] ¡°So that''s why you had those conversations?¡± [Yes. I could have eliminated it with power, but then the soul would only be pitied. I just wanted to solve it through conversation if possible. If not done this way... Burning the dead body can produce a simr effect, but I do not wish to do that.] Un. Good. Quite a desirable talent. The fact that you try to solve things calmly through conversation rather than force adds even more points! Nice! I like it! I looked at Mang and smiled. "Mang. Would you like to work with me on something?" [Me? Work?] "The work you''re doing, but on arger scale, preparing to manage the souls of the dead for the entire world." Mang did not say anything for a moment. [Is that, possible?] "It won''t be easy. But I''m preparing for it right now. It will take some more time, but it''s graduallying together." Talos is continuously digging the ce, and the dark spirits to transport the souls are ready. Now, if we prepare the role of the afterlife''s manager, the process of handling the souls, and the rebirth of the processed souls... Is that the end of the afterlife? Ah, I should also prepare something like heaven. Indeed, creating somethingpletely new is not easy. [May I take some time to think and decide?] "Of course! Take your time. A talent like you is always wee!" Plus, you have experience! Experience! Experience in handling souls and resolving their resentments! Can''t resist an experienced employee! Ah! --- T/N: Let''s have a moment of silence for our employee candidate. Chapter 56: North Pole (2) Chapter 56: North Pole (2) So, I visited Mangsan Mountain from time to time while creating the afterlife. Is it my imagination that I see a few people being buried at Mangsan Mountain every time I went? Or were there really that many people dying? Well, considering the era had a short average lifespan and proper treatment was non-existent, it was probably to be expected... In one of the cities near Mangsan Mountain, there were so many deaths that one of the most sessful businesses in the city was a funeral director. At this rate, Mangsan Mountain might bepletely filled with graves, leaving no space for new ones. "In that sense, what is the current state of Mangsan Mountain?" [Why do you ask about that all of a sudden?] "Just curious. With people being buried here every day, won''t the entire mountain eventually be covered in graves?" Although each grave doesn''t take up much space, if the number bes countless, wouldn''t it cover the whole mountain?[Currently... about 70% of it has be graves.] "Isn''t that well over half! If the number of graves increases further, the term ''Mangsan Mountain'' mighte to mean a cemetery." [To the people of that city, it already does... But why do you visit so often? Aren''t you busy with other matters?] Other matters. Well, I''m not really that busy. Yes. Talos continues to excavate the space for the afterlife, and Thanatos and the dark spirits are helping with that task, so there''s no problem. Once the excavation ording to my design ispleted, and we finish preparing the afterlife and the staff to work there, that should be it. The minor tasks... well, it would be better to call them Grim Reapers now. Anyway, I n to leave those to the Grim Reapers, and I think preparing about three managers to handle the major tasks would be enough... One is definitely Thanatos. If I could decide on Seres and Mang for the other two, that would wrap things up neatly... but since neither has given a definite answer yet, it''s a bit troublesome. By the way, while pondering over the vacancies for managers of the afterlife and discussing it with Talos, who was digging the ground, Talos stopped digging and pointed at himself with a finger... Hmm, did an error ur in Talos''s artificial intelligence? Or did Talos develop a sense of self? No, that can''t be it. It''s probably just an issue caused by various errors since it''s the first golem ever made. Above all, Talos has the most important responsibility of protecting the afterlife from any potential intruders. Anyway, right now, I''m in the middle of an important task of scouting Mang, one of the candidates for the manager of the afterlife. I''m definitely not just hanging around or leisurely spending time here because I came to see Mang. Yeah, definitely not. "Visiting you is also part of my duties." [Is that so...?] Mang hesitated a bit in response. [To be honest, the situation of Creator Dragon God wanting me like this is quite burdensome.] "Hm? Why? I''m seeking you out because there''s no one more suitable for what I''m trying to do than you." Then Mang looked at me with eyes that seemed to say, [What are you talking about?] Well, I couldn''t see his eyes because they were covered by the cloth draped over his hat. [How would I feel if the person who ended the era of the dragon with her own hands came to see me who was originally a dragon?] "Hm... That your abilities are that desperately needed?" [The correct answer is [It''s extremely ufortable.]] Hmm, is that how it is? Well, I might have been a bit too much back then. But that incident happened because I was fulfilling the dragons'' wishes! If they hadn''t wished for it, I wouldn''t have done it! Well, I had somewhat expected it to turn out this way. [The fear of losing my physical body, my consciousness fading away, and losing the distinction between friend and foe... I still can''t forget it.] Mang shivered slightly. Just recalling that incident made him this afraid. Well, if the dragon children who hadn''t turned into spirits were scared, how much more so for the one who actually transformed. [After struggling to maintain my fragile self and wandering aimlessly around the world, I finally arrived at this mountain and was barely able to define myself. And now, the Creator Dragon God who did such things needs me.] "But I can''t resist experienced neers." [What...? Experienced...?] "No, it''s a personal story, don''t mind it." In this world, no one would understand talks of experienced neers anyway. [Even now, my self is maintained by being defined as the mountain god by this mountain. But if the Creator Dragon God assigns me another task... I would have to leave this mountain, and then, wouldn''t my self blur again?] Hmm. So that was the reason his self was maintained. Considering he maintained his self until he settled on this mountain is quite remarkable. "Then, if your self can be fully maintained, would you ept my proposal?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "That... I''ll need to think more about it." Hmm. There''s still hesitation in Mang''s heart. Well, it''s natural. Since he retains the memories of being a dragon, it''s natural for him to fear me. "Then, if I make you not just a god of this mountain but aplete god, would you help me with my work?" [Aplete god?] "Yes. Aplete... god of death." Wouldn''t all problems be solved if he bes a god of death dealing with dead souls, rather than a god of a mountain soon to be covered in graves? "If there''s anything you need, I''ll make it for you. How about it?" This is a special offer just this time! Because I don''t want to miss out on talent like Mang! [God of death... something I need... Hmm...] After pondering for a moment, Mang cautiously spoke. [Then, could you make something that allows me to fully understand the life of a dead soul?] "The life of a dead soul?" "Yes. Although I hear stories from dead souls, it''s often not enough. It would be helpful to have something that allows me to see the life of a soul for easier work." The life of a soul... Ah, yes! I remember one of the gods of death in another world, King Yama, had such a mirror. Was it called the Mirror of Karma? Or the Mirror of Retribution? Anyway, I remember there was a mirror with such a name. "If I make that item, will you cooperate with me?" [Yes. How could I refuse when the noble Creator Dragon God of this world desires me, a mere mountain god, so much?] Look at this guy. After making all sorts of excuses. Now he readily epts because I offered to make something! Well, it doesn''t matter. This means scouting sess! [However, I cannot leave this mountain, so you''ll have to solve this problem.] "Un. I have some thoughts about that, so don''t worry." What would humans think if they experienced a phenomenon where a mountain full of graves disappears overnight? Wouldn''t they imagine a transcendent being in a situation they cannot understand? With a little rumor from me... I think it''s possible to transform the mountain god of a small mountain full of graves into a god of death. Well, I haven''t tried it before! Let''s also change the name while we''re at it. Mang is the name of this mountain, so it''s unsuitable for the name of a god of death. Then, what should the new name be? King Yama? Or match it with Thanatos... Moros? Well, either way, it doesn''t matter. It''s not umon for the same god to be called different names depending on the region! Ah, if we''re going with King Yama, there should also be that. A document listing the death dates of all living things! The Book of Life and Death! If he''s to be a god of death, a King Yama, then he should have something like this! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - One of the three managers of the underworld. Yama. Known as Moros in the west, this god of death is said to have a gentler nature than the other two gods of death, but that''s only from the perspective of humans who have notmitted sins. The souls transferred by the king of the reapers pass through the sevenyers of the underworld and, upon reaching the very bottom, are judged by Yama for their lives. Yama is responsible for reviewing the life of a soul that hase to the afterlife through the Mirror of Karma, which reflects a person''s lifetime, and through the Book of Life and Death, which contains the correct lifespan of everyone, to verify and process whether their life met a rightful death. When dealing with souls who have notmitted sins, Yama, with a gentle voice, listens to the stories of those souls and reassures them that their lives were not mistaken, making him the most peaceful god of death. However, if it is confirmed through the Mirror of Karma and the Book of Life and Death that the soul hasmitted a grave sin... Yama reveals his face hidden behind the crown he was wearing and the cloth hanging down. Yama, making a terrifying expression that even evil spirits and fierce ghosts would flee from in fear, bes the most feared being in the afterlife from that moment. As Yama recounts each sinmitted by the soul, the soul in front of him has no choice but to reflect on each sin they havemitted. Those who do not know shame deny their sins and lie, but in front of the Mirror of Karma, which reflects their entire life, and the Book of Life and Death, which contains their correct lifespan, lies will not work. For such individuals, Yama imposes the sin of contempt, immediately pulling out their tongue as punishment, and then proceeds with the trial of the soul. Therefore, let the reader of this book take heed. The meaning ofmitting sins. Even if the sin was perfectly hidden while alive, it will be fully revealed after death. - Records of Observations in the Afterlife. The author of this book fell into aa for several days, and during that time, he was able to tour the afterlife. The description of the afterlife is quite detailed, more so than the afterlife adventures of the ancient hero Rychlen. Some say that the description is an boration on the widely known tales of Rychlen''s afterlife adventures, while others say it is a true depiction of the afterlife visited by the author. However, the author died three days after the publication of this book, so the truth of the matter remains unclear. Chapter 57: North Pole (3) Chapter 57: North Pole (3) If asked where a person''s life is recorded in the soul, I could simply answer that it is recorded on the back. I think I''ve mentioned this before while investigating the structure of the soul. Anyway, thanks to having precisely understood that fact, it was not difficult to implement the function of the object that Mang asked to be made, and I was able toplete the tool Mang wanted by engraving that technology into the bronze mirror I had prepared in advance. It was a simple tool that, when reflecting the soul in the mirror, retrieves and reads the memories recorded on its back. And one more thing as a bonus. Since paper had not been invented in this era, I had no choice but to hand over to Mang an object made of bamboo slips, which were used as books in this era, along with the bronze mirror. [What is this?] "Would you like to unfold it?" Upon my words, Mang carefully unfolded the bamboo slips.[There''s nothing written on it...] "Ah, it''s working properly." I smiled and handed over a soul I had roughly caught nearby to Mang. "Would you like to reflect this soul in the bronze mirror?" It was a soul I had picked up around here not long ago. When I read the memory in a mirror, I found that he was a stupid man who died after being stoned in the back of the head in the middle of the night while acting as a gangster in the city. Truly, such a foolish human. [You mean to test the mirror, I understand.] Mang reflected the soul in the bronze mirror, and at the same time, a faint light leaked from the mirror, showing the soul''s memories. Of course, reading an entire lifetime takes a lot of time, so it significantly shortens the process, selecting and summarizing only important events or scenes ofmitting sins. Otherwise, it would take an immense amount of time to view each and every human life. [Amazing. To implement the function I wanted so precisely.] "Hehe. That''s not all. Would you like to unfold those bamboo slips now?" [This? There was nothing written on it...] "It will be different this time." Well, those bamboo slips. The Book of Life and Death is an object used in conjunction with the bronze mirror. Honestly speaking, a document with the lifespan of every living being written on it... was too much! Yeah! Well, it might be possible using the power of creation. But this time I wanted to do it on my own. Instead, I approached it in a slightly different way with the Book of Life and Death. [Hm? The letters are automatically...!] "Isn''t it fascinating?" The memories read through the bronze mirror are automatically recorded in the Book of Life and Death, and through those memories, it evaluates various possibilities and records the lifespan if the soul had lived a life withoutmitting sins or any major problems. Simply put, it''s an object that disys the lifespan the soul would have had if it had lived a righteous life. Well, it''s a tool for evaluating possibilities, so it can''t bepletely trusted... but it gives a rough idea of the expected lifespan. Of course, a righteous life doesn''t necessarily mean a longer life, so there are cases where the expected lifespan is shorter than the actual lifespan. [But this is strange. This person died at the age of 28, but it says died at 78...] "That means the person had the lifespan to live up to 78 years. However, due to various problems, he died without living even half of his lifespan." [Didn''t live his full lifespan?] "You could think of it that way. Of course, it''s just a possibility, so it could be wrong." You never know if one day, suddenly getting into a quarrel, bearing a grudge, and then being hit in the back of the head with a sharp stone while walking at night could happen. "Using these objects, you can read the memories of the soul and understand whether its life was in the right direction, can''t you?" Upon my words, Mang nodded slightly. [If these objects can judge a righteous life, they will be helpful in evaluating the life the soul has lived.] "Exactly. But these objects are not omnipotent. They only judge lifespan, so they can''t assess the weight of the sinsmitted." [That part will have to be judged separately.] I nodded slightly. And the role of judging the weight of those sins... I don''t n to leave it to Mang. It''s not right to assign too much responsibility to one person. Of course. That role... If Seres says he will work in the afterlife, I''m thinking of entrusting it to him. While making these items for Mang, I also prepared in advance the item for that task. I n to hand it over as soon as Seres decides. If a system is established where the afterlife is operated by the three of them... Thanatos, whomands the dark spirits that gather the souls of the dead. Mang, who checks if the souls of the dead lived their rightful lifespan through the mirror and the register. Seres, who weighs the sins of the souls on a scale and decides their treatment. It was nned to be organized in such aposition. Of course, it could change depending on the situation. Anyway. [It seems like these amazing items would have proper names, what are the names of these items?] "I''ve named the bamboo slips the Book of Life and Death, but I haven''t decided on a name for the mirror yet. I was thinking between Karma Mirror and Clear Mirror." Karma Mirror, meaning a mirror that reflects human karma, and Clear Mirror, meaning a mirror so clear and pure that it reflects a human''s entire life. Honestly, either would be fine! [Then why not use both names? It seems like it would work either way.] Hmm... Is that so? Well, let them call it whatever they like. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Whatever the name of the mirror that reflects life, it wouldn''t make much of a difference. [Anyway, to prepare such items... I can no longer refuse your proposal.] "Un. I was only waiting for those words." Making such items is nothing if it''s for a seasoned neer! [However, I am the mountain god of this mountain. If I leave this mountain, I be no different from other spirits. What do you n to do about this issue?] "I''ve thought about that as well." If you''re bound to this mountain, why not make this mountain a part of the afterlife? Of course, I don''t mean physically moving it. It''s about giving a bit of direction to people''s perception, creating a belief in the god of the afterlife through their faith. "So, let''s hide this mountain first." [What?] "Don''t worry. It will be over soon." I just smiled at Mang. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Shengdu, the capital andrgest city of Yeonara In thergest city in the East, where the most people live, a strange story began to circte. [North Mangsan Mountain has disappeared.] What is North Mangsan Mountain? Isn''t it the mountain located north of Shengdu, where countless people are buried, like a public cemetery? But one day, the mountain simply vanished. Where the mountain used to be, thick fog now lingered, and undertakers heading to the foggy North Mangsan Mountain to find burial sites ended up on the other side of the mountain without understanding why. It was a ghostly scene. Some said that the mountain god of North Mangsan Mountain was angry. That covering the mountain with graves had angered the mountain god. Some said that North Mangsan Mountain had be the afterlife. The mountain covered in death had sunk into the afterlife. No one knew the truth. Only the fact that North Mangsan Mountain was no longer there was certain. After a very short time, another rumor spread. The mountain god of North Mangsan Mountain had be the god of the afterlife. That he had be a god who judges the dead in the afterlife. Along with that, the fog that enveloped the ce where North Mangsan Mountain used to be thinned, and North Mangsan Mountain disappeared without leaving a trace. Truly, It was a ghostly scene. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Through such a process, Mang was no longer the mountain god of North Mangsan Mountain but had be the god of the afterlife. [It''s absurd. Just by spreading rumors...] "Human beings, on one hand, fear what they do not know, while on the other, they also respecting and admiring." It was a method that could be used because the knowledge umted by humans was not yet extensive. Humans, who could not even understand natural phenomena and imagined the existence of gods. It wasn''t difficult to induce thought by a bit of maniption and spreading rumors. Thanks to this, Mang was no longer bound to the mountain, and at the same time, his appearance changed slightly. A crown... He was still wearing a hat with a t, square te on top, but the color of the cloth draped from the hat had changed from white to ck. And the clothes he was wearing... Although they were mostly green and brown, now they were entirely ck. Probably because ck is close to the color of death in human perception. [Then what happens to North Mangsan Mountain where I was?] "Hmm... Well, I thought about sinking the mountain into the ground, but I figured you wouldn''t like that much. So, I attached it to the edge of a nearby mountain range." [You speak so calmly about such an abnormal event. It wasn''t a big mountain, but to move it so easily...] "What, that isn''t a big deal." I looked at Mang and smiled slightly. [Since I''m no longer the mountain god of North Mangsan Mountain... I guess I can''t use the name Mang anymore.] "Un. For you, I wille up with a name. A name as the new god of death." [A name?] Un. A name is important. It''s a word that represents one''s existence. To the extent that a name alone can somewhat determine the fate of an existence. "I''ve prepared two names. One to be called in the East and another in the West. Which one would you like to hear first?" Then Mang... No, he''s not Mang anymore. The new god of death spoke without hesitation. [Since the mountain I lived on was in the East, please tell me the name I will be called there first.] "Right. I thought so." I smiled and opened my mouth. "Yama. That is your name in the East. In the West, you will be called Moros." The name of the judge of the afterlife, and the name of a god meaning death in Greek mythology, like Thanatos. There could be no names more fitting for the manager of the afterlife. Thus, the second manager of the afterlife was confirmed. Chapter 58: Cloud Whale (1) Chapter 58: Cloud Whale (1) Thus, I brought the newly named Yama to the north of the world. Although he had been promoted to the god of death, his foundation was that of an earth spirit and a mountain god. So, traveling long distances must have been unfamiliar to him. Transforming into my true form, I carried Yama in my hand and flew north,pleting the delivery of the god of death. While flying north, I heard Yama scream in fright, but I ignored it as it wasn''t important. It must have been something about getting dizzy because we were moving too fast. Anyway, when we arrived in the north and I set Yama down in front of the gates of the underworld, Yama knelt on the ground and began to bow deeply, looking very moved. [I now understand the greatness of the earth. I now realize your preciousness. I see that all beings must live upon you.] "You''re being too dramatic." Hearing my words, Yama just looked at me without saying anything.Without a word, he just kept looking at me for about 30 minutes. Thus, I went with Yama through the gates of the underworld, down and further down. We met the dark spirits cleaning up the fragments dug up by Talos, introduced Yama to Thanatos who wasmanding them, and eventually saw Talos, who had dug out all sevenyers and was now stationary. [This is... incredible.] "Talos is quite impressive indeed." Although it was a golem created in a moment of folly, its performance was an undeniable truth. I praised themendable Talos. "Now that we have the ce, it''s time toplete the underworld." Ah, but before that. I had to check if Yama had properly ascended to the god of death. The method was very simple. I had a way to know the list of all gods. GodTalk. The list of gods. Seeing Yama''s name appear on that list, I smiled slightly. "Being able to be a god through some unreal events, a bit of rumor, and maniption of public opinion. This might be the easiest era to be a god." The god of death. Yama. His name was fully listed there. Hmm. Maybe I should just create gods to my liking this way? Thetis, Ifrit, and Sylphid bing gods wouldn''t be bad either. Well, Thetis and Sylphid will be revered as gods once navigation fully takes off. Just need to nt the seeds. Ifrit... Maybe I should give it a hand. An unquenchable me would be a significant merit in this era, but the location of Ifrit was too much of a demerit. If I distribute fragments of Ifrit here and there... Or perhaps manipte the situation to cremate dead bodies with sacred mes... Ah, or maybe introduce Ifrit as the god of mes and forges to the dwarves. Yeah, that wouldn''t be bad. While having such trivial thoughts and looking at the GodTalk list, I saw a name I hadn''t seen before. [Cloud Whale] What''s this now? A whale made of clouds? But being on this list means it''s gaining faith as a god, right? A cloud whale. What is this? Humans wouldn''t know about whales, right? With their current seafaring technology, they couldn''t have seen whales. Ah, no. They might know from dead whale bodies washed ashore. They could know. Well, not sure. After all, I''m not the only one who knows the word whale... I had told Shamash and the children various stories. Maybe the stories I told those children spread to others? Like elves or dwarves. After all, I unified them under the samenguage, and elves or dwarves could have heard those children''s words... Could they? Didn''t they directly hear it? Didn''t they just understand the general meaning? Then where did the word whalee from? Hmm. Really don''t know. No, maybe by a huge coincidence, they ended up using the same word. Anyway, what kind of being is a cloud whale? Seeing its name properly listed on GodTalk, it seems to be a god¡­. Hmm. I''m very curious. Extremely curious. Although I was in the middle of creating the underworld, I couldn''t shake off the rising curiosity. Cloud whale. Maybe humans saw a huge whale-shaped cloud? Thinking it might be a god after seeing such a shape? We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hmm. I''m curious. I should finish up the underworld, but I can''t help being curious. Let''s leave the work I was doing aside for now. It feels like my focus has been stolen by the newly born god while I was dedicated to creating hell, but it can''t be helped. I have to check what kind of being this newly born god is. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The cloud whale I ended up looking for was a giant cloud-like being flying across the calm sky. It really looked like a whale, simr to a humpback whale. But its essence was not something soft or cloud-like. From afar, it looked like a whale made of misty clouds, but only after getting closer could I truly understand its identity. The cloud whale was a god born from the gathering of numerous souls floating in the sky. The clusters of souls I had seen while investigating souls and spirits, which had risen to the sky and gathered together. That cluster had transformed into the shape of a whale and was floating in the sky, revealing the identity of the cloud whale. Perhaps, due to an excessive gathering of souls floating in the sky, it became faintly visible to human eyes, and its floating shape looked like a giant fish, hence it was called a cloud whale. Really, how did ite to be like this? Since I can''tpletely control all human thoughts, I can''t prevent gods from being born this way. Anyway, I approached the cloud whale. The cloud whale, a collective of souls born from numerous gathered souls, seemed tock distinct intelligence. It just roamed the sky, scattering the souls that made up its body. Under the sky where the cloud whale passed, the number of newly born children increasing wasn''t a coincidence, surely. Looking at the cloud whale, whichcked any intelligence and was aimlessly floating in the sky, I thought, maybe I could use this cloud whale? That''s because, although souls would be processed in the underworld to be reborn as pure souls¡­. How to reincarnate those souls was a bit of a concern. I had thought about simply sending souls to the sky without much thought, but sending souls from the bottom of the underworld wasn''t going to be easy. The size of eachyer wasn''t small, so much so that it would take a normal human walking non-stop for 7 days to descend oneyer. Maybe if I create a space connecting the underworld and this whale, processing souls would be easier? Of course, before that, it would be nice if I could talk to this cloud whale. While continuing to create the underworld, I kept trying tomunicate with the cloud whale. The cloud whale, which only made animal-like sounds, had intelligence not much different from a newborn baby since it was made of pure, untainted souls. Naturally. The souls making up the cloud whale were pure spirits without a single stain. Souls that had not yet been born. It was natural that the cloud whale couldn''t speak, being made of such souls. It would be more convenient if the cloud whale could speak, but with intelligence at the level of an animal, it couldn''t be helped. While creating the underworld, I kept talking to the cloud whale using GodTalk. No, wait. Why do I have to keep talking to this cloud whale? There are plenty of other methods. This cloud whale is a god formed by a massive collective of souls gaining faith. That faithes through humans. By directing that faith, couldn''t I transform it into a desired being to some extent? For example¡­. A god that exists above, spreading new life all over the world¡­. Hmm¡­. Zeus? No, that was a bit harsh. Comparing the cloud whale, which merely scatters souls here and there, to the worst troublemaker in mythological history. If the cloud whale had intelligence and could read my thoughts... it wouldn''t be strange at all if it grabbed me by the scruff of my neck right away. After all, the only thing it has inmon with Zeus is that it exists above the sky and spreads new life! Anyway, I should be able to somewhat direct the faith towards the cloud whale using humans. Like turning it into a deity that grants new children to humans. I''m sure that would be a better story than a whale that just flies around without intelligence! --- T/N: Btw new cover! Chapter 59: Cloud Whale (2) Chapter 59: Cloud Whale (2) The Cloud Whale continued to roam the sky without intelligence. Hmm. Well, whether it has intelligence or not, what does it matter? As long as it does a good job scattering souls. But sometimes, I wish it couldmunicate... Oh well, can''t be helped. It''s not like the Cloud Whale will suddenly gain intelligence with a pop! Wait, hold on... Maybe it''s possible? Since the Cloud Whale has gained faith and aplete form through the belief of humans. If I use that well, couldn''t I turn it into the kind of god I want? For example... Perhaps the Cloud Whale could have some level of intelligence, ormand small birds to distribute souls. And if I could somewhat set the Cloud Whale''s flight path... to fly to the northern end at regr intervals, it would be convenient to hand over the processed souls from the underworld to the Cloud Whale.I did feel a slight pang of conscience about tweaking the Cloud Whale to my liking... But what can I do? It''s not like we canmunicate. If it were a sentient being, I would try to persuade it, but that''s not possible with a being like an animal that doesn''t understandnguage. So, I stopped filling the firstyer of the underworld with rivers and headed towards the human world. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Humans continued to increase. There were many who got injured and many who fell ill, but the greatest strength of humans, their numbers, remained constant. The humans of this era lived inrge and small city-states. To roughlypare... it might feel simr to the polis of ancient Greece. City-states that traded with other city-states and sometimes had conflicts, gradually growing in size. Among them, thergest city-state, Arcad, was ruled by the descendants of a human to whom I had once given a crown. Un. Since I handed over such an object, I should do at least this much. Of course. I polymorphed into a human form, hid the horns on my head, and even changed my hair color to disguise myself as an ordinary person. Well, my cute appearance remained the same. Honestly, I could say it''s self-praise, but my appearance after polymorphing feels a bit like cheating. An appearance that can win favor just by looking. If it weren''t for the slightly younger-looking age, perhaps a few cities would have been shaken! Anyway, I headed towards the entrance of the city-state of Arcad. Arge number of people were being checked at the entrance to enter Arcad. A few armed guards were checking each person. Most were travelers or merchants, or, ah! There in front, dragons polymorphed into humans were mixed in! "What is your purpose foring?" "We are the givers of life. We travel the world spreading the will of the great one." The dragon''s words seemed to be quickly understood by the guard, who nodded. "You serve a god, I see. Wee. Is this your first time in Arcad?" "Un. It is." "Then you might not know about amodations. Our king has built a building for those who serve the same god as you, so you can go to that building. For now, I''ll assign someone to you. Penit! Come over here!" With that, a guard approached his side. "Escort these people to the temple and return." "Understood." Thus, the dragons, led by the guards, were entering the city much faster than the surrounding merchants. Hmm. It seems the dragons have been visiting this city for more than a day or two. Well, as they travel the world, doing volunteer work like healing and sharing stories from other cities... There''s no reason not to be weed. Moreover, since their true forms are dragons, their strength goes without saying. If bandits attack, it''s their lives that should be worried. Un. Sending dragons on a world tour seems like a good decision! So, as each person in line was either allowed in or turned away by the guard''s barrage of questions, my turn gradually approached. When the guard in front of me finally reached me, he said, "A child...?" He frowned upon seeing me. "No, why is a child alone? Where are your parents?" The guard was greatly flustered. Seeing the guard like that, I said a word. "I''m an adult." "An adult? Kid. Lying is not good." "It''s true. I don''t have anything like an ID to prove it." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Since it''s a time when something like a resident registration doesn''t exist yet. After all, resident registration would only be possible in the distant future. It couldn''t possibly be done at the scale of ancient city-states. "Very suspicious, but I guess I have no choice but to believe you. If you do anything even slightly wrong, you won''t see the sunlight ever again, so be careful." "Don''t worry. I''m just here to research about the god." Despite not having proper identification, the guard let me through. Hmm... Is it thanks to my appearance? Thus, I entered Arcad, thergest city among human cities. Passing through the wooden walls and gates, what I saw were unpavedrge roads and houses made of mud closely situated on either side. Houses were made by erecting wooden pirs and temporary walls, then applying mud toplete the walls and roofs. Seeing this, I felt a slight advancement. Humans who used to live in huts have now built such houses... Moreover, in the central square, a primitive market was taking ce with bartering. Hoh... Goods trading is also active... It was a human city that was developing in quite a good direction, but not every aspect was developing positively. "Here! Prisoners captured in thest war! They are strong and can easily do any work!" "You there! Don''t you need a pretty female ve?" I could see people selling humans. very, huh... Hmm... Not something I''m fond of, but if I were to strike them with lightning for that... It wouldn''t be right, would it? After all, very was a problem that couldn''t be eradicated for a long time on Earth. It''s natural since the concept of human rights doesn''t exist yet. Not something I''m fond of, but still. Ignoring the slight dissatisfaction in my heart, I started collecting information about the Cloud Whale while wandering around the city. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [A huge whale floating in the sky. Cloud Whale. New life begins to sprout under its massive body. Therefore, couples wishing for a new child pray for the Cloud Whale to bestow new life.] This was all there was to the meager faith in the Cloud Whale. Hmm... Maybe all naturally urring faith feels like this. It''s not very specific, so there''s a lot of room for intervention. Thus, I began to spread rumors about the Cloud Whale a little bit. First, about the Cloud Whale''s subordinates. [The white birds flying in the sky are the subordinates of the Cloud Whale, delivering new life across the continent on behalf of the Cloud Whale.] The Cloud Whale, with its considerable size and rtively fast speed, was insufficient to distribute souls across the entire continent by itself. Therefore, let''s add subordinates. Just like storks deliver babies, the white birds would distribute souls in ces the Cloud Whale doesn''t visit. Next, let''s add some intelligence to the Cloud Whale. [The Cloud Whale has the intelligence of a child and feels great fulfillment in distributing life.] For now, let''s give it the intelligence of a child. If it''s given too high intelligence, it''s unpredictable what actions it might take. Let''s observe the situation a bit more, with intelligence slightly better than that of a beast. [The Cloud Whale travels around the world from morning until evening, and when night falls, it heads to the northern sky and sleeps under the night sky.] This part is to make ite closer to the underworld. Although the underworld is still iplete, when it''s finished, the processed souls will have to be returned to the Cloud Whale. It would be troublesome if the Cloud Whale''s flight path was arbitrary. [The Cloud Whale is the god of birth. A god that brings forth new life. It is a being cherished by the god of life.] To solidify the faith in the Cloud Whale, it''s better to firmly establish its role rather than attaching various kinds of faith to it. Hmm. And about the God of Life.... I put it on a leash, just in case. The God of Life here is .... It''s pretty much me. The dragons that are active as givers of life. I was the one whom those dragons revered like a god. It would be problematic if I left the great value of life unattended, and some other strange being became a god. Let''s at least hold onto the faith regarding the parts I need to control. Let''s see. Then the faith in the Cloud Whale is... [A huge whale floating in the sky. The Cloud Whale. The Cloud Whale, with the intelligence of a child, is a being cherished by the god of life and a god of birth that finds great fulfillment in bringing forth new life. The Cloud Whale wakes up in the morning, travels around the world until the evening, and when night falls, it heads to the northern sky and sleeps under the night sky. Always surrounding its massive body are the Cloud Whale''s subordinates, the white birds, who act as messengers delivering new life to the world on behalf of the Cloud Whale. It would be wrong to harm them carelessly. Those who wish for a new child, pray for the Cloud Whale to bestow new life. Then, the Cloud Whale will deliver new life to you.] Is this it? Good. Now let''s spread it. Thus, the newlypleted faith in the Cloud Whale began to spread slowly, bit by bit, but surely throughout the city. Chapter 60: One Who Worships God (1) Chapter 60: One Who Worships God (1) Manipting the faith in the Cloud Whale was a great sess. In an era vaguely aware of the existence of gods, where each region had its own arbitrary traditions, and proper documentation of these traditions was not even established. It was very convenient to be able to slightly manipte and disseminate information to change the traditions to the desired form and function of the god. Well, it was possible in this era because the traditions about the gods were not yet clear. It''s a trick that can only be done now, and won''t be possible after a little more time has passed. In each region, in each city. The same god, yet the traditions passed down are all different, and even the names they are called by are different. Just as in some ces the god of the gentle wind is in others the god of fierce storms. Because there was no clear information like this... That''s why there was a lot of room for me to intervene. With just the right amount of rumor and magic, I could be able to make the god I want. There''s no scam like it. Well, I won''t be able to use thister. As records about the gods increase and the same content is unified in other regions, my room to intervene will be reduced a bit. Ah! Speaking of which, Sylphid has also made it onto the list of gods. It seems that the spread of fear caused by storms was effective. Honestly, I thought that sailors might develop faith in Sylphid after sailing began, but faith must have arisen from the fear caused by destructive storms.Well. I''ll congratte Sylphid on this content next time when I have time. The Cloud Whale was roaming the world ording to my intentions, leading various types of white birds and helping the birth of new life. Hmm. I spread the word thinking of storks and said white birds, but I wonder if any white bird is okay? From swans to storks, white doves, and so on, they were all circling around the Cloud Whale. Even if I set the big branches, can the details change? I learned one more point to be careful about. Moreover, now that the Cloud Whale has gained a bit of intelligence and canmunicate, it has be much easier to handle. If only it didn''t throw tantrums like a child sometimes. Well, still, where else can youmunicate with a beast? At least it listens when spoken to. Thinking about the Cloud Whale, I was nting flowers while cultivating the secondyer of the underworld when a message rang on GodTalk. Hmm, is it the lizardmen again? I have been regrlymunicating through the Archmage, but why are they looking for me again? I have been properly collecting the blessing of the great warrior before the martial arts tournament at the annual lizardmen festival and bestowing blessings on the winner, and continuing conversations with the Archmage until the Archmage dies or gives up his position, so there should be no reason for the lizardmen to look for me. Thinking so, I opened the message window and found that it was not the lizardmen but another being who had sent the message. The dragons. The dragons roaming the world under the name of life-givers had sent me a message. Moreover, the name under which the message was received... was not Creator Dragon God but another being. The name of the god who received the message on the screen was written as the Goddess of Life. Hmm, the Goddess of Life, huh. I certainly used the name god of life when I fixed the faith in the Cloud Whale as the god of birth, but why the Goddess of Life...? Hmm... Either the information I spread was slightly distorted, or the dragons, knowing that I am a woman, spread the name Goddess of Life instead of god of life. Let''s skip the title, and the sender was the Dragon Lord. Hmm... Why is he calling me again? He''s a child who can handle most things on his own. Is it something important enough to call me? Anyway, I opened the GodTalk screen. [O great Mother of Life, your humble servant calls upon you.] Why is he calling me the Mother of Life instead of Creator Dragon God? Suddenly I have two titles. I cleared my throat softly and turned on the recording before speaking. "What''s the matter?" [Thank you for answering my call. It''s just that, there''s something I find difficult to decide on my own, so I called upon you.] What now! "Isn''t it something you can handle on your own for the most part?" [It''s a matter too grave for me to decide alone, and it''s also an important matter rted to the future of those who bestow life.] Hmm. For the representative of the dragons to say this much, what kind of matter could it be? "Tell me. What is it?" [It''s about the expansion of those who bestow life.] "Expansion?" Expansion, as in, has a new dragon been born? Or has a hatchling matured into an adult dragon and be one who bestows life? No, it hasn''t been that long. It''s only been a few years at most. What made me understand the situation was a single statement from the Dragon Lord. [Some humans have admired us and expressed their desire to be those who bestow life. What should we do?] "What?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Humans? Those who bestow life? No, that''s... what is it. It''s possible because it''s dragons, right? Creating an excess of life force with magic and sharing the surplus life force is something they can do. Humans? Like dragons? Normally, that would be impossible??? "Could you tell me how this came to be?" [While wandering around the city healing the sick, a human child who saw their sick mother bepletely healed and healthy said they wanted to do the same.] "A child? Isn''t that just a child''s admiration?" [We thought so too, and told them that it''s not something that can be easily achieved. That it''s a task that requires dedicating one''s life to the Goddess of Life, but the child was adamant. The dragon who was talking to the child told me about it, and I too didn''t know what to do, so I brought it to your attention. Besides that child, several others have also asked to be like us.] Hmm... What to do. Humans and dragons are entirely different beings, and humans can''t do anything the way dragons do. Lacking in magic, and the overflowing life force is possible because they are dragons... Can humans even possess such overflowing life force? I view it negatively! If humans, whose bodies are neither as sturdy nor asrge, were to have cells endlessly regenerating due to excessive life force... That''s just getting cancer! If I were to make them give up their dreams... Hmm... That seems like the most realistic approach, but... why don''t I want to do that? Is it because I don''t want to ruin that child''s dream? "This is a difficult problem." I fell deep into thought. Even though it was a position created for dragons, humans wanting to do the same work. Un. Maybe I should expand the scale? Make it a group that anyone, be it human or dragon, can belong to? But even then, humans wouldn''t be able to restore life force. That child wants to be one who bestows life because they want to heal others, right? While thinking, an idea crossed my mind. Unlike dragons who use magic to activate life force for healing, could I create a system that uses a different resource for healing? For example, could they utilize faith in a God? Of course, it sounds quite fanciful under the current circumstances. But if it works properly, it could be a great help to those who believe in a God. Priests who gain power through faith and heal others would be born. So. "Have them pray to me for 10 minutes every morning and before bed." [Pray? What significance does such an action have?] "It''s a simple test. It''s an experiment to gauge what can be done using human faith." If it works properly, priests who perform miracles through faith will emerge. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And my experiment. "Bestow upon me the light to heal them." Concluded with the young child who prayed to me every day bing a youth and a priest who heals others through faith. Apart from that young man, there were several humans who wanted to be those who bestow life, but he was the only among humans who could do such a thing through faith. Thus, the young man, with faith in God in his heart, became a priest who heals others by carrying out the will of God. A priest who uses faith, not magic or life force, to produce magical effects was a being that did not exist before, but now they will certainly exist. Thanks to them, the members of those who bestow life began to increase little by little. No, they are no longer simply those who bestow life. Now, as members of the Temple of Life, they have be proper members of a temple. Of course, most of the followers are still dragons, and the human followers are a minority. But it''s a good thing that there''s even a little diversity in the species of the members, isn''t it? Anyway, thanks to the clear miracle of healing, the Temple of Life is bustling every day. The Temple of Life has be the most important healing center for those who are sick. Thanks to that, the voices of the followers seeking me have be more numerous and louder... That would be a minor issue. I continued to ignore the voices of those seeking God, as I finished up thestyer of the afterlife. Chapter 61: One Who Worships God (2) Chapter 61: One Who Worships God (2) When I was only known by the name of Creator Dragon God, not many called upon me. At most, it was lizardmen or dragons. Even then, it was very rare, or they would call upon me only through the Archmage designated as mymunication channel. But now, as the owner of the Temple of Life and also taking on the role of the Goddess of Life¡­. [Please heal my illness!] [My mother is unwell. Please listen to my prayer.] [The wounds I received in the war continue to ache. Please do something¡­.] [Oh Goddess of Life! I want a partner! Please give me a pretty, good at housework, and kind woman!!] Countless prayers were pouring down on me. But thatst one praying! I''m the Goddess of Life, not some Goddess of Matches!! Ahem. I realize anew, there are really countless people suffering in this world. Most of those praying to me were either sick or afflicted with diseases.Well, it''s not like I can respond to every prayer that''s made. I tried sending a message reply, thinking maybe it wasn''t impossible, but unfortunately, it failed. Sending messages from here doesn''t seem to transmit properly. Though, messages do get sent properly to dragons. Ah, that reminds me, there was a case where a message was transmitted to someone other than dragons. To the priest who became a servant of the Goddess of Life, who is now moving from youth to middle age, my message was properly transmitted. When I first sent a message reply to that priest, he was so startled, I couldn''t help but burst intoughter. But seeing that messages are properly transmitted to dragons and priests unlike ordinary people, it seems that if the other party doesn''t have enough faith, I can''t send messages. Dragons worship me as both the Goddess of Life and Creator Dragon God, so it''s only natural. Anyway, with such restrictions on replies, I couldn''t respond to those who prayed to me, but I did fulfill the prayers of those who were truly desperate. Making those with life-rted diseases or injuries slightly better. So that their lives were no longer in jeopardy. Though I can''t send replies to prayers, I can fulfill the prayers of those who are truly desperate. While taking care of the poor lives as the Goddess of Life, I was finishing up the construction of the afterlife when a message arrived from the priest. [Oh Mother of Life. Please lend me your wisdom.] No, I''d really prefer if you''d stop calling me Mother of Life. Being called that makes me feel like I''m destined to be caught, and forced toy eggs over and over. I''ve neverid eggs in the first ce! Anyway. ¡°What wisdom do you seek from me?¡± [I wish to know the answer to a question that has remained unsolved for a long time. I could not find the answer on my own.] A question? A question, huh. This priest is quite intelligent among humans, but he wants to know the answer to an unsolved question. What could the question be? ¡°What is your question?¡± [What is life?] It was a very vague question. Life. Life, huh. The ability of living things to live and breathe and be active? No, that''s just the dictionary definition. That''s not the answer he''s looking for. A very vague question. But one with much to ponder. What is life? The most precious thing that cannot be exchanged for anything else? Life? Existence? The choices between birth and death? iming to be the Goddess of Life, yet unable to give a clear answer to the question of what is life? I''m truly pathetic. Unable to give a clear answer, I asked the priest in return. There''s nothing more foolish than answering a question with a question, but I became curious about what he thinks. ¡°What do you think life is?¡± [Are you talking about my thoughts?] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now The priest pondered deeply at my words, then spoke slowly. [Could it not be the driving force for movement? Just as a living being''s body circtes warmth, their heart beats, and they breathe, a non-living being''s body grows cold and can no longer move.] Hmm. Is that what he was thinking? Well, it''s not exactly wrong. "Your words do have a point." If one cannot possess life, they simply be a cold corpse. "Life has many meanings. What you''re thinking of is just one aspect of life." [Many meanings...] "It could be the choice between birth and death, or something invaluable that cannot bepared to anything else." I paused to catch my breath and continued. "It''s the ability for living beings to breathe and move. It''s the power that allows living beings to exist as living beings. The definition of life differs depending on who defines it." It was a rather vague exnation, but I could not put it any other way. No one in this world had deeply contemted the meaning of life. Including myself. [Differs depending on who defines it...] The priest seemed deep in thought. Hmm...did I handle that well? He caught me off guard by asking such a difficult question suddenly. Speaking of which, it''s rather funny. I call myself the Goddess of Life, yet I cannot clearly define what life is. I can manipte life force at will and easily strengthen others'' life forces. Yet I am a foolish deity who cannot clearly define life itself. If he realized I was such a pathetic deity, would that child be disappointed too? [Thank you, Mother of Life. It feels like the fog obscuring my vision is clearing.] What? He gained such an enlightenment from my ambiguous answer? Where in my words did he find that? Contrary to my doubts, the priest looked extremely satisfied, as if finding the answer to a question that had long tormented him. Well...if he''s happy with it, then it''s good. Yes. Leaving the priest behind, I proceeded with the final preparations for the underworld construction. The 7yers were all ready, the Cloud Whale to return souls was prepared too. Good. Shall I open the underworld soon? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Church of Life - humanity''s first faith, or if including non-human beings then not the first, but for humans it was - has now be inseparable from humans. From assisting pregnant women in childbirth to performing funeral rites after death. It is said that the Church of Life, which apanies humans from birth to death, originated from pilgrims who called themselves "those who bestow life." The pilgrims who called themselves "those who bestow life" helped countless people as they traveled the world, but never settled in one ce, so they could not avoid prejudice as outsiders. The Goddess of Life, the faith of these wanderers, underwent a major transformation by a figure named Haim. Haim was the first priest to serve the Goddess of Life and the only person who heard her voice. He was known for being the first to use divine power originating from faith, healing others through devotion to the Goddess of Life, unlike "those who bestow life" who used their own life force to help others. Among his achievements were enshrining the Goddess of Life, who was originally the faith of the wandering pilgrims, as his own deity and building a proper temple to concretize the faith in the Goddess. He alsopiled scriptures with the help of "those who bestow life." He also organized the genealogies of the gods of birth and death who assist the Goddess of Life, and left behind many writings. Among his famous writings are "What is Life?", which can be summarized as "the definition of life differs for each person", and "A Small Consideration on the Afterlife", the first record of the structure of the afterlife. In particr, his depiction of the afterlife as divided into sevenyers was a great shock to society at the time. Moreover, the idea that one would receive terrible punishments ording to the sinsmitted in life, though novel at the time, implied primitive justice by suggesting that no sin could be hidden and would be punished after death. This fear of the underworld lingered long in the human psyche, to the extent that even the legendary hero Rychlen, said to have no equal under heaven, had to resort to various tricks rather than a frontal assault to pass through its gates. - The Origins of the Church of Life A book containing much information about the Church of Life, said to have been written with the cooperation of the Church itself. Chapter 62: One Who Worships God (3) Chapter 62: One Who Worships God (3) The Afterlife is ready. There are two gods of death to manage the Afterlife, and the messengers to gather the souls of the dead are also prepared. There are also preparations to restore severely damaged souls, to relieve their anguish, and so on. The Cloud Whale to receive the processed souls has also been directed to the northern entrance of the Afterlife. The space to judge and punish the sinful souls has also been prepared, so the operation of the Afterlife can begin anytime. Despite everything being in order, I still cannot start the operation of the Afterlife. The reason is... not a particrly grand one. It''s simply because Seres is still hesitating. Seres, the child of the ck Dragon who has absorbed the power of death that emerged from the Dragon''s Tomb( / Grave). The child I thought I could entrust the management of the Afterlife to is still in doubt. I don''t know what kind of dilemma he is grappling with, but I wish he would decide soon.The operation of the Afterlife can be carried out even without Seres'' participation. If that happens, the workload of the two Afterlife administrators will be heavier, so at least a three-shift system would be necessary, in my opinion. It would be better if Seres also agreed to participate. Anyway, Seres is the main reason, and the next problem is theck of Afterlife guardians. While I have my first golem, Thalos, it can only guard the entrance. Ideally, there should be at least one guardian for eachyer of the Afterlife, but that would be difficult. Even if I create the guardians myself, I would need some ideas. I would like to create something like Cerberus, but I want to make it a living being, not just a golem. In the end, I can only put the matter of the Afterlife guardians on hold. Once Seres decides, I will start operating the Afterlife, and if there are suitable beings to serve as guardians, I will recruit them. Who knows, perhaps suitable guardians for eachyer of the Afterlife will appear. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Just as I was about to start operating the Afterlife, the middle-aged priest prayed to me. [Mother of Life, please grant me wisdom.] Hmm, it seems he has a question for me again. Recently, there have been fewer questions, but he has sent another one. But how can this ''Mother of Life'' help? "What is it that you call me for?" [Please grant me wisdom, O Mother of Life. Your foolish servant has an unsolvable question] An unsolvable question? Even this child has umted the highest level of knowledge among the current humans. Well, maybe he''s going to ask a simr question about life, like before. "What are you so curious about?" The priest answered carefully. [Themon end that all life faces - death. I wish to know what lies beyond it] "You mean what lies after death?" [Yes. As the Mother of Life, surely you know what happens after the end of life?] Un, I know. I know very well. I''ve been working hard to create the Afterlife precisely for whates after! I haven''t started operating it yet, but... So I told the priest, "I do know. I know what lies beyond death, what happens after." [Then, please tell me. What is there beyond death? Is there only a void, an empty world? If the harsh and difficult life leads only to the void of darkness, what meaning is there in this life?] This child, as my priest, must have faced many deaths while helping others - the deaths of those he tried to aid, the deaths of the injured, the deaths of the diseased. Witnessing so many deaths seems to have weighed heavily on his mind and spirit. [So tell me, what is there beyond death? What meaning is there in life? Why must life endure such suffering?] There was a hint of resentment in his voice. How did the voice of this kind child who worked so hard to help others be so sorrowful? Was it the burden of witnessing so many deaths that made him this way? His voice wasced with deep sadness. "Please, give me the answer. If there is no meaning in life, then why did my wife and child have to die from the gue?" gue? Could it be that a gue has broken out? After leaving the cave where I was staying and hiding my appearance, I headed towards the city-state of Arcad where the priest lived. The city was bustling with the usual liveliness. There were no signs of the outbreak of an epidemic. I hurried to the Temple of Life where the priest was, but I could not find him. Instead, I heard that he had gone to a vige near Urkh, the city-state that was at war with Arcad. When I arrived at the vige, it had be a battlefield. A horrific scene of war. Dozens or hundreds of lives were lost, and the abandoned bodies had caused an epidemic to spread. And among those who died from the epidemic... were the priest''s wife and child. [Please answer... Help me understand their deaths... Let me find sce... Tell me what lies beyond death...] I see. You are being tormented by the deaths of your dear family. Poor child. "In the distant past, before humans recognized the existence of death, there was only void beyond death. Nothing." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now [Nothing...?] "Yes, nothing." In those times, those who faced death simply dissipated, merging into nature without leaving anything behind. [I see...] The priest''s voice suddenly became gloomy. Ah, one must listen to a person''s story until the end. "But the situation has changed now." I spoke in a calm voice. "Once humans recognized death, the souls of the deceased began to appear." [The souls of the deceased...?] "The soul. Within it, the ''soul'' and the ''essence''. The ''soul'' ascends to the heavens, entering a new life, while the ''essence'' scatters and slowly disappears into the earth." T/N: In the far previous chapters, there was a mention of "Soul and Spirit." (?? ?) However, I''m still not entirely sure about that. Would "Soul and Essence" be more urate? The ''soul'' flies away, and the ''essence'' disperses. That''s all there is to it. But where do the scattered ''essence'' go? Where do the sinsmitted disappear? If the deceased soul even has a slight resentment, the soul would not disperse and would remain attached to the body. It is only natural for the soul that denies its own death to be stained ck. Therefore, the current system has not solved anything. It simply continues to reincarnate the souls that have returned on their own without any proper treatment. "What lies beyond death now is an iplete cycle. The deceased soul is divided into two, with the ''Essence'' dispersing and the ''hun'' ascending to be reborn. that alone does not provide any retribution for life. The sinsmitted in life are not judged. The resentment left in the deceased is not resolved. And I truly disliked this fact." It''s a simple story. Rewarding the good and punishing the evil. That was all I wished for - a world where such justice is realized. I added various other reasons, but the core reason was just that. "That''s why I''m creating a new system for the afterlife." [The afterlife...?] "Yes. A world that the souls of the deceased reach. There, their lives will be evaluated, and if they have sinned, they will be punished. So that the good can attain eternal happiness." In the process, by properly handling the souls, there will be no souls remaining on the earthly ne. [If I go to that afterlife... Can I reunite with my wife and child?] I shook my head slightly and said, "Unfortunately, the afterlife I''m creating is almostplete, but I haven''t started it yet. So your wife''s and child''s souls will be divided, with the ''soul'' flowing to Cloud Whale to be reborn, and the ''essence'' scattering into the earth. It''s unfortunate." If the afterlife had already begun, I could have let you briefly meet the souls of your family. How regrettable. And even if I tried to revive them, their souls have already disappeared. [Reincarnation... I see.] The priest''s voice was heavy. [Then... if I wait in the afterlife, can I eventually meet my reincarnated wife and child?] Hm? [Won''t I be able to reunite with their souls?] No, wait. "Even if you were to meet their souls again, they would be in a different state than the ones you knew, Even if you were to find the souls of your wife and child by some miraculous chance, they would not remember you." [But....] "It is the scattered essence that holds the greatest share in one''s personality and memories. And the soul returns to the heavens to be reborn, while the essence is scattered to the earth..." ...Wait a moment. I silently approached the area where the bodies of the priest''s wife and child were, and examined the surroundingnd. The essence sinks into the earth and dposes deep underground over an average of about 3 years. So, if my assumption is correct... Surely, in this area... [Mother of Life?] I brushed aside the priest''s voice and found dozens of essence seeping into the ground, and after examining their memories, I was able to select the essence of the priest''s wife and child. Hmm. Even though they have seeped into the ground, there is still enough time before theypletely disappear, so the essence are still intact. "I have found the remaining essence of your wife and child." [What?] "But I cannot revive them since their souls are gone." If their souls had remained, I might have been able to somehow revive their bodies. But without the souls, it is impossible to fully revive them. But if I had to create a resurrection spell, how would I do it? Restore the bodies and reinsert the souls? Ask the reapers who took the souls to return them? Let''s think about that partter. For now, let''s focus on the conversation with the priest. The priest spoke with a voice that had regained a little hope. [If we can find the souls, can I meet them again?] "If we can find their souls and fullybine them with the essence here, they will be restored to theirplete selves." Then you would be able to reunite with the souls of the dead. Well, the easiest and surest method would be to turn back time, but... Let''s leave that as thest resort. Chapter 63: One Who Worships God (4) Chapter 63: One Who Worships God (4) "But finding the soul will not be an easy task. Distinguishing a soul without any memories is as difficult as finding a single grain of sand among countless others. Still, will you do it?" The priest nodded his head at my words. [For the sake of reuniting with my family, I will do anything.] "You said you''ll do anything, right?" He shouldn''t have said that so carelessly. This child has no idea of the weight of his own words. "It will not be easy for a human lifespan to find the souls of your family. So let me propose something to you here." There can never be too many talented people. "How about working in the Afterlife?" [The Afterlife, you say?]"Yes. The Afterlife was almostpleted, but we haven''t been able to start operations due to ack of personnel." Of course, this child would be quitecking to fully manage the Afterlife. He is, after all, just a human who can only use divine power. But if there are any shorings, they can be filled. If hecks power, I can add more to him. If I provide him with an appropriate amount of power, he may not reach the level of Yama, but he could at least manage the lower ranks of the Afterlife. Wouldn''t he be able to reach a position where he can manage oneyer? "And if you work in the Afterlife, the souls will pass through it, so wouldn''t that help you find the souls of your wife and child?" It would be more effective to search for them in the Afterlife, where all the souls pass through, than to meticulouslyb through the souls that make up the Cloud Whale. Of course, it won''t be an easy task. The number of souls passing through the Afterlife is countless. [The Afterlife, you say... But can someone like me really do it?] "Why not?" The important thing is not how much power you have, but how well you work. "Honestly, working in the Afterlife is the only way for you to find the souls of your family, other than that, there''s almost no other method." It would be unreasonable to go to the Cloud Whale and examine each soul that makes up its body to find the souls of his wife child. The Cloud Whale may now listen to me to some extent, but it''s unlikely to go along with that. Above all, the biggest problem is the short human lifespan. [I see. Then, to go to the Afterlife... Do I have to die?] "No, not yet. The Afterlife hasn''t started operations yet. For now, just live your current life." [But... A life without my wife and child is too difficult for me.] The priest said in a gloomy voice. Hmm, he seems to have lost the purpose of his life. "Then, how about leaving a record about the Afterlife?" [A record about the Afterlife?] "Yes. Revealing a bit of information about the Afterlife." At my words, the priest spoke in a puzzled voice. [What meaning does that have?] "It has great meaning." I looked at the bag in my hand and said, "First, it''s important that we can spread information about the Afterlife to humans." [To spread the existence of the Afterlife to humans?] "Yes. If many humans be aware of and believe in the existence of the Afterlife, the reality will change ording to their perception. Even if there are parts that don''t work perfectly ording to my design, the belief of humans will help normalize it." I''ve confirmed through Yama and the Cloud Whale that the perception of many humans can change reality. And the same will apply to the Afterlife. Because the belief of many can change reality. "And secondly, by revealing information about the Afterlife, we will imprint the concept of the afterlife judgment in the minds of humans." [Afterlife judgment...] "The belief that one is judged in the Afterlife ording to one''s sins still remains. Wouldn''t this instill a minimum sense of guilt in humans?" It could be a restraint againstmitting sins. And if it is also known that those who have sinned suffer terribly in hell... The number of sinsmitted would decrease as well. This way, a minimum conscience can be formed. "So, let''s leave behind various writings until the end of your life. And when your lifespan is up and you die, I shall take you to the Afterlife and put you to work." [I understand. Though my body is weak, I shall devote this lifetime to serving the Mother of Life.] "Good. And about your wife and child''s souls..." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now [Hm?] I looked at the two souls in my hand. Hmm... I can''t keep holding onto them, I''ll need to store them somewhere. To contain souls... Hmm... I''ll try making and testing various things. "For now, I''ll store the two souls in another object that you can carry around. I can''t keep holding them in my hand forever." Half of their souls. What could be used to store the souls? Well, there are various options. The simplest method would be to contain them in gems. I created two emeralds - one round and one square. I ced the wife''s soul in the round emerald and the son''s soul in the square one. The souls settled nicely into the gems. Hmm, even though it''s not aplete soul and essence, the capacity seems quite ample. Well, as long as these gems don''t shatter, the souls will remain safely contained. I sent the two emeralds to the priest. "The round emerald contains your wife, and the square one contains your son. Keep them safe. If the gems are broken, you''ll have to find them again." If they break, it would be easy to find them right away. But if not, digging through the earth to search for them would be a pain. [Th-thank you... Thank you so much!] "From now on, spend your remaining life writing books. I will teach you in detail about what to write." As the priest is considered a wise man among humans, his writings will be recognized by many. In this way, I was able to have various books written through this one scribe. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Afterwards, while the priest carried out his duties, he wrote in his spare time. [Mother of Life... Ick enough y tablets. I cannot write so much content.] He encountered a major problem in leaving behind books. "How troublesome. It''s already full, and you haven''t even written much." The recording media of this era were y tablets and parchment, but parchment was usually an expensive item, notmonly avable. If he were to write and leave behind books on such materials... They would likely be symbols of wealth only the affluent could possess. In the East, they make bamboo slips to record, but there is no bamboo in the West. How troublesome. Hmm, no choice then. Here, I''ll bring out papyrus! Of course, if it''s primitive paper, papyrus is the only option! I spoke to the Great Shaman of the Lizardmen. T/N: Archmage -> Great Shaman, well someone told me, if its still incorrect, plsment "Can you hear my voice?" [Oh, the great Creator Dragon God has spoken to me! Your mighty name shall illuminate the world!] No, no need for such flowerynguage. "I seek a certain nt in the wends of the Lizardmen''s territory. Can you find it?" [Creator Dragon God seeks a mere nt? Whatever could be the reason?] "I am looking for a material to create something that will benefit all. It is a nt around 1 to 2 meters tall, with leaves spreading out from the top like reeds." [Understood. I shall send the Lizardmen to search for it.] Good. Since it''s a nt from the wends, the Lizardmen can find it quickly. It might even be a major source of ie for the Lizardmen. The best thing is to find it themselves, but... Lizardmen don''t seem to need paper, so I should at least tell them to find it. To be honest, if I don''t have them find it, the Lizardmen won''t even feel the need for paper. Lizardmen, who can easily carry and moverge stone tablets, like how humans use y tablets. Lizardmen who carve letters into solid rock with just their ws. It seems they feel they don''t need paper with their overwhelming physical strength. The Lizardmen. Anyway, since papyrus grows in wends, if it exists in this world, it would be within their territory. If it''s not there, I''ll just create some seeds and nt them, I guess. "I''ve instructed them to find an object to write on instead of y tablets." [What kind of object?] "Something made from nts, like parchment. It''s thin, lightweight, and best for recording written words." If papyrus is discovered and made, the knowledge level of this world could greatly improve. Instead of the limited recording media like y tablets or parchment, the widespread use of papyrus as a recording medium could arise. Perhaps the overall intellectual level could significantly increase. Ah, speaking of which, what about the Elves? From their perspective, papyrus would be like peeling the skin of their family - the soft part inside the stem, to be more precise - to make something like parchment. T/N: Bhahaha... ''their family'' Well, there''s nothing to be done about the Elves. They are the ones who instinctively avoid even the fruits that were intentionally made to be eaten to spread the seeds. Let''s just tell them to use parchment. --- T/N: By the way, guys, if you want, you can join Discord to maybe receive information about if there are dys in the release of the chapters. Chapter 64: One Who Worships God (5) Chapter 64: One Who Worships God (5) Lizardmen thoroughly searched the wends(swamps) and discovered nts that appeared to be papyrus. Indeed, when you give lizardmen a task, they do it well. [Almighty Creator Dragon God! Is this the nt you asked us to find?] "Un. It is correct... but it seems like you''ve harvested too much. Surely you didn''t cut down all of them, did you?!" [Ah... should we have left some behind?] The problem is that you work too hard!!! A mountain of papyrus. The amount they had cut down was enough to create a small hill in the wide clearing. "Alright, the wends are vast, so you''ll find more if you search. But from now on, don''t cut them all down. Harvest moderately, and consider nting the seeds to cultivate papyrus." [Yes, we''re sorry. This is the first time the Creator Dragon God has directly assigned us a task, so everyone got a bit too enthusiastic.] It''s good to be passionate about work, but not to this extreme.Well then... let me teach you how to make papyrus. "First, cut them to an appropriate length and peel off the outer skin." [What would be an appropriate length?] Hmm, what length would be good? Around 25cm should be sufficient. Since the lizardmen''s hands are a bitrger than human hands, a palm''s width would be around 25cm. "Around 25cm should do." [25cm is about the length of a palm.] Ah, it was a good idea to teach them the metric system. Barbaric units like yards and pounds don''t exist in this world! Such arbitrary units have no ce here! Whether I have such firm opinions or not, the chief lizardman cut the papyrus with an obsidian dagger and spoke to me. [We have cut and peeled the skin.] "Good. Now thinly slice the soft inner part of the stem." [Thinly, you say?] "Yes, like slicing fish fillets." The chief then carefully sliced the inner part of the papyrus. [I have finished slicing.] "Now, ce the sliced inner parts on a t wooden board and pound them with a wooden mallet or roll them with a cylindrical object to tten them further." [Wouldn''t it be fine to just press them with our palms?] "I suppose... hmm, the sturdy palms of the lizardmen might work. Go ahead and try making one as a demonstration." The chief then pressed the thinly sliced papyrus inner parts with his palms, and the fibers seemed to break down, making the papyrus soft and pliable. This works with just bare hands. Normally, you''d have to pound them with a wooden mallet or roll them with a roller. Well, it''s simpler this way, so it''s better. "Now, soak them in clean water for about 7 days." [That''s quite a time.] "It''s to extract the sugars within the inner parts. By the way, you can eat the inner parts raw or roasted." At my words, the chief cut off a piece of the papyrus inner part and put it in his mouth. [You''re right, it has a subtle sweetness and tastes quite good.] "Don''t eat too much of it." We need to save some to make papyrus paper, after all. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - One weekter. "Shall we take them out now?" [Ah, yes. A week has already passed. I got caught up in other work and couldn''t pay much attention to it.] "Seems you''ve been quite busy." At my words, the chiefughed ruefully. [The chief oversees negotiations with outsiders and coordinates opinions among the tribes, while the high priest focuses on hunting, warfare, and martial arts training. So tasks likemuning with spirits and blessing newborns all fall to me.] I see, he''s also swamped with work, poor thing. I''m in a simr situation. "Now, take the soaked inner parts of the papyrus andy them horizontally and vertically, crossing each other, on a clean leather or cloth." The chief then spread out the clean leather and beganyering the thin, soaked inner parts, crossing them over each other. [It''s like weaving cloth, just a bit wider.] "That''s the general idea. Anyway, once you''ve covered the surface densely, ce another clean leather on top and press it down heavily for 7 days to dry it." [Another 7 days? That makes it 14 days total.] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "It''s not an easy thing to make." After another 7 days passed. [We havepleted it! Oh Creator Dragon God!] "Ooh, it has a rather nice appearance." And so the first papyrus paper was created. [It''s thin and light, very fascinating. It''s quite different from cloth.] "Un. Now, teach the other Lizardmen to make the same thing. Use this to make long scrolls and have them write on it. This papyrus paper will be a valuable thing for you." [Can we now write on this instead of stone tablets?] "If that is what you wish, then do so." Even if I said that, logically, if given the choice between stone tablets and paper, one would choose paper. It''s light, easy to carry around, and full of conveniences. Iparable to stone tablets. Iparable. Was that just my delusion? Even after the invention of papyrus paper, the Lizardmen still preferred to write on stone tablets. But why... why stone tablets... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And so the papyrus paper, which became the specialty product of the Lizardmen, quickly spread throughout the world. The thin, lightweight papyrus paper, much cheaper than parchment, had a value that could greatly overturn the world. y tablets were heavy and could not be used much, while parchment was expensive as it required tearing the skin of sheep. In the East, bamboo slips were in vogue, and since they were far from the territory of the Lizardmen, only a small amount flowed in, but their convenience could not be ignored, as some noble figures like the king used them. Anyway, that''s how papyrus paper spread throughout the world. By the way, the Elves are excluded. They were horrified when they saw the papyrus. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Is this something that can rece y tablets?] "Yes, it''s called papyrus paper. It''s thin, lightweight, and suitable for writing on. Write on it." [Oh Mother of Life. How do I write on this?] The priest, who had received the set of papyrus scrolls sent by me through the disguised dragon, was perplexed as he looked at the papyrus scroll. Hmm, since they''ve only been writing on y tablets, they don''t know about ink. "Look at the things that came with the papyrus paper." [A small stick and a small leather pouch. Is the contents liquid?] "Don''t drink the contents. It''s for writing on the papyrus paper. Bring a small y vessel and pour a little of the liquid from the pouch." The priest did as I instructed, and a ck liquid came out of the pouch, filling the small y vessel. [ck water? What is this?] "That is ink, for writing." Having the Lizardmen make the paper was good, but they also need ink to write with. The ink was made by mixing the charred bark of the papyrus nt and glue made from fish dders, then adding water to create the right viscosity. Hmm, it''s fortunate that the Lizardmen are using fish dder glue. When I asked if they had something suitably, the alchemist told me about it. To think they invented making glue from dried fish dders without me telling them. How impressive! The downside is that the fish dder glue doesn''t yield much, so the price is a bit high. But that''s understandable for a prototype ink. After all, I just passed on the papyrus paper scrolls and ink sets to the Lizardmen. "Now, dip the small stick into the ck liquid and try writing on it." [Hmm? Oh, oh uoohhh... How fascinating. Unlike the y tablets that require pressing hard, I can just lightly skim over it and the letters appear.] Well, since you just need to dip the stick in ink, unlike the y tablets where you have to carve the letters deeply. But the downside is that there''s no pen nib, so you have to dip the stick in ink frequently. [Shall I write here then?] "Yes, that''s right. By writing and conveying that writing to others, knowledge can be transmitted without having to speak it out loud. Well, there are still some issues, such as papyrus paper needing to spread more throughout the world, or needing a bit more affordable ink. But those problems can be solved gradually. We can take it step by step. We''ve just taken the first step, and if we try to sprint from the start, won''t we end up rolling backwards? Let''s go slowly. Slowly and calmly. [So what should I write about?]" In response to the priest''s words, I paused for a moment and then opened my mouth. "Let''s start by writing about the Afterlife." Chapter 65: A Small Thought on the Afterlife (1) Chapter 65: A Small Thought on the Afterlife (1) What is beyond death? The thorn that has been piercing my heart as a servant of the Goddess of Life for a long time has been tormenting me endlessly. What is life born for, what is it lived for, and what is it died for? The Mother of Life said that I must find the answer to such questions myself, and I have continued to ponder the questions. What is life? What is death? What should I live for? My hands, which have lived for a long time, have be wrinkled like an old man, and my vision has begun to blur. All of my physical being was telling me that the time given to me was running out. The answer I havee to after a long period of contemtion may differ from the answers of others, so I will not write it here.Instead, I will pick up the pen to write about the Afterlife that I heard from the Mother of Life. I hope that what is written here can be helpful to others. ... Where there is light, there is darkness, and where there is birth, there is death. All living beings live a life of being born, living, and dying. And the soul of the living being that reaches the destination sheds the armor of the body. But that does not mean it is liberated. What lies behind it is a cold judgment that evaluates life. The grim reaper who collects the souls exists everywhere. The grim reapers walking in the dim darkness are the most secret harvesters of this world, wandering the world with a huge scythe to harvest the souls the dead. There is no soul that can escape their touch. Just as death is inevitable, they too are an inevitable existence. There is no ce in this world where there is no darkness, and they can go anywhere in the darkness. There will be no ce they cannot go. However, they were not as cold as ice. They are said to give the departed a moment to leave ast word to their family before departing for the Afterlife. If there are family members by their side, they give them the strength to speak in their own voice, and if there are no family members, they allow them to leave ast word through a dream. They may be kind. However, one should not rely on their goodwill to try to live a little longer. All they can give is a word. If you expect more, the cold scythe will only start the harvest. The soul grasped by the hand of the grim reaper crosses the endlessly cold world and reaches the door of the Afterlife. Beyond the door made of ck rock, another world unfolds. After passing through the deep cave made of ck rock and passing the fierce gaze of the guardian statues of the Afterlife, the ce reached is a vast river that cannot be thought of as having passed through the cave. The river, so wide that the opposite bank cannot be seen, is filled with pitch-ck water. On the riverbank of this ck river, there is a ce covered with small pebbles. This river, called by various names, is the river that divides the world of the living and the world of the dead. It is called the Samdocheon River or the Styx River, and it is said to be a clear boundary that divides the world of the living and the world of the dead. To prevent the living from identally crossing this river, and to prevent the dead who have crossed the river from returning to the realm of the living. The wide river blocks the way. As you walk along the side of such a river, you can see the figures of young children on the riverbank. The children in the Afterlife. It is said that the unfortunate souls of the children who died before their parents stay on the riverbank. Children who died before their parents. Children who died without bing adults. Children who have driven a huge nail into the hearts of their parents. These unfortunate children are not allowed to go down to the loweryers of the Afterlife, and they spend their time on the riverbank, gazing down at the ck river. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now It is said that in the ck river, the faces of their living parents can be seen. The sight of the children in the silent Afterlife, unable to take their eyes off the faces of their parents reflected in the river, is truly heartbreaking, even though I have not seen it directly. The children continue to gaze at the images of their parents. The images of the parents left behind in the mortal world. The images of the parents struggling and suffering in the absence of their children. The children, making a sad face while looking at their parents'' images, unconsciously reach out their hands to the river, but the images of their parents in the river are just illusions, and the ripples caused by the children''s hands only make the images blurry. The children not only mourn the sight of their parents, but also cheer for their parents to ovee the pain and stand up again someday. And it is said that the childrene to know that they were deeply loved by their parents from seeing the images of their parents in the river. The pure sorrow of the children is washed away by the river. At some point, the children who have been gazing at the river from the riverbank rise from their spot. The moment the children leave the riverbank is when their parentse to the Afterlife. At that time, the children rush to their parents and grab their hands. And they descend to the loweryers of the Afterlife together. While it may be a cruel environment, it is a necessary environment for the souls of the young children who did not even understand the concepts of life and death. The children who did not live a full life and did not be adults needed to know that they were loved beings. However, if the parents the child has waited for a long time are those who did not mourn the child''s death, like beasts, or even those who were filthy and inflicted violence on the child, if they are the ones who caused the child''s death, and if they try to reject the weak hands of the child upon arriving in the Afterlife... The child will burst into a loud cry. If the sorrowful cries of the child fill the riverbank, a woman will appear from somewhere, hearing the cries. This woman, known as the Ghost Mother, is said to have lived in the East originally. After losing her young husband at a young age and her only child, she could not forget her lost child and took in orphaned children without parents. However, she was engulfed by madness upon seeing parents who abused and drove out their children, and she tore those parents apart with her bare hands, killing them. She was eventually executed for murder, but her vengeful soul could not leave the mortal world. The Mother of Life, taking pity on her, took her soul and assigned her the role of protecting the children in the Afterlife. The Ghost Mother, wearing a bamboo hat and covering her face with a dark cloth, approaches with a thick,rge de dragging on the ground, and gently wipes the tears of the crying child. Then, she grabs the neck of the parent who made the child cry and heads somewhere. It is said that the Ghost Mother slices off the flesh of that parent''s entire body until they truly regret and acknowledge their wrongdoing, as long as they reflect on everything. Even though the body is dead and only the soul remains, the parent writhes in the agony of having their flesh torn off while still alive. After having all their flesh stripped, a part of their flesh is forcibly shoved into their mouth as they are led down to the loweryers of the Afterlife. However, such parents are only a small minority. Even now, the children who arrived in the Afterlife before their parents gaze at the images of their parents reflected in the river, hoping that their parents wille, but wishing for them toe aste as possible. The firstyer of the Afterlife exists for these children and their parents. The path leading down from this firstyer is across the vast river, so the Grim Reaper ferries the souls of the dead across the river. At the old dock on the riverbank, the only means to cross the river, an old boat is tied up. The boatman who operates this boat, said to be on the verge of sinking at any moment, is a man whose tongue has been cut off, so he cannot speak. Originally skilled with words and clever, he managed to trick the Grim Reaper who came to fetch him, and gained three more years of life. Even after those three years, he tried to deceive the Grim Reaper again with his eloquent speech. However, his tongue was cut off by the Grim Reaper''s ck scythe, and as punishment for tricking the Grim Reaper to extend his lifespan, he was condemned to be the boatman of the Afterlife for the rest of his life. While it can be considered self-inflicted, after this incident, the time the Grim Reaper can give to the dead was reduced from one night to just enough time to speak a few words, so many of the dead must be resent that boatman. This boatman demands a fare from the dead, and although the dead are surely penniless, for some reason they take a small pouch from their clothes to pay the fare. The nature of this fare is the help the dead have rendered for others in life, and the gratitude of those they have helped. What one has done to help others in life bes helpful in the Afterlife. If one has lived selfishly without helping others, and even oppressed others, they would not be able to pay the boatman''s fare in the Afterlife, but it is said that such cases are extremely rare, so there is no need to worry about it. However, if there were such a person, what would happen to them? The Mother of Life did not say a word about this, so I cannot write anything. I can only hope that there is no one out there who hasn''t helped anyone. Chapter 66: A Small Thought on the Afterlife (2) Chapter 66: A Small Thought on the Afterlife (2) [Afterlife''s Second Layer] After crossing the river by the boatman''s boat and passing through the stairs leading down, they will find themselves on the secondyer of stairs leading down to the lower level. Upon reaching the nextyer after descending the quite long stairs, the dead encounter a vast in filled with blooming flowers under the bright sunlight. Though they were clearly in a cave before, for some reason, the serene in with abundant flowers wees the souls of the dead. As the dead walk through the flowers, they feel their own wounds and ailments being healed by the beautiful flowers. The secondyer of the Afterlife is an exceptionally gentle realm. Injuries, fatal illnesses, and even fatal wounds sustained in life can be healed through the flowers of the Flowery Meadow, allowing the souls to move on as whole. Even those whose flesh was torn off by the Ghost Mother in the previousyer can be made whole in thisyer. The flower-filled meadow is soforting and beautiful that the souls who enter wish to linger here as long as possible.However, it is not right for the souls who must progress through the Afterlife to remain in this flower garden indefinitely. The dead are only permitted to stay in this ce for 7 days. As the allotted time approaches, the Grim Reaper tries to forcibly drag the souls to the nextyer, as the souls generally cannot resist the Reaper''s grasp. But very rarely, some souls manage to evade the Reaper''s hand remain in thisyer beyond the 7 days. Those who seed in staying longer than 7 days will gradually feel their souls transforming - their feet bing roots, their legs and torso bing stems, their arms bing leaves, and their heads blooming into flowers. They will be flowers blooming in the Flowery Meadow. The dead who are not permitted to stay here will remain as flowers in this meadow, forgetting everything about themselves, until they havepletely lost their sense of self. Of course, after forgetting themselves entirely, they will go through the remaining process properly and be reborn into the next life, but what does it matter by then? [Afterlife''s Third Layer] The thirdyer of the Afterlife, like the second, is a gentle realm. No, "gentle" is an insufficient word to describe it. Thisyer is a path that fulfills the desires of the souls. The ck pebble pathid across the verdant meadow grants the wishes of those who walk it. Those who starved to death will be able to fill their bellies here. Those who died of thirst will be able to drink sweet water. Those who desired wealth in life will be buried in gold and silver, and those who sought fame and glory will hear the praises of many. However, this path, the Desire-Fulfilling Road, is also not meant to be lingered upon for too long. The things that appear on this path are manifestations of the karma the soul umted in life. If one remains here beyond 7 days without moving on to the nextyer, the will exhaust its karma and begin to consume the part of the soul responsible for memories. Even if the soul loses all its memories and sense of self, it will continue to manifest its endless desires, until nothing remains but a pure, empty spirit. This spirit will then simply be transferred to the next life. [Afterlife''s Lower Layers] The lower 4yers of the Afterlife are ces that strictly judge and punish the sins of the souls. Theseyers, known as Hell, make the sinful souls suffer until their sins are cleansed and washed away. The identities of those being punished in thisyer are those who wielded violence and inflicted harm on others. They were the criminals who were found guilty of the crime of violence in the Afterlife''s judgment. Suffering in the raging mes that burn their souls, they burn while shackled by the surging fetters until all the sins engraved on their souls arepletely burned away and disappear. ...... [Is it only those who wielded violence that burn in thisyer?] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "The scope of the word ''violence'' is broader than you think. There is also psychological violence that shakes the mind of the other party with harsh words, you see. Thisyer not only includes physical violence, but also epasses psychological violence." [That''s... a bit harsh.] "But it was necessary." ...... Gazing at that horrific sight, the dead who are advancing to the bottom of the Afterlife to receive judgment fear the possibility that they too could end up like that, and proceed to the nextyer with the Grim Reaper. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The fifthyer is Cocytus. It is also known by the name of the Ice Hellyer. A cold cave. The ceiling of the cave was densely covered withrge and small icicles, and humans were impaled on those icicles. The humans pierced by the icy icicles as sharp as needles suffer from the agony of their nerves freezing and the cold that freezes their very bones. The identities of those being punished in thisyer are those who coveted and took others'' possessions. They were the criminals who were found guilty of the crime of theft in the Afterlife''s judgment. Pierced by the icicles that freeze their souls, they be frozen in the cold of the icicles until all the sins engraved on their souls fall off. ...... [So theft is punished as severely as violence.] "Of course, isn''t that obvious? The theft punished in thisyer is the act of coveting and obtaining by unrighteous means something that is not one''s own. Didn''t they directly vite the articles of thew code handed down by the God of Light, Law, and Justice?" [Indeed, it was written not to steal.] ...... Gazing up at that horrific sight, the dead who are advancing to the bottom of the Afterlife to receive judgment fear the possibility that they too could end up like that, and proceed to the nextyer with the Grim Reaper. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The sixthyer is Malebolge. It is also known by the name of the Thorn Hellyer. The appearance of the vast in where countless thorn bushes grow may seem ordinary at first nce, but this too was a hell that punishes the criminals. Each and every one of those thorn bushes had a criminal entangled in it. No, the criminal''s body parts had grown into the thorn bushes, entangling themselves. The identities of those being punished in thisyer are those who deceived others to obtain wicked profits. They were the criminals who were found guilty of the crime of fraud in the Afterlife''s judgment. Those who had used their sharp tongues to deceive others and nted thorns in their hearts during their lifetime now have thorns growing from their own tongues, entwining their entire bodies. ...... [In thisyer, they are being torn apart by the thorns that grew from their own tongues? That''s a cruel punishment.] "The mouth is the gateway that calls forth cmity. Since they had wounded and harmed others with their own lies, it is not strange that they receive such punishment." [And it was also written in thew code not to lie.] "The act of fraud is a crime whose scope of harm can grow limitlessly whenpared to other crimes. Thew demands that it be punished thoroughly." ...... Observing that horrific sight, the dead who are advancing to the bottom of the Afterlife to receive judgment fear the possibility that they too could end up like that, and proceed to the nextyer with the Grim Reaper. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The seventhyer is the Abyss. It is also known by the name of the Dark Hellyer. Darkness where one cannot see even an inch ahead. Unlike the other hells where the criminals are, this hell is one where the forms of those paying their dues cannot be seen. Only the faint cries and agonized groans can be heard... Indicating that this is a hell no less horrific than the otheryers. The identities of those being punished in thisyer are those who took the lives of others. They were the criminals who were found guilty of the crime of murder in the Afterlife''s judgment. Chapter 67: A Small Thought on the Afterlife (3) Chapter 67: A Small Thought on the Afterlife (3) The dead who are advancing to the bottom of the Afterlife to receive judgment unable to see the forms of those being punished in the Abyssyer. They can only proceed to the nextyer, turning their backs on the faint cries and agonized groans echoing from the darkness where one cannot see even an inch ahead. However, the Mother of Life told me about the things those being punished in thisyer experience. They, who were murderers that harmed others, receive the memories of the victims they killed when they are punished in thisyer. From the victim''s perspective, in the victim''s position, with the victim''s thoughts, the victim''s body, the victim''s memories, they experience the victim''s death. As many times as the number of people they killed, in as many ways as they killed them. Endlessly, repeatedly, they are killed. Until their own self disintegrates, they are relentlessly killed over and over again. That is the punishment in thisyer. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -After passing through all 7yers, the dead arrive at the very bottom of the Afterlife. A massive door, so gigantic that even a giant''s strength could not open it, makes the dead feel how infinitely small and weak they are as an existence. When the dead stand before that door, it slowly opens, and the apaniment of the Grim Reaper ends here. If the dead was apanied by their young deceased child, that child will no longer apany them. Thus, the dead stands alone before the judgment of death, and approaches the three administrators(officials) who oversee the Afterlife. Themander who directs the Grim Reapers that gather and bring the souls of the dead from the darkness, Thanatos. The investigator who searches the register of the dead to confirm if they met a death, Moros. The judge who weighs the souls on the scales to measure the weight of their sins and pass judgment, Seres. Before them, the life of the dead is thoroughly examined. [Mother of Life, then won''t those who have sinned try not to descend to the loweryers?] If they knew the structure of the Afterlife before death, and were aware of the fate that awaits the sinful souls, they would naturally try to avoid it. However, it doesn''t matter. "If only it were possible." If one could tear away the Grim Reaper''s grip that is dragging them down to the loweryers. And if they could seep into the darkness wherever it may be, and pry the Grim Reaper away. If someone had that level of ability, they could withstand the upperyers without descending to the lower ones, they would not suffer and could move on to the next life. Of course, for ordinary souls, it would be impossible to shake off the Grim Reaper''s touch, but a soul with unwavering will and fortitude might have a chance. Well, a soul of that caliber would be worthy of being called a hero, but... If it is a hero-like being, they shouldn''t cower in the upperyers, but should face the judgment head-on! But how many would be bold enough to face death so courageously. "Even if the probability is close to impossible, as long as it is not zero, it may appear someday. That is why there needs to be an entity managing the upperyers." [An upper level manager?] "Yes. If there is an overseer to seize those who refuse to descend to the Afterlife and send them down, then those who persist in the upper realm can be driven down." Well, to begin with, if the Grim Reaper''s power was enhanced, they could forcibly drag them down. But the Grim Reapers'' current power is already considered sufficient. Or should the Grim Reapers'' strength be adjusted to grow in proportion to the sins the souls have umted? But then, the sins would be revealed before the Afterlife''s judgment. No, the unveiling of the soul''s sins should happen at the very bottom of the Afterlife. That principle cannot be changed. Hmm. Should I just make them suffer in the upperyers as well? No no. That would make even the souls whomitted no sins suffer. It''s not easy, not easy at all. Bncing the sinful and the sinless, focusing on one side makes the other misaligned. That''s why the best I coulde up with was adding a manager to the upperyers to rough them up. Un. [What kind of being is the manager of the upperyers?] "The position is vacant." [Vacant?...] It seems finding a suitable candidate to manage the entire upperyer is not an easy task. Well, it''s notpletely empty, though. "The management of the Afterlife was just recently filled with three administrators." [There are three administrators of the Afterlife?] "Un. Originally there were only two, but one more position was recently filled." It seems that Thanatos, the spirit of darkness, and Yama, the mountain god of the North Mangsan Mountain, have now been joined by Seres as an administrator of the Afterlife. After much deliberation, this decision was made, but... Honestly, it would have been better if it had happened a little sooner. Well, thanks to this, the triumvirate of the Afterlife has beenpleted, so I should be satisfied. [A new god of death, you say?] "She is the goddess of death, with half of her body alive and the other half dead." T/N: Seems like Seres is a Female... Seres tried to utilize the power of death within her, and ultimately seeded, but as a side effect, half of her body became like a corpse. She ims it''s just an outward appearance, but to others, it doesn''t seem that way. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Anyway, the transformed Seres made a proposal to me. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [I will be the administrator of the Afterlife. In return, please grant me one request.] "What kind of request?" [Please prepare a ce for the dragons to reside after their death.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seres'' request was for the sake of the dragons. Clearly, she had already seen the fate of the dragons who have faced death and departed their physical bodies. She must have wished for a separate afterlife realm for the souls of the dragons. Well, I granted that request, and after the approved souls passed the Afterlife''s judgment, I created a heaven-like ce where the deceased dragons could rest in peace. If Seres hadn''t requested that... the dragons might have simply be spirits after their death. Anyway, since I ended up doing somethingpletely different from my usual work, I even gave her a slightly different name - Keres. And as an additional task, I made a scale to measure the sins of the souls, to help Keres work more smoothly as the god of death. "Thanks to these three Afterlife administrators, the Afterlife is now running smoothly." [The three Afterlife administrators... Are they all gods of death?] "Yes. While they each have slightly different meanings, they all oversee death." Keres, the one who was formerly known as Ceres, is still not widely recognized as a god of death, but that can easily be changed. [What are the distinctions between them?] "Yama, also called Moros, represents the inevitable fate of death and the afterlife''s rest, while Keres represents the destructive ruin of death and the judgment of sinsmitted in life." [What about Thanatos?] "Thanatos is the impartial reaper of death, the king of soul-collecting reapers, unbound by anything." It is entirely thanks to Thanatos''mand that countless reapers can collect souls in an orderly manner. Anyway, I think the book containing knowledge about the Afterlife is sufficient enough now. The content may be a bit sparse, but the priests can add more detailed information themselves. They just need to trust and rely on it. Now then... Since I''ve arranged for the Afterlife to be managed on its own, I should take a break. I wonder why it was so tiring to create just this one thing. Ugh.. I''ll never do something like this again. Absolutely not! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rychlen proceeded down the stairs. At the end was a massive river, sorge that the opposite bank was not visible. Rychlen looked around the riverbank and found a small dock with a ferryman sitting on a boat. Rychlen approached the ferryman and said, "Take me to the other side." But the ferryman simply stared at Rychlen without saying a word, holding out his hand. He must be asking for the ferry fare. Rychlen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. Rychlen pulled a small silver coin from the pouch the Sage of the Deep Forest had prepared for him. The ferryman took the coin, stood up from his seat, and grabbed the oars of the boat. Rychlen boarded the old vessel, and it headed across the river. ... Whaty at the end of the dark cave was a vast flower field. If everything Rychlen had heard from the Sage of the Deep Forest was true, this flower field was not a ce to linger. Rychlen tried to conceal his presence and hide hisrge frame as he searched for the entrance to the lower levels. "Who are you?" Naturally, his muscr body was not easily concealed. "Are you a soul seeking to reside in the Western side of the Paradise? You seem strong enough to shake off the god of death, but please turn back and leave. This ce is beautiful, but not one to linger in for long..." The beautiful woman holding a few flowers frowned as she examined Rychlen. "You are still alive. I will not speak ill. Please leave before you are discovered by others." Rychlen did not respond, only gently touching the handle of the club at his waist. "If you havee here alive, it must be to retrieve a cherished one. But reviving the dead goes against the natural order. As a senior who has attempted the same, I advise you to turn back." The woman''s words were calm, but Rychlen shook his head silently. ... Rychlen descended to the lower levels, his injured body battered. He had only passed through two of the sevenyers the Sage had spoken of, yet his body was already in tatters. But Rychlen did not give up. He continued forward, determined to revive his friend who had died by his own mistake. The nextyer was a in paved with ck pebbles. At the entrance stood a man dressed entirely in ck, with a ne adorned with two emeralds. It was as if he had been waiting for Rychlen. Chapter 68: A Small Piece of Darkness (1) Chapter 68: A Small Piece of Darkness (1) Time passed. During this time, various things happened, but nothing too important, so I will briefly exin and move on. The priest, who had discovered that the cause of the epidemic that had taken the lives of his wife and child was the unattended corpses, asked me about the method of disposing of the bodies, and I simply said, "Just burn them." Since the unattended corpses that were not properly handled had caused the epidemic to spread, if there was no time to bury them, it would be better to burn them. However, humans were quite reluctant to cremate the bodies and have them cremated. Is it because they think of it as desecration of the dead? Even if the bodies are buried, they will rot and only the bones will remain. Therefore, I spread a little rumor. [Offering the deceased''s body to the sacred me can alleviate some of the sins the soul is burdened with. However, the sacred me burns eternally deep within the volcanic depths of the scorching desert, where human feet cannot tread.] While I''m at it, I''ll also do a bit of reputation work for Ifrit.That child is also a bit pitiful to be alone, so it''s not a bad idea to spread a feeling like the sacred me that burns away the wickedness, right? [While not as much as offering to the sacred me, burning the dead body to leave only the bones can also alleviate a very small amount of sin.] When it says "a very small amount", it should be read as an amount that has almost no influence on the verdict. Well, ultimately, the purpose is to burn the bodies to prevent the epidemic, after all. If the bodies of the dead could be buried immediately, there would be no need for this, but not all bodies can be buried in time. For example... in times of war. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Humans and other subraces continued to spread their influence. The most widespread are humans, and the beastmen living mixed in with them. The elves spread out in the great forests centered around the World Tree, and the dwarves burrowed into the mountain ranges around Sagarmatha like ant nests. The lizardmen did not expand their territory significantly due to the problems of humidity and temperature, but thanks to the first-mover advantage, their current territory was still quite extensive. As for the giants... their numbers had increased, but there were only a few hundred of them. Despite the vast individual territories, their small poption made their territory embarrassingly smallpared to other races. Dragons? Most of them were pilgrims worshiping me as the Goddess of Life, or some were holed up in caves and noting out. The reason they were holed up was either to protect their eggs or hatchlings, or simply because they liked to be reclusive. That''s about the gist of it. Thanks to that, dragons didn''t really have any defined territories. In this way, each race continued to expand their territories. But they can''t keep expanding forever. Habitable ces are limited, and most of them are already upied by other races. Inevitably, war broke out. No, wait, so far, war has only broken out among humans! Even though they are humans, they have not yet dered war on other races! The rugged forests and steep mountains served as natural fortresses for the elves and dwarves, and the cold of the giants'' territories was too harsh for humans to easily venture into. As for the lizardmen? Even their young can shatter rocks with their bare hands, so would humans be foolish enough to wage war against them? You could call such humans suicidal. In the end, the only ones humans can wage war against are other humans. While the poption had increased significantly, the profession of professional soldiers or mercenaries had not yet emerged, so the only option was to conscript adult males to form an army. In this situation, each city-state could only muster around 300 to 500 troops. By making promises of support to allied city-states and gathering reinforcements, the result was an average of about 1,000 troops shing in these wars. Since iron weapons were still rare, even among themanders, most of the armaments were still at the bronze or stone age level. Armor was, of course, pathetic, with only crude armor made of bone fragments or thick leather. Yet, these meager armies were still wielding violence against each other. Un. As expected, the greed of humans knows no bounds and they repeat the same mistakes.... No, the full-scale war has not happened yet! They have been fighting in a way that looks like a power struggle and ending the fight halfway! Since each adult is precious in this era, the increasing casualties in the war are not desirable for either side. The wars have been fought in a way that looks like a power struggle and then ended. Furthermore, since they are still at the city-state level, their ethnic or national identity is not yet firmly established, so they have not engaged in wars of annihtion against the other side! It has been more like a power struggle between them! Looking at these humans, I let out a small sigh. Is it right to prevent the war? Isn''t it a natural fact that just as fights arise between humans, wars also break out between cities and states? We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Even if I have the power to stop them, is truly stopping these wars the right thing to do for humans? I don''t know. The history of humans is the history of war. The development of humans is the development of war. If I were to stop all such wars, wouldn''t human society just be stagnant? I let out a small sigh. Sigh... At times like this, I regret having a distinct personality. If I were a mechanical god, I might have just processed the given tasks and moved on. Hmm. I don''t know. I really don''t know which is better. In such cases, the right answer might be to just... let go, step back, and observe. Anyway, I averted my gaze from the humans and various subraces who were starting such fierce battles. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After finishing the Afterlife, I, now a bit more free, started making an item. An item to carry out a task I had put off for a long time. An item to catch that troublesome child again. It was like a fishing rod to lure out Erebus, who is hiding somewhere underground. I even imbued it with the ability to track, capture, and imprison Erebus specifically, so that he can never escape. You might think it''s too much, but it''s Erebus who went too far! That foolish childmitted acts he should not have, blinded by the power of the wish. He even split the scales I had lent him out of fear of having them confiscated, and because of that, I felt pain for the first time in this world. No, it wasn''t the first time. I felt pain in my wings when I was first born into this world. Anyway, Erebus was the one who did wrong, so there''s no problem with me doing something too extreme. Therefore, I grasped the fishing rod I had created. This fishing line made of the same darkness as Erebus should be able to prate the earth and catch the hidden Erebus. And since I''ve also added an auto-tracking function to chase Erebus, if I just cast the fishing line into the ground, I should be able to catch that foolish child. Then... shall we go fishing? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Erebus had existed as the darkness deep underground since he gained self-awareness. The earth beneath, where not a single ray of light shines, is Erebus'' domain, where only darkness exists. Therefore, I have been patiently waiting with the fishing line made of darkness cast down. To capture Erebus. The child, whom I have gathered, taught, and raised. Well, if that child has any sense of self, he won''t be easily caught. But if I keep the fishing line cast down, I should be able to catch him eventually. A considerable amount of time has passed. The priest who served the Goddess of Life has passed away and moved on to the Afterlife, and in ordance with my instructions, has be the administrator of the upperyers of the Afterlife. Yet the fishing line I cast down remained motionless. Even after the faith in the sacred me spread and a religion worshiping the sacred me as a god was born, the fishing line remained motionless. Even when a princess from the east journeyed to the Afterlife to revive her deceased father, the fishing line remained motionless. How much time has passed since then? At the point when the city-state of Arcad merged the surrounding city-states and was reborn as a proper kingdom, the fishing line began to move slightly. Has it finally found Erebus? I quickly grabbed the fishing rod and started reeling in the line. After reeling it in for about a day, I was able to see what was hanging at the end. Finally... I can catch that foolish son who has given me so much trouble. "Huh?" I looked at what was hanging at the end of the fishing line. Instead of Erebus, who was supposed to be tracked and captured by this fishing line, there was only a faint darkness. Uh... Hmm... So... "Erebus?" The faint darkness did not even respond, only twitching at the end of the fishing hook. Chapter 69: A Small Piece of Darkness (2) Chapter 69: A Small Piece of Darkness (2) Let''s think about this. Erebus split the scales I had lent him, the ones under his jaw, to create an explosive burst of power, and used the opening created by that explosion to escape. My physical body is so sturdy and solid that it''s hardly affected by even considerable impacts, but Erebus managed to cause an explosion powerful enough to make me feel pain. If that explosion was strong enough to hurt me, someone with the most durable body in the world, then what must it have been like for Erebus, the one who caused the explosion right under his jaw? He must not havee out of that unscathed. However... "Even so, to end up in this state... Tsk, tsk." I clicked my tongue as I looked at the small fragment of darkness hanging at the end of the fishing hook made of darkness. Just a faint movement, unable to speak a single word or even think, this fragment of darkness is all that''s left.Is this really what he risked everything to escape? I can''t help but feel sorry for him. If he was going to break my scales and run away like "I''ll destroy it if I can''t have it!", he should have at least managed to stay in a decent condition! This is just pathetic! I sighed as I looked at the twitching fragment of darkness, unable to even remove the hooked fishing line. But I can''t just leave it like this. I started slowly channeling my power into the silent little fragment of darkness, and it began to slowly grow in size as it absorbed the inflowing energy. The immediate crisis seems to be averted for now. Un. Maybe I should try reading its memories? I''m curious to know what happened to Erebus, how he ended up in this state. Though I''m not sure if this tiny fragment even has any memories left... Well, it''s worth a try, I have nothing to lose. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After briefly examining the memories, there was only a little useful information to be found. The earliest memory in this fragment was the powerful self-detonation caused by splitting my scales, and the bacsh from the emergency teleportation that followed, which caused Erebus'' own body to start disintegrating. As a result, the eternal darkness that was Erebus'' essence became fragmented into multiple pieces, and these fragments of eternal darkness started to run amok. Most of them scattered and fled, while the remaining ones began to devour each other in a struggle. After some time, the only things left were tworge fragments containing the split silver scales, and this small lone fragment. The other fragments, despite their chaotic behavior of devouring each other, had somehow avoided touching this particr fragment. This fragment contained the core and essence of the being known as Erebus. Now only a small remnant of darkness remains. This was the fragment I had been reading the memories from. Apparently, the other fragments had instinctively sensed something - that if they were to consume this fragment, they would inherit the identity of Erebus. And in doing so, they would be the target of my pursuit. That''s why the other fragments had abandoned this small fragment of darkness, leaving it alone in the deep, empty earth, until my fishing line came to retrieve it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What should I do with this child? Punishing it in this diminished state might just cause it to vanishpletely. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now As much as it has done wrong, I don''t want to simply destroy it. I was nning to just have him work in the Afterlife, non-stop without any days off, until the end of the worldes. But in this condition, he can''t do anything. Hmm... I looked at the small fragment of darkness, twitching in the palm of my hand. Even in this pitiful state, even after what it has done, I can''t bring myself to destroy it. It feels like letting him vanish without properly paying for his crimes is like letting him escape. Un, something like that. Punishing him... Let''s do that after gathering all the other fragments. That would be best. But how do I gather those fragments? They''ve scattered all over the ce. If they were at least divided into one or tworge chunks, I could somehow find and beat them up to gather them together... But they''ve been scattered into countless fragments... For now, let''s focus on this small fragment first. If I leave it as is, it might just scatter and disappear. Sealing it in a gem-like object would be a good idea. I ced the fragment of Erebus on my palm and created a diamond around it, the hardest of all gems. The shape is the ssic round brilliant cut, the one that firstes to mind when thinking of diamonds. I encased the fragment of darkness within, infusing it with power to make it an indestructible diamond. It can now absorb power from the outside to help the fragment of Erebus restore itself. I also prepared a one-way exit, so that I can retrieve the power from within if needed, but the fragment itself cannot escape on its own. And to make sure I don''t lose it, I added a tracking function as well. This ck diamond, as it has be, looks quite impressive. The sealing seems to have worked well, as the fragment of darkness is now calmly resting within the diamond. I carefully channeled power into it, and the power was absorbed by the fragment without being able to escape. Good. The power can flow in, but it''s well-controlled and can''t get out freely. It''s like an inescapable prison for this foolish fragment. Someday, when all of his scattered pieces are gathered... Then I''ll properly punish him. The kind of punishment that would make him cry and beg, never to do something like that again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - But for some reason, ever since that day, strange things have started to appear in this world. The creatures that were barely different from Earth''s lifeforms, except for the slimes crawling on the ground, have begun to change in bizarre ways. Bing stronger, rougher, and more ferocious. It''smon for them to grow in size or develop new bodily functions, but now there are even boars spewing fire from their bodies, or wolves with electricity coursing through their ws and fangs. Even the timid rabbits have grown horns on their heads, able to punch holes in small trees with their headbutts. Not all the animals have be more monstrous, of course... There are even horses with horns that can walk on air and create mist to hide themselves, still living as herbivores. Among these transformed creatures, the ones that worry me the most are... the dinosaurs that failed to be dragons. Wyverns, Drakes, and Sea Serpents - the dinosaurs that failed to be dragons. These so-called "lesser dragons" had more evolved and robust bodies than regr dinosaurs, and they had been living quietly. However, starting from that day, these lesser dragons began to gradually be more ferocious and started to utilize magic. Wyverns spewing fire from their mouths, Drakes making the ground erupt, and Sea Serpents creating whirlpools - they began transforming into highly threatening beings. Hmm... How should I deal with these creatures? Humans are still quite weak, so if a single Wyvern were to rampage through a city, it would be a massacre. I should at least set up some basic defenses. Later, I''ll talk to the children of the Temple of Life and have them erect a protective barrier around human settlements. That way, the rampaging beasts won''t be able to enter. By the way, these changes are not limited to just the animals. Some humans have also started to disy innate magical abilities. They can emit fire from their hands, shoot arrows made of light, or levitate objects with telekinesis. Naturally, people have grown fearful, awestruck, and started to ostracize these individuals with newfound powers. Those with abilities have either hidden them or gathered together with others like them, trying to learn how to control their powers. This was the moment when the concepts of "monsters" and "mages" emerged in this world. Chapter 70: A Small Piece of Darkness (3) Chapter 70: A Small Piece of Darkness (3) This... is quite serious. I sighed as I looked down at the ruined vige. "Grrrr..." A pack of wild dogs, or rather, monsters, were tearing apart the lifeless bodies. The fur on their bodies was slowly emitting mes. The small pioneer vige in the mountains, which had about 30 residents, had be their of these ming beasts. There were about 10 of them, but that was still a terrifying threat to the humans. I let out a small sigh and lightly severed the neck of thergest of the ming beasts that was focused on tearing apart the bodies. Suddenly, as one of their heads flew off, the other beasts raised their heads and looked around, but none of them could find my hidden form. I ced my hand on the body of the decapitated beast and rummaged through it with my magical power.I found a small, gemstone-like object near the heart, and extracted it with my magic. A deep red, crystallized stone - a stone found within the bodies of magical monsters. The so-called "mana stone." I examined the stone from various angles, then took out the ck diamond I had been carrying and held it up to the mana stone. But there was no change. "Darn, that''s not the one." I sighed again and looked around. The remaining ming beasts were on high alert, ready to flee at any moment. Well then, let''s just tear open their bellies and see. I snapped my fingers, and des of magical energy simultaneously severed the necks of the beasts. Ah, one of them managed to survive? Sensing the danger, it had already started to flee. "Trying to escape, huh? Looks like that''s the one." I muttered to myself, then snapped my fingers again, and the fleeing beast was pinned to the ground as if by an invisible force. Crash! Hmm... Maybe a bit too strong? It''spletely crushed. I sighed and approached the now blood-stained beast, channeling my magic to search for the mana stone. Fortunately, I was able to find an undamaged one. I wiped the blood off the mana stone and brought it to the ck diamond. This time, a tiny shard of darkness seeped out of the stone and flowed into the diamond. A minuscule fragment of darkness. Well, at least I didn''t waste my time. After searching the other bodies, I found no more usable mana stones. Hmm, one out of many. That''s quite a low sess rate. I pocketed the ck diamond and the mana stones, then set off towards the human city. The appearance of monsters was a great crisis for humans, but it also presented an opportunity. The meat, hides, fangs, and bones of the rapidly multiplying monsters became valuable resources for humans. The most valuable of these was the mana stone - the crystallized form of a monster''s magical power. Initially, these deep red stones were discarded, but now their uses are known. By grasping a mana stone and focusing one''s thoughts, even those who cannot wield magic can utilize its power. Of course, the amount of magic they can use is limited, but they can still conjure small mes or illuminate the darkness. Thus, the mana stones have be a new and sought-after resource for humans. Well, in my eyes, it seems they are wasting most of the magic power contained in these stones. If the mana stone I just extracted had 10,000 units of magical power, the humans would only be using about 1 unit of it to create a fireball the size of a fist. But I suppose that''s just how clumsy humans use magic. Even though humans were using the mana stones so inefficiently, they were still very interested in them. Of course, I was also interested, but for different reasons than the humans. Among the mana stones of the monsters... very rarely, a tiny fragment of darkness was found in the mana stones of exceptional monsters. Naturally, it was a shard of Erebus. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now As a result, I found myself in the situation of having to defeat even the monsters I wouldn''t have bothered with before... how annoying. Really. Should I outsource it? Or should I just buy the mana stones at a high price and check them? But the problem was that the monsters with Erebus'' fragments embedded in them were somehow exceptional - they could be called elite monsters without any exaggeration. And those kinds of monsters were too difficult for the current human power to capture. Even the ming beast from earlier was able to dodge my de of magical energy once. Maybe it had the ability to sense danger or even precognition. It also seemed quite intelligent. Humans wouldn''t have been able to handle that one. And so, here I am, wandering around and defeating the seemingly strongest monsters to check for the mana stones. Really... how annoying. Truly. Ahem, let''s get back to the topic of the mana stones. Humans have started using mana stones for various purposes. They use them to create light at night, to start fires, to make agriculture more bountiful, to purify water, and so on. And this was not much different for other races as well. First, the beastmen who live most closely with humans. The beastmen use the power of the mana stones to enhance their physical abilities. Strength, senses, endurance, and so on. It would be appropriate to call it a reinforcement magic that strengthens the body. Of course, this was also possible for humans, but the difference in physical strength meant they couldn''t achieve the same level of efficiency as the beastmen. Next, the dwarves. The dwarves were obsessed with mana stones. If they used mana stones on ordinary iron swords, they could imbue them with special powers. For example, the sword could emit mes, freeze the cut area, or electrify anything that touches the de. Moreover, there were about three main ways to imbue these powers. One was a permanent imbuing. The power was embarrassingly weakpared to the other two, but the effect wouldst until the item was destroyed. Hmm, like a softly glowingntern or a subtly warm cushion. The power would scale with the size of the mana stone used, but other than being permanent, it didn''t have many advantages. The second was a temporary imbuing. The power was quite strong, and there was no burden on the user, but it consumed the mana stone. They would have a slot to insert the mana stone, and the power would be activated by draining the stone''s magic. Of course, the downside was that the mana stone would be consumed. The third was drawing on the user''s own magical power. The power was weaker than the temporary imbuing, but it didn''t consume the mana stone. Since the user''s own magic power could be used endlessly as long as they had it, the only problems were that the magic would run out, and overexerting without magic could be life-threatening. Anyway, the dwarves were using mana stones in these ways. As for the elves... they were using the mana stones to absorb their magical power and replenish their own, like a magical recovery potion. The only concern was whether they might identally absorb a fragment of Erebus as well. Well, if any problems arise, Yggdrasil will take care of it The lizardmen, unfortunately,cked an affinity for magic, so they couldn''t use the mana stones. How sad. But they were giving them as gifts to their spirit friends to improve their rtionship. The spirits seemed able to absorb the power of the mana stones and grow a little stronger. Fortunately, the mana stones weren''tpletely useless! As for the giants? They probably don''t even know what mana stones are. It''s impossible for giants, who arerger than houses, to rummage through monster bodies and find mana stones. asionally, they do manage to capture monsters asrge as themselves, but... I wonder how the mana stones of those monsters would be. I should go visit the giants'' side and find out. In this way, the various races were starting to adapt to the sudden appearance of monsters and began using the new resource of mana stones. And the ones who used the mana stones the best were the humans, who could instinctively use magic - the mages. Chapter 71: A Small Piece of Darkness (4) Chapter 71: A Small Piece of Darkness (4) Humans instinctively reject those who are different from them. The beastmen were also ostracized in this way... Even though they have been epted to some degree over time, it is because the beastmen are now useful to humans, not out of true eptance. Of course, there still seems to be subtle discrimination against the beastmen. But for now, let''s move on from the topic of the beastmen and talk about the mages. Anyway, since humans rejected things that were different from them, they also instinctively shunned the mages who wielded powers different from their own. After all, humans had no spirits, no sorcery, nothing of the sort. Of course, the merchants who traded with the elves or lizardmen might have known about such things... But those merchants were a tiny minority, and most humans were greatly surprised by the sight of magic. The Temple of Life? That had already be a part of everyday life long ago. Moreover, even without the Temple''s people, proper medicine and treatment could heal wounds. But humans viewed magic differently. Even though they could use mana stones to do the same things, they were perhaps jealous that the mages could do it without mana stones. How foolish of them.And so, the mages either hid their abilities and lived in secret, or wandered to othernds, or gathered together to live amongst themselves. To help the pitiful mages who wanted to move to other ces, the Temple of Life''s pilgrims provided them with advice to disguise themselves as pilgrims, since the human mage-haters would not dare disturb the pilgrims. Some mages hid, some wandered, and the rest searched for a ce where they would not be persecuted, eventually settling and forming their own vige. It was a rather barrennd, on the edge of the scorching desert to the south. Aside from a small oasis, there were no water sources. Yet in this destend, a vige of mages was established. For ordinary humans, it would have been uninhabitable. But for the mages who could use magic, it was a harsh yet livable ce. They hunted monsters with magic for food, used spells to create water and ice to counter the heat andck of resources, and shaped the abundant rocks into houses to live in. It was not an easy life, but they persevered and found a way to survive. Someone took pity on them and established a small Temple of Life there, cing a few pilgrims - a minor but meaningful gesture. These mages, who wielded instinctive magic using their own mana, were the most proficient in utilizing mana stonespared to the other subraces. They quickly mastered using mana stones, whether extracting the mana to enhance their own magic, analyzing their magic and replicating it with mana stones, or creating scrolls that could reproduce magic by mixing mana stone powder into ink on papyrus. It may seem like they could just hold the mana stones and use magic, but the efficiency is different. While using just the mana stones, they could only use 1 out of 10,000. But with the papyrus scrolls, they could use 10 or even 100 times more. The 10 to 100 times increase in efficiency made the extra effort worthwhile. Of course, mages using mana stones directly could increase efficiency by 20 to 200 times, but let''s move on from that. These mana stone ink scrolls,monly known as magic scrolls, became highly valuable items. Papyrus itself was already quite expensive, but the mages'' settlement on the edge of the scorching desert was just west of the lizardmen''s territory. Acquiring papyrus from the lizardmen would not have been a major issue. And so, the mages began to gradually earn money by purchasing mana stones from merchants, creating magic scrolls, and selling them. Of course, due to the harsh environment, a considerable amount was spent just to maintain the bare minimum living conditions. But it was still better than wandering aimlessly or hiding their abilities. As the mages'' vige gradually took shape, the situation was still a bit precarious. The biggest problem was the poption. Mages were not originally a numerous race, and the number of mages who came to settle here was even smaller. Even though about 30 years had passed since the emergence of mages, the poption here had not yet exceeded 200. Therefore, I had an idea to add one more thing to this vige. Just in case there was a human king who was obsessed with the scrolls and led an army to invade, I wanted to make it difficult for them to invade easily... by utilizing a bit of faith. Fortunately, Ifrit was nearby, so I could do that. Anyway, that was how the vige where the mages gathered, Babel, was born. But who on earth named it Babel? It sounds ominous. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Really, it''s such a waste for me to go around beating up monsters." [Mother, I don''t understand what you mean by that.] "You''re right, I don''t understand it either." I came to the volcano in the middle of the scorching desert to meet Ifrit. Ifrit had be the god of the sacred me, as the faith in the sacred me had spread widely. But it''s still better to talk to him directly. "Anyway, is there anything unusual happening?" [There''s nothing unusual. I''m just idly passing the time here. Each day is so boring that I feel like I''m going to die.] "For you, I''ve prepared a certain magic." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I taught Ifrit the magic to create an Avatar. [Are you not going to return my scales?] "You speak as if the scales are yours. They were originally mine." [But... Isn''t teaching me this magic a sign that you have no intention of returning the scales?] "Well, yes. I have no intention of returning the scales. That''s why I''m teaching you this magic." At my words, Ifrit created an avatar with a face full of discontent and started moving it around. "Hmph, it''s still weak, isn''t it? With this, I can''t even unleash one-tenth of the power you had as a dragon." "Dragons are just too strong. Anyway, live freely with that avatar." "I''m grateful for the magic you''ve taught me, but... Can''t you return the scales to me?" "No, I can''t." I bluntly rejected Ifrit''s request. "And one more thing. Would you mind if I took a bit of your me?" "Huh? My me? What do you need it for?" "A human vige has been established at the entrance of this desert, and it''s still in a precarious position. If I could share a bit of your me with their vige and have them under your protection, it might deter external invasions." The faith in the sacred me that purifies the sins of the dead was quietly gaining poprity on the continent. If anyone tried to invade the vige, they would hesitate, knowing that they would incur the wrath of the sacred me. "It would be good for you, as your faith would increase, and the vige would be under your protection." After pondering my words, Ifrit said, "I don''t mind sharing, but wouldn''t it be more convenient if Mother protected them?" Protecting them myself... Hmm. That would be a hassle. To be honest, I''ve done so much! I''ve spread life throughout this world! I''ve helped so much evolution! I''ve raised sentient natural beings like my own children! I''ve given them bodies! Dinosaurs were born! I''ve even helped dogs! I''ve gone a bit overboard and caused some chaos, but after that, I''ve helped so much! I even created the Afterlife! Shouldn''t I be able to rx a bit now?! Huh?! But I couldn''t bring myself to say those words out loud. *sigh* Well, helping that vige isn''t a bad idea, but still. However, not as the Creator Dragon God or the Goddess of Life. It''s a hassle to do that. Most importantly, the location of that vige is on the edge of the scorching desert. Ifrit, who is closest, is the right person for the job. "You are more suitable than me. Moreover, it''s an opportunity to solidify the faith directed towards you." "Faith, huh... Honestly, I can''t really feel much difference." Ifrit grumbled a lot. To be honest, I feel the same way. The faith in me as the Creator Dragon God and the Goddess of Life ising in, butpared to the power I originally had, it''s so weak that I can hardly feel it. Well, even if I have it, it should still be helpful! "Anyway, I understand." Ifrit moved his main body and provided a small me, and I created a stone brazier to contain that me. Good. Now it''s time for the humans to directly face the sacred me! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - At that time, a person appeared crossing the scorching desert. It was a girl with long silver hair and horns on her head. The girl was carrying arge stone brazier in her arms, and the me in the brazier was burning continuously without any fuel. Despite carrying the heavy stone brazier and crossing the hot desert, the girl did not seem tired at all. She ced the brazier in the central square of the vige and created a fence, saying: [This me is a part of the sacred me. If you worship it sincerely, it will protect you forever.] The mages began to pray to the me with a mixture of doubt and belief, and miraculously, the hot temperature of the vige gradually decreased, bing a suitable living environment. Thus, the eternal me became a sacred ce visited by those who believed in the sacred me. - The God of Fire and Warmth. Tracing its roots. ording to the records, at the time, her identity was unknown, but over time, it has been revealed that she was the Dragon Priestess, a saint of the Church of Life. There are various opinions on why the Dragon Priestess came to the desert with a part of the sacred me, but the Church of Life has not expressed any opinion, and it remains a mystery. Chapter 72: A Small Piece of Darkness (5) Chapter 72: A Small Piece of Darkness (5) Thanks to Ifrit cing a part of his me in the vige of the mages, Babel, I was able to enter Babel without much resistance. It seemed Ifrit took pity on the humans living in the hot environment, as he absorbed the surrounding heat to lower the temperature a bit. As a result, I was able to establish a certain rapport with the vige chief who manages this town, which is a very positive oue. This vige is extremely exclusive if you are not a mage, so without this level of assistance, I would not have been able to easily approach them. Even if I disguise myself as a mage, my current goal is not just to be a member of this vige, but to be in a position to inspect the magical stones thate into this vige. Ah, I don''t need to inspect them directly. I just need to create some kind of magic or tool to inspect the magical stones. Regardless, I still need to establish a connection with the vige chief. Through some persuasion, I was able to take on the task of inspecting the magical stones thate into the vige, with the vige chief assigning an additional person to assist me. The summary of the conversation with the vige chief is as follows: [Thank you for bringing that sacred me. Thanks to that, the temperature of the vige has dropped significantly, making it more livable. But how did you cross that scorching desert?][That''s a secret. But in return for leaving that me here, I have a request.] [What kind of request? If it''s within my ability to decide, I''ll grant it.] [I''ve heard a lot of external magical stones areing into this vige, so I''d like you to entrust me with the task of inspecting those stones.] [Why do you want to do such a thing? The magical stones are an important raw material for making the magic scrolls, which are a major specialty product of this vige...] [Some of the magical stones contain a dangerous aura, a tiny bit of dark energy. If you use them without paying attention to that, it could cause a big problem.] [But...] [If you don''t want to, I can''t help it. I''ll take the sacred me back then. I brought the me because I felt sorry for the people in this vige, but if you can''t even grant this request, I have no choice.] [I-I''m sorry! Please reconsider! I''ll set up a ce for you right away!] Through this appropriate persuasion, I was able to take on the task of inspecting the magical stones brought into the vige. Of course, I''m not doing it alone, as the vige chief has assigned an additional person to assist me. "Are you the one who brought that me?" "That''s right." The young mage stared intently at my horns. His gaze clearly conveyed the sentiment of "What kind of human has something like this attached to them?" "Why are you trying to do something as annoying as inspecting the magical stones?" "Hmm. Didn''t the vige chief tell you the story?" "What story?" "No, never mind. You''ll understand soon enough when you see it." With this trivial conversation, the young man and I entered the warehouse where the externally brought magical stones were stored. A few wooden boxes piled in the corner of the small warehouse - that was the amount of magical stones brought in at a time. "Don''t even think about secretly putting a few stones in your pocket or anything. I''ll be watching your actions with my own two eyes." "Don''t worry, these stones aren''t worth much to me." The important thing is that some of the stones contain fragments of darkness. I opened one of the wooden boxes, revealing the magical stones filling it. Hmm, there are quite a lot. Inspecting them one by one is going to be a hassle. I could try to find them manually, but the fragments of darkness hidden in the stones are too small, while I''m too big to find them, so it''s not going to be an easy task. It''s like trying to find a tiny ck grain of sand in a desert. Troublesome and tiring. In a case like this, I should use a tool. Let''s see. I''ll make it a small hand-trowel-like shape that can be held in one hand, and add a precise detection function to it to be able to pick up even the slightest dark energy from the contents. I''ll also add a warning sound that goes off when it''s detected, and a control function that only activates the detection when the button is pressed. With this simple magical stone detection tool in the shape of a hand trowel, I scooped out the stones and transferred the empty boxes, without the warning sound going off, even as the young mage watched me with a puzzled gaze. Beep! The warning sound went off. "Huh?! What''s that sound?" "I''ve finally found it." I scooped out about half of the magical stones inside the hand trowel and pressed the activation button again, and this time the warning sound did not go off, so I moved the remaining magical stones in the hand trowel to the inspected box. And after re-inspecting half of the stones I had set aside earlier, with no warning sound, I moved them to the inspected box as well. I repeated the process of halving the stones that triggered the sound and re-inspecting them until: "I found it." I was able to find a magical stone the size of a fingernail that had a fragment of darkness embedded in it. "What''s so special about that stone that you had to search for it so carefully?" "Take a good look." I took out a ck diamond from my pocket and brought it close to the stone, and a tiny fragment of darkness seeped out of the stone and flowed into the ck diamond. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Did something juste out of the stone just now?" "Yes. You saw it well. Your eyes are good." I had thought the fragment was so small that he might not have noticed, but fortunately the young man had witnessed it properly. "But what was that just now..." "A tiny fragment of darkness. It is present in a very small portion of the magical stones." In fact, even after going through almost an entire box, this was the only stone it was found in. The probability must be infinitely low. "It''s like an impurity mixed in with the magical stones. I''m trying to seal away this energy." "Seal it away..." The young man seemed doubtful. But what can I do? He had seen me actually doing it. "I can''t just leave this energy alone. Since this vige is where most of these magical stonese in, if I leave these fragments of darkness unattended, who knows what might happen. I''ll keep it a secret." "A secret? You''re speaking in a very meaningful way, but it''s a secret?" "The certain thing is, it''s not a very good thing in this world. If magic scrolls are made using magical stones with these fragments of darkness in them, something bad might happen." "Something bad... Could it be rted to the faulty scrolls as well?" "Faulty scrolls?" I asked back, and the young man calmly replied. "Yes. It''s very rare, but sometimes perfectly made scrolls would either not activate properly, activate much stronger than expected, or activate apletely different magic. People have even been injured or killed because of that." "I see." Faulty scrolls, huh. I didn''t know that was a thing. I thought the asional magical explosions during scroll-making by mages were just failed attempts. "I''m not certain, but there''s a possibility. Shall we test it out?" I pointed to the empty boxes that hadn''t been inspected yet. If I could find stones with fragments of darkness in those boxes, I could test it. But the young man shook his head. "Trying it out directly is a bit... daunting. It could be dangerous for my life." Well, testing it at the risk of one''s life is a bit much. Then, if I remove all the stones with these fragments of darkness and make scrolls, and no faulty scrolls appear... that might work, right? "Anyway, if the cause of the faulty scrolls could be these fragments of darkness, I can''t just ignore it. Could you possibly prepare more tools to detect the darkness fragments?" "Hm? More?" "Yes. I''ll pay a sufficient amount. If we can reduce the number of faulty scrolls, I''m willing to use as many as needed." Hmm. The payment isn''t really important. Ah, that''s it! "No need for payment. Instead, I''d like you to gather the stones with the darkness fragments and send them to the Temple of Life." "The Temple of Life? Are you by any chance rted to the Temple of Life?" "That''s... a secret." I raised my index finger to my lips to emphasize that it''s a secret. It would be more convenient for me to have the stones with the darkness fragments handed over to the Temple of Life, where I can control them, rather than leaving them with the humans. "If you hand them over to the Temple of Life, I''lle by asionally to collect them. After all, the stones with the darkness fragments are unusable for you as well... It could even save you the disposal costs, don''t you think?" It''s better to have them handled cleanly than risk problems from trying to use them, from the mages'' perspective. "As for that point... I will speak to the vige chief about it. But I will likely get his permission. The issue of faulty scrolls has also been a concern for the vige chief." "Un. I appreciate that." If things proceed as such, it would be very convenient. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And so I created several trowel-shaped magical stone detection tools and handed them over to the mages. The mages thenpleted a contract to transfer the magical stones with fragments of darkness to me through the Temple of Life. Good. It''s much more efficient to have others do it rather than doing it myself. As they say, you have to use your head to make your bodyfortable. Now I just need to go to the Temple of Life asionally to collect the fragments of darkness embedded in the magical stones. While building this system to gradually recover the fragments of Erebus, I suddenly remembered an important fact that I had forgotten. If it''s a monster that can be captured by ordinary humans or subraces, then I can recover the fragments that way. But what if it''s a monster that''s too strong for humans to handle? Should I just wait for humans to be stronger? But I don''t know how long that will take. Lizardmen or giants might be able to beat most monsters, but they are heavily influenced by their environment and can''t roam freely... Hmm. I fell deep in thought. Wouldn''t it be better to create a powerful weapon that is deadly to strong monsters, and use it to absorb the fragments of darkness from their magical stones? For example, something like a Hero''s Sword. Chapter 73: Sword of the Hero (1) Chapter 73: Sword of the Hero (1) Among the cards I can use, the one that would be most useful for hunting the powerful monsters scattered across the world is... unfortunately, humans. Ah, excluding dragons. Those children have the strength to create monsters, but they are like des that cannot be wielded carelessly. If they run wild, the terrain would change, so they cannot be used recklessly. It''s easy to cause a mess. Excluding dragons... the race that follows my orders the best would be the lizardmen, but they are heavily influenced by their environment. But if those children were freed from the constraints of the environment... then one of the restraints holding them back would be removed. Lizardmen free from environmental constraints would likely push aside humans and be the new masters of the world! Theyy multiple eggs at a time, so their numbers are quiterge. Their physical abilities are slightly weaker than giants, but they are still very strong and hardy. And with their magic buffs, they would be a terrifying reptilian existence if they weren''t inherently good-natured. Their weakness is that they are heavily influenced by their environment, and they only prefer obsidian weapons. But that weapon preference is a trivial w, as they can kill beasts with their bare hands.In any case, I can''t remove the environmental constraints on the lizardmen... Even if it''s just a temporary expedition, having them constantly roam and defeat monsters is unrealistic. Elves or dwarves are basically hikikomori who don''t want to leave their strongholds, and I can''t guarantee they''ll move ording to my intentions, so they''re out. Maybe I could control them through Yggdrasil or Sagarmatha, but controlling them indirectly would be difficult. Giants? Giants are blockheads. They''re out of the question from the start. And like the lizardmen, they are heavily influenced by their environment. Giants can''t survive well outside of cold regions, and they consume a lot of food. Their raw strength is certain, but... they''re hard to control and I have no way to handle them. Therefore, it ultimatelyes down to beastmen or humans... and humans who can freely roam the world without much restriction would be the most convenient. Unless it''s a situation where they''re constrained by national boundaries, in the current loose situation outside of city-states, traveling merchants and adventurers can move around without much difficulty. So, wouldn''t it be good to give powerful weapons to humans and have them defeat the monsters that are difficult to capture? Of course, I''ll hide the true purpose. If they only hear about collecting the fragments of darkness in the magical stones, it would sound like I''m trying to revive some ancient demon lord. Let''s see. I''ll make a good sword and imbue it with various magic to enhance its performance, and even insert a ck diamond so that it can absorb the fragments of darkness when it cuts down monsters. Hmm, a specialized sword for defeating great monsters might be created. Ah, but what happens if I extract the fragments of darkness from living monsters? I''ll need to test thatter. And... hmm... should I also create a ''hero'' to wield that sword? No, ''create'' sounds a bit strange. It''s like I''m creating humans. It would be better to say I''m establishing the position of a ''hero''. If monsters continue to appear and grow stronger, they will pose a great threat to humans. So if I prepare a hero to defeat those monsters in my stead and protect the humans and subraces, wouldn''t that be good? Selecting a human with excellent qualities and character, and bestowing upon them the hero''s sword from the Temple of Life, to have them travel the world and hunt monsters. Hmm... that doesn''t sound too bad! It could be a heroic tale! And when there is no hero, the hero''s sword can be kept at the Temple of Life. That way, I can collect the fragments of darkness from the magical stones they''ve gathered. Sounds good. I''ll do it this way. Ah,e to think of it, the hero might need a supporter, right? Hmm... should I attach a suitable one from the Temple of Life? Or maybe even a dragon wouldn''t be a bad idea. I could even join them myself if necessary. No, no, that won''t do. I already have a lot to do, why would I join them? It doesn''t seem like such a big task that I need to get involved. Creator Dragon God, Goddess of Life, and all the other things you have to deal with - are you really going to add more work for yourself? Are you an idiot?! After all that hard work, are you going to do something stupid again?! Wake up! Me!! Ahem. Let''s think about the hero''s supporterter. First, I need to make the hero''s sword. Let''s see. First, I should think about the shape. Since it''s the hero''s weapon, it should be a sword, of course... What about the size? A standard one-handed sword, or a big and beautiful two-handed sword. Both are appealing, so it''s hard to choose. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Or maybe a bastard sword that can be used with one or two hands... but that somehow doesn''t feel right. The name itself doesn''t sit well with me. A bastard sword?! No, no, there''s no reason why the sword has to be just one form. It can be a sword that changes shape. At that moment, an image shed through my mind. A sword that starts as a huge greatsword, but then transforms into a thinner sword-like shape after the user equips armor. If I do that... I can have both a two-handed sword and a one-handed sword. Isn''t that killing two birds with one stone? Okay, let''s make it. With this idea flowing, I can make it without hesitation! First, the materials. What should I use? Silver imbued with magic? Or steel imbued with magic? Silver imbued with magic can absorb magic, while steel imbued with magic can deflect it... hmm. It''s ambiguous. To enable the shape-changing, I''ll need the magic to work, so I can''t use steel... I guess I should use silver after all? No, wait, I can use other metals too. Let me test it out first. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I made several metals and imbued them with magic to see how they''d transform, but there weren''t many usable ones. The gold imbued with magic was quite useful though. The yellow color of the gold had be quite pale, turning into a golden-gray color. Its strength was slightly less than the ck steel imbued with magic, but it was still quite durable. It had the ability to absorb magic smoothly, simr to mithril, and had the advantage of being able to enhance the properties of other metals when mixed. And the most important thing - the function I decided to use this magic-imbued gold for. The magic-imbued gold had a strange property - it could remember and transform its shape using magic. It''s a kind of shape memory, but different from shape memory alloys that return to their original shape when heated. After much trial and error, I found that this metal could remember its shape by imbuing it with magic. I made it into an elongated rod shape and imbued it with a specific magic pattern. Then, after crumpling it up, I pushed the magic pattern back in, and it returned to the original rod shape. The only downside is that it can only remember about three patterns, and the force to transform the shape isn''t that strong - it can be stopped by simply pressing on it with your hand. But once the transformation isplete, it bes sturdy again! Well, it''s only weak during the transformation process, so I shouldn''t pass up using this amazing metal! Alright, let''s make it diligently. I''m not sure how well I can utilize the transformation function, but if I keep trying, I''m sure I''ll get some results. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Hero''s Sword, Chloive Sis. Also known as the Sword of Light. It is said to be the sacred sword wielded by the hero chosen by the Goddess of Life when great crises befall humanity. The sword is said to have the ancient darkness sealed within it, and its power derived from the ancient darkness makes it especially effective against monsters. Its basic form is arge two-handed sword, but it is famous for its ability to change shape to suit the user. The transformed form is called the Agatm, the silver-armored form, and it is said that the de of the greatsword transforms into armor that protects the user. In this armored state, the hero''s sword greatly changes shape, bing a thin one-handed sword, allowing the user to utilize more agile sword techniques. Furthermore, the hero''s sword has the ability to disassemble magic and convert it into pure magical power, which it can then absorb and use to enhance the user. This legendary weapon truly embodies the title of the ultimate weapon. ... During the periods when a hero has not been designated, this sword is kept under strict seal at the Church of Life. However, it is said that the seal will be broken when the Dragon Priestess appears, signaling that a great crisis has befallen humanity. Therefore, if one were to witness this sword again, it would mean that a grave crisis hase upon humanity. Even as the author of this book, I too would like toy eyes on this sword once, but considering that its appearance signifies a threat to humanity, it is also a legendary weapon that I dare not wish to see. Personally, I even attempted to request assistance from the Church of Life, but even the high priest of the Church of Life informed me that they are unaware of the whereabouts of this sword, which remains sealed. It is truly regrettable. - Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons --- T/N: Imagine all of those Isekai stories where the hero is summoned, but their true purpose is... Chapter 74: Sword of the Hero (2) Chapter 74: Sword of the Hero (2) First, I made a greatsword. I used a generous amount of silver and gold that had been transformed by magical power, and made an alloy the appropriate ratio. For the joints, I used the gold that had been transformed by magical power...hmm, it''s inconvenient to keep calling it that! Since the steel transformed by magical power is hard, I''ll call it adamantium!! The silver transformed by magical power, I''ll call it mithril!! And the gold transformed by magical power, I''ll call it orichalcum!!! Strictly speaking, they might be different metals, but since I made it, I''ll name them as I please! Ahem. The swordpleted with the alloy of mithril and orichalcum, when I grip it with both hands and push a specific pattern of magical power into the hilt... Kiiing! The metal that makes up the de of the greatsword rapidly transforms, and silver armor starts to cover my hand and forearm. Armor for the back of the hand and forearm, armor for the chest, shoulders, and hips, and finally armor for the shins, calves, and feet, alle together in session. Un, good. It''s working properly. Especially the parts that automatically equip during the transformation, it''s perfect. The repeated trial and error was worth it.Furthermore, after the transformation, the armor is firmly fixed in ce. Until I input the magical pattern to transform it back into a greatsword, I can''t take it off. Honestly, I wanted to cover my whole body in te armor, but unfortunately, I didn''t have enough metal, so this was the limit of the armor I could make. Thepromise I made was this current form. If I didn''tpromise, the greatsword would have be evenrger. I wish I could have included armor for the fingers, upper arms, thighs, and a helmet too, but I''ll stopining here. I moved my body around to check the condition of the armor. Despite being made of metal tes, the armor doesn''t hinder my movements at all. Except for the ankles, the major joints are mostly exposed, which is why. And for the joints that are covered by armor, I carefully designed them to not impede movement. I can freely rotate my wrists, and the ankles are the same. Twisting my waist feels natural as well. Next is the strength test, but honestly, the alloy of mithril and orichalcum in the appropriate ratio is so strong that even adamantium or orichalcum would have a hard time leaving a scratch on it. At most, adamantium and orichalcum could leave a trace, but the marks get restored when the form is transformed, so as long as I transform it in time, it''s essentially self-repairing. I should add some other functions too. Absorbing fragments of darkness from the magic stones of monsters the de cuts, absorbing magical power, and granting buffs to the user... Hmm, what else? Spewing fire or shooting ice from the sword would be difficult because it would interfere with the magical power absorption ability. Well, is this enough? I''m a bit disappointed about theck of ranged attack options. Ah, right. I had made a slot to insert a ck diamond, but I hadn''t put it in yet. I inserted the ck diamond into the slot on the chest te. Good, that''s the finishing touch. Now the ck diamond embedded in the sword will absorb and store magical power and fragments of darkness. And it will also have the function of drawing out that magical power to empower the user. It''s like a battery, in a way. I lightly swung the one-handed sword I was holding and examined it. This one-handed sword is the axis of the transformation. Even on its own, it''s a quite sharp de. The edge is made thin with ayer of adamantium, making it very light yet durable, not easily chipped or bent. In this era where iron weapons are scarce, this sword could be called a legendary weapon without exaggeration. I poured magical power into the sword in my hand, and the silver armor synchronized with it, beginning the transformation. In reverse order of how it equipped, the leg armor attaches first, followed by the chest and shoulder armor, and finally the forearm armor. The sword form returns to its original greatsword shape. The difference from before is that a ck diamond is now embedded in the middle of the greatsword''s de. The overall greatsword, in silver with hints of gold and pale gold, looks more impressive than I had imagined. But with the ck diamond, it kind of looks like a demonic sword. Hmm, oh well! Now then, the hero, I suppose? The person who holds the sword may not have the qualifications of a hero, but I can check if they possess those qualities. For example, they must be a good person. They must have exceptional talent. They cannot ignore injustice. must have no hesitation in saving others. They must be able to sacrifice their precious things for a greater cause...but that might be going too far. And the person I have designated as the hero should also be included. By the way, my designation has the highest authority, so I can choose the hero by ignoring all other conditions - it''s a kind of backdoor. I''m preparing this function just in case, but surely there won''t be ack of hero material, right? I prepared it just in case, but hopefully I won''t have to use it!! Anyway, if I set various conditions like this and only allow the one who passes all of them to wield the hero''s sword... Hmm, it feels like I''m copying the legend of King Arthur. But oh well. There''s no such thing as the legend of King Arthur in this world. There''s no Merlin either. If a situation arises where a hero is needed, I''ll bring in a person who has the qualities of a hero and have them grab this sealed sword. And if they pass the conditions, they can wield the sword, and if not, they fail as the hero. And if someone who initially passed the hero''s conditions changes over time... they won''t be able to wield the sword anymore. It may be a bit harsh, but people tend to change, after all. Alright, the hero''s sword seems to be mostly finished.... Ah, I haven''t decided the most important thing yet. What should I name this sword? The most representative name would be Excalibur? No, it''s toomonly used in creative works, so it''s too ordinary. Gram? Balmung? Durandal? Ah, those names are closer to demonic swords. Since it''s the hero''s sword, I want a bright image. A name with the image of light...hmm. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Ah, I have the perfect name. The sword of the Celtic mythology. Chloive Sis. The real pronunciation was cloidheamh sis, wasn''t it? But Chloive Sis is much more familiar, so let''s go with that. And the name of the armor that transforms from the greatsword will be Agatm, taken from the owner''s name. The armor''s color is also a shining silver, so it fits. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The boy and girl stood facing each other, each holding a sword. The boy''s sword was a massive greatsword with a ck diamond embedded in it. Its appearance exuded an extraordinary aura. In contrast, the girl wearing a hood held a in iron sword. It was average in thickness and length, with no distinctive features. Seeing the extraordinary power emanating from their weapons, it seemed the boy would overwhelmingly defeat the girl. But the reality was different "Haaah!" The boy swung down his greatsword towards the girl. It was a swift strike, belying its massive size. The powerful blow of the greatsword, capable of slicing through anything, even solid steel, seemed to threaten the girl''s life. The strike, more like a life-or-death sh than a sparring match, looked too dangerous, and the girl under the greatsword appeared about to be split in two. However, the girl calmly and steadily extended her iron sword towards the greatsword. The weak iron sword facing the fierce greatsword looked like a candle in the wind, about to be broken at any moment. But the girl''s skill denied that oue. Just before the swords met, she slightly lowered the iron sword, creating an opening. Then, the iron sword attached to the side of the greatsword, and with a slight push, it deflected the greatsword to the side. Kwang!! The greatsword struck the ground without even touching the girl''s clothes. "That''s enough." And the iron sword in the girl''s hand now pointed at the boy''s neck. "I lost." "Good job." The victorious girl returned the iron sword to its sheath, and the boy also secured the greatsword on his back, beginning to loosen his muscles. The rapidly moving muscles seemed to have surprised him, as he looked a bit stiff. "When will I be strong?" "You are already strong." The boy was not happy with the girl''s words. Even though she said he had be strong, he had never beaten her even once. Even though he held the legendary weapon, the hero''s sword, he couldn''t defeat that in iron sword. He just felt pathetic. He wanted to show a strong and impressive appearance in front of her. But the boy seemed to have forgotten that the powerful strike he had just made was swung at the girl who wanted to be impressed. "I''m just a little stronger." Unaware of the boy''s feelings, the girl seemed to be boasting a little. "But... at this rate, I may not be able to properly fulfill the role of a hero." "It''s okay. You can do it." The girl answered with confidence, despite the boy''sck of self-confidence. "In my judgment, and in the sword''s choice, there is no deception. So it''s alright." "But..." "If you can''t trust yourself, then trust me. Believe in me, who believes in you." "What''s that supposed to mean?" The boy could onlyugh awkwardly at the girl''s words. A cool breeze blew across the open field, cooling the sweat on the boy''s forehead. Enjoying the refreshing sensation, the boy''s gaze stopped on the girl with her hood pulled over her head. "But that hood, isn''t it stuffy?" "It''s not particrly stuffy." "It looks stuffy, can''t you take it off?" The girl shook her head at the boy''s words. "Not yet. It''s not time to reveal my horns. If it''s known that I''ve appeared... the people of the Church of Life might not mind, but outsiders will be greatly surprised. I have to keep it a secret until the right time." The appearance of the girl, the dragon priestess, was also a sign that a crisis was approaching the life of this world. - From the adventure records of a certain hero''s party. --- T/N: Bro literally challenging a higher being than him... Chapter 75: Sword of the Hero (3) Chapter 75: Sword of the Hero (3) I powerfully forged the hero''s sword, and as a light test of its performance, I gave the hero''s sword Chloive Sis to an artificial human with average human specs and had it fight against monsters. "Incredible." Dozens of monsters werepletely destroyed. No, even though I had limited the artificial human''s physical abilities to the level of an ordinary human, I thought it might not be dangerous... but a huge bear-like monster and dozens of other monsters were reduced to mere chunks of meat. The power, durability, and cutting force of the greatsword, the defensive power in its armored state, and the enhancement from its exceptional magical power were all incredible. In the hands of my artificial human, who had no memory of wielding a sword, the huge bear-like monster was instantly reduced to dozens of pieces of meat. This sword disyed a terrifying power. And the defensive power of the armor... if one just pays a little attention to the unprotected areas, it could withstand the powerful blow of the bear''s fist that could crush rocks without any impact. It seems I have created something extraordinary. Hmm. This is dangerous. If this weapon is given to a single human, who knows what might happen.If a human who knows how to fight wields this sword, they could easily y a wyvern or even a lesser dragon. Of course, as humanity progresses over time, there may even be beings born who can fight dragons with just their own bodies. But anyway, it seems I have created an overly powerful sword. This sword will definitely require special management. Originally, it''s a weapon that can''t be wielded by those who don''t meet the conditions. But who knows, someone might find a way to bypass those restrictions through magic. There may be someone who can do such a thing without my knowledge. When it''s not in the hands of a hero, it must be thoroughly sealed and hidden away in the Temple of Life... it must be kept aplete secret! The best would be for me to manage it directly, but... Well, I''ll think about it. Yeah think about it. Now, let''s see. What should I do next? Should I look for a human worthy of the hero''s title? One who can pass all the strict conditions? Ah, no. I''ll spread a rumor instead. It will be much easier to gather humans by spreading a rumor than to personally check each one. Coincidentally, there are many pilgrims traveling around the world for the Temple of Life. And these days, there are quite a few people who want to join the Temple of Life even though there are no more dragons. I''ll just convey a message through a divine oracle to the humans who believe in the Goddess of Life. So I secretly brought the hero''s sword to the Dragon''s Tomb, the main sanctuary of the Temple of Life, and stuck it into arge rock. Then I made a chain of pure adamantium and tightly wrapped it around the greatsword, firmly sealing it into the rock, making it difficult to pull out. Of course, I cut one of the rings of the chain in half and sealed it with magic! So that when a human who meets the conditions grasps the sword, the chain will be released! Alright, the preparations are done. Let me issue the divine oracle. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - One day, a divine oracle was delivered to those who believe in the Goddess of Life. [Lately, the number of malicious monsters harming other lives has been increasing, but humansck the power to protect themselves. So I have directly created a sword and ced it within the Temple of Life. However, the power of this sword is too great, so the user must be carefully selected. One with a good heart. One with exceptional talent. One who cannot ignore injustice. One who does not hesitate to save others. Find such a person and let them grasp the sword. That person shall be the hero who protects humanity with this sword.] With many viges being sacrificed due to the increasing monsters and evil beings, the sword given by the Goddess of Life to protect humans spread its fame not only to all humans, but also to other subraces. Those who wished to wield the sword forged by the divine hand flocked to the Temple of Life. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A rumor with no legs can still travel a thousand miles. And with the Temple of Life''s pilgrims spread across the world, the news spread in an instant. The rumors circting among the connoisseurs about the sword are: [A sword with a sharpness that can cut through anything.] [If one grasps that sword, they will be invincible and immortal, able to seize everything.] [It is said that if one draws out the sword, the Goddess of Life will grant their wish.] [That sword is said to be so amazing that it cannot be forged even by humans, let alone dwarves.] [One can be a god by taking the Goddess of Life as their wife.] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Thest one, what''s that about? Why are such rumors spreading? In any case, the rumors were quickly inted, and many people flocked to the vicinity of the Dragon''s Tomb where the Temple of Life is located. Those who are confident in their own strength. Those who seek great power and want to grasp the sword. Those who are greedy for their wishes. Those who are burning with a desire for revenge after losing their family to monsters. Those who, as cksmiths, have a desire to see an exceptional sword. Those who want to take the beautiful Goddess of Life as their wife... what''s with that purpose?! Anyway, many people came to pull out the sword, each with their own intentions. But none of them were able to pull out the sword. Overwhelmed by the sight of the sword firmly embedded in the massive rock, and crushed by the pressure of the ck iron chains wrapped around the sword, they were unable to pull it out at all. Even the mighty giants, the renowned soldiers, the dwarves who are much stronger than humans, and even the king of a city-state - none of them could pull out the sword. A year passed like that. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Did I set the conditions too strict? Why can''t anyone pull out the sword? Being kind, talented, unable to ignore injustice, and able to help others should be enough for a decent person, right? Why can''t anyone pull it out? I had such thoughts at the time... But I was making a big mistake. I didn''t realize that my moral standards and the moral standards of this era werepletely different. Most of my way of thinking was established in modern society, but this era was an ancient society after all. Simply put, our [ways of thinking are different]. The w... the overwhelming w... my failure to consider that what I consider to be good and what is considered good in this era could be vastly different! The "good" in this era was far below the threshold of what I considered to be good. If even the easiest condition of being "good" is like that, then how about the other conditions? Talented? What level of talent would be considered talented from my perspective? From the divine perspective, should they have the potential to conquer the world with just one sword? The other conditions as well. The ones I thought would be easy turned out to be an insurmountable difficulty whenbined. I could only sigh as I watched countless humans try and fail to pull out the sword. Hmm... does the one who can pull out that sword truly not exist? While I was idly watching person after person attempt to pull out the sword, a young boy, about 10 years old, approached the sword. The boy''s clothes were more like rags, and his whole body was covered in dirt and dust. His paleplexion suggested he was not getting proper meals. Other people started pointing andughing at the sight of this ragged boy trying to pull out the sword that even the mighty could not. You can even hear a voice saying "Now even beggars are trying to pull it out?" But the boy did not hesitate at all. Without caring about the gaze of others, the young boy, holding a swordrger than his own body, slowly began to pull out the sword. Creak. As the boy grasped the hilt of the sword, the adamantium chains wrapped around the sword began to rattle. The others were all certain of the boy''s failure. In that situation, the boy began to put in his utmost effort to pull out the sword. As if there was nothing left for him if he failed to pull out this sword. As if he would burn everything to pull it out. But the sword did note out. I sighed softly as I watched that scene. The boy''s heart was kind. Not only was he a good person by the standards of this era, where the criteria for goodness is infinitely low, but he was also a good person by modern standards. He had the goodness to not tolerate injustice, and the heart to help others, but the boycked talent. That talent was, at best, suitable to be called a durd, even less than an ordinary human. The only advantage he had was that he had a strong, unyielding heart that did not give up. That''s why I closed my eyes for moment. Talent. Talent... Talent... That talent... could it be reced somehow with overwhelming effort and an unwavering heart, and the presence of a mentor to guide him? Of course, it would be extremely difficult for the person experiencing it, and it would be apanied by an effort that feels like it could lead to death. The words "I want to die" might evene out of his mouth. But couldn''t it work somehow? That''s why I nodded, and the adamantium chains wrapped around the sword slowly unraveled, and the hero''s sword began to be slowly pulled out of the rock. Chapter 76: Sword of the Hero (4) Chapter 76: Sword of the Hero (4) The boy was nothing. He didn''t know his hometown, didn''t know his parents, and barely lived by rummaging through the garbage in the corner of the vige. All he had was a tattered rag that someone had thrown away - a penniless child. It would not be strange if he suddenly copsed and died, being an orphan. The turning point in the short life of this boy was the pilgrims of the Temple of Life. Those who travel the world and spread the sacredness of life. The great Mother of Life. Praising her name, the healers who care for other lives. It was only natural that the small, withered child caught the eye of these pilgrims. The pilgrims took the child in. Caring for orphans who have nowhere to go was also a part of the work for life.Some of these pilgrims had also been orphans raised in this way. And so the child began to wander the world with the pilgrims. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The boy thought, Why is the world so cruel? If we could all live by helping each other a little, the world would be a better ce. If we could just give a little, just understand each other a little, the world could be a better ce to live. But people did not do so. Watching them fight over limited resources, envy their neighbors, and live greedily, the boy could not understand. No, it was rather that people did not understand the boy. The boy''s innate goodness did not fit at all with this era. In fact, one could say that the boy was a heretic of this age. It was fortunate that the boy was taken in by the pilgrims of the Temple of Life, so his goodness was not broken. As the boy served as an attendant to the pilgrims and traveled with them, [Find and let him grasp the sword. And he shall be the warrior''s sword to protect mankind.] The goddess''s oracle spread to all the pilgrims. The boy did not hear the voice. That voice told them to find the one who would grasp the goddess''s sword, and the pilgrims were greatly delighted. It was said that in the past there were those who couldmunicate directly with the Mother of Life, but that was not the case these days. Therefore, the oracle given by the Mother of Life greatly excited the people of the Temple of Life. "A sword never before seen in the temple!" "Is this the sword given by the goddess?" "Let''s spread the news! The goddess''s sword is here!" "The one who pulls out the sword will be the goddess''s warrior!" The news spread quickly. The pilgrims scattered throughout the world quickly spread the news, and the world began to seethe with the goddess''s sword. For the next year, people with leisure flocked to the headquarters of the Temple of Life, and everyone set out to pull out the sword. And they all failed. Some said, It is strange that so many have all failed. The goddess must have intended for the sword to be unpuble. Others said, The one who meets the conditions has not yet appeared. The one who can pull out the sword has not yete. The disgruntled said, This sword is nothing but the goddess''s deception. In fact, the goddess created monsters, and made humans fight against those monsters. Of course, thest person was beaten and had both arms broken, and was driven away. But he managed to escape with his life, perhaps thest mercy of the Temple of Life. Anyway, when no more people came forward to try to pull out the sword and be embarrassed, the boy approached the sword that many had failed to pull. Thanks to following the pilgrims of the Temple of Life, he didn''t starve, but he couldn''t eat his fill, so the skinny boy approached the sword. The other people watching the sword began to mock the boy. "What is this weak child thinking, standing in front of that sword?" "Leave him be. It''s just the foolishness of a child." "Looks like he''s an orphan taken in by the pilgrims of the Temple of Life. Dreaming in vain is no problem." Ignoring the adults'' nder, the boy stood in front of the sword. What was in the boy''s heart was just curiosity. What kind of sword was the one made by the goddess''s own hand? Is the rumor that it grants wishes true? The rumor that it will make the goddess his wife... Honestly, it''s probably just a rumor. But if it''s true, won''t he be able to see the Goddess of Life directly? Thinking such thoughts, the boy grasped the sword. ng. The sword did not move. It was only natural. Even the strong adults could not pull out the sword, so how could the small and weak boy pull it out? The person who suits this sword must be a strong and handsome person. Not a weak child like himself. Even as he thought that, the boy finally pulled out the sword. And. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now ng. Swoosh. The iron chains were released, and the sword embedded in the rock was pulled out. The boy did not understand that sight. Why was the sword being pulled out? He did not understand at all. As therge sword embedded in the rock gradually revealed itself, the surroundings were enveloped in silence. As if they were seeing something iprehensible. Astonishment was reflected in the eyes of the people. The sword that had not moved for a year was pulled out by the hands of that small child. "Y-You! Hand over that sword!!" "Money! I''ll give you as much money as you want! Sell the sword!" "What insolence!!! I am the Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom, Orcus! If you hand over that sword, I will spare your life!" It was only natural that people''s eyes turned to the boy in such a situation. The boy unconsciously took a step back, and the people approached the boy. It was a sight close to madness. Losing their sanity and turning into beasts. The boy began to be afraid those beasts about to devour him. The one who saved the boy was. "That''s enough." The silver-haired girl with horns on her head, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I let out a small sigh at the sight of the greedy people''s eyes rolling back. Human greed is endless, and repeating the same mistakes... But that''s not what I should say now. Well, I don''t want to let the hero I just picked fall into misanthropy. It''s better to stop the fight. Hmm. I was thinking of attaching a dragon or a child from the Temple of Life to help the hero, but... Well, he''s the first hero, so even though it''s a bit troublesome, I''ll take care of him myself. Human life is only a few decades. Even though my affairs are quite a lot, if I force myself a little, I should be able to spare that much time. So. "That''s enough." I revealed myself. "Those who are unqualified cannot grasp this sword, so the rest of you should give up and withdraw." A low warning. At the same time, the footsteps of the humans stopped. Their gaze was all focused on me. What are you looking at? Haven''t you seen a girl with horns on her head before? But that was only for a moment, and they did not stop walking. My appearance alone could not stop their footsteps. It was only natural. The sword made by the goddess herself. Its value was enough to cloud the eyes of all humans. So I clicked my tongue slightly. "Come behind me." "Y-Yes!" I hid the boy behind me and said to the approaching people. "If you withdraw now, it will be as if nothing happened. Your rudeness, your offense, your mistake, your wrongdoing. All will be forgotten. But." I lightly swung my right hand, and a long line was drawn on the stone floor by an invisible strike. "If you cross this line, be prepared." At my calm words, the footsteps of the humans paused for a moment. "A beast person...?" "No, the women of the beast people don''t have horns like that..." "Then, with that appearance, is it a man?" "No, it can''t be!!!" "No, with that kind of appearance, it might even be possible for a man..." Possible? What possible? I forcibly suppressed the anger that was about to rise and spoke. "I am the representative of the Goddess of Life. The one chosen by the sword has appeared, and I havee to guide him. So the rest of you should withdraw." At my words, the humans began to withdraw little by little. No matter how their eyes were rolling, who would be foolish enough to attack the representative of the Goddess? "Get out of the way! Get out of the way, you weak ones!!" I once had that kind of thought too... "The Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom, Orcus,mands you! Hand over that sword immediately! Then I will spare your life!!" Found the fool. No, the word "fool" is not enough. If it''s the Arcad Kingdom, it must be the most powerful kingdom among the current human kingdoms, but the Second Prince of that kingdom is rampaging like this without any sense of direction. The future of the kingdom looks grim! I just sighed softly. "Oh houu. Did you say you are the representative of the Goddess? You are very beautiful! Good! Hand over that sword to me! Otherwise, you will face the power of the Arcad Kingdom! The Temple of Life with only weak pilgrims will be destroyed in one night!" Crossed the line. Really. I''d like to just smash him to pieces, but this is the first hero I''ve picked, and he''s still a young child, so I don''t want to show him a rough side. I took a deep breath to slightly suppress my anger and spoke calmly. "You foolish brat, you don''t even have any manners. Did your parents teach you that way?" Oops, my mistake. Chapter 77: Divine Punishment (1) Chapter 77: Divine Punishment (1) "You foolish brat, you don''t even have any manners. Did your parents teach you that way?" The atmosphere suddenly became chilly at the words that slipped out of my mouth unintentionally. "Wh-What?!" The scoundrel who called himself the Second Prince began to get flustered at the sudden verbal abuse. It seems the pampered prince is not used to suchnguage. "H-How could you say something like that..." "To bring up someone''s parents, what an unimaginable nder." "For the representative of the Goddess to have such a foul mouth, could it be that even the Goddess of Life..." Ah, it seems he''s just not used to verbal abuse. After all, curses and insults also umte over time and history. In this era without a proper history, there wouldn''t be much in the way of curses either."You said you''re the Second Prince of Arcad, didn''t you? You are a foolish and utterly idiotic fool. Think carefully about who is standing before you now. Think carefully about where you are standing." I took a light step forward and seized control of the mana permeating the surroundings. And I lightly clenched my fist, slightly pressing on the shoulders of the human beasts around me. It would not be difficult to crush them into a bloody pulp, but I don''t want to spill blood in the temple that serves me. "kkeueg!" Along with a pig-like squeal, the fool copsed to the ground. Can he not even endure this much, yet he made such a sound? Truly foolish. "But we shouldn''t spill blood here. All of you, leave. There is no need for anyone else to try and pull out the hero''s sword." I wanted to break their limbs as punishment, but there is a young hero behind me. I don''t want to show him a rough side. This is a joyous moment, the birth of a hero. I don''t want to sully it with bloodshed. "So those whose lives are precious should withdraw." As I finished speaking, I released the mana that was pressing down, and the people who could now move ran towards the exit of the temple, their eyes filled with fear. Except for one foolish Second Prince. "Urgh... I am a prince! The Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom, Orcus! I can obtain anything I desire! You lowly beings cannot even dare to look up at me! Yet you made me kneel on the ground?!" Exalted, huh? That''s just the standard of humans, isn''t it? "I cannot forgive this! I absolutely cannot forgive it!!!" "If you won''t forgive, then what will you do?" "I''ll stake everything of the Arcad Kingdom! I''ll destroy you, the brat behind you, and this entire temple! I''ll make sure nothing remains!!!" Heh... Is that so? I let out a small chuckle. "Why are youughing?! Aren''t you afraid of the power of the Arcad Kingdom, the strongest nation in the world?!" "Why should I be afraid?" At my soft words, the foolish prince took a step back. "Even if you im to be the strongest, that''s just the standard of humans. And you, of all people, are desecrating the words and actions in the temple that serves the Goddess. Aren''t you belittling the Goddess of Life?" "Even so, that''s just the god of those wandering beggars! A pathetic god like that, my country''s power can bury it all!" Heh... Just a foolish brat who can''t who can''t tell the difference. Hmm. Okay, fine. I won''t kill him. But I''ll punish him a little. "I''ve decided. You''re too pitiful to be killed here." "What?" "Be grateful. I shall bestow immortality upon you. Until the Goddess of Life returns your death, you will be unable to die. Even when all the people around you die and are buried, you will not perish. Even when the country of Arcad is covered in dust and disappears, you will not rot." At my words, the prince''s expression changed to one of iprehension. "Immortality...? Not being able to die? Haha, even if you grant such a ''blessing'' now, my decision will not change!" "Blessing?" What is this fool talking about? "It''s not a blessing, but a curse, you foolish human." "Nonsense! How can not dying be a curse?!" Not dying. At first nce, it may indeed sound like a blessing. But I... I only said you won''t die, didn''t I? "Think as you please. I''m curious when your foolish thoughts will change." I drew up the mana and left a mark on the foolish prince''s soul. A message to convey to the reapers. Do not retrieve this person''s soul. At the same time, I cast a spell on the soul. A spell to maintain the minimum life force by absorbing the mana around it. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now So that he will never die from his life force or lifespan running out. It was a curse of immortality using a little trickery. "I dere. You will wish to die as a human, but you will not be able to die as a human. Your descendants will resemble humans, but they will not be human." I repeatedlyyered the curse. If he had desecrated the god in the temple, then he must pay the appropriate price, right? "Since you have insulted me by invoking the power of your country, I shall take your country from you." An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Power for power. I wonder how he will change after the power he so proudly boasted of disappears. "Birth will gradually turn its back on your country''snd, and death will gradually be cruel to the people of yournd. No matter how much you regret it, you will not return to normal until you truly begin a pilgrimage for life and return to this temple." Desecrating the Goddess of Life is just like that. It is necessary to punish foolish humans. Even if a country disappears, leaving only traces behind, due to these curses, divine retribution will be delivered. Honestly, I''m a little pissed off. Since I''ve been so lenient, the humans have be shameless. I need to discipline them a bit, don''t I? So. "Now, return to yournd. And regret for the rest of your life." I snapped my fingers lightly, and the image of the foolish prince disappeared from the temple. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Second Prince, who boldly stepped forward to pull out the hero''s sword, returned to the Arcad Kingdom on the day the sword-wielding hero appeared. As if he had jumped across space, the Second Prince appeared in the capital of the kingdom. The only problem was that the height of the ce where he suddenly appeared was a little high. "Aaaaaaah!!" The height that humans fear the most. The Second Prince, who fell from about 11 meters, was... Crack! Shattered his limbs as he collided with the hard stone floor. The fact that his head didn''t fall off first may be due to the blessing of the Goddess of Life. "Oh my god...!" "This is... the Second Prince?!" The guards were startled by the sight of the shattered Second Prince suddenly appearing in the air, and quickly brought a wooden cart to carry the Second Prince to the pce. Even though it was a pce, due to the undeveloped construction technology, it was a wooden building about 3 stories high, but in this era where most buildings were only 1 story... it was quite a noticeable building. Moreover, it was quite spacious, and the wooden fence surrounding it was densely erected. It was quite luxurious for a building of this era. "Oh my god! Second Prince?!" "Summon someone from the Temple of Life! There is an emergency!" "Understood!!" A man inside the pce, startled by the sight of the Second Prince who had be a mess, gave instructions to another guard, and the guard wasted no time in heading to the building where the pilgrims of the Temple of Life were staying. But. "What do you mean?! The Arcad Kingdom has to leave?!" "The oracle of the Goddess hase down. The Second Prince has insulted and acted against the Goddess of Life, and has incurred the wrath of the Goddess. So we must leave this ce." "How can that be... but the Second Prince is seriously injured right now..." At the guard''s words, the pilgrim shook his head slightly. "There''s no need to worry about that. His body will be unable to die, even if he wishes to. I rather pity the people of the Arcad Kingdom." "What do you mean?" "The wrath that the Second Prince''s rudeness has brought will fall upon the Arcad Kingdom. So tell them, it would be better to leave the Arcad Kingdom." "No, what are you talking about? Are you saying the kingdom will be destroyed overnight?" "If it were destroyed overnight, that would be better. It seems the Goddess of Life is deeply angered..." The guard could not believe the words he had heard. What on earth has the Second Prince done to anger the Goddess of Life? "Remember this well and convey it properly. Destruction is approaching the Arcad Kingdom. All 6 cities and 17 viges that make up the Arcad Kingdom will greatly decline, and if the Second Prince does not reflect on his wrongdoings, the destruction will be certain." "If that''s the case, what should we do?" "The Second Prince must sincerely repent and undertake a pilgrimage of atonement, renouncing everything. And in the final moment, he must seek forgiveness from the Goddess of Life. Only then can her wrath be withdrawn..." "A pilgrimage of atonement..." The pilgrim shouldered his packed bag and continued. "But it will be too much for the current Second Prince. His arrogance has brought this cmity, so only after losing everything will he truly reflect on his words and actions." "How can this be..." "However, the Goddess of Life has only shown her wrath towards thend of the Arcad Kingdom. If you wish to live, you must leave. That way, you may be spared." With those words, the pilgrim began to slowly walk away, and the guard started to ponder whether he should convey the pilgrim''s message. Chapter 78: Divine Punishment (2) Chapter 78: Divine Punishment (2) After the Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom suddenly fell from the sky, it took 6 months for him to miraculously recover. The miraculous healing of his shattered limbs without proper treatment was a miracle, but the matter regarding the Second Prince was not that important. "The pilgrims... they''re noting." "Mm-hmm. It''s about time the medicine runs out, but what on earth is going on?" "I don''t know. I''m not sure either." The first to notice were themoners who would visit the pilgrims to recover their weary bodies from hardbor. For those engaged in arduous work, the healing performed by the pilgrims was one of the few joys they had. The pleasure of their worn-out bodies being rejuvenated must have been a sweet respite for the people. "What? The pilgrims aren''ting to the neighboring vige either?""What is the meaning of this! Vige chief! Vige chief!! Come out!" "Ah, I don''t know! I don''t know why the pilgrims suddenly stoppeding!" The absence of those who had been wandering the world since before the people were born created a growing void. Theck of the pilgrims who had healed their sick and weary bodies was a serious problem. "What do we do? The fever won''t go down..." "Un. There''s no choice. We have to go to the neighboring vige." "But the neighboring vige is in a different country. Will that be alright?" "Alright or not, the child is this sick, we have to do something! Damn it... if only the pilgrims were here..." The first to be affected were the sick. The absence of the pilgrims who had healed their illnesses and injuries was a grave issue for them. They and their families were left with two choices, either venture to another country to save the sick, or leave the sick family member to die. Of course, going to another country was not entirely safe either. It was an era where fearsome monsters would appear even just a little off the path, and now there were no pilgrims to protect the travelers. But there were those who took on that risk and fled to other countries. Some carried their sick children on their backs and escaped to othernds, while others moved their bedridden parents on handcarts. Little by little, the people began to leave for other countries. As empty houses gradually increased in the once bustling vige, the remaining vigers couldn''t help but worry. "Vige chief. Half the vige is already empty. At this rate, the entire vige will be deserted. Please do something!" "Hmm... I''ve heard from the merchants that the same is happening in the cities." "In the cities too?" "Yes. Some cities are even showing signs of an epidemic. It''s the end of the world. The end times." But they did not know that the departure of the pilgrims was just the beginning. "The crops... they''re not growing." "The sprouting season has already passed. What is happening?" "It''s not just the crops. The hunting isn''t going well either. I set a few traps, but nothing was caught." "The fishing is the same. We used to catch over ten, but now we can''t catch any." Birth had turned its back on theirnd. Nothing new was being born, and nothing was bearing fruit. The animals that could move had all fled to distant ces, and the immobile nts had quietly fallen into a dormant state to endure the harsh times. The people of the Arcad Kingdom could not reap anything. "At this rate, we''ll all die! Damn it!" "The neighboring country is fine, but it''s only our country that''s like this. What''s going on?" As the remaining vigers struggled to continue their lives, "Disaster! An epidemic has started spreading from the cities!" "What?!" "It''s already spiraling out of control! If this continues, it''s only a matter of time before it reaches our vige!! I''m leaving the vige!" "Damn it... there''s no choice. If you want to live, you have to go to another country!" "Hey, you all! Leave the vige?! What are you saying?!" "Vige chief, do you really think this vige can withstand the epidemic without the pilgrims?" "But... I''m the vige chief recognized by the King..." "But nothing! What has that great King done for us until now?! If you don''t want to die, start preparing quickly! At least if we stick together, we can fend off the monsters!" Death had be merciless towards their people. The famine and disease had ruthlessly swept through the Arcad Kingdom, and the number of the dead and the sick continued to rise. Those who wanted to live had to head to other countries. Of course, the journey was not entirely safe, but many people left the kingdom driven by the will to survive. And the news of the people''s exodus reached the capital of the kingdom not long after. "What...?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "The exodus of the people is increasing. At this rate, the Arcad Kingdom will gradually disappear." "H-How could such a thing happen...?" "The most direct cause is that the pilgrims of the Temple of Life have stoppeding, and then there is the devastating famine. The crops cannot sprout properly, and not only is hunting difficult, but even the livestock are not giving birth properly." Facing the divine punishment that was thoroughly destroying a nation, the king stroked the crown on his head with a trembling hand. The crown that had been passed down through generations. The crown that symbolized the right to rule this world. How joyful he had been when he first wore this crown. He had felt as if he had grasped the world in his hands. But why had the gods inflicted such a cruel trial upon him? The kingmented. The king grieved. The king wished to take off the crown. But not yet. "Surely, when the Second Prince fell from the sky and was greatly injured in the past... there was something the departing pilgrim had said, was there not?" "Yes. ording to the report of the guard, it was said that the Second Prince had offended the Goddess of Life, and the divine punishment had been brought down. That fact has been kept strictly confidential, known only to us." "What do you all think?" To the king''s question, the vassals did not give any answer. No, the truth was, they knew. To save this country, the Second Prince had to undertake the pilgrimage of atonement. Like the pilgrims of the Temple of Life. had to undergo the cruel pilgrimage. But they could not bring themselves to say it. The Second Prince, Orcus. The troublemaker, Orcus. Born as thete child, he was the prince whom the king cherished dearly. And that was why he thought everything in the world belonged to him, the problem child of the kingdom. If they did not send that Second Prince on the pilgrimage, the Arcad Kingdom would eventually disappear. "Is there truly no other way? Is there no way for the Goddess of Life to calm her wrath?" It was an obvious question, but no answer came. The Goddess of Life was originally a merciful deity, merciful enough to have the pilgrims who followed her will care for other humans. What kind of deed had Orcusmitted to enrage such a merciful Goddess of Life? Already knowing the answer but unable to voice it, the king let out a deep sigh. And then, "I have heard the story." A man entered the council room. "At this rate, this country will perish!" The man repeated the story that everyone already knew. The First Prince, Shtur. The legitimate heir to the Arcad Kingdom, the one who would seed the throne. "Your Majesty. You must choose. Whether to perish along with the kingdom, or to send my ipetent brother on the pilgrimage." "Shtur..." "Your Majesty, no, Father. Time is running out. We do not know how much longer the stored food willst. Even buying food with the national treasury will soon reach its limit. You must make the wise choice." Listening to the calm voice of the First Prince, King Sharkal supported his throbbing head with his hand and said, "Are you not saying this because you are jealous of your brother?" "Jealous..." Shtur said, "There was a time when I was jealous of my brother who received my parents'' favor. But I have stopped being jealous ever since I heard that he hadmitted a wrong against the Goddess of Life. Why would I be jealous of a foolish brother who does not even know what he has done?" Hearing Shtur''s words, the king sighed. "But still, he is your brother..." "From the moment hemitted a sin against the Goddess, he can no longer be called my brother. Look at how the kingdom is crumbling because of his mistake." The king could not say anything. It was a clear fact that the Second Prince had brought the downfall of the kingdom. "And sending that fool on the pilgrimage of atonement is not the end of it. When there is still a little strength left, we must gather all the people and attempt to migrate to another ce." "Migration, First Prince? Are you saying we should abandon the homnd our ancestors have lived in for generations?!" "We do not know when my brother''s pilgrimage will end. It may take years, an uncertain journey. Even if that foolpletes the pilgrimage, if all the people of this country have already died, it will be meaningless." "But, that..." "Perhaps we must even abandon the name of this country. We may have to leave thisnd, abandon the name of this country, and survive by giving up everything." At the First Prince''s words, the vassals'' expressions changed to one of helplessness. If not, only ruin will remain. The king, his face seemingly aged by decades in an instant, slowly removed the crown from his head. Everything felt like his own mistake. It felt like his own fault for not properly guarding his foolish child. Chapter 79: Divine Punishment (3) Chapter 79: Divine Punishment (3) After the meeting ended, the First Prince tucked the crown into his arms and went to find the Second Prince. The Second Prince, who was lyingfortably in his room, did not seem like the one who had driven this country into crisis. The incredibly rxed Second Prince looked like a fool who did notprehend the reality at all. "Hm? Brother. What brings you to this younger brother''s room? The meeting seems to have ended safely? I don''t need to know, do I? You must have handled it well." The Second Prince said in a leisurely voice from his bed, without a hint of remorse. A voice that did not face the reality. Hearing his brother''s words, the First Prince spoke in a calm voice. "How is your condition?" "My body? My limbs are still aching. How can I be fine when my body was shattered?" The calm Second Prince spoke. But the First Prince knew the truth. He had heard the whole story from the guard who had taken care of the Second Prince in ce of the doctor.The Second Prince''s body had long since recovered. Within the known 6-month treatment period, he had fully recovered in just 1 month. After that, he had been idling in his room, using the injury as an excuse. Therefore, the First Prince could speak in a chilling voice. "Go on a pilgrimage of atonement." "Huh? Why me?" "Why, you ask?" Suppressing his anger at the foolish brother who could not grasp the reality, the First Prince spoke calmly. "Because of what you have done, this country, thisnd, and our people are suffering from famine and disease. So you must go on a pilgrimage of atonement to reflect on your mistakes. Then this country can be revived." "Why should I do that? I am the Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom, and I can get whatever I want. Isn''t the problem that sword and that woman that are not mine?" Seeing the Second Prince''s words not making sense, the First Prince suppressed his rising anger and spoke clearly. "The current kingdom cannot even properly collect taxes, and it is difficult to produce food. The treasury has reached the limit of buying food from the surroundings, so you must go on the pilgrimage of atonement as soon as possible." "No! I''d rather die than do that!" The First Prince impulsively pped the Second Prince''s cheek. "You hit me?! I''ve never even been hit by Father!" "Father made a big mistake by raising a fool like you! He spoiled you, and now you''ve be a selfish brat who can''t tell right from wrong!" The Second Prince, enraged, rushed at the First Prince, but the First Prince easily subdued and pinned him down. "Father also agreed. He said he would send you on a pilgrimage of atonement and would not recognize you as a member of the royal family until you had atoned for your sins and received forgiveness from the Goddess of Life!" "What?! That''s a lie!!" "I hope you realize how serious the problem you have caused is, you foolish brother." And so, the Second Prince was banished and set out on a pilgrimage of atonement. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The First Prince gathered all the remaining troops and assembled all the survivors in the cities and viges. Their number reached thousands. "Is everyone gathered?" "Yes. We have gathered all the survivors from the viges and cities. But food we have stockpiled is limited, so we don''t have much time." "I see. I''ll finish this as soon as possible." The First Prince stepped onto the tform and stood before the gathered people. "I am First Prince Shtur. I ordered everyone to be gathered for this matter." "Oh, Prince. You are indeed reliable. But what is the King doing? Why is it the First Prince who is giving instructions, not the King?" "Father... has copsed." "What?" "He med himself for the foolishness of my brother and copsed. That''s why I''m acting in his stead." "I see." The King, who had cherished the Second Prince, must have been greatly shocked by this incident. "I will apologize for the suffering of the people of this country caused by my foolish brother. Once that foolpletes the pilgrimage of atonement, thisnd will revive, but it may take a long time." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Then are we all dead?" "That''s why I''vee up with one solution." The First Prince took something out of his bosom. The silver crown. The crown was a precious treasure passed down to the King of the Arcad Kingdom. "This crown is a valuable treasure that has been passed down to the kings of our Arcad Kingdom, and it symbolizes the right to rule the world. The value of this item is beyond measure." "Why are you suddenly taking out such a precious item?" "I intend to use this crown as coteral to borrownd from other countries." "What?! How can you do that..." "In the current situation, we have no choice. We must use whatever we can. If we can ensure the survival of this country by pledging this crown as coteral, then I will do so without hesitation." At the First Prince''s words, the people and vassals fell silent. "The value of this crown should be enough to securend for all our people to survive. So I will go and try to obtain the widest and bestnd possible from our neighboring countries. You all, please survive." And so the First Prince set out on his journey, apanied by a few guards. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Arcad Empire... Ahem, the records state it was a kingdom, but considering its scale, it was closer to an empire. The diversity of its constituent ethnicities and the difference in the size of its domainpared to the countries of that era was two to six times greater. Honestly, if you consider that the countries of that time were in the form of city-states, the Arcad Empire, which controlled six such city-states, can be rightfully called an empire. Ahem, I''ve digressed a bit. Let''s return to the story. The downfall of the Arcad Empire was swift, taking no more than a year. Despite being the country with thergestnd and poption among the nations of that time, the Arcad Kingdom, struck directly by severe famine and gue, could not survive beyond a year before its copse. The downfall is said to be due to the Goddess of Life, but... to be honest, the credibility is low. Considering how much the Goddess has bestowed upon the subrace and humans. Just how grave a mistake must have beenmitted for the entirend to be a wastnd? That''s the kind of thought thates to mind. Well,ter on, thend did recover and be a vast grasnd, as the Goddess of Life seemed to have forgiven them. It was not long after that the nomadic tribes began to thrive in the grasnds where the empire had once stood. The name of that tribe was©¤ - Excerpt from a history lecture at the academy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The young prince, once a prince, set out on a journey with no destination. His heart was filled with endless anger. Anger towards his brother who had banished him on a pilgrimage of atonement, anger towards his father who had not stopped his brother, and anger towards the agent of the Goddess of Life, the source of all this. Carrying this directionless anger, the young man wandered the lonely path. There were many dangerous moments, and times when he nearly lost his life... No, there were even times when he had died, only to be refused by death itself. As time passed, the young man grew into a youth. Yet, the pilgrimage did not end. For there was not a single trace of atonement in his heart. And so, he had not been forgiven by the Goddess of Life. How could he be forgiven, when he himself could not even understand his own wrongdoings? He had been a fool, thinking everything in the world belonged to him. And so, the youth continued to wander. Sometimes killed by monsters, sometimes by suspicious guards. But the youth kept wandering. During this process, he began to experience the fluctuations in his own life force due to the curse upon him. The sight of his severed arm reattaching itself, the blood flowing back, was an endlessly bizarre phenomenon. Observing these scenes, the youth instinctively learned to manipte the life-force-filled blood. He discovered the ability to replenish his diminished life force by drinking the blood of other beings, or by feeding his own blood to others, bringing them to a simr state as himself. As the Arcad Kingdom disappeared and itsnd to wastnd, with all Arcad people living under different names in other countries, the youth became known as the Wandering Arcadian. Chapter 80: Divine Punishment (4) Chapter 80: Divine Punishment (4) Let me rewind time for a moment. After sending the annoying Second Prince to the Arcad Kingdom, I lightly dusted off my hands. Since I''ve already cursed him to be immortal, there shouldn''t be any issues even if I aimed a bit higher. So, before dealing with the Second Prince who has defiled this temple and myself... "Let''s move to a different location." I extended my right hand towards the young boy I had hidden behind me. "Come, let''s go. Since you have been chosen as the hero, you have much to learn from now on." "Uh, hey... Isn''t something wrong? M-M-Me as the hero...?" The small boy, clutching the hero''s sword, began trembling. Hmm. Was it that shocking?It would be best to give him some time to calm down. "Let''s move to a different location. We cannot avoid the gazes of others here." I ced my right hand on the boy''s shoulder and lightly snapped my left hand. The surrounding scenery changed in an instant. "Huh? Ugh?! Hieeeekk?! The surroundings?!" "That''s an odd reaction. Interestingly amusing. Come this way." I pushed the boy''s back, guiding him to a resting area. The inner sanctum of the Temple of Life. A space that only a few of those affiliated with the temple can enter. Aside from a few venttion holes, there are no windows or doors,pletely isted from the outside. The space is gently illuminated by the soft glow of white stones. This space is where the dragons affiliated with the Temple of Life rest. Well, since all those who can use this space are currently on a pilgrimage, I can freelye and go here. This way, we can spend time leisurely without any disturbance from others. "Where is this ce?" "The backside of the Temple of Life. It''s a ce that only a few with permission can enter." "The backside of the temple?! I''ve never heard of such a ce!" "Un. It''s not a ce that''s open to just anyone. Among the pilgrims, only a few are allowed to enter here." Since only dragons can enter this ce, and there are no external doors, one cannot enter without using spatial magic. The dragons staying at the temple as pilgrims keptining that they needed a space to rest among themselves, so I prepared this ce. I didn''t expect it to be used like this, though. Anyway. "Now, have a seat." I pulled out a nearby chair and forcibly sat the boy down, then lightly snapped my fingers. Small ceramic teacups and a teapot appeared in the air. I used magic to fill the teapot with water and started heating it. Snapping my fingers again, a transparent container and a spoon appeared this time. The transparent container, or rather, the ss jar contained a sweet and sour yuzu marmde. Hmm, my memory of creating these items with my power seems to be urate. I opened the ss jar, put about two spoonfuls of yuzu marmde into the teacup, then tilted the steaming teapot to fill the cup with hot water. The yuzu marmde in the teacup slowly dissolved as it met the hot water, and I gently stirred the spoon to mix the water and marmde, creating a warm cup of yuzu tea. "Here, drink it. Be careful, it''s hot." "Th-thank you..." The boy, with a curious expression, examined the teacup and the yuzu tea inside, then slowly brought it to his lips. And then... "It''s hot!" I stopped the time of the yuzu tea sshing out of the cup, then rewound it back into the cup. Even after I warned him about the heat, he still got startled like this. Perhaps he has never experienced eating hot food before? "Be careful. I did tell you it was hot." "I-I''m sorry..." I absorbed some of the heat from the cup the boy was holding, lowering the temperature, and said, "Don''t be so tense. Since you''ve drawn the hero''s sword, we''ll be spending a considerable amount of time together." "Huh, together...?" "Yes. As the one assisting the hero, I''ll be here. For now, just rx and drink that slowly." I snapped my fingers again, and this time, a small basket of cookies appeared. Ah, the cookies might not go well with the yuzu tea? Both are sweet, after all... hummmmmmm. Well, it should be fine. "Take a break and have a snack while you rest." There is something I need to take care of for a moment. I carefully picked up a cookie and took a bite, leaving the startled boy behind as I moved to a different room. Let''s see, first I need to inform the pilgrims affiliated with the Temple of Life. I should exin in detail what the Second Prince has done, and advise them to refrain from going to the Kingdom of Arcad, in case that fellow causes them harm. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now If they find out what happened to the Second Prince, they might retaliate against the Kingdom of Arcad. It''s best if they don''t go there at all. And next... Let''s put the curse I imposed into effect. Until the Second Prince is stripped of his country. Until the time when the country rejects him. Until the one who abused the power of the nation realizes their wrongdoing. Hmm, honestly, if he is punished for sphemy, the most famous would be the great flood. But we can''t drown all of humanity because of the actions of one prince. Well, whether I can actually cause a flood of that scale to wipe out all of humanity... I somehow feel like I could, but I can''t do that! Anyway, I''ll punish that scoundrel of a Second Prince until he acknowledges his own wrongdoing. As for individual punishment? I''ve already given him that through immortality. And since I''ve sent him away with spatial magic and marked him, I can track him anytime. Thanks to that, his life is going to be quite difficult in various ways. I''ll make sure of that. Anyway, let''s think about the Second Prince''s personal matterster. I created amunication channel with the gods of death and sent them a message. "The Second Prince of the Kingdom of Arcad has insulted me, what should I do about this?" [It would be appropriate to kill all the humans in that country.] "No, killing them all is a bit..." [Do they need to be spared? As the prince, he could be the next king. Wouldn''t it be better for that country if you just killed him quickly?] "No, I intentionally kept him alive. I n to torment him until he regrets his wrongdoing." [Themoners are pitiful, so why not just target the high-ranking ones? Dealing with the royal family and their retainers should be enough.] The gods of death, being ustomed to death, immediately suggest killing. [Especially that Second Prince... It would be best if he came to the Afterlife quickly.] [I can arrange a tour of the lower levels of the Afterlife for him.] [We''ll make sure his soul and essence don''t wear out as we keep him going.] I see, it seems the Second Prince is destined to face a horrific fate in the afterlife. "Anyway, just give him an appropriate punishment. Don''t go too overboard." [Understood. Then we''ll use the gods of death to-] Ignoring the three gods of death plotting something against the Kingdom of Arcad, I also sent the same message to Cloud Whale. [What do you mean he insulted you?] Ah, that''s right. Cloud Whale doesn''t understand that kind of thing. To make Cloud Whale understand, I''ll have to exin it in a way it canprehend. "It means he captured and imprisoned me, making me his own to torment for the rest of his life." [How could he do such a terrible thing!] It seems the simple exnation helped Cloud Whale understand easily. It''s best to match the level of exnation. [Captured and imprisoned? That means I can never fly freely again! How horrifying! Too horrifying!!!] Ah, that one. Well, from the perspective of the freely flying Cloud Whale, being confined would indeed be terrifyingly horrible. [Who is that guy? I won''t let him get away with it! I''ll make sure no new life is ever born there again!] "No, not to that extent..." [No, I''ll make sure not even a single de of grass grows there! I''m so angry! I really am!!] Ah, the gods of death are serious, but this one is also extremely serious. Ah, I can''t let this happen. If these two run wild at the same time, the Kingdom of Arcad will be a horrifyingnd with not even a single de of grass growing, surrounded by death. In this case, I need to... "Don''t do it right now. Later. It would be better to do it around 6 months from now." [How long is 6 months?] "Hmm. It would be after the sun has risen and set about 180 times." [180 times...? That''s too many....] The young Cloud Whale was still unable to count three-digit numbers. Hmm.... I should have made Cloud Whale more intelligent when I created it as a god. It''s still a childlike intelligence. "I''ll let you know when it''s time to give the punishment. Don''t touch it until then." Ah, that''s right. I should also tell the gods of death. First, I''ll exin through the pilgrims how to handle it, give them a generous time period, and even if they don''t do anything after that period, it won''t be toote to give the punishment then. So I conveyed to Cloud Whale and the gods of death not to act right away, and sent the message through the pilgrims. [The Second Prince of the Kingdom of Arcad has insulted me in my own temple. Therefore, I wish to hold the Kingdom of Arcad responsible, so all pilgrims shall depart from the Kingdom of Arcad. The punishment I will impose will fall upon theirnd, so those who wish to avoid the punishment can flee the Kingdom of Arcad. However, you pilgrims are forbidden from directly harming them. The punishment that will befall them will be through birth and death, not by life. But if the Second Prince who insulted me sincerely repents his wrongdoing and performs a pilgrimage of atonement, he may receive my forgiveness, and my wrath will subside.] Hmm. Let''s see, are we done here? I''ve given a proper warning, exined the countermeasures, and told the pilgrims, especially the dragons, not to cause a ruckus. I''ll say the divine punishment will start around 6 months from now. Then... I''ll stop worrying about the Kingdom of Arcad and properly focus on raising a hero. Surely, making a human into a hero can''t be more difficult than cultivating the world, can it? Chapter 81: Creating a Hero (1) Chapter 81: Creating a Hero (1) "What is a hero?" The man wearing a ck hood pulled over his head spoke in a calm voice. "A de that protects life. A guardian of civilization. A sword that cuts down evil. A demon king yer." The man uttered each word in a voice devoid of emotion. Behind that man''s voice, stained inplete ckness, lingered a faint trace of feeling. "Variousuded titles, but in this age their meaning has be distorted into mere killers." Contempt. He held contempt for the heroes praised by all. "From the first nameless hero of ancient times, the heroes of old were ones worthy of such praise, but not anymore. Look at this age. Witness this tragedy." Scattered around the man were numerous corpses.People killed in various ways. The remains of false heroes who had called themselves heroes. "If it were still the age when gods chose heroes, this issue wouldn''t exist... But now it is an age with many foolish imposters posing as heroes." After kicking aside the head of a fake hero at his feet, the man spoke. The grotesquely severed head had an expression that seemed to not understand its own death. "Trash belongs in the trash bin, so even if I must dirty my own hands, I will dispose of the trash defiling this world." The man growled as he drew the sword at his waist. "So I ask you, are you also fake heroes posing as real ones like this trash?" - Excerpt from the novel ''Hero Hunter'' It is said the novel was inspired by a mass murder incident that urred years before its publication, but the veracity of that incident itself is unclear. However, thanks to the societal outrage at the time towards those falsely iming to be heroes, this novel was able to avoid any major bacsh. --------------------- Sitting at the table, I spoke to the young boy nibbling on a cookie with his small mouth. "There, you seem to have calmed down now." "Ah, yes. I feel calmer now." An ordinary-looking young boy with brown hair that could be seen anywhere. His appearancecked any distinctive features, making it seem like his face would be difficult to clearly remember at a nce. A feeling like...air, I suppose. On top of that, he had a curiously faint presence. Feels like a talent optimized for infiltration. "So will you tell me your name?" "My name?" The boy hesitated for a moment at my words before carefully replying. "I don''t have one. I don''t have a name." Hm? No name? Huh. Did your parents not give you a name? "You have no name, you mean your father didn''t give you one?" "I don''t have a father." "Ah, then your mother?" "No mother either. I''ve been an orphan since I was little." Ugh! My condolences...! "I...I see. My apologies." "No, it''s alright. I''m used to it now." For a child who looks no more than 10 years old, frail and bony, to be used to having no parents ismentable. I cleared my throat with a small cough before speaking to the boy again. "Well then, since you''re the first hero, let''s just call you ''Hero.'' It doesn''t seem right for me to name you." If his parents didn''t name him, he should name himself. Rather than an outsider like me naming him. "It''s just a title, but as long as you live and don''t abandon being a hero, you''ll be the only hero. So the title ''Hero'' will essentially mean you. It should be fine to call you by that title." "Hero...but what is a hero?" Hm? Oh...should I start with that? I did exin it when I gave the prophecy. I briefly said, "A hero is a protector." "A protector?" "Yes, a protector. One chosen by the Goddess of Life to protect life from monsters." Humans and sub-races could hunt down minor monsters on their own, but monsters tainted by fragments of darkness were too much for humans to handle easily. Even if they could defeat them, it woulde at a heavy cost of lives. Elves, dwarves, lizardmen, and giants could take them down without too much trouble...but humans and demi-humans were just too frail, unfortunately. "Protect life...from monsters..." The boy repeated my words, mulling them over. A child that small bing an orphan was likely due to losing his parents. And the most likely cause would have been monsters. In a way, I may be trying to use that boy''s desire for revenge and treat him like a tool. Really, I''m quite despicable myself. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Can I...do it?" "It''s up to you whether you can or not." I looked at the boy. The boy whose hands were trem faintly. The boy whocked confidence and was extremely timid. Let me give a word of encouragement to such a boy. "But if you want to do it, you can certainly do it." "If I want to..." "If you need strength, I''ll give you strength. If you want to learn how to wield a sword, I''ll teach you. Providing you with whatever you need is my role in guiding a hero." I said to the boy. "Of course, it won''t be easy. There may be moments when your life is in danger. There may be times when you want to give up everything because it''s too difficult. But if you don''t give up until the end, you can be someone inscribed in history." Then the boy''s trembling hands slowly stopped. "Hero. Will you do it?" The boy seemed to think deeply about something, then nodded slightly and opened his mouth. "I''ll try. It''s a little scary but...I''ll give it a try. So that there are no more children living without even knowing their parents'' faces, like me, in order to protect others." Un. Yes. That''s right. I just gave a small smile at the sight of such a boy. --------------------- "By the way, I''m curious about something." "Hmm? What is it?" The boy looked at me, more precisely at my horns, with eyes full of curiosity and asked. "What are those horns? As far as I know, female beastkin don''t have horns." Hmm? Was that the case? Weren''t there cases where female animals like cows also had horns? Or are beastkin a bit different? I''m not too sure. Let me make an excuse for now. What kind of excuse should I give...? Ah, that''s right. "These horns arepletely different from beastkin horns. To begin with, I''m not even a beastkin." "Not a beastkin...Could you be a dragon from the legends?" Ugh! He hit the bullseye!! No, no. Let me take advantage of this. Since we won''t be together for more than a day or two anyway. If I use this to make him think I''m a special being, it will be useful in many ways. Besides, as the proxy of the great Goddess of Life, wouldn''t it seem a bitcking if I were just an ordinary beastkin? "To be precise, I am a being created by infusing the power and vitality of a creature called a dragon into a human body. This body was handcrafted by the Goddess of Life herself. Thanks to that, dragon horns grew on my head." To be exact, I am the Goddess of Life herself, also known as the Creator Dragon God! But such trivial information is unnecessary for this child. "The power of a dragon...Amazing..." "Yes, it''s amazing." "Then...um...what should I call you?" "Hmm? Me?" "Yes. I can be called by the title ''Hero'', but you...you''re not my older sister, are you?" ...Older sister? I paused for a moment at the unfamiliar title. Older sister? Older sister... "Ah! Tha-That''s, I''m sorry! was told to always call an older woman ''older sister''..." "Un. It''s not a big deal. But only call me that when we''re alone. If you call me ''older sister'' in front of others, it could be troublesome." Really, to be called an older sister in my life. I''ve been called a mother before, but never an older sister. Wait, isn''t being called a mother even more shocking? Why was I more shocked by being called an older sister than a mother? "Then I''ll call you older sister. But what should I call you in front of others?" "Hmm. In front of others..." The proxy of the Goddess of Life? It''s strangely long to call me by that name, and the word ''of'' is repeated twice. Inconvenient. Then if I remove ''of Life'', the Goddess'' proxy? Calling me the proxy somehow feels a bit distant, not great. Is there a better word? Since I''m a woman directly sent down by the god... A saint? No, not a saint. A saint is... If I''m called a saint, it somehow feels like I''ll be a heroine who gets pursued, and in the final moment sacrifices herself to save herrades while leaving behind regrets, exhaustion, and obsession, doesn''t it? I don''t want to be a heroine. Rather, I feel more like a dark force giving power to the hero and using him! Hmm. Anyway, I''m not a saint! Not a saint! Then... A shrine maiden? A shrine maiden, that''s it. A shrine maiden... Shaman sounds good? Since the belief in gods is still at a primitive level, it would be fitting to be called a shrine maiden to match that. And I''ll add a distinctive characteristic since I have the power of a dragon - the Dragon Shaman. Yeah, that''s good. "In front of others, call me the Dragon''s Priestess. That seems appropriate." "Yes, I understand...older sister." Older sister... Older sister doesn''t feel too bad. And so I ended up staying with the child who would be the future hero in a hidden room of the Temple of Life. ...... Oh, by the way, I found outter that there are actually some female beastkin who do have horns. Well, it doesn''t really matter now anyway! Chapter 82: Creating a Hero (2) Chapter 82: Creating a Hero (2) The hero was just an ignorant child. Well, it was only natural. There were no parents to teach this child various things, and no adults capable of teaching this child anything. Moreover, in this era, schools for teaching children were extremely rare, perhaps only one in arge city at most. Even for geniuses who could understand ten things after being taught one, it would be meaningless if there was no one to teach them that one thing. For even when creating new knowledge, existing knowledge must support its foundation. Therefore... "Let''s learn how to read and write." "Huh?" I made sses without any prescription and wore them, created a ckboard on the wall, and held a piece of chalk in my hand. The hero sat at a desk and chair, looking at me with apletely clueless expression. "You mean the writing that travelers inscribed on thin wooden boards?" "Yes." I had spread the Koreannguage worldwide, but not all humans could read and write. To write, you need a surface. With no inexpensive paper, people had to write on papyrus, vellum, bamboo slips, or thin wooden boards...none of which were cheap items. Wooden boards were rtively inexpensive, but still. As a result,moners either inscribed y tablets or wrote on the ground, but y tablets were too heavy and writing on the ground didn''t count as proper records. I would have liked to distribute papyrus more cheaply, but the Lizardmen had their own circumstances. The Lizardmen listened to me well, and they were making decent money from producing and selling papyrus... but they were already pushing papyrus production to the maximum. Increasing it further could cause problems in areas like food production or monster extermination. Plus, the papyrus nt itself takes some time to grow. Even as an annual nt, it needs time to grow and disperse seeds, right? The Lizardmen had at least started cultivating papyrus using the seeds, and there had been some sess recently, which was fortunate. Hmm, the story drifted a bit. Anyway, while paper as a recording medium was gradually spreading, the literacy rate was still quite low since not allmoners could ess it yet. Well, it did feel like the ruling ss was intentionally obstructing the acquisition of literacy, but noment on that part. In any case, that''s not the important thing. I snapped my fingers and created a ballpoint pen and smooth paper that didn''t fit this era. Hmm. It''s nice that I can create things from memory. The ballpoint pen is of course Monami. Cheap and easy to write with, Monami. And the paper that appeared with it... was covered in densely written Korean consonants and vowels, as well as several nk sheets. I had to start with the basic letters first. After handing the hero the paper and pen, I picked up the chalk. "Then let''s begin with the most basic part. Since it''s anguage made bybining consonants and vowels, learning the basics won''t be too difficult." Easy to learn but difficult to master, so it shouldn''t take too long to learn the fundamentals. "Now, copy what I write onto the nk spaces on that paper." The hero then awkwardly gripped the pen and looked at me. But he was holding the pen incorrectly. You''re supposed to hold it with your thumb, index, and middle fingers, not grip it like a dagger in reverse. "You hold the pen like this." I took the pen from the hero''s hand and adjusted his right hand to hold it properly. The hero tightly gripped the pen with his small hands. His face was quite flushed, perhaps embarrassed at holding the pen strangely. To be embarrassed over something so trivial. Truly a child. "Now, press the back end of the pen and the tip wille out from the front to write with. Don''t grip the pen too tightly. Lightly holding it is enough." As the flushed-faced hero watched me, I began writing the consonants one by one on the ckboard. Thenguage of this world, taught directly by the Creator Dragon God herself. It won''t be difficult, so even an ignorant hero should be able to pick it up quickly! ... At least, that''s what I thought at the time. "Hmm. Well, it''s understandable if he can''t write properly yet. No problem." The consonants and vowels wriggling like worms. Watching the letters twisting and distorting their shapes, I realized intuitively. This child is socking in talent that calling him dull would be an understatement. Although he has no experience learning to write, I can''t believe he''s this bad at it. He just needs to scribble with the pen. Not a single letter was properly shaped. I''m not expecting perfection, but they should at least be somewhat recognizable. The positions were all over the ce - parts that should be connected were separated, and parts that should be separate were connected. It was hard to tell if it was Hangul or some simr ideographic script. Ugh... This is going to be a tough battle... Swallowing that thought, I forced an awkward smile and said, "Well, you can''t be good at everything just because you''re the hero. It''s enough if you can read and write adequately." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Is that so...?" A hero doesn''t need to be a master calligrapher. Being able to read and write adequately is enough! The important thing is wielding the sword!!! And if it''s writing, I can just follow along and write and read for him if needed, right? --------------------- The hero''s sword slices through the air, passing my cheek by a paper''s breadth. And then... Screech! The hero''s sword pierces through the solid rock wall, slicing in as easily as a kitchen knife through tofu. A threatening strike. Well, I doubt his sword could even scratch my skin, but that recent strike was threatening because... "Why did you trip over nothing...? There was nothing on the t floor to trip over..." The sight of the hero tripping on thepletely t floor and dropping his sword proved that raising this hero would not be a smooth path. Well, I knew he was dull, but I didn''t expect him to be such a klutz too. A slight, very slight doubt crept into my mind about whether my choice was right, before receding again. "This is troubling." After a briefment, I pulled the hero''s sword out of the wall it was embedded in. It''s arge greatsword, and it went in quite deep, leaving a sizeable hole. Hmm... Fortunately there was no one on the other side. If someone was there, it would have been a disaster. I lightly brushed the hole with my hand, and it sealed up as if time was rewinding. Good, that''s taken care of. I looked at the hero, still unmoving on the floor. Hmm... He didn''t fall too hard, but did he pass out? Or is he injured somewhere? "Are you alright?" "Y-Yes, I''m okay..." A thin, creeping voice. He must be quite embarrassed about tripping over nothing. "No one gets it right from the start. You''ll improve if you keep practicing and training." And... "For now, you should wait until you''ve grown a bit more before wielding the hero''s sword." I did have you try swinging it for demonstration, but I didn''t expect this. Let''s have you wield this sword after you''ve grown taller and built up more muscle. Especially since the de is no ordinary one - a small mistake could lead to a big ident. "For training, let''s use a wooden sword for now." I quickly created a wooden sword in the same shape as the hero''s de. I made it with an iron core inside that can be adjusted, so the weight can be controlled as well. It was a bit tricky making it with all the iron cores inserted to match the weight and bnce of the real sword. Well, it turned out quite decent. With all the cores in, the weight and center of bnce are almost identical to the real sword. Swordsmanship cer. For now, I need to feed and raise him properly to grow his body first. As I was thinking that, I heard a small sobbing voice. "Hikd... sniff..." "Are you crying over something so trivial, boy?" "But... doesn''t this mean there''s something wrong with me? How can someone like me protect everyone?... There must be some mistake... Why would the Goddess of Life choose a weak orphan like me?" Well, it''s because you''re a kind boy. Strength can be resolved somehow. Whether I cast magic to make you grow, or train you diligently. As long as you have an unbreakable spirit that doesn''t give up and can put in effort, anything is possible. However, a kind heart cannot be created like that! If I create it, it would be no different from brainwashing! Therefore. "The Goddess did not choose you for your appearance or strength." "Huh?" "What the Goddess valued was not the exterior, but the interior. Your kind heart. And on top of that, your unwillingness to give up." "A kind heart..." "I can resolve everything else, but that is something I cannot do anything about. Anyway, enough with the weak talk." I handed the hero a wooden sword with all the iron cores removed. At least I''ve cast a durability enhancement spell on it, so it won''t break easily. "From now on, all you have to do is study diligently, train diligently, eat diligently, and grow diligently. Understood?" "Yes...!" The hero wiped away his flowing tears and stood up again. That''s right. That''s how it should be. That''s the reward for my choice. I smiled as I watched the hero rpose himself. Chapter 83: Creating a Hero (3) Chapter 83: Creating a Hero (3) After that, although I tried to teach the hero various things, the conclusion could be summarized simply. The hero had no talent. Terribly so. Well, I knew that already. Even a cursory nce showed he was physically weak, hadn''t learned anything so his mind was poor, and so on. But what could I do? I was the one who chose this hero. Still, his essence itself was usable. If taught well, he could be an excellent hero. Thinking that, I taught the hero various things for about a week. An unexpected talent was discovered in the hero. The talent for endless effort.Gradually reducing his sleep time and practicing writing on the back of paper, practicing swinging a wooden sword during rest periods, and so on. The sight of the hero piling effort upon effort unintentionally brought a smile to my face. Indeed, my choice was not wrong. A child who makes such efforts will surely be a good hero. So, I should give him a gift. "Children''s nutritional supplement! Strawberry vor!" "Huh?" "Effort is good, but physical growth is also important. So from now on, stop secretly doing things at night." "Ah, that... That was..." "Children must sleep well at night to grow! Understand?" "Yes..." The hero hung his head in embarrassment at being caught secretly practicing at night, hiding his reddened face. I see. It would be embarrassing in this situation. If he had been secretly doing it and I actually knew all along. Let''s just understand and move on. It doesn''t matter anyway. "W-What is that?" "This? Well, this is..." I opened the lid of the nutritional supplement and took out one of the supplements inside. A small jelly-like nutritional supplement individually packaged in stic. A legal drug for children. Of course, it''s a replica I made by inferring the memory! I tore open the stic packaging, took one out, and brought it to the hero''s mouth. "Here, ah~" The hero seemed a little embarrassed, but made a small sound. "Ah..." And without missing that opportunity, I put the nutritional supplement into the hero''s mouth. The hero looked a little surprised at first, but soon his expression changed to one of even greater surprise at the sweetness he felt on his tongue. "Tasty?" "Y-Yes..." "It''s packed full of the nutrients needed for growth. And I''ve even cast magic on it, so you''ll definitely grow." A special nutritional supplement with added growth for skeletal and muscle development, plus mana growth! There might not be any better for growth than this!! It may feel a bit excessive, but since this is my first hero, I want to take care of everything. "If you eat one of these morning and night and sleep well, your body will grow rapidly. From now on, no more secret practice at night, understand?" "Yes! But, can I have one more?" "No. Too many nutrients isn''t good either." Especially with supplements... You have to be careful. Kidney stones are scary. Kidney stones are. Besides, this has even more nutrients packed in than the original! One is enough! "Two per day. One in the morning and one at night. It''s not good to eat two right away." "But if it''s two per day... Since I only had one just now, isn''t it okay to have two today?" "No use trying to persuade me like that, you rascal!" I lightly bonked the hero on the head, making a ''tok-kong'' sound. Of course, not hard enough to actually hurt, but loud! "Ow!" "Now go to bed. If you don''t sleep and do something else, I''ll notice right away, understand?" "Yes..." So the hero walked towards the room I had prepared as his bedroom. Good. Nutrition is taken care of with this. As for education... Once he''s fully literate, there''s a lot I can teach him. His character is mostly formed already. Just needs a bit of polishing. As for other things... Hmm... What else should I teach? Swordsmanship and physical training are obvious, so skip those. Referencing the education curriculum from other worlds doesn''t really fit this era. This is bing an unexpected dilemma. When telling stories to Erebus and the seven children, it was enough to just tell various tales since they didn''t have physical bodies. But for the hero... Hmm... It''s troublesome. Is this the difficulty of child-rearing? It won''t be easy, it seems. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - So, with the feeling of a novice mother, I floundered for a while raising the hero and spent time teaching him various things. Like when his arms nearly fell off swinging a wooden sword the size of a two-handed sword, or when I realized I also needed to teach him how to use a one-handed sword instead of just two-handed, so I made a new wooden sword gift the size and weight of a one-handed sword. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Even if there were various other incidents, exining all of that process would be too long, so there''s no need to exin everything. If I bring up one by one the things that happened during that time, the hero might die of embarrassment. Yes, sometimes it''s better to leave things unasked. And during puberty as a teenager... well... Although the hero was kind, he did be a little prickly, but he quickly repented and asked for forgiveness. So I could overlook it without any major issues. Anyway, as a result of diligently teaching the hero: "997, 998, 999, 1000! Done!" "Good work." I handed a refreshing water bottle to the hero, who put down the wooden sword covered in sweat. "By the way, you''ve really be sturdy." "Thanks to you." I don''t know the hero''s exact age, but if I think he was around 10 when he drew the sword... About 8 years have passed, so he''s around 18 years old. He''s a teenager age, but for some reason he''s be tremendously sturdy. Was the nutritional supplement a bit too potent? The hero had be as sturdy as the protagonist. No, that''s not a bad thing. But I just feel a bit wistful that the cute charm from childhood is gone. Moreover, he used to give a very thin and delicate impression as a child, but in just 8 years he''s be a macho muscr guy. Thanks to that, the ordinary airy feeling he used to have, leaving a deep impression. "Why is that?" "No, it''s nothing." Just 8 years. From my perspective, it''s the blink of an eye. But for a human, it''s enough time for a young child to grow up considerably. Really. Human time passes so quickly. "It seems you''ve be ustomed to the weight of that wooden sword too." "Yes. It did take a long time though." The wooden sword filled with iron cores. By weight alone, it matched the hero''s actual sword. The hero skillfully swung it around in a way that made him seem like a different race from other humans. Hmm. The effects of the nutritional supplements were a bit excessive after all. Anyway. "You can start using the hero''s sword slowly." "Finally." After receiving the wooden sword from the hero, I flicked my finger towards the hero''s sword hanging on the wall. The hero''s sword then floated up and flew over to me, obediently gripping itself in my hand. "Here, try holding it." At my words, the hero gripped his sword, Chloive Sis, in his hand. And he skillfully swung it around a few times. "To be honest, if I closed my eyes, I wouldn''t be able to feel the difference - it feels exactly the same." "I made it feel precisely identical on purpose." If there was an awkward feeling switching from the wooden sword to the real sword, that would be troublesome, right? "Now, try infusing your mana into that sword." "Mana...?" "Yes, mana." With all the nutritional supplements you''ve eaten, you should have umted enough mana to be able to transform that sword! It should be enough at least! But the hero just stood there gripping the sword, tilting his head in puzzlement. "What is...mana?" "Hm? You don''t know about mana?" "You never taught me." Oh, um... I didn''t? I had included mana growth capabilities in the nutritional supplements, but I never actually taught him how to use that mana...? I''m such an idiot. How could I possibly forget something so important! To forget the most crucial thing for using this sword! "I really did forget something extremely important." "Is it that important?" "Of course it is! You need to use that mana to unleash this sword''s abilities!" Without mana, this sword is just a big, solid, sharp greatsword! Granted, even that would make it one of the strongest swords in this world given the era. But still! "Then...let''s start by learning mana first. It shouldn''t take too long." "It''s that important, but it doesn''t take long to learn?" "Of course. Mana is a power that exists in all things." Mana dwells within everything that makes up this world. In tiny pebbles, in huge mountains, in small creatures, even in me. It''s a power that every single thing possesses. If I just awaken the awareness of that power''s existence and teach how to move it, then the rest will proceed smoothly. Especially the hero, thanks to the nutritional supplements I gave him, should have a considerable amount of mana. So. "First, take off your clothes." Chapter 84: Creating a Hero (4) Chapter 84: Creating a Hero (4) "Huh?! What did you say?!" "I told you to take off your clothes." At my words, the hero was half startled in fright. Hmm. Is this something to be so surprised about? When he was little, he didn''t even want to take baths, so I had to forcibly undress him and throw him into the warm bathtub. "Well, that is, you see..." "You''re making such a fuss over just taking off some clothes. Geez!" I quickly grabbed the hero''s top and tore it off with all my strength. Even though the top was made of rather tough fabric, it was shredded like paper before my power. The hero ended up helplessly exposing his back to me.Hmm. Now that I say it out loud, it sounds a bit strange. I''ll restore itter, so don''t worry! "W-Why are you doing this?!" "It''s nothing. It''ll be over soon!" "Noooooo!!!" Such meaningless resistance from the hero was quickly suppressed. "If you hadn''t struggled, we could have finished sooner. What''s the big deal ? Have you forgotten I used to bathe you when you were little?" "But...it''s embarrassing..." Anyway, I had the hero, sit down. Then I carefully ced my hand on his back. "Hiiick!" "Quiet. If you can''t even endure this much, how will you protect others?" "Ugh!" Well, it''s none of my business. I ced my hand on the hero''s back and slowly spun out a thread of mana, gently pushing it into the hero''s body bit by bit. "Hngh!" The unfamiliar sensation of something else entering his body made the hero flinch in surprise. What a baby. Acting all tough. I moved the mana I had inserted into the hero''s body around, stimting the dormant mana within him. The hero''s mana then began to move, following my mana''s lead. Good. It''s going smoothly. The hardest part is carefully spinning out the barest minimum of mana so it doesn''t cause any abnormalities when entering the hero''s body! Well, if I hadn''t been so careful, an excessive amount of mana could have made the hero''s body explode. It''s best to adjust it meticulously. Anyway, the process involved the mana from my right arm passing through the hero''s body, then returning to my left arm, repeating this cycle. By having the external mana enter and exit, it cultivated an of mana. "How does it feel?" "It feels kind of tingly, like something''s going in and out." "Right. That''s the feeling. That sensation is mana itself. Keep focusing on it." "That''s not easy..." I ignored the hero''s strained voice. The mana that had seeped in circted through the hero''s body before exiting again. Through this process, the dormant mana within him was stimted. The hero''s mana began to stir slowly. Good. There''s a reaction. Prompted by my mana, the hero''s mana started moving, bing more and more active. This should be enough. I slowly withdrew the mana I had pushed into the hero''s body and took my hand off his back. The hero let out a faint sigh, seemingly missing the strange sensation caused by my mana. "Huhhhh..." "Now, can you feel the mana resting within you?" "Yes. I can sense the mana stirring inside me." "Try to move that mana with your will. If you do, you''ll be able to unleash the full power of the hero''s sword." "Okay...I''ll give it a try..." And so, mana control training was added to the hero''s regimen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What is mana? The driving force to use magic. A mystical power pervading all creation. A blessing bestowed upon this world by the divine. The realization of a will to bring about change. The blood coursing through the veins of existence itself. The possibility to aplish anything. It is said that the first beings to wield mana were the dragons. The distant ancient era. The age before humans existed. The age of dragons. It is said that the dragons, who were the masters of thisnd at that time, handled mana as easily as their own limbs and primarily used primitive magic by force of will alone. Unlike humans and other subraces who have to recite incantations and draw magic circles to use a single spell, the dragons simply used magic as they desired. Imagine being able to shoot fireballs with a casual snap of the fingers, or soar into the sky by merely kicking off the ground. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now However, there has never existed a human in history capable of such feats. No human has ever possessed that high an affinity for mana. There remains only a fragmentary legend about the very first nameless hero who performed acts simr to that primitive magic... But a human could never possess something like a dragon''s heart. It was probably just an exaggeration stemming from the hero''s great exploits. - A lecture from an intermediate ss at the Kingdom''s Magic Academy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero quickly began adapting to mana. He seemed to be getting used to physical enhancement with mana, and could even fire simple mana sts... though they weren''t very effective since the mana was absorbed by the abilities of the hero''s sword. Still, he had be so ustomed to manipting mana that he could now levitate for short periods. It seems he''s ready to use the abilities of the hero''s sword. "Now let''s try using the abilities possessed by the hero''s sword." "It took a long time." "A long time? It''s only been about a year..." "A year is a long time." Ah, that''s right. A year is indeed a considerable amount of time for a human. From my perspective it was just the blink of an eye, but I suppose not. "Alright, take the hero''s sword in hand and channel your mana into it." I had already input the pattern of the hero''s mana into Chloive Sis, so channeling his mana shouldplete the owner recognition process. "I channeled it in." "Good. Now shout ''Henshin'' which means ''Transform''!" Originally it would transform just from the mana pattern, but I thought that was a bit too boring! So I made it transform all at once by just saying ''Henshin'' thanks to that. A transformation chant would be fine too, but there''s nothing wrong with keeping it simple either! "Huh? Oh, um... Henshin!!" As the hero spoke, the hero''s sword began glowing and transforming. ng! ng!! The armor pieces making up the sword de detached and transferred onto the hero''s body one by one - his arms, torso, and legs were all equipped with the armor that was the sword de. Hmm... if I had increased the amount a bit, I could have recreated the transformations from tokusatsu shows...? No, no, if I considered having the armor pieces stored in another space and summoned out... wouldn''t that allow recreating those transformations? As I had these pointless thoughts, the hero''s transformationpleted. "This is... what is..." "Another ability of the hero''s sword - the Agatm Silver Armor." The hero began examining the armor now attached to his body from all angles. The armor fit his body as if custom-made for him, without the slightest bit of awkwardness, the size perfectly adjusted. Well of course, I used magic! It automatically synchronizes with and reshapes itself to the wearer''s body! "This is... amazing...." "Yeah, amazing. Who made it, after all?" I put effort into making this, so of course it''s amazing! "That armor has the power to block any de. The parts of your body protected by that armor will never be injured. As long as you watch out for openings, it will make you invincible." To be honest, at the current civilization level, not even a scratch could be made on this armor. The fangs and ws of monsters wouldn''t pierce it either. Unless dwarven refining techniques advance far beyond this point, it will likely remain the strongest armor for quite some time. The hero ys an important role in protecting this world, so equipment to protect his body is equally important. "And this sword..." "Has the same shape as the wooden sword I gave you before?" A sword the size of a one-handed de - the same as the wooden sword he was given. Another form of Chloive Sis after shedding its armor. "When you first gave me just the wooden sword, I wondered why you were also giving me this... So this was the reason." "Yes. There is a reason for everything I do." The hero examined the one-handed sword from various angles. Although its shape was thin and slender, its sharpness was no less than that of a greatsword. "You can either sweep everything away with a greatsword, or protect your body with armor and a one-handed sword while fighting. Choose as you wish and fight ordingly." "Nice. Then... how do I take this off?" The hero looked around the armor. But he was slightly flustered as there was not even a slight seam visible on the seamless armor. Well, it''s different from ordinary armor, after all. "Say ''Henshin Kaijo'' which means ''Transformation Dismissed''." "Henshin Kaijo!" Then the armor automatically detached and attached itself to the sword, transforming it back into a greatsword. The hero seemed slightly pleased at the appearance of the transformed sword. Well, I would have been pleased too if I had such a sword in my hands! I gave a small smile at the pleased expression on the hero''s face. Chapter 85: Creating a Hero (5) Chapter 85: Creating a Hero (5) The hero''s sword was prepared. The hero''s power has also be sufficient. He has also be skilled in handling magic power. Now all that remains is to confirm whether the hero can defeat the monsters. Therefore. "Now, it''s time for hunting training." It''s time to teach the hero the weight of taking a life. "Um... that is...?" "Don''t you see? It''s a slime."I kicked the slime squirming at my feet. Slimes, creatures that form the basis of life in this world. Some slimes evolved into various forms to be the current creatures, while others still lived as slimes. Well, since they didn''t need to mutate, they increased in numbers instead of changing, slimes that dposed waste and garbage while living at the bottom of the ecological pyramid, keeping the environment clean as precious beings. "I understand it''s a slime, but why..." "You must practice harming living beings." If I told you to kill a huge monster from the start, it would be natural to feel reluct. The proper way is to start small and work your way up gradually. And since slimes are the weakest creatures that even children can step on and kill, even a kind-hearted hero shouldn''t find it too difficult. To be honest, apart from me who created them directly, no one would consider slimes as living beings. "Go ahead and try." I kicked the slime towards the hero again, and after some hesitation, the hero swung his sword. Crunch! The slimy body was instantly shredded into pieces. Well, since slimes are so weak that they die from just being stepped on, this should be easy. "So a hero''s job... involves harming other lives." "That''s right. It''s about cutting down violent monsters to save others." I suppose it''s not easy from the perspective of kind-hearted hero? But you must get used to it. You can''t hesitate like that when facing other monsters. "If sacrificing one can save ten... I cannot hesitate. If I hesitate, dozens or hundreds of lives will be lost." "Right. It may not be easy, but be prepared." At my words, the hero nodded resolutely. Well, I''m d the hero isn''t just kind-hearted. If that kind heart bes the driving force to save others, it will serve him well. So I brought various live monsters as experience for the hero''s training. From ordinary horned rabbits to dogs wrapped in fire or lightning, cows shrouded in shadows, and huge insects that dug up the ground. Little by little, the hero became ustomed to killing living beings, but he seemed to be struggling more and more. "Are you alright?" "Huff... Yes... I''m fine..." The hero took a deep breath, his shoulders heaving. I suppose it wasn''t easy to keep pushing him like that. "Then let''s stop for today." "No, I''m fine." "My..., look at your own condition. How can you say that when you''re not in top shape?" "But..." I shook my head and said, "Stop being stubborn. How can you save others if you can''t even understand your own condition? If you copse without understanding yourself, who will protect the others? Now go wash up and rest." At my scolding, the hero lowered his head without a word, and I lightly snapped my fingers to send him to his room. He seemed a bit dissatisfied, but what can I do? He looked exhausted enough to show it outwardly Speaking of which... "While the others may not matter, I put some thought into catching this sandworm. And yet he cut it down..." I marveled at the vertically sandworm. I thought it might be a bit dangerous... but it seems the hero''s skill exceeds what I had anticipated. With this, he shouldn''t have any trouble with monsters due tock of ability. [Wow, a human cut a huge worm? Is he really human?] "Sylphid. You''re back." [Yes, Mom. I did as you asked and tormented that human a bit.] I nodded at Sylphid''s words. I had told her to torment the wandering Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom a bit, and Sylphid seemed very satisfied after throwing him into the midst of a storm. [He dared to covet you, Mom! He deserved to die a thousand deaths, so I tormented him thoroughly!] We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "It was quite a sight to see a person being tossed around in a storm like trash. And you showed such delicate control of your power that you didn''t harm any other humans. Truly impressive." [Heheh. I''ve been practicing power control for hundreds of years!] I smiled at Sylphid''s words. "As a reward for granting my request... I should give you a gift." [Oh my! Are you going to return the scales? You don''t have to!] "Of course not the scales." I have no intention of returning those ever again. Pretending not to want them while being greedy, you greedy thing. [Then what gift if not the scales?] "It''s magic to create a physical body, though not as good as the scales." I taught Sylphid the magic to create an avatar body. "It''s magic that allows you to use a human body as your own. Of course, it will be weaker than a dragon''s body, but it will have enough power for you to explore this world." [It''s a shame it''s not the scales, but this will do. Thank you, Mom!] "What''s this. You''re the one who found these monsters for me." While I was training the hero, Sylphid released the wind spirits to inform me of the locations of dangerous monsters. She informed me of the locations of monsters too strong for humans to handle, and prevented them from harming people. This sandworm was one of them. [It was causing trouble in the scorching desert. Ifrit was about to wake up and subdue it himself.] "Ifrit, who barely moves? My... he must have been really angry." [What was that? It was about to attack a vige on the edge of the desert. And Ifrit was watching over that vige...] So Ifrit was indeed watching over the vige of Mages, Babel, even if he didn''t show outwardly. That guy, really. "But, Mom." "Hmm?" Sylphid had already created an avatar body and was standing before me. She''s quick to apply it. "What are your ns for creating such a powerful human? Will you use that human to conquer all of humanity?" Sylphid''s expression as she said that seemed strangely excited. What is this girl talking about? "Why would I do that? I just n to have that child deal with monsters too strong for humans to handle." "Huh? Why go through such trouble? If you just touched them, Mom, the monsters would be instantly separated into bones and flesh." Well, if I had intended to do that, I would have done it already. "It''s because fragments of Erebus may be inside those monsters. The pieces are too small for me to find, so I''m having that child do my work instead." Automated hunting is the best! Of course, the setup beforehand is a bit troublesome. "Heh... Well, if that''s what you''re doing, I''ll take your word for it." Take my word for it, indeed. "Then I''ll be going now. I wanted to travel the humannds directly." "Go ahead. Oh, and don''t forget to inform me if you get information on other monsters. I might send the hero directly next time." "Yes! The wind spirit children are searching diligently!" "Farewell, Mom!" And so Sylphid wrapped the wind around her body and began to float away. Let''s see... The only child I haven''t taught the avatar magic to yet is... Thetis, I think? I should go find herter and teach her. Since she''s in the middle of a remote sea, it''s hard to find her unless I make an effort. Well then, shall I check on the hero? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [I will go on a short journey.] In the hero''s room was a letter with slightly crooked handwriting. Did he run away just because I scolded him a little? Even though his storm and saucy phase should be over? His body is fully grown, but his mind is still a child''s. Geez... tsk tsk. Well, I can easily find out where he went since I can track the location of the hero''s sword. But... maybe I''ll just observe for now. I''m curious what thoughts led the hero to punch a hole in the ceiling and leave. I was nning to send him out anyway. I can just think of it as sending him out a little earlier. He''s be strong enough to be called the strongest among humans, so he shouldn''t be in much danger. And with all the training I''ve given him, survival shouldn''t be an issue either. So I began tracking the hero''s location and observing from afar. I wonder what the hero will find at the end of his journey? Will he shed his kind but weak self and be reborn as a strong person? Or will he be disillusioned by the harsh and cruel reality? I watched the hero with keen interest. Of course, I was prepared to rush over at the slightest hint of trouble. Chapter 86: Tales of the Heros Adventure (1) Chapter 86: Tales of the Hero''s Adventure (1) T/N: I was doing something earlier, so I''m a bitte, sorry. --- The oldest adventure tale that remains in human history is said to be the tale of the Nameless Hero, as many schrs unanimously agree. In the distant past, when monsters suddenly appeared in the world and caused suffering to many, the Nameless Hero was chosen by the Goddess of Life and drew the Sword of the Hero. The Hero, who fearlessly cut down the powerful monsters that the human army could not defeat, the monsters that wouldter be called Elite Monsters, was the hope of many people. Although he was an orphan with nothing, the fact that he could be a hero through endless effort further increased his poprity. However, there were also those who criticized the fact that he was able to grow due to the external factor of the Goddess''s choice. Putting aside such personal likes and dislikes, the adventure tale of the Nameless Hero, the first hero, has been passed down through the mouths of many people and has survived to this day. Interestingly, it is said that the hero''s first adventure was a runaway caused by a quarrel with the proxy of the Goddess who had raised him. - About the Nameless Hero.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero has set out on an adventure! Using the marked coordinates of the hero, I took out a simple snack to watch the hero''s adventure. Hmm. If the hero finds out that I''m watching his adventure like entertainment, will he get angry? But I can''t just not watch. If some strange person gets involved with the hero, I have to immediately strike them down with divine punishment! I have to make a rock fall or something. Well, that kind of scam won''t work on the hero anyway. After all, he''s the hero I''ve raised with so much effort. I''ve raised him to be quite excellent, if I do say so myself. The current hero can be called a true hero without anyck. The hero, who has be such a hero, has left the Dragon''s Tomb and set out on the road. It is a road that many pilgrims traveling to and from the temples frequent, so there are hardly any monster appearances. The hero walked this road with a leisurely pace. Hmm. Did he not consider that I might be following him? He is walking with such carefree steps, as if he have no urgent matters at hand. Well, I didn''t have the intention of chasing after him. I''ll just watch from afar and help indirectly only when he needs it. ... The hero''s adventure was quite uneventful. Well, it''s a ce where problems are unlikely to arise. It''s the road that the pilgrims of the Temple of Life are traveling on, and most of them are either people who can protect themselves from monsters or dragons in disguise. Therefore, the road that the pilgrims of the Temple of Life travel on is rtively safe. And so, the hero''s first adventure began as a leisurely journey. Well, it''s just the beginning of the adventure. I''ll have to watch for a while. "Mom, what are you doing here?" I turned my head towards the direction of the voice and saw a golden-haired young girl standing there with a curious expression. She was the incarnation of Shamash. "Hmm? Shamash?" "Yes, I''m Shamash, the god of light, justice, andw!" This child is always so bright, as expected of the god of light though it wouldn''t make sense for the God of Light to be dark. "For the past few years, you''ve been living with a human child, and now that you''re here alone, I was curious about what''s going on. Have you gotten tired of raising the human child?" "Not at all. That child just seems to want some time alone, so I''m watching over him here." If I''m not here when the hero returns, he might panic. "Hmm... That''s very motherly of you to be so devoted to the human child." "What''s so motherly about it?" "Well, you''ve raised us seven as if we were your own children, even though we''re not rted by blood. If there''s the most benevolent being in this world, it would be you, Mom." The most benevolent being, huh. "Even after turning all the dragons into that state?" "Well, we and those children were the ones who did wrong. Now I understand why you were so angry." Hmm, to hear such words from the god ofw and justice, it makes me feel a little at ease. "Anyway, why did that human child suddenly run away?" "I''m not sure. Maybe there was something he was not satisfied with." I should have talked to him a little more instead of just pressing him. "What a fortunate child. He doesn''t even know how good an opportunity he''s got." "Don''t say that. He''s just a human child, after all. His life is only about 100 years, a short existence that cannot umte wisdom like you for long ages." "But still..." "And you all made mistakes once too, so those children are no different." Shamash remained silent like a mute who had eaten honey at my words. "Anyway, don''t speak ill of that child. He''s just wandering a bit, that''s all." "Sigh. Yes, I understand. If you say so, Mom." Even if I can''t lead the wandering children or watch over them with a kind gaze, I shouldn''t badmouth them. "But what were you trying to do by raising that child?" "Hmm... Monster hunting?" That''s the official stance, at least. Except for the fact that there are small fragments of darkness inside some of those outstanding monsters. "Monster hunting, huh... That''s irrational. Honestly, if that was the purpose, couldn''t you just go out and ughter them all yourself?" Well, that''s true. "But it''s too much of a hassle for me to go out directly." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Then couldn''t you make something like the golems that guard the Afterlife?" Like Talos? "That''s... Well, that''s true, but..." "I don''t really understand why you''re doing such a troublesome thing. Is this really that meaningful of an endeavor?" Shamash''s piercing remark! A critical hit! I was left dumbfounded! Honestly, that''s true! Using a single human would be less efficient than that, but...!!! "Ah, but..." "But?" "The hero is a romantic ideal, you see..." Romantic ideal. Honestly, in this model garden-like world that I could easily overturn if I set my mind to it... How important is it to be able to fulfill that romantic ideal! If I had only thought about efficiency, would I have done this kind of world management stuff? No, I wouldn''t have, because it''s a hassle! Anyway, romantic ideal is important. Yes the romantic ideal. "Romantic ideal? What''s that?" "Giving up the rational and optimal path, and stubbornly pursuing the irrational path?" "What''s that supposed to be." I shook my head slightly. "You''re still too young to understand the romantic ideal." "No, is there any point in understanding such an irrational thing? I don''t get it at all!" "The romantic ideal is not something you think about with your head. It''s just what your heart tells you to do." That''s why I made the choice to create a hero, which is not a rational one! Of course, Shamash still had an expression that suggested they couldn''t understand. "Well, I didn''t expect you to understand it easily. The romantic ideal is something difficult toprehend." "Ugh... I may not understand it well, but if it''s something Mom considers so important, it must be very meaningful! Okay, I''ll try to understand this romantic ideal as well!" "No, I didn''t tell you to go that far..." I couldn''t bring myself to say the words, ''If it was easy to understand, it wouldn''t be a romantic ideal!'' How could I say such a thing? "Ah, by the way! I heard from Sylphid that you''ve been tormenting a human, is that true?" "Hmm? Ah, I have been tormenting him." By the way, I''m still tormenting him whenever I get the chance! With a feeling of ''Taste the pettiness of a creator-ss being!'' you know. "It''s not like you to easily do such a thing, Mom. Is there some reason for it?" "Reason, huh. Well, that fellow just insulted me in my own temple, that''s all." "Huh? You?" At that moment, a blinding light began to emanate from Shamash''s face. "What?! How dare he do that to Mom!!! I can''t let him live!!! I''ll burn him to death with my light right now!!!" "Now, now, calm down. I''m already tormenting him, after all. Turn off the light from your face, it''s too dazzling." "But! To dare to do that to Mom! Mom!! How dare he!!!" Shamash''snguage ability was a bit impaired by how angry they were. "Ahem. I showed you an unsightly sight. I''m sorry about that." "That''s true. You rarely get this angry." "I do get angry sometimes, you know." Shamash finally turned off the light emanating from their face. I just learned that this child emits light from her face when she get angry. "So, who and where is the one who dared to pull that stunt on you, Mom?" "It was the former Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom, but he''s been banished and is now wandering." "If he''s wandering, where is he now?" "Hmm... It''s difficult to describe his location in words." I lightly tapped Shamash''s forehead with my finger and showed them the location of Orcus, the former Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom. "By the way, I''ve ced a curse on him that won''t let him die." "Is that so? Hmm... Then how aboutyering a curse that makes his body burn when exposed to sunlight?" Casually mentioning such a terrifying curse. Well, that''s not a bad idea, I suppose. While I was conversing with Shamash, the hero had entered a human vige. I wonder how that child, who has lived with me alone for so long, will interact with other people... And that hero was... "Hello! Is this your first time in this vige?! Wow, your physique is amazing!! A hunter? No, with that huge sword, you must be a soldier or warrior!" "Uh, well... That is..." Being overwhelmed by the lively girl he encountered at the vige entrance. --- T/N: It seems like a vampire is about to be created.... Chapter 87: Tales of the Heros Adventure (2) Chapter 87: Tales of the Hero''s Adventure (2) The hero was left confused! "Wow! But your physique is really amazing!! Even Jack, who is famous in our vige for his strength, isn''t as much of a muscle mass as you! To be honest, Uncle Jack is half muscle, half fat, so he''s gotten strong just to support that weight, but anyway, he''s the strongest person in our vige! Oops, I shouldn''t have been talking about that! Wee to the Saebong Vige! It''s not a very big vige, and the poption is small, and other than being on the way to the temple where the Goddess of Life is enshrined, there''s nothing particrly special about it! But since it''s on the path that pilgrims often pass through, the safety is guaranteed! Monsters have appeared around this vige only once a few years ago! And it was just a small fry monster! That''s how safe this ce is!" Wow, my ears are about to start bleeding. "Uh, well..." "Since this is a small vige that only has pilgrims from the Temple of Life passing through frequently, or traveling merchants passing through once a month, other visitors are really rare! And even in the past, there were a lot of people going to the temple where the Goddess of Life is enshrined because of the hero''s sword, but a few years ago, that suddenly stopped. It''s a really strange thing. I''ve heard rumors that the hero''s sword was pulled out, but if that were the case, the person who pulled out the sword would be slicing up all the monsters and making the world peaceful, so I think maybe someone pulled out the sword and went into hiding. What do you think, sir?" "Well, that''s...." So this is what it''s like to be beaten by words... The hero seemed to have suffered immense mental damage. I can''t let this go on, I should help a little. Let''s see... In a situation like this... I snapped my fingers and created a small rain cloud in the sky above Saebong Vige.And then, droplets of rain began to fall. "Ah, it''s raining..." "Oh my, it''s suddenly raining? It was clear just a moment ago! Oh no, sir! Let''s get you out of the rain before you get wet! This vige is too small to have an inn, but there are a few spare rooms at the chief''s house, so visitors usually stay there! Come, this way!" Ah... It seems to have had the opposite effect. I thought just pouring some rain would make them part ways naturally... No, maybe this is a good thing. That child who hasn''t properly developed their social skills by being alone with me can now get some training by interacting with and experiencing other people. However, "Come on! If you stay here, the rain might pour down and soak youpletely! This vige may be small, but we''re not so stingy as to let a visitor get drenched in the rain!" "Uh, uh...." I''m not sure if the hero''s mental fortitude can withstand this. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The girl who took the hero''s hand and led him to what seemed to be the chief''s house rummaged through every corner of the house, as if it were her own, and prepared a very simple meal. Hmm, maybe this really is her house? The way she effortlessly takes things out looks too familiar. And the hero seems to have the same thought, as he carefully spoke while watching the girl''s actions. "You seem quite familiar with this ce." "Huh? Ah, yes. Well, since this is my house, of course I''d be familiar with it. And as the chief''s daughter, it''s my role to wee visitors. That''s why I was doing some chores at the vige entrance. But just because I''m the chief''s daughter doesn''t mean I have any special privileges or anything! Honestly, it''s just a pain! There''s nothing beneficial about it! My father is proud of being the chief, but to me, it just looks like a burdensome title. I''d rather pass this annoying job to someone else, but my father is so stubborn about it. It''s really troublesome." A waterfall of words in response to a simple question. he shouldn''t have asked so casually. But she''s the chief''s daughter, huh. Well, the way she was talking about having visitors stay at the chief''s house made it seem like she knew a lot about it. "By the way, really, it''s all so strange, isn''t it? It was clear just a moment ago, but suddenly it started raining. Well, the rain itself is not a bad thing, but for it toe so abruptly is a bit odd. I''ve heard rumors that strange monsters have been appearing in other vigestely. Could that be the reason? Or maybe the sky is ying a trick on the guest by pouring rain? I''m not sure which it is. But I''m a bit embarrassed that the spread isn''t much. As you can see, this is a small vige, so we''re not particrly wealthy. We can get by, but... Still, it''s not polite not to entertain guest from out of town! It''s just a simple soup, a slightly hard bread, and a small sd, but... When the hunters have a good hunt, we can get some meat, but the past few days the hunting hasn''t been good, so this is all we can offer." "Ah, uh... I''ll eat it gratefully." "Great! Please enjoy!" Oh. The hero has grown. He even responded! To withstand that torrent of words and even respond, the hero''s growth is clearly evident. "So, where are you from, guest? The direction you were walking in was towards the temple where the Goddess of Life is enshrined, but you don''t look like a pilgrim." "Ah... I actually lived at the temple for a few years." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "At the temple? Hmm... Were you training to be a pilgrim?" The hero hesitated for a moment at the girl''s words, then spoke. "Something like that. I trained there for a few years... but then... there was an issue, and I fled." Hmm. Pouring out such personal details to a stranger? "Fled? Was there a serious problem?" "Problem? I suppose there was, for me. I couldn''t live up to the expectations of the precious person who raised me. If only I had been a little stronger... I wouldn''t have disappointed her." Expectations? No, what''s this nonsense? Couldn''t live up to expectations? I just wanted the hero to take a break, that''s all. Ugh... Maybe I should have talked more. I didn''t expect the hero to interpret my words that way. Because I carelessly jumped to conclusions, it seems the hero has run away. "Couldn''t live up to expectations... I don''t know the details, but how about staying in this vige for a while to sort out your thoughts?" "In this vige?" "Yes! This vige has a small poption, so every person is precious. Having a guest as strong-looking as you stay, even temporarily, would be a big help! And judging by thatrge sword, you seem able to fight monsters as well! Of course, thest time monsters appeared in this vige was a few years ago, but one must always be prepared, right?" The hero thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. He may have thought that staying in a vige where he could easily return to the Temple of Life was better than aimlessly wandering. "Ah, of course, it''s not solely my decision to make, so I''ll have to discuss it with my father and the other elders of the vigeter! But they''ll most likely wee you!" The girl said with a bright smile. The hero could only nod, swept up in the girl''s enthusiasm. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero slowly integrated into the small vige of Saebong. Well, the only things I taught him were fighting-rted, so it was inevitable that the hero, who knew little about the tasks of a rural vige, would struggle. It was quite amusing to see the hero swing his sword down onto the fields, not knowing how to till thend. Still, the hero spent his time bumbling around in the rural vige. Seeing him like that, I wonder what kind of life the hero would have lived if he hadn''t pulled that sword, if he had found proper parents. I''m just a little curious. If I could turn back time and save the hero''s parents, would I be able to see that future? But then I''d have to let go of the hero I''ve created. It sounds a bit selfish, but I don''t want to do that. Rewinding time means having to repeat what I''ve already done, and there''s nothing more annoying and unpleasant than that. Let''s set aside those trivial thoughts for now. As I continued to observe the hero''s life adapting to the rural vige, a slightly uneasy thought arose. That child... Isn''t he forgetting about the hero''s duties? No, that can''t be. I''ve taught him for years. I''ve told him countless times that strong monsters need to be fought by humans, even if ites at a great cost. That''s why I said the hero must step up. Un. Let''s trust the hero. That child is not the kind of irresponsible person who would neglect his responsibilities. So, let''s believe in the hero I''ve trained. The hero''s det, if you can call it that, did notst long. Chapter 88: Tales of the Heros Adventure (3) Chapter 88: Tales of the Hero''s Adventure (3) "It started with wild animals." "Uncle Jack? What is that? A rabbit? Wow!" "While I was chopping wood, a huge group of rabbits suddenly fled. I managed to hit some with my axe, but there were so many." Dozens of rabbits had been killed by the woodcutter Jack''s axe. And even more had escaped without being caught. The vige chief''s daughter found the situation very fascinating. "There were so many rabbits, but we haven''t had meat in a while. Did the rabbits just hide well? Or are the hunters not very skilled?" "Well, at least we can eat some meat now. Here, I''ll give you a few. And some for the young guest staying with the chief as well." "Thank you, Uncle Jack! You''re as big-hearted as your muscles! By the way, that guest said he wants to learn how to chop wood. If you have time, could you teach him? Of course, I''m not asking you to do it for free! I''ll deduct a bit from your tax paymentter! That guest has helped me with a few side jobs, so it would be mutually beneficial. I won''t force him, of course, if you''re okay with it and have the time." "Ah, yes, that''s fine. If that young man ends up staying, he might even work as a woodcutter.""I hope he does! For some reason, he seems hesitant. It would be great if he settled here! Plus, we''re always short on wood. That''s why Uncle Jack climbs the mountain almost every day, even though it''s dangerous. We really need more people. And look at those muscles! With that amazing strength, you''d be great at woodcutting too! Ah, I hope he decides to settle down and tells us his name soon." "Well, I''ll be going now." "Okay! I''ll enjoy the rabbits!!" The woodcutter Jack, who had handed over three rabbits, quickly disappeared, and the lively girl happily returned home, holding the three dead rabbits by their ears. No one had noticed the unusual situation unfolding. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It started with rabbits. Then it was various mountain birds and small squirrels. After that, evenrger animals like deer and wild boar. It was not normal to see so many animals fleeing in the same direction, as they were not usually easy to spot even when actively sought out. And then... "Hurry! Come this way! The others have already fled, and we''re thest ones! Quickly!" The girl led the hero to the back of the vige, where they entered a cleverly hidden cave. "Phew. We should be safe here. This is a shelter prepared for emergencies. I''ve never actually seen it used before, but it''s been well-maintained, so it should be fine. I think." The hero looked at the girl and asked, "What''s going on?" "I''m not sure. Suddenly, the animals have been going wild, and now even fierce beasts like wolves and bears..." "Wolves?" "Yes. The hunter Connor was badly injured by a wolf. Fortunately, he was treated in time, so his life is not in danger, but... The wolves were in arge pack, which is unusual. And even bears, which normally avoid human areas, have been approaching..." "So there are too many animals?" "Yes, exactly. And ording to sir Connor, all the animals were fleeing in the same direction, all at once. It''s very strange, don''t you think? They''re not racing, but all running in the same direction." At the girl''s words, the hero fell into deep thought. "They''re... running away, aren''t they?" "Huh? Running away? But they''re fierce beasts. They''re not afraid of humans." "There are things in this world that can make even those fearsome beasts run away." Realizing the implication, the girl''s expression changed. "Could it be... Monsters?" "Yes. It''s not an ordinary one if it can drive away that many fierce beasts... It must be a very strong monster." At the hero''s words, the girl nodded, as if finally understanding. "Indeed, if it''s a monster, that would make sense. I''ve heard that a dangerous one could really destroy the vige. But it''s strange. Monsters don''t usually appear on this path that the pilgrims of the Temple of Life often use..." "I don''t know. Maybe it''s strong enough not to fear the pilgrims." "That''s true, but you seem strangely familiar with monsters, don''t you?" "Huh? Ah, well... I''ve learned about them." Hmm. I have taught you a lot about monsters. For now, only monsters that have evolved from animals have appeared. But I don''t know what will happenter. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "If it''s a monster... We''ll have to hide here for a while. I wonder if the preserved food supply is enough... And I hope my father hasn''t secretly eaten it as a snack again." "If it''s a monster, I think it''s better for me to go out alone to deal with it." At the hero''s words, the girl panicked and stopped him. "What? It''s dangerous! Really dangerous! I don''t know if you''ve actually seen a monster, but a person''s life can disappear in an instant! No way! Absolutely not!!!! I won''t let you go!!!!" "But..." "No means no!!! I won''t let you go!!! If you insist on going, then knock me out and go! And make sure you nevere back to the vige, because I''ll hate you forever!!! I''m serious!!! I''m not lying!!!!" At the girl''s words, the hero looked troubled, but awkwardly patted her head. "It''s okay. I''ve been thoroughly trained. Monsters are nothing to me." Un. I''ve trained him thoroughly. Even an ordinary monster wouldn''t be able to scratch him. "Nothing to you, you say... Just who are you...?" The hero gently pushed the bewildered girl aside, then drew the sword slung on his back, a massive and magnificent silver de. The unusual sight left the girl momentarily speechless. "That sword... Could it be..." The hero simply nodded slightly without a word. "I''ll be going now. Stay hidden well." "Wait a moment!!!" The girl hurriedly tried to grab the hero, but he had already disappeared from the spot. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The existence that had driven the animals to flee in terror was, indeed, a monster. A gigantic snake. A snake with a body so massive that each scale looked like a small shield. It could crush even small hills with ease. It was a monster simr in size to the sandworm I had brought for the hero''s training. With its sharp fangs and deadly venom at the tips, and a powerful tail that could swing like a whole tree trunk, it was a monster so strong that even a human army might not be able to capture it. Seeing the massive snake, the hero unhesitatingly gripped his sword. The hero began the battle! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The snake charged furiously at the hero as soon as it saw him, as if the hero was a threat to its life. No, in fact, that was the case. The hero had the power to kill that snake. The massive snake''s body charged like a battering ram, its venomous fangs bared. The hero easily evaded the charge. It was fast for its size, but not fast enough for the hero to not be able to respond. The hero dodged it with a slight jump to the side. But the snake was relentless. Crack!! The snake, breaking several thick trees, turned its head in the direction the hero had dodged and charged again. This time, the hero jumped up. As if waiting for that, the snake''s huge tail swung like a whip towards the spot where the hero had jumped. Boom!!! A thunderous sound, not like that of a snake''s scales and skin, but as if a metal rod had been struck. It was a blow that could have shattered even arge rock. "Is that all?" But it failed to inflict even a scratch on the hero. Even in midair, the hero had deflected the tail with the broad side his greatsword. As a result, there was only a deep dent left on the snake''s tail. "Keeeeeee!!!!" "How noisy." The snake, seemingly in pain, let out a scream. The hero, looking at the snake, gripped his greatsword again. "I''d prefer if you just backed off, but it seems you have no such intention. This time, I''ll cut you down." And so, the hero and the giant snake charged at each other again, unaware of the faint shadow that was looming over them. Chapter 89: Tales of the Heros Adventure (4) Chapter 89: Tales of the Hero''s Adventure (4) The giant snake was a powerful monster, but it no match for the hero. The snake charged at the hero like a massive dump truck. But such a simple attack posed no threat to the hero. Even though the snake repeated its attacks, it seemed to not understand that they were all futile. Just because it had gained great size and strength, it was still just a beast. "Keeeee!!" But this time, it was different. After the hero evaded to the side, the snake quickly circled around and constricted him. This was the snake''s hunting method - to coil around and squeeze its prey to death. But for a snake of such massive size, simply coiling around would be enough to devastate the surrounding area. For an ordinary human, this attack would have swept away dozens or even hundreds. But the only one targeted by this attack was the hero. No matter how quickly the snake constricted, the hero''s speed in escaping would be far greater."Too slow!" And indeed, the hero easily evaded the snake''s constricting attack by jumping up. The snake then tried to strike him with its tail. The same situation as the first sh. The snake''s clumsy attacks relying only on its size and strength were useless against the hero. Especially since its attacks had already been broken once. But the snake took a different approach. Instead of whipping with its tail, it pinned down the hero who had jumped up. "Huh?!" The hero quickly swung his greatsword, slicing the snake''s tail, but... "Keeeeeee!!!" The snake, despite its pained screams, did not stop pressing down with its tail. Like a lid on arge pot, the snake''s coiling trap was trying to envelop the hero. "Tch!" The hero finally realized the snake''s ploy, but the snake was just a bit faster. Slow to catch on, hero. Hmm, perhaps he''s be a bitx livingfortably in the vige? He didn''t react this sluggishly when I was training him. The snake tried to constrict and kill the hero, but... "Haaaa!!" With the hero''s battle cry, dozens of shing attacks burst out from within the snake''s coils. From the hero''s perspective, being trapped and constricted meant that he could attack in all 360 degrees, rendering the snake''s attack useless. Simply unleashing shing attacks in all directions was enough to nullify the snake''s constriction. "Keeeeeee!!!" The snake screamed again. It had never suffered such grievous wounds to its thick, sturdy scales before. The unfamiliar, agonizing pain was all the snake could feel. "Phew." The snake''s coiling body loosened, and the hero emerged unharmed, having donned his silver armor. Amidst the scorched vegetation from the snake''s venomous blood, the hero stood tall and unscathed. "Keeeeeee!!" The snake charged at the hero once more. Its scales, constriction, and tail strikes were all ineffective against this opponent. Itsst resort was to strike with its venomous fangs. But the hero calmly observed the snake''s charge, then... "Hmph!" Evading just a hand''s breadth away, he struck the snake''s left fang with the back of his hand. The fang, sharper than any dagger, was easily snapped by the blow of the hero''s armored hand. "Keeeeeee!!!!" Feeling the excruciating pain of its broken fang, the snake began rolling on the ground, screaming. "Phew... Deactivate transformation." The hero deactivated his armor, reverting his greatsword. The once-mighty snake was now a mess of tattered, broken scales. Its tail was ragged and bleeding, and one of its venomous fangs was broken, leaking venom. In contrast, the hero had not a single scratch on him. Only the dirt kicked up by the snake''s thrashing remained on him. Un. I did train him, and he is indeed well-disciplined. He has honed his skills to the point of being able to defeat monsters. It was quite a struggle to train this dull one, but... The more you hammer iron, the stronger it bes. Even a dull one can reach this level of skill through great effort. Let''s skip over the fact that the process was quite precarious for a human to endure. In fact, there were a few times during the intense training when the hero''s heart stopped beating. Well, I could quickly restart his heart. I had even created a resurrection spell from the beginning. Anyway, the winner of the fight was clear to anyone watching. Seeing the snake''s spirit somewhat dampened, the hero said, "This should be enough. Don''t struggle anymore and leave for somewhere else." Even after hearing the hero''s words, the snake remained on guard. It seemed unable to understand humannguage... but gradually grasped the situation from the hero not attacking, and began slithering away slowly. Hmm... Although the hero is kind, letting such a monster live and escape... is not eptable. That thing will surely attack other peopleter even if it flees now. Hmm. Should I remotely finish it off if the hero lets it go? Judging from how it doesn''t seem too pained despite being cut by the hero''s sword, it doesn''t seem to have a fragment of darkness. I could just end it with a bolt of divine punishment lightning. Just in case, I''ll do it without the hero knowing. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Just as the giant snake was slowly putting distance between itself and the hero, "GROOOOAAARRR!!!" A tremendous roar echoed, and a massive shadow blotted out the sky. "Keueug?!" "Kkeeeek!!" The hero covered his ears from the thunderous sound, and the giant snake hastily coiled its tail and began fleeing. But the massive shadow, as if not letting the snake escape, shot a fireball that struck the giant snake, engulfing it in an explosion that sent it flying far away. "That is... a dragon...?" No, it''s not. It''s not a dragon, but a wyvern. It only has one pair of legs, doesn''t it? pping its wing-like forelimbs to fly, while using its hind legs and tail to bnce. Definitely a wyvern. Only, its size... was about three timesrger than a normal wyvern. Large enough that one could mistake it for a rather small dragon at first nce. "Could that creature also have been driven out by the dragon...?" So you''re saying it''s not a dragon, but a wyvern? I guess you can say that since you haven''t seen a real dragon! Tch. Not that I can reveal my true form either. Ugh... "Grrrrrr....." mes flickered around the wyvern''s jaws. But the wyvern''s gaze was no longer on the giant snake. Instead, it was fixed on the hero, on the hero''s sword. Hmm... Could there be a fragment of darkness within that wyvern? Is it sensing the fragment of darkness inside the hero''s sword and targeting it? I''m not sure, but it seems possible. "KYAAAAAAAHH!!!" The wyvern roared again, and the hero covered his ears once more. A roar that seemed to make the very air tremble - it was likely a signal that the wyvern would hunt the hero. "keueug." The hero gripped his sword again. He had already fought once, but showed no signs of fatigue. However, the massive wyvern before him would not be an easy opponent. An already formidable wyvernrge enough to be called a dragon, andoring a fragment of darkness to boot. But... the hero should be fine. I didn''t raise him to be so weak. So he''ll be alright. I stood up from my spot, ready to instantly teleport out at any moment, and began watching the hero''s battle. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The wyvern struck first. "Grrrr.... KYAHAAAAAHH!" With a gurgling sound, it spewed a fireball at the hero. The hero swung his greatsword, cleanly bisecting the fireball which exploded harmlessly behind him. Hmm. Such fireballs alone won''t be enough to harm the hero. I threw far more powerful fire orbs at him during training. If he was vulnerable to these wyvern mes, my fire orbs would have crisped him. Theyck speed, heat intensity, explosive force and range. No, now is not the time topare fire power against a wyvern. The hero leaped towards the wyvern, and the wyvern scratched at the hero with its hind ws. Kaaaaaang!! Sparks flew between the sword and the ws, and the wyvern''s ws were shattered and scattered. Hmm, even if it was reinforced with a fragment of darkness, the wyvern''s ws could not cut the sword. The wyvern then distanced itself from the hero. It seems to have thought the hero could not fly. But. "Haa!" Thanks to my intense training, the current hero can leap into the air a few times! Of course, it''s possible because his power is enhanced by magic. It would be difficult without that. "Kyaaaaaa!!" The wyvern turned its body greatly and swung its tail, and the hero thrust his greatsword into the tail. Pooooosh! The greatsword tore through the wyvern''s hide and prated deep into the tail, and the wyvern began thrashing in pain in the air. The violently swinging tail. The hero tried to cling to the wyvern''s tail by pushing the greatsword in deeper, but in a situation like being at the end of a whip, he could not endure for long, and the greatsword was pulled out. "Kuh!" And so the hero fell towards the ground. Chapter 90: Tales of the Heros Adventure (5) Chapter 90: Tales of the Hero''s Adventure (5) The hero fell towards the ground. As the hero rapidly approached the ground, heposed himself and then thrust his greatsword into the ground to dissipate the impact. He then red up at the wyvern hovering in the sky. The wyvern was ring down at the hero, who could leap into the air a few times, but not as freely as the wyvern. Of course, he could attack with projectile shes, but their power would diminish with distance, and they were too linear, making them easy to evade. If it were any other opponent, it wouldn''t have taken long, but... Hmm, how will the hero proceed? Remembering how much the wyvern had suffered when the hero had stabbed its tail, it was certain that the wyvern possessed a fragment of darkness. The hero surveyed his surroundings while keeping the wyvern in check, then swung his greatsword a few times, felling several trees. He then picked up the felled trees and threw them at the wyvern, not directly, but rather in a straight line. Thanks to the physical enhancement from magic, the thrown trees flew straight towards the wyvern. Of course, such trees would not be able to harm the wyvern, reinforced as it was with a fragment of darkness. The wyvern casually swatted the trees away with its tail, shattering them instantly. However, the impact seemed to have irritated the wyvern''s wound, and it began to cry out in pain."Gyaaaaaaa!" What is that foolish lizard doing? But the hero did not stop, and continued to throw several more trees in session. Some missed their mark, while others hit the wyvern''s body, but they did not seem to inflict any significant damage. The wyvern seemed to have realized that the wooden logs could not harm it, and began to ignore them. "Hup!" The wyvern finally noticed the hero riding thest log as it flew towards it. The wyvern hastily breathed fire at the approaching hero. "Haa!" The hero swung his greatsword, cleaving the fireball in two. The explosion from the divided fireball propelled the hero even faster towards the wyvern. The hero''s greatsword swung towards the wyvern''s head. "Gyaaa!" The wyvern hastily retreated, evading the sword. But the hero had anticipated this, and unleashed a powerful sh in mid-air. The sh sessfully tore a long gash in the wyvern''s wing membrane. "Good! Fall!" "Gyaaaaaa!" With one of its wings damaged, the wyvern could no longer fly, reduced to a bipedal lizard. Its inevitable fate was to crash to the ground. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After that, the battle between the wyvern and the hero became a fierce struggle that devastated the surrounding area. The hero''s sword easily sliced through the wyvern''s hide, and the wyvern, aware of this, relentlessly breathed fire at the hero. The hero fearlessly charged through the mes, shing them apart. The severed mes set the surrounding trees aze, but the hero did not hesitate. He rushed up to the wyvern''s jaw and swung his sword. The strike only grazed the wyvern, as it had tilted its head back, but it was enough to elicit a horrific scream from the wyvern. "Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" "Shut up!" The hero seized the opportunity and unleashed a flurry of strikes on the wyvern''s body, slicing its hide, cutting off its tail, and breaking its horns. The wyvern fought back with its ws, its half-severed tail, and its jaws, but the hero''s onught was overwhelming. Once the wyvern had lost its aerial advantage, its chance of victory had vanished. And then... Crunch! In the end, only a beheading awaited it. Well, that''s only natural. Unlike other wyverns, this one has wings. It has a sturdy but heavy scale, powerful muscles and skeleton, but it sacrificed these to minimize air resistance and have streamlined, agile body for flight. With its wings lost, that rtively weak-bodied wyvern that sacrificed many things for flight could not defeat the hero. Well, its fireballs are still threatening, but the hero can handle that. "Phew..." The hero looked at the wyvern''s decapitated body, then took a deep breath and sat down on the dirt floor. The victory was certain once the hero had severed the wyvern''s wings, the creature''s greatest weapon, but the process was not smooth. Covered in the ash of the burnt trees, the scattered dirt, and the wyvern''s blood, the messy hero took a moment to rest and look at the wyvern''s corpse. What is the hero thinking right now? If he hadn''t run away, I''d be curious to ask. After resting for a while, the hero slowly got up, brushed off the dirt and ash on his body, and slung the greatsword on his back. Now that the dangerous problem has been dealt with, it seems he ns to return to the vige. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hmm... When will he return from his runaway? If he can defeat a wyvern tainted by darkness like this, there''s probably no monster that can stop the hero. I hope he finishes his runaway andes back soon to start his proper heroic adventure. The hero then returned to the vige. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What caught the hero''s eye was the sight of a massive snake ravaging the small vige. "What...?" Ah, that snake... was it still alive? I thought it had been blown away by the wyvern''s fireball. "Tch!" The hero hurriedly started running. It was obvious that leaving that snake unchecked would lead to trouble. The distant snake was chasing something, running quickly, and a faint silhouette of a small person could be seen in front of it. Naturally, it was a young girl. In a disheveled state, with a wound that seemed to have pierced her shoulder, and her right arm broken and dangling, the girl was running away from the snake. But her steps didn''t go far. "Kyaaa!" The girl tripped over what seemed to be a rock and tumbled to the ground. "I-I have to run away..." But the girl didn''t give up on escaping. She tried to get up using her still intact left arm. However, the girl''s left ankle was twisted in an odd direction. "Ugh, uuuugh..." The girl bit her lip tightly to hold back her cries. If she didn''t run away now, that snake would devour her. Realizing that she could no longer run, the massive snake leisurely approached. But the girl''s strength was gradually fading. Her life, too, was slowly slipping away. The snake, now close, opened its massive jaws to swallow the girl whole. Just as the girl was at death''s door, "Haa!" A greatsword came plunging down from the sky, piercing the snake''s head. Crack! Prating the tough scales and skull, the greatsword emerged through the snake''s pte. Naturally, the snake died in a single strike. "Ugh!" The hero quickly pulled out the sword and jumped away from the falling snake, then approached the girl. The girl was covered in wounds, with no part of her unharmed, and her breathing was growing weaker. The hero hastily activated his life force using magic and poured it into the girl. Following the teachings of the Goddess of Life, he used his own life force to heal her. The hero poured his powerful healing magic into the girl, but her breathing continued to grow weaker. Even as the other wounds were all recovering, the wound on her shoulder was not healing. No, it was rather turning pitch ck. It was poison. The giant snake''s venomous fangs had pierced and burrowed into the girl''s shoulder. "Ugh... Damn it..." "It''s... cold..." The girl spoke in a small voice. Not the usual torrential flood of words, but a faint flutter of a butterfly''s wings. The words of someone at the edge of life, facing death. "Damn it! Don''t die! Don''t you dare die!!" "Ah, haha... I''m, sleepy, yes..." "Don''t sleep! If you sleep, you''ll die! Wake up!" "The, hero, they say... is you, isn''t it... I''m, so, surprised..." "That''s right! I''m the hero! So don''t die!!" The hero continued pouring healing magic, but could not stop the girl''s life from fading. The hero cried out. "I''m... sorry..." And just like that, another life was extinguished. Chapter 91: Resurrection of the Dead (1) Chapter 91: Resurrection of the Dead (1) The hero embraced the lifeless girl and wept for a long time. "If only I had done a little better... If only I had finished off that snake for sure..." The hero kept ming himself endlessly. How pitiful. But who could have known? That the snake that fled while the hero was fighting the wyvern would attack this vige. If I had known... If I had finished it off, would this vige have been safe? Yes, it would have been safe. If that snake had died, it would have been safe. "Oh, God..." The hero began to seek the divine. "Oh Goddess of Life, who entrusted me with the weighty duty of a hero..." The hero began to seek me. "Please... Help me..."The hero spoke in a weak voice. "If this is the sin of neglecting the responsibility you have given me, I will dly ept it." The hero sobbed. "But shouldn''t that sin be directed only at me...? This girl has no sin at all, does she?" The hero began to cry like a child. "So please... Save this girl... Don''t you rule over all life? Please, please, I beg you. I won''t run away from my role anymore..." I let out a small sigh. "Alright." "Sister...?" I had suddenly appeared in front of the hero. "I won''t ask where you''ve been running off to. You must have had your own worries too." It was a lie. I had been watching everything. If the hero had not taken on this duty, I wonder how this child would have lived. I had been watching her living among the people in this small vige. It didn''t look too bad. "Sis-sister..." "There, there, you foolish thing." The hero clung to me, crying like a child. No, even more childish than when he was a child. Did he regress or something? "Sister... Please help me..." "Alright, I know. I''ve heard everything." I examined the girl nestled in the hero''s embrace. Her arm was broken, her ankle was twisted, and her shoulder was rotting with the snake''s venom. I began to touch the girl''s body in various ces. I realigned the broken bone, returned the twisted ankle to its proper position, and ced my hand over the ckened wound, which disappeared in an instant. "Eh, eh..." "I haven''t revived her yet. I''ve only cleaned her body. Let''s go find the others first." "The others...?" "Given the state this girl is in, shouldn''t we look for the others as well? Or is reviving her alone enough?" The hero seemed quite embarrassed, his face reddening. "Alright, hand that child to me and go draw your sword." I pointed my finger at the giant snake with its head pierced, and the hero, slightly flustered, handed the girl to me and went to retrieve the sword from the snake''s corpse. Really, when will he start acting properly? Tsk tsk. I clicked my tongue briefly, watching the hero''s back, and looked at the girl I had been handed. Her body was clean, without a single wound, but her soul had already departed. If I hadn''t created the afterlife... Her soul would have already scattered, with no way to retrieve it. But now it''s different. The Afterlife where the dead go. There are 7yers, each taking 7 days to pass through... If it''s within 49 days of death, they can be revived. So first, let''s go find the others as well. Since I''m reviving them, I might as well do it all at once, so it won''t be a hassle for those children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "But can you really revive them?" "Don''t you trust my words?" "But..." I hit the hero''s head with a loud thud and said, "You were crying and praying so desperately, so I rushed here in a hurry! Am I really not trustworthy enough?" "But reviving the dead... It just doesn''t make sense. How can you revive the dead?" "It''sughable that the one who was wailing and begging me to revive them is now saying such things." At my words, the hero closed his mouth like a mute who had swallowed honey, unable to say anything further. "Let''s see. Looks like this is thest one." After dragging therge man''s body and gathering all the bodies together, I examined the corpses. It seemed that all the vigers of the small town had lost their lives to the giant snake. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now The girl must have been thest one sacrificed by the snake. Or perhaps the vigers had tried to lure the snake for the sake of the girl, but failed. "ce that girl next to them as well." "Yes, understood." The bodies were in a mess. There was not a single intact corpse, and some had been scattered into mere pieces of flesh, with only a hand remaining. Seeing such bodies, the hero''s expression also became gloomy. It must be heartbreaking to see the vigers he had lived with for a short time in such a state. He must have started ming himself again. "It''s not your fault." "But..." "Even if I say it''s not, you won''t believe me. Anyway, let''s begin." I started to gradually spread my life force around. The bodies of the fallen gradually regenerated, and the scattered flesh and blood gathered to return to human form. Even the half-melted bodies that must have been inside the snake''s stomach began to regenerate. Hmm... It''s not a very pleasant sight. But well, there''s no help for it. It''s necessary to fully restore the bodies. As I spread my life force, the bodies regenerated, and even nts grew from the bare ground. After a while, theplete bodies of the vigersy in the lush grass. "Is it over?" "No, the real part is just beginning." Even if I return their souls, if there are no bodies, they cannot be revived. Anyway, the bodies for the souls to return to are nowplete, so it''s time to bring back the souls. "I, the one who represents the great name of Life, speak." I recite some words that sound like a spell, since there are eyes watching. "There are pitiful souls here awaiting resurrection." [Thanatos?] [Yes, Creator Dragon God.] [Will you restore their souls?] "Birth and death that exist under the name of Life, negate their fate." [Huh? Suddenly?] [I ask you.] [But...] "Let their hearts to beat again, their blood to flow again, and their breath to return." [Ugh... Understood. Since the Creator Dragon God requests it, I have no choice.] [Thank you.] [It''s only because the Creator Dragon God directly requested it. And these are recently deceased, so their souls are not difficult to find.] "You shall be revived." Following my words, the unseen figures of the Grim Reapers could be seen briefly returning the souls of the vigers. Good, it seems all the vigers'' souls have returned. As a finishing touch, I raised my right hand and said, "Resurrection!" At the same time, the vigers'' hearts started beating again. With their bodies intact and their souls returned, there should be no problem with them reviving. Their hearts beat, breath returns. It will take time for them to regain consciousness, but it won''t take long. "Did... Did we really...e back to life...?" The hero was greatly surprised to see the girl''s body start breathing. Hmm, did he not believe my words? Well, that''s understandable. Anyway, that was the first time the resurrection magic (not really magic) revealed itself. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Resurrection Magic. The Miracle of Resurrection. This magic, known as the most famous miracle of the Church of Life, makes everyone admire, envy, and cannot disregard the Church of Life. In the distant past, this magic was first used at the request of a nameless hero, and unlike other magic, it is called a magic that does not consume mana. While it is necessary to regenerate the body, this is just a process of consuming life force, not mana. By borrowing the name of [the Mother of All Life], this magic revives the souls of the dead and brings them back to life. Compared to the magic of any school, this is a heterogeneous and fanciful magic. In a way, it can be called a miracle that manifests by borrowing the name of [the Mother of All Life]. The most famous users of this resurrection magic are the Dragon''s Priestesses, the saints of the Church of Life, and a few high priests of the Church of Life who have been chosen by the Mother of Life. Of course, such high priests are as rare as one in a hundred years, and in the case of the Dragon''s Priestesses, they appear only when the world is in crisis... Resurrection magic is a rare magic that cannot even be witnessed in ordinary times. However... Can this magic really be called magic? Can a magic that does not use even a bit of mana be called magic? Wouldn''t it be more appropriate to call it a miracle? - Resurrection Magic. Is it magic? Or is it a miracle? --- T/N: This novel keeps getting better, isn''t it? Chapter 92: Resurrection of the Dead (2) Chapter 92: Resurrection of the Dead (2) The resurrection was over, but... I looked around at the vigers lying on the ground, and gazed at the devastated vige. "It will take some time for them to wake up.... There''s no ce toy them down." The buildings were all destroyed. During the fight between the hero and the wyvern, they must have caused a lot of destruction, as not a single building was left intact. This is troublesome. "But I can''t just leave them lying on the ground. Hmm..." "Shall we build a hut with wood then?" "That will take time. Wait and see." I stomped the ground twice, waking up the earth spirit that was sleeping underground.[Who are you?] "I am an agent of the goddess who was passing by. I woke you up because I have a task for you." [Huh? A task... How troublesome... Yawn...] Despite pretending to hold back their power, the earth spirits are all too self-centered. "It will be over quickly. Just do one thing." [Hmm... If I don''t help, you''ll keep bothering me, right? Tsk.] "Just help a little. It''ll be done soon." [Alright.] The earth spirit began using its power ording to my will. A wide open space was leveled, pirs and walls were erected, arge roof was ced on top, and openings for the entrance and venttion were made,pleting a temporary building that could be used. [All done? I''m going back to sleep now.] "Okay, sleep well." The earth spirit fell back asleep, and the hero quickly moved the resurrected people into the building. "But these people... When will they wake up?" "Who knows. This is the first time I''ve actually used it... They should wake up within a few days." It will take time for them to recover from the shock of their bodies and souls being separated. Moreover, the process of dying and being resurrected must have had a significant psychological impact. "There''s also a possibility that their memories may have been lost." "Huh? Their memories?" "Yes, their memories." Memories are closely rted to the soul, so there''s a chance that some of their recent memories may have been lost in the process of resurrection. Well, it''s a small price to pay for being resurrected. "Their memories... might be gone?" "We''ll have to see how much of their memories are missing once they wake up. It could be just a few days'' worth, or even a few months'' worth." Since this is the first time I''ve actually used it, it''s hard to give a definite answer. "Well, for now, we can only wait and see." The next day, the resurrected people began to wake up one by one. Hmm, it seems the resurrection was sessful without any major issues! As for their memories, it seems they''ve lost an appropriate amount, as they all seem to have forgotten the hero they had been traveling with. The hero repeatedly showed the vigers the giant snake and the devastated vige, exining the situation to them. The vigers looked quite bewildered, but seeing the massive snake and the destroyed vige would make them realize that it''s the truth, even if they don''t want to. Despite having lost all their possessions and homes, the vigers were surprisingly positive. "Well, at least no one died! The ones who haven''t woken up yet will soon, I''m sure!" Positive, huh. As long as they didn''t die, they seem to be fine with it. With most of the vigers now awake, the hero sat next to the girl who had not yet woken up. Hmm, she was the vige chief''s daughter. Hmm, hmm. Could it be that the hero has started to take an interest in this girl? We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hmm, well, age-wise it''s not a problem! But handing over the hero I''ve carefully raised to some country girl feels a bit... unsatisfying. If possible, I''d like to introduce him to an even better woman... Hmm, but I still feel a bit dissatisfied. Since he''ll be the one recing me in ying all the monsters, I''d like to introduce him to the ideal woman for him, if possible. Ugh... I wish I could find out what his type of woman is. As the hero was thinking about the girl''s future, she woke up. "Huh. Umm... Where is this?" The girl looked puzzled at the unfamiliar ceiling. There were no stone buildings in that small vige, so it was unfamiliar to her. "You''ve woken up. You''re thest one." "Eh? Last one?" The hero spoke to her in a calm voice from her side. "Calm down and listen carefully. You and the people of this vige were attacked and killed by a giant snake-like monster." "Huh? We died? All the people in our vige are dead? Does that mean this is the Afterlife? The world after death? I''ve heard the rumors, but to actuallye here. Wow! They say there''s a huge river in the afterlife, as wide as the sea! Can I really see that vast river? And they say you cross it by boat!" "Unfortunately, this is not the Afterlife. There is no river." "Huh? Aw, that''s a shame. I wanted to see the sea, or at least a river as wide as the sea. But who are you? Ah, you said we were attacked and killed by a giant snake monster, so did you revive us? To be able to revive the dead, it''s like a divine miracle! Thank you! I''m very curious about how you did it, but thank you!" Hearing the girl''s "Who are you?", the hero''s expression darkened slightly, but soon returned to normal. "I didn''t do it. It was the agent of the goddess who was passing by, the Dragon''s Priestess, who revived you all at my request. As a result, some of your memories have been lost. I only killed that snake a bitte. If I had dealt with it sooner, you wouldn''t have died." "Huh? Umm... But you saved us all, right? We should be the ones thanking you. Ah, and we should thank the agent of the goddess as well..." The girl moved her stiff body and stood up from her spot. "Ahaha, my body feels a bit stiff. Is it because I was dead and my body hardened? It''s a bit awkward to move around." "It''s a bit strange for me to say this, but... do you believe that you died and were revived?" "Hmm... I''m not sure why, but seeing your face makes me want to believe it. Even though it''s the first time I''ve seen you, it feels familiar somehow. Isn''t that strange?" The awkwardly smiling girl. The hero was clenching his fist tightly at the sight of her. "Where are the other vigers?" "The others have all woken up first and gone to the vige to n the reconstruction." "I see... Reconstruction." The girl turned her body to face the hero and said, "For some reason, I feel like it would be good if you were there to help rebuild the vige." "I see." Ah, there it is! She''s dropping hints! Dropping them hard! "But I have other things I need to do, so I''m not sure if I can be of much help." "I see. That''s what I thought." The girl went outside the building and looked at the devastated vige. "Wow... It''s really all destroyed. And that giant thing was a snake... With a snake that big rampaging, the vige didn''t stand a chance. Really... The vige was wiped out because of that huge snake. Even though I don''t remember it, it''s probably a good thing I don''t. It must have been agonizing." "Yes, well..." Since their bones were broken and their flesh was rotting from the venomous fangs, it must have been agonizing. "Thank you for reviving us. I don''t have any other words to express my gratitude. Ah, you said it was the Dragon''s Priestess, the agent of the goddess, who revived us? I should convey my thanks to that person as well..." The hero remained silent at the girl''s words. "Well, I''ll express my gratitude to that personter. Hmm... If you were able to kill such a huge snake, you must be the famed hero I''ve heard about." The hero nodded silently. "I see. Then you must have a lot of important things to do. There are probably many others suffering from such monsters." "That''s..." The girl spoke in a calm voice. "As the hero who revived me and the people of our vige I wish I could be of help, but we simple country folk can''t be of much use to you." The girl spoke shyly. "But there is one thing I can do! Our vige is on the pilgrimage route of the Temple of Life. Whenever pilgrims pass through, I''ll tell them about your achievements! I''ll tell them the story of the Dragon''s Priestess who revived us, and the greatness of the hero who defeated the giant snake! We can''t personally go around spreading the word, but we''ll make sure the pilgrims passing through our vige hear the story!" And so, the tale of the hero''s first aplishment began to spread from this small rural vige. Chapter 93: Resurrection of the Dead (3) Chapter 93: Resurrection of the Dead (3) The hero and I stayed in the vige for a few days and helped with the reconstruction of the vige. We rebuilt the destroyed buildings and recovered the food that had been swallowed by the snake. Honestly, it became a hassle to hunt, so we just butchered the snake and used only the meat as food. We purified all the poison, so the meat became clean enough to eat. It was enough for the vigers to eat for a few days. After about 7 days, the vige was organized enough to be livable again. "Then, it''s time for us to leave." "Hmm.. Have you finally felt the urge to move?" "Yes. I have deeply realized that if I don''t move, many people will suffer like in this case." I nodded at the hero''s words. It was something like "great poweres with great responsibility", a famous line from a heroic story.Since the hero has great power, he also has great responsibility. Well, that saying also applies to me, but my responsibility might be to somehow keep this world going. Un. "By the way, was it a dragon? It was spitting fire from its mouth and flying around freely... If I had failed to cut off its wings, it would have been difficult to defeat. It must be the strongest creature on the ground." "Dragon?" Could it be that he still thinks that wyvern was a dragon? "Are you talking about the monster you fought?" "Huh? Yes. Wasn''t that a dragon?" I shook my head at the hero''s words. "That couldn''t have been a dragon. Dragons are a bit more noble, a bit more beautiful, and a bit more dignified than that." There''s a world of difference between that wyvern, which didn''t have a shred of intelligence, and a dragon! "Huh...? So that wasn''t a dragon...?" "The flying lizard you fought was a wyvern. It was a bit strong, but it''s still not qualified to be called a dragon." The hero seemed a bit disappointed at my words. Honestly, even with the hero''s power, a dragon would be difficult to defeat. Oh well. "Then... Let''s take the wyvern''s corpse with us. The wyvern''s hide could make a fairly sturdy armor. And the membrane, teeth, ws, and bones could also be useful." A wyvern would be the highest-quality material, excluding dragons. I should make some clothes out of that hide and give them to the hero. te armor provides almost invincible protection, but there are still gaps that are not protected, so... I cut the wyvern''s wing membrane to make a pouch, cast a magic to connect it to the subspace, and stuffed the entire wyvern''s corpse into it. Hmm.. A muchrger thing is sucked into the pouch. It''s strange but useful. Moreover, since it''s made from the wyvern''s wing membrane, it''s unlikely to tear easily. "Then, let''s be on our way." "Hmm... Shouldn''t we say a final farewell?" "Huh?" "You won''t be a hero forever. Someday, you''ll have to put down your sword and live a normal life." The hero couldn''t give a proper response to my words. "Well, you have time, so think about it leisurely. And don''t forget to say a proper farewell. If you part without a proper goodbye, you''ll end up regretting it." With a determined expression, the hero ran towards the vige. Let''s see, while the hero is finishing his farewell, I''ll make some clothes from the wyvern''s hide. I''ll make boots from the thicker parts of the hide and gloves from the softer parts. Each piece will be a garment that protects the hero''s body. I''ll have to work hard on it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Are you leaving?" The girl said to the hero. "Yes." "As I expected. It wouldn''t make sense for a hero like you to stay in this small vige for a long time. It wouldn''t be strange for you to leave at any time." The hero couldn''t say much in response. "Un. I''m a little bit sad, though. I don''t know why, but I felt a strong familiarity with you. If you weren''t the hero, I might have want to live in this vige together." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "I... Anyway, I''ll be on my way now." "Okay. Safe travels. Thank you for helping our vige." The hero gave a small bow and started walking away, and the girl began waving at his retreating figure. Even as the hero''s figure grew more and more distant, she continued waving. Her waving hand slowly came to a stop as the hero''s figure faded into the distance. The girl was holding something back. She kept holding it back while watching the hero''s back. No, she couldn''t hold it back anymore. "Hero!!! If-if you have nowhere to go after your duties are done!!! Pleasee back to the vige!!!" Would the hero''s voice reach her? The girl didn''t know. But she shouted. "I''ll prepare a ce for you to stay!!! I''ll have a ce ready for you toe back to someday!!! So, pleasee back someday!!!" Uncertain words. Words that may or may not reach him. But the only thing the girl could do was to shout. Shouting with all her heart. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "When the hero''s duties are done, huh..." "Hmm? Why do you say that?" The hero just shook his head slightly. "No, it''s nothing." "Hmm.. You''re a silly fellow. Here, try wearing this. I made it while you were saying your farewells." I handed the hero a pair of gloves made from the wyvern''s hide. I made them a bit hastily, but since the raw material was such high-quality leather, they turned out quite well. The clothes and boots will require more effort to make properly. I''ll have to work on them slowly. The hero put on the wyvern hideoves I had given him, clenching and unclenching his fists a few times. "Is the movement alright?" "Yes, they fit my hands perfectly." Hmm. I made them roughly by eye, but they seem to suit him well. "Alright, then let''s be on our way. The faster we move, the more people we can save." "Yes, let''s hurry." Where we needed to go was already decided. I had already located the positions of other dangerous monsters through the wind spirits. And so, the nameless hero and I set out on our journey. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The nameless hero and the Dragon''s Priestess traveled the world, defeating the monsters that gued many people. Endless transformations. They subdued shape-shifting beasts, split apart the ice giants they encountered in the north, beheaded the massive beasts wrapped in rock, and sliced through the monstrous fish swimming in the poisonous swamps. Nothing could stand in their way. Many praised their adventures and extolled their achievements, so it was only natural that news of them would spread to others. The title of hero will be forever sacred. It was only natural that news of them would spread to other races as well. After burning countless swarms of locusts, two messengers arrived to the hero and Dragon''s Priestess as they rested in the vige. They were messengers sent by the elves and dwarves respectively. "As a representative of the noble elven n, I invite the human hero. It would be better to grasp the hands of us elves rather than those dirty-handed dwarves." "As a hero, you must surely know the importance of weapons and armor! We dwarves will hand over our equipment, so don''t listen to the babbling of those pointy-eared fellows!" Why are they so at odds with each other again? Did they get into a fight or something? Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha didn''t say much, did they? Ahem. Let''s assess the situation first. The decision cer. Chapter 94: Elves and Dwarves (1) Chapter 94: Elves and Dwarves (1) The hero and I let out a sigh as we saw the two messengers who had barged into the inn. I''m not sure what they were made of, but the elf messenger was wearing clothes as soft as silk, while the dwarf messenger was covered head to toe in metal armor and had an unkempt beard. The two messengers were growling at each other, but they both reached out their hands to the hero. "We''ve heard of your reputation, hero. You''ve managed to defeat even the most troublesome monsters that even we elves would have a hard time with, using just your human body." "Ah, so you''re quite the swordsman! Your weapons look impressive, but it seems you don''t pay much attention to your armor. Come with us, hero, and we''ll provide you with some excellent armor!" The elves and dwarves both seemed eager to have the hero on their side. For now, assessing the situation should be the priority. I can''t just blindly side with one of them. "For now, please step back. I''ll make a decision after I''ve gathered more information." "What is this horned creature? Are you a beastman? You seem to be the hero''s attendant. Now that your master is in the middle of a conversation, you should step aside.""...What did you just say?" "Hmm. I have no doubt of your skills as a hero, but you seem to have a bit of a problem with your discernment when ites to the servants you bring with you. I hope you remember that it''s not a good idea to choose a servant based on looks alone!" In an instant, the gravity pressing down on the elf increased exponentially, causing his body to be crushed into the ground. I let out a sigh as I watched the elf, who was now like a rock elemental, trying to burrow into the earth. "You foolish youngster who hasn''t even lived for a thousand years, your words are quite presumptuous, aren''t they?" "Y-yes, that''s right." "Calm down, that elf was just speaking without knowing any better." "krugh..." The sound of the elf''s bones being crushed made the dwarf messenger, the hero, and even a curious bystander animal greatly startled. I''ll exin about that animalter. I released the crushing gravity with a light gesture, and the elf, who had been dying like a bug under a shoe, was finally able to take a fewbored breaths. Hmm, I got a bit carried away there. ¡°From next time, keep humility in your head. got it?" "Y-yes, ugh!" How pathetic, he can''t even give a proper response. It feels like I''m giving medicine after breaking something, but I''ll at least fix his broken bones. "Well then, I''ll be going now..." Just as the dwarf messenger was about to leave, "Wait. Let''s hear a bit more of the story." My brief words stopped the dwarf messenger in his tracks. The dwarf messenger looked at the hero with a pleading gaze, but the hero simply shook his head without saying a word. "Don''t worry, I just want to listen to the story, that''s all." I need to understand what''s going on, don''t I? And there''s no one who knows the situation better than the parties involved. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The elves and dwarves. Though they had never directly met, they were able to learn about each other indirectly through the humans who went between them. The elves, who lived in the forests tending to the World Tree, and the dwarves, who delved into the highest mountains and worked with metals. Despite the many differences between the two races, it didn''t take long for various letters to be exchanged and for them to gradually be more familiar with each other. "It''s a pleasure to meet you. I am the representative of the elven diplomatic mission." "Hah! You''re taller than I expected! I am the representative of the dwarves." When twopletely different races meet directly, it inevitably leads to the birth of new conflicts. "The letters didn''t convey it, but you seem more distinctive than I imagined." "It''s all thanks to this beard! Isn''t it magnificent? But elves don''t seem to grow beards, do they? Your under nose are just smooth as can be." "We elves don''t grow beards. Instead, our hair grows long and straight. But dwarves, are you always this short? It seems perfect for digging tunnels." "And you elves are as thin as tree branches! How can you possibly use any strength with a build like that? I bet you''d snap like a twig if I just gave a good yank!" After only writing pleasant words to each other in the letters, the conflicts between the two grew stronger once they met face-to-face. "Look at this! Isn''t it beautiful? This is the most precious gem we have mined! We''ve named it the Diamond of Sagarmatha''s Eye! Even with just a little polishing, it shines so brightly! You elves who only live in the forests have never had the chance to see something like this!" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "It is certainly beautiful." "Right? So, I was thinking we should use a special type of wood to decorate this gem even more beautifully. I know that elves are the ones who know the most about wood." "Using wood for decoration... I''m not too keen on cutting and carving the trees." The elf spoke with a somewhat displeased tone. "For us elves, trees are like our own kin. To decorate this gem with those trees would be an unptable proposal. I''d rather pretend I didn''t hear that." "Hmm. What if we were to gift this gem to the elves?" The elves paused for a moment. "Sagarmatha is the name of the highest mountain that we consider sacred. Decorating this gem, which is called the ''Eye of Sagarmatha'', and gifting it to the elves would be a promise of a bright future between the elves and dwarves. Honestly, the consensus among the dwarves is that elves are the ones we can trust the mostpared to other races." The dwarf chuckled as he spoke. "Humans have such vast individual differences that they are hard to trust, beastmen are half-beast so they don''t understand speech well, and lizardmen have cold blood flowing through their bodies. In the end, the ones we can truly trust are the elves, aren''t they?" "I see..." The conversationpletely ignored the existence of the minority races. "So, you know how the World Tree is the most precious thing to you elves, right?" "That''s true, but..." "How about you provide us with just a small branch from the World Tree?" At those words, the elf representative abruptly stood up from his seat. "The friendly talks are over. Everyone, let''s leave." "Huh? Wait a moment! It''s just a single tree branch, isn''t it!" "A single tree? A branch? Do you have any idea what the branches of the World Tree are?!" The elf shouted in an angry voice. "The World Tree is like a parent to us! To ask us to cut and hand over a branch of our parent, how dare you! Are all dwarves such rude beings? I dere all future negotiations to bepletely canceled! How horrifying to have exchanged letters with such rude creatures!" "Wait, wait! You''re taking this too far! Just because of that one thing, you want to ruin everything?! Canceling all future ns?!" The dwarf spoke in a flustered tone, but the elf''s stance was firm. "You mentioned Sagarmatha, didn''t you? The mountain the dwarves consider sacred." "Y-yes, that''s right." "Are the dwarves the kind of beings who would carve and dig into that mountain if they needed to?" At the elf''s words, the dwarf nodded slightly. The great and lofty, sacred mountain of Sagarmatha was like a great parent who would give them everything they needed. "What do you mean by that? If it''s truly necessary, then Sagarmatha itself would willingly offer itself." "You want to carve the flesh of your parent? Truly, you are an unfilial child. I have nothing more to say! I''m leaving!" "Wait! No..." And so, the first meeting between the elves and dwarves, as well as the subsequent negotiations, all ended up in the gutter. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "That''s what happened. Yes. That was the start, and various conflicts followed after that." Hmm... the conflict between the elves and dwarves. Honestly, it seems like the conflict arose from the different mindsets of each race. From the elf''s perspective, the trees are like their own kin, and the World Tree in particr is like a parent who has cared for them. So, to ask for a branch of the World Tree would be no different than asking to cut off a part of their parent. But from the dwarf''s perspective, it was just a single tree branch, and they were the kind of beings who would dig into Sagarmatha, the mountain they hold sacred, if they needed to. They would have had a hard time understanding the elf''s way of thinking. And above all, they couldn''t understand why the elves would get so angry when they were offering the most valuable gem they had mined. From the elf''s perspective, they cannot forgive the dwarves, and from the dwarves'' perspective, they cannot understand the elves. If these two races were to go to war, what should I do? Excluding ying the role the Destruction Dragon God, I can''t just go "Whether they are elves or dwarves, they will be annihted!" even though it''s frustrating. So, let''s listen to both sides'' stories first. Wouldn''t it be right to listen to the stories of both Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha, and then make a decision? So, hold back, my Destruction Dragon God...! This is not the time for you toe out! In this situation, I can''t just go "Smash everything!" just because Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha didn''t say anything. Chapter 95: Elves and Dwarves (2) Chapter 95: Elves and Dwarves (2) I had temporarily sent the messengers of the two races to their lodgings, telling them toe back tomorrow. Honestly, it''s a bit of an overreach to involve a hero in the conflicts between other races. From what I can tell, it seems like they want to use the hero, who is famous for ughtering powerful monsters, to side with one party. But the hero was not created for that purpose. Of course, the hero''s strength is real, so he could probably beat up elves or dwarves just as easily as he can defeat monsters. But I don''t want that to happen! Anyway, whether the elves and dwarves squabble or go to war... as long as they don''t cross the line of trying to exterminate the race or massacre nonbatants, I don''t particrly feel the need to get angry. But if they try to use the hero, that''s a different story. Let me see, first let''s talk to Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha. I''m curious to know if they''re aware of the situation. If they intentionally hid it from me, I might get a little angry. [Yggdrasil, Sagarmatha. Are you two avable for a moment?] [Yes, mother. What''s the matter?][I''m feeling sleepy... please make it short.] The two of them sound calm. Are they unaware of the situation, or are they hiding something? Well, whichever it is, it''ll be revealed soon enough. [There''s a problem between the elves and dwarves. Do you two know anything about it?] [Our children? Well, I do have a feeling that things are getting a bit noisy, but I''m not sure.] [Dwarves... ah, those ant-like creatures digging around the mountains near me. I told them not toe near me, so I''ve been ignoring them.] Hmm, so they both seem unaware. But Sagarmatha, the dwarves have been deifying you as a sacred mountain, yet you were just watching them like ants. No, well, when I first met them, I did say I''d ughter them all if they tried to dig into her, so it''s not that strange. But the dwarves are revering Sagarmatha as a sacred mountain, yet Sagarmatha has been ignoring them. The dwarves are a bit pitiful. [The other peaks around me have also been wrapped up and named after me. I''m not sure why they''re doing that. Watching them dig and burrow underground was kind of entertaining, though.] Sagarmatha was observing the dwarves like they were ants in an observation box. Hmm... let''s keep this a secret from the dwarves. If they find out that the mountain they revere as sacred sees them as mere ants, they be devastated. Anyway, since Sagarmatha has no interest in the dwarves, they''re probably not involved in this issue. Then, what about Yggdrasil? [Did our children cause some kind of problem?] [It seems like they''re about to get into a scuffle with the dwarves.] [What?! Our children?!] Ah, Yggdrasil didn''t know either. [Suddenly? Why? The kids have been a bit noisytely, but war?! What happened?] [I wonder about that as well.] If I tell Yggdrasil that the fight started over a branch, they''d be just as bewildered. Hmm... so what should I do? It seems like Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha werepletely unaware of this. [Mom, you''re not going to get angry likest time, are you?] [Last time?] [Yes, like when you confiscated our scales and turned all the children into spirits.] Ah, the Day of the Dragon''s Demise. [Well, if you two were involved, I might have gotten a little angry.] [But we didn''t know! The children are fighting on their own! And Sagarmatha doesn''t even see them as their own children!] [That may be true, but that''s a bit hurtful to hear.] Let''s ignore Sagarmatha for now. [I don''t outright reject war, as it can be necessary in the process of development.] [Then can we just let them fight?] Let''s continue to ignore Sagarmatha. [Why are they suddenly wanting to go to war?] [I heard the dwarves wanted to borrow one of your branches, Yggdrasil.] [My branch? Why?] [The dwarves wanted to use the best wood to decorate the jewels they n to give the elves as a gesture of friendship.] [The best wood... so that''s why they want my branch?] [Yes, that''s right.] If it''s the best among trees, then the World Tree Yggdrasil would naturallye to mind first. The dwarves must have thought the same, and requested a branch from Yggdrasil. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now However, what the dwarves might not have considered is that the elves see cutting a tree as akin to their own bodies being broken. Well, since the elves canmunicate with trees, it''s only natural. But... is that really okay? Trees are one of the most widely used resources in this era, yet the elves are unable to utilize them at all. Not only fruits and vegetables, but also timber for construction, and even papyrus as a recording medium - the elves are unable to use any of these nt-based materials, making them practically primitive. At this rate, while other races are making progress, the elves will be left behind. Hmm... Should I somehow intervene for the elves? But how? Take away their ability tomunicate with nts? That doesn''t seem right either. It''s not easy. Not easy at all. [My branch is nothing special, so I don''t understand why they''re so eager to fight over it... They''re my children, but I just can''tprehend it.] [Isn''t it because they''vee to identify themselves with the trees, since they canmunicate with them?] [Even if they identify with it, a branch that keeps growing on its own is not that different from hair on a person. I don''t understand why they''re acting this way.] Hair... hmm, maybe it''s somewhat simr? I''m not sure, since I''m not a tree. Well, since the tree Yggdrasil is saying that, it must be the case. [I can easily give them a branch or two, but why are those children being so picky?] [Indeed, I wonder the same.] Maybe I should consider aplete mental overhaul for the elves at some point. Cherishing andmunicating with trees is good, but they seem to be taking it to an extreme. [If I get the chance, I should probably dull their ntmunication ability a bit. Not knowing moderation is causing them problems.] [Aha-ha-ha...] Yggdrasil justughed awkwardly. [Anyway, since I now know you two weren''t involved in the war, I''ll handle the rest myself.] [Mom, please be gentle about it.] [Can''t we just start the war?] Let''s keep ignore Sagarmatha. No, wait. Should I really just start the war? Instead, a different approach, like a friendlypetition without actual fighting. If I restrict it to subduing without killing, it might be better than an outright war. That way, the damage would be less, and it could create a healthypetitive rtionship. Yes, gradually releasing the pressure is better than outright prohibition. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Therefore, I will prohibit the war, so summon the representatives of both sides." I met with the messengers of both sides, along with the hero, and conveyed my intention. "Prohibit the war? By what authority do you..." "What?" "Ah, no, nothing..." The elf messenger quickly backed down after I gave him a stern look. He clearly didn''t want his limbs to be shattered again. "If war is necessary, I won''t avoid it, but if even that war is meaningless, then not having it is the answer. Convey this to the Dwarven King!" Hmm, the dwarves are easy to reason with, probably due to their efficiency-oriented tendencies. "Inform the elf side as well. The war is prohibited. If you ignore my words and challenge the dwarves, you wille to regret that choice." The elf messenger still had a dissatisfied expression on his face, as if saying, ''Do you really have the ability to do that?'' Seriously, why have they be so arrogant? The elves who were like primitive carnivores in the forest, why have they be this way? Is it because of their lifespan? Is it because their long lifespan makes them look down on other races? When they can only live for about a thousand years at most! "I understand. I will convey the message. It would not be good for our elves to turn the hero and hispanions into enemies." These arrogant fellows seem to have forgotten who taught them spirit magic. Of course, they didn''t use words like "Dragon''s Priest" back then!! Well, it''s been over a hundred years since that incident. If there are any elves who remember that time, they would be the elderly on the verge of death. Anyway, the messenger of the elves and the messenger of the dwarves set off on their way. "Really, both the elves and the dwarves are troublesome fellows." "That''s right." The hero and I sighed as we watched the retreating backs of the two messengers. The silent beast watching us could only tilt its head in puzzlement. Chapter 96: Elves and Dwarves (3) Chapter 96: Elves and Dwarves (3) Well then, let''s briefly talk before the representatives of the elves and dwarves arrive. ''Kyuu?'' I''m talking about this small mouse-like creature that is cutely acting in front of me right now. I gently pushed the tip of the creature''s nose, which was looking at me with shiny eyes. Well, it''s certainly cute in appearance. It''s really strange that such a small and cute creature is a naturally born deity. ''Kii!'' The creature screams in anger. But it''s still just cute. I gently stroked the head of the angry creature with my index finger, and it quickly calmed down.Although it''s pretending to be cute, this creature used to transform into all kinds of animals and cause mischief... it was a deity born from the faith of beastmen. Why are beastmen different from other humans? Why do they have animal-like parts of their bodies? The beastmen, wanting to find out their origins, couldn''t discover anything. Well, it might be better not to know. If they found out that their ancestors were human, wouldn''t they want to die? Anyway, the beastmen who couldn''t find the truth imagined. They imagined the original beast loved human. The primitive myth of beastmen''s origins, formed through oral tradition, has be a little different from the truth. And the result is this small creature in front of me. Of course, since the unrecorded oral tradition has countless ws, to exin the diversity of beastmen tribes, the original beast became a deity that could transform into all kinds of beasts. And since the oral tradition only emphasized the mysterious power, the intelligence became as dumb as a beast. As a result, this foolish creature, behaving like a monster by transforming into all kinds of beasts, was beaten down by the hero. Even though it was a deity, it only had slightly more power than the monsters, so I barely realized its faint divinity in time before it could turn the hero into a deicide of this world. After physically persuading this unintelligent beast deity, I tamed and brought it with me. Well, I''ll organize the beastmen''s mythologyter and make it a proper deity. For now, it''s being used as the hero''s mount and bait. At least as a pet, it''s quite satisfyingly cute. "You seem to really like that creature." "Yes. It''s a young deity that hasn''t been around for long. It''s cute enough." As long as I don''t bring out its beastly nature, it''s endlessly cute! Hmm... even a tamed beast is still a beast. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Anyway, after enjoying time with the speechless beast while waiting for the elves and dwarves, the situation has escted to the point where the elves and dwarves are facing off with their armies. I clearly told them to summon the representatives, but why did it turn into an all-out war? And the atmosphere between the two sides is tense. If I take my eyes off them for a moment, arrows will start flying. Really, they are such stubborn creatures. "Both sides, step back and keep your distance." In the end, it was my job to resolve the situation. "At this point, why don''t we just fight it out here? At this distance, their boasted arrows won''t be able to do much." "Interesting. The elves may be skilled with the bow, but they don''t seem tock in closebat either." The elves and dwarves ignored my words and started ring at each other. The heavily armored dwarven warriors with metal armor, axes, and shields, and the elves with bows in hand. Oh, the elves in the front are starting to unravel the strings of their bows, and the bows are transforming into staff-like weapons. And the elves are summoning spirits to imbue their staff-like weapons with elemental power. Impressive. They''re using the power of spirits to wield a formidable weapon like a quarterstaff. With such weapons, even the heavily armored dwarves would not be able to easily deal with them. However, "Does my words not make sense?" I could only sigh as I looked at those elves and dwarves. Seeing the two races about to start a fight, I slightly irritated, amplified the gravity within the range of the two armies and their representatives. "Enough, you idiots." "Guh?!" "What is this?" "It''s the wrath of the goddess. Foolish beings." A light magic that increases the gravity of a certain area, making the air itself feel like a heavy weight pressing down on their bodies. But for those on the receiving end, it would not be light. It would feel like having severalrge weights wrapped around their bodies. It wouldn''t be easy to move properly. "You are..." "For now, I am the representative of the Goddess of Life. The representative of the goddess." "The representative of the goddess...?" The representatives of the two races seemed to have some power, as they began to endure the crushing gravity. Impressive. "Now, are you ready to talk?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Seeing the two representatives barely standing, I spoke in a low voice. "As the representative of the Goddess of Life, I havee to put an end to the fight you were about to start. Of course, since I have also finished talking with the deities of your race, the World Tree Yggdrasil and the sacred mountain Sagarmatha, you have no right to refuse." I informed the two races. "Interracial war is prohibited. However, since the conflict between the two sides cannot be erased, I will have the representatives of each race engage in a contest that does not involve the taking of life." "A contest that doesn''t involve taking life? This is no child''s y..." The grumbling representative of the dwarves. I added a little more gravity on top of him. As a result, the dwarf representative, who was barely standing, could not withstand the weight and fell to his knees on the ground. "If you want to die, I can turn you into a handful of bloody water right now." "Guh...!" But the dwarf''s body was surprisingly sturdy. Even with the increased gravity that was meant to make him copse, he was still able to endure it. Truly the tough physique of a dwarf. "That horn... that silver hair... unbelievable power... Could it be..." Hmm? The elf representative seemed to have realized something about me. Hmm... Outwardly, he doesn''t look that old, but is he actually older than he appears? Even for an elf, shouldn''t he have aged a bit more with that much time passed? "Are you perhaps the one who taught our elves the art of spirit magic?" Hmm... He really does remember. What a good memory. To still remember something from hundreds of years ago. But now I am not the Goddess of Life or the Creator Dragon God, but the representative of the goddess, so I cannot honestly answer that question. Let''s see... So, I''ll say... "The same being, but a different person." "The same being? A different person...?" "The one who taught the elves the art of spirit magic was the representative of the Goddess of Life, like myself. The Dragon''s Priestess. We are the same in essence, but a newly born different existence as needed." Hmm. Is this much of a lie enough? No, it''s not enough. "After all, this body is a human body, so I can''t live for hundreds of years like you elves." I pile lie upon lie. "So the one who taught your elves the art of spirit magic was... the Dragon''s Priestess from a few generations before me." "The Dragon''s Priestess...!" I build a mountain of lies. The one who directly acted was the representative of the goddess, the Dragon''s Priestess. The Goddess of Life merely watches over the world from the high heavens and bestows her blessings. It can be called a division of roles, in a way. It''s a dual role, but! By dividing the roles in this way, the Dragon''s Priestess can actively intervene when there is a need to move freely or get involved in the world. This allow me to actively engage with the world while maintaining the dignity of a goddess. Well, it''s a rather shallow idea, but still! "I have knowledge of what the previous Dragon''s Priestess did, but the subjective memories are not fully inherited. It''s like reading the records of what someone else has done, even though the essence is the same." "The same in essence, but a different existence... I see. I apologize for the rudeness until now." "Un. As long as you understand, that''s enough." I continue to pile on more lies to deceive them. Until I can deceive everything except myself. "Wait. This being called the Dragon''s Priestess... Has it been active for a very long time?" The representative of the dwarves, who was kneeling on the ground, speaks up. Hmm. Even while clearly struggling, he still has the strength to speak. "By any chance, have you given a lot to the dwarves?" I nod slightly at the dwarf representative''s words. "After all, it was one of the previous Dragon''s Priestesses who even gave the dwarven race its name." I lied that it was something like the ''Sage of the Underworld'' or something like that. "I see. So that''s how it is. Then the ''Silver Wisdom'' must have been the Dragon''s Priestess." "Silver Wisdom?" "It is a saying among the dwarves. I thought it was just a momentary sh, but in fact, it is the representative of the Goddess of Life..." Hmm. So that''s how it was passed down among the dwarves. "Hmm... I don''t really want to openly im that, so if possible, could you keep it a secret?" I smile and return the gravity pressing down on them to normal. Well, even if I ask them to keep it a secret like this... It''s not like the secret will really be kept. But still, with the thousands of elves and dwarves gathered here, there''s no way the secret can be maintained. And so, the rumor about the existence of the Dragon''s Priestess will gradually spread. Not as apanion of the hero, but as the Dragon''s Priestess! Chapter 97: Elf-Dwarf Race Clash (1) Chapter 97: Elf-Dwarf Race sh (1) "Anyway, if you are going to ignore me and the hero and fight each other in war.... I''ll crush you before that happens." At my calm words, the representatives of the elves and dwarves gulped. They seem to have understood what the Dragon''s Priestess is. And they have also understood that such a thing is actually possible. They must be well aware that if they rashly provoke me, they will be utterly destroyed. Therefore, "So let''s have five representatives chosen and have 1-on-1 battles five times, and the side that wins three times will be the winner." Best-of-five. This should be enough to convince them. "Five battles, three wins...?" "Hmm... That means we can afford to lose two. There may be differences in skill or affinity among the five representatives, so the order of the battles will also be important."Un. The dwarves really have sharp minds. They already understand the strategy of the best-of-five system. "We''ll need to fine-tune the detailed rules a bit, but it seems like the winner will be the one who knocks down the opponent in the limited space. However, we''ll put a constraint that they cannot kill the opponent." "Why can''t we kill them? Those puny dwarves will die in an instant." "Oh ho, is that a challenge? Younky elf, I''ll make you fall like a tree struck by an axe." The representatives of the elves and dwarves start growling at each other again. Really... Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha are rtively on good terms, but those who worship them as gods are so at odds with each other. It must be due to the severe racial differences. Hmm. "Don''t try to intimidate each other yet. Save your strength for the real fight. Since it will take some time to prepare, let''s have the battles three days from now." "Three days from now... Understood." "In three days, I''ll crush that useless arrogance of yours!" "Can your hand even reach my face?" There they go again. Constantly growling. They''re like oil and water. And these are the ones who were on good terms in the letters... It''s really hard to understand. Anyway, after the representatives of the elves and dwarves left, I turned to the hero who was just watching silently and said, "Alright, this is a chance for you to see how other races fight, so keep your eyes wide open. Understand?" "Yes, I understand." It''s a rare opportunity for the hero to observe thebat styles of other races. This should also be a learning opportunity. Unlike the physically robust dwarves, the elves'' spirit magic allows for quite tricky tactics. If the hero observes the battle between these two races well, he can also grow a bit more. "Alright, then let''s create the arena for the battles." Since the elves use bows, I should make it quite spacious. But if the distance bes too far, it will be too disadvantageous for the dwarves. Hmm.. A distance that is appropriate, where the dwarves can still charge in. I don''t want it to end with the elves just shooting arrows from afar. Let''s make it a square of about 100 meters. That should be enough for the dwarves to somehow endure and approach. Overall, will the dwarves be able to withstand the arrows and close the distance? And after they approach, can they handle the spirit magic? That''s the kind of feeling I''m getting. It seems like the battle will be tilted in favor of the elves... But still, those who came rushing out for war must have some skills, right? I don''t want them to be shown as helpless. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Three dayster. "Alright! The long-awaited battle between the two races, a duel to uphold their honor! Five battles to rece the war! The only prohibition is taking lives! Anything else is fair game!" I cast a spell to amplify my voice and looked around the arena from the center. It''s like being an MC hyping up the crowd before a match! A square arena of 100 meters on each side. And surrounding it, a stepped seating area. The seating area is packed with elves and dwarves. "Here and now! Elves and dwarves! Dwarves and elves! Which side is stronger will be decided! Are you ready to witness the duel!" As soon as I finish speaking, a huge cheer erupts from both the elves and dwarves. Umu. This is quite enjoyable! "Alright! Now, the 10 duelists who will fight for the honor of their respective races, enter the arena!" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now With my voice, the five elves and five dwarves who had been waiting on both sides of the dueling arena ascended onto the arena. The elves were lightly armed overall. In contrast, the dwarves were heavily armed, even carryingrge shields. All the elves had bows and arrows, but the dwarves'' weapons were quite unique - they varied greatly. From huge hammers and axes, to a dwarf carrying a two-handed sword longer than his height, to another dwarf with a bunch of small axes hanging off him. There was even a dwarf who had wrapped his weapon entirely in cloth... Ah no, he must be one of the dwarf representatives. Is a representative directly participating as a duelist? That''s impressive. Meanwhile, the elf representative was just watching from near the arena, giving off a "There''s no way I''d do something like that!" kind of vibe. How arrogant. So arrogant. I had thought the elves would have an overall advantage, but now I''m not so sure. "If you step out of the arena, you lose. As long as you don''t kill your opponent, anything goes. Well, even if you want to kill them, you won''t be able to anyway." After creating the arena, I had some time left over, so I made a spell! A spell that defends against potentially lethal attacks, but only once. It''s kind of like the Headband of Vigor... But those who don''t know about it won''t understand. It''s an item that was buried along with the Belt of Dwarf-Throwing. Anyway, it''s a spell that blocks one potentially fatal attack. If I add a spell that knocks the recipient unconscious to that... Thepleted spell will allow them to withstand a seemingly fatal blow, but they''ll lose consciousness instead! It''s a spell well-suited for duels like this. "I''ve cast a spell that will let you survive one potentially fatal situation, but you''ll be knocked unconscious instead. So fight to your heart''s content. But if you attack someone who''s unconscious, the referee will intervene and stop you, so be careful." Of course, the referee was the hero. I figured I might as well have him watch the duels up close, as a consideration. And so began the battle for the honor of the elves and dwarves. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Of course, if I were to exin all the battles in detail, it would go on endlessly, so I''ll summarize it briefly. Match 1. The lightly-armed elf with the bow as the main weapon against the dwarf with small axes hanging all over him. The elf tried to control the dwarf by shooting arrows from a distance, but the dwarf used arge shield thatpletely covered his body to steadily approach. However, therge shield slowed him down, and the agile elf maneuvered to the side, targeting the areas not protected by the shield. The dwarf, who was knocking away the arrows shot at him with the small axes in his right hand, stubbornly advanced and reached the center of the arena. After mming therge shield into the ground with a loud thud, he grabbed the small axes hanging all over his body and started throwing them at the elf. The axes, some of which were connected by chains, flew over the 50-meter distance and forced the elf to frantically dodge. Unable to evade one of the axes, the elf was struck in the head and fell. Hmm. To respond to the bow with an ax-throwing disy, that''s quite impressive. The strength to throw the axes all the way to the elf''s position in the center of the arena, and the uracy to hit the target, this was not the skill of someone who had just started throwing axes the other day. Thus, the dwarf secured afortable first victory. The following Match 2. The two-handed sword-wielding dwarf against the lightly-armed elf. The overall situation was almost identical to the first match. The difference was that the dwarf''s weapon was a two-handed sword, which meant he didn''t have a shield. As a result, the dwarf, who was hit by dozens of arrows, stubbornly advanced, looking like a porcupine-like object. While it was impressive that he withstood the barrage of arrows without fainting, wasn''t it a bit arrogant to try to reach the elf without a shield? But in the end, he lost, though he managed to get one win. So the situation was back to square one. Hmm, this is quite entertaining. Just as they say that the most entertaining fights are the sloppy ones, it really is the case here. However, at this rate, the hero won''t have any opportunity to grow by observing the duel. Hmm... Should I penalize the number of arrows? No, then the dwarf would have won the second match. Since he withstood dozens of arrows without a shield, penalizing the arrow count would just let those dwarf tanks charge in by taking all the arrows. Hmm, I''ll just leave it as is. If I try to bnce it, I might be seen as favoring one side. And since the dwarf won the first match, the bnce has be even harder to understand. Hmm. I''ll just watch and see. If possible, I hope the elf will use some shy elemental magic to help the hero''s growth. --- T/N: Gotta go, maybe I''ll post moreter, sry! You can join Novelplex''s Discord and follow the chapter-log channel to stay updated on whether I have posted the chapter or not. Chapter 98: Elf-Dwarf Race Clash (2) Chapter 98: Elf-Dwarf Race sh (2) T/N: 200K Views in less than 1 month, wow.. thanks for reading guys! --- The following 3rd match. In the situation of 1 win and 1 loss, thebatants who stepped into the arena were a dwarf wielding a heavy axe and shield, and an elf who summoned an elemental from the start. The elf, who mainly used wind elementals, shot arrows imbued with wind, making them even more powerful. The dwarf protected himself with arge shield as he advanced. The dwarf, like an armored tank, tried to approach the elf with his sturdy defense. The agile elf, on the other hand, harassed him from a distance. The elf''s wind-imbued arrows were firmly embedded in the iron shield, demonstrating their extraordinary power. The dwarf impressively blocked these powerful arrows with his sturdy defense. It was like a battle between a long-range light tank and a short-range heavy tank. Moreover, the elemental attacks were not to be ignored either. The invisible des of wind scratched the shield and armor, leaving thin wounds. If it weren''t for the metal armor, it would have caused serious injuries. The result of this battle was... the defeat of the elf, who failed to take down the dwarf despite exhausting his arrows and magic.Even though the elf attacked relentlessly, emptying his quiver, the iron shield and armor were in tatters. Yet the dwarf endured all the attacks and approached the elf. The elf tried to use his staff after loosening the bowstring, but could not defeat the dwarf in closebat. The elf tried to maintain distance and harass with the staff''s reach, but the dwarf discarded his shield and charged with his axe in both hands. It was the moment the dwarf unleashed his pent-up resentment and oppression. The elf tried to swing the staff against the axe, but what could a thin staff do? The staff was cleaved in two, and therge axe de was embedded in the elf''s head. After the match, they checked the injuries of both sides. The elf had no significant injuries, while the dwarf was riddled with holes all over his body. Hmm... Even in this state of being full of holes, the dwarf''s injuries were not fatal. His endurance is truly remarkable. By the way, when the elf woke up from fainting, he saw his broken bow and burst into tears. It was the precious bow he received from the sacred tree during hising-of-age ceremony, and now it was broken, so he cried uncontrobly without anyposure. His pitiful appearance was so heartbreaking that I decided to overlook the small matter of repairing his bow. Anyway, that brings us to game four, with the Dwarves up two games to none. Thebatants were a dwarf wielding a heavy war hammer and shield, and a lightly-equipped elf. No, not just lightly-equipped. There was a sword hanging at the elf''s waist! And a sizable one-handed sword at that! An elf with a sword! Anyway, it was a match between this unusual elf with a sword and the dwarf with a war hammer. The initial situation was no different from the previous matches. The dwarf endured the barrage of arrows while advancing, and the elf maintained distance, whittling down the dwarf''s defenses with arrows. However, this time, the elf was not using elementals actively and seemed to be holding back. Was he being cautious about running out of mana like in the previous match? Or was he saving them for some other purpose? What was the reason for the elf''s restraint in using elementals? The purpose became clear soon enough. Even after exhausting all his arrows, the elf could not prate the dwarf''s defenses. At that point, the elf dropped his bow outside the arena and drew the sword at his waist. A sharp one-handed sword made of steel. In this era, such a sword would be difficult for anyone other than a dwarf to produce. How did the elf obtain it? Did he purchase it from a merchant? The elf gripped the sword and assumed a familiar stance, then summoned a fire elemental to imbue the de with its power. mes began to flow down the one-handed sword. Indeed, the elf was wielding the power of an elemental through the sword. It was a unique fighting style. How effective would it be in actualbat? I was quite curious. With the dwarf discarding his shield and readjusting his war hammer, and the elf swinging the ming sword, a fierce battle of shing metal and sparks ensued. Both the elf and the dwarf sustained various injuries. However, the overall situation favored the dwarf, as the lightly-armored elf faced the heavily-armored dwarf. What turned the tide was... the elf''s swordsmanship. With graceful movements, the elf evaded the attacks, not missing any openings, and cut with the ming sword. The sharp swordsmanship, targeting only the unprotected gaps in the armor, waspleted like a dance. On top of that, the secondary damage from the elemental imbued in the sword. The mes seeping through the wounds began to gradually damage the dwarf''s muscles. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now The dwarf''s movements started to dull bit by bit. He tried to swing the war hammer in retaliation, but it couldn''t reach the elf who skillfully evaded and counterattacked. In this way, the unusual elf wielding the sword defeated the dwarf, bringing a victory to the elves. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After the 4th match ended, I healed thebatants and praised the fiercepetition. The dwarf was strong, but the unusual elf with the sword was truly impressive! I wanted to talk to him more. "Imbuing the sword with an elemental, how unusual. You are quite the peculiar elf." "I was captivated by the sword the moment I first saw it. It''s been about 500 years since I first held a sword." 500 years! No wonder his movements were so refined. "But why is it a sword? Arrows are.... Hmm. Is it because the wood burned?" "Yes, the elemental I contracted is a fire elemental, so I couldn''t imbue the arrows. But if I just attacked recklessly, there was a risk of the fire spreading to the trees. That''s when I learned about the sword and becamepletely enamored with it." "Certainly, for an elf, a fire elemental would be a difficult one to use freely." "First, a sword made by carefully grinding a stone, then a bronze sword, and now this iron sword made by a dwarf. Honestly, I wanted to meet the dwarf who made this sword, but it''s a pity the war started." So it was a sword made by a dwarf. It was certainly an excellent sword for this era. "Though it was proven in this situation, I''m satisfied that the 500 years I spent wielding the sword were not in vain. And the sword imbued with an elemental also disyed its full power." "Ah, truly impressive swordsmanship and elemental skills. It would be fitting to call it an ''Elemental Sword''! Take pride in it!" "Elemental Sword... That''s a good name. I hadn''t given it a name until now, but ''Elemental Sword'' sounds fitting." "Yes! Take pride in it! Among the non-hero, you wield the sword the best!" Excluding the hero, of course. "Hmm... The hero is that strong, huh? I''d like to try fighting him once." "Ah, the hero seemed interested as well. Let''s arrange a match after this. Now, rest well." There were no life-threatening injuries, but the dwarf''s bones were a bit damaged from blocking the war hammer. Even the palms of his hands were torn. After treating the injured from the 4th match, the final match began. 2 wins, 2 losses, a tense situation. The winner of thest match would decide the overall victory. The elf''s representative stepped onto the stage, and cheers erupted from the elf spectators. And the one who stepped onto the stage was the dwarf''s representative. Carrying a concealed weapon on his back and holding a shield, the dwarf representative. The elf opponent began to re at the dwarf representative while checking his quiver of arrows. With the signal from the hero referee, the final match began. As the elf shot arrows, the dwarf representative nted his shield in the ground to block the arrows, then drew the weapon concealed on his back, unwrapping the cloth. The hidden weapon was... crossbow? And a quiterge one at that! It was a crossbow using short javelins as bolts. What, a crossbow here?! What is this? Is the dwarf''s development speed just abnormal? Or is it strange that a crossbow appears here? I''m not sure! Anyway, the dwarf representative, with the crossbow already pre-drawn, ced it on the shield and aimed at the elf, then pulled the trigger. As the trigger was pulled, the taut bowstring released, and the javelin-like bolt flew towards the elf at a speed iparable to arrows. "Gah!" A single moment of conclusion. A brief death cry. The speed and destructive power were iparable to arrows. It was an overwhelmingly powerful attack for the lightly-armored elf. The final match was over in an instant. Chapter 99: Elf-Dwarf Race Clash (3) Chapter 99: Elf-Dwarf Race sh (3) The duel was over in an instant. The arena fell silent in a moment. A crossbow. Not a normal arrow-firing crossbow, but one that loaded and fired short javelins. This was... almost like a ballista, a portable one-man ballista. But wait, did crossbows really exist in this era? Weren''t they more from the Greek-Roman era or the Warring States period? Were they really that advanced already? No, but the power of that shot seemed a bit strange! It didn''t seem like something a person could wield and fire. Javelins! A crossbow firing javelins! "Phew." The dwarf representative smiled contentedly as he looked at the fallen elfbatant struck by the crossbow. "As expected, this is it. Big and beautiful bolts. The thrill just can''t be felt with those thin, puny arrows." "Th-The dwarf has won!"The slow-to-react referee, the hero, btedly dered the dwarf''s victory, and a huge cheer erupted from the dwarf spectators. Well, since they said anything goes as long as you don''t kill, using a secret weapon like that and ambushing the opponent to win is fine, I guess. Yeah. "Coward!!" But the elf representative didn''t seem to agree. "Coward! Hiding your weapon andunching a surprise ranged attack!" "Hey, it''s not cowardly, it''s using your head. And this, it''s not exactly an all-powerful thing, you know!" The dwarf representative lifted the crossbow onto his shoulder and said: "It''s a rtively new weapon, so while the power is certain, the uracy is terrible. If I hadn''t braced it on the shield to help aim, I might have only hit once out of ten shots!" Ah, so therge shield had the purpose of aiming correction, in addition to defense. He used his head quite well. "Ugh..." "And you know, if it''s cowardly, then the elves are the cowards first! Constantly firing arrows from afar. We dwarves can''t do things like throwing axes, so we just have to take it. But what, cowardly? Coooowaaaardly? Are you saying that with a pierced mouth?" Well, that''s true. It was the elves who started with one-sided long-range attacks. Of course, thanks to the dwarves'' defensive power, the arrows didn''t inflict any critical hits. "And this, once you fire it, you pretty much have to discard it, so rapid fire is difficult." The dwarf representative ced the front of the crossbow on the ground, stepped on it to fix it, and then pulled the bowstring taut with all his might to lock it in ce. The entire process took about 5 seconds. Even with the dwarf''s strong strength, that brief moment was a critical time loss in such an important duel. Ultimately, the weapon was essentially useless after the initial loaded shot. It really was just an ambush trap, this crossbow. "If he managed to win with such a problematic weapon, shouldn''t we praise him instead?" "Ugh..." The elf representative was about to say something again, but "That''s enough." I cut in before that. "Don''t degrade yourself further. The match is decided. Since I said anything goes as long as you don''t kill, there''s no problem with him bringing out this new weapon and winning." After all, the dwarves probably have even more secret weapons they haven''t revealed yet. If they had used the enchantments utilizing the magic stones more actively, they might have been able to guide the duel even more smoothly. Ah, they might have already been using them on their armor and shields. Honestly, it''s quite amazing that they withstood bing a porcupine of arrows with just their living bodies. They must have been using enchantments to increase their armor''s defense, right? Of course, they might not have. The dwarves did sustain significant injuries, after all. The truth is unknown. Well, investigating the dwarves'' equipment further might reveal it, but it''s too much trouble. "Ugh..." At my words, the elf representative could no longer continue speaking and, with great difficulty, bowed his head and said, "I... ept the defeat..." Good, they should have done that sooner! "Alright! The winner of the duel is the dwarves! The winner of the 1st Dwarf-Elf Race Battle is decided as the dwarves!" With my shout, cheers erupted from the dwarf side, and even mournful cries could be heard from the elf side. The victor and the vanquished. Joy and sorrow. Light and darkness. The arena was filled with the contrasting atmospheres. Well, that was quite entertaining. So, then... "Elves. Do not be saddened." I said with a smile. "There will be next time for you." It would be a shame to end this entertaining event just like that, wouldn''t it? We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now My words spread murmurs among the elves. "Let''s see. With the time perception of the dwarves and elves... Hmm. Holding it every 10 years would be good, don''t you think?" This time, thermurs grew louder from the dwarves as well. "Un. That seems appropriate. Then, dwarves and elves. To ensure that the two races do not wage war against each other in the future, let us hold 5 duels here every 10 years." The voices of the dwarves and elves merged into one. Fierce duels, as if trying to take each other''s lives. Bloody battles where they use all the means at their disposal to bring down the opponent. Witnessing such a sight in front of my eyes, how could I not enjoy it? It was like the diators of the Roman era. I cast a spell over the entire arena. On this dueling ground, no one will be able to take a life. Instead, they will fall unconscious with considerable pain. And if I also cast an indestructible magic to this building, this dueling ground would be quite useful, even without my supervision. "I have cast a spell on this dueling ground. No one will die on this ground, so it can be used conveniently in the future." I approached the representative of the dwarves and said, "The winner of the n battle will be granted the authority to manage this arena and the surrounding area, as well as the privilege to be mentioned first whenever the names of the dwarves and elves are spoken." The quick-witted dwarf representative seemed to understand what I was saying. "And also." I briefly teleported to the side of Yggdrasil. "Yggdrasil, may I borrow a branch for a moment?" [Ah, yes. How is the matter going?] "It''s going quite entertainingly, so I''ll tell you all about it when it''s over." After cutting off an appropriate-sized branch, I returned to the dueling ground. "You just disappeared..." "It was just a teleportation, so don''t worry about it." "Teleportation, you say..." It''s like the magic of moving to a known coordinate. By the way, I have perfectly memorized the coordinates of the children who cannot move from one ce like Yggdrasil. I can teleport to them anytime. "I just went to the World Tree for a moment. Let''s see... Do you have the jewel you wanted to give to the elves?" "Ah,... I had entrusted it to one of my subordinates..." "Bring it. I have a use for it." At my words, the dwarf representative quickly ran somewhere and returned with something from another dwarf. A fist-sized diamond in a leather pouch. The surface was smoothly polished, giving it a raw, uncut appearance. Hmm. If I refine this beautiful gem a little more, it will be reborn in an even more magnificent form. The shape is simr to the diamond embedded in the hero''s sword. A round brilliant cut. Honestly, if a diamond is not in this shape, it''s a bit of a shame! The de of magic energy circled around the floating raw gem, carving it. The fragments of the raw gem scattered, and the beautiful gem hidden within was revealed. By carefully carving therge diamond raw gem while preserving most of it, a shining gem slightly smaller than my fist floated quietly in the air. "Oh.... Oh my... Ooooh..." The dwarf representative, looking at the gem, even shed tears. "How beautiful... The true eye of Sagarmatha. An eye that holds the light..." Now, it''s not over yet. I ced the beautifully carved diamond on the branch I had taken from Yggdrasil, and enveloped them both in magic. The branch then transformed into a different form ording to my will. That form was... a trophy. A victory trophy. The dwarves and elves, back to back, supporting arge diamond. Of course, due to the difference in height, the dwarves were standing on a small rock, but... I wrapped the sacred eye of the mountain in the branch of the World Tree, added detailed decorations made of mithril, and cast a spell to prevent it from being destroyed. Ah, just in case, I''ll also add a tracking spell to prevent it from being stolen. "The winner of the n battle will be granted the authority to possess this trophy. The duration is 10 years, until the next n battle is held." "Ooh... Ooooh..." The dwarven representative seemed to have even forgotten thenguage, shedding tears of emotion. Good. I''ve prepared the stage, so now go and have some fun, dwarves and elves. Chapter 100: Elf-Dwarf Race Clash (4) Chapter 100: Elf-Dwarf Race sh (4) "Hey, sister." Whether the representative of the dwarves sheds tears of emotion or not, the hero pays no attention and approaches me, whispering in a soft voice. "Hmm? What''s wrong?" "The reward you mentioned will certainly be a glorious reward for the tribal unit, but it may be difficult to be a reward for the individual winner." "Hmm... Is that so?" When I asked, the hero nodded slightly. "Yes. Since they are the ones who directly grasped the victory, there should also be a reward for them alone." "Hmm... How troublesome. Can''t they just take care of things among themselves?" "There should be an official reward, so it would be better."At the hero''s words, I sighed softly. It''s certainly true. Since those who directly engaged in the bloody battle and achieved victory should also have a reward for themselves. So. "Stop crying and pull yourself together." "Huwahhhhh!!!" I pushed the emotional dwarf representative backwards. The way he fell over was like a turtle. "What do you think would be a good gift for the representatives of the victorious tribe?" "Huh? Huh?" "Since you have grasped the victory, shouldn''t there be a reward just for you?" I wanted to just let it go, but since the hero said this, I can''t help it. Hmm. "Re-Reward? It''s already enough. More than enough." Whether he was pretending to be humble or was truly satisfied, the dwarf representative said there was no more need. But that''s not what I want to hear. "When I say I''ll give something, quickly consult with the other guys and decide. What you decide will be the reward for the winner 10 years from now, or even after that." I don''t want to keep asking the winner''s opinion and giving rewards. Batch processing is better. Yep batch processing. "Then I will go talk to the other guys." "Oh, by the way, since there''s a chance the elves will win, I''ll ignore any rewards that only benefit you dwarves, so choose carefully. You can even talk to the elves if necessary." If you can have a friendly discussion with someone you just fought tooth and nail with! "Something rted to lifespan isn''t bad, but it won''t have much meaning for your elf friends." "Our youth is not much different either, not only us, but also the dwarves. Hmm. If the dwarves be younger, will their beards disappear? They don''t have beards from birth, do they?" "No, that can''t be! The beards we''ve carefully groomed! Then... maybe a rather ordinary blessing would be better." "Hmm. The reward may not only be for us, but also for our descendants. We must be even more careful." Come on, guys, why are you guys having a friendly discussion? If you won, shouldn''t you be throwing a tantrum or something, saying we''re just a bunch of short, bearded dwarves? Or saying you''ll definitely win next time and sparking a fire? Why are you getting along so well? Why!? The dwarves and elves who had discussed so uselessly amicably said, "We pray that the Goddess of Life will bless us." "Blessing?" Ah, they chose a rather ordinary reward. But a blessing? That''s a rather vague reward. It would be better if they specified what kind of blessing. What is it? Something like making us immune to diseases, or extending our lifespan, or something more specific. Just saying "please bless us" doesn''t tell me what I should give you. "No specific requests?" "Hmm... Can''t we just have our bodies be really healthy?" "That''s too vague..." I sighed at the flustered dwarf representative and said, "Then, how about something like overflowing vitality? The duration will be limited to 10 years." "If our vitality overflows... what benefits will that have?" "Well, your lifespan will be longer, wounds will heal faster, disease resistance will be higher, and your physical abilities will improve. It''s just a simple, helpful blessing. Not something extraordinarily special." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now It''s just a rather ordinary choice, but on the other hand, I''m also wondering if this is really okay. Is this really okay? Really? "That''s enough for us. We''ve already gained honor and glory, so it would be greed to ask for more." The dwarf representative said, and the others all nodded. "Well, if that''s how you feel... Then I''ll bless this trophy. When the winners gather to lift this trophy, a blessing will descend upon you." I handed the trophy over to the dwarf representative after blessing it. "However, if an unrighteous person lifts this trophy, the blessing will turn into a curse instead." And As a bonus, I''ll feed the thief a big piece of taffy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "And so, the war that was about to break out between the elves and dwarves has been transformed into apetition of tribal pride." "By the way, the elves wonst time. Hahaha!" "But this year will be different! This year!!" The dwarf girl''s words were followed by the elf girl, and the dwarf girl shouted again. "You''re holding this tribalpetition even though the world is in chaos because of the Demon King? And including other tribes as well?" "That''s precisely why we must do this." The deep-voiced lizardman standing next to them said to the boy. "Even though the world is in chaos because of the Demon King, we must show that each tribe still has this much strength left." "Well, I know that. You''re just showing off." As the horned silver-haired girl interjected, the lizardman silently stroked the girl''s head, then took out a small candy from his pocket and said, "Don''t use words like that, it''s not a good thing to say." "Okay." The silver-haired girl grabbed the candy as if she was used to it, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth. "But at first it was just a war between the elves and dwarves... Why are other tribes getting involved now?" "That''s because, you see, there are vested interests in this city." At the dwarf girl''s words, the boy tilted his head. "Vested interests?" "Yes, vested interests. It''s about being able to temporarily rule over this huge city. An ancient city prepared by the gods. A city of the arena, by the arena, and for the arena. Betelgeuse." Betelgeuse. A city of the arena where blood flows but life does not disappear. In the distant past, the Dragon''s Priestess and the Goddess of Life, who had stopped the war between the elves and dwarves and resolved the conflict through duels, created an arena where no one would lose their life, no matter what weapons were wielded or what magic was used. The intense duels that took ce in this arena where no fatal injuries could be inflicted were no different from a grand festival in an eracking in entertainment, so it was natural for people and money to flock to the festival. Thus, a vige was built with the gathered people, developed into a city, and became a huge city with multiple arenas. The arena city created by the gods was given the name Betelgeuse, the origin of which is unknown. "If you could temporarily dominate such a huge city, it wouldn''t matter what tribe you were from. But there was no country that could easily seize this city with countless duelists, elves, and dwarves staring at it with sharp eyes... So the direction became ''Let''s win and get it!''" "But 10 years is too long! Human lifespan is too short!" the humansined, and after a meeting of all tribes and the high-ranking members of the Church of Life over several days, it was changed to being held every 4 years. Honestly, the interval seems a bit too short, but still. "We lizardmen have little interest in the city. The annual martial arts tournament is more important to us lizardmen. Instead, we''ve been stimted by the prospect of fighting strong ones from other tribes, so we''ve participated." "By the way, the beastmen are all scattered with different opinions, so the humans forcibly bundled them together and had them participate as well. And so, there are four teams: elves, dwarves, lizardmen, humans and beastmen." "By the way, I was almost dragged into participating in thest tournament too." The fox-eared girl looked down at the bustling city and briefly grumbled. "Humans. Despicable." At that, the horned girl grumbled briefly. "Well, what can I do. That''s how despicable humans are." "Yes, humans are despicable. Aren''t they." The elf and dwarf girls stroked the somewhat sullen-looking horned girl''s head and nced at the human boy. "What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" "No, it''s nothing. Nothing." "Tell me! Exin! Don''t just grumble among yourselves!" "Even if I tell you, you won''t understand. Humans are despicable, after all." At that time, they did not know. That the trophy, the symbol of the glory of the duel tournament victory, would mysteriously disappear and they would be involved in the incident. - Record of the adventures of a certain hero party. --- T/N: CHAPTER 100, YAY!! Chapter 101: Babel (1) Chapter 101: Babel (1) T/N: Seems like we''re a little closer to the raw chapter, huuuu Anyway, I kinda like the new cover --- In that way, the dwarf and elf''s conflict was also resolved, and the hero and I, along with the mute beast god, went to explore the world. This world was vast, and there were countless suffering people. It was not easy to travel the world in a human body, but... We were able to travel using the existence of the beast god. When we needed to run across thend, it would be a four-legged beast and gallop across the ins, and when faced with mountains, it would transform into a giant eagle and soar across the sky. If it weren''t for this creature, the hero would have wasted a long time just trying to travel the world on two legs. Hmm. I really made the right choice in saving this creature. I had no idea it would be such a useful mount. Of course, if I put my mind to it, I could circle the world in a single day. But the protagonist of the adventure must be the hero, so that his deeds can be recorded for the world.As we traveled the world, we passed through the territory of the lizardmen and reached a city at the entrance of the scorching desert. Babel, the city of mages. This ce, which was once a small vige, had now grown to the size of a city, and had even built a massive tower within. They must have made a fortune. But the name "Babel" and therge tower... Somehow, I have an uneasy feeling about this. No, no. That''s their business, this is ours. Just because the name is the same and there''s a tower, doesn''t mean the same thing is happening. Surely not. After releasing the anxiety welling up inside, I surveyed the bustling streets filled with numerous people. As expected, the existence of mages who can create magic scrolls is perfect for amassing wealth. Moreover, mages who can create scrolls are irreceable. Other countries and cities tend to persecute mages, so it would be difficult for them to do the same work as this ce. Anyway, even though I just happened to pass through, since I''m here, I should check how much of the fragments of darkness have umted in the magic stones. I wonder how much has umted? It''s like checking on an automated hunting operation! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After putting the hero in an inn in the city, I went to the Temple of Life in Babel. I had a feeling that a considerable amount would have umted, since it''s been a few years since Ist came. But. "Just this much?" After several years since myst visit, the amount barely filled a single box that could fit in one hand. Something seems off. "For some reason, the amount being sent by the mages has clearly decreased," said one of the red dragon children who managed the Temple of Life in Babel. Babel was a city with the me of Ifrit, who was like a parent to the red dragons. From the red dragon''s perspective, there was no reason not to settle here. That''s why I could entrust them with this, but... "The amount has decreased?" "I''ve made inquiries with the chief, but they say the frequency of discoveries has started to decrease. I''m not sure if that''s true or not..." "If it''s true, that would be good, but it''s probably not true." Unless the frequency of powerful monsters had decreased, that couldn''t be the case. And the frequency of monster appearances hadn''t changed much either. In the end, the magic stones containing the fragments of darkness... "Could the mages be embezzling them?" "Un. Probably. A vition of the contract." I had given them the tool to distinguish the magic stones containing the fragments of darkness, and they were supposed to process those stones. But topletely disregard the contract like this... What are those mages up to? Perhaps... they''ve even invented a way to utilize the darkness within those stones. The truth is unknown, but one thing was certain. I need to meet with chief of this vige... no, the city mayor, as it''s no longer a vige. "I should go meet the city mayor." "Understood. I''ll have someone contact him." "Un. Thank you." I nodded slightly at the red dragon child''s words. Ah, since there is someone who knows my identity, the matter is progressing quickly. "But... when do you n to end this ''travel game'' with that hero boy?" "Hmm? Travel game?" The red dragon child nodded slightly at my words. "If you so desire, you could eliminate all the monsters in this world in the blink of an eye. Yet you choose to travel the world with that weak human - such an inefficient endeavor. I cannotprehend it." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hmm, it''s true, it''s not the most efficient course of action. If I wanted to, I could stop the flow of time in this world and incinerate all life. Or I could create countless autonomous robots, golems, andmand them to exterminate the monsters without rest. "But wouldn''t that be boring?" "Boring...?" "Yes. It''s also a romantic notion, you see." The reason I engage in this inconvenient, troublesome and time-consuming task is because I want to leave the hero''s adventure as a new story for this world. Myths, legends, heroic tales, epics. If I can leave the story I desire in this world, have it passed down orally by many people, and eventuallypiled into a book - when I look upon that book in the distant future, won''t I be able to smile happily? Thinking, ''Ah, so the story has evolved in this way.'' That anticipation is why I''ve been undertaking this arduous and time-consuming task. Hmm, though maybe I shouldn''t do it myself next time. Having the Dragon''s Priestess apany the hero is... rather troublesome after all. It might be more convenient to create a clone to adequately support the hero, or even imbue the clone with a personality connected to myself, allowing it to live as a human. Though that would be rather inhumane. But oh well, I''m not human to begin with. "Is that entertaining to you?" "Hmm, entertaining or not, you should try blending into the world as humans do, and then you''ll understand." The yful antics of dragons in ancient fantasies. The ability of long-lived dragons to experience countless lives as a means of staving off boredom. Honestly, simply being a pilgrim at the Temple of Life and observing the world isn''tplete entertainment. It''s good to examine the world, but there''s no joy in just being a pilgrim, is there? "Sometimes, it might be good for you to live as an entity separate from the Temple of Life." Enjoying diverse forms of existence could allow dragons to truly savor life. "I''ll keep that in mind. Though I''m not sure if it would be as enjoyable as you im." I nodded slightly at the red dragon''s words. Well, the choice is his to make. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And so, the hero and I headed towards Babel Tower to meet the mayor. The hero insisted on apanying me, even though I said I could go alone and he should just enjoy sightseeing in the city. Such unnecessary worry. As if there''s anything in this world that could actually harm me. "It''s a worry, even if the worry is for other party." "Hm? The other party?" "No, it''s nothing." How dull. As if I would ever dream of destroying this tower. Ridiculous. Where else would there be an existence as level-headed and benevolent as myself? It is thanks to my efforts that this world is now teeming with life. Exchanging such idle chatter with the hero, we entered the tower''s entrance. "Hmm, quite bustling in here." The interior of the tower was filled with people hurriedly moving, young ones carrying boxes full of scrolls, and middle-aged mages yelling at others. Quite an impressive sight. As we were examining the interior for some time, "Excuse me. Are you from the Temple of Life?" A young female mage approached us. "Yes. I believe an appointment has been made. I''m here to speak with the mayor of this city." "The schedule for the meeting is quite full, so you may have to wait for quite a long time. Is that alright?" "Un." Well, how long could it be? Looking at how crowded the tower is, I can understand. They couldn''t possibly disregard the hero''s party that the Temple of Life directly contacted and scheduled an appointment with. So we followed the female mage''s guidance and went up, and were made to wait in a well-furnished reception room. Let''s see. How long will we have to wait? Since this is the mayor, he must have a lot of work. Maybe around an hour? For now, let''s just rx until the mayor arrives. Hmm~ Chapter 102: Babel (2) Chapter 102: Babel (2) How many hours have we been waiting for the mayor? It was clearly morning when we arrived, but the time has already passed noon. This... Are they intentionally ignoring us? right? Ugh... Should I just topple the tower? "Please be patient." "What?" "You had an expression like you were about to smash the tower and bring it all down." What''s with that detailed expression. But you know, the Temple of Life is a really renowned ce, right? They make pilgrims travel all over the world, caring for the lives of the world... It''s a kind of global service organization, isn''t it?It''s a ce full of people who just work to care for life, without the walls of race or country. And they''re neglecting such an important figure from that ce, the hero and his party? And they''re not even giving us proper meals! No proper meals!!! This is too much. No matter what, I can''t just let this go. I don''t know what kind of scheme is going on, but I won''t just let this slide. I''ll bring down the heavenly punishment! "Calm down. They must be very busy." "Do you mean that the interests of this city are more important than the hero and the Temple of Life? That can''t be true." This hero sometimes doesn''t seem to know the true value of himself. I grumbled a lot as I opened the lid of the small wooden basket I had created with creation magic. I should eat something first. As they say, a dead person looks good after eating. "Let''s eat something." Today''s menu is sandwiches. Simple food with various vegetables, meat, and sauce between bread. Of course, this is a food that doesn''t yet exist in this world. Add some rich milk to it, and it''s a perfect lunch! Simple but excellent! But I don''t know what kind of person this mayor is! When I meet him, I''ll have to give him a good thrashing! I acknowledge the skill that turned this small mage town into such arge city and built the tall tower. But I can''t just let the breach of the contract slide! After finishing a few sandwiches with the hero, "Ah, it seems I''m quitete." The culprit who made us wait for so long finally showed up. "I heard someone from the Temple of Life hade, so I wondered who it was... It''s been a while." "Oh, so this is the mayor the one we''ve been waiting for. I recognize that face." The young man who was next to me when I was checking the mana stones of this town was now standing there, a middle-aged man due to the passage of time. "It''s been quite some time, but you haven''t changed at all." "Well, even elves who live for a thousand years don''t change much in a few decades, so it''s not that remarkable." Just a few decades. "Anyway, I''m truly sorry. I should havee right away, but there was an unavoidable external inspection task. If I had known, I would have sent someone to tell you toe in the afternoon." "I was a bit angry, but it''s fine. Since I''m here now, it''s done." Of course, the anger hasn''t subsided. I''m just keeping it bottled up inside. The middle-aged man, who is now the mayor of Babel, doesn''t know my inner thoughts as he sits down in the reception room chair and says, "If you''re from the Temple of Life, then your purpose must be about that mana stone..." "Yes, that''s the only reason I''m here." The mayor nods understandingly. "I''m very sorry, but we don''t know the reason for that either." "Hmm...?" "You see, we don''t directly produce those mana stones ourselves." That''s true. Mana stones are not produced by human hands. They are extracted from the monsters that are hunted. But still, this is too little, isn''t it? It''s no different from just giving a token amount for show! "We''re also quite troubled. As the size of the city has grown and the influx of mana stones has increased too much... It''s not easy to filter out the problematic stones. It''s gotten to the point that there are even traders who bypass us and directly purchase the stones to use." "Directly?" "Yes. The trade of mana stones is entirely managed by our tower, but there are those who ignore that and purchase and use them." The mayor started grumbling a lot. "Even the growth of this tower was due to the fact that we thoroughly inspect the mana stonesing from the outside and sell only the problem-free ones to the mages... But the mages don''t seem to understand the importance of this work, and they''re just trying to make money in the middle, saying this and that. They make a lot of money, and then they talk about expanding the staff or whatever. Ugh..." The mayor grumbled quite a bit. Hmm... It seems to be quite a struggle. "We are also making efforts, but the process of confirming the problematic mana stones is taking time. There''s no helping it. In the first ce, there aren''t many inspection tools, and some of them have been damaged in the process... Right now, we''re only able to inspect with about 3 of them." 3...? I''m sure I made around 10 for them. So they''re all broken?? It hasn''t even been a few decades... Ah... Hmm... Now that I think about it, I didn''t put any damage prevention magic on them. Well, in that case, it''s understandable. Even an iron shovel would wear out and break after being used to dig soil for decades. "So, would you be able to provide us with new inspection tools?" "Hmm. If that''s the case, I can certainly do that. I didn''t know there was such a situation." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I had no idea they were trying to sort out the mana stones with just 3 shovels, working day and night. Anyway, they''ve managed to save up enough money to build this tower. Impressive. "I''m d to hear that. I was even thinking of contacting the Temple of Life, but now that you''vee directly, it seems the Goddess of Life is helping us." Hmm. Since I''m helping, that''s not exactly wrong! Of course! "But about those inspection tools, is there a way to make them more convenient?" "More convenient tools?" "Yes. It takes a long time to sort them one by one. It would be great if we could do it faster." Faster, huh. Hmm... "How about something like this?" I then created arge metal box with a wide input opening on top. I added an output on the side and another one at the bottom, and made a long bridge to ce the box below. I then incorporated the mana stone inspection function into it. The mana stones fed into it would be quickly inspected, and those with traces of darkness would be expelled through the side output. I also added a power switch and a slot for a mana stone to power it. "I''ll have to test and adjust it as we go. Could you bring a box of uninspected mana stones?" "Yes, I''ll go get them right away." The mayor quickly went out and gave some instructions to the people outside, then came back in. "So, how does this box work?" "Remember the tools I made for you before?" "Of course, you showed me how to use them directly." I chuckled a little and said, "This ispletely different. Seeing it in action will be faster than me exining it." At that, a person entered the reception room carrying the box. "Alright, let''s give it a demonstration. But first..." I created a small space under the bottom output, and ced a small basket there. All set. Okay, then... "Pour the mana stones into the input opening at the top." At my instruction, the person poured the mana stones into the opening, not one by one, but all at once. "Why are you putting them in one by one? Just dump them in all at once!" I made the input opening big enough for that purpose! As long as they don''t overflow, it''ll sort them out on its own! The internal structure is very simple, so there''s no risk of it breaking down! It''s made of solid iron, so it''s sturdy as can be! I''ve especially focused on durability and inspection speed, you know! Hearing my words, the person poured the mana stones into the opening all at once. I then inserted a clean mana stone into the slot and pressed the power switch. The mana stones filled in the input opening started pouring out through the bottom output. "Ooh... So how does this find those mana stones?" "Just watch." After about half a box''s worth hade out the bottom, Beep! With a short sound, one mana stone was ejected through the side output. "Hmm?" "Good, it seems to be working well." I handed the mage the mana stone that had been ejected to the side. "Hold it up to the diamond on your sword." "Ah, yes." The mage, who had been standing there dumbly like a sack of barley, was slightly flustered by the mana stone I handed him, but he held it up to the diamond that absorbs the darkness. Swoosh. The shard of darkness embedded in the mana stone was naturally absorbed into the diamond. "Did you see? Now if you pour them in from the top, it will automatically inspect and eject the problematic mana stones to the side. This should be enough." The performance had developed to the point where it could already inspect a whole box of mana stones. At the end of pouring that one box, only about two problematic mana stones came out. "Excellent! With this, we can quickly process the backlog of work! Ah, if it''s not too much trouble, could you make a few more for us?" "Hmm. I''ll make 2 more, so a total of 3. That should be enough." "5! Please make a total of 5! The influx of mana stones is so high that even 3 won''t be enough!" Ugh... 5, huh. Well, I can''t help it. I quickly copied the existing box and made 4 more. "But there must be no shortage of mana stones being passed on to the Temple of Life. Understood?" "Oh, of course there won''t be!" And so I handed over the new inspection tools to the mayor of Babel. With this, we should be able to properly collect the mana stones with darkness in them! Un! But that was just my hopeful wish. Chapter 103: Babel (3) Chapter 103: Babel (3) What is the essence of humanity? What makes a person truly human? I, who was once human but am no longer, could not clearly define the answer, but I had some inkling of it. What makes a person human. Humans, like a burning match, frantically and ceaselessly run, burning themselves out in their short lifetimes. At the core of this intense life and emotion... there must be.... Desire. The longing heart. What each person longs for may differ, but one thing is certain.Humans. They live a life of frantically rushing towards what they desire. Even if there is a bottomless cliff at the end of that rush. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I returned to Babel after wandering the world for about after a year. The trivial stories of traversing the territories of the lizardmen, sailing the seas with primitive navigation techniques, and witnessing the rapid changes in the world were just the beginning. Ah,e to think of it, I should go visit Thetis as well. Otherwise, Thetis might get upset. Thetis has a kind disposition, but it has been too long since west met. A kind personality can be terrifying when angered. Yes. Anyway. "Why have you suddenly returned here?" "Hmm. I just... had some business to attend to." "Business...?" Together with the puzzled hero, I headed towards the Temple of Life. I wonder how much mana stone has umted over the past year. If my prediction is correct, there should be a considerable amount. But my expectation was... "Un. This is the amount collected over the past year." "It has certainly increasedpared to before." A box of a reasonable size. One might think it''s a lot for a year''s worth of collection. But you see. ording to my prediction and the additional function I secretly added to the inspection device, there should be about five times more than this. The function I secretly added to count the number of mana stones with embedded shards of darkness and report it to me... I had added it just in case, but now I can''t just let it slide. "I should go see the mayor." "Then I''ll schedule a meeting for you tomorrow." "No, that''s not necessary." After stopping the Red Dragon''s child who was about to schedule a meeting, I quietly took my steps. The hero left the beast spirit in the room of the Temple of Life. I had told them that I would be gone for a short errand, so I can just slip away quietly. I concealed my presence and quietly strolled through the evening streets. In this era, when the sun sets, the number of people on the streets drops sharply, except for the patrolling guards. This desert city, where even firewood for torches is scarce, is the only ce where the free use of mana stone magic is possible. Instead of torches on the pirs and walls, there were light sources made of mana stones. A small magic that creates light. But in the darkness that descends on the streets, even these small lights feel precious. Well, it seems like all I can see is money-rted matters. Hmm. Once that annoyance gets stuck in my mind, everything visible bes displeasing. I know this attitude is not good, but I can''t help but dislike things that don''t appeal to me. Thus, I walked the quiet night streets, where only faint lights existed, and headed towards the towering tower erected in Babel. Even though the sun had set in the west, a considerable number of people were busily working in the tower. I ignored the people engrossed in their work on the first floor and climbed the stairs. After all, there was no one who could detect my concealed presence. My steps moved forward without hesitation. Upwards. Higher and higher. I climbed the spiral staircase of the tower. My destination was the top of the tower. I was following the trail of the mayor''s magic, as I had remembered from my previous visit. I climbed the spiral staircase. The higher I climbed, the narrower the drill-shaped tower became. At the very end, there was only a small room. Despite the fact that propermerce had not yet been invented, this city''s mayor had amassed a great fortune. Yet, the room was surprisingly small in size. However, the size of the room is not what''s important. What''s important is what is contained within that room. And... "Hehehe... It''s going smoothly." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now What was contained in that small room was a small human consumed by greed. "I should say the heavens are helping me. Just as my inspection tool was running low, she came to me again. Moreover, she fell for my eloquent words and made even more items for me to inspect." dozens of boxes filled with arge amount of mana stones stacked in the room. In this room, the man picked up a single mana stone from one of the boxes. "Thanks to this, I was able to more easily collect these fragments, so I should express my gratitude." The man rolled the mana stone around in the palm of his hand, then gently brought it up to the tip of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. And then, "Hufffff." The man inhaled, activating the mana. Slowly, the fragment of darkness embedded within the mana stone seeped out. The small shard of darkness seeped into his body through his nose. "Ah. Good. Very good. This power. This pleasure. This darkness continues to call out to me. Hehe... Hahaha... At this rate... Someday, I will be able to surpass humanity..." "Hmm. Was that truly your objective?" I spoke in a calm voice. "Huh?! You are?! How did you get here?!" "How? I entered through the tower''s entrance and climbed the stairs." I had concealed my presence and ascended. "Tch. The employees should have prevented anyone from climbing the tower! Don''t tell me you took down all of Babel''s Nine Mages?!" What''s that? There were such things? Well, since they couldn''t even detect my presence, it''s a moot point. "Let''s set aside those meaningless things. Let''s see. Are all these mana stones embedded with darkness? You''ve collected quite a lot." I opened the lid of a nearby box to inspect the contents. Hmm... Indeed, there are tiny fragments, but they are present. He was inhaling these fragments like some kind of drug, huh? What on earth was he thinking? "I told you to hand them over, but you were hoarding them for yourself. Just what were you nning to do with these fragments?... I will confiscate all of these fragments. And I will terminate our contract." "Kuh, hehehe. Since I''ve been caught, I have no choice." The man''s mana began to spread throughout the room. Hmm... For a human, this is an impressive amount of mana. And... the mana is mixed with darkness. Did he use the darkness fragments to enhance his own mana? A mere human? "Sigh. How did you end up thinking of something like this? The power of these fragments is too dangerous for a human to handle." "It''s thanks to you. Ever since you made me aware of the darkness fragments within the mana stones, I''ve been continuously researching them." "What? You''re ming me for this?" "It''s not me. Rather, I''m grateful. Thanks to you, I''ve been able to strive even higher." The man gave a wicked smile and pointed his index finger towards the sky. "These darkness fragments have been calling out to me. Telling me to gather them all. And to ascend to godhood." "Using these darkness fragments to ascend to godhood? You''re out of your mind." Of course, a human''s body can be part of a mythological being. In fact, there have been a few humans who have be deities managing the hierarchy of the Afterlife. But this is not the case. Using the fragments of darkness, the fragments of the deity Erebus, to be a god? Nonsense. It would be fortunate if he is not devoured by Erebus. "Out of my mind, you say. Well, a sane human wouldn''t have inserted these fragments into their own body. But you see, there are those in this world who can wield god-like power with a human body, are there not?" The man pointed his index finger at me. "The power to create anything. The power to freely make things that did not exist before. That god-like power resides within you, a mere human. So why can''t I do the same?" No, are you ming me again? I''m not even human, I''m a dragon! I just happen to be walking around in a human body! "That''s why I started collecting these fragments of darkness. As these small fragments umted within me, I was able to gradually understand the original will of this darkness." Following the man''s mana, the fragments of darkness seeped out from the mana stones filling the room and permeated into the man. "These darkness fragments told me. To be one. To gather everything and return to the original." "Hoh." The fragments have a will and can speak? Nonsense. Those fragments only contain faint remnants of memories. Those memories alone couldn''t have given them a will. If those fragments truly have a will, then shouldn''t they first apologize to me? Apologize for what they''ve done. Isn''t that what they should say to me? "Heh. Hehehe... Normally I only absorbed a little at a time... But this time it''s a bit more... My whole body feels like it''s about to burst..." The man''s body began to change, gradually being stained by the darkness. His thin middle-aged physique became thicker, his muscles stood out noticeably, and his height increased. This is... just like the molting of an insect. Chapter 104: Babel (4) Chapter 104: Babel (4) Tzitzik. Zzik. The man''s clothes are torn by his growing size. The leather clothes were quite high quality for this era, but it was torn so easily. Hmm.... The man was now over three meters tall. He looked more like a beast or monster than a human. His body was beginning to grow ck hair. He was bing more like a gori. Un. "Whoa. Woohoo.... This power. This power. I haven''t even digested all of it yet, and it''s this much, huh. I can see why the monsters are so strong, they must be strong to have this kind of power...!" The man begins to be less and less human. He grows horns and a tail, and his teeth growrger. When his transformation isplete, the man is reborn as something that can no longer be called human. "Kk, kk. Kwowowowowowowow!!!"The man roars like an animal, the sound alone cracking the walls and shattering the boxes of gems. "Kk. Khhhh. Okay, okay. If I have this all to myself, I can be a god! Yes, Babel! Babel shall be my name! I will build a tower so high that it will reach the sky, and I will be a god of magic, with godlike powers, and I will wreak havoc on the humans who drove us Mages away!" A man who has already lost his intellect because he''s halfway given up on humans, spouting nonsense. Poor Jiji, he''s already lost it. "Woohoo. Woohoo.... If I ever be a god, then I will take you as mypanion, and you, too, will be a new god. I will give you the honor of being the queen of the gods, above and beyond the goddess of life who looks down arrogantly from on high and does nothing to help!" Hmmm. Hmmm.... I guess I''ll have to kill you then. "You will be a new god, too! You and I! We will be new gods, and we will rule this world!" "I can''t take this bullshit anymore." I rolled my eyes. "How can you deny me the power to be a new god? How can you deny me the honor of epting it?!" "Because you''re too stupid to recognize what''s in front of you, and you think you''re going to be a god." "What...?" I said with a smirk. "Keep your eyes open and see. What you see before you." "What?" I let out a little of the power I''d been hiding. Power within this body. The magic. The presence. Even the faith I had gathered as a god of life. I let it loose, and the top of the tower cracks and bursts open, scattering shards of the gemstone that filled the room in all directions. "Kkkkkkkk!" "What''s wrong, you''re staggering." I take a step forward. "The god you''ve always wanted to be is right in front of you. Now, open your eyes wide and take a good look. This is the God you''ve always wanted to be." "Uhhh.... Kaaaah!!!" The male being is crushed to the ground and bes one with the ground. You wanted to be a god, and you couldn''t even stand this? Foolish, foolish, just foolish. Koooow! The floor cracks and begins to copse. Hmm. Did you build your tower a bit flimsy? It''s copsing with just this. Well, I was nning on taking it down anyway. At least the humans in this tower are still innocent. [Humans in the Tower of Babel, leave this tower now]. I emphasized my weak voice and spread it out. A voice so strong that it could reach all the humans in Babel, let alone this tower. Ah, the hero would hear it. Hmm.... Well, it doesn''t really matter. The Hero... may need to directly face what he''s up against. [The fool at the top of this tower sought to be a god, to reach the gods, and so he coveted and stole what belonged to the gods to satisfy his desires]. The floor copses. It crumbles downward, and the floor beneath it cracks. One by one, the pirs supporting the tower begin to crack and crumble. The roar grows louder and louder. [There will be nothing but destruction]. I can feel the Mages in the tower scurrying out. They''re scattering like ants. Poor creature. Poor thing, not knowing what he was doing. Thanks to you. I''m getting a little tired of it. "Argh! Aaaah!!!" The man''s body crumbling along with the floor transforms. Something sprouts from his wing bones. Arms? No, although they have ws at the front, they are not arms. The widely spread shape is wings. Objects resembling bat wings. "Kr. Kreueu! Just wait! Just wait!!! You will be cursed!!!! Cursed!!!!!!!!" How foolish. Foolish and foolish again. Who is cursing whom? Has he been stained by darkness, unable to judge anything? Therefore, I could no longer just wait and see. I slowly clenched my fist and dropped it down. At the same time. Kwaaaaaang! We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now A massive beam of light physically struck the man trying to spread his wings and flee. Not enough with that, the beam of light began crushing and copsing the tower. Overwhelmed by the immense force, the soaring tower copsed. The vain dream of the one who wanted to be a god also copsed. Everything will turn to ruins. And this incident will be passed down as the wrath of God. Thus, the Tower of Babel copsed. --------------------- "What on earth happened here?" The Hero arrived at the remains of the tower, from which all people had fled. "Ah, you came." "It''s not ''you came'', what could have happened for that tall tower to be smashed like this?" "Well, it''s just the result of a foolish human dreaming a vain dream and coveting divine things." At my words, the Hero''s expression became one of iprehension. "Then what is that? That... A monster? But it has a human form." "Didn''t I say? A foolish human dreamed a vain dream and coveted divine things." The Hero, understanding the situation a bit from my words, had his expression turn grim. "A human...? That thing?" "Yes. A human." To be precise, it was once human. "How can a human transform into something like a monster?" "That''s just how it is." Until now, I had never seen a human transform like that. Most monsters are not humanoid beings. The reason is probably... the will and personality that humans possess repels the shards of darkness. But to intentionally absorb those shards of darkness and make them one''s own... Wait. If this guy could do this... could simr things happen elsewhere? For example, elves or dwarves... Lizardmen? No, they don''t have enough mana to handle in the first ce. Anyway... there''s no way to prevent such incidents from happening again. Hmm. I should pay a bit more attention. "Krrrr..." "Surprisingly, It''s still alive." "That''s right. I swung with the intention to kill, but it''s still standing." Despite being struck hard enough for the tower remains to pile up, the man was still alive. Probably the shards of darkness he absorbed into his body are keeping him from dying. "So, want to stab that thing with your sword?" "Me? That thing?" "Yeah. Since it has gathered so many shards of darkness, we can''t miss this opportunity." Originally, I had nned to collect the shards of darkness and have them delivered. But since they''ve gathered into one body like this, I can''t help it. "Kwaahaak!!!" "Oh, it got up." "No, it''s not ''it got up''! Why are you so calm about this?!" "Well, our Hero is here, so there''s no need to worry, is there?" I gave a wry smile, and the Hero''s expression became one of exasperation. "No, you can''t just suddenly push this onto me!" The battered, ckened man gets up and charges at me. However, his charge is deflected by the Hero''s sword. "I swung with the intent to kill, yet you endured this?!" "Kwaaah!!!" "It seems his sanity haspletely evaporated. Consumed by the massive shards of darkness." "This is no time to calmly observe!!!" The Hero cries out. Ugh, tsk. For someone who should have gained a lot of experience, why is he making such a fuss? "It''s no different from a monster, just in human form." "But it was human once!" "So what? It abandoned being human through its foolish choice. Hmm... Since it''s no longer human, I should call it something else." "Something else...?" After a moment''s thought, I spoke, "That being should be called a Demon from now on." "A Demon...?" "Originally possessing intelligence, but consumed by darkness and fallen into depravity. The name Demon would be fitting." "Kwaahaak!!!" How noisy. I flicked my finger lightly, and mana in the shape of swords pierced the man''s limbs and wings, pinning him to the ground. Like an insect being pinned for disy. The ckened man, pinned to the ground, unable to move. Hmm. Since this is the first case of its kind, I should investigate it in detail. --- T/N:I''ve set the price for all the next chapters to 1 cookie from 2 cookies, offering a 50% discount. Unlock all now! Chapter 105: Babel (5) Chapter 105: Babel (5) "Let''s see. The body mutated by mana and darkness has be like this." "Kuaaahh..." I straightened the man pinned to the ground and fixed him in ce again, then used the des of mana to slowly peel apart his body. The skin. It''s tough. Even a decent de would bounce off the leathery toughness, and each individual hair had considerable strength... It felt like he was wearing a scale armor made of fur. The underlying muscle strength was also considerable, and unless cut along the grain, it wouldn''t easily split. Hmm. The basic muscle structure differs from a human''s only in size, but it seems the mana and darkness have drastically enhanced its strength and toughness. The fact that he could absorb those shards of darkness is likely thanks to his mana, so those who cannot wield mana would find it difficult to transform like this. The blood had turned a much darker, ckish-red colorpared to normal red. Hmm. Is this because the shards of darkness have dissolved into the bloodstream and are circting through the entire body? Curious. I''ll have to check this more closely when I examine the heartter. As for the internal organs... Hmm. The organ structures don''t seem to differ greatly from a human''s, just the sizes have changed. Their arrangement is not too different from a human''s."Grrr..." "It''s still alive despite me cutting into it without anesthesia. It has an amazingly resilient life force." A normal human would have died from the pain. "Ugh..." "Hm? Why are you so rmed? It''s not like you''ve never seen a living being cut before. You''ve killed your fair share, haven''t you?" "That''s true, but even though it''s transformed, I still can''t help but think of it as human... It feels a bit..." "Human? Human you say?" I looked at the man, his blood now a dark red, who had be a demon. I spoke in a cold voice. "Do you still consider this to be human?" "But..." "It has already abandoned being human. A foolish one who couldn''t resist its curiosity and greed, touching what it shouldn''t have. If you call this monstrosity human, then the beastmen, dwarves, elves, and lizardmen would all have to be considered human as well." For it has strayed far from humanity, more so than those subraces. It would not be wrong to call it an entirely separate species at this point. "I don''t know if more like this will appear, but if you happen to encounter one... Quickly sever its neck. That would be the best choice for those who have transformed this way." "Yes..." The Hero nodded slightly, his expression one of iprehension, but what can be done? Such is the cruel reality. "But how much longer do you n to dissect him?" "Hmm. I just need to check the heart area and then I''ll be done." I split open the chest, removing the ribs, to examine the heart hidden behind the lungs. Stained by the darkened blood, the heart had also taken on a ckish-red hue, fully reflecting its alien nature. But the important thing is not the heart itself. I carefully removed the organs surrounding the heart one by one, and eventually found what I was looking for. Attached to the back of the heart was a pitch-ck stone, the demonic stone. It contained a considerable amount of shards of darkness. Apparently, it had been attached to the back of the heart, dissolving the shards of darkness into the bloodstream and circting them throughout the body to mutate it. Hmm, not a very pleasant sight. I used mana to block the flow of the shards of darkness escaping the demonic stone, and redirected the returning blood to push the shards back into the stone. After some time passed... the man''s blood began to slowly return to a reddish color. "The blood..." "It''s turning red again." But the mutated body could not be reversed. Even if I could remove the shards of darkness from the blood, the transformed body could not be restored. It''s a bit of a shame. "There." I detached the demonic stone from the heart and handed it to the Hero. "Absorb it into the gem." "Ah, yes." The Hero ced the demonic stone I had handed him against his sword, and the darkness within the stone slowly seeped into the sword. Hmm. He can absorb shards of darkness of this size without any trouble. Not bad. Setting that impression aside for now, I looked down at the man from whom the demonic stone had been removed. body that had transformed into a demon began to crumble and scatter from the extremities, as if the absence of the demonic stone that had contained the shards of darkness was the cause. Does the corrupted body continue to crave the shards of darkness? If no more shards are supplied, does it turn to ash like this? What a pitiful existence. "No, no, no! I don''t want to die!!! I don''t want to die!!!" With the shards of darkness all removed and the demonic stone extracted, the man''s sanity seemed to be slowly returning, unlike the beast-like growls he had been making. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now He can now speak, having recovered to that extent. But it''s already toote. "No! I don''t want it! I don''t want to die!!! I want to live!!! I want to!!!" Hm? Suddenly, mana is rushing into his mouth. This is... a breath attack? No, it''s not even worthy of being called a breath attack. It''s just a desperate struggle, merely emitting a shockwave of mana from his mouth. While it is a mana-based attack expelled through the mouth, which could be considered a breath,pared to a true breath attack, this is just a weak puff of air. "Tch." I easily deflected the shockwave of mana he had expelled with the back of my hand. "Guh..." "What a patheticst struggle. Compared to a dragon, this is just a weak puff of air." Wait, a dragon? Breath attacks. Scales on the body. Wings. A tail... Even horns on the head. Hmm... Could it be that he was trying to transform into the form of a dragon? But without even scales? Hmm... Perhaps the memories of Erebus within the shards of darkness yearned for that transformation. Despite causing such trouble and ruining everything, is he still longing for those times? What a foolish creature. "I don''t want to die..." As the man''s arms and legs were disappearing, I looked down at him and spoke a word to the Hero. "Now, sever his neck." "Yes..." Though he had already be a demon, he was once human. For the Hero, this would be his first kill. The Hero tightly closed his eyes and brought down his sword on the man''s neck. And the body of the transformed demon crumbled into ashes and vanished. Well, the physical examination isplete, so now it''s time to check the soul. I looked at the soul that had emerged from the ashes of the man. It retained the appearance it had before the transformation into a demon. But most of that soul had been tainted by darkness, turning it ck. The shards of darkness... Do they even stain the soul? Erebus, just how far are you going to degrade yourself? What are you seeking, and what are you trying to aplish by doing this? I simply cannot understand it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Demons. Sentient beings corrupted and fallen to darkness. Those who greedily grasped at powers they should not have touched, losing everything and leaving not even their own corpses behind. The ursed ones were the first to appear in this world, in the tale of the nameless Hero, the very first Hero. Long ago, in the Babel built by the persecuted Mages. The one who took control of that city was a demon tribe who sought to seize the power of God by building a great tower. However, their true identity was revealed by the Hero''s party. But the demon tribe''s strength was iparable to humans. As their wicked hands reached for the Dragon''s Priestess, apanion of the nameless Hero, God could no longer watch their evil deeds. A great pir of light crushed the demon tribe and also destroyed the tower they had built to be god. The first demon tribe crumbled under the mighty power of God. ¡­¡­¡­ After losing the tower and ruler, the mages of Babel made various choices. Some chose to atone for their sins by creating a za at the tower where God demonstrated power, vowing not to repeat the same mistake. They chose to remain in Babel. Others, though not guilty themselves, chose to leave Babel to atone for the foolishness of electing an unwise ruler. Some mages denied any wrongdoing and relied on human nations, betraying Babel. ¡­¡­¡­ Thereafter, demon tribes frequently appeared. Many were originally mages, especially those researching magic stones. Curiously, demon tribes often emerged from the descendants of those who betrayed Babel. Some mages imed this was the price for ignoring Babel''s sin or using unsanctified magic stones, but recent research suggests the root cause lies elsewhere - that someponents of magic stones corrupt mages. While a far-fetched im requiring long proof...if true, it could reveal the cause of demon tribes throughout human history - removing one of humanity''s sins. - What are demon tribes? - Later, a researchb studying magic stoneponents was destroyed by a sudden demon tribe emergence and rampage, leaving the im unresolved. --- T/N: Here you go, 1 Cookie. I initially wanted to set the price to 2 Cookies, but now it seems like I''ll asionally make it 1 and 2. Cheer up! By the way check my new wife pic! Chapter 106: Babel (6) Chapter 106: Babel (6) When the Tower of Babel copsed and the shards of magic stones scattered across the city, some of the humans in Babel witnessed the ruler of Babel being reborn as something other than human. No one could have remained unshocked at the sight of the ck humanoid form bursting out and destroying the top of the tower. And then came the strike of light - a single blow that instantly brought down the Tower of Babel. It was truly a divine judgment. Seeing this spectacle, some of the humans quickly fled Babel, crying out that Babel had incurred God''s wrath. Well, their reaction was not unreasonable, as it was indeed a judgment akin to divine punishment. However, this judgment did not seem to be directed at the other humans in Babel... Hmm, their groveling was a bit excessive. Anyway, a considerable number of humans quickly evacuated, and the remaining ones bowed their heads towards me and the Hero standing on the ruins of the tower. "Divine representative! Please punish us!" "We did not know there was such a monster in the Tower of Babel! Please forgive our ignorance!"Hmm. Well, it''s not really their fault. That person had secretly absorbed and assimted the dark-tinged magic stones,mitting a mad act, and how could these people have known and stopped it? Therefore, I forgave their "sins" - or rather, they weren''t sins to begin with. I spoke to the humans prostrating themselves before me. "Let''s change the name of Babel. It''s ominous." A name that only crumble as soon as the tower was built should no longer be used. "Then what name should we use, sir?" "Hmm... I don''t have a specific name in mind." "May we suggest a name then?" "Sure, if youe up with a good one, that would be great." The humans raised their heads from their bowing and began murmuring among themselves. "How about Sodom?" "No." "What about Gomorrah?" "Rejected." Their naming skills were truly abysmal. Or were they just eager for the city to be destroyed? Is that it? T/N: HAHAHAHAHA Why don''t they just name it Damocles while they''re at it? That would be fitting for a city of mages! Oh, that ce would get smashed just the same, wouldn''t it! I might as well name it myself. Yes, that''s the best option. Hmm... Now that I''m trying to name it, it''s not that easy. What should I call it? "How about Procyon?" "Procyon?" "Yes, let''s make Procyon the name of this city." It was the name of a star, if I remember correctly. T/N: Procyon is the brightest star in the constetion of Canis Minor and usually the eighth-brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.34. ( hhh), source: Wikipedia I vaguely recalled it being one of the stars in the Winter Triangle. "Procyon... Understood. We shall change the name of this city to Procyon." This is better than the precarious name of Babel, I suppose. "But... since the one who ruled Babel has ended up like this, what should we do now?" Hmm, how indeed. Ultimately, this city must be maintained, even if the name has to be changed, and the supply of magic stones to the mages must not be neglected. Ah, I know. From now on, the management of the magic stones shall be entrusted to the Temple of Life. In the process of inspecting the magic stones, they can also collect the fragments of darkness, while taking care that others are not excessively exposed to the darkness. It seems that the transformation of that person into a demon tribe was due to their close exposure to the fragments of darkness and their curiosity leading them to delve deeper into it. It would be best to prevent others from such close contact. Using the power of Shamash, it would be wise to suppress and seal the fragments of darkness. But then again... if that person''s transformation was due to excessive exposure to the fragments of darkness, then the Hero may not be entirely safe either. Hmm... I''ll worry about thatter. "Was the revitalization of this city solely the work of that individual?" At my words, the mages shook their heads slightly. "While that individual yed a major role, it was the result of the efforts of everyone." "Then what is the problem?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now If the problematic individual has been removed, the rest can join forces, can they not? "Divide the city into various districts and create time-limited representatives for each. Then have those representatives gather in a council to guide the city." "Time-limited representatives? And a council of representatives?" "Yes. If one person continues to rule, there is a risk of another like that emerging. It''s best to divide the governance into smaller, limited terms." At my words, the mages nodded their heads slightly. If one person holds too much power, an incident like this could happen again. Especially with great powers like magic stones and scrolls. Divide the authority of the ruler to the minimum. That way, even if one person goes berserk, the others will have means to restrain them. "Understood. Thank you for the profound wisdom. From now on, the mages of Babel... no, Procyon, will engrave the sins of that individual in our hearts, and live while restraining ourselves so as not tomit the same sins." No, there''s no need to go that far. But seeing the desperate resolve in the mage''s solemn words, I didn''t anything further. The only thing I could do was nod my head. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The city that was once called Babel. Procyon. The ruler of that city was not a king or lord, but seven tower masters. The seven magic towers, each symbolized by a different color. Their representatives gathered to govern Procyon. "So, the budget allocation is unfair! Anyone can see that we have the most members, so we should get thergest budget!" The Elemental Magic School of the red magic tower, specializing in the four main elemental magics. "Hmm? We''re not exactly few in number either? And we have to separately im the management fees for our summoned creatures? Our headcount is more than double theirs!" The Contract Magic School of the orange magic tower, using summoned creatures as their power. "Hmm. Lacking in strength but numerous in headcount, so the food expenses are high. Isn''t it better to cultivate your own strength?" The Reinforcement Magic School of the yellow magic tower, maximizing their power by imbuing magic into their bodies. "Well, what can you do. More importantly, this budget n seems to have a slight decrease in the donation from the Temple of Life..." The Life Magic School of the green magic tower, aiming for resurrection through magical power, renowned for their healing magic. "If you like the Temple of Life much, why don''t you just join them instead of staying in Procyon. Tsk." The Illusion Magic School of the blue magic tower, skilled in manipting the mind through illusions and fantasies. "......". Once called the Necromancy School and persecuted, but now recognized by the Temple of Life and newly established as the Soul Magic School, the indigo magic tower has be one of the towers of Procyon. "Well, you see, that is..." Andstly, the seventh magic tower that rose up after overthrowing the former Divination School - the Alchemy School of the purple magic tower. "Alchemy does tend to consume a lot of money, but in return, we also earn the most, you know..." "Well, that may be true, but isn''t this a bit too much!" "It''s not really too much... In the first ce, the budget allocation for each magic tower has also increasedpared tost year. While the percentage of the total budget may have decreased,..." "Hmm... It''s true that the number of silver coins may have increased. But it''s not just a simple matter of the amount." The tower master of the blue magic tower said, pushing up his sses. "The budget ratio for each magic tower is like the pride of the tower. It''s connected to [how much of a share the tower has in the overall budget of Procyon]. As a newly appointed tower master, you may not understand this yet." "Blue, mind your manners. You may be a new tower master, but you are still one." As the tower master of the green magic tower spoke, the blue tower master turned his head as if he hadn''t heard. "Really now? I''m sorry. These fools only know magic and are idiots who don''t understand etiquette." "No, it''s fine. I expected this level of resistance. Ah, I''ve already finished talking with the Temple of Life, so you don''t need to worry about that." "Huh? With the Temple of Life? They''re usually quite strict when ites to donations, especially since it''s rted to the supply of magic stones and all..." At this, the tower master of the purple magic tower smiled and said, "We''ve agreed to increase the production of healing potions a bit and lower the prices for supply. Thanks to that, the discussion went well." "My, that''s good to hear. But..." The tower master of the green magic tower smiled and said, "I, who is responsible for themunication between the magic towers and the Temple of Life, have not heard any news, when did you contact the Temple of Life?" "Ah, well, that is, while discussing the healing potion supply issue... I mean... Ugh..." The eyes of the tower master of the green magic tower, whose smile was not reflected in his eyes at all. "I''m sorry..." "I hope you will give us a heads-up from now on. Understand?" The tower master of the purple magic tower, a small silver-haired girl, nodded slightly and adjusted her wide-brimmed hat with a strange horn-shaped decoration. - Excerpt from the record of the Procyon Magic Tower meeting. Chapter 107: Thetis (1) Chapter 107: Thetis (1) After the events in Babel, or rather Procyon, Hero and I looked around the world once again. This time, the purpose of our journey was not to defeat powerful monsters, but to explore the world. The first murder that Hero experienced when the Tower of Babel copsed seemed to have greatly shocked him, as Hero appeared quite troubled in various ways. As the virtuous Hero, it must have been a shock to him to have killed someone who was once human. Therefore, "The sea!" I had brought Hero to see the vast ocean. "Why the sea all of a sudden?" "Look at that vast sea. Doesn''t it make you feel refreshed and open-minded?"The wide horizon where the sky and sea meet. Just looking at it makes one feel a sense of exhration, as if their heart is being cleared out. I thought this scenery might help the troubled Hero a little. "Well, it is quite a sight, I suppose." "Isn''t it?" It seemed to be of some help. Hmm. If this helps Hero even a little, then it was worth bringing him here. And the diamond embedded in Hero''s sword... I had confirmed that it had no particr effect on Hero. For some reason, it has been very quiet. Hmm. Is it because I''m nearby? Or is there some other reason? I''m not sure. "So, did you bring me here to show me this sea?" "Well, that''s part of it, but..." I looked at the small puppy and picked up the beast god that was rubbing itself at my feet. "There''s a ce I need to go." Then I threw the beast god with all my might towards the sea. The beast god, tracing arge parab, changes its form just before touching the surface of the water. The beast god transforms into a sleek-skinned dolphin. As expected, whale-type creatures are also included among the beasts. Wait, does that mean whale beastmen are also possible? Hmm... Let''s not delve too deeply into that. "Suddenly, what''s..." "And one more thing." As I snapped my fingers, a wooden boat was created on the surface of the sea. In this era where only rafts woven from wood or hollowed-out logs aremon, this properly constructed boat would stand out! I need to go quite far, and I don''t want to travel by raft. "That''s... a boat?" "Yes, I made it." I had encountered primitive seafaring humans during my travels, but the vessels they used were only rafts or hollowed-out log boats. This properly constructed boat would be a first for them! Well, it''s not like other humans can''t make proper boats, it just doesn''t take that long. "But why the boat all of a sudden..." "The being I''m about to meet is out in the distant sea." It''s time to meet Thetis as well. I''ll create a boat and use the beast god as propulsion to cross the sea! I tied the beast god, which had transformed into arge whale, with a rope to use as the boat''s propulsion, and set out across the sea. Hmm. Even if it''s a beast, The sight of it effortlessly cutting through the rough currents of the sea is magnificent. Since it''s boring to just sit on the boat, I''ll do some fishing as well! Honestly, I could easily pull up the fish if I wanted to, but fishing is a different experience, isn''t it? What kind of fish will bite the hook? Imagining that is quite enjoyable as I cast the fishing line. "Ugh..." But Hero, it seems, was not enjoying it. "You seem to be quite seasick." "I-I''m sorry. Ueegh..." I silently patted Hero''s back as he vomited towards the sea. Hmm. Hero, who can slice through any monster onnd, is utterly powerless on the sea. Tch. Maybe I should have just left the Hero onnd and gone by myself. Then I could have met Thetis in an instant and returned. In the end, the only thing I could do for the seasick Hero was to make him a ginger tea with honey. After putting the resting Hero in the cabin and putting him to sleep with magic, I turned my gaze back towards the direction where Thetis was. Thetis, left alone in the vast sea. How is that child, who is prone to loneliness, doing? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Yay!!" A fish, no, a human, no, a fish-human, swimming rapidly across the blue sea, leaving behind white foam. So, a mermaid. The upper bodies are human, while the lower bodies are fish, and the mermaids were swimming excitedly around the boat. Huh. I didn''t expect there to be mermaids here. "What is this? What is this? What is this? What is this?" "It''s hard! Not as hard as a rock, but still hard." "There''s a person up there! She has a horn on her head! Do the people onnd have horns like that?" The mermaids were quite lively,ughing and giggling at the smallest things. They seem to be descendants of humans, judging by thenguage they''re using. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hmm... If I meet Thetis, I might be able to learn more. "Move aside, I''vee to meet Thetis." "Thetis?" "Who''s Thetis?" "You idiot! It''s the great flow!" "The great flow! The great flow!!" The "great flow", huh. Well, it''s not wrong, since Thetis seems to control the flow of the entire sea. The mermaids didn''t respond to my words, and instead started chattering among themselves. At this rate, I won''t be able to make any progress. I have no choice but to call out. [Thetis.] The response came quickly. [Mom? Is that really you?] [Yes, it''s me. It''s been a while.] At that moment, "Whoa!" "The sea current has changed!" "Everyone, run! The great flow is moving!" The strong currents started pushing the boat. The beast god, confused, tried to escape the currents, but its strength was no match for the overwhelming force. The ce they arrived at was a sea with a massive whirlpool. [Uh, Mom...] The whirlpool was Thetis'' true form. [I''m sorry... I have so much I want to say, but seeing you, I just can''t find the words. I''ve been thinking a lot, wondering why, why couldn''t I stop the fight, why did I disappoint you... I''ve been regretting it constantly.] Thetis spoke in a voice moist with tears. [I''m sorry, Mom. For disappointing you, for not doing better...] Thetis was clearly remorseful and reflecting. Good, that''s enough. "It''s alright, you''ve reflected enough." [Mom...] "Now that I''ve calmed down, I can''t stay angry at a child who has reflected so much." I smiled and said, "Let''s talk about how you''ve been all this time." Let''s unravel the stories that have built up over time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Ah, umm... Something feels strange. It''s been a while since I''ve had a physical body, so it feels odd." I looked at the woman with the sea-colored hair in front of me. Of course, it was Thetis'' avatar. "But isn''t this better than just being your true form?" "Yes, that''s true. It''s hard to do anything with just my true form. Even the slightest movement can tangle the currents and make a mess of the sea." "It''s because you''re too massive." Too massive to move easily. Just being big doesn''t mean everything is good. "Anyway, Mom, you''ve be quite cute." "Mmm. You''re right. All I have to do is change my appearance and I be this little girl. It''s quite troublesome, I must say." I can change my appearance a bit, but the small girl with horns and silver hair remains unchanged. Forcibly trying to change it would prevent me from using my full power. "I think it''s cute." "Well, at least the words are appreciated." "You really mean that?" Well, that''s probably just your way of trying tofort me. "Anyway, I''ve finished teaching you the magic to create avatar." "I see, so I was thest one." "Hmm, it''s not a ce that''s easily essible, isn''t it?" Since it''s in the middle of the vast ocean. It''s not easily essible. Well, I coulde here alone, but... I came to show the sea to the Hero, among other things. Ah, right, the Hero! I quickly went into the cabin and revived the almost dried-up life force of the Hero, who was lying there like a half-dried fish. "Oh my, a human?" "Yes, this is the human I''ve carefully raised." Since the Hero is asleep right now, it doesn''t matter if I talk about it. "Hee hee... So Mom does like to raise someone, huh. I mean, that''s why you raised us too." "It''s not that I particrly like it, but..." I just thought that if I didn''t raise them, they might end up loners and get twisted somewhere, so I''ve been taking care of them. It''s not like I raised them because I wanted to! "I see. If that''s what Mom says, then that must be the case. It''s just how things are inside Mom." This one... Chapter 108: Thetis (2) Chapter 108: Thetis (2) Well, that''s how it is. "How did those swimming fish-peoplee to be?" "Ah, those children? Well... there were various circumstances involved." Thetis smiled slightly and said. "While my main body is resting here, my reach extends to all the seas connected to it." "I see." Unlike the children with limited bodies like Ifrit or Sagarmatha, Thetis and Sylphid could manipte almost everything as long as they were connected to their main bodies. Since they were connected, almost all the seas could move like Thetis'' own limbs. "asionally, there were other races that fell into the sea. Well, the lizardmen and beastmen could swim well and escape on their own."Lizardmen and beastmen... "You mean the lizardmen and merfolk. Those children are good swimmers." Especially the lizardmen, who could swim using just their tails without properly using their limbs. Moreover, their lung capacity was great, so they could go dozens of minutes without needing to breathe. Truly, if it weren''t for the shackle of temperature, the lizardmen might have conquered the world. "I see, there were names like lizardmen and merfolk. Anyway, the humans who were good swimmers somehow managed to swim out of the sea, but sometimes humans who fell deep into the sea also appeared." I see. The danger of the sea. If you fall in wrong, you''ll drown quickly. "So I tried to rescue the humans I could, and after caring for them in the sea until their strength returned, I would send them back hometer." "I see, you did a good deed." At my praise, Thetis scratched her head shyly. "Anyway, when I was caring for those humans in the sea, some of the fish became curious about the humans." "I see, and then?" "After that... the fish gradually started to transform, taking on forms resembling humans." Humans resembling fish... "Like those fish-people?" "A bit different. Back then, it was more like fish with limbs growing out of them." Fish with limbs... "That''s a bit..." "Yes, I thought so too." What is this? I feel like I''ve seen something like that in a horror manga. Fish with limbs, how horrifying. "The humans who saw that got terrified, so I scolded them appropriately. After that, they transformed a bit more." "So that''s how those half-human, half-fish creatures came to be?" "Yes. There were several trials and errors in the process, but that''s how they ended up like that." Several trials and errors, huh. I don''t really want to ask about that. "The humans who were rescued from the sea didn''t dislike that appearance, and those children seem to be satisfied with their own forms, so they''re living like that. Their intelligence is a bitckingpared to humans, but they''re smarter than regr fish, so they''re good for various tasks." "I see." Fortunately, there weren''t any fish-people hybrids. "Well, some humans who wanted to be part of the family and live in the sea with those children instead of returning tond also appeared, but it''s not good fornd-dwelling creatures to stay in the sea for too long." I see, so there were fish-people hybrids after all. "Anyway, that''s how those children came to be. Not as grand as you might have imagined, right?" "I wouldn''t say it''s not grand... I got a glimpse of the boundless potential of humans." Who would have thought fish could do that? Humans... are truly terrifying. If this continues, I wonder if there will ever be a human who can be a lizard... Perhaps there is a potential for humans to achieve such transformations... "Ugh..." Hm? I hear the sound of a door opening from the cabin, along with the Hero''s voice. Has the deeply sleeping Hero finally woken up? Ah, it might be because Thetis has calmed the sea waves, relieving the Hero''s seasickness a bit. "Phew, I''m finally feeling a bit better... Huh? Who are you?" "Ah, you''ve woken up? This one is... well, the goddess of the sea." "Instead of that formal title, please just call me Thetis." Thetis then hugged me from behind. "It''s nice to meet you. Hero, favored by the Goddess of Life. I am Thetis, the one who rules over all the seas." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Ah, y-yes, it''s a pleasure to meet you. I am the Hero." "Well then... since the main purpose ofing here has been achieved, I suppose it''s time to start preparing to return." "Oh my, already? Won''t you stay a little longer?" "I''m a rather busy person, you see." I''m not the busy one, it''s the Hero. As for me, I can fly to the other side of the world in an instant if I so desire. "Then at least stay for one more night. I''ll gather plenty of fresh seafood for you!" Hmm, fresh seafood, you say. The fish I caught and ate on the way here were quite delicious as well. Carefully removing the scales, slicing them into sashimi, and dipping them generously in spicy sauce... Mmm, delicious. "Then... I suppose I''ll stay for one more night. I should also check on the Hero''s condition a bit more." "I''d rather just leave as soon as possible!" "It seems the Hero agrees that would be best." Unfortunately, the Hero had no choice in the matter. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The fresh sashimi that Thetis provided was absolutely delicious. With a wave of her hand, the fish would jump up onto the boat, as if begging to be eaten. If this were a fishing boat, it would have been a bountiful catch, but unfortunately, aside from me, the Hero, and the Beast God, there were no other passengers. Most of the fish were sent back into the sea. But we did grill and eat some of the fish! The grilled fish, cooked with the clean salt extracted from the seawater and the magical mes, tasted amazing. Fresh off the sea, how could it not be delicious? Furthermore, the excited Thetis also gathered ms, abalone, and other seafood from the depths, and the excited merfolk even brought us various items. As a result, we were able to fill ourselves with an abundance of seafood. Ah, the grilled ms were simply delicious. Thetis was even surprised at how well they turned out when cooked over the fire. She even asked me to teach her the magic of making the fire, though thepatibility between Thetis and fire was quite poor. But through sheer magical power, we managed to get the fire going. So it was me, the Hero, Thetis, and the Beast God feasting on the seafood. Just as we were enjoying our bountiful meal, suddenly... "Kyaa!" "Run away!" "It''s a sea serpent! A sea serpent has appeared!" Loud cries starteding from among the merfolk. A sea serpent, huh... "Hero, draw your sword." "Huh?" "We''ve had a hearty meal, so we should pay the bill, don''t you think?" At my words, the Hero hesitantly but diligently picked up his sword. "But the Goddess of the Sea is here, why should I..." "Now, now. Sometimes you need to know how to fight in the sea as well. And just because a god is here, that doesn''t mean you can just leave everything to them. Did I not raise you to be better than that?" "No, that''s not what I meant..." "Come now, you two. Don''t fight. I''ll cast a spell to allow you to breathe underwater, so go ahead and fight. And with me here, you''ll definitely not lose, right?" The Hero let out a small sigh, then nodded reluctantly. "Going to fight right after a meal, this is a first..." "Hmm. Even guard dogs won''t bother you when you''re eating, but it seems the Hero is different." At my words, the Hero sighed once more, then jumped into the sea. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The merfolk race has long been shrouded in mystery. With the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish, they are a unique subrace. Sometimes they are helpful to humans, and sometimes they are ssified as monsters that lure humans into the sea. The legend of the mermaids has been recorded since very long ago, but the first recorded ount was in the adventure story of a nameless hero. [In the distant seas, where the Sea God resides, there lived arge number of mermaids. They were as innocent as young children, and were curious beings, but at times, they were foolishly simple-minded. They praised the Sea God as the great flow of the sea, and the Sea God nurtured those mermaids, protecting them from the many dangers that existed in the depths of the sea.] From this record, we can see that the mermaids are the retainers of Thetis, the goddess of the sea and the protector of seafarers, and to harm them would incur the wrath of the sea. However, foolish humans were swayed by one superstition and tried to hunt the mermaids. [The superstition was that eating mermaid flesh would grant eternal youth and longevity.] - Regarding the mermaids. Chapter 109: Thetis (3) Chapter 109: Thetis (3) The battle at sea required more three-dimensional movementspared to battles onnd, so it was an extremely unfavorable battlefield for the hero. It was only natural that the hero had to face the freely swimming sea serpents in the cold, difficult-to-move waters of the sea. However, the hero was fighting much better than expected despite the extremely unfavorable conditions. Even though he couldn''t properly swing his sword due to theck of footing, the hero managed to deflect the sea serpent''s teeth and tail, finding openings to wound its scales. As a result, the body of the sea serpent, a leviathan dragon, was left withrge and small wounds. This must have been the first time the sea serpent had sustained such injuries. Even without the constraint of breathing, if it were a weaker monster, it would have been taken down in an instant. Leaving the hero who was fighting so hard, "You''re not going to help directly, are you?" "Huh?""I''m talking about the mermaids." I looked at the mermaids who were fleeing far from the sea serpent and watching the hero''s battle. Judging from the fact that they quickly fled as soon as the sea serpent surfaced, they must have frequently run away in dangerous situations. It seems Thetis did not protect those mermaids. "Well... the mermaids and the sea serpents are all living beings in the sea. I can''t take sides with just one of them." Hmm. Is that so. In Thetis'' eyes, the mermaids and the sea serpents are just living beings in the sea. I''m not sure whether to call this fair or heartless. "The sea serpent is hunting to survive, and those mermaids have also hunted and eaten other fish before... Just because they have a human form, sing praises to me as the great flow, and can sing with beautiful voices, doesn''t mean I should protect them. They hunt and get hunted. That''s the natural order of things." "I think that''s a sufficient reason... Anyway, it''s almost like neglect." "Yes, that''s right. But rather than unfairly helping one side, it''s better to just leave them be." Hmm. Is that so? Is it better to just let go rather than provide biased assistance? I''m not sure which is right. Then let me change the question. "Then why did you save the humans who fell into the water?" "The humans?" If they don''t save the mermaids for that reason, then why did they save the humans? The distinction between saving and not saving is rather ambiguous, isn''t it? "Well, humans arend creatures, right? Since they are not born in the sea and do not live in the sea, I thought it was not my jurisdiction, so I saved them." Hmm. I see, that makes sense Certainly, humans are not creatures of the sea, so from Thetis'' perspective, they are outsiders. It seems Thetis'' basic attitude is to manage the creatures of the sea and return thend creatures. It has a rather exclusionary feel towards the outside. "Well, I''m currently overlooking the fact thatnd creatures are catching the sea creatures. After all, thend creatures need to eat to survive." "Ah, you''re lenient when ites to hunting for survival." "Yes. Isn''t that thew of nature? Surely there are no creatures that harm others just for fun or for other purposes." "Hmm..." I couldn''t say much in response to Thetis'' words, as there were many obvious ws in the idea that no creatures harm others just for fun or other purposes. Later, I should educate the humans. Tell them to only catch sea creatures for the purpose of eating, not just for fun or other reasons. If Thetis gets angry, it won''t end well. And the mermaids... Surely humans wouldn''t eat mermaids, right? Their heads may be a bit fish-like, but they are a subrace. It should be fine. Yes, it should be fine. Then let''s move on to the next topic. "Then why did you give the hero the ability to breathe underwater and ask him to save the mermaids?" "Ah, there are two reasons for that. The first is that I want to see the power of the hero, the child you have raised with care." Indeed, since they are my children, I would want to see the power of the hero I have raised with care. "I wanted to see how strong this hero ispared to the sea serpent, which is considered the strongest among the sea creatures." "Hmm? Did you summon that sea serpent?" "The second reason is that if this hero, a human who hase from thend with my mother, just stands by and watches as those mermaids who resemble humans are hunted, he won''t think badly of me, will he?" Thetis did not respond to my words and just continued talking. This fellow... so she summoned it on purpose. For some reason, she seems to have be a bit darker than before. Thetis was definitely not like this in the past... hmm... or was she? Hmm. I wonder if it''s because I''ve neglected her for too long that she''s be corrupted. I''m not sure. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Well, what can I do. It''s my fault for neglecting this child for so long. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The sea serpent fought the hero using its teeth, ws, and tail as weapons. But the hero''s sword deflected all of the sea serpent''s attacks. In the end, the sea serpent was left in shambles from the hero''s sharp counterattacks. Realizing it couldn''t defeat the hero, the sea serpent quickly curled its tail and fled. The fleeing sea serpent was too fast for the hero to catch, as its swimming speed was much greater. Even though the enemy had fled, it was still a victory! The hero''s skills were not dulled by the unfavorable terrain! He had masterednd, sea, and aerialbat! Seeing this, Thetis also had a slightly surprised expression. Well, the hero I raised so carefully wouldn''t be that weak! A dragon-like creature couldn''t possibly defeat my hero! "Good work." I said, smiling as I helped the hero back onto the ship and brushed off the seawater. "It must have been your first time fighting in the sea, but you did great." "It wasn''t easy, though. I was just frantically trying to block the attacksing from all directions. If I didn''t have the freedom to breathe underwater, I might have been the one defeated." The hero confessed the difficulty of the battle. Seeing this, Thetis smiled and said, "But the sea serpent is one of the strongest creatures in this sea, and you were able to fight it to this extent. That''s impressive. Your strength is not that of a normal human. You truly are the hero chosen by the Goddess of Life." As soon as Thetis finished speaking, the mermaids surrounding the ship began loudly praising the hero. "Hero! Bravo!" "Hero! Hero! Hero! Hero!!" "Ah..." The hero, embarrassed by their words, fled into the cabin. "Hmm. It seems this hero has quite a lot of shyness." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It was the next day before my hero and I were able to part ways with Thetis. Thetis seemed a bit reluctant. On the return journey, thanks to Thetis using the ocean currents to push us, the voyage was much smoother. [Ah, Mom! Are you returning from meeting with Thetis?] "Sylphid." [Yes! It''s the cute and lovely Sylphid!] Well, from my perspective, she is cute and lovely. "Anyway, what''s the matter?" [Nothing much. Did anything unusual happen when you met with Thetis?] "Anything unusual?" [Yes!] Unusual, huh. Hmm... "There wasn''t really anything unusual that happened." [Is that so? Hmm. Well, she may have changed her mind! I''m d to hear that!!!] "Hmm?" I asked again at Sylphid''s words. "Changed her mind? What do you mean by that?" [Ah... well... I''m not sure if I should say this. Hmm...] "Just tell me quickly, don''t keep me waiting." Urged by me, Sylphid finally spoke reluctantly. [Thetis said that the longer it takes for you toe visit her, the more guilty she''ll feel and the more sorry she''ll be.] Hmm, I did feel quite sorry about that. If it weren''t for the hero''s matters, I might have stayed with Thetis for a while. "And?" [She''s trying to use that guilt to keep you by her side for as long as possible. Especially since she''s in a remote ce, she thinks she should get this much benefit.] Ah, I see. [She was nning to use all means to pursue you during that time together, but I''m d nothing unusual happened! It seems Thetis may have changed her mind!!!!] Ugh... I get a creepy feeling. "Well, since nothing unusual happened, it should be fine, right?" [Yes, that''s right! And Thetis also got to see you after a long time, so her pent-up feelings may have been resolved. I think it''ll be okay now!] Still, it might be a good idea to be a little cautious when going to meet Thetis. Hmm. I wonder what happened to make those children change so much. They were such good children in the past. I just sighed softly. Chapter 110: Heros Companion (1) Chapter 110: Hero''s Companion (1) It has already been 10 years since I traveled the world with the hero. After riding the beast god and examining various parts of the world, we were able to deal with the problematic monsters to a certain extent. The huge monsters have all been defeated, and the newly appearing monsters are not that strong. They have reached a level where the human army can somehow defeat them. Hmm. Is it time to wrap up the hero''s work? The hero''s adventure has taken a considerable amount of time, and the hero is now approaching his 30s. In this era, people usually get married in their mid tote teens, so a man in his 30s who is not married is... considered almost an eunuch, a huge problem. The hero is bing an extremelyte bachelor, and it''s starting to be pitiful. Shouldn''t I relieve the hero of the burden of his duties and let him live freely? Of course, the hero''s own intention is the most important. "Hero, don''t you think it''s time to get married?" "Huh?! What?! M-marriage?! Who? Me?!""Then who else is here? Is this beast god going to get married?" I picked up the cat curled up on myp. It was the long, slender beast god. But how long will this beast god keep following me around? The rumors about the beast god are starting to spread, and appropriate faith is starting to gather. I''ve spread the rumor that the beast god''s intelligence has been slightly enhanced, so it should have be a bit smarter, but the beast god doesn''t seem to have any intention of leaving me. Well, I do have a mount to ride with the hero, so that''s good. "B-but, that is, you see... I, um, the partner..." "Hmm... The marriage partner..." Certainly marriage is something that cannot be done alone. One must have a suitable partner to build a family! "And the hero''s work may never end! I have to wander aimlessly around the world, so building a family is a bit... It would be difficult without someone to travel with..." "That''s right! Didn''t you meet a girl when you ran away before? How is she doing?" I think that girl was quite good! But, she must be quite old now too, I wonder if she''s still not married? "Sigh..." But the hero just sighed after hearing my words. "Well, you can''t be a hero forever. It''s time to start preparing to settle down and put down the burden of being a hero, isn''t it?" The human body is in its prime until the 20s, and from the 30s onwards, it bes more and more difficult day by day. Well, as a hero, even with that body, you can still defeat most monsters. Butpared to ordinary soldiers or hunters, you would be iparably stronger. "Yes, well, I had thought about it, but hearing it directly is a bit painful." "Hmm?" "No, it''s nothing." Hmm. Indeed, it would be a good idea to find it for himter. The position of the hero''spanion is not something to be taken lightly. Considering the symbolism, we must carefully deliberate and decide. First, let''s start with the girl the hero met when he ran away... Well, she''s not a girl anymore, but anyway, I need to collect information from various ces to find a suitable partner for the hero. The hero has dedicated decades to this difficult path, so I must ensure a proper future for him after that. I don''t want to be seen as just using the hero''s prime years and then abandoning him afterwards. That''s not what I want! If I''ve made use of him during the prime of his life, I must also guarantee his future. While I was thinking about this, the beast god was staring intently at my face for some reason. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" The beast god just shook its head back and forth. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Finding apanion for the hero is a separate task. For now, we will continue the journey. Thanks to the decrease in monster appearances, human territories are rapidly expanding. Hmm, the effort made with the hero has paid off. As human viges are being established in various ces, "Hmm." There was an area where no human viges existed at all. It was a vast area. There were only traces of viges that once existed, but... It was a deste wastnd where not even a single weed grew. A silent wastnd with no birds or animals. This ce... Ah, I see. This was where that country I had once wronged existed. It was now a barren wastnd with nothing left, making it an infinitely deste ce. "What kind of monster ravaged this ce?" "It was not a monster, but the remnants of divine punishment." "Divine punishment?" I nodded slightly and said, We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Long ago, there was a kingdom here... No, it was more urate to call it an empire. Anyway." "An empire?" "Yes, an empire. There was a country called Arcad." At my words, the hero''s expression changed as if he remembered something. "Could it be..." "Yes, it is the country that was cursed by the Goddess of Life." It was a rash act back then, but... This is the first time I''ve seen this sight directly. There was no reason toe to a ce with no people or monsters. I only passed through it now. "It''s truly barren. Not even a single de of grass grows." The mountains were bare, and the ground was devoid of even a single weed. Hmm. I acted without much thought, but the aftermath is quite terrifying. "What happened to the people who lived in thisnd?" "They must have moved to other ces." I had warned them and given them plenty of time. "Then, isn''t it time to lift the curse on thisnd?" "But the one who has been cursed has not yet repented for his sins." The second prince is still wandering the world, enduring all kinds of hardships. He is unable to eat properly, and various misfortunes continue to befall him, so he is being shunned and stoned by people, iming he is cursed. Apart from sneaking around at night to avoid the sunlight that torments him, he has no other options, and he is even mistaken for a thief, further ostracizing him. I thought it was time for him to repent his wrongdoing and return to the temple to seek forgiveness, but... "How can I undo what was said in the name of God? I cannot speak with a forked tongue." "But... the people who lived in thisnd are pitiful." Hmm... Indeed, the people who lived here had theirnd turned into a wastnd because of the mistake of a single royal. Ugh. I feel sorry for the people who were harmed by my thoughtless actions. "For now, the curse on thisnd cannot be lifted until the one responsible seeks forgiveness." The one who sphemed against the highest deity and destroyed the temple cannot be easily forgiven, as it is a matter directly rted to the dignity of the divine. Honestly, I thought he woulde crawling back to the temple, whining for forgiveness in a few years, but... Hmm. I''m not sure if that stubborn fellow haspletely forgotten the way to lift the curse. Or perhaps... has he forgotten what he was cursed for and how to lift the curse? Nah, impossible. I exined everything in detail - what he was cursed for and how to lift the curse. There''s no way he''s forgotten, right? "Let''s just pass through this ce quickly." The barren wastnd where no life is born was infinitely deste, and I had no desire to linger. Hmm... From now on, I should refrain from causing such incidents in the name of the divine. I must reflect on this. Perhaps it would be better for the divine to not directly interfere with humans... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As we were passing through the wastnd, "Halt! Halt! Halt!" Heavily armed cavalry appeared before us. There were two human riders and one beastman with the lower body of a horse. "You dare to trespass on this cursednd! Reveal your identities!" Mmmm... Even the humans call this a cursednd. "We are the hero and hispanions, traveling the world and defeating powerful monsters." I spoke on behalf of the hero, and the cavalry''s expressions changed with surprise. "Oh! You must be the hero! I''ve heard of your great reputation. You have defeated countless monsters, they say." "Then this youngdy must be the Dragon''s Priestess, the hero''spanion." Hmm...? Companion...? "Companion? What do you mean by that?" "What, are you not?" No,panion? What do you mean by that? Why would I be this person''spanion? I looked around at the cavalrymen with a puzzled expression, and then looked back at the hero. Companion? Me, a human''spanion? That can''t be! I''m only wearing the mask of the Dragon''s Priestess to help the hero, but why is there a rumor going around that I''m hispanion? My questions were not answered clearly. The only thing was that the hero was embarrassed and lowering his head. Chapter 111: Heros Companion (2) Chapter 111: Hero''s Companion (2) Well then for now. Let''s talk to the heroter. Also, I''ll put off scolding the hero who is still unable to raise his head properly. Although we feel the need to have a calm conversation just the two of us, this is not the right time to do so here. "I''m sorry. Among the rumors circting these days, the one about the hero and the Dragon''s Priestess seems to be the most talked about." "Rumors about the hero and me...hmm...." Well, it''s not strange that rumors would spread if a man in his 30s is going on an adventure with a young girl. However, no matter what, being referred to as the hero''spanion... being thepanion of a child I''ve raised like my own. Despite the rumors being nothing but baseless gossip! It''s a bit too much! Moreover, my mind is still that of a man, even though I''ve lived in this body for tens of thousands of years! Many call me "Mom", and I''ve lived as a woman for a long time, but I haven''t lost my male identity!! Hmm. Wait a minute. Something seems strange. I''ve lived in this body for tens of thousands of years, but why is my modern human identity still intact?Was my original identity really that strong to maintain itself over all those years? No, that can''t be. It was just a regr human identity, nothing special. Yet it''s still preserved, which is strange. Or is there some external factor maintaining my identity? Hmm... I''m not sure!!! Well, the fact that [my] identity as [me] can exist is a good thing. Let''s not delve too deep into it and just move on. What''s good is good, after all. There''s no problem for now, so I''ll worry about it if any issues ariseter. Anyway, let''s move on from the topic of my identity. "I''d like to uproot those baseless rumors, but let''s just move on for now. What are you all doing here?" "Ah, us? We''re patrolling this ursednd." "Patrolling?" "Yes. This destend is currently uninhabited, but it was originally our homnd. We''re patrolling to ensure there are no other issues." Homnd, huh. "Are you the people of Arcad?" "Arcad. It brings back some nostalgia. It''s a name that disappeared decades ago..." The cavalrymen looked at the destend with a slightly wistful expression. "Thend has been transformed by the god''s curse, but it remains our homnd." "This barrennd is inhospitable even for bandits, but we continue our patrols, believing that one day we will be able to return." A slightly withered smile formed on their faces. "Thisnd is our homnd, after all." Hmm. I feel a pang of conscience. In a way, their being forced to leave their homnd may be my fault. Should I... lift the curse? No, no. That fellow hasn''te to seek forgiveness yet. I can''t go back on my words. Instead... I could try to make the lives of those who left their homnd a little better, and help them prosper when they eventually return. Ah, would that be favoritism? Hmm... Well, they can be considered victims of my actions, so helping them wouldn''t really be favoritism, would it? While I''m at it, I should also give that lingering second prince a harder time, since he still hasn''te to apologize as I expected. If he hade to apologize right away as I had predicted, we wouldn''t have had this problem in the first ce! It''s a slightly forced argument, but oh well. "Ahem. Then, hero and Dragon''s Priestess, could you tell us where you are headed?" "We don''t have a specific destination in mind. We''re just wandering around, defeating the monsters that harm people." In the past, we used to chase after monsters based on various rumors, buttely, the strong monsters seem to have disappeared, and we don''t hear much about them anymore. It seems even minor monsters can be handled by the soldiers or the vige self-defense forces. "So for the past few months, we''ve been traveling leisurely." Monsters do show up asionally, causing the hero''s sword to be broken, but it''s a rare urrence. "Hmm... If you don''t have a clear destination, would you consider traveling with us?" "With you all?" The cavalrymen nodded. "If it''s the famous hero and Dragon''s Priestess, everyone will wee you. Even our king will wee you." Hmm. Since we don''t have a specific destination and are just wandering around, it doesn''t matter if we travel together with them. I looked at the hero who was still unable to raise his head properly and said, "What do you think?" "Huh? Uh, yes?" "Since we don''t have a clear destination, I thought we could move together with them. What do you think?" "Ah, well, I''m fine with that." The hero didn''t seem to have any particr thoughts. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Well, if the hero is okay with it, then I don''t have any specific purpose for this trip either. I nodded and said to the cavalrymen, "I''ll move together with you all. Since I don''t have a clear destination anyway." It would be much better to travel with a clear destination than to wander aimlessly. And it''s not bad to follow them either. "Understood. Then we will guide the hero and Dragon''s Priestess to our country, Arcadia." And so we started moving, leaving the barren wastnd, together with the cavalrymen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "So, can you exin to me why I am being referred to as yourpanion?" I stood in front of the hero with my arms crossed and spoke in a stern voice. "I-I don''t know anything about that..." "If you don''t know, then who does?!" The cavalrymen had set up a temporary base in the tents and left to explore the surroundings. Now is the time to grill... ahem, to find out the truth from the hero! "I don''t know the details either. I don''t know who spread those rumors..." "If you actively deny it, the rumors won''t go away, will they!?" "I''ve tried! It''s not like I''ve only denied it once or twice! But people keep asking, and even though I say no, I feel embarrassed, like ''How''s us?'' or ''when are you going to have a child!'' People just don''t listen to what I say!" Ah, a child? A child?! What is this person saying?! I gave a resounding p to the top of the hero''s head and said, "A child?! That''s hundreds of years too early!!" "Ugh... I''m already in my 30s, you know! Normally people would already be married and have of children by this age! If I had married early and had a child, that child would be old enough to get married by now!!! And humans can''t live for hundreds of years, you know!!!" Ah, that''s right. I see. "Anyway, we have to get rid of those ridiculous rumors as soon as possible. You should also actively deny the rumors." "What, deny the rumors...? Am I supposed to brag to the whole town that I''m still unmarried at this age...?" Ah, that''s right. Hmm. "I-I''m sorry." In this era, even teenagers in their mid-teens get married. For a 30-year-old hero to be unmarried and boasting about it is a very harsh thing. "Ah, that''s it! You should find a partner! We''re recruiting the hero''spanion!!! While we''re at it, let''s spread the word all over the world and gather a partner for you..." "Are you suggesting that I should spread the fact that I''m still single throughout the world?" "Uh, well..." Ugh... This is neither good nor bad. That''s it. Let''s just bring a partner for the hero. Starting with that girl who used to live in the vige near the Temple of Life... "Can''t you just be my partner, sis?" "Huh...?" For a moment, my mind went nk. Did the hero just say what I think he said? "I mean, if the rumors be true, then there won''t be any problem, right? The rumors have already spread anyway, and we can''t take back the scattered words..." The hero hesitated a bit, but continued speaking. "To be honest, the reason I couldn''tpletely deny the rumors... Well, it''s because, you see... Ugh. It''s embarrassing to say it directly..." The hero rubbed his face and then spoke with determination. "I love you. Sis." Uh, no, that, that is, what the, really, what is this? "I loved you since the moment we first met." No, that, really, that''s just... "You, whopletely changed the life of this orphan on the street and made me be called the hero, receiving the praise of many people. I love you." Ah, damn, no, that''s not it, uh, uh, uh, uh. "To be honest, I was nning to bury this feeling in my heart forever. I know you have your own circumstances. While hiding behind the mask of the goddess''s representative and working so hard for the world... I tried to suppress these feelings for you." T/N: S-So he knew...? Huh...? "So I love you. You, The goddess of life who strives within you for the sake of life itself." Uh, uh... Uh, uh, uh, huh?!?!?! Chapter 112: Heros Companion (3) Chapter 112: Hero''s Companion (3) I-I forced my shaking heart to calm down and opened my mouth. "F-From when did you know...?" "....." The hero was silent for a long time, then casually blurted out, "I''ve thought so from the beginning." "From the beginning?!" If it was from the beginning, then... from the time he drew his sword? That means, all the times I pretended to be the Dragon''s Priestess, the representative of the goddess, and so on, were all useless efforts?! Ugh. Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!!!That''s it! I''ve decided! "If I erase your memories... If I open your skull and empty out the contents to make you forget my identity..." "I understand you''re flustered, but let''s calm down first, sis." "I''ve regained my senses!!" "You''re wrong... We won''t be able to talk for a while...." My dignity as a goddess!!! Well, I''ve never really clung to that, but to be exposed to the child I''ve raised like my own! Aaargh! Aaaargh!!!! A nket! I need a nket! To do a nket kick, I need a nket!! A nket big enough to cover my whole body!!! Ah, my true self doesn''t really need a nket. But to do a nket kick, I need a nket! A huge nket! A really huge nket!! T/N: Like a futon and wrap urself, maybe? If I had such a huge nket, wouldn''t I be able to cover the whole world? No, covering the whole world might be too much, but at least I could easily cover a whole city with it! When the harsh coldes, I can cover myself with that nket to preserve the warmth, and use a coal-fired generator to maintain the city''s temperature! Childbor! Sawdust disguised as food additives!! Aaaargh!! Aaaargh!!!! Ahem. What am I even saying right now. I feel like my mind has momentarily drifted to another dimension. I brought my wandering mind back to the original track and took a deep breath. Phew, well. The deed is already done. There''s nothing I can do about the unavoidable. Even if I try to erase the hero''s memories of me now, what difference would it make? I''m just... Quite embarrassed that the hero has found out all my secrets, but if the hero keeps my secret thoroughly, it''ll be fine. Yeah, that''s right. "Phew." "Have you calmed down now?" "Y-yes... I showed an embarrassing side of myself." I can''t bring myself to look the hero in the eye, I''m so embarrassed and ashamed. I can''t lift my head. "Well, let''s talk about this calmly." "Yes, as soon as you''ve calmed down, we can talk about this." I just let out a small sigh in response to the hero''s words. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "So, you knew from the beginning, huh?" "Yes, from the moment I drew the hero''s sword." What? he knew right then? But why? What did I do back then? What else did I do other than cursing that good-for-nothing and blowing him away to his country, what else was there? Hmm... I don''t know! What exactly made him think I was a goddess? "I-I tried to hide it as much as possible... But what made you realize I was a goddess?" "Uh, well, that is..." The hero scratched his nose shyly and said, "It''s because you''re too beautiful... I thought you couldn''t be human." What? "What?" "I mean, I''ve never seen a being as beautiful as you before. That''s why I thought you weren''t human, but a goddess!" The hero said, his face flushed, as if squeezing out the words. Ah, so that''s it... He thought I was a goddess because I''m too beautiful? Well, there are people who call celebrities or beautiful women "goddesses," but is this the same context? But of all things, I actually was a real goddess?? "Hmm..." "And after that, with all the things you said and did, the miracles you performed, like reviving the dead, talking casually with beings called gods, I couldn''t help but doubt whether you were really trying to hide your identity." Ah, well... That''s... "And you spoke sofortably with the gods of the elves and dwarves, and even seemed close to the god of the sea. And you quickly realized that the beast I initially thought was a monster was actually a god." I nodded slightly at the hero''s words. It''s true, but still!!! "And you createdpletely new things without any hesitation, so I thought you had no intention of hiding your identity at all." Ugh... That''s right. I''m such an idiot... "Anyway, that''s how I realized that your identity is not that of a human like the Dragon''s Priestess, but that you are the Goddess of Life who has temporarily taken on a human form." "I-I see...." So, it seems that all my actions were clues. I was such a fool! I was a fool! "Then, why did you confess to me even after knowing my true identity as a goddess? Why did you confess, knowing I am a goddess?" "That was... well. To be honest, I was half desperate." Despair.... We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Honestly, I know full well that it''s impossible for me, a mere human, to monopolize the love of a goddess like you. I even thought that you might be disappointed by my confession and leave my side." The hero had a resolute expression on his face. So he had been thinking like that. "But I didn''t want to just keep these thoughts and feelings bottled up inside without ever saying it." The hero continued awkwardly with a smile. "Even if I were to meet someone else in the future and build a family, I didn''t want to bury the feelings I had for you. I wanted to express them, even if this love is doomed to remain unrequited." Huh, love... This is a sentiment that I find difficult toprehend. "I..." Just as I was about to say something, the hero gently shook his head. "You don''t have to give me an answer. Honestly, I don''t think I can handle the boundless, immense love of the Goddess of Life alone. I just wanted to convey my feelings and find some self-satisfaction. I didn''t expect an answer from you." "..." "So it''s okay. And you, the Goddess of Life, are in a position that even the other gods look up to, the most noble and virtuous goddess, right? If a mere human like me were to receive your tremendous love, the other gods would surely rain down divine punishment." I couldn''t respond to the hero''s words. "So, this is fine. This is enough." I could only look at the hero''s face, which seemed half-resigned. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero said it''s fine, but I''m not fine!!! What should I do about this awkward atmosphere?! The hero seems to have be gloomy, and I can even say anything because I''m too busy watching his reactions! The Beast God is just pretending to sleep, swept up in our atmosphere!!! Ugh. The hero''s confession may have been out of half-desperate, but still. It''s impossible! I can''t even imagine it!! It''s impossible, that''s impossible!!! I feel bad for the hero, but it''s impossible, it''s impossible! If only my mind had been female, then I could have just... lived with the hero until he grew old and died... Hmm, hmm? Wait a moment. If I were to create a doppelganger and have it live with the hero...? Not a doppelganger directly connected to me mentally, but one where I copy my mind, make various adjustments, and give it a female personality? No, wouldn''t that be a deception? Instead, I could create a doppelganger, connect it to me internally, and then ovey a new personality that mixes my memories and a female self, creating aplete... Dragon''s Priestess. In that case... Couldn''t I make my doppelganger the hero''spanion? Of course, since it wouldn''t be myplete original self, the personality might be a bit different, but the fact that it''s [me] wouldn''t change, right? If I utilize that, maybe I could make the hero a little happier? So... "Hero." "Yes?" "If, just hypothetically, if..." I carefully opened my mouth. "If the Goddess of Life were to depart from this physical body, and a separate existence inheriting the memories and personality were to be created..." If the Dragon''s Priestess born from [me] were no longer [me]... Couldn''t she stand by the hero''s side? "Then..." "Sister." But my thoughts were interrupted. "I''m grateful for the sentiment." Interrupted by the hero. "But, that''s not my real sister." "Hero..." "The one I love is just my sister. She is the Goddess among the gods, with immense power, and yet she sometimes makes mistakes and has silly quirks, but still strives for the sake of other living beings." The hero had a resolute smile. "It is because she is that kind of sister that I love her. So it''s okay." The hero''s determination was firm. "As long as my sister understands my feelings even a little, that''s enough for me." That''s why I could no longer say anything. "Just... that is, until I die... if my sister could stay by my side, that would be enough. It''s only a fleeting moment in the eternal lives of the gods." The hero continued speaking. "It''s okay if you don''t love me back, Sister. Just being able to spend time together with you is enough for me." "Truly, you''re an incorrigible fellow." He really is something that can''t be helped. In that case! I must surely fill the empty space that I cannot fill for the hero!! Thepanion for the hero must be a wonderful person who can love the hero!!!! I cannot love the hero as a lover, but as family, perhaps. So! I will thoroughly choose apanion for the hero!!! After that... until the hero falls into eternal slumber in peace, I can only live with him as family. It''s only a few decades, which is a short time for me who has lived for tens of thousands of years. Ah,e to think of it, I also need to prepare a ce for the hero to go after he dies. A kind of heaven where souls freed from the cycle of reincarnation, or those who will be remembered in history, can reside. Chapter 113: Arcadia (1) Chapter 113: Arcadia (1) [We must find a woman to be the hero''spanion.] This was written at the top of the to-do list, and then the hero and I moved with the cavalry. Arcadia. Arcad, the country formed by the survivors who lived in the wastnd. A country that struggled to survive amidst hardship and adversity. "To be honest, the situation had be so dire that we were half-giving up, but His Majesty made a big decision." "A decision?" "Yes. He pledged the crown that has been passed down for generations in the royal family as coteral to securend for the people to live on and arge amount of food." The crown that has been passed down in the Arcad royal family... that must be the one I gave them.Hmm. To use an incredibly valuable treasure like that as coteral to obtainnd and food... it reminds me of the characters in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms who borrowed troops by pledging their imperial seals. This king is quite an interesting human. "After that, we integrated all the survivors of Arcad and the tribes already living on the borrowednd to establish the country of Arcadia." "It wasn''t an easy task, to be honest. The borrowednd was not very good for farming. Weeds grew well, but..." "Hmm..." Land where weeds grow well but farming is difficult... is it a problem with the soil quality? Or the terrain? I''m not sure, but thend they borrowed by pledging the crown doesn''t seem to be in good condition. "As a result, the farmers who used to cultivate thend ended up raising cattle, horses, and sheep instead. But fortunately, the hills were quite fertile, so there was enough grass for the livestock to graze on." I see. So the agriculture-centered Arcad has transformed into the livestock-centered Arcadia through this change. This transformation is... quite interesting. "We also allied with the existing tribal groups, and somehow we''ve been living together well. That person over there is from one of those original tribes." A smiling wolf-like woman waved at us from a distance. I see. She''s a wolf-person. "I''ll tell you more details when we get to Arcadia. It''s not too far from here." And so we headed towards Arcadia. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The ce we arrived at with the cavalry was somewhere between a city and a vige. It was a sort of encampment with numerous tents, typical of a nomadic people. A nomadic nation centered on livestock farming... hmm... Mongolia? "This ce may seem meagerpared to the viges of other countries, but wee to Arcadia." There were no proper buildings, but the people living here were brimming with vitality. The shepherds feeding the cattle, the wolf-like dogs herding the sheep flocks, the wolf-like merchants pulling carts and selling various goods. Everyone was striving to live. Hmm. A pleasant sight. As we walked among the people, "The two of us need to report the results of the patrol, so this person will guide you to the king. I hope you have a good time in Arcadia." The two cavalry members other than the wolf-woman bowed slightly to us and headed towards a tent in the distance. Hmm. Judging from the many horses tied up, that tent must be serving as a stable. Or perhaps it''s the barracks for the cavalry. "This way. I''ll guide you to where the king is." The wolf-woman led us to arge tent in the center. "Do they all live in tents?" "Yes. Since we have to move to ces with enough grass for the livestock at regr intervals, we can''t build proper buildings. And even the king''s residence... we can''t just move an entire building, so it''s no different." It''s quite remarkable. Arcad was clearly an agriculture-based country, but topletely transform the core industry like this, even with a supposed divine curse... How peculiar. Or perhaps the king who made that decision was bold. As we entered therge tent, guided by the wolf-woman, "Hmm. The military situation of the tribes is not bad. How about the food supply?" "The farming in the south has been excellent, so we were able to purchase a sufficient amount of food at a low price." "Good. Then... hmm? Who''s this?" The two people who seemed to be in the middle of a conversation, a sharp-eyed man who appeared to be the king and his servant, noticed us entering the tent. "I am Epona from the 5th patrol squad. While patrolling the formernds of Arcad, I encountered the hero and Dragon''s Priestess, so I came to guide you." "Hmm? The hero and Dragon''s Priestess?" At that moment, the king''s gaze changed. His considerably sharp eyes quickly curved, not into the eyes of a friendly old man, but rather into a different expression. "Oh my! To have such esteemed guests visit this humble ce! Wee, hero and Dragon''s Priestess! I am Makairodous, the king of Arcadia. Please call me Makai." Makai...? An unusual name. It somehow feels Japanese. In response to the king''s polite greeting, the hero stepped forward, bowed his head slightly, and spoke. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Though unworthy, I am the hero chosen by the goddess of life. And this is..." "Indeed. I am the Dragon''s Priestess, the representative of the goddess. It''s a pleasure to meet you." "Hoh, this is quite something. To meet the famed hero and Dragon''s Priestess in person, whom I''ve only heard rumors about. I must have lived a long life!" "It''s not appropriate for someone not yet 40 years old to say such things." The servant standing next to the king muttered these words. Judging by his rather long beard, he seemed displeased that the younger king wasmenting about age. "Hmm, are you dissatisfied? You who have lost your youth." "Kuh..." That''s a bit too harsh. It''s not like the servant lost his youth by choice. "Well then... Since we have such esteemed guests, shall we conclude today''s business here?" "But, Your Majesty! There are still unfinished matters..." "Ohe now! Surely the hero and Dragon''s Priestess take precedence over such things! Come, set them aside! We can postpone them until tomorrow!" Wow. The sight of the king forcibly handing over a few papyrus scrolls to the servant. Is it really okay to have such a king? The servant, having the papyrus scrolls forced upon him by the king, sighed and began organizing them. The king, paying no heed to the servant, opened his mouth. "Now then! Yesterday, that baldy Phillio said he was going to ughter the cow with the broken leg, but surely he couldn''t have roasted the wholerge cow in just a day... You there. Go get some meat from Phillio." Saying that, the king pushed the back of the servant who had finished organizing the papyrus scrolls. "Your Majesty..." "Ohe now, do me this favor! It wouldn''t look right for the king to go buy it himself!" "I don''t think that''s something the king, who was drinking with the citizens and groaning from a hangover just a few days ago, should say." "Well, I couldn''t help it! It was the day my daughter properly became an adult! As king, how could I miss such a celebration!" Hmm. Where has the king''s dignity gone? This king is extremely friendly with his citizens, but seems tock even a mouse''s tail worth of dignity. Well, it might be fun to have such a king around. "In any case, I understand. Since we have such esteemed guests, we must treat them ordingly. However, the expenses will be covered by Your Majesty''s personal funds." "What? You mean I still have personal funds left? I was sure I had spent it all!" "Yesterday was the end of the month." "Ah, I see!!" Hmm. It''s like they''re doing aedy routine. With that, the servant left the tent, and the horse-rider named Epona also exited the tent at the king''s gesture. "Now then, with the ce somewhat organized... we can calmly converse." The king, Makairodous, gave a small smile. But in those curved eyes, there was no trace of the friendly old man who had just been joking with the servant. "I never expected that the representative of the goddess woulde to this ce. I had thought that the goddess had also turned away from the survivors of thatnd." The sudden change in atmosphere seemed to catch the hero off guard slightly. But well, this must be his true nature. A king who made the bold choice to pawn the crown to gather his people would not simply be a clumsy old man. "It''s not that I deliberately turned away, but rather that there was no reason for me toe here." "No reason toe... Do the goddess still has no intention of lifting the curse?" "Indeed. I cannot retract a deration made in name of the gods, unless that foolish one acknowledges his mistake and apologizes at the temple." The curse that does not allow a single de of grass or insect to grow. The curse that destroys a nation by depriving it of proper food supplies. In this era where the distribution of logistics is limited and the economy is primarily based on agriculture and hunting, the curse is truly devastating. However, the king before our eyes has somehow managed to gather and relocate his people, enduring in the cursednd. That is certainly worthy of praise. The king lifted the corner of his mouth and said. "Lively, was it? That is how it appeared to your eyes." "......." I did not respond. "The people who fled from Arcad are barely clinging to their lives. They resent the curse imposed by the goddess, and me the foolish younger brother who was the cause of that curse." The king continued without losing the smile on his lips. "Ah, I am not denying the mistakesmitted by that idiotic younger brother. That fool is a sinner who deserves to die countless times over. How dare hemit such sacrilege directly in the temple of the Supreme Deity." That idiotic younger brother. The king before me must be his older brother. Well, it''s not strange that there would be a first prince if there is a second prince. "However, decades have passed. Isn''t it time to lift the curse that has been ced on thatnd?" The king looked at me with cold eyes. Seeking an answer from the representative of the goddess, as if asking the goddess herself. Chapter 114: Arcadia (2) Chapter 114: Arcadia (2) "The curse." I spoke softly. "That foolish individual tried to impose his own kingdom and royal authority upon the goddess of life and desecrate the temple of life..." I continued with a slight smile. "For one who has nothing but the power of the kingdom and the royal family, it would be simple topletely destroy the little he had to teach him the harsh reality." Of course, I admit that I was a bit too harsh. The people of the entire country must have suffered because of the mistake of one fool. It was hasty, and a hasty decision. But as the Goddess of Life, I cannot say such things.The one who tries to insult the deity must be severely punished. The best way to maintain the dignity of the deity is to not let them be looked down upon. And... If I, who is in the highest position of the deity, do not punish this sphemous one harshly and let it slide... [The Goddess of Life has let this much go, and they''re only getting this angry!] This may cause trouble for the other gods... the children. Humans are so foolish. "I''m sorry to the people of Arcad, but I can''t easily lift that curse. The crime of insulting the temple and the representative of the deity is immensely great." I had no choice but to say that. "I see." The King of Makai simply sighed at my answer. "I only hope that the curse ced on thatnd can be lifted..." "If you wish for that, you should not ask me, but bring your brother and make him apologize at the Temple of Life." There is the issue of having to sincerely apologize, but that can be resolved physically in any way. "At that time... I thought that if he was exiled, that fool would soon realize his sin and atone for it." But the foolishness that his brother harbored... was much greater than his thoughts. "But that my brother would be so foolish as to not realize his own mistake even after decades passed... I never imagined it. If I had known that beforehand, I would have kept him by my side and engraved his mistake in his bones." "Hmm. That might have been quicker." "But... the people are innocent, are they not?" The King of Makai looked at me with eyes full of sorrow. "The number of people in Arcad during its heyday exceeded 80,000, but after the Goddess cursed it, the number of people remaining in the 6 cities and 17 viges was only a few thousand. The rest of the people either fled to other ces or lost their lives." Eyes full of sorrow. Eyes filled with grief. "Among those who lost their lives were also myte father, the previous king." Hmm. Even the previous king was driven to the point of death. "My father, who med himself for my brother''s foolishness, handed the crown to me shortly after the country was devastated, and never rose again." I listened silently to Makai''s words. "On the day my father passed away, I discarded my name. I abandoned the name Shuruto and borrowed the name of a fierce beast, wandering through various countries, using the crown, the treasure of the kingdom, as coteral to buynd, and abandoning all the agriculture that was the foundation of the country, and have been sharpening my sword until now." There was a faint madness in his gaze. "And now... the representative of the Goddess, the cause of everything, hase to thisnd. Isn''t this an arrangement made by the Goddess?" "It''s just a coincidence." I can say that with certainty. The fact that I passed through the wastnd that was Arcad, met the cavalry patrolling there, and came here to Arcadia - all of these were mere coincidences. "Coincidence, but when coincidences umte, it bes inevitable." The King of Makai said, lifting the corner of his mouth. "If I didn''t have the duty of being a king, I would have offered my own life to beg the Goddess for forgiveness, but the duty of being a king has be a shackle that binds me." "..." He was filled with sorrow. "If the Goddess has pity on the people of Arcad who have suffered under the curse you have imposed, please bestow a small blessing upon those who have inherited their will and determination." He spoke with a desperate voice. "Since you have cursed thatnd, please bestow a blessing upon those who have survived in thatnd." It was a voice filled with desperate sincerity. "For those who cannot return to their hometown, who know only how to cultivate the fields but have been forced to raise livestock, for the poor old people who lost the country inherited from their ancestors and lost their lives out of guilt, and for the foolish ones who forcibly sustaining their lives out of responsibility." He prostrated himself before me, speaking as if vomiting. "Please bestow a blessing." A blessing. A blessing, huh. "What kind of blessing are you hoping for?" "The best would be a blessing that removes or offsets the curse ced on thend of Arcad, but..." "In the name of the deity, I cannot reverse a decision once made." At my words, the King of Makai lifted his head. "Yes, I thought as much." He nodded and said. "Then... I hope this country will be strong." "Be strong?" "Yes. From the uselessnd borrowed from other countries, to the food that is being sold as other countries provide, this country should be strong enough not to be swayed by other countries. Strong enough not to be looked down upon by other countries. Strong enough to repel the armies of other countries." He wants the power of the country to be strong. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Or rather, "Since we can only raise livestock in thisnd, we are always short of food, and as a result, the poption is alsocking, and we are barely hanging on, being pushed around by other countries. If this continues, we have no choice but to make the final choice." If the final choice of a country that can only raise livestock is... Plunder. And if it''s plunder on a national scale, then it will be war. War. It''s a war. I understand the need for war, so I don''t deny war itself, but it''s a bit sad that many lives will be lost. "Are you nning to start a war?" "If necessary, we will have to go to war." "Even if the people are killed or injured?" The King of Makai spoke with a firm determination. "It''s a decision made by everyone. It''s a ce where you can''t survive if you don''t fight." It''s a sad thing, but an undeniable statement. The struggle for survival. The food chain. In order to live, you have to eat, and in order to eat, you have to harm other lives. They have no other choice. "Rather than that, why don''t you ask for nts that can grow well even in this barrennd?" "If those ingredients could protect us, we would have done so." Food can feed the people and increase the poption. But it won''t protect the country. That''s why the man in front of me seems to be hoping for the power to protect the country. "What kind of power are you hoping for?" "Not the power of the individual, but the power of the collective. No matter how much an individual excels, they cannot fully protect the country." "The power of the collective..." The power of the collective means the power of the military. The power of the military means morale and leadership. I pped once and created something. A long gpole and arge g. A rectangr g woven with silver thread and finished with ck thread on the edges. If this g is a buff item that strengthens the army under it, it could be the item the man in front of me is hoping for. "I will bestow various blessings on this g. However, the power will only be used to protect the country of the one who holds the g, and if the g is raised and steps on thend of another country, it will lose its power for one year." "That''s enough to protect the country." If the g that strengthens the military can be used in othernds as well, wouldn''t it be possible to conquer the world with just this g? That''s why I''ve attached all sorts of penalties. The constraint that the g will revert to a normal g for a year if it is held and steps on thend of another country. The constraint that it can only be used for defense. Is this enough? It should be enough, right? "By the way, is there any design you''d like to have engraved on the g?" "A design? Umm..." The King of Makai thought for a moment and then spoke. "Saber-toothed tiger. Please draw the saber-toothed tiger." "Saber-toothed tiger?" "Yes. It is the animal that my current name is derived from." Saber-toothed tiger, huh. Hmm. I drew a ck saber-toothed tiger in the center of the g. Let''s see, then let''s think about the buffs to put on this g. First, morale enhancement. The morale of those fighting under this g will be boosted. Morale is like the will of the army. An army with a strong will cannot be easily broken. The importance of maintaining morale is something anyone who has experiencedrge-scale battles in games would know. And perfect vitality... Those directly under themand of themander holding this g will always be able to maintain the best condition. Andstly... I made a thin silver cloth grow at the edge of the g. A cloth of appropriate size to wrap around the head. By cutting off a piece of this cloth, those holding the g canmunicate their intentions to each other no matter how far apart they are. It''s like a kind of radio. It can be used by wrapping it around the head or the arm. Oh, by the way, those receivingmands through this cloth will not receive the full vitality effect. After all, it''s a buff meant only for those directly under themander''smand. In other words, it''s intended for themander''s bodyguards. And... The cut cloth will disappear after about 7 days, and then regrow on the g... That should be good enough, right? I also attached a sharp spearhead to the end of the gpole, so it can be used as a weapon. The gpole, spearhead, and g itself will automatically repair... Hmm. And then, and then... I think this should be enough, don''t you? Honestly, the morale boost and overflowing vitality alone already feel like a powerful buff. I handed thepleted g to the King of Makai and said, "If youmand your army while holding this g on your country''s territory, the troops within your sight will not have their morale broken, and those directly under yourmand will always be in peak condition." "Peak condition, you say?" "Exactly, they will always be at their best. And if you distribute the thin cloths from the edge to your subordinates, you canmunicate with them no matter how far apart you are." At my words, the King of Makai ran his fingers through the thin cloths hanging from the bottom of the g. "The cut cloths will disappear after 7 days, and new ones will regrow on the g. And don''t forget, if that g steps on the territory of another country... It will lose its power for a year." "I see... I will keep that in mind." Good. I think this is enough. Moreover, I have constrained it to only be used for defending against foreign! Chapter 115: Arcadia (3) Chapter 115: Arcadia (3) The Undefeated g One of the symbols of the Imperial Emperor, and one of the three divine treasures possessed by humanity. It was created in the early days of Arcadia, when it was still a confederation of tribal nations. The g, with its mixture of silver and ck, is said to bear the image of the saber-toothed tiger, the symbol of Makairodous, the founding king whoid the foundations of the Empire and was known as the first ruler of Arcadia. Originally a prince of the country of Arcad, he witnessed the devastation of his homnd by the Goddess of Life, and is said to have confided his sorrow to the Dragon''s Priestess, the Goddess''s representative. What he wished for was for the Goddess to lift the curse, but once the Goddess''s curse was cast, it could not be easily undone. And so, the Undefeated g was created. ¡­¡­ Under the shimmering silver g, the army led by itsmander will never be broken, and will be reborn as a strong force that does not weaken in any situation. And the entire army is said to move as smoothly as themander''s own limbs.If the Crown of Immortality is the symbol of the ruler, this g is the symbol of themander who leads the army. Armies defeated under the Undefeated g are said to exist only in the ancient defeat of the Elf-Dwarf allied forces against the Darkness Army. Of course, there are also those who mockingly call it the "Defeated g", but this is only a minority opinion. The fact that it has experienced dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of battles, with only a single defeat, is evidence of its power. In the long history of humanity, the Undefeated g, like the Crown of Immortality, has briefly disappeared from history. This is suspected to be the period when the Demon King, leading the Demon n, invaded the world, and the Demon King considered this g a threat and stole it. For the Demon King, who nearly subjugated all living beings on the, to consider it a threat, the power of this banner is not to be underestimated. Humanity, the human army, will never be broken under this banner. - From the Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The King of Makai grasped the banner and gave it a light swing. The length of the spear-like shaft was lighter than he had expected, and a surprised expression crossed his face. "This..." "I made the shaft itself usable as a spear. And the banner itself is quite sturdy, so it should be able to block ordinary arrows." Wrapping the banner around oneself could block arrows, though it would still hurt a bit. "This strange aura... It''s like the aura of a crown?" "Crown?" Could he be talking about the crown I had once given to humans? "It''s a hard-to-describe aura, but it feels familiar, like the crown I once held." Ah, so he is talking about that crown. Since he was the prince of the country where that crown was passed down, it''s natural for him to recognize it. "You can sense the aura?" "It''s hard to exin, but it''s a faint sensation, like a vague awareness. It''s really difficult to describe..." Hmm, he can sense the aura even though he''s not a Mage or an elf or dragon born with innate magical powers. How curious. "Are you sensing the mana?" "Mana? You mean the power used by Mages?" "Yes. If the crown you mentioned is the same as the one I know, it was created by a Dragon''s Priestess like myself, so it may have a simr aura." At my words, a hint of bewilderment shed across the King of Makai''s eyes. "Excuse me, but... your age...are you perhaps..." "Why are you suddenly asking about my age?!" "No, it''s just that... the crown has been passed down in my family for generations. So I find it hard to believe that a Dragon''s Priestess created it." What, he thinks this Dragon''s Priestess created that crown? No, that''s not quite right! I did create it, but it was in the distant past, when humans had just emerged from their primitive state! "There are many Dragon''s Priestesses, not just me. We are the representatives the Goddess sends to watch over the world, so there have been countless Dragon''s Priestesses throughout history." At my words, the King of Makai nodded slightly. "Certainly. She is the one who appeared to choose the hero, so that can''t be the case." At those words, the hero gave a slightly awkward smile. This guy... He knows my identity, so he''s giving an ambiguous response...! "Ahem. I shall also give you this along with the g." I cleared my throat lightly and then produced several books. The Art of War, 36 Stratagems. A military treatise that exins 6 different strategies that can be used in 6 different situations, along with stories. It was the military ssicmonly known as the 36 Stratagems of Retreat. Of course, I had modified the contents to suit this side a bit. I had also rewritten the idioms in innguage. "This book contains the principles of moving armies. It would be good to refer to it when maneuvering troops." "Ooh..." The King of Makai looked at the book I had handed him with great interest. In this era that doesn''t even have the concept of military tactics, a book that exins strategies through various stories would be a valuable treasure. Andstly, "Take this as well." "What is this...?" I handed the King of Makai arge leather pouch. Inside the pouch, which was about the size of a child, was, "It''s called a potato. It grows well even in barrennd." It was a sack full of the ultimate emergency food crop. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Of course, it has many downsides as well! But the potatoes I had modified grew faster and were more resistant to pests and diseases! "Since it grows well even in poor soil, it will thrive in thisnd as well. If you utilize these potatoes properly, there will be no problem feeding your people." "It''s a peculiar fruit." "It''s not a fruit, but the root part of a nt. A shoot grows from the eye of the potato, and if you remove those and nt them, new roots will grow. But be sure to remove the sprouts, as they contain toxins." There are also other issues, such as the high water content making them bulky and heavy to transport, and thebor-intensive harvesting process since they grow underground. But, wouldn''t it be better than having nothing to eat in this barrennd? And since you''re a nomadic tribe, you can just nt them in sunny spots here and there, and harvest them as you move around! "Anyway, I present you with this g, the military treatise, and the potatoes. I hope they will help alleviate the sorrow of Arcad." Hmm, maybe I should just go find that second prince who''s still running around and suffering, and force him to apologize...? Lately, it seems he''s been getting thoroughly tormented, as if rejected by nature itself... Hmm... I''ll try to find an opportunity to go look for him with the heroter. "Thank you. So The Goddess of Life was not just a cruel deity." "Uh huh, that was the fool''s fault first." And I didn''t know he would be wandering for decades! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Hmm? What are those?" "Oh, you''re back. Did you bring a lot of meat?" The retainer who entered the tent showed therge piece of meat he was holding to the King of Makai. "I paid a good price for it. Phillio chose the best cuts." "What? Then where''s my money?!" "Who cares, it''s the king''s pocket money. Anyway, what''s with the g?" At the retainer''s words, the King of Makaiughed like a child and said, "Isn''t it magnificent? The Dragon''s Priestess made it for me." "Indeed... You''re still like a child. The Dragon''s Priestess shouldn''t just indulge all the tantrums of this grown-up. If you keep giving in, the demands will never end. Your mind is still that of a child, you know..." "Aha ha." I could only chuckle softly. Is he also hiding his true nature from this close retainer? Or does he be childlike in front of this elderly retainer? Either way, it was intriguing. "Alright. Give the meat to thedy. Also tell her to prepare to receive an honored guest." "Wouldn''t it be better if you told her that directly?" At the retainer''s words, the King of Makai''s face hardened slightly. "But... thedy is secretly quite scary. Maybe because she''s half-human... Especially at night..." "I don''t want to know about your personal affairs. And please call her the queen, not some strange title like dy''. The children are using dy'' instead of ''queen'' because you keep calling her that." "Isn''t it fun?" "It''s not fun." Hmm. Is the queen a beastman? Well, she did use the crown as coteral to save thisnd, but it couldn''t have been easy to have good rtions with the tribes that were already living here. In such a situation, the simplest solution would be a marriage alliance. "My wife is pretty, kind, and good at housework, but the problem is that she is scary. Ugh..." "What are you saying in front of our guest?!" As the retainer shouted, the hero covered my ear. "Then I shall guide the guests to the visitors'' tent and convey the message to the queen. Don''t get too absorbed in work ande at the proper time." "Un. I''ll leave it to you." "Well then, this way, you two." And so we were guided by the retainer to another tent. With that, we were escorted to another tent by the retainer. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "What a surprise, being able to meet the renowned hero. How surprising." The wife of the King of Makai was, as expected, a beastman with the features of a horse, with only horse-like ears and a tail. Hmm, there are centaur-like horse beastmen and horse-girl type beastmen as well... The range is quite broad. "And the hero is such a cute person. I heard he was a huge monster who could defeat anything with a single blow. My, my." But why is she mistaking me for the hero? "I''m sorry, but the hero is over there. I am the Dragon''s Priestess." "Eh? This one is the hero? Hmm, well. But he seems much weaker than you?" Hm? "Doesn''t the Dragon''s Priestess seem much stronger than the hero? Is that just my imagination?" Ah, well... It''s not an imagination. I am indeed stronger than the hero. But to see through it so quickly, is this some kind of animal instinct? "And... you have such a cutepanion as well. My, my. But my hands are not for eating, so you can''t lick them even if you want to eat them." A horse beastman being licked by the beast god, where has the dignity of a god gone? Even though you are a beast. Chapter 116: Arcadia (4) Chapter 116: Arcadia (4) The sight of the God of Beasts, created by beastmen is taking on the form of a small dog, licking the hands of the beastman and yfully licking. It creates a rather peculiar impression. Even though the beast god is said to have low intelligence... Hmm, well. No, actually, thanks to the rumors I''ve been spreading, its intelligence has likely improved a bit. The fact that this beast god possessed the intelligence of a beast was the case before I started spreading those rumors. By constantly spreading rumors during my travels, its intelligence itself has probably increased..." Could it be... "Aha, it tickles. It''s gotten messy with all the drool, but you shouldn''t rub your head against it," the Queen of Makai said with a slightly troubled smile as she continued to pet the beast god. "But how curious. I''ve never seen this animal before... Yet, for some reason, it feels incredibly familiar, as if I''ve lived with it for a long time as family." "Hmm..." Feeling as familiar as seeing family. Interesting. In all my travels so far, I''ve met many beastmen, but never one who felt as familiar with the primordial beast god as this.The beast god climbed up onto thep of the seated Queen, as if that was its rightful ce. Indeed, could that be the case? "I''ve never seen it follow anyone else besides us" the hero next to me whispered. Hmm, so he''s never seen the beast god act this way towards others. It seems to recognize the hero as someone strong enough to defeat it, and to me... When I showed it a bit of sincerity, it quickly hid its fangs and ws, wagging its tail frantically. As a beast, it submits obsequiously to those stronger than itself, but utterly disdains the weak. Yet, here it is, nestling so docilely on the Queen''sp. There must be some other reason for this... I reached out to try and take the beast god from the Queen''sp, but it looked at me with a pitiful expression. Hmm, is the Queen''sp really thatfortable for it? Enough to refuse being taken away? It''s not like it acts this way towards all beastmen, so this must be... Hmm. Could it simply be that the Queen appeals to it? Or perhaps there''s some kind of affinity between them? Or could it be... that the Queen is somehow a shrine maiden for the beast god? "How truly adorable. I can feel its great power, yet it''s so cute. How mysterious," the Queen said, gently stroking the beast god, which was reveling in her touch. Truly, could this Queen be a shrine maiden for the beast god? Well, since the beast god was born from primitive faith, it wouldn''t be strange for there to be something like a shrine maiden. "Now then, please rest here a while as I go prepare the meal." The Queen lightly lifted the beast god from herp and set it aside, then left the tent. The beast god followed after her. Hmm, it does seem the Queen is some kind of shrine maiden for the beast god. I''ve never seen it follow anyone else like that, not even me. "Looks like that one has fallen for the Queen at first sight." "The Queen must be a special existence to the beast god. Well, as a shrine maiden, she would be sensitive to the power of other deities, so that would make sense." If the Queen truly is the beast god''s shrine maiden, then perhaps the time hase to let the beast god go. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After some time, the Queen returned with some attendant women, carrying several dishes which they set on a low table. There was a creamy white stew with milk, vegetables, and meat, some rather rustic-looking bread, and bs of salted meat. The dishes the Queen herself brought in were a bit on the rough side. Hmm, it''s simr to the home-cooked meals in other cities, aside from the generous portions of meat. "The spread may not be much, but please, enjoy the meal." The Queen smiled slightly as she spoke. The horse-like ears on her head twitched with each word. Anyway, the beast god... It''s still clinging to the Queen. It really doesn''t want to let go. It seems the time hase to part ways. "That child really seems to like the Queen." "Hm? Ah, this one. Yes, it keeps following me wherever I go. Isn''t it just so cute?" "Un." Since a small puppy keeps clinging to her, how could it not be cute? But if that''s a god... Hmm. It''s hard to put the feeling into words. The sense of the god''s dignity being thrown away, so to speak. But. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Since that child wants it so much, how about letting it stay by your side?" "This one? Well, I do find it cute, but... It''s the guest''s pet, so I''m not sure if that''s alright..." "Nonsense. That child seems to have finally found what it was looking for, so it no longer needs to apany us." It''s a bit of a shame that I''ll lose the means of transportation I used for my long travels, but the time for the hero''s adventure toe to an end is approaching. I can''t keep that child by my side forever, after all. I can''t keep it as a subordinate god like Cloud Whale. It is a god of a tribe, even if it looks like that. So. "Although it looks like a cute puppy now, it is actually an incredibly magnificent beast. If you keep it by your side, it will eventually be of help to you." The Queen looked at the puppy circling at her feet with a slightly puzzled expression. "This one?" her face seemed to say. Well, it would be hard to believe. How many humans have actually seen a god directly? "If you give it to me, I will gratefully ept it." "Goodness, I''m not giving it to you. From now on, you will be the one serving that child." "Huh?" Role reversal... Un, is that the term used here? Anyway, a human cannot be above a god. The god must be above the human. "If you take care of it sincerely, that child will repay your efforts. Ah, and if you happen to have many children, you should entrust the care of that child to one of them." "What do you mean by that..." "Even after you grow old and die, and your children also grow old and die, that child will never age. After a little time passes, you will be able to understand the uniqueness of that child." The Queen had a somewhat skeptical expression on her face at my words. Anyway, this milk-based stew is more delicious than I expected. The ingredients looked quite simple, but the seasoning seems to be a blend of various things, making it mysteriously tasty. Hmm, this faint sweetness... Is it sugar? No, not sugar... Honey? Is it honey? To find honey in this barrennd is quite remarkable. No, even in this harshnd, bees can still thrive. They may not be able to farm, but there are still plenty of flowers and trees for them. How remarkable. How truly remarkable. And so our meal continued, until the slightly excited-looking King entered the tent. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Once upon a time, in a farawaynd, there lived a kind-hearted couple. They were a poor couple, with hardly any possessions, but they lived happily together. One day, a wanderer came to their home, apanied by a small dog. The couple generously used their meager ingredients to prepare a delicious meal for the wanderer. The wanderer, moved by the couple''s kindness, quickly finished the bountiful meal and said with a satisfied smile, "In all my travels, I have never been so greatly weed and treated before." "It was just a simple meal." "No. You did not just serve a single meal. You have treated me with most of what you have." Indeed, that was the case. The wife was seen pouring out all the ingredients to cook the food, and the husband evenmented that they would go hungry the next day. Seeing such a couple, the wanderer smiled softly and said, "Since you have given me everything, I shall give you everything in return. I will give you this child." The wanderer handed the small dog to the wife. The couple took the small and cute dog, and tried to speak to the wanderer again, but the wanderer had disappeared from the spot. As if the wanderer had never existed from the beginning. Vanished suddenly. What remained for the couple was only the small dog. - ssic folktale. The Grateful Dog. A folktale passed down orally among the beastfolk, which this fairy tale is based on. The fact that the folktale''s root is the first beast god known to the beastfolk is not widely known. Chapter 117: Arcadia (5) Chapter 117: Arcadia (5) The delighted-looking king was slightly surprised when he saw the prepared meal. "Wow, you''ve prepared so much for this honored guest! The table is about to break!" "I did put in a bit more effort than usual." That''s quite an overstatement - the table looks like it''s about to break from just a simple meal. Is the table made of sugarcane? Well, in an environment where they have little to eat besides their livestock, this is probably the best they can do. And they likely don''t ughter their livestock every day, and it takes a considerable amount of time for the animals to mature, so it''s understandable that their meals are modest. "I''m worried the guests might leave, and we won''t have enough food for ourselves." "Well, we can worry about that when the timees. Entertaining guests is an extremely important matter." At the queen''s firm words, the king''s expression quickly turned gloomy. It seems the queen is the one in charge of the household.Even a king of a nation can be the weaker one at home - that is, the husband. Well, this has nothing to do with me! The king cleared his throat lightly, found an empty seat, and began tasting the dishes. "Mm, delicious as always. My wife''s cooking skills are the best." Quite tasty indeed. A bit rough, but that also adds to the vor. The hero who has traveled the world with me and tasted various foods also seems quite satisfied with these dishes. Come to think of it, the cooking in this world is still rather rough. The bread is primitive and hard. They haven''t progressed much beyond the basics of baking and boiling, so it seems this world''s cuisine still has a long way to go. Anyway, if this faint sweetness is honey... did they start beekeeping somewhere? "This food has a faint sweetness to it. Did you use honey?" "Oh my, you noticed! You''re quite perceptive." "Honey?" The hero tilted his head, seeming unsure. Ah, the vor is so faint that even you would find it difficult to detect. "I''m not sure where the honey came from, but the subtle sweetness blends in nicely." "You''re too kind. And yes, honey is being produced little by little in Arcadia." In Arcadia? Here? Wow, that''s quite surprising. I had just thought this ce was barren. "As for the honey, His Majesty would know more about it. Your Majesty, please exin it to our guests." "Tch, I''ve told you many times to keep the honey a secret, my dear." "But I didn''t reveal it, the guest noticed it first." "Ugh..." The king let out a small groan and said, "It was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, but since you are Hero and Dragon''s Priestess, I''ll tell you. But you must keep it strictly confidential and not reveal it elsewhere. Understood?" "Mm, I''ll keep the secret of obtaining honey by raiding beehives." At my words, the king looked dumbfounded. "Wait, you already knew about that?" "I only had a vague idea that something like that might be the case." After all, I''ve never actually raided a beehive myself. I just had a general sense of it from hearsay. "Ahem. Well, raiding beehives is no easy task, so the rumors may have spread. But the honey we produce ispletely different from elsewhere!" "Hmm? Completely different? Is there something special about your honey? Do you only collect honey from specific flowers to infuse it with floral aromas?" "Ah, no, it''s not quite like that... but that''s a good idea! We should try thatter." Hmm, if it''s not that, then what makes their honey so special? "The honey we produce... is made using monsters!" "Monsters?" "Haha, surprised, aren''t you? When ites to using monsters, it''s usually just for their byproducts like hides or ws." I was a bit surprised. Using monsters, huh? That''s a pretty risky thing to do. I''m curious to know how they managed to pull off such a dangerous feat. "But using monsters... how did youe up with that idea? From what I know, most monsters are ferocious creatures." "I thought the same at first - that they were just violent beasts that attack people on sight. But!" "But?" "Surprisingly, there are some monsters that can be tamed and domesticated!" "Monsters tamed by people? How? Monsters that usually rush to attack people at the sight of them?" I shook my head slightly at this unprecedented statement. "Don''t lie. I''ve seen monsters for a long time, but this is the first time I''ve heard of them following people." "But it''s true. To be honest, even I found it hard to believe until I experienced it directly." But... hmm... could it really be true? I just can''t understand how that''s possible! And to use monsters to obtain honey... hmm, did they use nt-type monsters or bee-like monsters? Either way, it''s unbelievable. "So, what kind of monster are you using? Bees?" At my question, the King of Makai nodded with an unavoidable smile. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Yes, bees. To be precise, queen bees." "Queen bees, huh... that''s quite peculiar." "It''ste today, so I''ll show you tomorrow. You''ll only believe it after seeing it for yourself." Hmm, I still don''t believe it. Well, since he said he''ll show me tomorrow, I''ll be able to confirm it then. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The next day. The King of Makai led us to a small tent located a little distance from the vige. Compared to the other tents people were living in, this one was considerably smaller. But with a few guards stationed, it seemed to be managed quite thoroughly. "What is this ce?" "This is where the monsters I mentioned yesterday are." A faint sound could be heard from a distance, like the pping of insect wings - buzzing. "First, let me warn you. You may be startled when you see them, but please don''t make too much noise. Agitating them could be disastrous." As we approached the tent, the detailed structure came into view. There was a small hole at the top of the tent, and a cone-shaped cloth was ced over it, slightly covering the hole. And through that hole... arge number of bees wereing and going. "Hmm..." Honestly, it''s a bit unpleasant to look at. Ugh, insects. I don''t like insects. Bees, or rather, bee-like monsters, were swarming around the hole. They were as big as a child''s fist, and the stinger on their tails was as thick as a syringe needle. And for some reason, their front legs were sickle-shaped, like a praying mantis. "It''s abination of a ho and a praying mantis." Moreover, their striped patterns were so vivid that it seemed like a warning, as if hundreds of them would swarm and attack if one missteps. They tamed such a fearsome-looking monster...? How on earth did they manage that? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The couple was in trouble because they had run out of food. The only thing left was a small puppy. But they couldn''t eat this cute puppy. The couple sighed softly and tried to go to work to endure the approaching winter. "Woof! Woof!" If the small puppy hadn''t blocked the couple from leaving the house, they would have. "Why is this child acting like this?" "I wonder." The couple looked at the puppy with curiosity. The fluffy, cute puppy, seeing that the couple was paying attention to it, pushed the door and ran outside. "Oh dear! You little one!" The couple followed the suddenly dashing puppy out of the house. The puppy kept running, asionally checking to see if the couple was following closely. When the couple seemed to be having trouble keeping up, the puppy would slow down, and when they got closer, it would run faster, keeping a distance from the couple. Finally, the puppy stopped in a forest. "Oh dear. This child. Shouldn''t have run away suddenly!" The couple, tired from the sudden running, sat down on the ground, and the puppy, after ncing at the exhausted couple, began digging the ground. "This child, You''re getting dirty." "Woof! Woof!" The dog continued to dig the ground, ignoring the wife''s words. The dog kept digging the ground as if there was something important underneath. Inside the hole it had made, "Woof! Woof!" "Is this a fruit from underground?" "Wow, how amazing." The ground was full of fist-sized fruits that had grown underground. "Woof!" The dog picked up one of the fruits and brought it in front of the couple, then scratched the sprouted part with its paw. The sprouted part then turned ck and began to melt. "Oh my!" "Why did you dig out this dangerous thing?" The couple was startled and threw away the fruit they were holding. "Woof! Woof!!" The dog, seeing the couple, barked loudly and then started eating the fruit with the sprout removed. "Woof!" As if the fruit without the sprout was safe to eat. - ssic folktale, The Grateful Dog. Chapter 118: Arcadia (6) Chapter 118: Arcadia (6) Have you ever wondered what the giant hos you''ve only heard about would feel like? Every time they p their wings, a booming pierces your ears. I''d be tempted to set them on fire, but seeing the face of the Makai King, I''ll try to endure it a little. From what I''ve heard, using these bees for beekeeping seems to be a trump card of sorts. If I burn them down right now because I dislike them, wouldn''t that be a nuisance to others? "These creatures are called ''killer hos'' by others. The needle at the end of their tails is coated in venom, and their sickle-shaped forelegs can easily split open skin." Killer hos. Murder wasps. Monsters true to their name. "They''re sensitive to scents, so if an unfamiliar person approaches, they''ll be on high alert... But if you let them smell you first, they won''t attack aggressively. So I''ll go first." Saying that, the Makai King lowered his body and approached the tent. Huh? The king himself is doing this dangerous task? Couldn''t he have someone else do it instead?ncing sideways, I see the guarding soldiers heaving a big sigh. Hmm... It seems the king doing this is not a rare urrence. "The king''s movements seem to be very familiar to me. The giant bees are flying around and threatening, but he''s boldly approaching." Just as the hero said, the Makai King approaches the tent where the bees are, as if he''s done this many times before. The bees then extend their sickle-shaped forelegs and the needles at the end of their tails, entering a defensive stance. As if they''re ready to attack immediately if even the slightest problem arises. This defensive stance ended with the Makai King standing near the tent for a moment before returning. The buzzing sound of the bees'' wings, which had been so fierce, gradually subsided a little. "How reckless. Risking his life like that." "Well, of course. It''s a method that uses dangerous monsters from the start. It''s bound to be risky." If they were just regr bees, even if stung, it would only hurt a little. But these giant bees... Their sickle-like forelegs could easily tear through muscle. In that sense, this king seems to live with the mentality of having multiple lives to spare. "Anyway, since I''ve let them smell my scent, other people can approach without being attacked first." "Uh, do we really have to go see it?" I feel like I''ve seen enough already. "They may look fierce, but they''re actually quite docile, they even live a nomadic life with us." "Bees living a nomadic life?" Bees that build a home in one ce living a nomadic life? Not running away and abandoning their home? With my current knowledge, this sounds like a story that doesn''t make sense. "Alright, then let''s go see the Killer Queen." "So the queen of the killer hos is called the Killer Queen, huh." For a moment, an image of a mustachioed singer who sings incredibly well and a pink cat-like viin shed through my mind, but it was just a trivial story. Ahem. Anyway. "This way." The king approached the entrance of the tent, slowly lifting the p, and went in first. Then it was the hero, and finally me, who followed in turn. "Whoa..." In arge wooden box, killer hos were constantlying and going. No, wait, looking closer, there are wheels attached to the bottom of the wooden box. What is this? ¡°It wasn¡¯t like being driven around in a carriage or something.¡± "How could you put something this big on a cart? You might as well just attach wheels to it from the start." Hmm, that''s true. Without a crane or hoist, how would you get this huge thing onto a cart? Ah, maybe a giant could do it. As long as they don''t realize the box is crawling with bees! "Anyway, as the home kept getting bigger, we debated and debated, and decided to just put wheels on the house." It was the appearance of a camping trailer that transcended the times. "This is no time for that." The king approached therge wooden box and tapped a corner with his finger. "Are you trying to provoke the bees?" "Not particrly. I''m just calling my friend inside." Just as he said. "Kkiiii" A bee muchrger than the others appeared, making a small sound. Is this the Killer Queen? Hmm... But why doesn''t it have wings? "Does the queen bee not have wings?" "No, it normally does. This one is just like that." The king looked at the queen bee, which was continuously moving its antennae as if trying to smell, and smiled. "Un. Fortunately, it seems healthy. Alright." The king took something out of his waist pocket and handed it to the Killer Queen. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "What''s that?" "It''s a kind of snack made by mixing honey and flour. This one really likes this." Just as the king said, the Killer Queen was eagerly eating the honey snack. Hmm... The taste of honey from their beehive! How sweet! Well, this too could be a kind of symbiotic rtionship, couldn''t it? "But how on earth did you end up in such a rtionship with that monster?" "Such a rtionship, you say..." I heard a short sigh from the hero standing behind me, but I ignored it. What I''m curious about now is the method of taming the monster! "Well, I was lucky." "Lucky?" I gave the Makai king a distrustful look. "No, even if you make that face, it really was just luck." The king had already ced the Killer Queen on his hand. Hmm. However friendly it may be, it''s still a monster... Is this really okay? "It was a few years ago. As usual, when the livestock had eaten all the grass and we were about to move to another ce... That''s when I encountered this one." The Makai king''s gaze became wistful, as if reminiscing. Hey, stop the reminiscing scene! That''s something only the protagonist is allowed to do!! "Exin it briefly. Briefly." The story shouldn''t get too long. It''s time to cut it off and move on. Hmm...? What am I supposed to cut off and move on from? I tilted my head slightly, but in the end, I didn''t understand. Hmm... Did some strange signale from another world? Well It''s a trivial matter. Trivial. "Briefly... Hmm. I happened to pick up the Killer Queen with a torn wing, and since it was weak and couldn''t resist properly, I took it home, confined it, and fed it a lot of the white liquid I made, and tamed it. Of course, before it was properly tamed, it had a rather irritable personality, so it even bit my finger." The king showed the scar on his middle finger. No, don''t just show the middle finger. It sounds like you''re cursing! Not that there''s any particr meaning of cursing here, but still! "Anyway, after that, since it couldn''t properly build a nest because of theck of wings, I diligently helped it, and as a result, I was able to tame this one." Eh, um... Did you really tame a monster? How? Aren''t monsters usually made ferocious by the influence of dark fragments? Was my thinking wrong? Or is this a special case? "Well, this one might be a special case, but... Interestingly, that tendency was also passed on to its offspring." "Its offspring?" "Yes. This one, despite its appearance, is a veteran who has split off several queen bees." The Makai king smiled as if he had done it himself. "The new Killer Queens that were born also seem to resemble this one a lot, and they don''t attack first unless provoked." "Wow..." Isn''t that a sess in breeding? Monsters in the form of bees with reduced aggression. "Well, the forelegs and stingers of its offspring are still deadly, though. Especially the venom in the stinger, if not properly treated, can be fatal within a day." The Makai king was speaking calmly, but... That''s an incredibly dangerous venom, isn''t it? Is this really okay? The king? Socializing with a monster with venom? Is this really alright??? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The couple could have their meals with the tubers dug up by the dog. The tubers, whether boiled and eaten or baked with butter, were delicious. As long as they were careful about the toxins in the sprouts, there were no problems with the underground tubers. The couple decided to call these tubers "potatoes". "Woof!" "Yes, thank you." The dog continued to go out and bring back something from time to time. Sometimes it was delicious fruits, and sometimes hard salt stones. One day, the dog brought something back again. "Oh my, what is this?" "Woof..." What the dog had brought was arge bee. It had a dangerous stinger, and it was in a mess after being hit by people. "Woof! Woof!" The dog seemed to want to help the bee. "Dog, this bee is dangerous. But do you still want to help it?" "Woof!" And so the couple ended up helping the truly dangerous bee. - ssic fairy tale, The Grateful Dog. Chapter 119: Arcadia (7) Chapter 119: Arcadia (7) The Killer Queen sits obediently on the King Makai''s hand. The instinctive tendency of the monster that attacks anyone it sees has disappeared, and it sits docilely on the King Makai''s hand like a tame pet. It''s as if the scene is from a nature documentary. I didn''t expect to see it with my own eyes beyond the screen. And without wings, the annoying buzzing sound is not heard, so it doesn''t feel as threatening. Of course, there are other killer hos as well... but for some reason, they are noting out of the house at all right now. Well, that''s fine with me. It''s better than having to burn them all down because of the annoying buzzing sound. "By the way, it seems even more docile than usual today." I''m not sure if it''s really docile or not. "So it really doesn''t attack people.""Of course. Moreover, it is so intelligent that it seems to think of the person who came with me as its friend, and it doesn''t attack if it''s not provoked." "If I hadn''te along..." King Makai pointed to the killer hos loitering at the entrance of the house with an awkwardugh. Well, of course. Apparently the closeness between King Makai and the Killer Queen is the only thing that makes them so docile. If another human came, it would probably turn into a nest of stingers. "Well, I haven''t heard any news of other intruders, but..." Well, that''s to be expected. Whether the bees are causing a ruckus or there are dead bodies, it would definitely be noticeable. "By the way, since it''s so docile, I think I could try putting it on someone else''s hand today... Would you like to try?" King Makai said with a slightly mischievous face. Uh, well, so... "Are you telling me to put this bee on my hand right now?" This dangerous creature with an exoskeleton? With a stinger and sharp forelegs? "I don''t want to. Even if it''s docile, it''s still a monster, isn''t it?" "But there''s something different about it today. It''s quite cute in its own way, you know." "No matter how cute it is, I still dislike it! That tough-looking exoskeleton! The emotionless killer''spound eyes! A needle that pierces flesh and injects venom! And the sharp ws of a de!" "Doesn''t it look kind of cool?" "Your sense of aesthetics is bizarre!" How can he say that thing is cool? How?! "Come on, just try putting it on your hand for a little while." King Makai held out the Killer Queen on his hand towards me. "No way! Even if you offered me everything in this world, I still don''t want bees! Yes, Bees!" I hate mosquitoes because they suck blood and it''s annoying, but I just purely dislike bees! I''m sorry to the bees, but I just purely dislike them! Especially a giant bee the size of a fist!! "But it''s so cute, isn''t it?" The Killer Queen sitting on King Makai''s hand looked at me with its emotionlesspound eyes. "Kkiii..." For some reason, it seemed to be afraid of me and started slowly climbing up the King Makai''s wrist, making a weak sound. Uh, well... I disliked it, but such an obvious fearful reaction is a bit... "Hmm? Why is it suddenly acting like this?" The Killer Queen''s gaze was clearly directed at me. When I slightly moved to the side, the Killer Queen''s gaze also moved ordingly, and when I moved a little further away, it made a strange sound as if relieved. Hmm... Could this creature have vaguely sensed what I am? Through the instinct of a beast? Or some special sense it has as a monster? I''m not sure, but it was a strange urrence. Perhaps it has something to do with being tamed by human hands. "Hmm. I''ve heard rumors that the Dragon''s Priestess is terrifying, but I never imagined she could even scare a monster like this... I''m impressed." "This is the first time I''ve encountered a case like this!!" I really don''t know why this is happening! Is it because the killer ho is intelligent? Or is it because, despite its intelligence, it still has a remnant of animal instinct that can vaguely sense my identity? I don''t know the answer, but this is certainly not amon urrence. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "I heard that you and the Hero have ughtered countless monsters, so maybe it''s picking up on the scent of all that blood?" "If that were the case, the other monsters would have noticed too. The fact that only this Killer Queen is reacting this way is strange." "Well, this one is a genius, you know! It can recognize people and be friends with them!" "Calling a monster a genius is kind of..." It seems that the more intelligent the monster, the more dangerous it could be. But on the positive side, the fact that it can interact with humans is not bad. Hmm... I wonder if human-like monsters might start appearing too? Monsters with an orc or ogre-like feel, separate from the demon race? I''m not sure. It seems like vampires will likely show up. Though they''re a bit ambiguous to be called monsters... Hmm. I don''t know. The humans will figure out the details. For now, I''m interfering with various things, butter on, humans and various other races wille together to build the world. By that time, I''ll just quietly hole up in a corner and sleep, using my avatar to observe the world! By then, the direct intervention of beings like the Creator Dragon God or the Goddess of Life won''t be necessary! Probably! Ah, surely they won''t need my help even by then? Because by then, I''ll have hidden myself away in an unknown corner! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The couple cared for the bees with the utmost devotion. The bees, having lost their wings and driven from their hive, hade to distrust even the couple who were caring for them. Yet the couple continued to care for the bees. They believed that once you take responsibility, you must see it through to the end. But caring for the ferocious bees was no easy task. The bees would sometimes scratch with their ws, and sometimes bite with their fangs. From the bees'' perspective, humans were the viins who asionally appeared to destroy their hive and steal their honey, so their reactions were understandable. But the couple did not give up. Even when injured, even when threatened by the bees'' venomous stingers, the couple continued to care for the bees. And eventually, the bees opened their hearts to the couple. Once the bees had opened their hearts, the couple learned a surprising fact. Amazingly, the bees were the queen bees! The most fearsome of the forest-dwelling bees. Bees whose stings could endanger human life - the bees people called the "killer bees". Turns out to be the queen bees. The bees who had opened their hearts to the couple recovered with the medicine provided by the couple, and with the couple''s help, built a new hive and grew their family. One, two,ying eggs and hatchingrvae, as the number of bees grew, the couple began to feel a bit worried. These were bees called "killer bees", so would it really be alright? Wouldn''t they end up hurting other people? But those worries turned out to be unnecessary. Surprisingly, the newly hatched bees were much gentler than other bees. Of course, they had the fierceness to retaliate without hesitation if provoked. But just by not attacking others first, they were infinitely gentler than the killer bees. As the bees grew their hive, they seemed to want to repay the couple, and produced amazingly sweet honey for them. Honey that was iparably sweeter than regr honey. And so the couple made delicious food with the potatoes and this honey. Butter made from milk borrowed from the neighbor, sweet honey, and delicious potato dishes. The couple decided to call this dish "Honey Butter Potatoes". - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The couple earned a lot of money from this dish. The couple, who had nothing but a dog, had be wealthy. Some people celebrated the couple''s sess, but there were also those who were jealous. It was a friend from across the hill, a rather malicious one. Honestly, you could hardly call him a friend, but since the husband had used the family heirloom as coteral to build the house, he was the only one who had helped the struggling husband. Since he was the only one who had helped the husband when he was in need, wouldn''t that make him a friend? Of course, the friend had coveted the family heirloom, but the husband saw him as a good friend who had helped in a time of need. Anyway, the now wealthy husband invited the friend over for a delicious meal. And the friend said with a sour expression... "How were you able to earn so much money? You didn''t have anything." "I was lucky. The dog I happened to raise gave me everything." Hearing this, the dog nearby, chewing on a small bone fragment, tilted its head. It was wondering, "What is this human saying?" It was true that the dog had provided the impetus, but it was the couple who had painstakingly cared for the bees, grown the potatoes from the ground, and made and sold the food. However, these facts were of no concern to the malicious friend. What mattered to the friend was simply that the dog had made the couple wealthy. - ssic fairy tale, The Grateful Dog. Chapter 120: Arcadia (8) Chapter 120: Arcadia (8) The malicious friend became greedy. Seeing that even a fool without anything could earn a considerable amount of money with the help of the dog, he imagined how rich he could be if he had that dog. So the malicious friend said, "I''d also like to benefit from that dog. Can you lend it to me for a bit?" "Huh? The dog?" "Yes. I want to make a lot of money too." Upon hearing the friend''s words, the husband pondered for a moment and then shook his head. "I think lending you this dog would be disrespectful to the guest who entrusted it to me. I''m sorry." "Really, you can''t?" "Yes."The husband was firm. And rightfully so. To the couple, this dog was not an ordinary pet but a precious family member and a treasure entrusted by a mysterious guest. Lending such a dog to someone else would indeed be disrespectful to that guest. "Then... I''ll return the treasure you left with me as coteral when you borrowed money from me. Would that work?" "My family heirloom...?" "Please, do me a favor. Okay?" The husband pondered. Truthfully, the fact that he had left a treasure as coteral had been stuck like a thorn deep in his heart for a long time. However, the husband still shook his head. No matter how precious the treasure was, it was right to refuse since he had received the grace of this dog. Then, "Woof!" The dog stood up and barked once. "Woof woof!" As if it wanted to go with him. "See? This dog wants toe with me too. I''ll return the treasure, and you lend me the dog." Upon the friend''s words, the husband looked at the dog. With a bright face wagging tail, the lively dog seemed to say, ''Don''t worry and let me go.'' "Alright. When you bring the treasure back, I''ll lend you the dog." "Can''t I take it now?" "No. We need some time to bid farewell too." The malicious friend wanted to take the dog as soon as possible, but the husband''s decision was firm. So, after returning home, the friend came back a few dayster with the treasure that had been coteral. And so, the dog left the couple with the malicious friend. - ssic fairy tale, The Grateful Dog. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Un. Sightseeing in Arcadia ended quite well. I saw the Killer Queen and Killer Hos act friendly towards humans, unlike monsters. Hmm. Monsters tamed by humans. Well, no matter how ferocious and vicious they are said to be, they are still living beings at the base. If various factors ovep, they can be tamed like that, can''t they? In the future, will there be cases where monsters are captured and kept like livestock or pets? Like in that famous game. Though they won''t fit in your pocket. Anyway, after the sightseeing in Arcadia ended, the hero and I prepared to depart. "Are you really entrusting this child to us?" The wife of the King Makai, the Queen, spoke while holding the Beast God in her arms. "Yeah. It seems that creature needs to settle down somewhere now too." As a god, it''s also important to continuously receive faith. Unless I go on pilgrimages around the world like the pilgrims of the Temple of Life, spreading faith. Especially if it''s a god worshipped by a race, it''s even more important to stay in one ce. Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha are examples of that. If it gathers faith, couldn''t that creature grow more too? Moreover, with the King Makai''s Queen...the shrine maiden of that Beast God will also be there. Hmm. "So, I entrust that creature to you." "Yes, please leave it to us." Leaving behind the farewells of the King and Queen of Arcadia and many people, the hero and I departed again. We left behind the beast that had been our transportation, but oh well. It doesn''t matter. Walking on the ground with our own steps is also part of the charm of traveling. And if we need to go somewhere quickly, we can just fly. "Walking like this, just the two of us, reminds me of old times." "Old times?" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Yes. When we first started traveling." Ah yes, back then. Well, it only after traveling for a while that we caught the first beast that was running wild like an animal. After that, we kept traveling as a trio, so it has been a while since just the two of us. As we walked through the lush forest, I casually brought up a topic. "So, when are you nning to find your partner?" "Huh?" "Your partner. You don''t intend to not have a family or children, do you?" "Well, about that..." Cutting off the hero''s words, I continued speaking. "I won''t listen to any excuses that having me by your side is enough. You need someone who can provide what I cannot." Yes, I can be a parent, but I cannot be a partner. "But..." "Or should I take some action to make you listen? Shall I spread rumors through the Temple of Life''s pilgrims that the hero is looking for a partner?" The hero''s face paled at my words. There''s nothing better than the Temple of Life''s pilgrims for spreading rumors far and wide. Those kids travel all over the world like the blood vessels, conveying messages. If I spread rumors through them, it won''t be long before proposals for the hero pour in like rain. Moreover, the hero''s reputation is quite good among other races too. News may evene from dwarves or elves. Especially dwarves...they were really impressed by the hero''s sword during the recent dwarf-elf racial war. If an opportunity arises, they''ll probably want to examine, analyze, and enjoy the hero''s sword right away. "Please, don''t do that." "But if not, how will you find your partner?" The hero''s reputation is extremely high. Higher than most kings of kingdoms. The hero who travels around defeating powerful monsters is a hero in a sense. A savior. Defeating monsters in crisis situations to save people. In this era without much entertainment, each of the hero''s actions bes an interesting story. That''s why the hero''s partner must be chosen carefully. There may be those who try to take advantage of the hero''s name. "Ugh..." The hero seemed to be thinking about it as well, only letting out a small groan. "Or... what about that girl from the vige near the Temple of Life?" "Her... wouldn''t that be difficult?" The hero''s reaction was doubtful. "It''s already been decades. By now she''s probably already married and had children." "Hmm... shall I check?" "Ah, no. It''s okay. It''s alright." The hero spoke listlessly. Hmm. This won''t do. Whether she got married or not, I can check directly myself! The hero has no choice! --------------------- The dog that followed its mischievous friend was treated luxuriously for a while. Delicious food, a soft bed, even servants for the dog. But even while receiving such treatment, the dog did not act out of the ordinary. asionally it would dig up rocks mixed with yellow metal from the mountain, or dig holes for those who were thirsty, but to the friend''s eyes, it just looked like the dog was ying around. That''s because the friend''s house was already quite wealthy,cking nothing. Not knowing what more to provide for someonecking nothing, the dog simply yed day after day. The mischievous friend did not like the dog''s behavior. A dog that did nothing but eat their food. So the friend started taking action little by little. The delicious food and soft bed became hard, dry bread and a bed of straw, and the servants who tended to the dog started doing other work. At first it was quite enjoyable when the dog arrived, but now that it was no longer fun, the dog missed its owner. But the smart dog did not return to its owner. It was obvious that if it returned to its owner now, that mischievous friend would do something bad to them. Then one day, the mischievous friend grumbled while looking at the dog. "Why aren''t you doing anything? I even gave up a great treasure to bring you here!" "Woof!" "Woof is no answer! Sheesh! You ill-mannered dog!" The friend vented their frustration at the dog and kicked it away. - ssic fairy tale, The Grateful Dog. Chapter 121: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (1) Chapter 121: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (1) "And so the dog that had turned into a monster regained its peace and returned to the embrace of the couple." The young girl with therge sses readjusted her sses that had slid down to the bridge of her nose, and closed the storybook she was holding. "When I read these fairy tales as a child, I thought they were just stories where good people are rewarded and bad people are punished. I never imagined they were actually rted to real historical events." "Well, that''s the case for many stories. In the fairy tale, the mischievous friend foolishly kicked the dog and angered it, but the actual history was different." "In what specific ways was it different?" The sleepy-looking girl said in an annoyed tone, "I heard about it briefly in ss yesterday." "What I remember is that a war broke out, and the small country of Arcadia achieved a miraculous victory and began to grow its power." "Then you pretty much know everything. Go look up the rest yourself. I''m toozy to exin further." The girl with the sleepy expression let out a big yawn andid her head on the desk."What? Isn''t it interesting to learn the behind-the-scenes story of the fairy tales we heard as children?" "Not really. I already knew about it." "Huh? When?" "A long time ago." "What? Geez! Why do you always get to know about these interesting things first?" At the sight of such a sleepy girl, the girl with sses puffed out her cheeks and grumbled. "That''s always how it is! You always im things first! Wouldn''t it be fun if I could enjoy it too?" "I don''t remember deliberately iming anything first." "But you do! Even back home, you were the one getting praised by dad! You were the first to get into the academy too! It''s so unfair!" ¡°Then you just have to do something that will earn you praise?¡± "Ugh, whatever!" The sleepy-looking girl let out a small sigh and said resignedly, "Alright, I''ll add one thing that might interest you." "Umm? What is it?" The girl with the sses looked at the sleepy girl with curious eyes. "In the fairy tale you saw, who was the guest who took the dog?" At the sleepy girl''s words, the girl with the sses tilted her head. "Isn''t that just a character in the story? Who would be able to casually entrust a god-like beast?" "Well, considering that background was actual history..." "Hmm... since the dog was said to be the first beast-god, then the one who could entrust it would be... hmm..." The girl with the sses counted on her fingers as she spoke. "Back then, there weren''t many known gods, and there was no pantheon yet. Hmm..." After a few moments of thought, the girl said, "Could it be... the Goddess of Life?" "Correct." "Really? Truly?" "Who else would have done such a thing?" Then, the girl with the sses said with a hint of annoyance. "That goddess, why does she do so many things? Whenever there''s a story from ancient times, she''s like, ''That''s me!'' The countless deeds recorded in mythology alone are too many to count." "I know." The sleepy-eyed girl added with a strange expression, one that was difficult to describe. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As I traveled with the hero, I asionally looked for a suitable person to be the hero''s partner. And in the case of the most promising candidate, the girl I had previously revived, "Surprisingly, she still hasn''t married." "Huh?" "I''m talking about the girl who seemed to have feelings for you in the past. The one who lived in the vige near the Temple of Life." "But didn''t that story end a long time ago?" "Nonsense, it''s not over until you get married and have children!" At my words, the hero looked stunned and said, "I have no intention of getting married." "Really?" "Yes!" I stared intently at the hero firmly denying it and said, "Are you really, truly serious?" "Yes!" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now I remained silent, continuing to gaze at the hero. Without saying a word, just staring, and staring. And, "You''re lying." I chuckled softly. "Well, I won''t say anything about the lingering feelings you may have. But you should get married and have children." It would be such a shame if the original hero died without ever getting married or having children, as the stories tell. And this story, I feel like I''ve told it before... hmm. Well, whatever. "Then choose. Either deal with the many women who havee looking for news of the hero''s partner, or meet with that girl who has not yet married because she still has feelings for someone." At my words, the hero thought for a moment, then said resignedly, "I''ll meet her once." "Good. You should have done that a long time ago." I was satisfied with the hero''s expression of resignation, and canceled the message I had been preparing to send to the people of the Temple of Life, just in case. If he had said he wouldn''t do it, I would have immediately sent the message. Un. It would have been fun to be caught up in the storm of women pouring in from all over the world. Yeah. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And so I apanied the hero to the vige located near the Temple of Life. The description of the journey is too vague? Well, we just flew there, so that''s why! Since the hero had decided to go, we couldn''t afford to dy even a day. Upon arriving in the vige, "Ah! Wee! It''s been so long!!" The girl, still looking the same as decades ago. Seeing this, the hero opened his mouth with a bewildered expression. "Even after decades, your appearance hasn''t changed at all." "Hehe. That''s right? I''m not sure why, but I just don''t seem to age! And it''s not just me, but all the people in this vige! I think it''s because we were all revived thanks to you, hero! Because of that, people around here even say this is a vige blessed by the Goddess of Life! Ah, that''s right! We''ve heard so many stories about you, hero! You''re truly a hero of humanity! Defeating countless monsters and traveling the world! Many pilgrims have been spreading the tales of you,. And this vige, being so close to the Temple of Life, is no exception!" Even after all this time, the girl''s chattiness seemed unchanged. "Oh, that''s right! Since we have such an honored guest, I can''t just leave you be as the vige chief. I''ll make sure to give you both the warmest wee!" "So you''ve be the vige chief?" "Yes! Even after my father was revived, he didn''t age any further, but his lifespan itself didn''t change either. He passed away about 20 years ago, you see." Hmm... 20 years ago, that''s about the average lifespan. "But he was healthy up until the very end. He lived a long, good life." A long, good life. Well, if he passed away without suffering and in good health, then it can be called a good life. The remaining people must be a little sad, though. "But what brings you two here? There are people all over the world who still seek the hero''s help." "I think it''s time for the hero to start settling down." "Huh? Why''s that? You''re the best hero there is. These days, the children grow up listening to tales of the hero''s adventures and say, ''Mom, I want to be like the hero when I grow up!''" At those words, the hero let out a small, bitter smile. While being admired by many was quite burdensome, it wasn''t an unpleasant expression. "There''s no particrly special reason. I just feel like it''s time to start a family before it''s toote." "Oh my, oh my, oh my!!! Congrattions!!! You two!!! Truly, congrattions!!! I had my doubts, but it''s really true! Goodness me!" I think I can guess what she''s thinking. "I''m sorry, but I can''t be with the hero." "What? Why? The hero may seem a bit entric, but you two are around the same age, aren''t you? I''ve heard people say I look younger than my age too, but you, the Dragon''s Priestess, seem to be eternally youthful!" At those words, I chuckled softly and said, "It is because I am the Dragon''s Priestess that we cannot be together." "Oh my, oh my, oh my! A tragic love, even though you have been together for a lifetime! And yet, the two of you march forward for the sake of the world!!! This is... incredibly delicious! So delicious!! If made into a story, it would be a tragic love that would be on people''s talks for hundreds of years!!!" No, it''s not really like that. It''s just a one-sided. Well, I don''t really need to correct her thinking. "Think of it as you will. Anyway, I''m looking for someone to be this fellow''spanion..." "What?! The hero''spanion?! Really?! This news must be spread immediately! We must prepare the best bride candidate for the hero''spanion! Did youe to me to spread the word through the pilgrims? If so, you''vee to the right ce! In this vige, the news will spread to all the pilgrims in less than a year!" No, I don''t need to do that, I can just send a message directly. I didn''t voice that thought, and instead said softly, "Won''t you be the hero''spanion?" Chapter 122: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (2) Chapter 122: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (2) "Huh?" The girl''s words, which had been pouring out like a storm until just now, have stopped. As if she can''t understand what I said, she only repeats it back with a nk expression. "I said, won''t you be the hero''spanion?" "Huh?" The girl repeats the dumbfounded sound, and her voice is full of bewilderment. Hmm. I thought she would know that the hero had some affection for her since they had been together. Ah! That''s right, she lost her memories when she was revived! I forgot about that! "Sister." The hero grabs my shoulder as he looks at the girl as if telling me not to say unnecessary things.Well... Since the girl has no memory, telling her that she and the hero had a good atmosphere and might have been in a rtionship would be unbelievable. But how can I connect her and the hero without telling that story? It would be fine to tell her about the forgotten memories, wouldn''t it? And how can I bring them together without telling that story? So, "Leave it to me." "But..." "It''s necessary." And if I don''t mention this kind of thing, it will be very troublesometer when I get caught. Although the hero still seems dissatisfied, "Understood. Do as you wish." He nods with a small sigh. "You two, what are you talking about?" "It''s nothing. Just a story about you losing some of your memories when you died and came back to life." At my words, the girl paused for a moment, then lightly pped her palm, as if to say, "Ah, that''s right, there was such a thing!" "I didn''t really care about the forgotten memories, so I didn''t think about it. But what kind of memories are you talking about?" "Among the memories you''ve forgotten, there are also memories about the hero." "Huh? About the hero?" "Yes." "About me?" "Yes." "Me and the hero?" "That''s right." I said, mildly annoyed. I know you don''t believe it yourself, but it''s true! It is true! "Me and the hero? But my memories... Hmm... It''s clear that the hero was the one who woke me up..." "The resurrection must have made your memories hazy, so don''t force yourself to remember. Anyway, let me summarize it briefly for you." I slowly recounted to the girl the events that had urred between her and the hero. About the hero, who had run away ande to this vige, and the time they spent together. The hero, who had recovered from the exhaustion of the harsh training as a hero in this vige, and the girl who had weed the hero. And the subtle atmosphere that had developed between the two of them- "No, sister. How do you know all the details?" "Uh, well, that''s..." "Don''t tell me you were watching everything?" I slightly averted my gaze. "Sister...?" "But listen! If I hadn''t been watching, would I have been able to save the people of this vige in time? And since the hero ran away with the sword, I couldn''t not know the location!" If he was going to run away secretly, he should have just gone without the sword! Of course, I could still have tracked him down, but still! "Anyway, let''s move on from that. Didn''t you benefit from me watching over you?" "Well, that''s true, but..." "Right? So let''s just say this was a necessary thing." The hero still has a dissatisfied expression on his face. But I couldn''t help but watch over, because I was actually needed! "That''s.... Okay. Let''s just move on from that, since I did receive help." Good. I solved it! Well, it''s not like the hero continuing to be angry would change anything, but my conscience, you know! Around the time the discussion with the hero ended, "Wow..." The girl was looking at me and the hero with sparkling eyes for some reason. "So, I really had that kind of rtionship with the hero? For real?" "Yes, that''s about the level of the atmosphere between you two." Even in the hero''s life, where he doesn''t have much interest in women, this girl is one of the few women he might have some affection for. Usually, the women who show interest in the hero are mostly interested only in his abilities as a hero. Of course, I''m the exception to that. "B-but, how can I... when there''s the Dragon''s Priestess?" Hmm...? Wait a moment. Could it be that the hero didn''t have much luck with women because... perhaps it''s because of me? We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Since I''ve been sticking by his side, could that be the reason? I''m not sure. It could be, or it couldn''t be. It seems highly likely, though! "When you two were getting closer, this guy hade to this vige while hiding his identity, after all. For a guy who had been receiving hero training, living in this rural vige must have been quite enjoyable for him." In fact, during the time the hero spent in this vige, his expression was considerably cheerful. He had the strength to easily move entirerge trees after cutting them down, and the agility to defeat monsters and hunt animals. While the hero was staying in this vige, the food situation of this vige must have greatly improved. "Anyway, since you were the closest to the hero, you''re the most promising candidate. You wouldn''t remember, of course." If your memories were still intact... things might have been a bit easier. "M-me and the hero... the hero I admire..." "But I have one question." "Yes?" I asked the girl while looking at her. "You''re not exactly young either, so why haven''t you gotten married yet?" At my words, the hero behind me also nodded slightly. Even in this era, she''s at the age where she''d be called an old maid, though her physical body is still young. "Th-that''s... well... I wonder why?" The girl tilted her head. "I''ve been introduced to many people, but for some reason, with each person I meet, I just can''t help but think, ''This person isn''t the one.''" Hmm? "It''s not that there was anything particrly wrong with the people I met. I just had this vague feeling that ''this person isn''t the one,'' so I kept declining. I can''t exin it clearly, but..." Hmm... Could it be that some faint memories remained, like memories of the hero? But it''s certain that all of those memories were erased when she was revived. I''ve confirmed that part. Perhaps, even though the memories of the hero disappeared, the very existence of the hero has somehow been engraved in her soul? Like a soulmate or something? Well, I don''t have aplete understanding of the soul, so I can''t say for sure. "Anyway, it''s a good thing. Neither you nor the hero have gotten married yet, and you''re around the same age. Your physical age... the hero looks a little older, but his physical condition is excellent." Is there a more suitablepanion for the hero than this girl? It almost feels like someone had prepared this for him. "If you''re willing, why don''t you try dating the hero?" "M-me, with the hero? The hero I admire...?" The girl muttered in a dazed expression, and then... Thud! She fell backwards, like a tree copsing from an axe strike. "Hmm... Did she get that excited?" The girl''s eyes were spinning, as if her brain couldn''t process the situation. Ah, this ssic manga-esque reaction. "I''ll have to wait for her to wake up to get her answer." First, let me check if she''s hurt. "Even if you suddenly tell me to be with her, would there be someone who would ept that?" "You still don''t understand your own worth." I looked at the hero with a pitying gaze. It''s as if a hero from a movie or an admired idol suddenly appeared and asked to be a partner, this kind of reaction is not normal, is it? "So, what do you think of this girl?" I asked the hero while healing the bump on the back of the girl''s head. "Huh?" "Building a family is not something that can be done with just one person''s goodwill. You need to consider both this girl''s feelings towards you, and your feelings towards her. So, what do you think?" Well, even without saying anything, I can more or less guess. After all, if he didn''t have any feelings for her, he wouldn''t have cried out like that after she died, would he? Though seeing a grown man wailing like that was a bit... unsettling. "I..." The hero spoke in a hesitant manner, and said in a small voice, "It''s not that I dislike it." "Un." "But someone like me, who knows only how to wield a sword and fight, can I really build a family? Can I have a family and children?" "Why wouldn''t you be able to? Do you think all parents in this world were born as parents? They all learned through various trials and errors, just like how you learned to be a hero. You can learn one by one. So don''t worry about it." At my words, the hero nodded his head slightly. "I''m not confident, but I''ll give it a try." "Un. That''s enough." In this era where marriage just to increase the workforce ismon, this would be a very good pair since they have feelings for each other. So, "Let''s stay here for a while." The youth business of the old bachelor and old maid was about to begin here. Observing this right next to them is going to be so much fun! Chapter 123: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (3) Chapter 123: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (3) Hmm. Even though it was called a youth business...e to think of it, I myself don''t really know what to do. Have I ever dated? Have I ever been married? I have no such things, so how would I know? Therefore, the only thing I could do was to gently bring the two closer and observe them. If there was something that needed to be done, I would subtly hint to the hero to help, or I would go out to the forest and bring back decent prey to share with them. I also tried to push them closer to each other. Especially on the girl''s side... it seemed like she was conscious of my presence and couldn''t approach the hero easily, but when I roughly exined my situation to her, she strangely lit up. I''m not sure if the hero''s unrequited love is something I should be so interested in, but anyway. By persuading the girl, I encouraged the hero to approach her more actively."I can''t rece Dragon''s Priestess, but I think I can still be of help to you, hero. So please date me with the premise of marriage!" On the 7th day since the hero had been staying in this vige, the girl approached him first. But I shouldn''t mention myself here! In the middle of her confession! And "rece"? It''s good that she''s developed the courage to confess, but it''s somehow different, isn''t it? Condensing her usual many words into a few to convey her feelings can be seen positively, but still... Hmm. When roughly summarized, it was a confession that would score around 50 out of 100. I wonder if this would be enough to captivate hero''s heart! And the hero who heard such a confession was... "I''m sorry." It''s a disaster! Okay, the confession wasn''t the most impressive, but still, to cut it off so firmly like that! Hero! Isn''t this a bit too much? The girl mustered up all her courage! Didn''t I raise you like that?! This Mom never raised you to be so foolish!! To so heartlessly reject the confession that the girl poured her heart into! This is truly too much! As I was thinking aboutter smacking the back of the hero''s head... "I have a lot on my mind, and I think I made you feel uneasy." The hero said with an awkward smile. "It should have been me making the confession." But somehow, the hero''s mood seems... good? No, after rejecting the confession, saying that... it makes me have a strange sense of expectation! "So, I''ll say it. Please date me with the premise of marriage. Of course, it''s not to rece Sister... Dragon''s Priestess. I just want you to be by my side." Oh, oh? Oh, oh, oh!!!! Oh, oh, oh!!!! This guy did it! He did it!!! Hero, this guy! After unnecessarily rejecting the confession, now he''s going to do it himself?! Well, it does look better when the man is the one confessing, rather than the woman going first! At the hero''s words, the girl''s expression flushed red with embarrassment. "Y-yes..." She only nodded her head slightly with a shy face. And so, a new couple was formed in this small vige. They may be an old bachelor and old maid couple in terms of age. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The time from when they started together to when they became a couple was 15 days. From that, it took 9 days to be engaged. And 6 days more to get married. In total, about 30 days. Around a month. Humans, isn''t that too fast? I mean, I understand that human life is as fleeting as a blooming and withering flower, but this is too fast! It''s as if they were destined to be together from the beginning - their rtionship quickly deepening, starting to date, and then promising marriage! It''s too fast, even for that! Well, I guess they did have some connection from the start, and the girl was a fan of the hero, and the hero also had feelings for the girl!! I did think that a little push would quickly bring them together, but still!!! "Oh my, are those mermaids in the distant sea?" "Yes, they were mermaids with human torsos and fish tails. They were worshipping the sea god." And the biggest reason for their rtionship to have progressed so quickly? Hearing the hero''s adventures directly from the hero''s own mouth! Since the girl was originally a fan of the hero, hearing the hero''s adventures directly from the hero''s own mouth was truly fatal for her. The hero''s adventures, in which he traveled all over the world, met many people, and defeated many monsters, had considerable charm in themselves. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Ultimately, the girl fell into the swamp of the hero''s stories. And for some reason, the girl, who usually talked a lot, became less talkative when listening to the hero''s stories. Is this love?! The power of love?! Is the love so great that it suppresses the overflowing words?! "It''s the sea. I''m curious about what it''s like." "Hmm. It was a vastke that stretched out. In any direction, it was just the open sea." "I''ve never even seen ake before." At the girl''s words, the hero smiled slightly and said, "I''d like to show it to you someday." Hmm, the sea. Okay, I''ll lend a hand! Since they''re engaged, they should also prepare the things needed for the wedding! In this world, there may not be a proper wedding ceremony, but... It''s a once-in-a-lifetime event, so it would be a bit boring not to do anything. First, the wedding rings, the wedding venue, and various other things. Hmm, there''s a lot to prepare! The hero has worked hard for me all this time, so I hope the rest of their lives will be happy! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Time flew by quickly, and the hero and the girl''s wedding day approached. Well, it''s not a grand wedding, but the participants will probably be just the people of the vige. If possible, I''d like to invite various people and have a big wedding, but that''s not an easy task. Since they''re getting married just 12 days after meeting, there wasn''t even time for the news to spread. There''s no post office or anything to send out invitations. And you can''t use email or messengers unless you''re gods. So, I decided to use a little cheat. First, among the people the hero met on his adventures, those who could attend the wedding... Hmm. Let''s call the Beast God, who was a travelpanion, and also the King and Queen of Arcadia, who are its guardians. And let''s contact Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha. I''ll also pass the word to the representatives of the dwarves and elves. Ah, let''s also talk to Thetis and Ifrit. And Shamash too... Hmm, let''s just contact them. When contacting them, I can''t leave out Sylphid either. If I contacted all the other kids but not Sylphid, that child would be upset. And... well, since I practically raised that child, the other children can be considered their siblings. Yes. Hmm, other ces... There was Procyon. I''ll contact them too. By now, the arrangements should be more or less in order. As for the human kingdoms... Hmm, I''d better not get the hero entangled in politics, so I''ll skip that. Honestly, it was a bit awkward to contact Arcadia since I just left, but... the Beast God is there, so there''s no helping it. Anyway, afterpiling the guest list roughly like that, I sent out the wedding invitations. I informed them about the hero''s wedding and included a ticket that creates a portal to the wedding venue. Even if there are no wedding gifts, I just asked them toe and celebrate the birth of the new family. And so, time passed quickly. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The rings made of mithril and diamond. OK. The wedding venue prepared on the coast, beautifully decorated. All ready. OK. I don''t know how many guests wille, but I''ve prepared a few seats. OK. The attire of the bride and groom, the wedding dress and suit from Earth, are also okay. It was a bit funny to see them flustered by the unfamiliar clothing. The preparations for the reception after the wedding are also okay. Great! All set! I''m not sure if there''s anything else needed, but... Well, I''ve never seen a proper wedding ceremony in this world. As long as a man and woman live together, it''s essentially a marriage. Even a king of a country would only have a grand ceremony, but the hero is not a king. This should be enough. And so, the wedding day arrived. "Um, is it really okay?" "Of course it''s okay." I saw the girl, looking insecure. Hmm. I also clumsily put on some makeup for her. In this era where proper makeup does not exist, the makeup that cleanly covers any blemishes on the face. Hmm. Well, isn''t it good? After all, putting something on the face has beenmon. "It still feels strange that I, of all people, am marrying the hero!" "There you go again with that." I tapped the girl''s head with a weak voice. "But..." "Don''t be weak. You are now a bride who is suitable enough for that child. Have confidence in yourself." I pushed the girl''s back once more. If you don''t make the hero happy, I''ll be in trouble. Chapter 124: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (4) Chapter 124: The First Hero - The End of the Adventure (4) The wedding of the hero and the girl proceeded without any major problems. Before the wedding began, multiple doors appeared on the beach wedding venue I had prepared, and the guests who had received the invitations revealed themselves. By tearing the tickets attached to the invitations, a door that transcends space was created, and the guests entered through that door. The guests were shocked by the existence of the door that transcends space, especially the Mages of Procyon. Of course, the dwarves and elves were also shocked, but the Mages of Procyon, who realized that the door had just been created by magic, were even more shocked than the other guests. In front of those guests, I greeted them with a small bow and spoke. "Wee to the wedding of the hero." This time, I was also dressed in a fairly decent dress. Thanks to that, I could see the guests'' eyes widening, which was quite amusing. Normally, I only wear loose white clothes! But this time, I made a proper dress and wore it!Well, in this era where there is only rough leather or coarse cloth, such clothes are quite rare. It''s not strange that their eyes are widening. "Please have a seat. We will start the ceremony shortly." Let''s see, my children in human form are here, and the representatives of the dwarves and elves are here, and there are a few Mages of Procyon... The king and queen of Arcadia, and even the god of beasts are here. And since the representatives won''t be alone, the number of attendants has multiplied several times the number of invitations sent. And for some reason... there are a few mermaids waving their hands from the beach side. Apparently, Thetis, who is mixed among the guests, has informed the mermaids, and they havee to celebrate the hero''s wedding. Hmm. The mermaids had slipped my mind. Well, the more guests, the better. After all the guests were seated and the bride and groom were ready, "We will now begin the wedding ceremony." And so the wedding of the hero began. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The girl saw the sea for the first time. The vast sea emitting a deep blue light, with white flower-like foam blooming and disappearing. In this scenery, the humans with fish-like lower bodies leaped out of the sea, performing acrobatic feats, and then plunged back into the sea, creating a dreamlikendscape. For the girl who was born and raised in a small vige in the mountains, this sight did not feel like reality. But this scene was all real. "Now it''s your turn." Behind the girl was the Dragon''s Priestess, her benefactor who had saved her life, and the family of the hero. The Dragon''s Priestess extended her hand to the girl, guiding her. It was now the girl''s turn to appear. The girl looked at her reflection in the mirror prepared in the bride''s waiting room, a sight she had never seen before. A soft and beautiful dress, not stiff or rigid, and a pretty makeup that did not look like her own face. It was as if she had been transformed by magic. No, it was actually done with magic, so that statement is not wrong. The girl took a deep breath and stood up from the chair. The pure white dress made of soft, flowing fabric. The dress fluttered slightly with the girl''s steps, creating a beautiful sight. However, the girl thought that all of this was too much for her. Marrying the hero she admired, wearing such a beautiful dress, seeing the sea for the first time, and getting married in a ce with a view of the sea - all of this felt like too much of a luxury for her. Why was she being granted such fortune? What had her former self done to deserve such hospitality? The girl could not understand the blessings that were showered upon her, but in the end, she decided to simply ept them without trying toprehend it. Watching the girl, the Dragon''s Priestess could only push the girl''s back forward. In her stead... she could only hope that the girl would make the hero happy. And so the girl opened the door and stepped forward. Through the wide-openrge door, past the many guests, to where the hero in formal attire was. And so, the hero and the girl lived happily ever after. - The end of the first hero''s adventure. The wedding ceremony of the hero was following apletely different method from the typical weddings of that time, so there are various spections about it. There is a theory thatter generations embellished the description, and another theory that the hero''s wedding method became widespread and established the current practice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In fairy tales, it could have ended with "they lived happily ever after." But reality was not so smooth. Even though the story has ended, people still have to live on. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now The hero, freed from his duties, put down his sword and chose to live together with the girl. And I, too, began living in the same vige as the hero, to keep my promise to stay with him until he died. The hero and the girl said it was fine for me to live in the same house, but don''t wanna. Therefore, I built a small cottage near their house and started living there peacefully. The damage from the monsters has been greatly reduced, so the only thing left for me as the Goddess of Life is to manage the overall situation. Ah, there was still the task of creating a paradise. Well, I''ve already found the clue, so I can take it slowly. For now, let''s just live peacefully in this small rural vige. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A year after the hero''s wedding, a child was born to the hero and his wife. The child born to the two was a frail baby girl. Smaller and weaker than a normal newborn, this baby was born about 2 months premature. And in this era, a baby like this had a hard time surviving. I carefully cradled the baby who was not breathing. The hero''s wife was passed out from exhaustion, and the hero had lost hisposure upon realizing the baby was not breathing. In this situation, I was the only one who could respond calmly. "Sis... is it going to be okay...?" The hero looked at the baby in my arms with a worried expression. "Don''t worry. Have you forgotten who I am?" The chances of a baby born a few months early surviving in this era were incredibly low. Well, that''s the story of what would have happened if I hadn''t been there. I examined the fading life force within the baby''s body. Hmm. As a newborn, the body was too frail. And the life force was weak, making it difficult to easily strengthen it. If I''m not careful, it could have the opposite effect instead of healing. But how could I call myself the Goddess of Life if I couldn''t save this one small child? I carefully channeled my magical power, weaving it into the baby''s body to reinforce the iplete physique. The baby, unable to breathe properly due to being born too early, was graduallypleted and stabilized by my magical power. "Now you don''t have to worry anymore." I could confirm that the baby''s breathing had returned to normal. Hmm. If there had been something like an incubator, it would have been easier, but in this era, there is no such thing. I had no choice but to use thisborious method. But it''s no trouble at all to put in this effort to save this child. "Th-thank you, sister..." "Well, since she is your child, she is like family to me as well. This is no trouble at all." I smiled softly as I watched the newborn baby breathing peacefully. Now, this child would have no more problems. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I had thought that before... "Auntie!" TL/N: KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! "That''s right, you little rascal." I stroked the head of the young child clinging to me. The newborn baby who had been on the brink of life and death, born much earlier than expected, had now be a mischievous young girl. "Why is my hair the same silver color as yours, Auntie?" "I wonder about that too." The side effect of reconstructing the body of this child with my magical power to save her as a newborn, her physique was bing increasingly simr to mine, my avatar. For now, it''s just the hair color, but over time, she may be less human. That oue would certainly not be good for this child. Hmm. I should consult the hero about this. I can''t just leave it as is. Chapter 125: The Bloodline of the Hero (1) Chapter 125: The Bloodline of the Hero (1) The hero looked at the young girl ying outside with a worried expression. The girl with hair dyed the same silver as mine. The girl whose life I saved with my power, and who is now beginning to transform into a non-human being. "Hero, what do you think about this?" "We can''t just leave her like that. But how long will you keep calling me ''hero''? It''s been years since I quit being a hero." "Hmm. Your name just doesn''t seem to stick in my mouth easily. And as long as you''re alive, you''ll always be ''hero'' to me." "But my newly given name is now useless. And since you keep calling me ''hero'', even my daughter calls me that." "At least you can talk about your exploits thanks to that." "That''s true, but..."The hero sighed softly and said, "You really haven''t changed at all, have you, sister?" "But you have changed a lot." The hero was now in his mid-50s, starting to approach old age. But his outward appearance still looked to be in histe 30s. Of course, the hero''s wife was the same way. "The one who used to call me ''sis'' now addresses me so formally as ''sister''. There used to be a certain charm to it, but now it''s gone. Ah..." "What can I do? People change as they grow." The hero looked back at his daughter ying outside. "With so much changing, I too have no choice but to change." The expression on the hero''s face had be that of a father. A face filled with something incredibly precious, unlike the one he had when he was defeating monsters for humanity. A face that could not be seen before. "Whenever I look at my daughter, I no longer regret getting married." "You''ve really changed a lot, haven''t you." I simply smiled softly as I watched the hero. "Anyway, about my daughter... what should we do?" "Hmm. I have a couple of ideas, but first let me make one thing clear - I cannot remove my magic from her." "Is that so?" "Of course, if I didn''t care about her life, it would be possible. But I have no desire for that." The vast amount of my magic is intertwined with the countless cells in her body. If I forcibly tried to retrieve my magic, how long could she possiblyst? Likely not even a day. Forcibly taking back my magic would leave her body riddled with tiny holes like a sponge. My original n was to have my magic substitute for her life force until it was sufficiently activated, then gradually retrieve the magic while regenerating her body. But it seems thepatibility between my magic and her was too good - my magic and her body have fused at the cellr level. It might be possible to painstakingly separate the magic permeating every cell, but that would likely take over a century. The cause... Hmm, I''m not sure, but it may be rted to the parents of this child. The hero who wielded the sword I created and traveled with me, and the hero''s wife whose body was regenerated by my magic, maintaining her youth. Their child seems to be anything but ordinary. Perhaps the premature birth is also connected to this... I don''t really know for sure. After all, I don''t know everything in this world. In any case. "The first option is to thoroughly teach her how to use my magic to protect herself." Honestly, I think this is the easiest solution. If not for the concern of her bing an existence beyond human... "But that''s a bit..." If the hero, the strongest human, is her father, then he would know all too well the dangers of wielding immense power. There were far too many with snake-like hearts who sought to use the hero''s strength and reputation for their own ends. "Personally, I think that is the easiest solution." "But wouldn''t that give the child power beyond human capabilities?" "Yes, that''s right. Her lifespan would also be much longer than a normal human''s." Her body would be almost like an extension of mine. She could easily live for a thousand years. Even now, if not for theck of horns, the rest of her appearance is very simr to mine. No wonder the asional travelers whoe by mistake us for sisters. "In a way, it may be the best path for the child. She would have great power and be able to live for a long time." However, the question is whether her mind could withstand such immense power. "That''s true. From the perspective of someone who has wielded great power, that decision needs to be made very carefully." "Un, the opinion of an experienced person, as expected." "Well, I didn''t have any other choice, after all." Once he had drawn the hero''s sword, other options disappeared. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Still, most important thing would be the child''s own opinion..." "But she is still too young to make such an important decision." "Hmm... then let''s move on to the second option." "The second option?" I nodded slightly and continued. "The second option is to seal the magical power within her body." "Seal it?" "Yes. If we seal the magical power so that it doesn''t activate, the child could live as a normal human. I''m not sure if her hair color would revert to normal, but that could probably be managed with dye." If the child wishes to live a normal life, sealing the magical power would allow that. "Sealing it... is that possible?" "Un. Since it''s my magic, sealing it so it doesn''t activate properly is rtively simple." The difficult part is separating the intertwined elements, but just suppressing itpletely so she can live like a normal human cell is doable. However. "But there are still some issues. The sealed magic is still a part of her body, her cells. So there''s a possibility it could be inherited by her future offspring." It would gradually be weaker over generations, but... "So, that would be passing on the burden to her descendants?" "Well, as long as nothing major happens, the magic shouldn''t awaken. Based on my calctions... unless she suffers a major shock or life-threatening injury, it''s unlikely to activate." The hero nodded slightly at my words. "I see. Personally, I''m leaning more towards the sealing option..." "You want to hear the child''s opinion, don''t you?" "Yes. Not now, but when she''s old enough, in a few years, to make the decision herself." In a few years, around when she bes an adult. "Then it might be best to start with sealing it for now." Seal it first, and if she wants the powerter, we can unseal it. If not, we''ll keep it sealed. "If my daughter chooses to seal the magic, then I''ll be passing the burden on to her descendants. It doesn''t sit well with me, even if it''s for her sake." "Well, the sealed magic shouldn''t awaken under normal circumstances. And if it does awaken in a life-threatening situation, it could end up saving your descendants as well." "But still..." Ugh, this guy. He''s gotten so soft-hearted after retiring from being a hero! "Then let me help you a little." "You, sister?" I nodded. "If the dormant magic in your descendants awakens, they''ll surely be in grave danger. And if a human wielding my power is left unchecked, they could pose a threat to humanity." "If you help, I can rest assured, but how exactly will you assist?" "Hmm..." I thought for a moment before speaking. "Since she''ll be carrying my magic, there will be a connection between us. So after it awakens, I''ll use her body to lend a hand to your descendants." "Use her body?" "By utilizing the connection between your descendant and me, I''ll be able to wield her body as if it were my own. I can save your descendants and teach them how to properly use the power." The hero thought for a moment and then spoke. "Is that possible? For you, sister, and my descendants to control one body?" "I can already control multiple bodies, so how could it be impossible for us to control one body together?" It would be a kind of multiple personality. There might be some conflict over who has the dominant control. Well, if such a situation arises, as long as there are no major problems, I n to mostly hand it over to your descendants. I''m already busy enough ying the role with this one body. "Well, that''s only if your daughter chooses to seal the power. If she decides not to seal it, then this n would be meaningless." I looked at the hero''s daughter ying outside. The small silver-haired girl running into the arms of her returning mother. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "No! I''m telling you, the first hero''spanion was definitely the Dragon''s Priestess!!" "What? Where did you hear that nonsense? The records clearly state that the first hero''spanion was a different woman, not the Dragon''s Priestess! There are even testimonies from those who attended the wedding at the time!" "Ugh, really?! Then why does the hero''s daughter look exactly like the Dragon''s Priestess?" "Perhaps the Dragon''s Priestess blessed the hero''s daughter?" "Just because of a blessing, her appearance would change to match the Priestess? Then everyone blessed by the gods in the Pantheon would look like their statues!" "Then why was the other woman recorded as the hero''spanion?" "The Church of Life must have had a stance on this! They would have seen it as sphemous for the holy Dragon''s Priestess to marry the hero!" "Enough! I will not hear any more of this! You know well the consequences of offending the Church of Life, yet you dare speak such nonsense!" - A conversation between a historian and the student. No one else heard their discussion. Chapter 126: The Bloodline of the Hero (2) Chapter 126: The Bloodline of the Hero (2) "What kind of conversation are you two having?" The hero''s wife asked as she and her daughter entered the house. "Oh, just various things. Nothing too interesting for you to hear." The hero casually brushed off his wife''s question. But... I think your wife should also know about this issue. I lightly pped the hero''s back and looked at his wife. "It was about the future of your daughter." "Sister?!" "Quiet. Your wife also has the right to know."I pped the hero''s back again, making a loud sound. "But..." "Quiet. Fool." As I was hitting the hero unterally, the hero''s wife tilted her head. Her movements seem too young for a woman in her 50s, but her appearance looks around 30 years old, so it''s not too strange... Hmm... Even 30 might be a bit hard to digest. "What do you mean by the future of my daughter?" "The problem is the magic within that child." "Magic? I don''t know what that is, but does my body contain something called ''magic'' within my body, inherited from aunt?" The hero''s daughter asked me with a slightly surprised expression. Hmm. That''s understandable. For humans, magic power is still an unknown existence or a mystery. They only know it vaguely exists, so hearing that there is magic power flowing within their body would naturally surprise them. Ah,e to think of it, they seem to be researching magic power in Procyon as well, but there hasn''t been much progress yet. Oops, I got a bit sidetracked. "What did you put inside me? Is it okay?" "If I hadn''t, you wouldn''t have been able to live." I lightly pushed the daughter''s forehead with my index finger. Then, the magic power within her body moved just a little, and the hero''s daughter fell backwards. "W-What was that?" "The magic power within you moved just a tiny bit. Even that slight movement had such an effect." "That''s scary! How can I get rid of this?" To that, I shook my head slightly. "That magic power is the reason you''ve been alive from birth until now." Seeing her daughter''s state, the hero''s wife spoke with a worried expression. "Dragon''s Priestess, how will that magic power affect my child?" Affect, huh. "She will be a being simr to me, transcending humanity." Unlike the hero, I couldn''t tell the hero''s wife everything. The hero knows my true identity, but his wife only knows me as the Dragon''s Priestess. "Be simr to the Dragon''s Priestess? Will she be the next Dragon''s Priestess?" "Be like you, Aunt? I don''t really like that." Huh, this is an unexpected response. "What''s wrong with bing like me?" "But Aunt, you don''t do anything." Ah, no! I do work! As the Goddess of Life and the Creator Dragon God, I work every day! Moreover, the Gods of Death have been showing some ominous movements, trying to hand over some tasks to me, and I''ve scolded them before! Most of the work in the Temple of Life is handled by the dragons themselves, so I don''t need to worry much, but they do consult me asionally! It''s just that I work remotely from home, that''s all! "You''re always just lounging around at home, and when we try to take you out for some fresh air, you stubbornly lock yourself in your room. Dad and Mom are both busy working, but only you don''t work." Ugh. I''m working hard, you know! But I can''t reveal my true identity to this child. The hero is awkwardly smiling, knowing my true identity. "Anyway, I don''t want to be like you, Aunt. I''d rather be like Mom and Dad." "But if you be like me, you can gain great magic power and live much longer." "Great magic power? What can I do with that?" What can you do with it, you ask... "Wouldn''t you be able to do anything with that kind of power?" With the amount of magic power that child has,pared to a normal human, it would be an enormous amount. If it''s all used up, it may even risk her life. But that''s unlikely to happen. Yes. "The only thing I want is to live happily with Mom, Dad, and Aunt." That child. Saying such a thoughtful thing. Hearing those words from the small child, the hero and the hero''s wife also seemed moved, their eyes glistening. "But if you have that power, you could really do anything, you know?" "Hmm... But other than living happily with my family, I don''t particrly want to do anything else." What an easygoing child, without any greed to livevishly. "You could live longer if your lifespan increases." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "Hmm... What''s good about living longer?" At the child''s innocent words, I was momentarily at a loss for words. What''s good about living longer? "You could try doing all the things you want to do?" "I don''t really have anything I want to do other than living happily with my family. If there''s something I want, Mom, Dad, and Aunt will do it for me." "Or you could travel all around the world?" "Even now, if there''s a ce I want to go, Aunt takes me there. I had fun when we went to the beach the other day." "Or you could meet many people?" "Isn''t my family enough? If I meet too many people, it would be tiring." Answers that don''t seem like those of a young child. Living longer... What''s good about that? As I''ve lived through the long years, a question I never thought of has filled my mind. What is the meaning of life... Why do we live? Is it to fulfill our desires? To spread our descendants far and wide? What is the true meaning of life? As the Goddess of Life, I don''t even understand that. As the Goddess of Life, what should I do for life? What is the purpose of the Goddess of Life''s existence? "Aunt?" My thoughts were interrupted by the hero''s daughter. The feeling of being connected to something important was severed. "Ah, yes. I was just thinking about something else for a moment." Ahem. I''ll think about thatter. Rather than pondering the meaning of life and death, right now I need to focus on this child''s future. "And I''ve heard a lot about Dad''s stories! I heard he went through a lot of hardship while acting as the hero. If I have that power, shouldn''t I be a hero too?" "You don''t have to be a hero, but... Others maye after that power." "That sounds troublesome." This small child disyed a remarkable sense ofziness, as if she had learned it somewhere. "I don''t really need the power or the long lifespan." The small child casually spoke as if it was nothing. There are countless people who would even sacrifice their lives to obtain that level of power. But she speaks of it as if it''s unimportant. Well, that''s not a bad thing either. "It seems the direction is decided, hero." "Yes, it does. My daughter is quite extraordinary." To so easily give up on the power to do anything, this child is not ordinary either. Not ordinary at all. But just in case, let''s prepare one safeguard. "Since this child''s will is like this, it would be best to seal it, but... Hmm. For now, I''ll seal it temporarily, and then I''ll ask you again after she bes an adult." "Huh? Isn''t that troublesome?" "It''s an important matter. If her thoughts haven''t changed even after she bes an adult, then we''ll seal itpletely. Understand?" Time may pass, and this child''s thoughts could change. Then, I can unseal it. "Won''t that seal have any other effects on this child?" "Effects? Hmm... Maybe her hair color will gradually start to return to its original color?" Her already grown hair will be in the silver state, but the new hair growth will regain its original color. The already formed skeletal structure and appearance will be difficult to change significantly. "Huh? Hair color?" The hero''s wife embraced her daughter''s head. "No, the shining silver hair can''t disappear! This child''s silver hair is so beautiful!" "Well, even if you say that..." "Then, can''t we just maintain the hair? Whenever I stroke this child''s hair, I feel a sense of satisfaction as if she''s a sister to the Dragon''s Priestess, so I don''t know how to exin it..." Uh, hmm... Has she be a bit strange since getting married? I shook my head slightly. "Is something like that even possible?" "But...." "Mom, you''re being ridiculous!" The hero''s daughter grumbled as she broke free from her mom''s embrace. "It''s just hair color! It''s nothing!" "Nothing, you say..." "Now, now, you two. Let''s calm down, okay?" With the hero intervening between the two, the atmosphere calmed down a bit. "Then, let''s seal it temporarily first, and decide whether topletely seal it after she bes an adult. Is that alright?" "It''s fine to seal it right now!" "Ugh, silver hair like the Dragon''s Priestess...." "Mom, really!" Seeing this family scene, I couldn''t help but chuckle softly. Chapter 127: The Bloodline of the Hero (3) Chapter 127: The Bloodline of the Hero (3) Time passes quickly. As I watch the child growing faster and faster every day, I feel a strange sense of wonder at the sight of the child growing more and more like me. Life in a quiet countryside. There are many inconveniences and shorings, but we can live without any worries. Sometimes I watch brave and reckless challengers fail in their attempts to challenge the hero, and then see those shattered challengers fall for the hero''s daughter''s kindness and propose to her, only to be crushed by the hero once again. I smiled. If this time couldst forever, it would not be bad. But human life is finite and ephemeral. The hero''s life has begun to fade away. It is natural. The hero, who is now over 50 and approaching 60, is at an age where it is not strange for their life toe to an end.For an ordinary person, it would not be strange to die at any time. But even at that age, the hero still moves his body without any deficiency. Seeing that hero, I let out a small sigh. "How long do you n to hold your daughter in your arms? It''s time to let her be independent." "I won''t let her go until dirt is in my eyes!" "If your wife hears that, she''ll really try to put dirt in your eyes, so be careful." The hero''s daughter has now be an adult. The resemnce to me has matured, and she is now at the point where people call her my sister. Ah, the expression on her face when that clueless traveler called her my sister... It was a masterpiece, and it''s a shame there was no camera. Her hair color was a bit different, but the facial features were simr, so I can understand why the first-time traveler was confused. Anyway, I asked that now-adult child one more time. [I''ll ask you the question I asked when you were little. Do you not need great power and longevity?] [No, I don''t need it! I still think the same as when I was little!] Even as an adult, that child''s thoughts had not changed. Human thoughts are usually like flowing water, changing shape, but that child''s thoughts were as solid as a rock. Whether you call it stubborn, steadfast, or just in stubborn... Well, it''s not a bad thing. Anyway, just like that, the hero''s daughter''s magic all sealed inside her body. The magic intertwined with her body... Unless a life-threatening crisises to that child, it will not awaken. To be honest, I''m a little worried. But since it was that child''s own decision, as an adult, I should ept that decision. "That child has grown well, and suitable suitors areing in. Now you just have to let her go." "But I still don''t want to. Honestly, I''d like to keep her by my side until I die of old age!" "You''re such a doting father." I pped the hero on the back. "Ouch!" "If you selfishly block your daughter''s future with your own desires, what good will that do? If you truly care for your daughter, you should also consider letting her go." "But..." "No ''buts''! You and your got married at ate age, so you shouldn''t expect your daughter to follow in your footsteps." My words left the hero without a proper response. Well, that''s understandable. Thete marriage must be aplex for the hero. The hero''s daughter shouldn''t have to follow in the hero''s footsteps. "And above all, if that child doesn''t get married and start a family, you won''t have any grandchildren to call you ''Grandpa''. Is that okay with you?" I asked the hero a question that implied he should want the hero''s bloodline to spread further. "Grandpa..." "60 is plenty old enough to be called a grandfather. Isn''t that right?" Nowadays, people can get married in their mid-tote teens, so you could even be a grandfather in your mid-tote 30s. "If you keep clinging to your daughter, her future will be uncertain. Is that what you want?" "That''s... not what I want, but..." "Then stop being a doting father. If parents block the path of their grown-up child, what good will that do?" At my words, the hero could only lower his head without saying anything. "I will arrange the marriage. I also care for that child, so I will find a good husband for her." He should be a man who is notcking in wealth, has good character, and is not unattractive in appearance. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now It would be best if he coulde and live here. If he can be a son-inw, that would be great. He doesn''t have to be someone who lives without a single drop of water on his hands, but he should be a husband who can ensure that the child doesn''t have to endure great hardship. Such a person may not bemon, but the world is wide and there are many people. If I release all the pilgrims from the Temple of Life and search, I should be able to find a suitable person eventually. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero''s daughter got married. Surprisingly, the groom was the third prince of the Kingdom of Arcadia. Well, he was a member of the royal family, but one without any im to the throne. Ah, Arcadia had transformed into a formidable nation, iparable to its previous state. It seems the resolution of their food shortage through potatoes has allowed them to gradually increase their poption. I heard that one of Arcadia''s neighboring countries had started picking a fight with them. Apparently, it was rted to the first beast that was being raised like a pet in Arcadia. When this first beast suddenly appeared and defeated a monster, the truth was revealed, and rumors spread that it was an extraordinary animal, even to the point of being called a deity. These rumors eventually led to the belief that Arcadia''s rapid prosperity was due to the blessing of this beast deity. The neighboring country of Arcadia... What was its name again? Hmm, well, since it no longer exists, there''s no need to remember it. Anyway, it seems that neighboring country had been constantly picking fights with Arcadia. At first, Arcadia tried to avoid war by treating the envoys who came to pick fights with hospitality. But human greed knows no bounds. The patient Arcadia and the neighboring country that kept demanding they surrender the deity - war was inevitable between the two. Arcadia''s national power was clearly inferior. Moreover, the neighboring country had a history of conquering its surroundings through war and was a powerful nation. Lacking in poption, food, territory, resources, and military, Arcadia fought valiantly. And they emerged victorious. Well, I initially thought it was natural for them to win, since they had been blessed with that g. But I didn''t expect them to capture the neighboring country''s capital in just 7 days! Apparently, they lured the neighboring country''s main forces deep into Arcadia''s territory, engaged in minor skirmishes in the front, and then used the g''smand to indirectly lead their cavalry, sessfully attacking at the perfect timing. As a result, theypletely severed the enemy''s supply lines from the rear. The neighboring country''s army, deprived of food, tried to requisition supplies from the nearby popce, but Arcadia was a nomadic nation. The residents of the dangerous areas had already been evacuated, so there were no people left for the enemy to requisition from. Furthermore, Arcadia''s main food source was potatoes. The neighboring country''s army, unaware of the existence of potatoes buried underground, fought with empty, growling stomachs, not knowing that food was right beneath their feet. Needless to say, they were utterly crushed. Arcadia, having captured the majority of the enemy''s main force, quickly advanced and swiftly attacked the neighboring country''s capital. During this process, it was evident that the Arcadian king was trying to avoid the g''s penalty as much as possible. Instead of directly attacking the neighboring country''s capital from Arcadia, they went through thend of Arcad, which had be a wastnd and belonged to no country. This was possible because the neighboring country''s capital was slightly farther from Arcadia, but much closer to Arcad. Additionally, they had thoroughly surveyed Arcad''s geography and were familiar with the shortcuts to quickly reach the neighboring country''s capital. Hmm... Could it be that the Arcadian king had nned this from the beginning? The patrols sent to the barrennd were a bit puzzling, but if it was to prepare the invasion route, it makes sense. And I had said that the g''s penalty would weaken them if they stepped on another country''snd, but if it was a wastnd, then it was considered eptable. And it did indeed work out that way. I was a bit annoyed, but... it must have been the result of their efforts in using their heads. This time, I''ll turn a blind eye. Anyway, the Arcadian cavalry that quickly marched to the neighboring country''s capital through the wastnd of Arcad swept in like a storm. On the other hand, the neighboring country had not even considered the possibility that the majority of the invading forces would be captured as prisoners, and since the distance to Arcadia was considerable, they were negligent, thinking that they could respond slowly if anything happened. They crumbled like a sand castle in front of a wave. Well, it''s only natural. The overwhelmingly inferior Arcadia couldn''t have imagined that they would capture all of their forces as prisoners andunch a counterattack on the capital. It''s no different from David knocking down Goliath with a single punch. In the end, the capital was upied without any countermeasures, and the king of the neighboring country was captured as a prisoner by a horse-human hybrid named Epona. The king of Arcadia, having conquered the neighboring country, entered the capital together with the forces that had been left behind in the wastnd of Arcad, beheaded the neighboring country''s king, severely punished the king''s retainers, and took good care of the impoverished people who had suffered from the war, or so I heard. As a result, it was thepletion of the powerful nation of Arcadia, which had swallowed the neighboring country whole. I heard that the moment they crossed the border of the neighboring country to enter, the g lost its power, but the time when the g''s power was needed had already passed, so it was fine. In this way, the king of Arcadia regained the crown, which was the treasure of the Arcad royal family, and although it was slightly smaller than the territory of Arcad, he acquired a considerable expanse ofnd, bing a great power. And now, the third prince of this great nation has married the hero''s daughter. Chapter 128: The Bloodline of the Hero (4) Honestly, at first I thought the king of Arcadia had eaten something wrong. Even though he doesn''t have the right to the throne, to send the prince as a son-inw is quite something. A prince of that position would have such high political value that it doesn''t need exnation. To send such a third prince as the hero''s son-inw? At this point, I was curious what the king of Arcadia was thinking. Perhaps... he was aiming to strengthen his royal power through the blood rtionship with the hero? Otherwise, he wouldn''t have sent the prince this way. That''s what I thought. "I-I''m meeting you for the first time... no, I''ve met you before, but this is the first time I''m being formally introduced... yes, it''s the first time I''m meeting you..." Standing in front of the hero''s daughter, his face flushed red and he couldn''t even make eye contact, and he disappeared. "Ah! Could it be! The one I met when I went to visit Arcadia before!""Yes, yes. You remember me even though we only met for a day." "It left a strong impression on me!" Before Arcadia went to war with the neighboring country, the hero''s daughter had wanted to meet the beast god she had adventured with. At that time, we had traveled in Arcadia for a few days... hmm... Could it be that the children had met and be friends while the adults were talking? This is... an unexpected connection. "It was fun back then! While the adults were talking about things we didn''t understand, we were happily ying around!" "Yes, it was enjoyable." The connection made during that short trip in childhood is now being revived. No, is it because that connection existed that this young man ising as a son-inw? I''m not sure, but the conditions are great, so I have no reason to object at all. The hero''s wife also seemed pleased with the tall prince''s appearance, as her smile didn''t fade. As for the hero, he kept frowning and muttering things like "a prince, huh," Well, the hero is an overprotective father, so he would have reacted that way no matter who his daughter brought home. Even if it was a king instead of a prince, that guy would have grumbled. "No, I mean, a prince of all people ising as a son-inw? Honestly, even I find it hard to understand, sister." "Who knows, the connections between people can be surprising, don''t you think there might have been a chance encounter?" "Chance? Rather, that cunning king must have sent the son-inw to target the hero''s bloodline!" "You, didn''t you used to like that king before? Why has your opinion changed?" "That was then, this is now! When the situation changes, the way of thinking changes too, doesn''t it?" Situation... could it be because of the position of being a father to a beloved daughter? Hmm. I understand it a little, but... still, if it''s for the sake of his daughter, he should let her go. If he keeps stubbornly objecting like this, he''ll end up being hated by his own daughter. I just sighed quietly while watching the hero. Andter on... "I hate you, Dad!" My prediction was spot on. "Why are you always nitpicking that person? Over trivial things!" "No... my daughter..." "I don''t care! I''ll be aunt''s daughter from now on!" Saying that, the hero''s daughter clung to me. Hmm... the girl who''s almost in her 20s is acting like a child. No, is she doing this on purpose? To shake up the hero? "I''m not a child anymore, you know! I''m at the age where I''m a bitte to get married! Why don''t you like him? Tell me a reason I can understand!" "Th-that is..." The hero couldn''t give a reason. Of course, he was just stubbornly objecting without any real justification. Seeing the hero in that awkward state, I sighed softly and stepped in. I didn''t mind watching further, but I didn''t want to see this father-daughter rtionship shattered by unnecessary stubbornness. So, "That''s enough." "Aunt!" "Sister!" I interjected between the two as I had been quietly observing. "Won''t you forgive this fool''s foolish behavior?" "Sister!" "Shut up. You fool. Did you think you could just get away with such stubbornness? You should have at least thought about the possibility of being hated." "B-but..." "Shut up! You haven''t done a single good thing, so just be quiet and behave!" Even though my daughter is cute, it''s not like I can keep her by my side forever! He doesn''t even realize that his daughter has her own life! You fool! This fool!!! While I''m away for a while, I''ll p your back in ce of your wife! "Ow, it hurts! Sister!!" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "For a foolish person who doesn''t recognize his mistakes, a beating is the best medicine!!!" I continue to p the bby back of the man, whose muscr physique from his prime days is long gone. "You weren''t this frustrating before! How did you end up like this? Do you think I raised you this way?" "Ow! It hurts, Sister!!! Stop!! Stop hitting me!" "I can''t stand how vexing you are! Take one more hit!" After pping his back with enough force to leave clear palm prints, I was finally satisfied. "Now that I''ve given you a good beating, I hope you''ve calmed down." I carelessly tossed the hero, whose back was all battered, onto the bed, and then spoke to the hero''s daughter. "Aunt..." "That fool... it seems he couldn''t bear to let you go because he treasures you too much. Your life is yours to live. It appears that fool overlooked that... so please forgive him." At my words, the hero''s daughter nced at the hero sprawled on the bed, then let out a deep sigh and nodded. "Since you say so, Aunt, I won''t hate that foolish father of mine." "Good. And..." I looked at the hero''s daughter, who had grown, and smiled. "Congrattions on your marriage." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The wedding of the hero''s daughter and the third prince of Arcadia was held in a rtively small ceremony, with only the relevant people in attendance. Still, there were probably more than fifteen people - the residents of the vige where the hero lived, and the immediate family members of the Arcadian royal family. The newly married couple of the hero''s daughter and her son-inw went through various ups and downs, but they managed to live happily. They quickly had a child. Thanks to the fact that the hero was able to see his grandchild before turning 70, his aggression towards his son-inw decreased rapidly. And fortunately, or perhaps it was only natural, the hero''s grandchild was born... normal, unlike the hero''s daughter. The child was not born earlier than the due date, nor was my magic mixed into their body. They were simply a normal human. Well, since I had sealed the magic, it''s only natural. But just to be sure, I checked, and the magic that had been sealed was a part of my own body. Compared to the hero''s daughter, the amount of magic in the grandchild was slightly reduced, but it''s uncertain how many generations it will take for it topletely disappear. "But as long as the child was born healthy, isn''t that enough?" "That''s true." I lifted the grandchild in both hands and chuckled softly, watching the hero, who was fawning over the grandchild. The sharp-edged hero I used to travel with - where did that version of him go? Now he''s just a silly old grandfather. "Hm? Why are you looking at me like that, Sister?" "It''s nothing. I''m just surprised at how much a person can change, that''s all." I silently gazed at the hero. The hero''s life force is diminishing. He has about 10 years left. Eighty years old is considered quite a long life in this era, but it still feels so short. "Hero." "Yes?" "Was your life... a life of sufficient value?" At my question, the hero smiled faintly and replied. "Why are you suddenly asking such a question?" "I''m just curious." "How unexpected of you." Cradling the grandchild in his arms, the hero gently stroked the child''s head as he spoke. "I''m not sure what constitutes a life of value, but there is one thing I can say for certain." "One thing?" "Yes. I am satisfied with my life." The hero continued in a calm voice. "Because even an orphan with nothing managed to pull out the hero''s sword by chance and embark on grand adventures, making a name for himself in the world." The hero added that he had also obtained a fox-like wife, a rabbit-like child, and even a grandchild like a baby rabbit. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he said, "If I hadn''t pulled out that sword, my life would certainly not have been as good as it is now. In the best case scenario, I might have lived the life of a pilgrim of the Temple of Life." The life of a pilgrim, traveling the world and preaching about life. That was certainly not an easy life. "That''s why I am satisfied with my life. It was a very good life." A very good life, huh. In that case, I can be a little at ease. "Well, death doesn''t mean the end, but still." "Huh?" "No, it''s nothing." "That sounded like a very important thing to say. Huh?! Sister?!" And so I lived quietly with the aging hero. One day, however, a man appeared in the vige where the hero and I lived. Chapter 129: The Cursed One (1) The man with the ck hood had concealed his appearance as much as possible, but the tattered state of the ck hood suggested he was not a normal human. As soon as I saw this man, I could roughly guess his identity. "Dragon''s Priestess... you haven''t changed at all. Then, are you the hero?" "That''s right, but... who are you?" However, the hero, who was slicing fruit with a small dagger, did not notice the man''s identity. Well, it''s understandable. In the hero''s long life spanning decades, the man''s involvement was only for a day, and it disappeared in an instant. If the hero remembered, that would be more surprising. Without saying a word, the man drew the sword hanging at his waist. The metallic sword had a reddish color, not a normal sword.Seeing the man holding such a sword and aiming it at the hero, the hero muttered softly. "These days, why are they so ill-mannered, drawing their swords right away without even saying anything... Tsk." Spitting out words like an old man, the hero''s words were ignored as the sword-wielding man charged at him. "It''s been a long time since I retired, but why are there so many greedy for the name of the hero? It''s so annoying. Are you not considering appointing a new hero?" "As long as you''re alive, that won''t happen." "I wasn''t particrly worried, but..." Calmly continuing the conversation, the hero lightly evaded the sword swung at him. "The speed is quite fast. It''s threatening." Despite his aging body, the hero''s swordsmanship, honed by not neglecting to wield the sword, had transcended mere technique and be a form of art. Using the fruit knife, the hero deflected the red sword, evaluating the man''s attack. "But the trajectory is very simple. Thanks to that, it''s not difficult to evade. It won''t be a major threat to opponents of simr speed." The man tried to push the hero back with a series of rapid attacks, but the hero slightly pierced the core of the sword with the knife,pletely twisting the sword''s trajectory. The hero''s effortless nullification of the powerful attack was truly the work of a sword master. The man continued to attack the hero, but the hero skillfully handled the knife, deflecting the attacks. After dozens of exchanges, the hero said, "Alright, let''s stop here. Among the recent opponents, you were the strongest." The man, with his wrist cut by the hero''s knife, dropped his sword. "Your swordsmanship doesn''t seem systematically trained, are you perhaps a mercenary? It''s close to a swordsmanship ingrained in your body for survival. But there''s a strange calmness in the fundamentals... Hmm, did you only learn the basics properly?" The hero lightly brushed off the knife and wiped it with his sleeve. "Ah, I was scolded for using this to fight, and now I''ll get another lecture. Sister, can you keep this a secret?" "You need to be scolded a bit more." These days, the hero rarely held his sword except during training. Even though the hero''s sword was too powerful and dangerous for opponents, a hero who doesn''t wield his own sword is rather strange, isn''t it? And then, The man with the cut wrist let out a small groan, and the tip of the reddish de changed shape, shooting towards the hero. It was like a liquid metal... a form resembling a crimson mercury. Indeed, was that the nature of such an item? The transformed thin de shot towards the hero''s back. "Oh dear." The hero slightly turned sideways and swung the knife, perfectly deflecting the sneak attack from behind. "An interesting thing you''re using. The world is truly vast." "M-Monster...!" "Monster? It''s just the result of diligent training." An ordinary person would not be able to block the de flying towards their back with a knife, but the hero''s senses had be razor-sharp, almost superhuman. "I''ve traveled the world and done many things, but I''ve never threatened human lives." If he was praised, he was praised, What matters is that he has never posed a threat to anyone. However, this person was a different story. "Alright, that''s enough." I approached the man in the ck hood. The cut on his wrist had already healed, showing an inhuman recovery rate. And the response of the tracking marker. "It''s been a while." I back the hooded cloak, revealing the face beneath. "You wretched prince who brought down a nation." His face was now overgrown with a messy, unkempt beard, vastly different from decades ago. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I looked down at the pitiful man and said, "Un, I''m curious how you have the nerve toe here. You who were once the second prince of the Arcad Empire." "......." We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now But he did not respond. If he wanted to beg for forgiveness, I would have told him to go to the Temple of Life and sincerely repent. Whye to the hero and start swinging a sword? Swinging a sword. The hero has already been grumbling about his aching back, so I''m worried in many ways. Sigh. Moreover, he''s holding such a peculiar sword. I wonder how he made that. I picked up the sword that was rolling at my feet. The sword itself looked ordinary, but the peculiar thing was the de. I thought it had a reddish glow, but to be precise, something was covering the de, giving it that crimson hue. "Hmm. It seems he has mastered something unusual." The membrane-like thing covering the de was none other than blood. Blood that was being perfectly controlled through life force. I knew he had gone through various troubles with his tattered appearance, but... to create something this peculiar, it is quite fascinating. "Grrk... Kill me...!" Such lines are not something a ragged, disheveled man should say. After examining the sword from various angles, I tossed it back to the man and said, "My question wasn''t about that. There was no reason for you toe here in the first ce." I looked down at the man sitting on the floor. His body had already recovered, but he wasn''t moving at all. "...me." That man muttered in a voice filled with resentment. "Kill me..." "Kill you? You?" "Yes... If it''s you, the one who took the ce of the goddess who cursed me, then you can kill me..." The man raised his head and red at me. His bloodshot eyes were leaking tears of blood, as if his veins had burst. "I no longer want to live. Kill me. End this torment of life..." Towards that man, I briefly responded, "Why would I?" "Grrk...! Why won''t you just kill me?! I''m begging you to kill me!!! I don''t want to endure this pain anymore! I don''t want to live a life where I can only watch the deaths of others!!! I want the peace of death!!!" Hmm, the peace of death, huh. Well, his life has been tormented by the meddling of various dieties, making death preferable to his current state. Thanks to the news of what he did to me spreading to other dieties, his body has be one that cannot live a proper life due to the concentrated curses. If it weren''t for the curse of immortality, he would have died hundreds or thousands of times over. However, "Without sincerely repenting your wrongdoings and seeking forgiveness, that peace will note to you." I had already told him all the methods to lift the curse, but this fool, why is he still here like this? If he had gone to the Temple of Life and prayed with genuine remorse, I would have lifted it long ago. "No matter what happens?" "No matter what happens." So go to the Temple of Life, that''s the quickest solution. Hmm. Could it be that this man has forgotten or doesn''t remember that solution method? Nah, that can''t be. I''ve been telling him that from the start, unless he''s justpletely ignored everything I''ve said. "Even after this?" The man picked up the sword that had fallen in front of him and pointed it at my neck. The life force on the crimson de. To use it to take away life, how peculiar. "Immediately, lift my curse. If not, I will kill you." "Hmm?" Now he''s even threatening me? He''s really gone all out, hasn''t he? Does he think I''ll lift it just because he says so? No way! Ugh! I don''t acknowledge any underhanded tactics outside of the proper solution method! "If you can, then try it." "Sister!" The hero cried out in surprise. Why is he reacting like that? That little sword shouldn''t be enough to startle him. If you know who I am, you shouldn''t have any worries, should you? "Over there! My daughter and her good-for-nothing son-inw areing with their grandchild! Hurry up and finish this!" Well, I figured as much. Your concern for me doesn''t make any sense. Well, I can''t let him cause trouble for the hero''s daughter and her family. "Kneel down." I said in a low voice. "Gah!" The man copsed to the ground in an instant. Chapter 130: The Cursed One (2) Instantaneous gravity. If the body''s weight suddenly increases about 50 times, the limbs are bound to be shattered. Even if one has an immortal life, in a situation where they cannot move at all, they can do nothing. I sat on the back of the man sprawled on the floor, who looked like a frog crushed under a wheel, and said, "If you really wanted to lift that curse, you should have used the method I suggested from the beginning." "Ugh... Method? What method are you talking about?" Look at this guy. Did he really forget? No matter how much his life was full of the resentment of all the gods, did he really forget the only way to solve that problem? Really? I had exined everything from the beginning, but he forgot it? Really?? Truly??? Ugh. The people of Arcad who lost their country because of this kind of guy are pitiful.Well, it was I who cast that curse. But from now on, I will never use such a curse again. Only the perpetrator will be crushed. No harm to others. The lesson I learned after a country fell and many people suffered is this... The price is too high. But I''m not a perfectly omniscient, so I can''t help it. I let out a small sigh and pressed down even harder on the man lying on the ground. "Sister, was he the one you... cursed?" The hero finally seemed to realize something. "Is this the one? The one who tried to make a move on me the day I drew my sword!?" A move. Hmm. It was a move, indeed. "So you recognized him too." "Of course. The memory of that day is still vivid, even after dozens of years." It must have been a day thatpletely changed the hero''s life, so it''s natural that he remembers it. "Was that despicable man still alive? "Since the curse I cast was an immortality curse, he couldn''t die." Other than that, he must have gone through all kinds of suffering. "Immortality... Is that the curse?" "I also cursed thend of Arcad, but that''s another story." "Arcad? The country that existed before Arcadia was built?" "Yes. This fellow, as the prince of Arcad, wielded his power and despised the Goddess of Life and the Temple of Life, so as a punishment, I cursed thend so that no life would be born." At my words, the hero thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I can see why a country that was said to boast considerable size and power fell so quickly. But cursing the country itself seems a bit too much, doesn''t it?" "But how could I just let the one who defiled the Goddess of Life in the Temple of Life go? I do think I went a bit overboard, though." "The previous king of Arcadia would have been horrified." Ah, the king of Arcadia had passed the throne to his eldest son and was now living quietly on thend of Arcadia. From what I''ve heard, he''s been taking care of a killer queen who''s lived through a few generations with a beast god, but honestly, he''s old enough to die at any time. The queen is still healthy, apparently thanks to the beast god, but I guess being favored by the gods really makes a difference. The hero is also a body favored by the gods, in a way. Hmm. "I was quite enraged at that time, but now I''m reflecting on it. From now on, if I cast a curse, I''ll make sure it''s only on the perpetrator." As I reflected on the deed I hadmitted, listening to the agonizing sounds of the man crushed under me, the hero''s daughter and her family entered the room, along with a middle-aged woman I had never seen before. "Hmm? Daughter, who is that?" "Ah, a guest. She said she had some business with you and aunt." A guest? For me and the hero? I turned my gaze to the middle-aged woman. "U-Uncle!" The woman shouted, seeing the man crushed under me. "Is this the fool''spanion?" The middle-aged woman looked back and forth between me and the man under me, not knowing what to do. Judging from the fact that she came to see me, she must have known that I am the Dragon''s Priestess. She''s probably at a loss, not knowing what to do. We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now However, the woman standing in front of me seems older than the man crushed under me. Hmm. Well, since he is under an immortality curse, that''s understandable. "Take this fool and leave. I don''t know what business you and this fool have with us, but it''s clearly a futile effort." After releasing the gravity that was crushing the man, I threw the man with his shattered limbs to the middle-aged woman. The tattered limbs began to recover quickly, as if rewinding time. The cursed one who cannot die, even in death, living with such a curse. The foolish man who had forgotten the solution I had told him and stubbornly insisted on being killed. The middle-aged woman who was examining that insignificant man knelt in front of me and the hero. "Please! Please remove the curse ced on my uncle! I''ll do anything!" The middle-aged woman bowed her head to the ground, pleading. What rtionship does she have with that fool that she calls him "uncle" and is begging for the curse to be lifted? "Who are you? What rtion do you have with that fool that you''re bowing your head to the ground?" In response to my question, the middle-aged woman spoke while her head was still bowed to the ground. "Uncle is my benefactor. If he hadn''t helped me, I would have already died." "Hmm...? That fool helped someone?" I can''t believe it at all. That fool helping someone? I''d believe the sun rising in the west more. "It''s hard to believe such a thing easily." He had the leeway to help others, but to regret his own mistakes... Ah, did he forget? Well, it doesn''t really matter. "But it''s the truth. Even though Uncle was being chased by others, he helped me." Chased by others? Ah, I see. Since he was also targeted by other gods, he must have been treated like a cmitous god, bringing disaster wherever he went. If storms, downpours, wildfires, and earthquakes followed wherever that fool went, the humans would have tried to drive him out, eyes aze. He could have fought the humans using his immortality as a weapon, but that would have only made the situation worse, not better. So. "That''s a story from decades ago. On a cold, snowy day in winter." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In the bleak winter when even the farmers'' crops failed and the hunters and fishermen had no luck. I was quite ill at that time. My father, the vige chief who ruled a fairlyrge town, was worried about me. I was sickly to begin with, but this year my ailments were even worse-- "Wait, that''s enough." "Huh?" "I don''t want to hear the whole story. Just give me the key points briefly." Well, it would just be about how difficult it was, how that fool saved him, how he was able to live because of it, and how much suffering followed after. Same old story. Dragging out things I''m not curious about isn''t good. Short and concise. "But... there''s a story about how I met and parted with Uncle, and our touching reunion..." "I don''t want to hear all the details. Summarize the key points briefly." The middle-aged woman pondered for a while, carefully choosing her words, and then spoke. "Uncle saved me when I was abandoned by my family. In a situation where there wasn''t much food, he couldn''t afford to feed a sickly child like me who couldn''t work properly." I see. When resources were scarce, they cast out the child they deemed useless. How cruel. It seems that she was born in a rather harsh ce, where food was not abundant. In such regions, circumstances like that are not umon. "It was uncle who took me in at that time. He cared for me as I was dying in the cold forest." Cared for? That fool? Was he not mistaken about the person? "When my uncle ced his hand on my head, my health gradually recovered. I didn''t know what method he used back then, but now I know. My uncle had shared his life force with me." Life force... Hmm... The one cursed for desecrating the Goddess of Life is wielding life force. What a curious irony. "After I recovered, my uncle tried to send me back home. But I didn''t want to return to that house. That''s how I clung to my uncle, asking to travel with him." The middle-aged woman paused to catch her breath, then continued. "My uncle said no. He said he was cursed by the gods, and their punishment was raining down on him. He couldn''t travel with me, as I would be put in danger as well." The woman''s eyes held affection for that foolish man as she spoke. Chapter 131: The Cursed One (3) "The story seems to be getting long. We''ll go back for now ande backter. It''s not something we should be listening to." As the middle-aged woman''s story continued, the hero''s daughter left the house with her family. Hmm... There was a n to have a meal with the hero''s family... But it''s been disrupted by an uninvited guest. Sigh. Can''t be helped. Might as well finish it up quickly and have the meal! "Even after that, my uncle kept trying to push me away, but in the end, my stubbornness won, and I was able to set out on a journey with my uncle. The purpose of the journey was... to break my uncle''s curse." The woman''s words continued. "My uncle didn''t tell me much about the curse. The only thing he said was that he was cursed by the gods and that cmity was circling around him." Hmm... Cursed and cmity circling around him? Isn''t he just trying to hide his own wrongdoing? Honestly, if he was flirting with the woman and desecrated the temple and the god, even if he''s cursed, he''d be called a scoundrel."But we still traveled the world together. In the process, we helped people who were suffering or being oppressed by others." It''s hard to believe that this fool actually helped people. Perhaps, helping others was not entirely voluntary. It might have been an unavoidable situation, or the woman got caught up in helping others and ended up helping as well. But if he truly did help others, even if not intentionally, that is still a good deed. Maybe it''s worth looking at it a bit differently. "Enough..." As the woman continued her story, the foolish man regained his senses and spoke in a small voice. "My uncle, who couldn''t walk properly in the sun, who suffered from flowing water and even a small me, did not stop the journey. The journey to find a way to break the curse. During that journey, despite suffering from countless cmities, my uncle helped people. Because of that, the number of people following him exceeded one hundred." This fool has over a hundred followers? Hmm... Well, since they don''t know the sins hemitted, they can still follow him and receive help. "Because being around my uncle invites the cmities sent by the gods, the other people have formed a safe vige and live there. I am the only one who apanies my uncle." The middle-aged woman spoke with a sense of pride on her face. "During the journey to break the curse, a certain king coveted my uncle''s power. If he could obtain the power of my uncle, who does not age or die, he could gain eternal life. With eternal life, he could seize the world." Hmm, so there was someone who coveted the power of eternal life? Well, it''s only natural for someone to appear who wants to pursue that. The more one has, the more one wants, and the less they want to walk the dark valley of death. "At that time, my uncle couldn''t put other people in danger, so he secretly left alone. He knew they would be in great danger." "Th-that was... to separate you troublesome ones..." "In the end, you went to the king alone and put an end to the king''s greed, didn''t you? That king was notorious among the people, but thanks to my uncle, a wise prince became the new king! Thanks to my uncle, a country has taken a better path!" Hmm... The one who ruined his own country ended up helping another country. "After hearing about you, you didn''t just push me away when I came to find you! If you really disliked me, you could have easily left me behind and gone on your own!" "......." The fool couldn''t say anything else. Perhaps the reason he couldn''t push the woman away was... because he was lonely? Earlier, he said he didn''t want a life where he had to watch others die, so it seems he valued the lives of those around him. Even a fool like him, it seems, didn''t want to be alone. "And so, my uncle and I continued our journey, enduring countless cmities. We helped countless people and continued to search for clues to break the curse." "Please... stop..." The fool started to sound like he was dying. He must be terribly embarrassed to have all his deeds exposed. "One day, while drunk, A drunken man mumbled in a broken voice. He mentioned the names of Hero and the Dragon''s Priestess." "Hmm, our names?" "Yes, he spoke your names in a low, regretful voice. Other than that, he didn''t say anything else... But when I think about it slowly, there was something strange about it." "Something strange?" "If it''s a curse from the gods, the first thing he would have done is to ask the person closest to the gods for help." Hmm, that''s true. The person closest to the gods is right here. The human chosen by the Goddess of Life, Hero, is here. "Later, I realized that during his travels, there was never an ovep in the destinations between him and Hero. In fact, it seemed like he was avoiding Hero''s path. It was veryte when I noticed that." "So, is that why you''vee here?" The woman nodded slightly at my words. "Yes. It took a long time to convince him, but after much persuasion, he reluctantly epted to meet you." "So, you''vee to find me and my sister?" "Yes, because you are hisst hope." The middle-aged woman said as she looked at the foolish man who was just starting to regain his senses. "So, please, I beg you two. Lend him your strength to break the curse on him..." cing his hand on the woman''s shoulder, the fool said, We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now "It''s no use now. These two won''t be of any help to me." "Huh? Why not?! If it''s Hero, if it''s the Dragon''s Priestess, the two you''ve heard about in the rumors... Surely they would help you!" At the woman''s words, the fool couldn''t say anything. He probably has no words to say, as he can''t tell the woman that the reason he was cursed was because he had sphemed against the gods and the temple. So, "I can''t do anything to help." I said, speaking on behalf of the fool. "Huh? Why?" "It''s because of the reason this fool was cursed." I red at the fool with a cold gaze, and he slightly averted his eyes. "For a curse directly imposed by the gods, the only way to break it is to appease the gods'' anger or do what the gods desire. There is no other way to break the curse, so even after searching for over a hundred years, it''s impossible to find a solution." "B-but..." The woman seemed to want to say more, but no words came out of her mouth. And the fool himself didn''t seem to have any intention of breaking the curse. Even the words he said while fighting Hero were not about breaking the curse, but about asking to be killed. This fool never had any intention of breaking the curse from the beginning. "Stop this foolish pursuit of finding other methods and do what you should do first. If you''ve been cursed by the gods, you must appeal to those gods. Clinging to anything else won''t bring a solution." At my words, the fool frowned deeply, seemingly unwilling to appeal to the Goddess of Life who had cursed him. At this rate, the curse won''t be broken even after hundreds of years. So, "If you understand, then find the right way to break the curse or kneel before the gods and beg for forgiveness. Otherwise, you won''t be able to break it." If I give him such a direct hint, maybe his memory will be revived! I also want to break the curse on thisnd little by little! If it weren''t for your stubborn attitude, I would have already broken it long ago! Not that the curse on you is my job, though! "The right way...?" "Yes, the right way. The easiest and surest method is the one you''re not doing right now, isn''t it?" Honestly, I thought it wouldn''t take this fool more than a year or two toe to the temple and beg for forgiveness. I had even conveyed the message through pilgrims. I thought he woulde to the temple, roll around, and cry and howl within a year or two. But he''s been stubbornly holding out for decades! Unbelievable! Seriously, his persistence in the wrong ce is amazing. "And if you don''t break the curse soon, something irreversible might happen to that foolish soul of yours. So stop that useless, stubborn stubbornness and go to the temple to beg for forgiveness." "Y-Yes! So, which god should he beg forgiveness from? Since he suffers when he''s in the sun, should he go to the god of light first? Or the other gods... Hmm... The god with a clear temple..." "Enough." The fool calmed the flustered woman and said, "The temple the Dragon''s Priestess is referring to is surely the temple of the Goddess of Life." The fool said with an unwilling expression. "Because everything started there." "Then let''s go quickly! It''s close by anyway..." "No. I don''t want to go there." "Uncle!!" The fool, no, the idiot, said with a really displeased expression. "What''s this about the Goddess of Life? What''s this about apassionate mother? She only brought me pain. I never even wished for this kind of life." This guy...? Not even thinking about his own mistakes? Even though I''ve been giving him chances and saying I''d lift the curse if he just repented, he''s ming others instead of reflecting on his own faults? No good. This guy is just hopeless. I should just separate his bones and flesh right here, and torment his soul forever©¤ "Stupid fool!" Rather than me taking action, Hero moved quickly, and a fistnded on the idiot''s face. Bam!!! The idiot''s head tilted back as if his neck was broken, and he fell backwards. Seeing the idiot like that, Hero shouted in a very rare angry voice. "Not even admitting your own mistakes and just making excuses! What an utter fool!" Right! Well done! Keep going! I cheered on Hero in my heart, and dispersed the magic I had slightly gathered to erase the idiot. Chapter 132: The Cursed One (4) "First, look at your own mistakes properly! A fool who doesn''t even understand what he did wrong won''t be able to break the curse even after thousands of years!" The fool who took a blow from the hero''s fist, which would normally decapitate an ordinary monster, slowly returned to his original state because his body was unable to die. "Ugh..." "Ah, uncle!" "And you over there. Stop following after this fool! If you keep following the tail of such a fool, you''ll end up living in disaster for the rest of your life!" At Hero''s words, the woman red up and said, "No, Hero-nim! Aren''t your words a bit too harsh?!" "Too harsh?! The real harshness lies in the idiocy of this imbecile! Do you know why this fool was cursed with immortality?! Why life stopped being born in Arcad''snd?! Why the refugees of Arcad had to leave their homnd and live in other countries?! It''s all because of the sinsmitted by this fool!" At Hero''s outburst, the woman was momentarily at a loss for words."Immortality curse...? Arcad''snd...? Ah, uncle. What is that..." The woman didn''t know the details of the curse that afflicted that fool. Since he didn''t exin what the problem was, she wouldn''t have known. "W-Was your curse... not about natural disasters striking around you and suffering under the sun?" "That''s not a curse either." I said to the perplexed woman. "Those are just other gods venting their anger and punishing that fool what he''s done." "Those natural disasters... are not a curse, just venting of anger?" "Yes, they''re not a curse." It''s just the children venting their outrage towards the fool whomitted rudeness against me. "If you don''t say it yourself, I''ll tell you here about what you''ve done. The curse you''ve received. All about you." "Please, stop..." "Why? Wasn''t it you who hasn''t said anything so far? Is it because the reason is too pathetic even for you? Then why did you do such a thing back then? Why did you do something that you would end up regretting so much?" I looked down at the fool with a cold gaze and said, "Was it because you wanted to be a good person to this child?" "Ugh..." Hmph. What a pathetic fool. A pitiful fool who doesn''t even have the courage to admit his own mistakes. I clicked my tongue briefly and said, "The reason this fool was cursed is..." "S-Stop it..." The fool reaches out his hand, but it doesn''t reach. As if such a worthless hand could reach me. "On the day Hero drew his sword and became a hero, at the Temple of the Goddess of Life." "Stop!!!!" He screams like a cry, but it has no effect. A foolish and even more foolish man. A man who couldn''t properly reflect. If I push the truth onto the woman who follows this fool, what will happen? Will she start despising the fool? Or...? "He coveted me who appeared before Hero, profaned the Goddess of Life, and desecrated the Temple of Life." I said in a low voice. "At the time, he used his position as the powerful Prince of Arcad to covet Hero''s sword." "..." The woman''s eyes are dyed with shock. The fool cannot say a word. What a stupid fool. What a foolish fool. A bastard who can''t even admit his own mistakes. Even after suffering for decades, he hasn''t changed, remaining a foolish man. "And so, the Goddess of Life cursed that fool with immortality, and also cursed Arcad''snd so that life could not be born there." "T-That can''t be..." "That is the truth. That fool is not someone you should admire. He is just endlessly foolish, and a fool who cannot ept his own mistakes." I thought he would ept his mistakes and reflect, so I cursed him, but I didn''t know he wouldn''t change this much... If I had known, I should have just cleanly sent him to the Afterlife. Wouldn''t everything have turned out well then? Arcad, and this fool too. Everything would have been fine. I was stupid. So stupid... Rather, should I turn back time now and crush this fool? No, but then everything I''ve built up so far would disappear? The adventure with Hero, the prosperity of Arcadia, Hero''s daughter and her family. If I turn back time from the present, everything I''ve built up so far will disappear. Is it right for me to turn back time? To crush this fool, would it be appropriate to pay such a price? No, it wouldn''t be. The cost would be too great just for that. That''s why, even if I had the cheat of turning back time, I shouldn''t abuse it carelessly. So then. "I thought that by cursing him and making him suffer, he would reflect on his mistakes a little... But I waspletely wrong, so the only option left is to deal with it here." I raised my hand and gathered magic. Wiping him out here might be the best oue. The silver sphere of magic that gathered in my hand was imbued with a sinister energy that could annihte anything it touched. "S-Sister!!!" We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here! Donate now Hero cried out in rm at seeing me, but I didn''t stop. Just now, when he pped that fool''s head, it was probably because he was trying to restrain him before I acted in anger. It''s a bit unfortunate that Hero''s efforts went to waste, but there''s no help for it. That fool was just too foolish. "You wished for Hero to kill you, didn''t you? I''ll grant your request. But there will be no peace for you even after death, for the gods of death have been eagerly awaiting to seize your soul." If he had reflected on his mistakes, I might have forgiven him, but there''s no need for forgiveness anymore. Now I''ll just get rid of him and forget all about this foolish being. I don''t want to think about him anymore. So. "Step aside." I said to the woman blocking my way. "That fool is not worth you shielding him. It''s better for this foolish being to disappear from this world." But even with my words, the woman didn''t step aside. She tightly pressed her lips together, her eyes brimming with tears, shaking her head to block me. "Why? Why are you still shielding him? Even after hearing of his wrongdoings, you still shield him?" "B-But..." The woman spoke in a voice thick with emotion. "Even though hemitted such a wrong... the fact that he saved me hasn''t changed..." Her voice was alsoced with deep fear. It seems she instinctively understood how dangerous this silver magic of mine was. And yet, she was risking her life to stand in my way. "You too are being foolish." "Even though hemitted such a grave wrong... he is... my benefactor, an important person to me." I see. Because he is her benefactor, an important person. She wants to protect him even at the cost of her life. Truly, he is more than worthy of such a person. "S-Step aside! This is not something you should risk your life for! Finally, I can die!" From behind the woman, the fool shouted. Since the means to kill him had appeared before his eyes. The fool had changed, bing like someone who had found what he had long been searching for. "Let me say again, without being forgiven, you will not find peace even in death. And yet, do you still wish to die?" "At least it would be better than my current life of suffering!" Hmph, better than the current suffering, is it? "You can say that because you don''t know how horrific it can be to be free from the constraints of the physical body." Compared to the torment of the afterlife, the suffering of this life is but a speck of dust. This life is just coffee, while the afterlife is T.O.P... Hmm, that''s a bit outdated. "You can say that because you don''t know how agonizing the torment inflicted directly on the soul can be." I smirked. "Especially in the afterlife... there are experts who specialize in tormenting the souls of the sinful. It will be most delightful. very much so." Even those fiends are sharpening their des, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the foolish one who had mocked me. "More... agonizing than the current life?" "Yes. It will be fun, so look forward to it." "S-Sister... that''s a bit too much..." "It''s just the right amount for this fool. Otherwise, he won''t reflect at all." So. "Now step aside." I still looked at the woman who was blocking my way. With a trembling body, eyes leaking tears, unable to calm down in the face of death. The woman did not step aside. "Ah, no. I can''t let uncle die..." "Even if you die?" "Even if I die, I can''t let my uncle die... Please, please forgive my uncle..." Forgiveness. Forgive. I clicked my tongue briefly. I want to make that foolish idiot disappear from this world right now... but I don''t want to kill the woman in front of me. So. "I''ll give you onest chance." "Ch-Chance...?" "......" I said to the woman. "If that idiot sincerely repents and apologizes to the Temple of Life, I won''t kill him. If not... no matter how youe out, I''ll erase that idiot from this world." An ultimatum. If that idiot sincerely reflects on his mistakes, I won''t kill him. I didn''t say it separately, but I will also lift the immortal curse. But if he doesn''t... I will use any means to erase that guy. Without leaving a trace in this world. Chapter 133: The Cursed One (5) A week''s time. To be honest, I would like to separate his bones and flesh right now, However, if I were to do that, the woman who follows this fool might also end up dying alongside him. So, I was giving him ast chance. "Ugh, sister. I was so scared." "Hmm? Scared?" "Yes. I''ve never seen your face so angry before. And the terrifying silver aura you created was so frightening that it would have made anyone faint just by looking at it... Honestly, if I wasn''t as strong as I am, I would have passed out immediately." "Hmm... was it that bad?" The hero nodded his head slightly and continued. "Even I, who often stay by your side, felt that way, so those people... especially that woman, must have... Well, no need to exin further."Considering that, it''s amazing that she didn''t faint and still stood in my way... Hmm. Was the fear of that idiot dying more terrifying than the fear of death? Enough to ovee the instinctive fear? Tsk. I clicked my tongue briefly. "What a pity to have such a foolish person by your side." "Please don''t say it like that. He is the benefactor of my life." "But you don''t think so either, do you." At my words, the hero awkwardly smiled and nodded his head. "Because he dared to try to mess with you, sister. Honestly, I wanted to beat him to death..." The hero shook his head slightly. "For some reason, when I saw that woman, I thought of my daughter." Hmm. The hero was ovepping that idiot and that woman with himself and his daughter. Well, it''s understandable to see the resemnce. They''re around the same age. That''s why he indirectly stopped me from killing that idiot. "But if that guy really doesn''t apologize, will you kill him?" ¡°Why not?¡± I''ve given him enough chances, and I think I''ve been patient enough. But even so, if he acts so foolishly, there''s no reason for me to be patient anymore. I''m getting fed up with it, too. "And what I said I would do is only to lift the curse." I didn''t mention what I would do to him after lifting the curse. Once the immortality curse is lifted, I can do whatever I want. "That''s terrifying." "Well, considering he sphemed the Goddess of Life, I''m being quite merciful by not annihting his soul." I took a sip from the steaming hot cup of tea. The bitter taste of coffee. The coffee I created with my abilities tasted the same as the coffee I remember. Hero often asked why I drink such bitter water, but I''ve strangely missed this taste. Is it like nostalgia? I''m not sure, but... remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! asionally, I think of the original world. Even after all these years. The memories remain vivid and never fade. Thanks to that, sometimes... I even think about wanting to go back to that world. "Well, that can''t happen, though." "What can''t happen?" "Oh, nothing." I shouldn''t carelessly talk about the stories of another world. So I waited for a week, waiting for the fate of that idiot to be decided. I don''t know what choice he will make. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A weekter. "I''m truly sorry..." Surprisingly, the idiot was bowing his head and apologizing in front of my statue in the Temple of Life. Is it genuine? Or is it a false apology? I peeked into his heart just in case, but surprisingly, it was a sincere and desperate apology. No, why is the one who has been wandering the world for decades now apologizing? What kind of magic did he use? That woman? The hero and I stared nkly at the sight of the idiot bowing his head and apologizing to me. "This should be enough, right? Since he apologized sincerely, my uncle doesn''t have to die, right?" Read Ad-Free, click here! Donate now The woman spoke urgently, and I nodded my head slightly. "Y-Yeah..." The woman seemed very relieved at my words. But herplexion was quite pale, and she had bandages wrapped around her here and there. Did she actually harm herself... or use her own life as a hostage to persuade him? Even though she risked her life, to change the mind of that idiot who hadn''t changed for decades, it means that woman is very important to that idiot. "Th-Thank goodness... This means my uncle doesn''t have to die..." And then the woman copsed weakly, as if her legs had given out. Probably because the tension had been released due to her relief. "You fool! After being so stubborn!" The idiot quickly embraced the woman and bit his own thumb, letting the blood flow to the woman''s mouth. Gradually, the woman''s body started regaining vitality. Not just being filled, but the idiot was actually transferring his own life force to the woman. Using blood as a medium... so they can exchange life force. Just like a vampire. "Phew... After being so stubborn..." "Whose fault do you think that was?" The idiot sighed softly and spoke. "I am nothing, what can I say..." "That''s right." No matter how much of a benefactor he is, this guy is just hopeless. Tsk tsk. Well, it''s because he likes himself, so he won''t listen to anyone else''s opinion. "If someone hadn''t been so stubbornly useless, she wouldn''t have copsed like that." remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! At my grumbling, the idiot opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but then closed it without saying anything. Right. Sometimes silence is golden. Since he''s been forgiven, it would be troublesome if he opened his mouth again and got punished. "Anyway, since you''ve apologized as promised, I''ll lift the immortality curse." "Finally...!" The idiot''s expression changed to one of great delight at my words. Tsk. If he had apologized sooner, this wouldn''t have happened. I used magic to erase the traces I had left on the idiot''s soul. At the same time, I left behind another trace and also erased the magic that allowed him to freely absorb life force. Now that he''s no longer immortal... let me add a little mischief as the finishing touch. Well, it''s not a particrly grand mischief. I got an idea from the way that guy was feeding blood to transfer life force earlier. "Now that you''ve be a mortal body, but due to your reckless use of life force, your body has be inhuman." At my words, the idiot''s expression turned to one of iprehension. "And perhaps because you''ve incurred the displeasure of various gods, that affliction has be a weakness of your kind that is no longer human. Hmm. This is the first time I''ve seen a case like this." Of course, it''s a lie. It''s not that he''s changing on his own, but I''ve transformed him as I desired. "What... do you mean...?" "A race that can absorb or transfer life force through blood. And they are weak to things like sunlight or flowing water. They have many weaknesses, but if they can obtain enough life force, they can extend their lifespan indefinitely." "Extend... the lifespan...?" "Yes. And it seems they can also regain their youth with life force, so a new and rather interesting race has been born. I''m not particrly fond of you yourself, but the birth of this new life is something to be celebrated." At my words, the idiot''s expression becameplex in various ways, and as if giving up on everything, he only asked one question. "Can I... face death?" "Of course. The immortality curse has been lifted, so now death will no longer ignore your soul." Well, what happens to him in the afterlife is none of my business! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vampires. They are often referred to as bloodsuckers by many, and they are a subrace that refers to themselves as ''undead.'' They absorb life force by drinking blood, and use that life force as their own source. It is said that their roots date back to the distant past, and they were once mistaken for demons. The time of the first nameless hero. The second prince of the kingdom of Arcad, who grew up receiving the king''s favor, was an extremely arrogant person who believed that the power of the state was the greatest, and that even the gods should be under the power of the state. Due to this arrogance, the first empire called Arcad copsed, but this is not the story to tell now, so let''s move on. ... And so, the immortal prince was finally able to die, but due to his reckless use of the power of life, his body was transformed into a different race, no longer human. In the background of this story, there is an interpretation that at the time, the national powers had be excessively strong, and they began to challenge the divine authority held by various temples, including the Temple of Life - the temple at the time. Dissatisfied with this, the Goddess of Life used the powerful nation of Arcad as an example to quickly bring about its downfall, firmly establishing the divine authority. After that, Arcadia, the sessor to Arcad, enshrined the beast god as the national god, and generation after generation, the royal family produced the chief shrine maiden, showing respect for the gods. And so, the temples and the royal family did not encroach on each other''s domains. - Ancient history learned through mythology. The ims made in this book are not the mainstream position of the academicmunity. Chapter 134: Paradise (1) "What is beyond death?" One day, the hero asked me. "Beyond death?" "Yes. When lifees to an end, death is inevitable, so wouldn''t that death also have an end? What is beyond that death?" "The end of death... If you''re talking about the very bottom of the Afterlife, there are the three gods of the Afterlife." At my words, the hero shook his head slightly. "Didn''t you tell me about the Afterlife before? About how the souls are judged by the gods of the Afterlife, cleansed of their sins, and then reborn into a new life having their memories erased." "That''s right. I did tell you that." It seems he still remembered the story I had told him when we were traveling together.I picked up an apple that was ced on the table next to the bed where the hero was lying. I carefully peeled the skin off with a magic knife, then cut it into bite-sized pieces and brought them to the hero''s mouth. However, the hero couldn''t put the sliced apple in his mouth. "Can''t you eat it?" "No, I don''t have an appetite." "And you haven''t even had breakfast." I clicked my tongue softly. If I wanted to, I could easily extend his lifespan. But the hero was refusing. "Isn''t it the natural order of things for life to be born, live, grow old, and die? Just because I have been with the Goddess of Life, it is not right to deviate from that principle." "Even if I don''t want that?" "Yes, it''s my small stubbornness." The weary-looking heroy back down on the bed. "Let''s return to the original topic. What is beyond death?" "The soul is cleansed and reborn, carrying an untainted spirit." "Then what happens to the souls that pass the judgment of the three gods of the Afterlife?" At the hero''s words, I was silent for a moment. "There haven''t been any souls that have passed that judgment yet." "The criteria for the judgment must be very strict." And it was indeed the case. How many things do humans do in their lives? Are there no malicious acts at all in all those things? Is goodness present in everything? Or have they aplished such great deeds that even those malicious acts be meaningless? To the point of being called a hero? To the point of being praised by the world? At least so far, there have been no such souls. It''s to the point where even the three gods who pass the judgment are said to need a little leniency. "The truth is... there haven''t been any souls that have passed the judgment, so the ce beyond it hasn''t been created yet." If that ce... I''ll temporarily call it Paradise for now. Before creating Paradise, I had the idea of gathering the souls that passed the judgment separately, but... hmm. "Is that really okay?" "Since there haven''t been any souls that have passed the criteria, it''s fine to make it in advance, but..." Traveling the world with you has been more enjoyable than I thought. I had put it off forter. "It was just temporarily postponed. And... you seem like you''ll be the first soul to pass that judgment. I should start preparing it soon." I have some methods in mind for creating a new world. remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! "Me? What great deeds have I done?" "Haven''t you performed good deeds for the world?" As a hero, the great feats you''ve aplished in saving the world and defeating monsters are unparalleled good deeds. If you don''t pass the judgment, then who will? "If you don''t pass the judgment, then no one else will." At my words, the heroughed awkwardly and said, "I don''t think I''m that extraordinary..." "Hold your head high. You will be known as the first true hero in this world." The elderly hero straightened his posture a bit stiffly, then coughed. I held the hero''s hand and used my life-giving power to make his body a little morefortable. "Really... do you not need it?" "No, it''s already enough." The heroy back down deeply into the bed. "My wife has been gone for a long time. Most of the people I knew are gone now, and my daughter has be a wrinkled old woman, and her children have started their own families... Isn''t there no reason left for me to continue this life?" "Yes, that''s true." The hero''s age was already over 100 years old. The hero''s daughter had be a grandmother in her 60s, and her grandchildren had already married, had children, and established their own families. The hero''s descendants had now grown to the point of forming a small vige. "There is no longer even a founding king of Arcadia. Hmm. There are no longer any people I can truly call friends." "But didn''t that fellow return to his hometown before he died?" Read Ad-Free, click here! Donate now The curse on Arcadia''snd had disappeared. Thatnd had now be a ce where life was reborn. Thest prince of Arcadia is said to have returned to his hometown before his death, and fell into a peaceful sleep among the remnants of the city, never to wake up again. "It was his wish to return to his hometown. In the end, he was able to rest in peace in his hometown." "Un." He must have longed for his hometown so much, to the point of wanting to be buried there. "With such a great achievement of founding arge country, he couldn''t even pass the judgment of the Afterlife... It''s too strict." "In his case... the judgment has been suspended." His soul was entangled with both good and evil deeds, as well as his great achievements, making it difficult to reach a verdict. Since he was praised as the founding king among humans, it seems he will eventually pass, even if it takes some time. "The ce he will go to after passing the judgment... you said it hasn''t been created yet, right?" "Yes. If there is an existence that can pass the Afterlife''s judgment and receive the approval of the three gods... a suitable ce is needed, but I''m still pondering what would be best." Heaven, paradise, Elysium - it will be called by various names, but while I have nned the method of creating it, I''m still unsure of the exact form. A ce that is not physical where only souls exist, a ce where only happiness resides, a ce where one can be eternally happy. That may be what paradise is, but... I''m not sure. Is eternal happiness paradise? If one remains unchanging and happy until the world disappears, wouldn''t that be simr to preservation? A space where one is forced to remain happy forever, like preservation. I don''t know. I don''t know what is right. Even though I have the power, I don''t know anything properly. "You seem to have a lot of worries." "Yes, the worries never end." It would have been easier to just leave everything alone and observe the world from afar, but I had delved too deeply into it. remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! "Try to think of itfortably. Comfortably." "How can I think of itfortably?" It''s a ce where souls worthy of respect wille, so I can''t create it carelessly. "Couldn''t you create a ce ording to what the souls desire?" "Desire?" "Yes. In my case... it would be andscape like this vige. I quite enjoyed the simple life here." Hmm... If I do that, it might be problematic. If the number of people destined for that paradise increases, I don''t know how vast a ce would be needed. And if those who enter there wish to live together with their loved ones... it would be even moreplicated. It''s not easy. There''s nothing easy about it. "Well, I don''t really want to go there." "What?!" What do you mean you don''t want to go there?! If you don''t go, then who will?! "You said only those who pass the judgment can enter, right?" "Yes, that''s right. Only the select few who pass the judgment will be allowed to enter." "Then, my wife won''t be there, will she?" I couldn''t say anything in response to the hero''s words. "I didn''t know you cherished your wife so dearly." "Well, after living together, I''ve grown quite attached. Now I just want to see her face again." The hero let out a smallugh. "But if her soul is cleansed through the Afterlife''s judgment, her memories of you will also bepletely erased. Even so, do you still consider her your wife?" "Well, what does memory matter? Her memory was already lost once before. But we still lived happily together." I couldn''t say anything more. "If the soul that passes the Afterlife''s judgment enters the ce that my sister creates... will I not be able to meet that person again?" "The possibility of that is high. Even if your wife passes the Afterlife''s judgment in her next life, the soul at that time will have umted different memories." "Hmm... In that case, I also wish to be reincarnated." "Are you saying you want to meet her again in your next life?" The hero nodded his head slightly. Oh dear... this foolish man... "The soul that does not pass the Afterlife''s judgment will have its memoriespletely erased and live a new life. Even though it would be difficult to call her your wife, are you saying you will be reborn to meet that person?" "Yes. It is a foolish choice, isn''t it?" I couldn''t say anything more. Could there be an even more foolish choice than this? But... "Alright. I will respect your choice." "Really?" "However, you must go to the paradise that I will create." "What? Didn''t you say you would respect my choice?" Yes, I will respect it. But the fact that you will be the first resident of the paradise remains unchanged. Chapter 135: Paradise (2) "Isn''t it your desire to live a new life?" "Yes, but if I go to the paradise you speak of, isn''t that impossible?" "Why do you think it''s impossible?" At my words, the hero fell silent and became lost in thought. Well, it was just a simple thought. Just because one enters the paradise, it doesn''t mean they can''t be reincarnated. The reason this is possible is that the soul and essence, the twoponents that make up the soul, can be easily separated, and all that is needed for reincarnation is the soul alone. I drew a diagram in the air with magic. A ck and white yin-yang symbol. This depicted the structure of the soul, the intertwining of the soul and essence. "This is a simple representation of the structure of the soul.""The white and ck are intertwined." "Yes. The white is the soul, the ck is the essence. Together they form the spirit, or what is called the soul. In this form, the soul is the innate, and the essence is the acquired." I separated the ck and white from the yin-yang. "The soul that passes the Afterlife''s judgment is purified, with the essence disappearing and only the pure soul remaining. That soul is then reborn by the god of birth into a new life." "I vaguely remember hearing about that before." Before embarking on the adventure, I had taught the hero these things at the temple of life, and he surprisingly remembered. "The key point here is that only the soul is needed for reincarnation. The essence is the part of the soul that is imprinted with memories from one''s life. Those memories must not remain during the process of reincarnation into a new life." Though, every now and then, there are those whose essence is notpletely cleansed. Well, it''s only a small part of their memories, so at most they may have a faint recollection of their past life or speak of their Afterlife experience. This is all due to the Afterlife being so busy that there''s hardly any time. "So, that means... the talk of reincarnating in the paradise..." "Yes. By separating the soul into soul and essence, we can reincarnate the soul while leaving the essence in the paradise." Since memories y a significant role in shaping a person''s personality, if we can preserve those memories in the paradise, then it''s fine to reincarnate just the soul. "If you reincarnate, end your new life, ande back to the afterlife, you''ll be able to.... you feel like you''re going back into paradise, unless you''ve done something really bad." "What if I didmit misdeeds?" "The soul thatmitted misdeeds must be cleansed. After being purified, it would reunite with the essence that was left in the paradise, restoring the soul to its original state. That''s the general idea I have in mind." Splitting the soul, keeping half in storage and reincarnating the other half. Andter retrieving it. That way, reincarnation can also ur in the paradise. In other words, they would be able to take a brief excursion to the lower world while residing in the paradise, and then return to the heavens. "Of course, I''ll only provide this service to those who desire it. It''s not an essential thing." Since it''s just a rough concept that I haven''t fully developed yet, I''m worried about how it will turn out oncepleted. But if I can control it properly... then keeping the essence in the paradise might not just be preserving it like a specimen. "I''m not sure, but it seems like a difficult task." "Well, handling souls is something I''m familiar with. I''m sure it''ll work out somehow." remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! And I have helpers, the three gods of the Afterlife, to assist me. Though they''re swamped with the constant influx of work in the Afterlife, they can lend a hand in exchange for assistance. "Well, since it''s something you''re doing, I''m sure it''ll work out." "It''s not like I always seed, you know." "But still, you''ll find a way, won''t you? It''s hard to imagine you failing at something you set your mind to." It''s true that I don''t always seed. I''ve had my fair share of spectacr failures, like the war between the dragons or the escape of Erebus. Hmm. Best not to dwell too deeply on those. It''ll only make me angry again. I peeled and cut the apple into appropriate sizes, then ced it on the table next to the bed where the hero was lying. "If you feel like eating itter, then eat it." The apple came from the apple tree that I had grown with my magic, so eating it would restore vitality. Even just a little would make his body feel better. "I don''t have an appetite, so I can''t eat it." "But you have to eat at least a little. If you keep starving, your stomach will get upset." The hero''s body, which had been tempered and honed like steel through rigorous training and adventures, could not withstand the passage of time and had shriveled up. The once firm muscles had lost their sticity and be ck... His physical condition was clearly telling that the hero could not endure much longer. However, thanks to the abundant magic he had umted through constant training, his body was still holding on, even without proper nourishment... But now, it was reaching its limit. It would be better to start preparing myself mentally. Read Ad-Free, click here! Donate now "Then it''s about time for the children toe. What story should I tell them today?" "How about the story of you catching the giant five-headed snake from the east?" For some reason, snakes often be powerful monsters. Is there something special about snakes? Lizards and snakes, creatures with scales, tend to be stronger in strange ways. "Hmm... The subject matter is sufficient, but the development of the event is ratherckluster. Feeding him a lot of alcohol made from fermented rice and then slitting his throat while he''s asleep... It seems a bit too underhanded for the hero to do." "But it made it convenient, didn''t it?" That snake had been regrlying down to the vige and devouring the people, so there were only a few children left in that vige. Well, that''s already a story from the past. "Or how about the story of you catching the giant bird in the southeast desert?" "That was essentially Sister''s achievement. I just held on to the tail feathers and got tossed around before finishing it off." "But isn''t that still one of your heroic deeds, Hero?" The memories of the adventures I had shared with the hero were gradually umting, bing cherished recollections. All the things we had done together, the people we had saved. The time spent not just observing the world from the perspective of a god, but mingling among the living, experiencing their lives. All of these were being stored within me, bing my own memories. "Well, I should be going now. I''ll see you againter." remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! "Yes, take care." And so, the hero and I bid each other farewell. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In the past, the hero had made a pouch using the wing membrane of a wyvern he had captured. It was a so-called "infinite pouch" that could hold much more than a normal pouch by being connected to a pocket dimension. Well, it wasn''t truly infinite, but close enough. It was an item I didn''t particrly need, but when I gave it to the hero, he found it quite useful. In fact, that pouch was created for a different purpose - to experiment with creating another world. The goal was to make a tiny world and use it as I pleased. At first... well, creating a world was not as easy as it seemed. Even making a world the size of a small pouch was quite challenging. But after gradually improving and increasing the size, I''ve now seeded in creating a world of considerable size. Well, there''s nothing in it! A void space without even a speck of light. I was nning to use this empty space to create a paradise. I had considered making it in this world as well, but... there was a case where someone stubbornly burrowed their way in, trying to revive the dead, after I had hidden the entrance to the Afterlife deep in the far north, where normally no one coulde. So, I decided to create the paradise in a different world instead. Honestly, I just can''t understand how that child had the gall to find the Afterlife, and how they managed to do it... A lunatic trying to revive their parents by entering the Afterlife. As a result, they got caught by the afterlife and are now a caretaker of the hierarchy... a gatekeeper. But let''s move on from that story. In the void world, I will be writing downwspletely different from the existing world. A world where physical matter naturally dposes, and the spiritual world exists. A world where the size expands in proportion to the number of souls that enter the paradise. A world where anything desired can be created. A world where you can reunite with anyone you wish to meet in the paradise. If they are not in the paradise? Well, I''ve thought about it a bit... a world where you can meet beings created through your memories. Hmm. It''s not the actual person, but... I can only do it this way. However, just because someone in the paradise wishes for it, I cannot let the souls who have not entered the paradisee in. There''s no helping it. This is how it has to be. In any case, a world where all desires can be fulfilled. A world without conflict, war, or fighting. What if the people who enter want war and fighting? How did they even pass the Afterlife''s judgment? But just in case, referring to Norse mythology... I''ll prepare a space where those people can gather and fight to their heart''s content. The heroes who have entered the paradise might start fighting each other out of a sense of rivalry, after all. Of course, only if they themselves desire it. Those who don''t want to fight shouldn''t be forced to. A space where milk and honey flow, and there is no pain or suffering for eternity. And where the warriors can fight, die, and be reborn to satisfy their hunger forever. Whatever one desires, whatever one wishes for, everything will be fulfilled in this world. And those who wish to leave can depart at any time. Such a world shall be made. Chapter 136: The Death of the Hero (1) And so, the hero''s life came to an end. By chance, he had drawn the hero''s sword and ventured into the world, vanquishing the monsters that threatened humanity. He was hailed as a hero by others, and his exploits became the stuff of legends, spreading far and wide. But in the face of death, even a hero is no different. [So this is what death is like.] The hero looked down at his feet. There hey on the bed, his physical body. And surrounding that body were the weeping children. Watching the scene of them mourning his death was... a rather peculiar sight. He couldn''t even remember the moment of his death. Likely, he had died in his sleep.And in that scene, the beloved sister''s figure was nowhere to be found. The hero''s sword, Chloive Sis, which he had hung on the wall like a decoration since he could no longer wield it... had somehow disappeared. His sister had said she would stay with him until the end, so she must have taken the sword with her when he died. [I see, that''s why she said she would see me againter.] Indeed, his sister was the Goddess of Life, and she knew everything about life. She must have easily recognized the length of a person''s lifespan. [But in any case, what now?] As his sister had said, when a person dies, the Reaperes to guide their soul to the Afterlife. [The Reaper, huh...] The god of death, a rather ominous name. But the ominous-sounding being was nowhere to be seen in the hero''s eyes. [Is it taking a long time for them to arrive?] ["Is that you, Hero?"] Suddenly, a voice that was not human reached his ears from behind him. A voice that echoed like speaking in a cave, But somehow, it sounded small and cute. The hero''s soul turned to look in the direction the voice hade from. ["I am the Reaper assigned to guide you to the Afterlife. Pleased to meet you."] A small figure wearing a ck hooded robe was addressing him. It was a diminutive Reaper, struggling to carry arge scythe on its back, with a rather cute-looking skull covering its face. ["Reaper?"] ["Yes, that''s right, I''m the Reaper."] ["You look quite different from what I had imagined."] ["That''s amon reaction. This appearance was designed by the Goddess of Life."] Ah, it must have been the sister''s taste. Even though she pretended not to, she did have a fondness for cute things. This shape did seem to be something the sister would like. ["Ever since taking on this form, the Goddess of Life has grown quite fond of it. We''re quite satisfied as well."] The Reaper puffed out its body with pride. The hero let out a small chuckle at the sight. ["When you said you were the Reaper, I thought you''d be much more ominous-looking."] ["In the past, that was the case. I was bigger, and my head was a real skull... But the Goddess of Life disliked how gloomy my appearance and duties were, so she had me changed."] ["My sister really is quite willful, isn''t she?"] ["Sister?"] remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! ["The Goddess of Life, I mean."] At the hero''s words, the Reaper paused for a moment, then spoke softly. ["Please don''t refer to the Goddess of Life as your sister. There are many who revere her, and just knowing that someone called her ''sister'' would anger them."] The hero nodded slightly at the Reaper''s. To him, she had always been a familiar, close sister. But to others, she was the Goddess of Life, the most venerable Goddess in the world. ["I''ll keep what I''ve heard a secret. for the Goddess of Life has also told me."] ["I see..."] The hero nodded again. ["Well then, do you have any final words you''d like to leave for your family? If not, I can guide you to the Afterlife now."] ["I''ve already said everything I needed to say to my family. They''re not children anymore, and I think they''ll handle the rest well. It''s fine."] ["That''s good to hear. Others often spend the whole night talking to their families. It''s simple, which is nice. In that case, please wrap this around your waist."] ["This?"] ["It''s a shadow rope that binds the soul. Sometimes, souls try to escape and not go to the Afterlife, so we use this to forcibly drag them along."] The rope made of pitch-ck shadows was a strange object that the soul could touch. [I won''t try to run away.] [But it''s the rule, and this will help us get there faster.] At the Reaper''s words, the hero tied the shadow rope around his waist. [There, I''ve tied it.] [Alright, then let''s depart.] As soon as the Reaper finished speaking, shadows spread out from the rope tied around the hero''s waist, enveloping his soul. Read Ad-Free, click here! Donate now And what appeared before the hero, whose vision had gone dark, was... [We''ve arrived. This is the gate to the Afterlife, located at the end of the world.] A massive gate attached to a ck rocky mountain. [This is... something I''ve never seen before.] [Normally, the living don''t have a reason toe here.] While traveling with his sister, he had explored many parts of the world, but he had never known of a ce like this. The sea filled with pure white ice, and the bridge covered in snow and ice. This must be the northernmost end of the world. [The northernmost end, huh... I never knew there was a ce like this at the very north.] The farthest north the hero had gone during his adventures was when he came to kill the poisonous snakes that threatened the giants'' vige. But even then, he hadn''t gone all the way to the end. [Normally, it would take months of riding a horse to get here. But we arrived in an instant...] [As the Reaper who travels all over the world to collect the souls of the dead, returning here is instantaneous for me.] [To here? Can''t we go to other ces?] [No. I could, but to collect the souls of the dead, I need to search all over the world. If I teleport and miss a dead soul, it would be a big problem.] The hero nodded at the Reaper''s words. [Alright, then let''s go down. Please follow me.] [Since I''m tied to the rope, I don''t have a choice but to follow you even if I don''t want to.] [There are some who try to untie themselves, you know. Anyway, let''s go down.] remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! And so, the hero stood before the gate of the Afterlife, alongside the Reaper. That''s when the hero noticed the inscription written above the gate. [What does that inscription say?] [It''s a message left by the Goddess of Life. It says, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter."] A warning for those passing through the gate of the Afterlife. A warning that once a soul enters, it can never escape again. And a warning to prevent the living from crossing this threshold. Perhaps because of this warning, the gate itself exuded a sense of dread that seemed to gnaw at one''s mind. [Don''t stare at it too much. It might damage your soul.] The Reaper calmly pushed the gate open and pulled the rope tied around the hero''s waist, leading him inside. A passageway made of ck rock. Stairs that couldn''t be seen even an inch ahead. [If I lose my footing, I''ll be in trouble] [Since you''re a soul, it''s fine. If you had a physical body, it would be a problem.] Alongside the calm Reaper, the hero descended the stairs leading to the Afterlife for a considerable time. It was fortunate that, as a disembodied soul, he didn''t feel tired. Emerging from the tunnel, a vast za spread out before the hero''s eyes. And at the end of the za stood a ck statue. [What''s that?] [The first guardian of the Afterlife, the Obsidian Colossus, Talos.] The hero gazed at the Colossus, whose red eyes surveyed the za. Its immense size and the powerful aura it exuded without even moving a muscle. The hero had a glimpse of the formidable nature of the Afterlife, with such a mighty being guarding the entrance. [He''s strong...] [Yes. Well, he is one of the guardians of the Afterlife.] Compared to the monsters the hero had fought, no, it was iparable to the level of power possessed by the Colossus. [He was the first guardian created by the Goddess of Life when she made the Afterlife. His power is unmatched even among the ones who manage the differentyers of the Afterlife.] Though, he was already breached once by a cunning strategy, the Reaper added in a small voice. [Alright, let''s go down. We have a long way to go.] The hero looked up at Talos as he passed by. If it were him, if it were his prime self, could he win in a fight against that colossus? If he had a sword other than his own, he would be doomed. With his own sword, it would be a 50-50 chance... No, more like 3 to 7. He would be at a disadvantage. Of course, his adventure was with the Dragon''s Priestess, so it was essentially a fight together. If they fought together, they would never lose. [Well, if I''m with my sister, I wouldn''t have to fight that statue in the first ce.] That''s what the hero was thinking. [Enough with the strange thoughts, let''s hurry and go down.] [Ah, sorry. I got curious about that statue.] And so the hero began descending into the Afterlife, guided by the Reaper. Chapter 137: The Death of the Hero (2) "Is this the hero''s vige?" "Yes. This is the vige where the first hero passed away." The young hero looked out at the scenery of the vige from the entrance. The first hero, whose name was not recorded. The vige where hisst breath remains. In the small mountain vige, "Buy hero bread! Freshly baked and piping hot!" "If you''vee to the hero''s vige, you should buy a souvenir! Here, a statue of the hero! We also have hero sword decorations!" "This is the hero memorial. We''ve perfectly recreated the house where the first hero lived! Just 10 silver!" The scene was one of people running businesses using the hero as the subject."What is this...?" "By the way, there are no direct descendants of the hero living in this vige." The silver-haired girl said coldly. "After the first hero died, his bloodline gradually left this vige. Some of the direct descendants lived here for the first few generations, but they soon departed." "Then what are the people living in this vige?" In response to the hero''s question, silver-haired girl shook her head slightly and said, "Who knows. Probably people who gathered here to make money by using the legend of the hero as their subject." "So it''s all about money after all..." As if his expectations had beenpletely shattered, the young hero copsed to the ground in despair. "But at least this ce is close to the headquarters of the Temple of Life, so they might think it''s safe from the Demon King''s threat." "I guess that''s true, but... What is hero bread?" "It''s a bread shaped like a shabby sword, made by putting dough into a mold and baking it. It has red bean paste inside and tastes good. Want to try some?" "No, that''s okay..." The hero was dejected once again. When he had heard the name "hero''s vige," the hero had imagined... [A small vige where the hero''s descendants live. A vige to test any new heroes that appear. By oveing that trial, one would gain the recognition of the first hero and obtain the treasures he used.] But the reality was just a tourist spot. "The hero''s descendants are still people. After the first hero died, they all scattered." The silver-haired girl had already taken a paper bag containing the sword-shaped breads and was chewing on one of them. "Are you really not going to eat any? Am I going to have to eat them all by myself?" "I won''t eat them..." "But they''re so delicious." The silver-haired girl continued to munch on the shabby sword-shaped bread, unaware of the young hero''s feelings. - From the adventure records of a certain hero party. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero descended into the Underworld with the Reaper. Along the riverbank separating the living world and the Afterlife, they saw children longing for their parents. [Do those childrene to the Underworld as well?] [Death is fair to all, young and old. But those innocent children can move on to the next life without facing the Underworld''s judgment.] The hero and the Reaper passed the children and arrived at the ferry dock where an old man with his mouth sewn shut with ck thread stood, unable to speak. [There should be a pouch in your robe. Take out the ferry fare.] [In my robe?] The hero searched the in white robe and pulled out a surprisingly heavy pouch. remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! [It''s smaller than I expected. I thought a renowned hero like you would have a huge bundle that would be difficult to lift.] [This is the pouch my sister gave me.] It was a pouch made from wyvern hide,rge enough to easily carry a small house. [And I''ve never carried anything this heavy.... before]. Carefully holding the pouch, the hero opened it on the riverbank, on solid ground. And an enormous amount of silver coins poured out of the pouch, forming a small hill. [...?] [No wonder it was so heavy.] The hero let out a small chuckle as he looked at the hill of silver coins. [This should be more than enough for the ferry fare, right?] [Ah, yes.] The Reaper and the ferryman could only nod weakly as they stared at the massive amount of silver. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The hero continued to advance with the Reaper. They passed through a beautiful flower garden that was healing just by looking at it, and proceeded down a path of ck pebbles with nothing appearing. They crossed over the hell that burned souls with mes, the hell filled with those pierced by icicles, and the hell with countless thorns growing. And in front of the hero, who had walked through the darkness of hell where not even a step ahead could be seen, appeared a massive door. [I''ll stop here. The three administrators of the Afterlife are inside.] [Will I be judged there?] [Yes. After examining a person''s life, they weigh the gravity of peoples sins and pass judgment. I''ll be on my way then.] [Wait, my sister is not here... ah, gone..] The Reaper who had brought the hero was already gone, having vanished. Read Ad-Free, click here! Donate now [Hmm... I have no choice but to go in.] Gazing at the massive door before him, the hero steeled his resolve. [Whatever, I''m already dead, so what''s the problem? I won''t die again! But this door... how do I open it?] The hero began to examine the massive door. A pitch-ck door, with various carvings. It looked simr to the entrance to the Afterlife, but the size difference was enormous. Creak. The door began to open by itself. [Ooh... the door opened by itself.] The hero peeked inside. A dark passageway with countless crimson-decorated pirs. At the end of that passageway were... the gods of the Afterlife. The hero took a deep breath and stepped through the open door. [You''ve finally arrived.] The scenery hadpletely changed. The building was filled with antique decorations. Three pairs of eyes were looking down at the hero from the front and sides. [7 levels, 7 days each, 49 days. The hero''s judgment has finally begun.] To the left was an entityposed of a ck shadow. Simr to the Reaper, but overwhelmingly more imposing. A massive Reaper shrouded in the aura of death. [I am Thanatos, the king of the Reapers.] The king of the Reapers. Perhaps that''s why the hero felt a simrity between the Reaper who had brought him and this Thanatos. Next, the entity sitting in the center. Wearing Eastern clothing, with a veil-draped crown covering the face. Holding a mirror in one hand and a scroll in the other. remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! [I am Yama, or Moros. I am the investigator who examines your life.] A considerably more gentle presencepared to the other two. Lastly, the entity sitting on the right. An entity in the form of a woman, half alive and half dead. Holding a scale in one hand and a massive greatsword upright in the other. [Ugh, how troublesome. Can''t you just let him through? Hearing about his exploits in life, I think he should get a free pass.] [Keres. Introduce yourself.] [How troublesome... Ahem. I''m Keres. I''m the judge who weighs the gravity of sins and passes judgment.] Despite her casual tone, she had a more ominous gaze than the other two. [Then let us begin.] Yama, reflecting the hero in the mirror held in his hand, began to examine the scroll that unfolded by itself. [Hero. Hero Yohanan. You lost your parents at a young age and became an orphan, wandering until you identally drew the sword of the Temple of Life and became a hero.] [The hero had a name? Wow... I''ve never heard of that before.] [Keres. Be quiet.] As Thanatos spoke softly, Keres pouted her lips slightly, seeming a bit sulky. [After traveling the world with the Dragon''s Priestess, he defeated numerous monsters and saved many humans.] [Dragon''s Priestess, huh? I wonder why she bothered to do such a troublesome thing.] [Keres.] [Yes. I''ll shut up.] Ignoring Keres, Yama continued to read from the scroll. [After the journey ended, he got married and had 1 daughter, and lived quietly without any particr incident until his death at the age of 103. Is there any mistake?] [I was 103 years old? Honestly, I didn''t even know my own age.] [Un. That''s understandable if you were an orphan. Anyway, let''s move on quickly. There''s a lot of work piling up. It''s scary when three of us are assigned to one soul''s trial.] [Ke-re-ss.] [Yes~ yes~ I''ll be quiet.] Contrary to the hero''s expectations, the atmosphere was lighter than he had imagined for the gods of the Afterlife. [Let''s see. No record of murder, fraud, or theft. A few instances of violence, but only against monsters, and to protect humans or save other lives.] [Quite clean.] [Well, of course. There was someone by his side, you know.] The three Afterlife gods nodded as they reviewed the hero''s life. [Looking at this, there seems to be no problem with his life.] [Yes. This will be the first soul to pass the trial in the Afterlife.] [Hmm. Then all that''s left is to weigh it on the scale, right?] Keres lightly pointed the tip of her greatsword at the hero, and a faint something flowed out from within the hero and gathered on the de''s edge. [This is just like dusting off a speck of dirt. Almost no sins... I can already tell the result.] [Keres. The procedure must be followed.] [I know, I know. How stubborn of you, old generation.] Keres ced the something gathered on the de onto the scale, but the scale showed no change. Then, [Then, let us add the final sin.] Yama, who had been silently reciting the hero''s life, spoke softly. [The sin is, a mere mortal monopolizing a goddess.] --- remove ads This is supposed to be an ad, thank you for your support! T/N: We, finally got the hero''s name huh... Chapter 138: The Death of the Hero (3) [The sin of monopolizing a goddess?] At Yama''s words, Keres, who was standing next to him, spoke with a dissatisfied expression. [No, it''s annoying that he monopolized the goddess for decades... But will you really count that as a sin? If the goddess finds out, she will surely be greatly offended.] [That person needs to be more aware of the position she is in.] Yama spoke softly. His expression was not revealed as his face was covered with veils. [She is in a position to rule over the entire world, in the position of the ruler of the world... For herto remain by his side for a human lifetime, how much damage it has done to this world. Don''t you know?] Yama looked down at the hero with an endlessly cold gaze. [The time the goddess spent as the Dragon''s Priestess by the hero''s side. Thinking about how much she had to do during those decades... I don''t need to say how great a sin it is to have wasted her time. Of course, she did handle things remotely, but the difference in the amount of work handled directly is heaven and earth.] [No, but rather than ming the hero for that, wouldn''t it be faster to talk directly to the goddess? Huh? If she finds out that you''ve framed this sinless soul with a sin, she will truly be furious! And to the soul of the human she cherishes! To the innocent soul! This is false usation! False usation!!]Keres did not agree with Yama''s words. [Therefore, I object! I object! I don''t want to ovey sins on the hero who has worked so hard for the world! Objection! Absolute objection!] Keres shouted loudly. [And clearly! It will be discovered by the goddesster! I don''t even want to imagine the bacsh then!!! If you want to be buried, bury yourself! Don''t drag other gods into it!!!] [I''m for it. Keres objects. Then, what about Thanatos?] Yama turned the arrow to the silent Thanatos, who was watching the situation. [......] Thanatos looked at the hero. What thoughts were hidden in that ck shadow? [I...] Thanatos'' taciturn mouth opened. [I agree with the point that the Goddess of Life should be more aware of her position.] [What?! Even Thanatos?! The two old men are persecuting me!!!] [However, I object to framing that as a sin and imposing it on the hero.] Thanatos'' words contained both agreement and disagreement. [Uh... So which side are you on?] [The problem should be addressed directly to the goddess. Don''t impose it on an innocent human.] [However, I don''t think the goddess will easily listen to our words.] [Still, not this one. We can''t make an innocent, guilty]. Thanatos spoke softly. [Then it''s one in favor, two against, right!?] Keres spoke in a slightly excited voice, and Yama nodded slightly and said. [Hmm... It seems that way. However, if it weren''t for this drastic measure, I don''t think the goddess would understand.] [But still, this is not right. No matter how important to get the message across, you can''t do that to the human the goddess cherishes! Absolute objection!] Yama sighed at the pouting Keres. [I understand. I will also give up on my intention.] [Un. I guess that''s why the Goddess made the Afterlife a triad to prevent this from happening!!!] [Maybe she just liked the number three]. The hero simply watched the conversation of the three gods in a daze. [In a short time... Did I go back and forth to hell?] [Yes. You understand. Yama is usually gentle, but when ites to the Goddess of Life, he bes more radical.] [Honestly, I don''t think there is a god who doesn''t admire the Goddess of Life. Especially in the case of the old generation dragon-born gods, many of them have regained their physical bodies and be gods through her grace.] Keres grumbled and skewered the faint form on the scale with the tip of her greatsword, returning it to the hero. [Alright, then let''s deliver the judgment. Hero Yohanan. Not guilty. Go to paradise.] Yama mmed the end of the bamboo scroll he was holding onto the table with a loud thud. Then, a light poured down from above the hero''s head, and the soul began to slowly rise. [Go in peace, hero.] [Please tell the goddess. While she was by the hero''s side, she didn''t fulfill her duties properly, and the hero almost ended up being found guilty.] [Oh, no! Don''t say that! If you say that, she will surelye to overturn it!] The light that had been pouring down covered the ground beneath his feet, and the hero''s eyes were covered in light. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Alright, where were we..." We rely on your support! N0v3lPl3x 0rg Donate now "Page 54. It''s the part about the gods of the Afterlife." "Un. Thank you, ss representative." The teacher, adjusting his sses, confirmed the page and then picked up the chalk and began to write on the ckboard. "You probably know that the gods of the Afterlife are not just one or two, but let''s talk about the three gods with the greatest authority." Thanatos, Moros, and Keres. The names of the three divine figures known as the Afterlife Triumvirate are written on the ckboard. "The reason the Afterlife Triumvirate exists is probably for various reasons, but the biggest reason would be... to deliver the right judgment." A line is drawn between Thanatos, Moros, and Keres, and a triangle is formed with their names at the vertices. "They are divine figures whose importance is immeasurable in dealing with the souls of the dead. If these divine figures were to run amok, the damage would be incalcble. The one who created the Afterlife is said to have considered this point and constituted the Triumvirate." A slight hook is attached to the ends of the lines pointing towards each other, and the lines be two-way arrows. "They check each other to prevent wrong judgments. Whoever created the Afterlife must have been a very wise being." "Isn''t it known who created it?" At the student''s question, the teacher nodded. "Many theologians and historians have looked and investigated, but... they couldn''t find out. Even in the oldest book that describes the Afterlife, [A Brief Reflection on the Afterlife], there is no record of who created the Afterlife." "Wasn''t it created by the three gods of the Afterlife?" "There is such a im, but it has not gained much persuasiveness. Rather, the Goddess of Life, who is considered the superior of the gods of the Afterlife, is more likely..." "Again, that goddess? She must have created the whole world." "A separate book has been published summarizing and interpreting the deeds of that goddess in the theology textbook..." "Our heads are going to burst from memorizing her deeds!" At the students'' grumbling, the teacher also nodded in agreement. "Honestly, it''s a bit excessive. Thanks to this, some in the academicmunity have secretly suggested that the many divine figures that existed at the time were conquered and assimted under the name of the Goddess of Life. The pilgrims of the Temple of Life have been famous since ancient times, and they also had sufficient military power. And... her deeds were so numerous that they cannot be exined otherwise." "Is it okay to make such a im? Won''t the Temple of Life say anything?" "Of course it''s not okay. So keep what I said here a secret. I don''t want to be dragged before the Inquisitor of the Sect of Life either." The sleepy-looking girl who had witnessed the scene of the ss simply yawned softly. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After the dazzling light disappeared, "This is..." The hero saw a familiarndscape. The small mountain vige where he had lived until just before his death. The vige where he had lived in peace after marrying his wife. Thatndscape was spread out before his eyes. And. "You havee." The silver-haired girl with a mischievous smile on her. The Dragon''s Priestess was standing there. "It''s a good thing you weren''tte, or we wouldn''t have this reunion." No, the revered older sister was right in front of him. "It''s a pleasure to see you again, sister." "Un. Wee to paradise, hero." "Am I still a hero even though I''m dead? When will you start calling me Yohanan?" "Once a hero, always a hero." She let out a chuckle. "Ahem. Since you are the first soul to reach paradise, I have prepared a gift for you." "Huh? A gift? What kind of gift all of a sudden..." "First, close your eyes. I can''t give you the gift if you keep your eyes open." At his sister''s words, the hero tilted his head, not quite understanding, but closed his eyes. And after a moment. "Alright, it''s all done. Open your eyes and take a look." The hero slowly opened his eyes. And there, "Dear...?" In front of the hero''s eyes, his wife was standing. Chapter 139: Paradise (3) "It''s notte, is it?" "What? Wasn''t I reincarnated...?" The hero was very puzzled to see his deceased wife standing in front of him, and I chuckled softly at the sight of the hero. Well, it''s natural, isn''t it? The person he thought had already died and been reincarnated is now standing in front of him. If he didn''t get puzzled, he wouldn''t be human. I tapped hero on the shoulder and said. "To be precise, your wife has already been reincarnated." "What? But the one in front of me is..." "It''s a doppelganger that has pieced together the remnants of her soul that remained in the Afterlife, using the memory of her that you have. Of course, since it doesn''t have a soul and was recreated based on your memories, it can''t function properly without you." During the process of creating paradise and connecting it to the Afterlife, I happened to discover the fragments of her soul that she had left behind after reincarnation.Normally, such remnants would disappear in a few days, but the fact that a portion of her soul, which had reincarnated years ago, remained is truly a miracle. "Well, even for me, it wasn''t an easy task to reassemble the fragmented soul. It took about half of the 49 days since your death to put her soul back together." Creating the paradise itself wasn''t as difficult as I had imagined. Since it''s an immaterial space, I didn''t need to create everything from scratch, and I only had a bit of trouble applying the changes that respond to the souls. If I had just made it a space to store souls, I could have finished it in about 3 days. Hmm. Afterpleting the basic structure, the remaining time was spent on functions like the souls transforming into the desired form, separating the souls, and allowing only the souls to reincarnate. It''s much easier to create a world from scratch than to modify an existing one. It''s truly strange. Moreover, the world created in this way is much easier to tweak and adjust than the pre-existing worlds. It''s as if I should have created it this way from the beginning. "Impressive... I don''t fully understand, but..." The hero began to examine his wife from various angles. Outwardly, she doesn''t seem much different from when she was alive! However, due to theck of a soul, there are some issues, such as asional moments of nkness and a slightck of emotion. But I can''t do anything about that, as it''s a problem caused by the absence of a soul. "Honestly, I''m not sure about theck of a soul, but anyway, dear. It''s nice to see your youthful appearance." The hero seemed to have noticed that his physical body had been restored to its prime. Even the sword he''s carrying on his back is the same. Of course, it''s not the real one! The real hero''s sword is in my possession! "In this ce, your body is restored to its prime. The sword on your back may not be the real one, but it will have the same performance as the original." The hero held the sword in his hand. The sight of the hero in his youthful adventuring days, when he fearlessly defeated monsters alongside me, is a pleasant one to see again. "So, what am I supposed to do here?" "I didn''t really have any specific expectations for you to do something here." "Huh?" The hero''s slightly surprised expression made me chuckle softly. "You just need to live here as you please. Spend your time doing what you want, and asionally share your knowledge of this ce with the neers." Of course, I''m not forcing you to do anything. I simply hope that those who deserve to be happy can find happiness here. "As a senior..." "You don''t need to feel burdened by that. Just exining things is enough." After all, there''s not much to exin in the first ce. At my words, the hero nodded. "I understand. I''ve never tried exining things before, but I''ll give it a try." "Alright then, just livefortably here. I have some business to attend to for a moment." "Huh? Business?" "Yes, just a quick errand." Leaving the hero behind, I exited the paradise. And the gods of the Afterlife received three skulls. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "No, I didn''t ask you to do so much! I just told you to quickly finish the judgment of that child''s soul and send him on his way, but you went and charged him with a crime? And an absurd one at that?!" "No, that''s not it..." "The crime of a mere mortal monopolizing the goddess? Monopolizing the goddess?! That child?! It was originally my request, but he was the one who made the decision! You should have told me first!!! You stupid thing! And what''s more infuriating is that you tried to pin a non-existent crime, an innocent crime, on that child!" My punches shattered the crown Yama was wearing, leaving arge hole in the top of his head. We rely on your support! N0v3lPl3x 0rg Donate now Well, even if I beat him up like this, he won''t die! "Ugh!!" "At least, you survived thanks to the others. If you had truly pinned that crime on him, my fury would have shattered the Afterlife. If the Afterlife created to properly judge the dead cannot function, then you have no reason to exist!" "I-I''m sorry..." Crawling on the ground, Yama, and the two standing silently on either side of him. Seeing Yama being smashed to pieces, the other two trembled slightly. They must be thinking that if they had agreed, they would have been smashed along with Yama. "But... the fact that the time of the Goddess was wasted because of that one human is©¤" "Shut your mouth!" With a powerful uppercut, Yama''s body was sent flying into the air, tracing a beautiful parab as it fell. "From now on, don''t ever pull a stunt like this again. Understand?" "Y-Yes, I understand..." Leaving the thoroughly beaten Yama behind, I looked at Thanatos and Keres and said, "You two as well. Be careful of making wrong judgments." "Yes, we will remember that." "Yes! I told him so many times that it wouldn''t work. You brought this upon yourself, Yama." Well, I can understand Yama''s thoughts, but the crime hemitted was too outrageous. But I''ve beaten him enough... From now on, they won''t pin any innocent crimes or do anything like that again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Paradise. Heaven. Utopia. Elysium. It goes by many names. A world filled with nothing but satisfaction, free from suffering. A world where one can escape the hardships and anguish of the mortal realm and immerse themselves in eternal happiness. It is said that only the select few who have passed the rigorous judgment of the afterlife can enter this blissful world. The proper way to reach this world is to pass the judgment of the afterlife, but that is no easy feat. Therefore, some mages, particrly necromancers who summon the souls of the dead as assistants, have devised an unconventional method. They summon the souls of heroes who have clearly entered paradise, return them to the mortal realm, and then trace the path they take back to paradise, creating a gateway to that realm. However, this is no easy task. The souls of heroes are inherently noble beings, beyond the control of ordinary mortals. To use them to create a path to paradise requires an immense amount of magic. This led to the gathering of many powerful mages. The assembled magesbined their power to create a ritual. They utilized the vast magic flowing through the ley lines to supply the ritual with the necessary energy. They used magic to create false physical bodies to temporarily contain the heroes'' souls. And to ensure the heroes wouldply with their control, they forged powerful contracts. Finally, they also created a massive soul vessel to temporarily bind the souls of the heroes who would attempt to return to paradise after losing their false bodies. It is said that in this way, seven heroes who had entered paradise were summoned and given physical forms. However, there was a problem. To open the gateway to paradise, the souls of six out of the sevenmanded heroes were needed. Moreover, it became known that the gateway to paradise that would open could only allow one person to pass through. Thus, a war broke out - the mages fought to im the gateway to paradise for themselves, while the heroes who had obtained physical forms sought to enjoy life once more. "That''s the story. What do you think?" "Whoa..." The sleepy-eyed girl nced at the book her friend was holding, a slightly awakened expression on her face. "Any mage''s heart would race at the idea of summoned heroes from the past bing their fighting partners! This story is so exciting!" "Well, yes, that may be true. Ahem... But I wonder if it will be okay." The sleepy-eyed girl had mixed feelings about it all. "Oh, by the way, this is based on a true story. Apparently it''s based on a serial killer case involving mages that happened in the old days." "Based on a true story, huh..." --- T/N: Since it seems like there are some individuals who may not be able to afford unlocking all chapters due to financial constraints, I have decided to make all chapters in this novel avable for only 0.5 COOKIES per CHAPTER for a limited time of 1 hour. Come and enjoy this masterpiece! FUHAHAHAHA!!! THAT''S LIKE 50% DISCOUNT AND 75% FOR SOME CHAPTERS, I THINK Chapter 140: The World After the Hero (1) Even after the hero went to paradise, the world changed rapidly. There were various changes, but the first thing to mention is... public safety. The world that had be chaotic due to the appearance of monsters was calmed down by the hero''s exploits. Humans, who had been helplessly beaten by monsters, began to recognize monsters as creatures that could be hunted after seeing the hero beat them up. Hmm, I didn''t think it would turn out that way and just sent the hero on adventures to drive out somewhat powerful monsters... Well, if the result is good, anything is fine, isn''t it? So humans began to hunt monsters, and for monsters with power that individuals could not hunt, they began to form armies and move. To hunt considerably powerful monsters, soldiers professionally trained forbat were needed, not an army of conscripted farmers, and this led to the fostering of professional soldiers. The fostered soldiers not only strengthened the nation''s military power but were also mobilized to maintain public order during times when there was no war or monster hunting.It was the creation of security guards who received professional training, not temporary makeshift security. Well, there were security guards before, but there was a huge difference between the former security guards who only managed entrances and exits without professional military training and the security guards aimed at maintaining public order. In any case, with the increase in the number of such security guards, not only were monsters invading human territories repelled, but the number of security guards patrolling the main roads also increased. This improved the safety of the roads used by humans. Previously, pilgrims of the Temple of Life had secured the safety of the roads while on their pilgrimages... But frankly, the world was vast, and the number of Temple of Life pilgrims was limited. Moreover, not all pilgrims were dragons, so human pilgrims often faced danger. Well, even those human pilgrims had enough strength to defeat ordinary monsters. In any case, by utilizing military forces for public order maintenance and road security when not inbat situations or monster extermination, the traffic situation for humans and various sub-races began to improve. In the past, most traveling merchants had to carryrge loads on their backs or pull handcarts, but thanks to improved road security and the development of the livestock industry, merchants began to appear pulling carts drawn by oxen or horses. As a result, the flow of logistics began to be smooth, and with the influx of traveling merchants, items that could not be delivered before began to be delivered. The ones who benefited the most from the widely distributed goods were... the lizardmen who made papyrus, the mages of Procyon who made scrolls, and the dwarves who sold iron goods. It was mainly regional specialties with limited production that spread widely, riding the flow of logistics. Elves? They didn''t really... Although they did leather crafting with hides obtained from hunting... That''s something all hunters do, so it was difficult to call it a specialty product, which is why they couldn''t make much money. Ahem, let''s skip the story about elves for now. Let''s start with papyrus first. Before papyrus was supplied, people either carved letters on y tablets and baked them, wrote with charcoal on wooden boards, or wrote on expensive parchment... But the appearance of papyrus changed everything. Papyrus was easier to write on than y tablets, lighter than wooden boards, and cheaper than parchment. Of course, it was more expensive than y tablets or wooden boards... but those two were too inconvenient. Moreover, thanks to the considerable production capacity of the lizardmen, households with some leeway could afford to have one or two papyrus scrolls. The content mainly written on the widely supplied papyrus was stories. Stories carved on y tablets, stories created by people''s imaginations, stories from other ces brought by pilgrims. In addition, the number of copies made by receiving and transcribing scrolls written by others also increased. In this way, papyrus scrolls became primitive books. However, papyrus also had its drawbacks. Due to the limited production region, it could not be widely distributed. However, after the hero''s exploits, the flow of logistics became smoother, and the supply range of papyrus expanded explosively. As a result, people began to write down the stories they knew on papyrus. Stories of actual events, stories based on the hero''s exploits, stories created by human imagination, and stories created out of longing for transcendent beings. In this way, new mythologies began to be created, other than the existing ones. Well, among those stories, the most numerous were about... the Goddess of Life. The next most numerous were stories about the hero. We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now Perhaps it was because the pilgrims of the Temple of Life traveled around the world and helped people, so the faith in me was expressed through those stories. As the stories about me increased and the faith in me grew... I was able to discover a new fact. That humans could artificially create beings through public opinion maniption. As a side effect of this, the perception of many humans was oveid on the existing divine beings. And the main target was... me. For example, a belief like this became widespread, "The Goddess of Life watches over countless lives with her benevolent heart." As such a belief spread, it would slightly affect me, changing my nature to make me want to care for the lives of the world. Hmm, for some reason... I used to have only a little interest in things like life, but now I feel a considerable sense of responsibility for life. Well, there''s no rule that says you can''t act on existing gods to create non-existent gods. Cloud Whale also gained intelligence and became a diety through that method. However, I couldn''t keep receiving that faith indefinitely. Not that it''s bad, but it''s a bit troublesome for me to keep changing myself. I want to remain as myself. If I wear a mask like the Goddess of Life and can''t take it off, it would be problematic. Hmm, a mask? That''s right, a persona. I exist as myself, but I can wear various masks depending on the situation. With that in mind, perhaps I can hold multiple divine identities at the same time? By utilizing that, I can receive faith while minimizing the changes that affect me. I''ll continue that thoughtter. The distribution of papyrus led to the widespread dissemination of faith and folklore. Next, let''s talk about scrolls. About the scrolls made by the mages of Procyon. Manipting magic to cause phenomena was essentially the exclusive domain of mages. Mages who instinctively moved magic, using it without understanding the principles of the phenomena. That was the feeling with which mages used magic. To ovee this reality, mages who were researching to elucidate the phenomenon of magic seeded in transcribing their magic onto parchment or papyrus, and this was the birth of magic scrolls. As a result, even those who did not know magic could now wield it, and the city of Babel, which waster known as Procyon, the city of mages, amassed great wealth. After that, there were various incidents, and the Tower of Babel copsed, but let''s move on from that. Even though Babel became Procyon, it did not affect the sales of magic scrolls. In fact, thanks to the development of logistics, the mages were able to sell even more magic scrolls, using that wealth to increase the production of magic scrolls, bring in young mages by buying them, and continuously pursue research into magic. Eventually, they began to elucidate the method of using magic without scrolls. Mages had instinctively used magic, but they were able to prove it through various theories and turn it into knowledge. As a result, the basic magic gradually revealed its form. Of course, since it was only basic magic, it did not have a great effect. While instinctive magic could create a huge ball of fire, basic magic could only ignite a small me. Weak telekinesis to lift objects, creating small orbs of light, producing a ss of water, or creating a breeze - these were the weak magic spells. However, this was a great first step. Mages had elucidated the instinctive magic they wielded and established it as theoretical knowledge. There was the problem of consuming one''s own magic to use it, but since all living beings had a certain amount of magic, it was not a major issue. However, this does not mean that ordinary people who did not know magic could use it. This was only in the context of mages. Mages who could only create a ball of fire through instinctive magic were now able to create a ss of water through basic magic. They had elucidated the unexined phenomena and established them as theoretical knowledge. This can be considered the beginning of the magic used by humans. Chapter 141: The World After the Hero (2) Well, next we''ll look at the dwarves. It was time to talk about the story of the dwarves who produce and sell iron goods. The dwarves were the first race to start handling iron in this world. The dwarves who have dug caves and settled under the various peaks surrounding Sagarmatha were very concerned about the merchants in order to solve the problem of living in the caves. So much so that there was even a guild of dwarves. Hmm. I''ll tell that story separatelyter. For now, the first thing to talk about is the poprization of iron due to the expansion of logistics. Iron, which boasts a strength iparable to stone or bronze, was a material that the dwarves, who had excellent abilities in handling it, began to make a lot of money by riding the wave of smooth distribution. Before, dwarven-made iron goods were only known through word of mouth, but now they have be a popr item, as people can actually see the real thing, not just hearsay. If youpare an ordinary dagger to the stone dagger used before and the dwarven iron dagger... the difference is extreme. Even if you strike a stone dagger with a dwarven iron dagger, the one that breaks is the stone dagger. The iron dagger would only have a slightly damaged edge.In this way, dwarven iron goods became items that were in high demand and hard to find. Except for elves or lizardmen. As for the elves, you can probably guess without saying much. Except for a few entrics who are interested in iron goods, they usually shudder at the mention of dwarves. In the dwarf-elf tribal war... oh, in the recent war, the elves won, so the elves should be mentioned first. Except for the elf swordsmen who wielded spirit swords and are now revered as elf champions, there were very few who showed interest in dwarven goods. So the elves mainly used items made by grinding stone or bone. Well, even if they ignore it, they actually know how good iron tools are. There have been numerous asions in the elf-dwarf tribal war where the difference in equipment has been dangerous. Even if they attach stone arrowheads to wooden arrows, it is not easy to prate the dwarven iron armor and inflict a fatal blow. Well, even if it''s a fatal blow, they don''t die! Anyway, unlike the elves who stubbornly refuse iron goods, the lizardmen... how should I put it? They refuse it for a religious-like reason? The lizardmen, who are fond of using tools made of obsidian, have this kind of public im: [The Creator Dragon God has given our ancestors an unbreakable obsidian spear, so we must use obsidian to show our respect for her!] Something like that. Hmm... no, when I gave the obsidian spear the magic of indestructibility, I just casually did it as a gift, but they are still respecting it. Wow... It''s a bit admirable, but I hope they would recognize the convenience of iron goods. I''ve had such thoughts before. Putting aside the public ims, when I looked closely at the ecology of the lizardmen, there was a clear reason why they refused iron goods. That reason was none other than the living environment of the lizardmen. The environment where lizardmen mainly live is a humid one, such as rivers, swamps, and beaches. And the biggest weakness of iron goods is... that they are easily rusted in humidity. The humidity, which is the biggest constraint for the lizardmen with their scaly bodies and physiques, was the reason they could not use iron goods. It''s not that the lizardmen are stupid and refuse iron goods. Of course, there are religious reasons as well, but they couldn''t use them because they didn''t fit their living environment at all. But it''s not like they can move to a less humid environment just to use iron goods. Iron goods and living in a non-humid environment vs. not using iron goods and living in a humid environment. Such a bnce game has no meaning for the lizardmen. Instead, the lizardmen began to focus on developing obsidian. They made weapons like saws by inserting small, sharp obsidian pieces between wooden boards, and used obsidian arrowheads and spearheads. Particrly impressive among these efforts was thebination of obsidian weapons and magic. Previously, the existing magic of the lizardmen involved possessing the bodies of warriors with spirits to draw out their power. But some shamans heard rumors of the elves fighting by imbuing their weapons with the power of spirits, and they challenged this new attempt. It was to possess spirits in the weapons made of obsidian used by the warriors. Pushing a spirit with its own will into a weapon was quite foreign to the lizardmen who regarded spirits as friends, and in fact, most spirits refused to remain in the weapons. We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now Except for one type of spirit. The earth spirits. For the spirits made of rock and soil, the obsidian des used in the lizardmen''s weapons were like a part of themselves. Thus, thepatibility between obsidian and the earth spirits was excellent, and by having the earth spirits reside in the obsidian des, the lizardmen were able to make their des more durable and sturdy, des of obsidian that did not break easily, utilizing the power of the spirits. And this method... imbuing weapons with spirits had less power than spirit possession, but the advantage was that there was no risk of the spirits taking over their bodies. This spread among the warriors who were unskilled in spirit possession and could not possess spirits in their bodies. And so the lizardmen named this magic "spirit weapon art" and began to use it actively. Hmm... I wonder how the story strayed from the reason why the lizardmen couldn''t use iron. Anyway, let''s stop here about the spirit art. But it''s really interesting. The rumors of the elves'' spirit swords spread to the lizardmen, and the lizardmen imitated that method to create a new magic called the spirit weapon/martial art. Indeed, life is fascinating. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The magic of possessing earth spirits in obsidian des to enhance the weapon''s strength. The spirit weapon art. The im that its origin is in the barbaric spirit magic, the spirit swords used by some elves, ispletely wrong. The spirit weapon art and the spirit swords are separate techniques, and the attitude towards spirits is different. It was just a coincidence that simr ideas ovepped and converged through a simr process. The spirit swords are not the origin of the spirit weapon art. As evidence of this, the differences between the spirit swords and the spirit weapon art... "Hey, you shouldn''t write lies, you know." "Oh my, why are you saying that?" "Why? Because the lizardmen''s spirit weapon art is just a lower-tier version of the spirit swords! The usable weapons are limited to the lizardmen''s obsidian weapons, and the spirits that can be possessed are limited to the earth spirits! It''s just a minor copy that only has a part of the spirit swords!" At the elf''s words, the female lizardman chuckled and said, "The lizardmen don''t need those shy spirit swords. We have the obsidian and the magic ofmunicating with the spirits given to us by the Creator Dragon God. And the lizardmen''s sturdy bodies alone can solve all problems. We don''t need to use the method of using spirits as tools like the spirit swords." "That''s too harsh! It''s clear that this side is the original! It''s even recorded in history! It appeared in the 1st Dwarf-Elf Tribal War, a technique passed down from ancient times!" At those words, the female lizardman frowned. "The magic of the lizardmen..." "What I''m talking about now is the spirit swords and the spirit weapon art! Don''t bring in the entire magic system!" The elf and the female lizardman to growl at each other. As the atmosphere grew tense, "Phew... Creator Dragon God, please grant me more patience..." "Did you call me?" "No, I didn''t." The atmosphere was slightly calmed by the silver-haired girl, who seems to appear frequently around the female lizardman. "Don''t fight." "We''re not fighting. It''s just a light sh of opinions." "Yeah, it''s nothing, so don''t worry about it." The elf and the lizardman spoke nonchntly. Watching them, the silver-haired girl with the dragon''s horns spoke softly. "You mustn''t fight. Understand?" "Yes, we won''t fight." "Yeah, we just seem to get along so well that it looks like we''re fighting." "And the spirit weapon art was indeed influenced by the spirit swords. There wasn''t direct exchange, but it was just the result of imitating the rumors." At the words of the silver-haired girl, the Dragon''s Priestess, the mouth of the female lizardman was firmly closed, and the elf wore a victorious smile. - From the adventure records of a certain hero party. Chapter 142: The World After the Hero (3) Time continues to flow. The lizardmen continue their annual duel to select the champion, the elves and dwarves sharpen their swords every 10 years and struggle to knock each other down, and the human nations of Arcadia and others are engaged in power struggles through war, diplomacy, and politics. I have made one decision. "I now wish to reduce my influence as the Goddess of Life." The inner sanctum of the Temple of Life. A room where no entrance exists. A room that only the pilgrim dragons can enter. I looked at the dragons filling the room and spoke softly. "Huh...? Reduce your influence as the Goddess?" "Eh, are you serious about this?" "The supreme Goddess among the gods, reducing your influence..."The dragons seated around therge table began to murmur in great confusion at my words. Well, it''s been a while since we''ve gathered, so it''s understandable that they would be surprised, they have a right to be surprised. "Calm down first. It''s not what you''re thinking." The murmuring among the dragons subsided a little, but they still showed signs of unrest. "Then why did you say such a thing?" "Yes! Spreading faith in you as the Goddess is our purpose!" "Are you perhaps thinking of retiring from your divine duties?" I shook my head slightly and said. "It''s not like that. I have no intention of giving up my divine activities. But there is a slight problem with the faith ced in me as a Goddess." "With the faith...?" "Why would the faith be a problem?" The dragons seemed unaware of how the faith affected me. Well, I only recently became aware of the rapid increase in faith, so if that hadn''t happened, I wouldn''t have known either. If even I, as a Goddess, didn''t know, there''s no way these children would know. "The faith that humans send towards me is gradually changing me. It seems I am transforming into the Goddess of Life that humans desire and imagine." "The Goddess of Life that humans desire... Wouldn''t that be a good thing?" Hmm. If I were simply the Goddess of Life, it wouldn''t be a problem... But the Goddess of Life is only one aspect of who I am. I don''t like the idea of being changed by other elements. "Although I have taken on the role of the Goddess of Life, that is not all that I am. I do not wish for my essence to be altered by the faith ced in me as the Goddess of Life." In my current state, the portion of the Goddess of Life is roughly 10%. The Creator Dragon God is 5%, and the Destruction Dragon God is... What''s this? It even has 1%. Ahem. Let''s erase the part about the Destruction Dragon God. That won''t being up anyway. Anyway, the remaining 84% is maintaining my true self, but I don''t like the feeling of myself gradually diminishing. The feeling of not being myself is, to be honest, unpleasant. "Therefore, I want to reduce the faith directed towards me. But I cannot simply annihte the humans..." "Then, what do you n to do?" In response to the dragon''s question, I lightly snapped my fingers and spoke. "That''s where you guyse in." "Us?" "Even if you say ''us''... We are just pilgrims who have traveled the world for the Goddess. Ah!" It seems the dragons finally realized what I was nning. "Are you thinking of reducing the number of pilgrims?" "That''s correct." I smiled at the dragons. "Since you pilgrims are the ones who have the greatest influence on human faith, by reducing your numbers, I can at least slightly reduce the faith directed towards me." "No, but... The faith in you is already firmly established, so will reducing the pilgrims really make a significant difference?" I couldn''t deny their words. However, I can''t just leave it as it is. I''m still investigating the method of creating a mask-like persona of the Goddess of Life, so I can''t use it right away. For now, I need to do what I can. If I don''t use this method, the only options left would be to annihte the humans or... No, no. If I use those methods, it might instead give rise to faith born out of fear and awe. In the end, I can only indirectly reduce my influence in this way. We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now "It''s because you''ve been working too hard." "S-So you''re ming us for this..." "Ahem. Anyway, I''ll have to leave only about 30% of you as pilgrims, and the rest should quit their pilgrim duties." At my words, the dragons murmured again. "I want to continue being a pilgrim!" "Yes! Traveling around the world on a journey is so enjoyable!" "Me too, I get this warm, tingling feeling in my heart when I help the humans..." Hmm. I didn''t expect this kind of reaction. I thought the dragons would be happy, thinking "free vacation!" if I mentioned reducing the number of pilgrims. But I can''t just stop what I''m trying to do. Instead, "Then let''s do it this way. We''ll reduce the number of pilgrims, but have them rotate every few years. Around 5 years or so." This way, we can reduce the overall numbers while allowing as many as possible to serve as pilgrims. And for the dragons, 5 years is just a few months for humans, so it should help minimize their discontent. "Well, if it''s only that much..." "Honestly, I''ve thought the pilgrims were a bit too many from the start..." Fortunately, the dragons seemed willing to listen to my proposal. As expected, the dragons are good at listening to me. Well, let''s just move on from the problems that would arise if they didn''t listen. And so, the number of dragon-transformed pilgrims of the Temple of Life drastically decreased. I didn''t particrly touch the human pilgrims, but humans being humans, they would gradually decrease over time anyway. With their short lifespans, the humans would disappear in the blink of an eye. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As my pilgrim followers gradually decreased and the faith directed towards me became slightly weaker, Slowly, very slowly, new things began to appear in the world. Faint divinity. New beings born from the beliefs of intelligent beings in phenomena that cannot be clearly exined. Gods that have sprouted anew in the empty void, not in the ces where my children and I have taken root. Their power is infinitely weak,cking greatly inparison to the dragons, but transcendental to humans. Such new gods began to sprout up like mushrooms. They are not tribal gods responsible for a single race, nor are they beings whose self has manifested from natural phenomena, but merely weak entities born from human faith. Gazing upon the gods awakening with their faint intelligence, I harbored a small question. Why were such gods born? The answer to that question had always been within me. It was really my doing, even if I didn''t intend it. Let''s take the example of the sky. What is that blue sky? What are the sun and moon that float in the sky, and the stars, the clouds and the rainbows? Before the development of intelligence, humans could only express vague reverence towards the sky. Over time, as human intelligence developed, they came to ept the existence of gods through me and my pilgrims, and began to understand the concept of superimposing gods onto vague concepts that do not exist. And so humans began to imagine gods. In that vast sky, there must be a master of the sky. Like the Goddess of Life who cares for all living beings, there must be a great god who rules over all beneath the sky. And the sun and moon that rise in the sky must be treasures gifted by the god of light to the god of the sky. Normally, the god of the sky should have been born first, and then Shamash the god of light. But what can I do? My children who were born from natural phenomena came into being before the humans. And so... Humans began to attach the names of gods to everything that I and my children did not already im. "I am the god of the sky, Baal!" I nced at the sky-haired brat strutting in front of me, then turned my head away again. "W-Why are you ignoring me!! I''m the god of the sky! I''m great!! Hurry up and pat my head! Praise me! You''re the greatest god in this world!" The sky-colored brat clinging to my side, whining and wailing. Hmm... The appearance of a new god is a wee event, but this brat is an unexpected one. Since it''s a young divine being that has just been born, an ignorant and immature god. If I guide and raise it properly, it might turn out alright? The name Baal is a bit ominous, but... Ignoring whose name it is, since it''s quite an ominous name. If I raise it well, somehow it''ll work out..." This expectation evaporated along with the sight of the brat iling its limbs and wailing in the air, and I let out a sigh. God of the sky. I guess no returns. Chapter 143: Age of Gods (1) "The sky is the highest, isn''t it? It''s the greatest, being above everything! But why won''t you praise me?!" The sky-colored brat whining and iling. Baal. Seeing that little brat, I let out a sigh. "I have a lot I want to say, but first, let me ask you one thing. How did you find this ce?" "Auntie Shamash told me." A-Auntie... Calling that Shamash "auntie"... This kid is no ordinary one. "Don''t call her auntie, call her sister.""No way! Considering her age, she''s obviously an auntie!" "No, even though she''s older..." In that case, would I also be called an auntie? I''ve gotten used to being called "Mom," but "auntie" is a bit ufortable for me. "So just praise me! Grandma!" "G-Grandma..." That was an unexpected attack. I should probably praise my own patience for not spewing mes from within me at that moment. "Don''t call me grandma..." "But if we just go by age, you''re practically an ancestor!" "Well, that''s true, but..." Attacking with age, how underhanded... This kid is no ordinary one. "Phew, deep breaths... Phew..." It''s just the words of an ignorant little brat. A puppy that doesn''t know to fear a tiger. If I get angry over this, It would mean I''m a narrow-minded god who gets angry at the words of an ignorant little brat. So, for now, I''ll just let it go. "It''s not about your age. Wouldn''t you get angry if someone called you a little brat?" "But it''s the truth, isn''t it? an auntie, and a grandma." "It''s fine to say that in front of Shamash or me, but be careful about saying that in front of other children." Shamash seems to have let it slide, thinking it''s not right to get angry over that, but other children might not be so forgiving and properly get angry. Anyway. "Did youe here just to get a single praise?" "Yep!" Even though I hold the position of the highest, other newly born gods usually cower and hide just at the sight of me, but this one managed to find me. Is it because he has no fear? Or is it courage? "If you want praise, you should first do something praiseworthy. I can''t just praise you for being born with certain traits." Well, I could praise his natural appearance, like how handsome or beautiful he is, but fundamentally, praise should be given for aplishments, not just for being born the god of the sky. "Hmm... Something praiseworthy, huh." The sky-colored brat pondered my words, then opened his mouth with an expression of having a good idea. "I''ll be great! So, in other words... I''ll be the King! The King of the gods! Then Grandma will praise me, right?" "I said to stop with the ''Grandma'' already..." "But if I don''t call you Grandma, what else should I call you?" "I do have a name, you know. But I have no intention of telling you." At my words, Baal puffed up his cheeks, seemingly annoyed, and opened his mouth. "Why won''t you tell me your name?" The reason for not telling my name. There''s no particr reason, but... Hmm. Let''s embellish it a bit here and tease this little brat. "The truth is, my name is sealed." "Sealed?!" "Yes. The power contained in that name is so great that even mere gods would go mad and die just from hearing it." "Go mad and die...?" "It''s the same for the gods. If they were to speak or hear my name, their divinity would be shattered, and they would lose their divine status. That''s why I''ve sealed my own name." Of course, this is all a lie. I''ve never even told my name to anyone in the first ce, and my name doesn''t have any such power. Since I''ve never been called by my name, how could they know about that? "So, do you want to know my name?" I asked Baal with a sly smile, and he started trembling, his face turning pale. He must be imagining what would happen to him if he were to learn such a terrifying name. Hmm. I only meant to scare him a little, but this reaction is quite entertaining. "Well then! I can just call you by another name!" "Hmm?" We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now Another name? "Like how auntie Shamash calls you Mom, or how you''re called the Mother of Life, that''s fine, right?" "But those aren''t names." "That''s why! I can call you by something other than your name! Since that terrifying name isn''t necessary, I can just call you by another title, right?" At Baal''s words, I nodded slightly. It wasn''t a terrifying name to begin with. "So, I''ll give you another name as Grandma!" "I told you... to stop with the Grandma..." Apparently not hearing my words, Baal shouted with a pale face. "Gaia!" "Hmm?" "I''ll call you Gaia as another name! That''ll solve it, right?" "Solve it, you say..." More than that, Gaia? I wonder where he learned that name. It''s clearly from another world, but strangely, names from that other world oftene up, even excluding the ones I gave. "I''ll call you Gaia! I can''t call you Grandma! I can''t call you by name either! And I don''t want to call you the Mother of Life! Gaia! I''ll call you Gaia!!" The sky-colored brat whining and iling. Seeing that, I let out a small sigh. "Do as you please. Whatever." Anyway, Gaia... Wasn''t that the goddess of the earth in Greek and Roman mythology? Let me look it up on Wikipedia. [In Greek and Roman mythology, the goddess of the earth. The earth itself. The world itself. She is the goddess of creation and the mother of the world.] Hmm... Ah... Huh? What''s this? It matches my deeds quite well. Setting aside the goddess of the earth part. The goddess of creation and the mother of the world... [She is the source of life and is said to have existed since the birth of the world, being the world itself and the origin of matter, as well as the veryws of the world. She possesses the power to create new beings and the power to create the world. She is called the goddess of creation, and life, and is said to preside over oracles, prophecies, and oaths.] Hmm... What''s this? It''s me. No, that can''t be, right? I''m just a silver dragon who makes this and that, not a goddess of the earth! But... Why do so many points ovep? Why? It''s clearly a deity from another world, isn''t it? While pondering this, a small voice came from beside me. "The name Gaia. Do you not like it?" Baal, with an anxious and timid expression. Hmm... To think a small and young brat like this would make such an expression... I don''t like it. Well, the affairs of that other world don''t really matter. That''s there, this is here. It''s a different world, so let''s draw a line. "The name Gaia. I like it." "Really? Really?" "Yes." At my one word, Baal changes from despair to joy. He really is just a child. Hmm. Yes. If I raise this child well... I might be able to reduce his faith in me a little, won''t I? As the god of the sky, as one called the king of the gods, he would be a suitable being. He has a slightly arrogant side to his selfishness, but that can be corrected through education. If I continue to exist as the supreme god, I might actually be the goddess of life itself. Alright. Let''s raise this brat. Let''s raise him as the god of the sky, and have him take on the duties he should perform. That way... My workload will decrease a little. Yes, let''s do that. For the sake of my peaceful life. Aim for the life of a retired person!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gaia. The Mother of All Earth. The appearance of that name was during the era when countless gods were born into the world. It was the moment the age of the gods began. While the ancient gods, including the Mother of Life, had existed even before then, the parts they were in charge of were only a portion of natural phenomena. In the gaps they did not upy, a new generation of gods was born. Gaia was one of those new gods. There are various theories about the background of her birth, but the currently most usible one is the theory of the four primal attributes. ording to the theory of the four primal attributes, the ancient gods of fire, water, wind, and earth were maintaining the bnce of the world. Originally, the sacred mountain of the dwarves, Sagarmatha, was part of the earth attribute, but due to the opinion that the god of a merely gigantic mountain could not be the god of the entire earth - and it is said that there was even discord with the dwarves, leading to the demotion of Sagarmatha''s divine status - a new god of the earth was needed, and that is when Gaia was born. ... However, the faith in Gaia was eventually absorbed into the faith in the goddess of life. Ultimately, the name Gaia became one of the alternate titles of the goddess of life, rather than the goddess of the earth. - From "The Age of the Gods", author unknown. It is said that the book contained many ims that wereter refuted or had uncertain veracity, and most of it was eventually recalled and disposed of. Chapter 144: Age of Gods (2) Of course, just because you were born as a god of the sky, it doesn''t mean you can be the king of the gods. Gods are essentially beings with high self-esteem who do not bend to others. Ah, I''m an exception. I''m an irregr one. "Therefore, just because you were born as a god of the sky, you cannot be the king of the gods." "Why? If you''re a god of the sky, aren''t you above everything? Wouldn''t you be fit to be the king of the gods?" "It''s not that simple. Just having a good birth alone is not enough to be a king. Kingship is established by having all responsibilities and duties delegated to you by others." Of course, there are various processes involved, such as persuading others or forcibly taking power through strength. But fundamentally, that''s how power works. It''s not like some strange woman lying in a pond handing out a sword would make you a king. "Hmm... I don''t understand!""Yeah, it''s understandable that you don''t." You''re still a young child. It''s natural for you to not understand theseplex political matters. "Let me exin it this way. A king is someone who is recognized by others, right?" "Mm... Yeah! Recognized as king!" "But if a significant number of people cannot recognize you as king?" At my words, Baal pondered for a moment, then replied with a bright smile. "Crush them with force!" Hmm. Should I really raise you to be the king of the gods? If I''m not careful, you might be a terrifying tyrant. No, no. Let''s believe in the power of education. If I teach this precious child well, he could be a great king, right? Anyone can walk the right path with the proper guidance. "What if there are beings stronger than you, so you cannot crush them with force?" At my words, Baal pondered for a long time, then up. "I don''t know!" He gave up on answering. "What should I do then?" Seeing Baal''s innocent face asking me, I couldn''t help but chuckle softly. Even though he''s a god of the sky or whatever, he''s still just a child. "In that case, you''ll have to persuade them." "Persuade?" "Yes, persuade." If you can''t ovee them with force, the answer is to persuade them with words. Of course, simply demanding the position of king of the gods won''t work. You''ll have to persuade them skillfully. "For example." I created a small candy in the air and handed it to Baal, saying, "Let''s say you have a candy like this." "Candy...?" "It''s a sweet food." By the way, it was grape-vored. Candy is always grape-vored, right? "Can I eat it?" "I just used it as an example, so hold on for a bit... No, hold it." "I want it!" Before I could finish, Baal popped the candy into his mouth. Ugh... Well, the candy was just an example I used. Let''s continue the exnation. I ignored the fact that Baal''s cheek was bulging with the candy and continued. "Let''s say you have a candy, and someone says they really need that candy." "Mm." "That someone is weaker than you, so they can''t forcibly take the candy from you. In that situation, they mighte and talk to you." "Talk?" "Yes, talk. They might say they''ll give you something in exchange for your candy." At my words, Baal nodded slightly. "That''s what persuasion is - using words to sway someone''s mind." "Mm... No! I won''t give it!" Baal suddenly shouted. "No, I was just using that as an example." "So you won''t take the candy?" "No, you can keep it all to yourself." "Yay!" Baalughed cheerfully. Hmm. Well, it doesn''t really matter. We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now "Anyway, that''s how persuasion works - using words to sway someone''s mind. Understand?" "Mm... Kinda!" "Well, even a rough understanding is better than none." It''s better than if he didn''t understand at all. "You''re still young and weak. In that state, even just iming to be the king of the gods could make the other gods dislike you." "Dislike?" "It means they don''t like you." Hmm. Since Baal is still young, I should use simpler words. If it gets tooplicated, he won''t be able to understand. "Especially since my children have existed since ancient times. Just by proiming to be the king of the gods, the others may dislike you." "Hmm... So I can''t do that?" "Yes, you can''t do that." Shamash, even though she is close to the sky due to her element of light, the other children are not the same. "Therefore, you must go and persuade the other children one by one." "Hmm... Can I do it?" Baal had a slightly worried expression. Seeing that, I smiled and said, "I will help you, so don''t worry too much." Although I would be the most suitable for the position of king of the gods, I don''t really want to do that. If I just push this child forward and try to persuade them, they probably won''t understand the story. Above all, there should be an entity that oversees the gods. In this era where gods are being born all over the world, the Age of the Gods, if no one steps up to manage them, it will soon be a chaotic mess. "Alright, let''s go. Let''s go persuade the other children." "Okay! I''m counting on you, Gaia!" Gaia, huh. It''s quite awkward, but it''s also refreshing. And so, I set out with Baal to persuade the other children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In this world, there are gods everywhere. There weren''t as many in the past, but now, in this age overflowing with faith, gods are abundant all over the world. There is a mountain god residing in a small mountain, a water god flowing in a small stream, and a god dwelling in therge tree at the entrance of a human vige, protecting the vige. It is truly the Age of the Gods. Natural entities are gaining faith and awakening their young divine selves. Of course, to receive faith as a god, one must berge enough or respected enough to receive the faith of humans. Hmm. So does that mean other humans or animals cannot receive faith? Because humans do not worship other humans as gods? Well, even if humans receive faith, they probably won''t be able to use it properly. A human bing a god... ? That''s probably just about it. Anyway, let''s get back to the story. This world is full of gods. And no matter how small the god, they are stronger than humans. The gods, born with the same power, have the ability to freely wield that power. Even a god born in a small stream can sprinkle water on the people passing through. If these gods are left unattended, this world will be a mess. They will fight with the gods around them, change thendscape, and harm other humans, which is a natural course of events. To prevent such a situation, there be an entity that manages the gods. There had to be. If it weren''t for the fact that I''m the most likely candidate for that being! No! I''m already busy enough on a regr basis!!! Listening to the prayers of humans, extending the lives of the desperate, managing the newborn lives, checking the workload in the Afterlife, going to help when the workload in the Afterlife starts piling up, leaving a clear mark on Cloud Whale''s back when he cks off, mediating the conflicts between other races, presiding over the various events of the Lizardmen, giving a gentle warning in dreams to prevent serious problems in humans, keeping an eye on the Dwarf-Elf race war, asionally going to y with the gods of the Beastmen, stopping Sylphid when she tries to sweep everything away with a typhoon,forting Shamash who doesn''t want to work because of the unnecessary trials, getting surprised when I went to visit the god born among the Giants and finding an even bigger Giant than the other Giants, and just leaving thezy old Giant father alone!!! The other children aren''tpletely neglecting their duties, but since they''re only taking care of their own surroundings, I have to handle most of the things happening between the different races or outside their scope! At this rate, even three bodies won''t be enough! In such a situation, I''m supposed to manage all those gods? Are you crazy? You want me to do that?! "Therefore, I n to give this child the position of king of the gods, so that he can manage the other gods." "Huh?" "I was curious about why you suddenly summoned our avatars and what you were talking about... the position of king of the gods, you say." My children. Shamash, Ifrit, Thetis, Sylphid, Sagarmatha, Yggdrasil. Gods born as self-aware natural phenomena, who existed even before the Age of the Gods. These children were looking at Baal and me with puzzled expressions. Alright. Time to start persuading! If I can just convince these children, the rest should be a breeze! "I am the god of the sky! Baal!! The one who will be the king of the gods!" Baal shouted, while grabbing my hand beside him. "And I will be the partner of Gaia!" Oh, this is going to be tough. Chapter 145: Age of Gods (3) No, why are you talking about being Gaia''s partner or whatever? You were just insulting me as an olddy, and now you''re saying I''m your partner? What''s with this nonsensical talk? *sighs softly* I look at the Baal who seems unaware of what he''s saying. This guy who wants to be the king of the gods, why is he picking a fight with the situation where he needs to convince the other gods? Especially with these children who easily get distracted when it involves me. Because of that, the children havepletely frozen up. Even Shamash, who was somewhat close to Baal. "Ga...ia?" It was Shamash''s puzzled remark that broke the frozen atmosphere. "What is Gaia?" "Maybe it''s one of the newly born gods?" "Hmm..."The children don''t seem to understand the meaning of what Baal said. Ah, that''s right! Gaia is a name that Baal himself gave, so the children don''t know what it means! Good! If I just let it slide like this, I might be able to get through this somehow! But just as I''m thinking that, Baal opens his mouth. "Gaia is none other than-" "Since this guy is the god of the sky, he must have named the vastnd of this world as Gaia. Probably he wants to give birth to a new goddess of the earth..." I quickly cut off Baal''s words before he can say anything. "No, that''s not it!" "Come to think of it, this world didn''t have a proper name for the huge continent. Why don''t we use the name Pangaea, which means ''allnd'', since that fits the image of the sky and earthing together?" My clumsy excuse seems to have worked, as the children don''t make any objections. Phew. I thought it waspletely ruined, but it seems to have worked out. "But if it''s the goddess of the earth, there''s already one here, right?" Ifrit says with a mischievous smile, looking at Sagarmatha. "I don''t like this brat." "Too bad! Brat! The highest mountain doesn''t like you!" "The one I desire as a partner is not-" "Alright, that''s enough. I have a lot to discuss, so we can''t waste time with idle chatter." I cut off Baal''s words again, tilting his head back. If he were to say that Gaia is my title right now, the situation would escte again, and my ambitious n to make him the king of the gods would bepletely ruined from the start. Somehow, I need to steer the situation forward! "Anyway, I''ve been thinking of making this guy the king of the gods. I''m curious to hear your opinions on that." "Hmm... Do you need our opinion? Or are you hoping we''ll lend our support to this guy?" Calmly, I respond to Shamash''s words. "I''m not asking for your support. I just want you to evaluate whether this guy is fit to be the king of the gods." If I just brought in any newly born god and made them the king of the gods, these children would probably respect my opinion and listen. But I can''t do that. The position of the king of the gods is a weighty one, and it cannot be decided so lightly. A king of the gods chosen so carelessly will surely cause problemster on. It would be right to persuade these children to acknowledge the king of the gods. "An evaluation?" "Yes. If you children evaluate and acknowledge him, then he can be considered a being worthy of being the king of the gods." My children, born from natural phenomena. Children who have existed even before other new gods were born. In simple terms, they can be called the first generation of gods. Compared to other gods, they possess overwhelming power and the ability to freely manipte natural phenomena. If the acknowledgment of these children is secured, the acknowledgment of other gods will naturally follow. "Hmm... An evaluation... But we don''t know that much about that child." Sylphid said with a slightly sullen expression. "I''ve had some interaction with him, so I can talk about him to some extent, but if you ask me whether he is worthy of being the king of the gods... Hmm, I''m not sure." "Yeah, I don''t know." The words of Shamash and Sagarmatha. Hmm. It was certainly a bit early to ask for an evaluation when they know nothing. "Then, how about we do this?" In that situation, Thetis spoke up. "We don''t know that child, and Mom wants to make him the king of the gods, right?" "That''s right." We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now "Then, how about we give him a test to see if we can acknowledge him?" A test? "No, it''s more like a trial, really. If he solves the trial well, it would be like acknowledging him." Hmm... What is this, something like the trials of Heracles? "Certainly, doing it that way might make things easier." "Well, to be the king of the gods, he should be able to solve any kind of problem, right?" The other children also began to agree with Thetis'' words. Certainly, this would be better for progressing the matter than just demanding acknowledgment outright. I might have been too hasty in pushing this forward. Un. It was probably because Baal suddenly started talking about Gaia as his partner, which flustered me. "So, what happens now?" Baal, who had stuck close to my side, asked in a small voice. "These children will give you a test, and if you solve it, the children will acknowledge you." "A test? Hmm, how troublesome..." "But if you solve it, you can be the king of the gods, so isn''t it worth trying?" Baal thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Okay, I''ll give it a try." Good. Baal has gained a bit of willingness, and now it''s up to the children to decide what kind of test to give. "Then let''s adjourn for now. We need to think a bit more about the test." "I agree." "It''s been a while since we''ve all gathered, so I want to eat Mom''s delicious food!" "I''ve been craving some fresh, crisp vegetables." "Wait, is it okay for the god of nts to eat vegetables?" "The elves have been eating too much meat, so I''m a bit tired of it. We need to fix their picky eating habits..." Delicious food, huh. Come to think of it, the children who have lost their dragon bodies have rarely gathered like this. "Alright, since it''s been a while, let''s make it a proper meal." I''ll have them try various dishes that they can''t experience in this world! As a way to ask them to look after Baal, who aspires to be the king of the gods! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A few days after feeding the children and Baal a hearty meal, the children came to me, each having created a test of their own. For some reason, the children had a self-assured look, as ifpeting to see who could create the more difficult test. Hmm, not good. If the test is too difficult, Baal might just give up. "Oh, and Mom should also set a test!" "What? Me too?" "Yes! We all agreed that it wouldn''t be fair if only we set the tests!" What? I haven''t prepared anything at all? Suddenly asking me to set a test? That''s too sudden! "Of course, since we thought Mom hadn''t prepared anything, we''ve been discussing anding up with our own tests!" At Shamash''s words, the other children also nodded. Don''t tell me to not prepare anything! "The test set in Mom''s name! It should be a test befitting the Goddess of Life, Mom!" Hmm, I have a bad feeling about this. "It''s the trial of the sacred me! While passing the other tests, no life must be harmed!" The sacred me... the sacred me... Ugh, my head... No, more importantly, the sacred me? If there are tests from the children that require killing something, isn''t that contradictory? Is it okay to set such tests? "Ah, of course we carefully selected the tests to match that. We didn''t include any tests that require killing something." "Un. In that case, it should be fine... Hmm..." No, no. If there are no conditions set on the lives that cannot be killed, then just stepping on a bug while walking could result in disqualification from the test. This needs to be fixed. "Let''s set conditions on the lives that cannot be killed." "Conditions?" I nodded slightly and said: "Let''s limit it to humans and other subrace. Animals and monsters can be killed." "What about beastmen? They''re half human, half animal." "Beastmen are also considered a subrace." That''s discrimination against beastmen, Sylphid. Chapter 146: The Gods Trial (1) "Alright, then who should go first?" Shamash said as she looked around at the other children. "I think it''s best to start with the easy ones. Hmm...." "I''ll gost." Sagarmatha said in a calm voice. "Hmm. What kind of test did you all bring?" "That''s a secret. We all agreed to keep it a secret, remember?" Hmm... So the contents of the tests are also secret from each other? I''m curious to see what kind of tests wille up. "Mine isn''t that easy either... In that case, I''ll go before Sagarmatha.""Okay. Then Sagarmatha will be sixth, and Thetis will be fifth. But mine isn''t that easy either..." Huh, so everyone brought difficult ones? At the children''s words, Baal''s face started to look slightly tense. Since everyone said their tests weren''t easy, he couldn''t help but feel nervous. "I didn''t really have anything in mind, so I just brought something simple... Shall I go first?" "Okay, then Ifrit will go first. But what kind of test did you bring?" At Shamash''s words, Ifrit hesitated slightly before speaking. "There are quite a few gods wandering around in the desert near me. I''d like to properly subdue and pacify those fellows." Hmm, a very simple test. "But were there really that many gods around Ifrit''s ce?" "Since it''s an endlessly harsh environment for humans, there are many gods born out of fear. I would get annoyed and want to beat them up sometimes, but somehow they''d hide away as soon as I started moving." At Ifrit''s words, Shamash spoke with an expression that showed she understood. "Ah, that? It''s that sensation of feeling small when a stronger god moves, isn''t it? You feel it when Mom moves, don''t you?" "Uh... Well... Was there something like that? I don''t really remember." "Eh? Was it just me who felt that way? How about the other kids?" "I don''t either." "Me neither." "So it was just Shamash?" At the children''s words, Shamash''s expression became one of confusion. "So I was the only one feeling that... Thanks to that sensation, I could easily sense Mom''s location." "How unfair." "Why do you get to have something like that?" Hmm, the conversation is veering off track. "Alright, everyone calm down. The story isn''t progressing." At my words, the slightly agitated atmosphere settled down. Good. I discreetly gestured to Ifrit to continue the story. "Anyway,e back after subduing all the gods in the desert. That''s my test." Truly a simple test from Ifrit. Hearing the content of the test, Baal spoke with a confident expression. "If it''s a test like that, I can definitely do it!" Baal, full of self-confidence. Hmm, I don''t know what kind of gods the desert gods are, butpared to the god of sky, their divinity must be weaker... Well, it should be fine. After all, he is a god of the sky. "Ah, of course, you''re not allowed to get help from Mom! Understand?" Ah... I was nning to lend a little help if needed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The one who ovees the trials given by the gods will seize glory. This is amon story found in mythology. The gods test the hero, and the hero ovees the test. Attempts have been made endlessly to find the archetype of such stories. Some have called Rychlen, the hero among heroes, the archetype of that myth, while others have imed the story of the hero chosen by the goddess of life as its origin. In the meantime, a stone tablet was excavated from the depths of the sea. Originally a y tablet, but turned to stone due to high heat and pressure, the inscription on it read: [The one who ovees the trials of the seven gods shall possess this world.] The excavation of this tablet sparked heated debates among many theologians and historians. What gods do the seven gods refer to? What are the trials they have set? And what does it mean to possess this world? The gods of the pantheon, who seemed to know the answers, remained silent. As if they could not reveal the answers. And just as the meaning of the tablet''s inscription remained undiscovered, and the tablet itself was about to be forgotten in the depths of memory, my friend came to me with another fragment of a tablet. We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now The small tablet fragment my anxious friend brought, which he had never shown to anyone else. The inscription on that tiny fragment read: [The King of the Gods, his name shall be Baal.] An iprehensible inscription. A king among the gods? When the gods existed as the sole rulers of heaven and earth, was there another god above them, a king? If there was, was it a god other than the Goddess of Life, who is called the supreme god? I did not know. The name Baal was also a story I had never heard before. After showing me the tablet fragment, my friend left with an anxious gait, and I never saw or heard from him again. He must have perished somewhere. But setting aside my friend''s story, if, just if, the god called Baal, the King of the Gods, had truly existed. Why did this god, called the King of the Gods, disappear? Why do the gods not mention the existence of such a being? Why were we unaware of this god? I do not know. I could know nothing. Perhaps this name should not be revealed. Perhaps it is a name that the gods of the time have buried in history. It may be a name that must never be uttered. A name that must never be spoken. From the moment I thought so, I was gripped by fear. I felt as if someone was watching me. I began to distrust the people around me. Everything led to distrust. Was this the conclusion my friend had also reached? Is that why he was so anxious? Struggling in the grip of the fear crawling up my spine, I have decided to record the information I have gathered about Baal in this research notebook, and to burn all other clues, sealing the memory within the notebook. So that I may never see this name again. So that I may not be put in danger by this name. Someday, when the gods no longer show interest in humans and faith weakens, may this research notebook reach those who seek the truth. With a faint prayer. May the truth that cannot be known now be passed on to the future. - From the research notebook of a certain historian. This research notebook never fell into human hands. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "O gods of the desert! I, the God of the Sky, havee to rule over you as your king!" The young gods of the desert, with animal heads, influenced by the presence of the water deities in the area, fiercely resisted Baal''s promation, and the battle between the God of the Sky and the desert godssted for days. The result, as one would expect, was Baal''s victory. The gods born from the scorching winds, the flowing sands, and other natural forces - none of them could defeat Baal, who was born from the sky itself. Faced with the immense power pouring down from the sky, the desert gods had no choice but to kneel. Well, it''s only natural. The power possessed by Baal, who was born from the sky itself, was the greatest among the newly born gods. The faith of those who longed for the sky, all of that faith flowed into Baal. It was only natural. The gods born from the fear of the harsh environment of the desert could not defeat Baal. "The first trial has been passed smoothly!" "Un. Now it''s getting a bit quiet around here." Ifrit, was the goal not to pass the trials, but to make the surroundings quiet? Well, it doesn''t matter. Just the fact that Baal has subjugated various gods is enough to demonstrate his power. "Then next, shall we do Sylphid or Yggdrasil? Who wants to go first?" "Me! I''ll go first!" Sylphid said with a confident expression. "Let me tell you in advance! My trial won''t be easy!" Oho. Sylphid is speaking so confidently. I''m curious what kind of trial it is. "My trial is! A race against me! From the eastern end of this continent to the western end! Fly quickly! It''s a one-on-one race!" There was a reason for her confidence. "By the way! Teleportation and the like are prohibited! You must use only that incarnate body! That''s the condition!" Sylphid, with such a condition, there are hardly any gods who can beat you in speed. At most, Shamash could transform his incarnate body into light and shoot it, but... hmm... even teleportation is prohibited. Well, that''s just too heartless. If Baal were under the sky, he could teleport and move, but if even teleportation is prohibited... there''s no answer, is there? "Whatever! I''ll give it a try!!" Surprisingly, Baal boldly epted Sylphid''s trial. "Baal, Sylphid''s speed is no ordinary thing. Are you sure you''re okay?" "I too will never be defeated under this sky! It''s fine! I can do it!!" Hmm... if it goes well, that would be good, but... this condition is just too heartless, you know. Hmm... Should I lend a hand just a little? Chapter 147: The Gods Trial (2) To be honest, it would be impossible for Baal to win a race against Sylphid. A pure speed contest without teleportation or the like, and using only their incarnate bodies... Only someone like me could possibly beat Sylphid. Therefore, "Are you really okay without me helping?" "Yes! I''ll try my best somehow!" The boastful Baal. The result was clearly visible, but I did nothing. And as expected, "I won!!!" I saw Sylphid cross the finish line she had set up at the western end of the world first.Hmm. I should have intervened. Baal is still running far behind, while Sylphid is already there, jumping around. It was a mismatch from the start, so there''s nothing to be done. "As I thought, there is no one who can beat me in a race! Ahaha!" Sylphid''s immature response towards the young god. As her parent, it''s a little... embarrassing. "But Mom! What happens now? Does that mean I be the king of the gods?" "Who knows." I sighed softly as I watched the yful Sylphid. In this situation... There''s no choice. I''ll have to use some cheating. I take a watch out from my pocket. The race itself didn''t take long, so a small adjustment should be enough. I turn the hands of the watch back, and press the button on it. Simultaneously, the world rewinds. Everything except me goes backwards. This world rewinds. Rewinding a long time would negate everything done during that time, which I''m reluctant to do, but a brief rewind should be fine. Thus, I return to the time when the race was about to start, at the eastern end of the continent, where Baal and Sylphid were about to depart. While the other children are anticipating Sylphid''s victory near the finish line, I quietly move, making sure the others don''t notice me. Now, let me set up a little trap to catch Sylphid here. I snap my fingers lightly, and a table and chairs made of wood, along with various foods, appear instantly. Just a brief moment. A trap to hold Sylphid. Of course, this brief moment alone won''t be enough to make Baal win, but I should be able to persuade Sylphid. It may be considered cowardly, but making Baal the king of the gods is a somewhat pressing matter for me. If Baal fails to be the king of the gods, that responsibility will undoubtedly fall on me, and my workload will pile up again. I can''t allow that. I must stop it, even if it means cheating! So, after preparing some freshly baked apple pies and carbonated lemonade, I waited for Sylphid to arrive. "Ah! Mom! What''s all this?" Sylphid, who was running towards the goal, got caught in the trap I had prepared. "I knew the oue was decided, so I just wanted to have a little chat with you." "Chat? Then I''ll quickly go to the goal ande back!" "No, let''s do it like this for now." "Huh? The goal is right in front of me?" "You haven''t crossed the goal yet, so we should talk now." At my words, Sylphid sat down at the table with a slightly disgruntled expression. I cut her a slice of apple pie and said, "Do you know why I''m trying to make Baal the king of the gods?" "Hmm. Not really. Isn''t it because you like that guy?" "That''s not it." I shook my head slightly, and Sylphid took a bite of the apple pie. The sound of the crust breaking can be heard. "It''s simply because I need it." "The king of the gods?" "Yes, the king of the gods." I poured lemonade into a ss and handed it to Sylphid, saying, "You must know that countless gods are being born all over the ce right now, right?" "Yes. That''s why it''s chaotic everywhere." Uncontrolled gods were worse than wild animals, since they had some power but not enough to be properly managed. Even though they seem to understand instinctively that human faith has created their existence, it''s fortunate that they don''t harm humans. But there are plenty of gods who use methods to frighten humans, even if they don''t kill them. "The situation is that we need an entity to control those gods." "Can''t you just do it, Mom? I think you''d be better at it than that clumsy fledgling guy." "Are you saying you want me to just keep working and not do anything else?" At my words, Sylphid silently took a bite of the pie. We rely on your support! novelplex.org Donate now "Even just for now, the amount of work I have to do is mountainous, and on top of that I''d have to manage the gods? Of course I could do it if I had to. But I''d have to give up a lot of other things." "A lot of other things...?" "Yes. For example... the brief moments I get to spend with you all." Sylphid didn''t say anything. "The point is, I''m going to get even busier. To prevent that, I need a king of the gods. And the most promising candidate for that is that Baal." I looked at Baal running in the distance. He''s still young and weak, but he possesses the heavens themselves, so he has great potential as a god. "Then, why not entrust it to another god instead of him?" "Entrust it? To whom?" "If you gave it to one of us..." Excluding Ifrit and Thetis who just stay in one ce, and Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha, Shamash has already made a name for herself as the god ofw, justice and light, so she might be able to do it. But I don''t want to dump even more work on Shamash, who''s already doing a considerable amount. That leaves Sylphid as the remaining candidate. "If you end up having to do that, you''d have to give up other things, would that be okay?" "Other things?" I nodded slightly. For the free-spirited Sylphid, having to take responsibility and do work would be... not an easy thing. Especially managing the arrogant and unnecessarily powerful gods is...pletely at odds with Sylphid, who is unbound by anything. "Freedom." "Freedom..." "As the god of wind, you''d have to give up the freedom you have and work on managing the gods. Can you do that?" At my words, Sylphid thought for a moment and then shook her head slightly. She knows herself well, so the answer came out quickly. "I can''t do either, can I?" "The best choice left is to entrust it to that child." Sylphid tossed the remaining pie slice into her mouth and chewed it roughly. "I don''t like it, but... I really don''t, but I have no choice." "Yes, there''s no choice." If there had been a more trustworthy being to entrust it to... that would have been better. But the other children were all already responsible for something, so there was no other option left. "Alright, the talk is over, I''ll go back to the goal area." "Okay. Thanks for the delicious meal, Mom." Sylphid then pretended to yawn. "I''m a bit sleepy since I''m full. Since that little kid still has a long way to go, I''ll take a short nap." "Alright, go ahead." Sylphid leaned against a nearby tree trunk and closed her eyes, and I returned to the goal area to watch the result. As expected, the result was Baal''s victory. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The rabbitughed while looking at the invisible turtle. "Haha! It''s not even a match!" The goal is right in front, but the turtle is invisible. He thought it would be a boring race, but the difference is this big. The rabbit yawned a little, perhaps getting bored. "I''ll take a quick nap. The turtle won''t be going anywhere even if I sleep." The rabbit leaned against a tree stump near the goal and closed his eyes, soon snoring. And the turtle. Step by step, the steadily advancing turtle found the sleeping rabbit with his loud snoring. In an important race to decide the winner, sleeping... The turtle clicked his tongue softly and passed by the rabbit, continuing to walk steadily. When the turtle reached the goal, "Whoa! How long was I asleep?" The rabbit woke up with a start and looked around. And he saw the turtle crossing the goal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Sylphid. Weren''t you too careless?" "Hmm. I''m ashamed. Just took a little nap." Sylphid smiled sheepishly. "Well, a win is a win. I didn''t expect Sylphid to fall asleep there, but... Anyway, Baal''s victory!" "I definitely wouldn''t lose if we raced again. But I have no choice but to ept the defeat." Okay, that''s two. There are four left, right? So far, it''s going smoothly. No need to take any lives or anything. If there''s no trouble, it should go well. "Then is it my turn next?" The next in line, Yggdrasil, stepped up in front of Baal. "My test is... I''d like you to fix the elves'' picky eating." Chapter 148: The Gods Trial (3) The elves'' picky eating...? I looked at Yggdrasil, who was speaking calmly. No, it''s true that the elves hardly eat any ingredients thate from nts... But to set that as a test? Sylphid''s test question about a race with him was a bit unscrupulous, but Yggdrasil''s case is just... pushing her own duties onto Baal under the name of a test. Is this right? "Picky eating...?" "Yes, picky eating. Do you know about the elves?" "Yes. They are a long-lived race with long ears. I''ve heard they canmunicate with grass and trees." At Baal''s words, Yggdrasil smiled slightly and continued the story."Then the story will be quick. The elves don''t even put nt-based foods in their mouths. Other races have no problem eating those ingredients, but those children refuse to even touch them." Well, since they canmunicate with nts, it might feel like eating their neighbors, wouldn''t it? In fact, it''s the elves who eat nt-based foods that might be the problem. "At least they are getting enough nutrition from carnivory or photosynthesis, but since they don''t use any ingredients from nts... Compared to other races, they are starting to fall behind. They are still making up for it with their innate abilities and the experience of their long lifespan, but... As time goes on, more and more new things will appear..." Worried Yggdrasil. It''s like a parent worrying about their child''s severe picky eating. "Therefore, I want to fix their picky eating... but whenever I see those children, my heart softens and I can''t be strict with them. So I was hoping you could do that job instead." After thinking for a moment, Baal tilted his head. "But how am I supposed to do that?" "Well, I don''t know either. Since I set it as a test, you have to figure out how to do it, don''t you?" Yggdrasil... That''s a very irresponsible thing to say.... Anyway, to fix the elves'' carnivorous diet... Hmm... How can I fix that? First, the biggest cause is probably the problem that arises from the elves'' ability tomunicate with nts. Since they canmunicate with each other, they can''t see the ingredients as food. Well, if other humans could alsomunicate directly with nts or animals... They might be a little reluctant to eat them too. Hmm, no? In the case of beastmen, they canmunicate with animals to some extent, but they still eat them well... Hmm... Let''s move on from beastmen. Bringing that up here would make the story go off track. In the case of elves, it''s probably due to the existence of Yggdrasil, who can be considered the god of the elves, as well as their ability tomunicate with nts. Eating the form of Yggdrasil. What a sacrilege! They might be thinking that way. And not just any gods, but a mother-like world tree who created and nurtured their race. To forcefully put nt-based ingredients into the mouths of elves who revere Yggdrasil so much... Hmm... I could do it, but... Can Baal do it? I don''t know. Sylphid and Yggdrasil too. Why did they set such a difficult test? Could it be that the whole thing with Gaia has been exposed, and they''re venting their anger by setting a difficult test? "Of course, it will be a difficult problem, so I''ll give you plenty of time. 1 month. During that time, somehow make the elves eat vegetables too." "Ugh..." At Yggdrasil''s words, Baal''s worries deepened even further. Changing the dietary habits of an entire race within 1 month... Hmm... This time... I don''t think I have an answer. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Hmm... What should I do?" Baal was lost in thought as he looked down at the elves. Skinning the prey and processing the meat. Their skillful movements showed that this was not a one-or two-day task. "What would Gaia do?" "Me?" When I told him that he could call me Gaia when the other kids weren''t around, he casually called me Gaia. To be honest, I''m still not quite used to being called Gaia, so I sometimes react with ''Gaia? Ah, that''s me.'' But well, I''ve been called by various names, so I''ll probably get used to it soon enough. I looked down at the elves, deep in thought. "The reason the elves don''t eat nts is likely because they canmunicate with them, and the person they revere, Yggdrasil, is the god of nts." "Yeah, that''s right." "Therefore, unless we take away the elves'' ability tomunicate with nts, and rece the gods they worship as Yggdrasil with another deity... it might be impossible." I could try gathering all the elves and forcibly changing their nature, but that would be too much for Baal. Currently, the majority of the Elves live in the forests around Yggdrasil, but a small percentage of the Elves live outside of the forest. There are elves with a strong sense of adventure, after all. "So what should I do?" "Hmm..." Making the impossible possible? That might be too much for Baal. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Rather than that, if I could find a loophole in the problem Yggdrasil presented... What Yggdrasil said was about picky eating, so if I could somehow solve that... Hmm. The issue seems to be that they can''t be made to eat nts. Wait, let me think about this differently. What if there were nts that they could eat? Parts of nts that are meant to be eaten? Suddenly, an idea came to me. "Fruit." "Fruit?" Baal tilted his head at my words. "Yes, fruit. I think fruit could be the key." "Fruit... why?" I looked at the puzzled Baal and exined. "Fruit is an organ that develops to disperse the seeds it contains. It actually needs to be eaten, otherwise it wouldn''t serve its purpose." "Something that needs to be eaten?" "Yes. The nts might even want their fruits to be eaten." From the nt''s perspective, the fruit itself isn''t that important. What''s important is the seeds. And animal droppings can even serve as fertilizer for the seeds. "I think this might be the only way, withoutpletely overhauling the entire elf race." The test Yggdrasil set was simply to fix the elves'' picky eating. Getting them to eat fruit might be enough to pass the test. It''s a bit of a stretch, but this seems to be the most feasible option. "Hmm... I''m not sure, but if Gaia says so, it must be right!" Baal nodded without a hint of doubt, simply believing what I said. Seeing his innocent nature, I started to feel a bit worried. If someone were to deceive this naive child, it could be disastrous. Un. Education. Education is the answer. I must thoroughly educate this ill-mannered young kid to turn him into a respectable king! "So I just need to bring a bunch of fruit and feed it to the elves?" "Don''t just do it directly, the elves might get suspicious. Approach it slowly." "Slowly?" I nodded at Baal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - One day. In the city of Alfheim, built around the World Tree Yggdrasil, a story began to spread. It started with a question from a young human boy who hade from outside Alfheim. "I heard that elves don''t touch anything thates from nts at all. Is that true?" "Of course. To us elves, all the grasses and trees are like family." "Then you don''t eat fruit either, right?" "That''s right, we don''t eat fruit either." The young boy opened his mouth after a moment of thought at the elf''s words. "I learned that fruit is made to be eaten along with the seeds... Wouldn''t the nts dislike it if we didn''t eat the fruit?" "Ah, is that so...?" And so began a small question. [Is fruit made to be eaten?] For the elves who do not eat anything thates from nts, this was a story that sparked much debate. "Since nts are like our family, we must not put anything thates from them in our mouths!" The staunch carnivores argued that nothing should be put in the mouth. "But isn''t fruit made to be eaten? Then shouldn''t we respect the will of the nts and eat the fruit?" The newly emerged moderate faction of omnivores argued that there was nothing wrong with eating fruit. "Then shouldn''t we just do what the nts want, since our ability tomunicate with them exists for that purpose?" There were also those who left the choice up to the nts. "ording to ancient records, the World Tree took pity on our starving ancestors and gave them fruits, which they gratefully ate! This means the World Tree has also said that it''s okay to eat the fruit!" Those who sought answers in the records of history also existed. "Then how about extracting just the fruit pulp to make wine? I''m sick of those dwarves drinking beer, so let''s make fruit wine for a change!" What are these guys doing? "The elves have already gained the impression of diligently caring for nts, so won''t eating the fruit of the nts ruin that image?" "Then we can just show a thorough carnivorous image to other races, can''t we?" "It''s to preserve the image of elves who cherish nts. I don''t like it, but..." "But isn''t it necessary?" And so, countless debates turned Alfheim into a battlefield. The young human boy who caused this situation, Baal, simply smiled as he looked down at the elves. Chapter 149: The Gods Trial (4) Language is one of the greatest weapons for intelligent beings. Bymunicating smoothly with other entities, intelligent beings were able to gain even more. Language was extremely important for intelligent beings. Many still did not know that it could also be a weakness. "Puhahaha! What''s this! It''s really working!" I watched the countless debates unfolding among the elves with Baal. "I just whispered a little in their ears, and they really believe it!" "If a faint voice is heard when no one is around, they''ll believe it''s their own thought." What I taught Baal was how to spread a little rumor.In a solitary situation, instill a very faint voice into their ears. The reaction of those who heard such a voice varied depending on their mental fortitude. If someone with strong mental fortitude heard it first, they would dismiss it as an auditory hallucination, but if it persisted, their mind would waver slightly. For those with average mental fortitude, their minds would waver from the start and eventually sumb. For those with weak mental fortitude, they would mistake the voice in their ear for their own thought, and if it continued, they would experience mental confusion. Just by instilling a faint voice, such things were possible. "By the way, it''s really a mess." "Everyone has their own opinion. It''s natural for this to happen when many opinions collide." Of course, this applies not only to elves but also to gods of this world. "If you be the king of gods, you''ll experience something even greater than this. It will be your job to coordinate and handle them well." For gods are mostly just lumps of a great ego. It will be iparably harder than ruling humans. "Hmm... Can''t I just push them with force?" "If you rule by relying on force, if a being stronger than you emerges and ims to be king, you''ll be overthrown. Of course, you could rule quickly with simple logic, but there would be no small bacsh." Moreover, if you suppress them by force, those suppressed by that force will eventually spring back like a spring. Unless you can suppress them forever. "Hmm... I don''t really understand." "You don''t need to know right now." You''re not the king of gods yet. There''s still about half of the other kids'' tests remaining. "This test... Honestly, I don''t feel like I did much." "That may be true. But it was too difficult a test for you to solve alone." Yggdrasil went too far. How could they give such a test? Honestly, it was an impossible problem for Baal alone. "Anyway, if I keep whispering and guiding them to eat fruit like this, it''ll work, right?" "Yes. That way, you can somewhat fix the elves'' meat-centric diet." Of course, the fact that it''s meat-centric won''t change. But it''s something that they''ll start eating fruit too. "If I had a little more time, I could have manipted public opinion to make them eat nt leaves too... But a month is too short." "nt leaves?" "Yes. ording to Yggdrasil, nt leaves feel no different from human hair. They keep growing, and eventually fall out on their own like hair." Then, let¡¯s not ask whether nts without leaves are bald. Baldness itself would be a great sorrow for them. "Anyway, by manipting public opinion like this to gradually create an atmosphere where it''s okay to eat fruit, you will be able to pass Yggdrasil''s test without issue." "Yeah. But since this is a test given to me... Didn''t Gaia help me too much?" Baal said with a slightly worried look. Certainly, I did help him almost entirely... But it didn''t seem like Baal could have solved such a difficult test alone. Would it be okay if I hid the fact that I helped him solve it? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Mom. No matter how difficult the problem is, you shouldn''t do everything for him like that." Before the cold gaze of Shamash, I broke out in a cold sweat. Um. Well. I guess I did help too much. Even during the Sylphid test and the Yggdrasil test, the tests were so difficult that they were almost impossible to solve. If I hadn''t helped, there would have been no solutions to those tests. In fact, during the Sylphid test, Baal waspletely defeated in the one-on-one race, and the test given by Yggdrasil was also one that Baal''s mind could not solve. Even though I knew it was close to cheating, I had no choice but to help. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now And now, that cheating has been exposed like this. "To be honest, I thought Mom would help a little, but this is a bit too much. It''s almost as if Mom solved the test yourself." "But listen, the problem given by Yggdrasil was so difficult that there was no possibility at all, right?" "That''s why it has value as a test. If Mom helps him too much, what value would the test have?" Shamash''s words were scolding. To be scolded by my own child, how embarrassing. But''s true, I can''t make any excuses since I was wrong. "But it seems that Yggdrasil is satisfied." Yggdrasil, who was watching the elves, was smiling contentedly as some of the elves began to put fruit in their mouths. "Don''t change the subject! Shamash, as the god of light, justice, andw, punish Mom''s unfair behavior!" "Oh dear. My child is persecuting me! When I grow old, I should just die!" "Your crocodile tears won''t work! You''re not even going to die in the first ce!" "Tch." Well, there''s nothing I can do. I didmit a foul. "As a punishment, you are forbidden from talking to that child during the remaining tests!" "Ah, so that''s why you had Baal wait in the next room." "Yes! And he will stay with us throughout the rest of the tests! While we''re at it, you should make lots of delicious things for us! And also... And also..." "Alright, alright. I''ll do whatever you ask, so don''t worry." I can''t help it. It seems they were quite upset that I had been neglecting these children. I can only pray that Baal will navigate the remaining tests well, and take care of these children for a while. "Anyway Yggdrasil. Have your tests been passed with this?" "Yes! To see those children putting fruit in their mouths, it''s so moving!" Yggdrasil was genuinely delighted. It was good to see the great worry lifted from their face. "Honestly, I wanted to fail the test because I helped too much, but since Yggdrasil is so happy, I can''t do anything about it." "Hmm. Then whose turn is the next test?" At my words, Shamash pointed to themself with their thumb and said, "The next test is my turn! This test won''t be easy at all!" Shamash spoke proudly, puffing out her body. Hmm. At this point, it seems they have no intention of testing Baal and just want to give a difficult test. I just hoped for a fair test to see if he was qualified to be the king of the gods, but it seems that''s not the case. "Alright, then I''ll bring Baal. I need to tell him what the test is!" Shamash said that and went to get Baal from the next room. Hmm. I''m a bit uneasy. I''m worried about what kind of test Shamash will give. But now that I can''t help Baal, I can only hope that Baal will navigate it well on his own. "Here we are! Now, I will announce the test!" Suppressing the slight unease in my heart, I looked at Shamash, who had brought Baal. "The test I will give is.....!!!" Shamash pulled a scroll of papyrus and unfurled it with a loud sound. What was written on that scroll was, "Bring that which has form but cannot be grasped, that which is on the opposite side of light!" Ugh. "That which has form but cannot be grasped, on the opposite side of light...?" "That''s..." "No..." The expressions on me and the children''s faces began to grow cold as we saw Shamash''s test. No, this is clearly a test to bring him, isn''t it? Even if you give such a test, is it really okay? Neither I nor the other children could find it after searching for a long time, and I could only find a tiny fragment of it in the magic stones of the monsters. You''re going to give that as a test? Really? Seriously? This means you just don''t want to make Baal the king of the gods, right? "Shamash... Do you have a conscience..." "Ah! I can''t hear you! I can''t hear! Anyway! This is the test! You''ve got a year to spare! Even a small clue is fine!!! Mom can no longer help you because of the cheating!! You have to find it on your own!" Shamash said that and pushed Baal out of the room. Ugh. So this is as far as making Baal the king of the gods goes. No, but why are you giving such difficult tests? Couldn''t you just give a test that appropriately tests Baal''s abilities? Was Baal not to your liking? Could it be that you''ve noticed that the Gaia he was talking about was me? I''m starting to feel a bit resentful towards the children who don''t understand my heart. At this rate... in the end, my work will just increase even more. Chapter 150: The Gods Trial (5) "Something that has a form but cannot be grasped, on the opposite side of the light?" Baal tilted his head with a puzzled expression, not understanding what that meant. Well, it''s not surprising that Baal wouldn''t know about the long-lost Erebus. "Alright, if you can bring that fellow, I''ll let you pass the test." "I''m not sure, but I''ll give it a try!" "Oh, and my mom can''t help you anymore. You''ll have to do it all on your own." At Shamash''s words, Baal replied confidently. "Okay! I''ve received enough help already! Now I''ll do it myself!" It''s good that he''s energetic, but... hmm. It''ll be difficult to seed. If it was something that could be easily found, we would have found it a long time ago.Baal, not understanding the difficulty of this test, rushed out as if he could find it right away, and the other children and I silently looked at Shamash. "Giving an impossible test, isn''t that too much?" "That''s right! Even for me, it was not an easy trial, but I made concessions!" Sylphid, you''re the same, aren''t you? If I hadn''t persuaded you, you would have just won as is. Well, Sylphid seems to have acted without much thought. "Hmph. I have my own thoughts too, you know. Don''t think I just gave this test without any reason." Shamash has... thoughts? No, well, when making judgments, there is some discernment, but Shamash, who always seems carefree and without much thought? "This test was also because of mom. I understand that mom cares a lot about that child, buttely she''s been neglecting us! I wish mom would pour some of that attention on us as well!" What, are they ming me here? "So that''s why you gave this impossible test?" "Yes. Even that kid will get dejected after struggling for about a year and realize it''s impossible. Until then, mom has to be with us." "What about....... the test?" Shamashughed lightly as if it was nothing and spoke. "As for the test, well, I''ll just let him pass it as if he seeded, honoring his efforts during that time. So don''t worry." Hmm... It''s fortunate that he will pass the test regardless of his sess, but have I neglected this child to the extent that they think this way? Well, thinking about it, I did neglect them quite a bit. After teaching them how to create avatars, I hardly ever met them. I thought they were already grown up and doing their own thing. But it seems that was just my own thought. "Alright then, mom. Let''s have a pleasant year together from now on." Ugh... What is this? Is this some kind of obsession or fixation? But it seems to be some kind of excessive attachment or something like that... And so, I ended up spending about a year with the children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thinking calmly, my children don''t seem to be doing anything that goes against what I want. Sylphid? That child is a bit of a fool, Maybe she got excited about the race and just ran off? After talking it through calmly, she understood my intentions, so Sylphid didn''t intentionally go against my will. Anyway, since I know the other children aren''t going against my will either, I can watch Baal''s test with a bit more peace of mind. "Mom''s cooking really is the best in this world, you know. How can it be so delicious?" "Yes, it''s the best." I chuckled softly as I watched Sylphid and Sagarmatha finish off more than four servings of the cream pasta. Well, the concept of pasta doesn''t exist in this era yet. There''s a primitive cream stew made with milk, but that''s about it. "I''m d you''re enjoying the food. But why aren''t the other children here?" "They went to watch over Baal. It seems they found something, or so they say. Sagarmatha and I are here to make sure Mom doesn''t go to Baal." "I see. Monitoring." Sagarmatha, who had polished off the cream pasta, quietly raised her index and middle fingers to draw a V. "It seems they found something, huh? Did they find a clue to that fellow?" "That''s impossible, isn''t it? How could they find something that has been shattered into countless pieces and lost its form? At best, they might find a lump of gathered fragments." Indeed, that''s likely the case. Gathering all the countless scattered fragments of that being is almost impossible. Even if they find something, there''s not much hope. But just as I thought that... "I found it!" About 7 months after Baal took Shamash''s test. Baal came to us, bringing a small dark-haired goddess. "Found...?" "U-Uh, ugh..." The young goddess Baal brought, with a gloomy aura and dark hair covering her face. Hmm. Ah.... Ah! "The answer to Shamash''s is the shadow! So I brought the goddess of shadows!" Indeed, it seems that''s the case. Yes, that makes sense. This child couldn''t possibly know about Erebus. So he couldn''t have found Erebus, which is shattered into countless pieces. Instead, it seems he found the appropriate subject for Shamash''s question. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "T-This ce... I shouldn''t be here..." "What, it''s fine! You''re the answer to Shamash''s question! Stand up straight! Don''t hide behind me! Come forward!" Baal grabbed the arm of the goddess, who trying to hide behind him, and pulled her forward, and the children looked at them with their heads in their hands. "But, t-this, I-I mean..." The young goddess continued to look uneasy. Baal said she was the goddess of shadows. Judging by her appearance, she seems to be a young goddess who has just been born and knows nothing. "Well, I did pose the question about darkness and shadows, but..." Shamash just sighed while looking at the young goddess. "Shamash. It looks like you''ve been caught off guard." "No, but! Neither Mom nor us were thinking of this young goddess!" "We all had the same thought, but Baal couldn''t have known about that being, could he?" I gently ced my hand on the timid goddess''s head and slowly stroked it. A faint sense of relief began to appear on the small goddess''s face, who had been shrinking back. It seems she felt reassured that the greatest god, was caring for her in the presence of the other higher gods. "Regardless of what your intention was in posing the test, the fact is that this child fits the answer to that test." "But still..." I opened my mouth, looking at Shamash who seemed to want to say more. "So, as the god of light, justice, andw, what do you think?" "Ugh... Well... H-He passes." "I did it!" At Shamash''s pronouncement of passing, Baal joyfully leaped up. "Yay!" "It''s thanks to you! Thank you!!" And Baal started spinning around, hugging the young goddess. Hmm. This one is quite... Looks nice, the lively sky-blue boy and the timid ck-haired girl. "Ugh... I had nned to spend a year with Mom..." "Your mistake was not clearly stating the answer to the test." "No, but... Ugh... Why did the goddess of shadows have to appear at this time..." At Shamash''s words, the young goddess flinched and hid behind me. Oh dear, she got scared by Shamash''s words. "Don''t be afraid. Shamash is not angry at you." I slowly stroked the timid goddess''s head. "Then, what is your name?" I sat down at eye level with the timid goddess and asked. Slightly disheveled hair. Pale skin. And a faint sense of divinity. Truly the appearance of a young goddess who has just been born. The young goddess did not answer my question, but shook her head silently. "Why? It''s not like you can''t speak... Hmm... Perhaps you don''t have a name?" The young goddess slowly nodded her head. "I... don''t have a name..." "It seems you''ve truly just been born." "Of course! she was born from the rumors spread among the humans!" Baal spoke boldly. Indeed... Baal himself was the god born from the rumors that had spread. "Unlike with the elves, it wasn''t easy, but I worked hard to spread the rumors and this is how she was born! Aren''t I great?" Baal looked at me sparkling eyes. His appearance was like that of a puppy seeking praise, and I couldn''t help but slowly stroke Baal''s head. "Well, you see... That is..." "Ah, yes. The goddess of shadows... The goddess who still doesn''t have a name. Baal, what is this child''s name?" "Hmm... I don''t know!" He doesn''t know...? Hmm. It seems he really created her without any thought. "It would be troublesome if a newly born god doesn''t have a name." For faith in the gods to be properly conveyed, it is necessary to clearly recognize that god. Therefore, the name of a gods is a really important milestone. "Then... I shall give you a name." The name given by the current supreme god? I rarely give names to gods. You can be proud of it! "Your name shall be... Yes, this is fitting." As I stroked the timid goddess of shadows, I said, "Your name shall be Nyx." And so, the goddess of shadows and night, Nyx, was born. Chapter 151: The Gods Trial (6) And so, Baal passed Shamash''s test. The one Shamash had set as the test was Erebus, but the question was ambiguous. When there are multiple correct answers due to errors in the question, it ismon to ept them all as valid. So Shamash herself had no choice but to acknowledge that Baal had passed the test. Let''s see. Now that Baal has passed Shamash''s test... The remaining ones are Thetis and Sagarmatha. I wonder how the tests for the remaining two will go. I''m starting to feel a bit uneasy. I suppressed the rising unease and gently stroked the head of Nyx sitting on myp. The timid young goddess. Nyx was still clinging to me, keeping an eye on things, as if the other gods were too overwhelming for her. "Um, uh..." "What''s wrong?""O-Oh, it''s nothing..." Nyx''s voice shrank down to the size of a mouse hole. I simply continued stroking Nyx''s head in silence. A shy, petite young goddess. Mmm, nice. "Well then, is it my turn next?" Thetis said as she stood up, and I grumbled softly while looking at her. "It''s starting to get a bit tedious, being the fifth one and all." The other children nodded in agreement, having heard my grumbling. If I had known it would be like this, I should have just rushed through them faster. Moreover, since we banned harming life and all that, there wasn''t any real crisis at all, no matter what they said. I don''t know what the remaining tests are, but judging from the previous ones, it doesn''t seem like there will be any danger of harming life. They wouldn''t possibly give a test like "go raid the dwarves'' underground vige and bring back some treasure," would they? No, they wouldn''t do that. Sagarmatha does have a tendency to dismiss the dwarves, but surely she wouldn''t give a test against the very beings who worship her as a god. "My test will be over quickly, so don''t worry. I''m just going to the deep sea with you, that''s all." "The deep sea?" "Yes, the deepest part of the ocean. Of course, since I''ll be going with you, it won''t be too dangerous." Hmm... Really? The deep sea that deep, the pressure must be immense. I wonder if that''s really okay. "It''ll be a bit tough, but to be the king of the gods, there should be no ce in this world that I can''t go." I nced at Baal nearby, and he had a self-assured expression on his face. "Will you be alright?" "Of course! No problem at all!" Will he really be okay? The deep sea where not even a speck of light can prate. "Don''t worry too much. I''m going with you to make sure I return safely." Hmm... If Thetis says so, then I guess it''ll be fine... But I still have a lingering sense of unease. Maybe I should go with them after all. However, that thought was abruptly cut off by Thetis'' words. "Mom is prohibited from apanying. You understand, right? I''ll have the other children keep an eye on you." "Ugh... Alright, I''ll do that. But you must return safely, understood?" "Of course." I really hope they''ll be okay. Sigh... I can''t help but worry. And so, I watched as Baal and Thetis descended into the depths of the sea, while gently stroking the head of Nyx sitting on myp. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thetis descended into the deep sea depths, apanied by Baal. The faint light gradually disappeared, and darkness permeated the space. In the abyss where the sky was no longer visible, instead of themon fish they often saw above, strange, evolved creatures swam by. Gazing up at Baal above her, Thetis spoke. "The king of the gods... Honestly, the one most suited for that position is Mom... But I cannot burden her further, as she already has so much to deal with. While I''m not pleased with another god taking that seat, I have no choice." The expression on Thetis'' face was different from before - cold, without a trace of warmth. "So, I''ll allow you to be the king of the gods. For the sake of Mother." "Mother...?" "Yes. Why, are you surprised that I''m so different from how I am in front of Mother?" Baal nodded his head with difficulty in the darkness. The weight of the water pressing down on him was unbearably heavy, making it hard for him to move properly. "Well, it can''t be helped. I''ve always wanted to act like a child in front of Mother. It''s natural for one''s attitude to change depending on who they''re dealing with." "You''re apletely a different person..." Thetis simply chuckled softly at Baal''s words. "And... the reason I brought you here is because I wanted to talk to you in a ce where Mother couldn''t hear." "What kind of talk...?" "Gaia." We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now The small word uttered by Thetis. "The name you mentioned... is that referring to Mother?" "......" "There''s no need to be so tense. I''m just trying to confirm, not trying to get angry or anything." Baal slowly nodded his head. "I see. I figured as much. Honestly, why are there so many who are infatuated with Mother? It''s troublesome, you know." "Infatuated...?" Thetis let out a small sigh, and a faint current escaped from her mouth and flowed somewhere. "Well, we''re not in a position to talk about others either." "We? What do you mean?" "Well, we can''t help it because of the mistakes of the past. Anyway, while you can''t help but be fond of Mother, it''s best to give up on the idea of monopolizing her." "Why? Don''t just talk to yourself, tell me so I can understand." Thetis smiled slightly at Baal. "Because Mother is such a colossal being. There is no being that can monopolize her." "What do you mean by that?" "Exactly what I said." Thetis quietly waved her hand, and a current began to swirl around it. The current formed a small spherical shape, and it continued to rotate on Thetis'' hand, gradually drawing in the surrounding magic. "Do you know what magic is?" "The power that permeates all things in this world, right?" "That''s right. The power that permeates all things in this world." The sphere rotating on Thetis'' hand only absorbed the magic around it, without releasing it. It was like a prison that only collected magic. "I used to wonder where this magices from and where it goes..." The sphere continuously absorbing magic began to emit light as the concentrated magic inside it created it. "Since I was born from the flow, I was able to trace the flow itself. Of course, it was only after many trials and errors that I finally seeded." The sphere on Thetis'' hand emitted a silver light and then, with a small popping sound, scattered into silver stardust and disappeared. "The source of magic, which can be called the lifeblood that sustains this world. Where does ite from? What is its origin?" As she descended, Thetis reached the deepest part of the sea. The abyss was filled with darkness, and there was nothing but the oppressive pressure. And yet, for some reason, she could feel a scorching heat from the depths of the sea below. Thetis silently touched the ground beneath her feet. "The source of magic was at the deepest ce in this world, closest to the heart of the world." "The... heart of the world?" "Yes. The great heart hidden deep within the earth. The enormous, burning heart that never stops beating, sustaining the world." As Thetis gently brushed the soil, a small amount of sand stirred and rose up. Along with the sand, the silver particles embedded in it also rose up, briefly illuminating the surroundings before disappearing again. "That, just now... was that magic?" "Yes, that was magic." The sand sank back down, and the light that had briefly illuminated the abyss vanishedpletely. "The light of magic, which can only be seen when arge amount of magic ispressed, is so concentrated in this ce that it can be seen just by sweeping the floor. This is one of the sources of magic." "Here...? Wait, one of the sources?" "Yes, there are ces like this where highly concentrated magic seeps out... I''ve found about eight of them in the sea. They were all close to the heart of the world, like this ce, and had a high concentration of magic." Baal slowly ced his hand on the floor. Beyond the fine sand, he began to feel something through his palm. A huge flow of power, pulsing with heat. He could feel the activity of the heart of the star. "So, why are you telling me this?" "Hmm. I thought you would figure it out on your own if I told you this much." Thetis clicked her tongue softly and gathered the magic from the floor. "This concentrated silver magic is almost the same as the magic Mother possesses." "The magic of Gaia...?" "To be precise, the magic that wells up from the heart of the world circtes through the world, and ultimately flows towards Mother." Thetis smiled slightly and said, "Mother can be considered the destination of all magic. It seems Mother herself is unaware of this fact. Perhaps, because she holds too much magic, she fails to notice the magic flowing into her." "..." "Mother... is far too colossal a being to be monopolized by any individual. So you should give up on the idea of iming Mother as your own, and focus only on serving as the king of the gods as Mother wishes." Thetis spoke in a cold voice. "Mother cannot belong to anyone unless she herself desires it." Chapter 152: Pantheon (1) Baal and Thetis did not return until the evening of the next day. Given that even a gods would find it difficult to traverse the deep sea, Baal''splexion had grown quite dark. Darker even than the hair color of Nyx, who was sitting obediently on myp. "Well, with this, you''ve passed my test. you''ve even been to the depths of the sea, so now this small and young goddess can go anywhere." "Hmm. You don''t look well, shall we postpone the next test a bit?" At my words, Baal''s expression became startled, and he slowly shook his head. "It''s fine... since thest one left..." "Un. Thest one was Sagarmatha, right?" The taciturn Sagarmatha was silently looking at Baal.Though I''ve raised her like a child... sometimes it''s hard to know what she''s thinking. T/N: I''m not sure if Sagarmatha is male or female, but I believe someone previously mentioned that all of MC''s children are female except Ifrit and Erebus. Please correct me in thement section if I''m mistaken. What kind of test will that child give? "Okay. I''ve decided." Sagarmatha slowly opened her mouth. "You''ve passed my test." "Huh?" Suddenly? What is she saying? That child? "I had originally prepared a different test... but now it seems unnecessary. I''ll let you pass the test." Hmm... I don''t know what change of heart she had, but does this mean Baal can now be the king of the gods? I should be happy that I can delegate the work to Baal, but... I don''t understand why Sagarmatha decided to let him pass the test. "But what was the original test you had nned?" "Ah, it was to bring back a treasure." "A treasure? What kind of treasure?" "I was going to have him retrieve the treasures that mom created and blessed, without using divine power, in his human physical form." The treasures that I created and blessed? Hmm... there are various ones, but most are likely in the hands of the powerful people. To retrieve them without using divine power would not have been an easy test. Moreover, there would inevitably be conflicts with humans or other subraces. Well, it''s fortunate that it was skipped. I put down Nyx, who was sitting on myp, and stood up, saying, "The final test may be a bit anticlimactic, but it''s not good to drag it out too long, so this might be just about right... Now you''ve gained the recognition of everyone." Including me, the seven strongest gods in this world. The God of the Sky, who has received the recognition of the seven, will be the king of the gods and rule over countless deities of this world. A temple, a divine seat, and symbols to elevate his authority will be necessary for him. "Then I shall prepare the coronation site for Baal to ascend as the king of the gods, and the world where the gods will reside. It will take a few days, so when the preparations areplete, everyone should rest well, especially Baal." Seeing that Baal''splexion had not improved, likely due to the difficulty of Thetis'' test. "Ah, yes... I''ll rest for a while..." "Good. The others should rest well too." With that, I crossed the space, leaving Baal and the children behind. Now, let''s create the world where the gods will gather. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "But Sagarmatha. Are you really okay with letting him pass the test?" "Huh? What do you mean?" Sylphid spoke to the expressionless Sagarmatha. "You were adamant about not just letting him pass, but now you''re not doing anything at all..." "It''s fine." Baal''splexion had improved slightly after Thetis'' test was over and he had rested, but it was still not entirely well. Observing Baal, Sagarmatha spoke with a cold gaze. "It seems Thetis'' words were effective enough." "Thetis? What did Thetis say?" "I don''t know the details. And Sylphid doesn''t need to know either." With Sagarmatha''s cold words that seemed to say there was no need to know, Sylphid spoke with a sullen expression as if a little offended. "Hmph! I don''t care! Since the tests are all over, I''m going back now! After all, I''m at my best when freely wandering around!" "Then I''ll be leaving too. The desert should have calmed down by now. I can restfortably for a while." "We''re disbanding now? I should head back too! I''m concerned about the elven children''s vegetarian diet." And so, the gods who had gathered left one by one to return to their original ces. Except for the silently seated Sagarmatha and the weary-looking Baal. "Un. They''ve all left." After the other children had all departed, Sagarmatha quietly rose from her seat and approached Baal. "...?" Baal simply tilted his head as he looked at Sagarmatha. Since the tests were all over, there should be no more business with him. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now That thought disappeared with Sagarmatha''s final words. "I''ll just say onest thing." "If youy a hand on Mom, I''ll kill you." Words devoid of any emotion. As if it were simply a matter of course. Leaving those cold words behind, Sagarmatha quietly left. And so, in the temporary space created for Baal''s tests, only the weary Baal remained. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I lightly moved through space and escaped into the vast sky. Okay, let''s create the world of the gods now. Since I have some experience in creating other worlds while making a paradise, let''s revive that experience and create a world where the gods can dwell. The reasons for creating the world of the gods separately from the existing space are to iste the gods, who have stronger powers than humans, so that the world does not be chaotic if they disturb it, and to gather many gods together for efficient management. Also, if problems arise among the gods, it would be better if it doesn''t affect the world where humans live. So istion is the right choice. Hmm. Let''s start by naming it. The space where countless gods will reside... a temple... Ah, since it will be a space where countless gods gather, let''s call it the Pantheon. Since countless gods will gather, it should be builtrge, magnificent, and grandiose. "Umm, excuse me..." "Hmm?" I clearly moved to the sky where the other children were not, but a voice came from behind me. "Where is this ce...?" A faint voice that was about to fade away. I turned my head to look behind. "Somehow... I followed you." Nyx was clinging to my back. "When did you start clinging to me?" "Right after you put me down... I just felt morefortable doing this..." Ah, this child. The goddess of shadows. Even though I was lost in thought, I didn''t notice her clinging to my back. She really is the goddess of shadows. "Alright. Since I have work to do, could you please let go of me?" "Ah, well... if it''s okay, can I stay like this?" Stay like this? On my back? "It doesn''t really matter, but won''t it be dangerous?" "No, no! If I don''t try to fall off, I can stay attached. I''ll be good and stay attached." Hmm... as long as she doesn''t interfere with my work... it''s fine for her to stay attached. "Then stay attached quietly while I work." "Okay!" So with Nyx attached to my back, I began creating a world for the gods. Let''s see, unlike the paradise that the humans who passed the Afterlife trial head to, this will be the space where the gods reside. I''ll make the entrance high up in the sky. The world of the gods... hmm, the first image thates to mind is something like Olympus, Asgard, or the Celestial Realm. Since it''s the world where the gods live, it should be clearly different from the lower world where humans live. What kind of feeling would be good? A world on top of the clouds? A world entered by a rainbow bridge? Or a mountain rising up in the sky... ah, that''s Sagarmatha, never mind. Hmm, let''s go with the main concept of a world on top of the clouds. Like some kind of sky ind from an anime, a world built on clouds that are solid enough for people to stand on. Ah, the entrance should be difficult to ess, and only open briefly, maybe twice a day during the transition between day and night. Yes! An invisible door that opens only during the moments of dawn and dusk, connecting the divine world and the human world. High up in the sky. That sounds pretty good, doesn''t it? It''s unlikely that a human would try to fly into the world of the gods. Maybe a dragon could do it, but dragons listen to me well, so I can control them. Speaking of which, the newly born gods and dragons - which one is stronger? The individual power of the dragons is slightly higher, but it''s not like the gods and dragons will go to war, so I don''t need to think about this. With these random thoughts, I created the world above the sky. In the center, I built a massive marble temple. I''ll model it after the Greek temples. The temple made of pure white marble. I first erected the huge columns on the outside, then built the walls inside them to create the grand temple. The temple, made of snow-white marble, was dazzling in the light pouring down from the sky. Adding the triangr roofpletes the building. I used the Parthenon in Greece as the model. I didn''t add any sculptures or reliefs on the exterior, but it looks quite magnificent as is. As for the interior, I''ll just make a reception hall where you face the divine throne right after entering. The rest can be left empty for Baal to decide. I''ll just leave therge divine throne. And so, the first temple of the Pantheon, the God of the Sky, isplete, with only the reception hall prepared. The rest of the construction should be done as Baal wishes, so I''ll leave it empty! Oh, I should probably build a temple for myself too. Well, a small one will do, just to have one. I don''t need to live in it. I''ll make a small temple for now, and can expand itter if needed. Chapter 153: Pantheon (2) Alright, the general Pantheon and the temple of Baal, the God of the Sky, have beenpleted for now. Now, what should I do next? I still have to make a ce for my temple, though. but it''s a bit of a hassle. Maybe I can just finish it roughly and let the iing gods take care of the rest? That would be morefortable for me. What should I do? How should I go about this? I''m starting to not want to work anymore. But other tasks are piling up during this time. Ah, if only I had one more of me. Then I could divide the work and get it done faster. Ah, that''s it! What about creating an artificial intelligence or something like an automated response system? The task that takes up the most of my work as the Goddess of Life is responding to the prayers of believers. If I could create an AI or automated system to handle that part...it might be able to reduce 20%, no, 30% of my work! But even if I create an AI, I''m not sure how to make one yet. There aren''t anyputers, calctors, or vacuum tubes in this world. I''ll have to think more about that ideater. "Wow.... that''s amazing..." As I was finishing up the Pantheon, an exmation came from behind me. Hmm. So she has been lurking behind me the whole time. I almost forgot she was there when I wasn''t paying attention. "To see the creation of a new world, it''s truly astonishing..." Nyx''s voice was full of wonder. This must be a sight she had never seen before. Well, as a newly born goddess, everything must feel new and wondrous. "This is the world where the gods will reside. I built it above the clouds so it''s not easily essible." "Ooh, what is the name of this world?" "I''ve named it the Pantheon." "The Pantheon..." "A grand temple where many gods will dwell. Or rather, it''s more of a world than just a temple." "Will all the gods live here?" I shook my head slightly at Nyx''s words. All the gods... that would be too much. Not that the size is too small or insufficient. It''s just that there will be gods who cannote here. For example, the gods of mountains or rivers. Those gods are deeply tied to their natural elements and cannot stray too far from their essence. In a way, they are like bound deities, though they are still gods. It would be difficult, even dangerous, for a god to distance themselves too much from their core nature. The newly born gods are too weak for that. Only the gods whose essence is more free, or those with great power, could potentiallye here. "Then, there won''t be many godsing here, will there?" "But I must consider how many more gods will be born in the future." I did make the space expandable in proportion to the number of gods and the faith directed towards them, but there is a limit to the maximum size, which is equal to the expanse of the sky in this world, around 40 km in height. "But, if it''s built this high up, how will the other gods enter?" "Hm?" "Not all gods can fly, right? I can''t either..." Ah, I see. That''s another issue I overlooked. My children and I have such great power that flying is no problem, so I didn''t consider that. What should I do now? I can''t lower the height of this world, and making a staircase ordder all the way up would be a hassle. Hmm... a staircase reaching up to the sky... adder... Ah, that''s it! Rainbow? Like the Bifrost of Norse mythology? Hmm, should I abandon the concept of opening at dawn and dusk? If I use that rainbow to let them climb up, it would certainly look usible, but I don''t want to give up the concept of opening only at dawn and dusk. And if I put a rainbow bridge to let them climb up, there will surely be humans climbing up on it. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Hmm... Okay, let''s do it this way. They can climb up the rainbow bridge, but they won''t be able to enter the Pantheon directly. A gateway to the Pantheon... Another gateway, huh. Sigh. I''ve made so many of those in the afterlife too... Anyway, let''s create a space on the clouds where they can wait before entering the Pantheon. Like a checkpoint to manage the entry. I''ll ce a god I can trust there to oversee the entry management. That way, even if a human or other subrace tries to climb up, there won''t be any issues. The rainbow may not appear that often... But I can make it different from a regr rainbow. Create sky-climbing points all over the world and connect them with a rainbow bridge periodically. No, maybe I should make it an invisible rainbow that only the divine can see and use. Put a restriction that only those with divinity can see and climb it. Yes, that''s better. Visible to the gods but invisible and inessible to mortals. And... Hmm. Rather than a rainbow bridge, a rainbow elevator might be better? It would give the feeling of ascending upwards. It''s quite high, so it would take a long time to climb directly. Really, if all the gods could fly through the sky, I wouldn''t have to go through this hassle. How annoying. So I created a space on the clouds as a waiting area before entering the Pantheon, and ced rainbow elevators around the world to connect the lower realm and the Pantheon. The elevators are shaped like cylinders attached to the rainbow. They''re quite fast, taking only about 5 minutes to reach the entrance of the Pantheon. I even isted the space inside the elevators to ensure the passengers don''t feel any difort... Am I being a bit too meticulous? It would be fine to just make it roughly, but I seem to be putting too much care into each detail. Hmm. Well, since I''m making it, I might as well make it well. After testing thepleted elevators a few times, I got a good evaluation from Nyx. "Amazing! The ground is disappearing in an instant!" Okay, this should be enough. Let''s see, then... I should go find the god to guard the entrance of the Pantheon. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The entrance of the Pantheon... It must be managed thoroughly, and I should entrust it to a god I can trust. The number of gods will continue to increase until human intelligence develops further, and it is inevitable that these increasing gods will act as they please. Among them, there will surely be gods who want to bring their favorite humans to the Pantheon. Therefore, the god guarding the entrance must have enough power to suppress other gods, and must be a god I can trust. Naturally, the candidate had already been decided. "It''s been a while." A considerably dpidated temple, far from its former glory. It''s hard to believe this was once the temple of a god whomanded the entire faith of the great nation of Arcadia. Curled up on the central dais of the temple is a small dog. It stands up as it notices me. The first beast. The god of the beastmen. In the past, the beast god traveled the world with the hero and me. Hundreds of years have passed. Due to the strong influence of the beastmen, the beast god who was worshipped as a national deity in Arcadia has lost a significant amount of faith, as the main faith of Arcadia has shifted to other gods. "kkngg... (Whine)" I stroked the head of the beast god who was curled up at my feet. Even though it has lost much of its faith, to see it diminished to this extent. I had heard about the state of faith in Arcadia, but I never imagined it would decline this much. This is due to the changing demographics of Arcadia due to the influx of foreigners, and the changing faith of the younger beastmen. In past, the beastmen were marginalizedpared to other subraces, and even among the beastmen, there was discord depending on the animal they were associated with. The unification of faith by the first beast and the psychological support it provided were crucial. But now, the position of the beastmen has improved, and they have the leeway to believe in various gods. As a result, the first beast, who could not provide meaningful blessings like other gods, has gradually lost its faith. This is a small dog-like figure before my eyes now. "I have prepared a ce for you, so let''s go together." After all, we used to travel together. I can''t just leave it here. "nng... (Whine)" But the first beast shook its head, as if it could not leave this ce. As if it couldn''t leave a temple that was so old and dustypared to the others. Chapter 154: Pantheon (3) "Why are you doing this?" The first beast sat down on the floor of the dpidated and dusty temple. "If youe with me, you can live in a better environment than this. Why do you want to stay here?" The first beast did not answer my question. It was understandable, as it was a beast that could not speak. But in the past, it used to convey its intentions vaguely, though now, due to theck of faith, it could not do so properly. The only thing I could faintly understand was... that it wanted to do something here. I sighed softly and stroked the first beast. While stroking its head, I infused it with a little bit of faith. It was a negligible amount of power for me, and I had no hesitation in sharing it.Well, the act of transferring the faith that came to me to another deity was an extremely wasteful one, as only about 2 out of 10 units of faith could be properly received. If it was not a case like mine where faith was meaningless, it would not have been done. "Grr..." Nevertheless, it seemed that the emergency measure had somewhat revived the first beast, as it had regained a bit of its vigor, even if it stillcked the energy to wag its tail. "So, what are you trying to do here?" "Woof! Woof!" The first beast barked like a dog, trying to convey something. But its intentions were not fully conveyed. I could only grasp a vague thread of it. "Hmm... You want to leave something behind? Yourself?" "Woof!" It wants to leave something behind, in other words, it wants to be remembered by others. It does not want to be forgotten. But looking at the current situation... Only a part of the beastmen still believe in the first beast. At this rate, it will soon be forgotten. So what should I do? How can I help this weakened one? Should I try to persuade the humans of Arcadia to believe in this creature? Or should I spread rumors to gather faith? Or perhaps use the king to manipte the situation? Hmm. This creature was once an important deity that even caused wars to be fought over it, but now it has be a forgotten deity. How pitiful. While I was pondering this, a soft voice of Nyx came from behind me. "Um.., is that beast-like creature also a gods?" "Yes, despite its appearance, it is an ancient deity. It was the first beast that the beastmen worshipped. But now it has had its faith stolen by other gods, and has be so pitiful." At my words, the first beast drooped its tail. It seemed to have been hurt by my words. But it was the truth, wasn''t it? A beast deity that cannot even properly give oracles and blessings, versus other deities that can provide them as desired. It''s obvious which one would be more popr. "Hmm... The first beast, is that its name? It doesn''t sound like a name..." "It''s not a name, just a term or title that refers to this creature." Come to think of it, this creature still didn''t have a name. I''ve always just called it the ''first beast.'' The title was enough since everyone understood what it meant. "Then what is its name?" "This creature still doesn''t have a name." "Then, can''t we give it a name now?" "Now?" "Yes. Just like you gave me a name, I think it would be good to give a name to this dog-like creature as well." This dog-like creature... Even though it is a deity worshipped by a race, it has fallen into such decline. Well, giving it a name isn''t a bad idea... Ah, that''s it. If I give it a name and make that name remain, wouldn''t that be a way for it to leave something of itself behind, as it desires? "What do you think?" "Woof?" But the first beast seemed to have no particr thoughts about it. No... Even if it''s a beast, as a deity, it couldn''t be this simple-minded, could it? When we traveled together before, it wasn''t this devoid of thoughts. At this point, there must be something interfering with the development of this creature''s intelligence. Ah, that''s right. It is a deity, but a deity of beasts. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now ''Beasts cannot have high intelligence.'' This perception has likely spread among the subrace including the Beastmen, so they must have thought the same of the Beast God. That influence is probably why this creature has be so foolish. Hmm. For a deity to change ording to the perceptions of its worshippers, what a troublesome existence it is. Well, I''m a goddess too! But I''ve only been slightly influenced spiritually, while my core essence remains unchanged. Anyway. "If you ept my proposal... I will give you a new name, and have that name recorded in human history. That way, your existence can continue to be remembered as long as human history is not buried. What do you think?" "Woof!" The First Beast barked loudly without much thought. This creature probably just thinks I''m helping it. Well, I am helping, after all. "Then let''s start by giving you a name." Hmm, what should I name it? Let''s see. Beast, dog, wolf, Fenrir? No, that''s a bit ominous. Cerberus? Seems more fitting for the Afterlife. Hati and Skoll are also a bit foreboding. Garm is simr to Cerberus. Fenrir? Hmm... ambiguous. No, let''s move away from wolves... Ah, wait. There is one more wolf. Canis Major. Sirius. The alpha star of the Canis Major constetion, and one of the stars forming the Winter Triangle. Sirius. Hmm, that''s good. I think it''s a good name for a city. After all, the other two stars of the Winter Triangle, Betelgeuse and Procyon, have already be the names of major cities. I''ll name this creature Sirius, and the capital of Arcadia... Hmm, what was the name of this capital again? It''s just called Arcadia, so the name of the capital doesn''t stick in my memory. Hmm. Well, I don''t really need to remember that name. Anyway, I''ll just have to inhabit the sleeping king''s dreams and gently persuade him, and I''d like to minimize the oracles I give. As I lead the First Beast, now named Sirius, to the entrance of the Pantheon, I dere that this honored role of being the gatekeeper of the divine realm shall be given to the one named Sirius. And so the city that Sirius has protected all this time shall be renamed Sirius. I can convey a simr sentiment. Honestly, this creature has been instrumental to Arcadia''s history more than once. Naming the capital after its name is the least I can do! As the god of the Beastmen, it has been the driving force unifying the various Beastmen tribes, has been the cause of wars as neighboring countries coveted it as a deity, and haster helped defeat monsters, contributing greatly to the prosperity of this nation. It can be considered the top contributor to the current Arcadia. "I shall give you the name Sirius, meaning ''Wolf of the Night Sky''." "Woof!" Sirius, the former First Beast, began wagging its tail excitedly at my words. Hmm, if I had known it would be this delighted, I should have named it sooner. Watching Sirius wag its tail like this, I can''t help but feel a bit annoyed at the humans. How dare they neglect Sirius, who has worked so hard for their sake, just because there are now many other gods. Alright, in that case, I''ll heap all sorts of grand titles upon Sirius to empower it. That way, the humans will regret having abandoned such an extraordinary being. And so, the First Beast, the tribal god of the Beastmen, headed towards the entrance of the Pantheon with me. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "The deity once called the First Beast, as its faith began to wane, was given the name Sirius and became the guardian of the Pantheon." "Good, that''s enough. I think everyone already knows about the significance of the name Sirius, so I won''t exin it further." The teacher standing at the front of the ss quickly writes on the chalkboard. "The Celestial City. A city that once held the glory of the gods. It was the center of the human world until the cmity struck, and despite facing disasters, the Demon King, and countless wars, it has persevered to this day, where this academy you are studying in now stands." The teacher underlines the various titles written on the chalkboard for Sirius and spoke. "It is said that if you dig even a little into thend of Sirius, artifacts will pour out, because the history is so deep. There are also many adventurers whoe looking for those artifacts." "I''ve heard that there is a huge relic deep underground in this academy where we study!" "Yes. The academy is protected by the power of that relic. Many ces have been damaged, but it has created a barrier that does not allow malice to pass through... It is believed to be the ancient temple of the guardian deity of the Pantheon, Sirius, which was also the ancestral deity of the beastmen." As the teacher said, a faint milky-white barrier was hanging in the sky outside the window. As long as that barrier exists, the external enemies will not be able to enter the academy. "The guardian deity of the Pantheon, the beast god Sirius, is still said to be guarding the entrance of the Pantheon." "I''ve heard that it doesn''t let anyone through except those who are permitted. Even the Demon King couldn''t pass through the Pantheon." The teacher nodded slightly and wrote another name on the chalkboard. "Because of the meaning of ''guarding the gate'', It is said to be the equal of the Underworld Colossus, Talos." The Colossus of the Obsidian Rock. The Guardian Deity of the Underworld, Talos. Chapter 155: Pantheon (4) The subsequent events went very smoothly, without the need for much exnation. I entered the sleeping king of Arcadia''s dream, fabricated a story, and ended up taking the first beast... Sirius. During the process, the king of Arcadia seemed to be deeply impressed, and there was some cleaning and repair work done on Sirius'' temple, but it was a very minor matter. Moreover, for some reason, it feels like not only Sirius'' but also my own faith has increased... Hmm. When a gods appears directly in a human''s dream, it seems this is how it turns out. When an ordinary human''s mind confronts a gods, it bes like that. From now on, I should refrain from appearing directly in dreams. I only showed a tiny bit of the divine splendor to make him believe my words, but the king of Arcadia has ended up developing a considerable faith. Of course, it''s probably also because I''m an exceptional one among the countless gods. Anyway, I took Sirius in my arms and flew up into the sky. "Here is the entrance to the Pantheon, where you will reside from now on." "Woof!"On the white clouds stood the entrance to the Pantheon. I ced Sirius there. "Let''s see. First, I need to create a ce for you to live." A doghouse... No, that wouldn''t do. It would be unsightly. Your dwelling should be a temple. So, let''s build a temple, in the form of a watchtower overlooking the entrance. In case a being other than a gods tries to pass through, Sirius should be able to rush out immediately. The pure white temple was built in an open structure, allowing Sirius to leap out from anywhere. However, the interior is now fully visible, making it vulnerable to external attacks... But oh well, can''t have everything. "Alright, from now on, this will be your home." "Woof?" "What do you need to do? Just stay here and keep out and chase away any unauthorized visitors. Of course, there aren''t any authorized people yet..." At my words, Sirius tilted his head slightly, as if questioning theck of authorized people. But what can I do? It''s only just been built! For now, shall I start by considering beings with divinity as a restriction... and create a list? I had something suitable for making a list of gods, a sort of divine messenger that I haven''t used muchtely. The only problem is that recently, the number of gods has increased so much that the list is about to burst. It''s as if they''re trying to assign a god to every single thing in the world. "Anyway, your job will be to act as the guard of the Pantheon, like a watchdog." "Woof! Woof!" Sirius barked, as if asking to be entrusted with the task. Hmm, due to theck of faith, his whimpering puppy-like behavior is still cute when he says such things. I stroked Sirius'' head and shared the faith that had gathered in me with him. It was a terribly wasteful method, but what can you do? The very act of transferring one''s own faith to another is such a thing. Anyway, after a considerable amount of faith had evaporated, "Wooou!" Sirius was able to transform into the form of arge wolf. Well, as the first beast, this creature is not limited to a single species, but since its name is derived from the Canis constetion, the default form seems to have be that of a canine animal. Well, this is probably more suitable for a guard dog, but since it can change form as desired, there shouldn''t be any problems. "I''m counting on you from now on, Sirius." "Woof!!" And so, I was able to secure the guard dog and protector of the Pantheon. Now, let''s tidy up the interior and prepare for the coronation ceremony of Baal, the king of the gods. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As for the preparations for the coronation ceremony, there wasn''t much to it. Just... making a crown to symbolize Baal''s authority? But since he is the king of the gods, I thought a in crown would not be enough, so I made a special one. Aurel crown made of lightning. The overall shape is not much different from aurel wreath, but the material that forms the crown is woven lightning. Whoever wears this crown will be able to wield lightning as their weapon in hand. Well, it''s an imitation of Zeus from Greek and Roman mythology! While it was made with a light-hearted intention to imitate, the performance itself has no falsehood. A crown that can create and throw thunderbolts as javelins. Its strength is on par with lightning itself, so it is naturally powerful. Furthermore, lightning has long been a symbol of bountiful harvests. Lightning interacts with the nitrogen in the air to create fertilizers that help nts grow well. Just like the Norse god Thor being revered as the god of abundance, the god of lightning can be said to be the god of bountiful harvests. Abundant food is akin to the extension of human life. Therefore, the god of lightning is suitable to be the king of the gods. However, it is not something that anyone can use. The crown possesses such immense power that only a suitable individual can wear it on their head. The wearer must have an innate affinity with the essence of lightning, and be strong enough to withstand wearing this crown. Honestly, since this was made as Baal''s exclusive crown, it would be troublesome if other gods could use it. As I gazed upon thepleted crown, the small voice of Nyx, who was standing behind me, said, We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "It''s dazzlingly crackly..." "Mm. Well, it is lightning." The pure white lightning bolts continued to shine as the shape of the crown. Even this appearance has a certain charm to it. Anyway. "Nyx. How long do you n to keep clinging to my back?" "Ah,, that is... Can I keep clinging to you?" "You''ve been doing it for days already. It''s time you detached yourself, don''t you think?" I didn''t particrly dislike the meek, dark-haired beauty clinging to my back, but if it continued for days on end, it would be problematic. I also have a private life, you know. "Ah, yes. I''ll detach myself after the coronation ceremony is over..." Nyx spoke in a deted voice. I felt a slight pang of conscience, but there''s nothing to be done. I can''t have her hanging on my back forever. "Anyway, the preparations seem to be mostlyplete." Multiple temples have been built in the Pantheon. Of course, they were all temples that I had built. While building my own temples, I also built temples for the children. They are a bit smaller since there is no main deity residing in them, but... Ah, I made Shamash''s temple a little bigger than the other children''s. As the god of light, justice, andw, his domain is different from the other children. And even if Baal bes the king of the gods, Shamash''s importance will not diminish at all. "Then, shall we start summoning everyone?" While we''re at it, let''s summon all the other gods as well. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Pantheon, a ce only essible to the gods. Its very existence was unknown, but the gods began to arrive one by one. Following the voices they heard from somewhere, the gods headed towards the world above the clouds. Riding on the beautiful rainbow that only those with divinity can see, passing by the giant wolf guarding the clouds, through the entrance that opens at the time when day and night meet, to the world above the clouds. Following the benevolent and noble voice that calls all the gods, to the world dedicated solely to the gods. And so, the doors of the Pantheon, the temple for all the gods, were widely opened. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wow. That''s a lot more than I thought. I used the divine messenger, Godtalk, to send a mass message to the other gods, but I didn''t expect this many to show up. "The time hase." I looked at Baal, who had juste out from the back room after changing into his clothes. Baal''s pure white clothes and sky-blue hair blended together, evoking the very sky itself. However, for some reason, a deep concern was evident on Baal''s face. "Is there something troubling you?" "Yes... There is a concern that is not easily resolved." "What kind of concern?" At this crucial moment of bing the king of the gods, what kind of concern could he be harboring? "It''s a concern I can''t share with Gaia." "What about me?" What kind of concern is it that you can''t even share with me? Well, it doesn''t seem like an important concern. "You, who will be the king of the gods, what kind of concern could you be harboring...? Hmm... Do you really need to be concerned about anything?" "Huh?" I ced my hand on Baal''s head and said, "You are the one who will be the king of the gods. In other words, you will stand above all the other gods." "......" "I don''t know what kind of concern you have, but as the king of the gods, the power you possess should be able to resolve that concern, don''t you think?" As the person among gods, the king of the gods. At the point where Baal has taken that position, the only ones who could match him would be me and my children. And since he have already passed the test, there is practically no one who can go against Baal. "As the king of the gods, you have the right to possess everything in this world." "Everything in this world..." "With the ability to hold such a vast thing in your hands as the king of the gods, the concern you currently have is an infinitely trivial matter, so you don''t need to worry about it anymore." If Baal, who has to do so much as the king of the gods, gets caught up in such a concern and doesn''t do his duties, it would be troublesome for me! "Mm... Thank you, Gaia." "It''s nothing. Just a small matter." "Thanks to you, I''ve made up my mind. I really appreciate it." Baal''s face was brightened with a cheerful smile as he said that. Chapter 156: King of Gods (1) T/N: Once again, this is just a fiction. --- "Alright, then let''s confirm it one more time." Grumbling Baal said, "This is the eighth time already. The coronation ceremony isn''t that long, so why do you keep wanting to confirm it?" I lightly tapped Baal''s head and said, "This coronation ceremony is much more important than you think. That''s why it needs to be done more thoroughly." "Can''t we just finish it by having Gaia crown me?" I pressed Baal''s head again as he spoke nonsense. This is an important asion where you receive recognition of authority in front of countless gods, so we can''t just end it like that. "Remember that this is the ce where you will be recognized by all the gods."Gods are beings born from the gathered thoughts, admiration, and faith of many humans. Ah, except for me and my children. It''s obvious how strong the self-awareness of gods supported by so many thoughts would be. Arrogant gods who act as if they have ced everything except themselves under their feet. Would they quietly watch another being rise above them? Impossible. That''s why the importance of this coronation ceremony is rising endlessly. In order to subjugate the other gods and reign as the king of the gods, one must imprint an overwhelming difference in power to all the gods. So, "Don''t show any reaction even when the other gods kneel before you as you ascend the divine throne." Because I will crush them until they have no choice but to kneel. "I''ve heard that so many times! When all the other guys have knelt, Gaia wille and crown me, and the other six will take turns acknowledging my authority with a congrattory speech, right?" "Yes, the order is..." "Shamash and Ifrit, Sylphid and Thetis, and then Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha. I''ve heard it hammered into my ears already." "And finally, I will do it, and then dere that you have be the king of the gods, and then rule the world as the king of the gods with appropriate words." "Un. I''ve already prepared that part, so trust me." Boastful Baal. Um... somehow... I feel a bit uneasy though. Well, I can respond to most situations, so it should be fine. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The massive divine temple erected at the center of the pantheon. The temple of Baal, the God of the Sky. In the vast square in front of it, countless gods had gathered. Gods born from natural elements like mountains, rivers,kes, and deserts. Gods born from natural phenomena like snow, rain, storms, and wildfires. And... well, mostly just these kinds of gods. I had thought that perhaps gods not originating from nature would have been born by now, but it seems the time has not yete. Well, the longing for such gods appears to still be premature for humans. In any case, these numerous gods seemed slightly bewildered, as if they did not fully understand why they had been summoned here. I had used the Godtalk to call them, but I didn''t expect them all to gather like this. Even the earth-bound chthonic gods hade. Well, this is actually a good situation. The gods gathered from all corners of the world will serve as witnesses to this coronation ceremony. What they see and hear will spread across the world, further solidifying the faith in Baal. Shall we begin then? "As the god who presides over all life in this world, I dere to the world. Through the faith of countless living beings, innumerable gods have begun to be born." At my words, the gods in the square started murmuring. It seems they are hearing about the background of their own birth for the first time. It''s only natural, but this must be a novel concept for them. Gods were not born before humans were created, but rather the gods were born through humans. They would have difficulty readily epting this. Ah, but I am an exception. All life was essentially created by me. "As so many gods began to fill the world, concerns arose about the resulting chaos. Therefore, the Goddess of Life proposes the following." I spoke in a soft voice. "...to establish a King of the Gods." The murmuring in the square grew louder at my words. "A King of the Gods?" "Who decided this on their own?" "I''m against this!" "We don''t need a king!" Hmm, about the level of response I had anticipated. Well, these egotistical gods wouldn''t stay quiet, would they? So, "Silence." We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now My soft voice carried power as it spread across the square. And the murmuring in the square ceased. "Remember that this is a promation, an announcement, and a warning. In exchange for tolerating the existence of gods who have the potential to disrupt the world, I intend to control you gods through King of the Gods." I took a small breath and spoke again. "If you do not ept this, you must be prepared." The gods have not yet caused chaos in the world, but if left unchecked, the world would surely descend into turmoil. It would be like releasing unruly children without any leash - they would run amok, treating the world as their yground. And the cleanup would all fall on my responsibility. I don''t want that. I really don''t. So, "Instead of annihting your existence as gods, you shall recognize the authority of the King of the Gods and follow him thoroughly. That will be the best way for you to continue existing." It''s a coercive method, but what can I do? I have to stop their reckless rampage. Looking at the now quiet square, I announced the start of the ceremony. "Then let us begin the coronation. God of the Sky, Baal, enter." Baal, who had been waiting for his turn, slowly walked and ascended the divine throne. In contrast to the youthful appearance of Baal, the divine throne was immenselyrge. As soon as Baal stepped onto it, all the gods in the square simultaneously knelt down. Hmm, I think I have a rough idea of how much pressure to apply. The difference varies by individual, but it feels simr to the level of dragons. Well, gods can grow stronger by umting faith, but for now, I''ll consider them on par with dragons. And for gods as sturdy as mountain deities, they can withstand a bit more. Anyway, after Baal sat on the throne, my children approached him one by one, reciting brief congrattory speeches. First, Shamash. "Shamash, the god of light, justice, andw. I recognize the authority of Baal, the God of the Sky and the King of the Gods, and offer my congrattions. May you always act righteously." Next, Ifrit. "Ifrit, the god of mes and heat, the eternal fire. I recognize the authority of Baal, the God of the Sky and the King of the Gods, and offer my congrattions. May you never ignore the passion in your heart." It''s Sylphid''s turn. "Sylphid, the god of wind and freedom. I recognize the authority of Baal, the God of the Sky and the King of the Gods, and offer my congrattions. May you respect freedom and always remain free." Next is Thetis. "Thetis, the god of the sea and water, the great flow. I recognize the authority of Baal, the God of the Sky and the King of the Gods, and offer my congrattions. May always remain pure with an unwavering heart." And Yggdrasil. "Yggdrasil, the god of the forest, trees, and tranquility, the world tree. I recognize the authority of Baal, the God of the Sky and the King of the Gods, and offer my congrattions. May the entire world be at peace." Lastly, Sagarmatha. "Sagarmatha, the god of rocks and mountains, the highest peak. I recognize the authority of Baal, the God of the Sky and the King of the Gods, and offer my congrattions. May you never change." Alright, my children''s congrattions are over, so it''s my turn. "As the Goddess of Life and the one who was present at the beginning of this world, I recognize the authority of Baal, the God of the Sky and the King of the Gods, and offer my congrattions. May you protect all life." With those words, I took out the crown of lightning that I had prepared beforehand. This treasure, capable of wielding the immense power of lightning, revealed the authority of the King of the Gods, causing the other gods to hold their breath and watch in silence. Hmm,e to think of it, was there already a god of lightning? I''m sure the god of giants had the aspect of the god of lightning. Well, it''s not like the tribe was very numerous, so it''s not that impressive. It doesn''t even appear in this crowded square. "God of the Sky, Baal. Do you swear, as the King of the Gods, to guide all the gods in the right direction?" Baal solemnly answered my question. "I swear." "I hope you will never break that oath, and I shall bestow upon you the divine status of the God of Lightning." I slowly ced the crown of lightning, crackling with electricity, on Baal''s head. Baal, with the crown of lightning on his head, slowly rose from the divine throne. While all the other gods in the square were bowing their heads, only Baal stood proudly. Ah, of course, my children and I are excluded. My children were silently watching Baal. "I, Baal, the God of the Sky, dere as the King of the Gods." Baal spoke with a confident voice. "Everything in this world will be mine. Whoever dares to disturb this world will face my wrath!" Uh... What did he say? Chapter 158: King of Gods (3) After being enthroned as the King of the Gods, Baal diligently carried out his duties. Looking down from the sky above, he managed the countless gods. From minor disputes among the gods to desperate battles where they would not hesitate to kill each other, Baal suppressed each and every one of those conflicts to manage the gods. Of course, the haughty gods were not easily controlled, but as the God of the Sky, Baal was able to subdue even the most powerful gods. Before Baal''s lightning, any god was equally pierced through. After repeatedly rushing around managing the countless gods, Baal came to Sagarmatha''s room where I was staying and startedining. "It''s so tiring..." "Yes, it''s not an easy task." Baal, who still had a youthful air about him, cried out in frustration. "Aren''t I clearly a higher god? Then why don''t they listen to me obediently? Are these gods all deaf with their ears plugged up? Or do my words just scatter and disappear? Why don''t they ever listen to me?! Does the King of the Gods have no authority at all?!" Listening to Baal''s loudints, he seemed like a small bird chirping. "They are originally such beings, you see." The haughty nature, who were born from the gathered thoughts of humans, is only natural. They are beings who were born from humans'' fear and admiration for the things they could not understand. Since they existed above humans from the very beginning, they naturally consider themselves superior even after establishing their own identity. It''s a good thing that Baal became the King of the Gods. If I had done that job, I might have just smashed and annihted all the gods. "But don''t some gods listen to you obediently?" "Some gods...?" "Yes. Some of the gods of the mountains or rivers seem to follow your words without much trouble." Baal nodded slightly at my words. "It''s only a tiny number, but there are at least some gods who listen to me." They have to listen, since they were once dragons who lost their physical bodies and became spirits, managing to settle down and be gods before losing their memories. Gods like Yama, the mountain god of North Mangsan, went through such a process to be gods. However, they are an extremely small minority, and most have forgotten that they were once dragons. "But that''s only a tiny fraction! The restpletely ignore my words like a dog barking! Ugh, it''s so frustrating!!!" Baal started lying on the ground,ining in frustration. He must have really been having a hard time. Maybe I should give him a tip. "Do you want an easier way to deal with those fellows?" "Yes! I don''t want to be ignored anymore! But I can''t just beat them up and destroy them either! Do you have a good method? Tell me!!" Baal, who had been lying on the groundining, quickly sat up and clung to my legs, looking quite desperate. "Haughty gods won''t be easily suppressed by force, so it''s better to use a different method. For example... spreading rumors about that god among humans." "Rumors?" "Yes, didn''t you use that when you gave birth to Nyx?" "Nyx... Hmm, so if I spread rumors like that, it''ll work?" "That''s right. Use those rumors to lead the situation in a way that''s favorable to you. They are beings bound by human thoughts, after all." This method can only be used in an era where the rumors haven''t spread far yet. However, if you''re not an entity separate from those rumors, you''ll inevitably be influenced. "You could also try changing the essence of that gods, or just slightly altering it, and then threatening the gods. But well, you can choose whichever you prefer." Since they are bound by human thoughts, they can be changed by humans. If a solemn and strict gods suddenly bes a ridiculous existence like a clown, and if that gods be aware of its own change... the emotion that gods would feel would probably be fear. If humans possess the power to alter the very nature of gods, it is only natural for them to feel terrified. And there is power in that fear. "Or... you could spread rumors about creating another god to rece that god, and thus destroy the god that is rebelling against you and create a new god." Of course, it takes considerable time for a gods to be born from human thoughts, so this would be ast resort. "Isn''t that a bit too much...?" "It''s ast resort, you see. Hmm. If you don''t like that, how about dividing the gods?" "Dividing? Into two?" Like splitting a sword to make twin des... no, this is just a hypothetical discussion. I cleared my throat and spoke. "Fundamentally, gods tend to have more than one aspect, don''t they?" We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now For example, myself - the Goddess of Life and the Creator Dragon God. Additionally, the Destruction Dragon God and the goddess Gaia of the earth... and... huh? Why is there also a god of hunting? Is that a faith from the elves? Anyway, it ismon for gods to have multiple aspects. Dividing those aspects into separate gods could be a way to weaken them. Well, there are some gods who only possess an extremely limited essence, but those gods are usually quite weak. Gods like that would probably obediently follow Baal''s words with just a singlemand. "Dividing... I never even imagined such a thing." Well, of course. Who would think of dividing gods? If I hadn''t even considered the idea of somehow separating my aspect as the Goddess of Life into an automated response system, I wouldn''t have thought of it either. By the way, that automated response system for prayers is still unfinished. It''s not easy, you know. "Well, since it''s about splitting an intact gods, you''ll have to be very careful in using it. It could cause major problems if done wrong." "I see... I need to use it cautiously and sparingly." Unless the gods is truly at the point of rebelling or revolting, it''s probably best not to use it. Dividing gods into multiple parts could lead to serious issues. If the absolutest resort is to destroy and recreate gods, then this method would be right before that. "But if we can divide the gods, can we alsobine two gods into one?" "Hmm, who knows." If division is possible, thenbination should be as well, but... how would that work? "I haven''t tried it, so I''m not sure." It''s a possibility, but I''ve never actually done it before. As we were discussing these matters with Baal, "I''m back." Sagarmatha, the owner of the room, had returned. After quickly leaving to receive the prayers of many dwarves, it seems the task is nowplete. "Wee back, Sagarmatha." "Hmph, I''m tired..." With a brief response, Sagarmatha was about toe to my side, but then noticed Baal and her expression hardened. "You. What are you doing here?" She spoke in a low voice, with a chilling tone. "I had something to consult Gaia about." "This is my room. You have no ce here. Leave." Her soft voice, yet filled with coldness. Baal casually brushed off Sagarmatha''s words. "Well, I''ve finished what I needed to discuss, so I''ll be going now. Gaia, I''lle by again next time." "Don''te back." With those ominous words from Sagarmatha, Baal quickly left the room. Truly, why are these two on such bad terms? Is it because one is the God of the Sky and the other the god of the earth? Or is there some other reason? I wish they could get along better. After Baal left, I ced Sagarmatha''s head on myp and said, "Can''t you get along better with that fellow?" "No. Impossible. I can''t live under the same sky as that bastard." Wow, they really seem to hate each other. I wonder what Baal did to make Sagarmatha dislike him so much. I just don''t understand it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The search for clues about the name Baal and the God of the Sky continued. There were no more leads in the records I had ess to, so it was time to look for clues elsewhere. Referencing the records of other races would be the best next step. If any race had long history, it would be the elves who live for centuries, but unfortunately, Alfheim, the city of the elves, is not essible to just anyone. Instead, I could try the dwarves. Luckily, I had helped some dwarves in the past, and the dwarves are thorough when ites to favors. If I asked for their help by reminding them of the past assistance I provided, the dwarves would not hesitate to help. And while they don''t live as long as the elves, the dwarves have a much longer lifespan than humans, so... perhaps they could provide some clues about the name Baal or the God of the Sky. With that hope, I headed to the dwarven capital, Nidavellir. Chapter 157 [The king of the gods. His name shall be Baal]. The inscription carved on the small stone fragment obtained from an old man caught my attention. Even though the gods would not tolerate someone above them, and there could not be a king among such arrogant gods, the fragment of the ancient stone tablet directly contradicted this fact. Should I believe the widely known facts? Or should I believe this small and humble stone fragment? Rational thinking was telling me to discard this insignificant stone fragment, but my instinct was shouting that there was something different about it. It was proiming that the truth contained in this stone fragment was not ordinary. After that, I began to investigate the stone fragment in various ways. The material was marble. The magic used to measure the age of the tablet fragment dated it to the era when the gods walked the earth - the age of the gods. The era when the archetypes of the numerous myths scattered around the world existed. Whether tablet, which spoke of the King of the Gods, contained the truth or falsehood, I could not easily gauge. But... it was worth investigating. If I could uncover what happened in that era when countless gods lived alongside humans, where records and excavated artifacts are scarce, great wealth and honor woulde to me. The first thing to do is to uncover the truth about the King of the Gods, Baal. If the King of the Gods is the highest among the gods, then it would be the Goddess of Life, but... for now, I won''t think about the Goddess of Life. The thing to be found now is the existence of the King of the Gods buried in forgotten history. Since the name Baal is the only clue, let''s look for Baal or a simr name in the myths scattered around the world. If I''m lucky... I might find another clue. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And so the coronation ended. Baal''s final words had created quite a mess, and even the rarely seen Sagarmatha had erupted in volcanic fury, but it''s over now. Yes. After somehow calming the raging Sagarmatha, it was only natural to scold Baal. "Baal. Wasn''t thatst statement unnecessary?" "But I needed to dere that it is mine." "All things in this world?" It was a statement reminiscent of a certain pirate king who seemed to have left everything in this world somewhere, but let''s set that aside for now. "Anyway, the coronation ended without much problem, right? That''s good enough, isn''t it? The gods in the square didn''t raise any objections either." "Of course they didn''t, because after the coronation, they all dispersed to visit the pantheon! But Sagarmatha was so angry!" I''ve never seen that child get so angry before. They say that even a calm person bes terrifying when they get angry, and the same goes for her. But why did Sagarmatha get so angry? Was it because she didn''t like Baal''s words? Since Sagarmatha is usually taciturn, I''m not sure. Was it because she was rubbed the wrong way by Baal''s words? Thanks to that, I ended up spending some time with Sagarmatha to help her calm down... Hmm. Resolving her anger just by spending time together, these children are really easy, this Mom is worried. What if they end up with a mean guy? They won''t allow anyone other than gods, so... "What kind of things should the King of the Gods?" "Um.. That is.." I took out the papyrus scroll rolled up in my pocket and handed it to Baal. "This is a list of the names of all the gods in this world. Memorize them all." The thick scroll contained many names. Starting with Baal, the scroll was filled with the names of various gods, and it seemed to go on and on without end. Well, since it''s a scroll made with magic, it''s only natural. I''ve cast a spell to automatically transfer all the names of the gods listed in the papyrus scroll, which extends infinitely, by linking it with the Godtalk, so as long as the Godtalk exists, it will be automatically updated! The problem is that my name and Baal''s name are not included in the list, but that''s a very minor issue. Who wants to have their name on their Messenger friends list in the first ce? In Baal''s case, I just took him off, because why would he need to be on the list anyway? "All of this...?" "It''s fine to just memorize as much as you can." At my words, Baal dropped one end of the scroll, and the scroll began to unroll and extend endlessly. "How am I supposed to memorize all of this!" The scroll that fell to the ground continued to unroll without end, circling around the divine seat. If I leave it like this, there won''t be any space left to step around the divine seat, so I should restrain it. I used magic to stop the continuously rolling scroll, and it automatically rewound itself. "How am I supposed to memorize all these names!" "Can''t you do it?" "I can''t!" This isn''t working. Sigh. "In the first ce, what kind of king memorizes all the names of his subjects? Being a king doesn''t mean you have to memorize them all!" "Hmm... now that you mention it, that''s true." Even small hills and streams have gods being born, so it wouldn''t be easy to memorize each and every one of those minor gods one by one. It''s no different from a human having to memorize the names of tens of thousands of subjects. Ah, these days the poption has grown a bit, surpassing even a million. "Then just carry this scroll around and refer to it. And try to memorize the names of the more influential gods." "Ugh... how troublesome. But I have no choice! I''ll give it my best effort!" That''s right. The act of making an effort itself is important. "By the way, this scroll. Did you give it a name?" "A name? I didn''t give it one, actually." "What! That won''t do! Everything that Gaia''s hand has touched is an item of extraordinary nature, even the most trivial things! You must give it a proper name!" Hmm, that''s true. From a human perspective, that would make sense. I did see the obsidian spear I had fixed for the lizardmen still being used like a precious treasure. "Then, Directory of the gods?" "That''s too in and direct. Hmm... The Pantheon. Since it''s a list of all the gods, let''s call it the Pantheon." T/N: Can you tell me what it is tranted to? I''m not sure if it''s a Korean version of something. Does it mean "List of All Gods"? "???" (Manseonrok)? And does it have the same meaning in English (Pantheon)? Ah, simr to the term "Pantheon". Well, it doesn''t really matter. From now on, it will be in Baal''s possession, so it''s best to call it whatever Baal wants to call it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Pantheon refers to the temple of all the gods. Therefore, it was known that all information about the gods could be found in the Pantheon, so in order to investigate the god Baal, I had no choice but to be involved with the Pantheon. Of course, the Pantheon is the world of the gods that is not permitted to humans, so directly entering and investigating is impossible. However, there were some gods who favored humans and liked to share their knowledge with them. And among the things they shared were even the knowledge that only the gods possessed. The list of gods, the Pantheon, was one of those. This list, said to bepiled by the Goddess of Life, contained the names of countless gods, but the gods themselves could only ess a portion of that list. And the version passed down to humans was even more limited than that. Humans havepiled their own directory of the gods bybining the fragments of lists that were passed down to them. Of course,pared to the original held by the Goddess of Life, it was severelycking, but for humans, being able to organize the gods'' lists, which varied by region, was already a godsend. Such directories of the gods were managed by the Temple of Life, but greedy individuals had sometimes leaked them out for a few silver coins., that''s a boon for someone like me conducting less-than-upright investigations. I spent some money to collect as many Pantheons List as possible, ranging from thousands of years old to the most recent ones. At first, I thought it was just a waste of money, but after carefully examining the lists over a long period of time, I was able to glean a few results. First, the name Baal did not appear among the countless names of the gods. Nor was there any position of "King of the Gods". In the many Pantheons, the names of countless gods appeared and disappeared repeatedly, but the name Baal was thoroughly absent. At first, I was extremely disappointed with this result. Could it be that the god Baal is false? Was I engaging in a futile endeavor? At that moment, an electric current ran through my head. What if the god Baal actually existed and was the King of the Gods? Perhaps he did not exist in this list not because he did not exist, but because he did not need to be on it. Just like the widely known Goddess of Life, who also does not appear in this list. Might the name of the existence known as the King of the Gods also not need to be on this list? Thinking along these lines, I once again examined the list, confirming the countless and the things they preside over. Surely, if he were the King of the Gods, he would preside over something befitting of that status. Then, among the countless lists of gods, there would be something that the King of the Gods presides over, left vacant. There were gods presiding over various elements, the World Tree, sacred mountains and seas, vast ins and wide rivers, and raging storms. But there was one thing that had no presiding god. The Sky. In the mythologies from all over the world, in the diverse mythological systems, the God of the Sky did not exist. As if that position was meant to be left vacant. Then, if the god Baal existed, and he was the King of the Gods, he would be... the God of the Sky. Chapter 159: Created Deities (1) Baal struggled and toiled to handle the problems of the gods urring all over the world. Baal''s appearance, sometimes using force, sometimes using threats, and sometimes splitting the gods, was... Hmm. If I were like that, it would have been really difficult, I couldn''t help but think. And so, I, who had entrusted the duty of being the King of the Gods to Baal, spent a leisurely time continuing my personal research. The main research was... to develop an automated prayer response device that automatically responds to prayers. Responding to the prayers of those who believe in the Goddess of Life is really a trivial matter, but it was the task with thergest volume. The volume was incrediblyrge, and the things I had to do were just to keep the families of the praying people healthy, to keep them from getting sick, to extend their lifespan... No, I wouldn''t extend their lifespan. Most of what I had to do were prayers for the sick, so it was just a matter of keeping them from getting sick or something like that. And even then, I only listened to the prayers of those who were really desperate or had deep faith... But still, because of therge number of humans, I was suffering every day. But that''s it! It''s over today!Finally! I havepleted! The artificial intelligence that automatically processes human prayers! The so-called automated prayer processing system!!! Wow, I really struggled with various things. In a situation where there was nothing like artificial intelligence or anything, creating an existence that would process prayers in my ce, you know. I used the faith in the Goddess of Life, which has little value to me, to create a virtual Goddess of Life to rece me, and then made it operate using that faith. Of course, it doesn''t actually exist, but it exists in a corner of my mind, like an AI secretary that works diligently on its own. The function is simple. When it detects someone''s prayer, it identifies the person who prayed, checks the content of the prayer, and if it deems it appropriate, it automatically processes the prayer. Even such a simple function is enough to handle the countless prayers! This way, I was able to remove some of the many tasks that were piling up on me! "What are you thinking about so much? Hurry up and focus on your work." "Ah, yes." Of course, just because I created an automated prayer processing system that handles that work on its own doesn''t mean I have no work left. Right now, I''m here in the Afterlife, helping to process the dead. "It''s really a big problem that the number of humans has be too many, but these days, too many humans are dying. Moreover, most of them are sacrificed in the battles between the gods, not just those who died of natural causes. It''s troublesome. It''s really troublesome." At Keres'' grumbling, I could only give an awkward smile. I know that Keres is hinting at me in a way, wondering why I''m not doing it directly and instead passing the work on to someone like Baal, the God of the Sky, and creating these problems. But what can I do? Baal is still a young god, so it will take time for him to be proficient in his work. And if I had done the work of the King of the Gods, I wouldn''t have had the leisure toe here and help in the Afterlife. I wouldn''t have had the time to create an automated prayer processing system for the prayersing to the Goddess of Life either. Un. So, I''m not bad! "What are you doing? Hurry up and get back to work." "Ugh..." "What''s with the ''ugh''? Do you think you''re cute just because you''re like that?" "But I came here to help you guys, can''t you at least speak to me a little more kindly?" "Not until the Goddess of Life fulfilled her promise to me. Promised that, in exchange for bing the administrator of the Afterlife, she would prepare a ce for the dragons to live after they die, right?" Ah, that. I had put that off as a low priority, since there were no dragons who had died of old age yet. "That won''t take long to make, so don''t worry about it." "Really?" "Would I lie to you?" I would lie if I had to, but not now. And it''s not that difficult to create an afterlife for the dragons either. "Well then, I''ll just trust the Goddess of Life. And if possible, I''d like you to add more administrators of the Afterlife, but..." "Ah, that''s impossible." "Huh?" At my words Keres'' expression crumbles. A sense of great despair is clearly visible. "Eh, why? Aren''t there many new gods being born right now? If there are gods rted to death among them, can''t they be brought to the Afterlife?" Keres'' words are imbued with a faint hope. But those words will note true. They cannot be realized. Because no more gods of death will be born. "You already have the gods of death, and what you have is well known. No more gods of death can be born." We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Gods are born from the fear and longing of humans for the unknown. But as for the Afterlife... Since it is somewhat known to the pilgrims of the Goddess of Life''s shrine, there is no room for another god to be born naturally. Even if the fear of death grows, it will only increase the faith in the three administrators of the Afterlife, and no new god of death will be born. "If it were artificially created, it might be different, but..." Just as I created an automated prayer processing system, if I were to create something like an automated Afterlife trial assistance system, it might be helpful. Anyway, it''s impossible naturally. Impossible unless humans imagine a new god of death. "Then... can we bring in another gods and make them a gods of the Afterlife?" Bring in other gods and draft them as gods of the Afterlife? Hmm... It''s not impossible, but... "If the god doesn''t want to, it will be difficult." Those gods are all stubborn and won''t listen! "Anyway, I''m working on an artificial intelligence-like thing for work assistance... If I refine it a bit more, it should be able to perform at a level that can be used in the Afterlife as well. That way, your burden might be reduced a little." "I hope so. But what is artificial intelligence?" Hmm. Artificial intelligence. I have to exin that from the beginning. "It''s a manufactured intelligence, like an intelligence that''s not born naturally, but created by human hands." "Created artificially? Made by people, not gods? Hmm.. Uh..." At my words, Keres'' expression changes to one of having remembered something. "Is that different from Talos?" "Talos?" Why did Talos suddenlye up? "Talos was also created by the Goddess, but it has intelligence, right?" "Talos?" No, that can''t be. Talos is just a golem. I don''t remember ever giving it any kind of intelligence. "Whenever I go up to the surface to take a break from work, Talos always looks at me with eyes that seem to be saying it''s suffering. Sometimes I even envy Talos just standing there motionlessly." "No, I don''t have any memory of giving Talos any kind of intelligence." "Well, it may not have speech functions or anything. But you can tell from its gaze, can''t you?" Hmm, was that the case? I''m not sure. If Talos really does have intelligence... Then all this time I''ve been struggling to create artificial intelligence... was it all for nothing? "If that''s true, then I can''t waste a moment. I''ll be away for a bit." "Huh? Huh?! Wait a minute, Goddess?! Goddess?!?! What am I supposed to do alone?! The other two are on holiday today, but I''ll be left alone?! There''s too much work for me to handle alone?!?! Goddess!!!" Leaving Keres'' cries behind, I headed towards the Talos at the entrance of the Afterlife. If Keres'' words are true... then I can further improve the performance of the automated prayer processing system. Maybe I can even turn it into an artificial intelligence that can make its own judgments and decisions! So... I hurried towards the entrance of the Afterlife. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The giant of the ck rock. The guardian deity of the Underworld. Talos. The giant deity created by the Goddess of Life to protect the Afterlife. The first golem and the first created deity. Among the many achievements of this giant, the most famous would be how he defended the Afterlife from the demonic army of the Demon King. At the time, the Afterlife was a ce that existed as part of this world, even though it was a harsh environment for living beings. From the Demon King''s perspective, it was a ce that could not be left alone, as he sought to disturb the world. Therefore, the Demon King had sent his trusted subordinates and numerous demons to invade the Afterlife. However, that army could not enter the Afterlife. They tried to forcibly twist open the gates of the Afterlife and descend below, but they could not pass through the gates guarded by Talos. The Demon King''s army that was annihted by Talos was the main force of the Demon King at the time, and if that force had remained intact, humanity would not have been able to endure for long, ording to the general consensus. Humanity was able to maintain its existence thanks to the indirect help of Talos. - The created deity, Talos. Chapter 160: Created Deities (2) Standing at the first gate of the Afterlife, the statue of ck rock overlooking the souls passing through the gate with the Grim Reaper. Talos. I stared intently at Talos standing guard at the first gate. Hmm... this guy is supposed to have intelligence? I didn''t really design him with that in mind, though. Could Keres be mistaken? Or did a bug somewhere cause intelligence to emerge? Hmm... if intelligence really has emerged... if it has gained a mind... Was the time it let the young girl who came to revive her parents pass through also not just a temporary malfunction, but an intentional act? Did it developpassion and send that girl further into the Afterlife? I don''t know. I really don''t know. So... "Talos."I should check this once. When I called out Talos'' name, Talos silently turned his head to look at me. Inorganic eyes. No sense of emotion can be felt in those eyes. It''s hard to believe this Talos has emotions, intelligence. But I can''t help but confirm it. "Do you have intelligence?" I asked Talos the question, full of expectation. "......." But Talos gave no answer. Hmm... well, that''s to be expected. For a simple stone golem to have gained intelligence, that would be nonsense, wouldn''t it? No matter that I am the Goddess of Life... if intelligence could be created that easily, then all the things I''ve made so far should have gained intelligence as well, right? Yeah. It was just nonsense after all. I must have been hooked by Keres'' meaningless words. "As I thought, that''s impossible." I buried the faint disappointment welling up in my heart, and ced my hand on Talos'' sturdy leg. If Talos really had intelligence... it could have been a great help©¤ At that moment, Talos faintly twitched. "......?" "......" "Hey." Another twitch. What in the world... "Talos." Talos remained motionless this time. Hmm... Well, let''s just give it a good hit and see. I''ve cast a spell that allows it to regenerate, so it''s fine. So... I struck with a suitable amount of force. Bam!! "Hoo..." Blocking my fist is Talos'' ck greatsword. The immensely huge greatsword was holding back my punch. Hmm.. I don''t think I gave Talos the kind of artificial intelligence that could freely block attacks when I created it. I just had it follow simplemands, didn''t I? Which means "Talos. Have you been deceiving me all this time?" I feel just a tiny bit of betrayal. Clearly this golem, which I made without much thought, has gained self-awareness on its own, and has been keeping it a secret from me. I''m just a tiny bit displeased, but oh well, I''ll let it slide. The important thing now is to further examine the artificial intelligence that has spontaneously emerged in Talos. "If you''re honest about it now, I won''t get angry. From when did you gain self-awareness?" Talos still did not answer my question. Hmm... Exercising the right to remain silent? Seems it still doesn''t feel like talking. I clenched my fist again and raised my arm. A good hit should loosen its tongue! But Talos shook his head in what seemed like panic, and started pointing to his own neck with his finger. Neck? Why the neck... Ah, it means it can''t speak because it has no vocal cords. Right, a robot carved from rock wouldn''t have vocal cords. "You should have told me upfront that you can''t speak. Why did you pretend tock intelligence?" If you had just revealed earlier that you have intelligence, things would have been much smoother. I''ve been struggling to create an artificial intelligence, when the sample was already here. Analyzing and investigating this existing sample would have made the difficulty level much lower. "......" Talos began making various gestures and movements, seemingly wanting to convey something, but I couldn''t make out what it was. It''s entertaining to watch the huge colossus move its body so dynamically, but I can''t really understand it. Vaguely pointing to the ground, holding up three fingers, and then lying down on the ground, Talos. Hmm... Three things underground... Is it referring to the three gods of death? And lying down... Copsing? Falling? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "The three gods of death stretch out?" Upon hearing my words, Talos shook his head slightly, then pointed to his own chest with his thumb, and then pointed to the ground, spreading three fingers. Hmm... Himself and the three gods of death. Hmm. Hmm... Ah! Could it be! "Did you pretend to be unintelligent because you thought you''d work until you were as stretched as the Death Gods?!" Talos then nodded his head slightly. Wow, this guy. It seems that just like the three gods who are constantly being torn apart for the judgments of the Afterlife, he also remained silent about having intelligence, fearing that he would be a ve to the work. How vexing...! "But your assigned task is different from theirs in the first ce! The gatekeeper of the Afterlife and the gods of death cannot be the same! Even if you have intelligence, I wouldn''t have you take on that role!" Talos then ced his hand on his chest and swept it down, as if relieved. Hmph. How vexing. Truly vexing! Well, even though I find it vexing, I can''t really use this guy for the Afterlife''s judgments. After all, he can''t even speak. I wonder if modifying him a bit could make him able to speak, but... Hmm, it might not be possible to modify him right away due to the regeneration magic. Anyway, that''s a hassle, so let''s leave that aside. Instead, "I won''t have you take on the work of the gods of death. Instead, I''ll have to investigate you a bit." "......!" At my words, Talos stepped back hesitantly. I wonder what he''s so afraid of now. "Don''t worry, it''ll be over soon. Just lie down and look at the ceiling, and it''ll be done." I won''tpletely disassemble and investigate you, you know! I just want to examine the artificial intelligence a bit! But Talos was still uneasy about that, and kept distancing himself from me. ng! My magic-created iron chains wrapped around Talos'' body, restraining him. "Alright, let''s take a look at your back." No, I don''t really need to look at your back. I just need to investigate the details of your body, that''s all. And so, I thoroughly examined Talos'' body to investigate how his artificial intelligence was created. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Investigating Talos did not take very long. Most of the statue parts remained unchanged, but I was able to discover a strange crystallization of magic concentrated in his chest cavity. I did not put this in when I created Talos, but for some reason, there was this peculiar magical crystal at the center of his chest. Perhaps this is what awakened Talos'' self-awareness. The crystal resembled a magical stone, but itsposition waspletely different. At the core was my magic that I used to create Talos, and it was surrounded by a dense concentration of magic. When I touched the magical crystal, I could sense Talos'' will, so this seems to be the core that formed his artificial intelligence. Hmm... If the magic I used to create Talos has coalesced like this, then... could it mean that any object I create with my magic could potentially awaken self-awareness like Talos? For example... a hero''s sword? No, no, that''s probably just a unique case with Talos. He is a massive humanoid figure, made with a great deal of my magic, and is known to humans as the gatekeeper of the Afterlife, so he has likely gained a certain degree of faith. That process may have led to the awakening of his self-awareness. Anything else would be unreasonable. Maybe. I stood up, ignoring Talos, who had fallen to the ground and remained motionless. Ahh, good. Now I shouldbine the information I gathered from investigating Talos with the automated processing system to create an even more sophisticated divine being. First, I''ll make a divine being to assist with the work of the Afterlife. Most souls take a long time to have their entire lifetimes reviewed, which slows down the processing of judgments, except for those with extremely deep transgressions that require close examination. A created divine being that can automatically summarize and organize this information, like an interactive AI in another world, would greatly aid the work of the afterlife! This is what was created, the High Intelligence Auto Death Evaluation System. Shortened to Hades. If you think the English sounds strange, please overlook it. I first attached the name Hades and then roughly matched the initials, so I didn''t really think about the grammar! "What is this?" "It''s like a secretary to assist with your work." Keres, who had be half-dead due to the overwhelming workload... Ah, half of her body was already a corpse. Ahem. Keres, who had almost be aplete corpse due to me skipping work toplete Hades, looked at me with distrustful eyes. "This ck obelisk?" A ck obelisk made by cutting and smoothing the ck rocks of the Afterlife. It is ced behind the chairs of the gods of the afterlife, so that the souls receiving judgment cannot see it. "If this obelisk functions properly, it can greatly reduce the workload of the afterlife." "It''s hard to believe the words of a goddess who didn''t do her work properly." "Ah, it was a step back for two steps forward." Ignoring the grumbling Keres, I ced my hand on the ck obelisk. Here, I will put... my magic that will be the power source, and a part of the faith directed towards the Goddess of Life. And specifically [The end of life and the new beginning that follows death] woven together and ced into the obelisk. Woooong. A small tremor can be heard from the obelisk. Good, it''s working properly. After a short time, a girl with an appearance almost identical to mine appeared on the ck obelisk. The difference is that her hair is ck and she doesn''t have the dragon''s horns. Well, to be precise, it''s a kind of avatar or manifestation that I''ve created by separating a part of myself as a goddess... So it''s natural that it resembles me. [High Intelligence Auto Death Evaluation System, Hades. Activating. Beginning work assistance.] The ck-haired version of me on the ck obelisk spoke softly in my voice. Chapter 161: Created Deities (3) "Wow..." Keres'' reaction to the proper functioning of Hades'' work processing capabilities was just a small exmation. No, it''s probably all she could do besides just letting out an exmation. With Hades assisting in analyzing the life of the souls being judged, summarizing their sins and good deeds, the task of judging tens of thousands of souls would not be that difficult. However, even Hades was not perfect in every aspect. "Ah, this judgment seems a bit harsh." "Let me see... Ah I see." Hades punished a woman for stealing bread to feed her starving child by stoning her to death. Other gods of death would have shown leniency considering the mother''s intention to save her child, and waited for the child to arrive in the afterlife before passing judgment. But Hadescked suchpassion."It''s good to make quick judgments, but this part is a bit problematic." "Well, this system was created to assist you after all." I had separated a part of my divinity to create it, but I had no intention of making it an independent deity. "Still, it''s fast, summarizes well, and will definitely be helpful." "Yes, that''s right? With this fellow, even with just one of you, Hades can do the work of three." Previously, two out of three had to be present for the afterlife to function normally. And the most important thing. "By using this fellow to continue the trials and inputting the results, Hades will learn from the trial results itself." "Learn?" "Yes. Based on the results of countless trials, it will learn and be faster, able to handle the ever-increasing number of humans. When that timees, you will praise me for creating this Hades." "Is that so...?" I nodded slightly. The number of humans had not yet reached hundreds of millions. But in a few thousand years, when it reaches billions... it will be truly horrific. Perhaps a war will break out, with tens of millions of humans dying... No, that cannot happen. It must not happen. I cannot allow such a terrible war to ur. Anyway, as time passes, more and more humans will be born and die. I was preparing in advance. "Anyway, if you could have made such a good thing, I wish you had done it sooner." "This is the result of my continued research." I looked at the ck obelisk. The version of me without the dragon''s horns and with ck hair, busily working. It looks quite cute. "But this Hades, won''t it get tired or anything?" "Since it''s my avatar, its power source is connected to me, so as long as nothing happens to me, it won''t have any problems." Unless I cut off the connection from my side. And by using that connection... [And like this, I can connect my consciousness to Hades.] When the me inside the ck panel spoke, Keres was greatly surprised. Didn''t see thating, did you? [If there is an urgent matter that requires calling me, you can summon me through Hades.] "Yes, that''s quite good. There were times when I wanted to ask the Goddess of Life''s opinion on certain judgments." [Don''t call me for judgments. I mean if there''s a problem that can''t be solved without me.] "Understood. I''ll let the other two gods know as well." Good. I don''t have to worry too much about the afterlife anymore. With this, I''ve relieved a major concern... Un! Great! Next, I''ll further improve the automated prayer processing system for the Goddess of Life and entrust even more work to it! Roughly... in the direction of delegating all the duties of the Goddess of Life! Bit by bit, as I divide the work among my avatars... someday the world will run on its own without me doing anything! When that timees! I can hibernate to my heart''s content without any problems! I can sleep for hundreds of years at a time! When that timees, I can be free from at least some of my responsibilities. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - During the performance testing in Hades with Keres and while helping with the judgment of souls... "Ah, found you." A different voice was heard from behind. "I''ve been searching for a while. Mom. If I hadn''t met Moros, I wouldn''t have known." "Sagarmatha...?" "Yes, it''s me." Whaaat?! Sagarmatha?! Why Sagarmatha?! The agreed upon period to stay together had already passed, even though I had left the afterlife earlier due to some business! But the end date had already passed!! "1 year. The time we agreed to stay together. But Mom left even before the 1 year was up... You broke the promise, Mom." "No, the predetermined date has already passed, so it''s over, isn''t it!" We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "But Mom. You left in the middle. No matter how important the business in the afterlife was, you had promised me first." "No, the afterlife business is extremely important to maintain the bnce of this world..." "It was you, Mom, who said you''d stay with me for 1 year. That was an important promise. It''s not like you to break a promise." Ugh... No, I only left a few days earlier. To be pressured like this for that... But it''s true that I didn''t fulfill the full period I had agreed to stay with Sagarmatha. Hmm... "Ugh. So what do you want me to do?" "1 year. Stay with me again. That''s enough." "Did youe all the way to the afterlife just for that?" "Yes. Because a mom''s job is the most important thing." Really, what a troublesome child. "Alright, I can''t really say anything since I broke the promise first. I''ve more or less finished the business in the afterlife anyway." "Okay, then let''s go back, Mom." I sighed softly as I watched Sagarmatha grab my arm and pull me. I then told Keres, "It''s more or less settled like this, so I''ll leave the remaining matters rted to Hades to you. Just exin the basics to the other two, that should be enough. If anything happens, summon me through Hades." "Ah, yes. Goodbye..." Keres could only see me off, perhaps overwhelmed by Sagarmatha''s presence. Well, it''s understandable. To the dragon Keres, Sagarmatha, one of the ancestors of the dragons, would feel like an immensely superior ancestor. Leaving the silent Keres behind, I was then transported by Sagarmatha''s hold. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nidavellir. The grand dwarven city located deep beneath the massive mountain range surrounding the sacred Mount Sagarmatha. A city that other races cannot enter without a proper invitation. I was walking through the streets of this city. The underground city was lit so brightly that it was hard to believe it was underground. Illuminated by lights containing luminescent stones. Such a surreal scenery that ordinary humans would never be able to witness, even if they died and were reborn. Ah, but this was not the time to be marveling at the city''sndscape. I referred to the signs around me and headed towards my destination. Building 11 on Road 75 in the southeast district. 75-11. Hmm, this must be it. I took a deep breath in front of the sizable mansion, then grabbed the ring on the door and knocked. Thud! Thud! The metal ring and the door collided, creating a loud sound, and after a short time, a voice from beyond the door was heard. "Who is it?" "Is this the house of Hwangdonggyeong?" T/N: I hope this name only appears for a while and then disappears... I mean, did you even read his full name? Can you even remember it? "Human? Why are you looking for the master?" The owner of the cautious voice. It was a natural reaction in a way. Hwangdonggyeong. That dwarf, who is called "false gold" by those who despise him... was a dwarf who was involved in dishonorable affairs. But he had amassed tremendous wealth. "Tell him that an archaeologist hase to see him." "An archaeologist?" "Yes, that''s enough." I said that and adjusted the paper I had kept in my pocket. I don''t need to show this. I had to take it out when I came to Nidavellir, but the paper that was evidence of the favor I had done for Hwangdonggyeong was something I couldn''t easily take out. Because for a stubborn dwarf who doesn''t listen to others'' words, especially a wealthy dwarf, the evidence of the favor I had done was worth a great deal of silver. After a short time, the massive door opened. "Pleasee in. The master is waiting for you." "Un." I was able to enter the grand mansion. After passing through the corridor decorated with magnificent sculptures and artworks, I passed by the statue of a dwarf with a massive hammer nted on the ground. Hmm, this hammer... the one I found. The Ground Crusher, a weapon that can be called an artifact. To use it as a decoration for the statue of an ancestor, how interesting. Well, I heard it was a precious heirloom made by Hwangdonggyeong''s ancestors. It can''t be used as a weapon carelessly, so using it as a decoration is appropriate. I then passed through a slightly smaller door for humans and entered the room. And, "Ah, it''s been a while! Archaeologist! Your frail body is still the same!!" "It''s been a while, Hwangdonggyeong." The old dwarf with a golden beard, Hwangdonggyeong, weed me. Indeed, if I can rely on Hwangdonggyeong''s power... will I be able to find clues about Baal? I don''t know. But I hope I can find them. Chapter 162: Mountains Despise the Sky (1) "Ah, so the archaeologist who said he would never see my face again hase to seek me out. What''s the reason?" Hwangdonggyeong''s words wereced with hint of sarcasm. Back then... well, he had a point. After all the hardship I went through to obtain the relic, I''d be furious if someone just took it away in exchange for money and a letter. But that was then, this is now. "I''m looking for something, and I''m at a limit on my own, so I need help." "Hmm... I don''t know what you''re looking for, but the fact that you''vee to me means it''s no ordinary item. Alright. Do you need money?" "It''s not just about needing money. I''ve heard that dwarves have a record repository that only a select few can ess." At my words, Hwangdonggyeong''s face showed a slight surprise. "A record repository? Why are you looking for that?""The information I''m seeking now... is knowledge that has not been left to humans. I''ve heard that the dwarves'' obsession with records surpasses human imagination, so I thought there might be something that humans have forgotten in the dwarves'' record repository." "Hmm..." Hwangdonggyeong stroked his golden beard, lost in thought. Will he really let me into the record repository? I don''t know. I think the chances are fifty-fifty... but Hwangdonggyeong might impose other conditions as well. "There is no precedent for a human entering the record repository... but, since you returned the Ground Crusher, I''ll try to help you." "Really?" "But there is a condition." "A condition?" Hwangdonggyeong''s golden eyes looked straight at me. I could see the greed lurking in the corner of those eyes, but since I had no choice, I had to follow his words. "Make me your patron." "Patron?" "Yes. I don''t know what you''re looking for, but seeing youe to me, the one you said you''d never see again, to search for clues, it must be no ordinary thing." I couldn''t say anything. Would Hwangdonggyeong believe me if I told him I was looking for clues about the King of the Gods? No, is it even okay to carelessly mention the existence of that being in the first ce? "Half the rights to what you find. Then I''ll do my best to support you as your patron." "Half..." "Whether it''s a tangible object or intangible knowledge. Half the rights. Of course, I''ll help you as much as I can with anything you need, and I''ll provide financial support if necessary. You''re a capable tomb raider... no, archaeologist, so it''s worth that much. About the position of a co-discoverer, if you will. What do you think?" Hwangdonggyeong''s lips, hidden under his golden beard, were curved in a greedy smile. Should I ept this greedy dwarf''s proposal? No, no. I don''t even have a choice in the first ce. What am I hesitating about? If I don''t take his hand, I won''t get anything, and if I do, I''ll get the patronage of one of the wealthiest dwarves. I had no right to hesitate. "Alright, I promise. I will give you half the rights to what I find." "Good. You''ve thought it through well." Hwangdonggyeong stretched out his short arm and offered me his hand. His hand, which had not held a hammer-like object for a long time, had little callus, unlike a typical dwarf''s hand. I did not refuse that hand of desire. "So, can you tell me what you''re looking for?" As expected, it came to this. I nced back at the door behind me. Is it okay to speak freely in this room? Won''t my voice leak out? "Hmm. Are you worried about your voice leaking out?" Hwangdonggyeong, sensing my concern, pressed something on the desk. A faint magical barrier then descended along the walls. "This is...?" "A trick to maintain secrecy. Within this barrier, your voice won''t leak out. It cost a pretty penny, but it does its job well." Indeed, a barrier using mage stones. How dwarven. In this now secret space, I told Hwangdonggyeong what I was looking for. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 year. Time spent with Sagarmatha again. Well, it wasn''t too bad... Sometimes other kids woulde and y with us. Somehow, Sagarmatha seemed displeased that other kids wereing to visit. "Aren''t they your siblings? Why are you so displeased?" "But now Mom has to be mine exclusively..." "Oh, I''m not an object to be monopolized." I lightly tapped Sagarmatha''s head. "Well, thanks to that, I was able to do this and that leisurely." I had automated some of my duties as the Goddess of Life, and had also taken care of the Creator Dragon God''s business rted to the Lizardmen. Cloud Whale also seemed to have matured, and started doing his job properly. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Perhaps because the problems caused by the various gods were more than the conflicts between the tribes, the inter-tribal conflicts have been rtively quiettely. The children alsoe to visit me sometimes and spend time with me. Hmm. I should have automated things earlier. Convenience is the best, after all. Thanks to that, unless Baales to ask for help, I''ve been very rxed. "Gaia!!" Just like now. "Baal. Didn''t I tell you to contact me in advance beforeing?" Thanks to that, the Sagarmatha sitting next to me has be angry again. Her face is flushed, looking like a volcano about to erupt. "Nevermind that, help me! I can''t take it anymore!!" "Hmm? Can''t take it anymore?" "Those foolish gods! Now they''ve gone beyond conflicts between the gods and are starting territorial battles between factions!!" Territorial battles...? What''s that? "What on earth did they do to start a territorial battle?" "I didn''t do anything! They''re just fighting over territories on their own!" What on earth is going on? "Tell me the details calmly." I gently pulled Sagarmatha over and used myp as a pillow, then covered her eyes with my hand to prevent her from bursting out in anger, and asked Baal. "Well, you see..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After listening to Baal''s exnation, I was able to grasp the general situation. There is a kind of nd grab" war going on among the gods right now, where they are trying to steal each other''s faith from the humans. Since gods derive their power from the faith of humans, the more believers they have, the stronger they be. Therefore, there is constant conflict among the gods who desire more human faith, and Baal, the king of the gods, has been mediating these conflicts. But now, the gods have started forming alliances with gods from the same cultural sphere and friendly rtions, and have begun to plunder the faith of other gods. It''s a kind of "religious war", so to speak. Even though Baal suppresses and punishes individual gods, the allied gods continue to be active, and if he tries to restrain arge number of gods at once, the vacuum left behind causes other gods to cause problems. While exining, Baal was getting more and more agitated, and I had to stop him from frying everything with lightning bolts. "I see. It''s like a game of territorial control strategy simtion, like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms." "Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Territorial control strategy simtion?" "There''s a game like that." It seems that Baal alone cannot handle the situation of this religious war where they steal and are stolen from in terms of faith. Hmm. It''s really like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. cing Baal in the position of the emperor-like king of the gods, it makes sense. "Anyway, with the gods fighting each other, a lot of humans are being sacrificed too. No matter how much I try to stop them, it never ends, and I don''t know what to do!" These god-like beings are really problematic. If only they could fight through faith propagation instead of direct conflict. Prohibiting physical shes even among the believers. If I prepare some kind of safety mechanism like that, the problem might be alleviated. "Maybe I should just restrict the gods from manifesting on the mortal realm..." "Wouldn''t that be problematic? That way, even the gods who don''t fight might be an issue." I nodded at Baal''s words. Then what should I do...? "Let''s establish and announce the rules." "Rules?" "Yes. If there are rules to be followed, we can punish those who vite them. If some of the allied gods are causing problems, we can collectively hold them ountable, so those gods won''t be able to act recklessly." "Will that be enough?" "If that''s not enough... Can''t you just zap the gods who have undermined the authority of the King of the Gods with lightning?" Honestly, the gods have been causing these problems more than once. It''s getting tiresome, so we need to put them in their ce properly. Establishing the rules is to create a justification for that suppression. "You can ask Shamash for help with the rules, as she''s an expert onw and regtions. I can help you announce the rules after they''re established." "Okay! Thank you, Gaia! I''ll go now!" Baal left the room with a brighter expression than when he came in. Well, even if there are rules, the gods probably won''t behave obediently. As long as they don''t find loopholes in the rules to cause problems, that would be fortunate... But I''ll trust the experienced Shamash to carefully establish the rules. If it still doesn''t work after some time, I can always erect a barrier to prevent the gods from manifesting in the human world. Even if gods emerge who lose their faith due to being cut off from humans, it''s their own fault for causing the trouble. "Mom." "Hmm? What is it, Sagarmatha?" Sagarmatha, who was resting her head on myp with her eyes closed, spoke quietly. "I really dislike that guy." I gently stroked Sagarmatha''s head and said softly, "Don''t be too harsh. It''s thanks to him working as the King of the Gods that I''ve gained some leisure." If I were in Baal''s position... In this world, the existence of gods would have been only me and my children. Chapter 163: Mountains Despise the Sky (2) "The God of the Sky?" Huangdongqing''s expression changed to one of bewilderment after hearing my story. Well, it''s only natural. If someone ims to be searching for a gods that no one has ever heard of, anyone would react that way. It might be a fanciful story like a fairy tale, but my intuition was telling me that there was something about the King of the Gods. "Do you have any concrete clues?" "Thanks to obtaining a fragment of a small stone tablet, I''ve started searching, but other than that, there are no other clues." "No clues at all? It''s quite ambitious of you to think of searching for something like that." "My intuition is telling me that there is something to this name." Huangdongqing''s expression became somewhat skeptical of my words."So it''s just an intuition, huh. Hmm... Honestly, it''s a hard story to believe, but... Well, there seems to be some inexplicable power to your intuition." Huangdongqing chuckled and nodded his head. "Shall we try our luck with this reckless gamble?" "Hmm... I hesitate to say this, but is that really okay? Honestly, the chances of finding anything are quite low." "Well, my life has already been full of gambling, so adding one more won''t make much difference. And this forgotten god... Hmm. There are many forgotten gods, but the title of the King of the Gods has piqued my interest." Huangdongqing let out a heartyugh and said, "The chances of sess are low, but if we seed, great honor and prosperity wille our way, so isn''t it worth the gamble?" I also nodded at those words. I too had the same thoughts as Huangdongqing and had started my investigation using this meager fragment of a stone tablet as a clue. That''s why I could understand his sentiments. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Baal and Shamash had established various rules andmunicated them to the gods. It seems they had put some thought into it, and the gist of the rules was as follows, 1. Prohibition of the gods'' indiscriminate descent to the human world, except for those whose main body is on earth. 2. Prohibition of directbat between the gods. Especially the prohibition of direct plundering of another god''s faith. 3. Drawing boundary lines between cultural spheres, prohibiting gods from invading other cultural spheres where their faith does not exist. Well, the method of propagating faith through believers and exerting influence on other cultural spheres through that was not blocked. Anyway, it seems to have been organized in that general direction. Apparently, due to the gods'' constant fighting and causing chaos, even the mostly non-bellicose gods generally weed it. And... "There will be punishment from Gaia for vitions. Why is this included?" "But Gaia is a goddess recognized by all the other gods. If Gaia herself directly punishes, the other gods will all ept andply with it, won''t they?" Baal''s words were nodded in agreement by Shamash who was standing behind him. This fellow... is using me... "Mom. Can''t we just chase this guy away?" Sagarmatha, who seemed to genuinely dislike Baal, began grumbling without even sparing a nce at Baal. "Just when Mom and I were resting together, now you''ve brought Shamash too, interfering with our time. I really hate this." "Sagarmatha. Calm down. This is necessary." "But... I just don''t like it. Shamash too. Why is sheing here with that guy to disturb the time just the two of us, Mom and I, have?" Sagarmatha, who was unusually talkative, was truly a troublesome child. "It will be over soon, so calm down." "Okay... Finish it quickly." After calming Sagarmatha by letting her rest her head on myp, I looked at Baal and Shamash and said, "Let''s finish this before Sagarmatha gets even more upset. So, how are the gods doing now?" "Thanks to the new rules, they''ve calmed down a bit now. The conflicts have stopped, and it seems they''re generally focusing on consolidating their power." "That''s good to hear." It''s a good thing that conflicts between the gods have decreased. Un. "But there was one request that came from among the gods..." "A request?" "Yes, a request. And it''s for Gaia." "A request for me? From the gods?" Those guys, what annoying thing are they trying to make me do now. "What kind of request is it?" "Um. The gods are asking you to give them a name." "A name?" Baal nodded slightly. "No, suddenly a name? Didn''t the other gods already have names?" That doesn''t make sense. There can''t be gods without names... Hmm, are they just asking me to give them a new name? To abandon their current names? What''s that about. Can''t they just keep using their own names? They all must have names already. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "What a bother." "Sagarmatha." I covered Sagarmatha''s eyes again as she started grumbling. Looks like she really dislikes Baal. "They said they will faithfully follow the rules if the goddess grant their request." "Can''t Baal do that yourself? I find it annoying." "They want Gaia to give them the name. They wish the supreme god to bestow them a name." At those words, I sighed softly. "The supreme god, huh. Baal, you''re the king of the gods, aren''t you?" "While I may hold the position of the king of the gods, I can''t deny that I pale inparison to Gaia. Gaia possessed immense power as a goddess even before my existence, and you have the most believers." No, that was when there were no other gods.... Hmm, is it something like a first-mover advantage? How annoying. I''ve greatly reduced the number of pilgrims, but it''s still a lot. Ugh... "It might be a bit annoying, but please, Gaia. And if Gaia gives them a name, I think we can use that name to suppress the other gods. Gaia did say before that your true name holds tremendous power, right? Seems like the other gods want to obtain that kind of power for themselves." Hmm. That''s... a taunting remark I made to Baal before. So it''s spread as a rumor, and the content has even changed a bit. Well, it''s just a bit annoying, so I don''t really mind. "Well,pared to the things I''ve done before, this is nothing. Can you make a list of the gods'' details who want a name and bring it over so I can give it a try?" It''s annoying, but I can''t help it. This is the name you asked for. Take it with a grain of salt. I should just p a bunch of names from that other world''s gods. "I really hate this." I''ll let Sagarmatha''s low murmur slide. Yep. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "So, when can I enter the archive?" "When? Hmm... I''ll need to get the permit, so it should be ready by tomorrow." "Tomorrow? That fast?" Hwangdonggyeong chuckled and stroked his beard. "It''ll take a little trickery, but I''ll get the permit, and you can use it." "I use Hwangdonggyeong''s permit? That''s possible? I don''t have a beard like you, and I''m quite tall." "I''ll ignore your discriminatory remark. And the dwarven archive isn''t the kind of ce you''re imagining." Not the kind of ce I''m imagining? So not just a regr library? "You''ll see tomorrow." I just nodded slightly at Hwangdonggyeong''s words. And the next day. "Here, I''ve obtained the permit. You can use this to ess the archive." What Hwangdonggyeong handed me was a thin, t stone tablet. A smooth, jet-ck surface, about the size of an open book. Hmm. What is this? "I''ve taken care of all the necessary procedures, so just press the button next to it." Following Hwangdonggyeong''s instructions, I gently pressed the small protrusion next to the stone tablet. Woooosh. The ck stone tablet began to emit light. "This is...?" "The pinnacle of dwarven technology. Data te... an information processing board, if you will. Of course, it''s ssified, so you''ll have to keep the secret about this item." ssified, huh... I''ve certainly never heard of such an item being in the possession of the dwarves before. "Press the book-shaped icon on the first rectangle that appears on the panel. Then, press the white part at the top and enter what you''re looking for in the space below, and it will search for the relevant titles." Following Hwangdonggyeong''s instructions, I awkwardly operated the stone tablet. Smooth letters written on the stone tablet. First, let''s search for information on mythology. Mythology. Myths and legends of the world. The primordial myths and the Seven Gods. The Goddess of Life. The Pantheon (495th year of the Empire edition). And so on. This feels quite extraordinary. "Selecting a title from the list will automatically disy the contents of that book. To cancel the disyed book and go back, press the arrow at the bottom." I tried operating it as Hwangdonggyeong had said. The screen on the stone tablet quickly changed, and it was... an incredibly fascinating device. If humans had such a device, the very concept of a library building would be meaningless. "That information processing board is connected to the archive, so search diligently. It uses magic to operate, so if you run out of magic, you can recharge it with the mana stones in this pouch. The recharging method is to press the small groove at the back, and it will automatically recharge." Just as Hwangdonggyeong said, there was a small groove at the back. Recharging with mana stones, how fascinating. "Well, I have other matters to attend to. I''ll be going now. I hope you have a fruitful oue. Oh, and needless to say, it''s best not to take that te out of Nidavellir. There''s a tracking spell on it, so the dwarven assassination squad wille after you." With that, Hwangdonggyeong left the room, leaving behind the te and a pouch. Hmm. I should suppress my greed. It''s a somewhat unfamiliar device, but I''ll get used to it. And so, I began to explore various information through the dwarven information processing board. First, let''s take a look at the information on mythology recorded by the dwarves. Chapter 164: Mountains Despise the Sky...? (3) And so I gave new names to the gods. I didn''t want to do Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology, Indian mythology... because they''re a bit toorge in scale, but whatever. I also took names from Chinese mythology, Celtic mythology, and Aztec mythology, and attached them generously. If it weren''t for Wikipedia, I would have been in trouble. The mythology I remembered had its limits. At most, it was just Greek and Roman mythology, a little bit of Norse, and maybe a bit of Egyptian. Of course, the gods that exist in this world do not perfectly correspond one-to-one with the gods of the other worlds, so I couldn''t attach the namespletely. For example, Zeus or Thor. For most of the earth gods, I took the names from mythology or borrowed ce names on Earth. Hmm. Interestingly, among the gods I named, there were several dragons that are worshipped as gods by humans. Well, perhaps due to my influence. Dragons were generally quite friendly towards other life forms. Unless they are attacked first, they are unlikely to bother others. If humans prostrate themselves and make requests, those children will usually grant them. It is natural that they would be epted as benevolent beings and worshipped as gods.Anyway, let''s move on from the deified dragons. With their new names, the gods who did not stray from their own cultural realms ceased their conflicts and focused on self-improvement. The most powerful of these cultural realms was the group of gods who called themselves the Olympians, taking the names from Greek mythology. Based in Arcadia and a little to the west, they established themselves in various city-states, wielding the familiarity with humans as a weapon, and exerting their influence as anthropomorphic deities. Well, due to being too close to humans, they often incurred the wrath of the gods and suffered bloodshed. But Baal scolded them harshly for that, so it should be fine now. Incidentally, the Olympians were the most fiercely fighting gods in the conflicts between the gods. If they hadn''t been fighting so intensely, the number of gods might have been about 1.5 times the current number. Next were the animal-headed gods causing amotion around Ifrit. Names taken from Egyptian mythology were given to these gods, born from the beastmen who adapted to the harsh desert environment. They are mainly believed in by the beastmen living close to the desert and some people in the mage city of Procyon. The people of Procyon mainly believe in the sacred me Ifrit, but faith is a free thing. There is no one to criticize them for believing in other gods as well. Calling themselves the Ennead, they used their power to imitate human magic and perform various miracles, gradually transforming the desertnd into a more fertile one. Well, now that they''ve given up on war, they''re doing quite a good thing. Since it''s forbidden to steal away the faith of other gods, they have no choice but to increase their number of believers and grow their faith. It''s a natural progression from plunder to agriculture. Next, to the east of the great forest where Yggdrasil stands, near the icy northern continent, are the gods who call themselves the ?sir. These are the gods who took the names from Norse mythology. Perhaps born from the hardy humans living in the harsh northern continent, these gods have a rather rough character, sandwiched between the elven great forest to the west, the dwarven Sagarmatha to the southeast, and the realm of the giants to the north. Honestly, it''s hard to say their power is great, but perhaps because of that, their bellicosity andbat prowess are not inferior to the gods of other cultural realms. A notable point is that the Betelgeuse battlefield where the conflict between elves and dwarves unfolds is located near their territory. Of course, just because they are the ?sir, they can''t carelessly interfere with the elves or dwarves. If they identally provoke Yggdrasil or Sagarmatha, the ?sir will be utterly destroyed. Even though they are a powerful gathering of gods,pared to my children, the difference is immense. Well, the threergest powers are like that, and there are gods in the southeastern part of that continent, such as Lok¨¡p, or Kunlun in the east, and several other small gods that are not part of any power... If I were to list them all, it would never end, so let''s wrap it up here. Ah,e to think of it, there was a very unusual gods. The faith of the lizardmen. A god born from the distortion of the faith in the Creator Dragon God and the Destruction Dragon God, which had spread to humans. In a way, you could call that god my avatar. Its name is Quetzalcoatl. Well, it was a bit distorted, but perhaps because its root was me. As soon as it came to receive the name from me, it was instantly subjugated to me. In a way... it''s like a copy of the copy of the Creator Dragon God faith that originated from me. It''s only natural that it would submit to me as soon as it faced me. But I thought it might be useful, so I reconstructed it as a god with a certain degree of autonomy and started delegating tasks to it. After that, I entrusted it with the management of the lizardmen or the humans who believe in the Creator Dragon God faith, as if it were one of the incarnations of the Creator Dragon God. Such as selecting the grand priests of the lizardmen or choosing the grand sorcerers. By the way, I made sure that they absolutely do not perform human sacrifices. This world can run well even without human blood and flesh. Such meaningless sacrifices are unnecessary! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Hmm. Is this the end?" We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now After thest god I named bowed in greeting and left, I stretched lightly. Good. I don''t have to worry about the gods anymore. The rules have been set, the territories have been divided, and it seems to be developing into a system that can run well even without my interference. "Good work. Mom." "Ah, I''m sorry to you, Sagarmatha. I''ve been so busy with work that I''ve taken away our time together. To think that I even provided the venue for interviewing the other gods." "It''s okay. Watching you work was fun enough for me." Hmm. I don''t understand what''s so fun about watching me work, but if Sagarmatha is satisfied, then that''s good. "But I didn''t realize there were so many gods. There were so many of them." "It''s thanks to the remarkable advancement of human intelligence." Humans who have gained wisdom question everything, and they find the existence of gods as the answer to their questions. In order to solve their questions, humans have oveid the existence of gods on all natural things, and as a result, countless gods have been born in this world. But it''s still rtively few. Most of the gods are gods of natural objects, after all. In the future, maybe humans will fill everything with the existence of gods. The touch of the gods will be present in every human emotion, and every action and every thought will have the gods as the cause. Hmm. Thinking about that, I don''t like it a little. It feels as though humans are bing mere puppets of the gods. If humans progress a little further from here... will they start to deny the existence of gods? If they unravel the truth by elucidating the phenomena, will they strip away the existence of the gods? If an eraes when gods are denied, then at that time... can I also cease to be a goddess? I don''t know. That doesn''t seem bad either. Instead of being the goddess of life, as a... no, it would be better to call myself a dragon. I wonder if I can exist as just a dragon. I don''t know. It could be possible, or it might not be. I don''t know which direction the future of humans will go. I hope it goes in a desirable direction. "But Mom." "Hmm? What is it?" Sagarmatha, who was sitting next to me, spoke in an unusually serious tone. "Do you have an ideal type?" "Ideal type?" What is this kid suddenly asking about. "Or... are you trying to raise that kid named Baal as yourpanion?" "What are you talking about! That''s impossible, isn''t it!?" Baal as mypanion? That''s impossible, isn''t it?! Although that kid''s appearance is a bit prettier than it seems at first nce, I would never! "I''ve never even imagined having apanion. So don''t say such things." It''s not like having apanion is absolutely necessary. If apanion was absolutely necessary... Hmm... But still, not Baal. Baal is... That child is still young, you see. At least, it would be difficult unless he be an equal existence to me. In that case, rather than Baal... Erebus... Ahem. Why did Erebus suddenly cross my mind for a moment? That ungrateful child who ran away and caused a ruckus. Why did hee to my mind? No way. Absolutely not. "Right? Mom doesn''t have such thoughts, does she?" Sagarmatha, who heard my words, had a rare expression of joy on her face. Does it make her that happy that I maintain a single life? Well, if I were to wee apanion, it would mean a new father figure for Sagarmatha. She might not like that. So I spent time gently kneading the face of the constantly grinning Sagarmatha, as if her facial muscles were malfunctioning. Chapter 165: Mountains Dont Despise the Sky (4) The convenient tools of the dwarves. Using the information processing board to find traces of the King of the Gods, Baal, was... not an easy task. While searching for information on mythology and reading through it, I was constantly distracted by rted documents that would suddenly appear next to me, and then the rted documents of those rted documents, and so on. To be honest, half the time I spent in the dwarven archives was spent looking at these rted documents, not the ones I had originally searched for. Furthermore, the range of information that would pop up as "rted" was so broad. Documents discussing the breeds of Sirius, the guardian deity of the pantheon, for example - what on earth were those doing there? Well, there''s nothing to be done. As someone who once studied theology, I was well aware of the value of the countless books in the dwarven archives... I couldn''t afford to miss even the most trivial piece of information. They were just too precious to overlook. After spending day after day like this, "Phew... There''s nothing at all." I realized that the dwarves had no information at all about the King of the Gods, or the name Baal.Was this too even for the dwarves'' vast knowledge? But if that''s the case... the only ce I might be able to find rted information would be... The elves? But the elves are... even more closed off than the dwarves. Even if I, as a human with no connection to the elves, were to get permission to enter Alfheim, it would take months. Unfortunately, I have no ties to those elves. So that''s a dead end. If the dwarves don''t have it, and the elves are out of the question... then the beings who might know about the King of the Gods, Baal, would be... The god of wisdom? No, that won''t work. If the fact that I''m searching for an obscure deity hidden in history were to be discovered... It wouldn''t just end with my death. There must be a reason why it''s been buried in history. I let out a small sigh. What should I do? How? It''s like being faced with a dead end, with the tangled path I''ve walked behind me making it impossible to tell which way is right. What can I do? Is this truly the limit of a mere human''s power? As I was sighing like that, Hwangdonggyeong came to see me and clicked his tongue briefly, saying, "What, have you already given up?" "Hwangdonggyeong." "The archaeologist I know wasn''t the kind of person to give up at a dead end. The boar-like person who would charge towards his goal without regard for the means - where has he gone?" "Back then, there were faint clues, you see. It wasn''t as hopeless a situation as this." At my words, Hwangdonggyeong shook his slightly and said, "But don''t you have a clue? That fragment of the stone tablet with the writing on it." "But how could this stone fragment be more of a clue than it already is? Unless the stone can speak." "It may not have a mouth, but it can still provide various information." Various information? "As for the dating that can be obtained from the tablet, I''ve already tried that." "Tsk, tsk. So you''ve only tried that much, have you?" Hwangdonggyeong looked at me with a pitying gaze, then held out his hand. "Give me the fragment. With the advanced technology of the dwarves, we can find out when and how this fragment was made, as well as the region where the stone was sourced." Unusually for a dwarf, his hands were free of calluses. Dwarves are known to be a loyal race, steadfast in their gratitude and vengeance, but... Is it really the right choice to hand over the only clue I have, the stone tablet fragment, to Hwangdonggyeong, who has already betrayed me once before? But the fact is, in this situation, I have no other answers. I let out a small sigh and took the fragment wrapped in cloth from my pocket, cing it in Hwangdonggyeong''s palm. "Hmm. You''ve thought this through well. I''ll return it after the necessary procedures areplete. Oh, and a small piece from the edge would be alright to cut off, wouldn''t it?" "As long as it''s not the part with the writing, that''s fine." At my words, Hwangdonggyeong nodded and put the wrapped fragment in his pocket. "But were you really so desperate for a clue that you were ready to give up?" "I didn''t realize it had gotten to this point. It feels as if all information about the King of the Gods has beenpletely erased." "Hmm... Erased, you say." Hwangdonggyeong pondered my words. "Then, what about looking for it in something other than mythology?" "Something else?" "If it''s not even in the Great Book of All Gods List, which is said to contain the names of all the gods, then it must have been thoroughly erased. So if we can''t find any traces in anything rted to mythology, there''s a possibility that the traces may remain in something other than mythology. For example... fairy tales that children hear." Fairy tales? "Un. Certainly, the origins of many fairy tales are said to be the same as mythology..." At least in the fairy tales I know, there is no mention of the sky or simr entities... Of course, there''s a high possibility that they''ve hidden its identity, but at least in the fairy tales I know, the sky has never appeared directly. "At least in the fairy tales I know, there''s nothing like that. Unless it''s a folktale passed down from a distant region..." "If it''s a human folktale, that would be the case." Hwangdonggyeong snatched the information processing board from my hand, found something, and then returned it to me. "The fairy tales passed down among the dwarves are a little different from human ones. I used to like one when I was young." The screen of the information processing board disyed a fairy tale suitable for children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Once upon a time, in the distant past, when dragons were smoking, there was a small mountain. T/N: What? Like smoked cigarettes!? or its an idiom!? This small mountain emerged from Mother Earth, rising up ever so gently. It had a demeanor that could be strict at times, yet also kind. It always held a deep affection for Mother Earth, who cared for it selflessly. The small mountain, learning the vastness of the world through Mother Earth''s teachings, was living happily with Mother Earth. One day, the high sky fell in love at first sight with the vast Mother Earth. Captivated by the most beautiful and charming Mother Earth, the sky thought that thisnd could be its only match. In this way, the sky, not knowing its own ce, tried various tricks to get Mother Earth. ...... And so, through the efforts of the small mountain, the sky''s tricks all came to naught. Mother Earth appreciated the small mountain''s efforts and raised it up to be the highest mountain. The small mountain, now called the sacred mountain, was tasked with monitoring the sky so that it could not attempt any more tricks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Gaia! There are too many orphaned children!" "What are you suddenly barging in and saying?" In the middle of enjoying tea and bread with Sagarmatha, Baal suddenly came. Hmm. How many times has this been now? Doesn''t this fool have the concept of contacting me beforehand beforeing? And Sagarmatha has been growling every time she sees Baal, which is a bit worrying. But still, he keeps suddenly appearing. Does he have no learning ability? At least this time, Sagarmatha is asleep, clinging to me, so she won''t fight. "Orphaned children... Why are you talking about them all of a sudden?" "But aren''t they pitiful? Children without parental protection, starving to the point of copse, are so pitiful." The rampages of the gods have decreased, but the aftermath is still ongoing. Many were killed in the midst of the gods'' battles, after all. And among those who died were those who left their children behind. "Let me tell you in advance, the Temple of Life has already taken in a sufficient number of children." The number and scale of the Temple of Life had been gradually decreasing, but due to caring for the children, it had momentarily increased in scale and number, to the point of exceeding its capacity. But well, the temple had umted enough wealth and personnel over the years, so there wasn''t a big burden. If necessary, they could pull resources from other ces. "But... the children growing up without parents are so pitiful." "So, what are you trying to do?" Baal said boldly. "Lend me your wisdom! How can I raise those children well?" "Raise them well... At the point where they''ve already lost their parents, the difficulty level of their lives has skyrocketed." "But... Gaia, don''t you have some way? It''s so pitiful that the children without parents are despised by others." Hmm. A way... A way, huh? Ah, I''ve got it. "Wouldn''t you be the father of those children who have lost their parents?" "Father? Me?" "Yes. If you, the king of the gods, be the father of those children, won''t there be no one left to despise them?" After all, there would be no human with such a big liver to despise the children of the king of the gods. "Indeed... That''s right! So you want me to lend my name, is that it?" "Yes, that it." "Then... Lend me the name of Gaia as well! If there is a father, there should also be a mother, right!" My name? Hmm... I nced down at Sagarmatha, who was clinging to me, and let out a small sigh before speaking. "If they are children without a mother, then you may use only the name Gaia. Don''t mention the goddess of life." "Okay! Thank you!!" Well, if it''s for the sake of the poor children, I can let them use the name Gaia. Thinking so, I stroked the head of Sagarmatha, who was clinging to me. At some point, Sagarmatha had opened her eyes and I stroked her head. "Don''t dislike Baal, since it''s for the sake of the poor children." "Okay... I don''t dislike him anymore." "Is that so?" "It''s just that he''s a fool who wants something he can''t have, and that''s pitiful." "Something he can''t have?" "There''s something like that. It''s fine if Mom doesn''t know." I don''t understand it very well, but if Sagarmatha says so, then it''s fine. But well, as long as she doesn''t hate him anymore, that''s a relief. It''s difficult for me to take sides in this situation. And so, I continued to stroke Sagarmatha''s head. Chapter 166: Rat and Dragon (1) The world became peaceful. The gods who had attacked other gods to increase their faith, turning the world into chaos, have now be as docile as beasts whose fangs and ws have been pulled out. Thanks to this, most gods are nurturing the faith of their believers and growing their faith, shifting from a hunter-gatherer economy... Can I even call it an economy? Anyway. The social structure of the gods changed, giving a sense of transitioning from hunting and gathering to agriculture. In the process, the power dynamics between the gods changed slightly, but it was a minor matter, so let''s move on. After all, Baal continues to be the king of the gods. Anyway, the gods who listen to the voices of their believers and use their powers to help them. Hmm. This is what a proper gods should be like. Compared to the gods who caused chaos and made a mess, this is much healthier. And so, the gods of the entire pantheon began to grow, gradually nurturing the faith of humans.... Hmm.... Now, can I take a break?I''ve roughly divided my tasks among various avatars and let them handle things on their own. Unless something like the continent suddenly gets destroyed or the fragments of Erebus deep underground suddenly merge and rise up, I don''t need to step in. So. "I''ll go into hibernation for a while." "What?" Shamash, who hade toin to me about a trial between the gods, widened her eyes in disbelief. "Hibernation, all of a sudden?" "I feel like I need some rest." "Mom needs rest...?" Shamash looked at me as if she couldn''t believe it. Hmm. What does he think of me? While I may not get physically tired, I do get mentally fatigued, you know? I need a period of rest where I can hibernate and browse the inte of other worlds. To be honest, I''ve worked too much until now. I think it''s time I took a break. I''m also getting tired of Baal constantly running over and whining for my help whenever he gets the chance. I''ve made arrangements for the tasks that need to be handled to be taken care of on their own. Unless there''s a crisis that could destroy this world, there''s no need for me to wake up. So. "Pass on the message to the other children and Baal that I''ll be going into hibernation for a while." "Uh... Are you sure? Everyone''s going to freak out." "Sure or not, who''s going to stop me from taking a break?" I''m mentally exhausted from being active without hibernation. It feels like I''m constantly awake because I can''t fall into a deep sleep. Roughly speaking... in human terms, it''s like not being able to sleep properly for days on end while working... Ahem. Anyway, I''m going to rest! I''m going to rest deeply! I''ll wake up after a few hundred years of hibernation! Humans and other races will be looked after by the gods, and wars between gods are prohibited, so there''s almost no chance of chaos breaking out. I''ve delegated all my tasks to be handled automatically. It''s the perfect situation for me to take a rest! "I understand. If that''s what Mom wishes, I have no right to say anything." "Mm. Thank you for understanding." Actually, it doesn''t matter even if you don''t understand. I''ll just cut off allmunication, dig a cave underground, seal the entrance, and fall asleep. That''s all there is to it. "Then... how long do you n to rest?" "Hmm. About 500 years?" "500 years... That''s quite a long time." "And I''ve already shortened it significantly." If I just lie down without thinking about anything, I could sleep for thousands of years. "I see. I''ll let everyone know." "Yeah. Thanks." After sending Shamash away, I went to find a suitable secluded ce. The rough location was... the western edge of the continent. It was a rugged mountainous area where monsters frequently appeared, so it was less developed. There were hardly any humans, but plenty of monsters... Well, those insignificant monsters won''t be able to disturb my sleep, so I don''t need to worry. Since there are hardly any humans, there won''t be any influence from other gods either. Hmm. Good. I can sleep peacefully here. After digging deep underground and sealing the entrance to the cave, I curled up on the ground in my original form. Alright, then... Sleep well! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The world is full of unfair things. Just because they were lucky enough to be born to good parents, stupid and dull fools can eat their fill, while smart children like me have to suffer as orphaned beggars, unable to find proper work. At least I was taken in by the temple, so I didn''t have to starve like other orphans... But still, it''s unfair. "Hey! Rat!" See? That fool is trying to pick a fight with me again. "Rat! Why are you ignoring me?" "You''re not worth answering." I pulled the weeds in the garden, muttering gruffly. The priest at the temple is a kind person, but he strictly follows the rule of "those who do not work, shall not eat." If I don''t do any work, my meals will be reduced. Even though I already eat more than others, making me feel self-conscious. If I don''t do anything, it will be even more difficult. "Why are you doing such a boring job?" We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "Because if I don''t, my dinner will be reduced. So don''t disturb my work and go y with your stupid friends." Those two idiotic friends of his are watching from over there. "Hmm... so if I have dinner, I don''t have to pull the weeds?" "Well, I suppose so." But dinner doesn''t just fall from the sky, does it? It''s been months since I''ve eaten a whole loaf of bread. Unless it''s a great god''s festival day, it''s hard. Even though it''s a small vige in the mountains, it''s too poor. This vige. Why did Mom drop me off in this small vige and leave? If it was a wealthy vige, I could have somehow managed to earn and eat. In this rural vige, the only things a child can do are small errands, which don''t earn any money. Ugh... I should have tried to cling to the merchant who came to the vige and gone to the city. I could have done something there. "Okay, then I''ll bring you dinner. In return, let''s y together." "Shut up with your stupid talk. How can you bring me dinner?" "I''ll just give you my food. I can skip a meal or two." This idiot''s dinner? Hmm... After briefly calcting in my head, I nodded. If I can get a full meal by ying with this child a little, it''s better than pulling weeds. "Come on, rat. Let''s go y. I found a new cave in the back mountain." "What? The back mountain? Monsterse out in the deep parts of the back mountain!" "The cave I found is near the entrance, so there are no monsters. So let''s go! It''ll be fun, I''m sure!" The idiot is pulling me by the hand. Really, when will this fool ever gain some sense. "I''ve told you before, I''m the older one. I''m a rat beastman, so I''m just smaller in size." In about a year, I''ll be an adult. By then, I''ll break free from this small vige. And so, I was led by the fool''s hand towards the back mountain. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Long ago. I don''t remember it well, but I''ve heard stories from adults. They say there''s a dragon sleeping somewhere in this mountain. It was probably just the drunken ramblings of a drunkard, but... Honestly, how many people would believe such a story? And a dragon, no less. That''s a monster that only appears in legends, in hero''s tales. Dragons, really? But... that nonsense. [Grrrr...] Why is it right in front of my eyes? A huge silver dragon. It seems to be asleep now, eyes closed, taking even breaths, the thunderous sound of its breathing. In front of this dragon, I tried to hold my breath and back away as quietly as possible. Ugh. I shouldn''t have listened to that fool''s words. What cave? Falling for the idiot''s nonsense about there being treasure in the cave was my own stupidity! There was a usible crevice in the cave, and I was forcefully pushed in by my small size. Suddenly, the ground sank down, and I slid down painfully, only to see a faint light at the other end of the cave, thinking it might be the outside. And there was the silver dragon, as big as a mountain! I have to get out of here. That huge mouth! I''m small enough to be swallowed whole without a second thought, a whole house could fit in that mouth! To think there''s such a terrifying dragon in the back mountain''s cave... Even if I tell the adults, they won''t believe me. No, they won''t believe it. Speaking of which... what happened after I safely escaping from here? I tried to back away as quietly as possible. One step, then another. But in the middle of walking, Something caught my foot. Thud! "Ouch!" I quickly covered my mouth, not realizing the voice had escaped from it. It wasn''t that loud, so the dragon wouldn''t have woken up, right? It''ll be fine. With a dragon that huge, my small voice wouldn''t be heard properly. So... I carefully turned my head to look in the direction of the dragon. "Hiieeekkk!" My eyes met the dragon''s huge golden eyes. "Aah! Aahhh!!!" I frantically backed away on all fours from the dragon! I''m going to be eaten! Devoured!!! The dragons in hero''s tales were terribly ferocious monsters, breathing fire and having scales harder than most metals. I''m definitely going to be eaten!!! I crawled on the ground, hiding behind a rock in a corner, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Please, may this dragon not pay attention to me. Just ignore me and go back to sleep. I covered my mouth and held my breath, staying still. After some time passed and the dragon''s sounds faded, I carefully peeked out from behind the rock. If this much time has passed, the dragon must have fallen asleep again. But. [Small beastman.] The huge dragon''s head was right in front of me. And then everything went dark. Chapter 167: Rat and Dragon (2) I was dreaming. A dream where Mom left me behind. "Mom will go earn money, so you must wait patiently. Understand?" A lie. "I''ll earn lots of money and make my daughter live like a princess. I''ll definitelye back for you..." A liar. "So, you must listen well to the priest and stay healthy. Understand?" The dream of the day Mom left. Leaving me, a small child, in the mountain vige, Mom left. 10 years. Not a short time. During that time, Mom didn''t send a single letter.Perhaps, she has forgotten about me. Watching Mom''s retreating back, I cried. I sensed that we would never meet again. I couldn''t bear the fact that my only family was leaving. I cried like a young child. After all, I was just a child. As Mom''s figure disappeared from sight, I turned around and opened the door to the temple. As a small and young child who couldn''t live on my own, the only one I could rely on was the priest at the temple. When I opened the temple door, the first thing that caught my eye was [Grrrrrr...] The enormous silver dragon. Its head. My feet, faced with this giant beast, were frozen like stone. Not even a small sound came from my throat. Like a mouse in front of a fierce predator, I was paralyzed with fear. The silver dragon slowly opened its eyes and looked at me with golden irises. A gaze that seemed to see through my entire being. A gaze that read my weak self, unable to leave the small vige that disgusted me. The dragon, looking at me as if making me an insignificant existence, slowly opened its mouth. And then, everything around me - the trees, the temple, the sky and the earth - began to be sucked into the dragon''s pitch-ck mouth. And I, too, was swallowed along with everything else. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Hmm? Oh, you''ve woken up.] The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the giant dragon. "D-D-D-Dragon...!" [Yes, a dragon. It''s been a while since I''ve been in my true form, so you might have forgotten what I look like.] The dragon, spewing some iprehensible sounds. I tried to crawl away from the dragon. But. [Don''t try to run away. I waited for you to wake up, and now you want to run?] "Eek?!" In an instant, silver chains like shackles entangled my hands and feet, rendering me immobile. "Are you going to eat me?" [Eat you?] The dragon stared at my face. [Hehe. You''re saying some amusing things. A small creature like you wouldn''t even fill my stomach.] "But... the dragons in the stories..." [I don''t know what stories you''ve heard, but I won''t eat you.] The dragon continued to stare at me. Is it really okay? But the dragons in the stories were fierce monsters, destroying viges with their huge bodies and killing many people with their terrifying poison. Yet this giant dragon in front of me... isn''t trying to swallow me whole and is even talking to me. Can I trust this? "Um, so... dragons don''t eat people?" [Don''t worry, I won''t eat you. I can live just fine with magic, so eating is just a hobby for me.] Is that really true? Can I believe it? What if the dragon just deceiving me and then swallows me whole? No, no, if that was the dragon intention, the dragon would have already done it. In front of this giant dragon, I''m just a small beastman. [Anyway, how did you get in here? I''m sure I sealed the entrance thoroughly so nothing could get in.] "The entrance? There was a small cave, and there was a crack in it, so I squeezed through... I''m not sure of the details." [Hmm... a cave, huh? Was it created by an earthquake?] Earthquake? "Come to think of it, there was a big earthquake a few weeks ago. Luckily, no one was hurt, but..." The hunter uncle hadined that the hut he built in the forest had copsed. [Hmm, I see. Let''s see... How much time has passed..] The dragon slightly extended its front paw, and suddenly a huge object appeared on the empty paw. Is this... magic? Now that I think about it, the dragon said it could use special magic to breathe fire! Wow... to see magic directly like this... [Hmm, it''s been about 300 years. The 500 years I had nned haven''t passed yet, but well, it''s time to get up.] The dragon said that, then made the object on its paw disappear, and unfurled the tail that had been wrapped around its body, standing up on all four legs. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now And then it spread its enormous wings. Just the act of spreading its wings was enough to create a powerful gust of wind that strongly buffeted me. I tried to withstand it, but in the end I was blown away like a fallen leaf in the wind. [Phew, I''ve rested enough, so I''ll get up now. It''s been about 300 years, so I''m curious to see how the world has changed.] "I-I see..." All I could do was speak as politely as possible. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Ah, sorry. It''s been a while since I''ve moved around.] Seeing me with cuts on my arms and knees from being pushed by the wind from the wing pping, the dragon said apologetically. [I don''t spend much time in my true form, you see. Let me heal those wounds for you.] Then a faint light flowed from the tips of the dragon''s front paws, enveloping my body, and the wounds disappeared as if by magic. This is... the same healing technique the priest used? No, a monster like a dragon couldn''t possibly use a divine healing technique. It must be a simr magical effect. Still, the effect was definite, as my wounds vanished in an instant, much faster than the priest''s. [Well then, let''s start moving. Little beastman, can you make your own way back?] "Huh? Ah, no, I can''t. I don''t know the way." I had practically slid down, so climbing back up would be impossible. No matter how light and strong I am as a mouse beastman, that steep slope is too much for me to climb back up! [Hmm... I know!] Seeing me, the dragon seemed to have a good idea, slightly raising the corners of its mouth. [I''ll take you back home.] "Really?" [In return, I''ve be curious to see the world from a human''s perspective, so I''d like you to guide me.] Guide... the dragon? Thergest house in the vige, the chief''s, is smaller than this dragon''s ws, and the entire vige is probably smaller than the dragon itself. I pondered for a moment, but I had no choice. Without the dragon''s help, there''s no way I can get out of here. Looking around the area illuminated by the light emanating from the dragon''s body, it seems the only entrance I came through is the slope I slid down. No matter how much the dragon''s appearance might turn the vige upside down, I had no choice but to nod. "I can guide you to the vige I live in, if that''s alright." [Hmm, thank you. I''ve grown a bit tired of just looking down from above.] This enormous dragon must have been flying high in the sky. The world of the gods, where many deities are said to reside, and the sky the dragon has flown through - I wonder which is higher. Ah, but I shouldn''t be thinking about such things, or I might incur divine wrath. No, no, I mustn''t. "But with your huge body, how will you manage to enter the vige?" If it enters the vige in this size, the vige itself will cease to be a vige. I''ve always grumbled about the backwater vige, but if the vige disappears, I''ll be in trouble too! [Of course there''s a way. Did you really think I''d enter the vige in this size?] Yeah. I didn''t get the word out. But just now, your wing pping blew me away! It hurt! It really hurt! Well, you healed it all, but still. [I''ve always lived in human form before falling asleep, so I''m used to it.] At the same time, dazzling light gushed out from the dragon''s body. My eyes! My eyes!!! It''s so bright!!!! Even in the dark cave, there was only the faint light from the dragon, and suddenly this blinding light! My eyes!!!! Aaah! The light that had been gushing out gradually diminished over time. And then. "Hmm. This form is morefortable after all." In the ce where the dragon had been standing, there was a silver-haired girl with horns on her head. "Ah, could it be... Dragon-sama?" "Yes, that''s right." Is this also a magic used by the dragon? Incredible magic... That massive body shrink down to this size. "Well then... let''s go out." The dragon, now in human form, lightly snapped her fingers, and the surrounding scenery changed in an instant. Instead of the dimly lit cave with the shining silver dragon gone, it was now a familiar forestndscape. This is... the forest behind the mountain. "Huh? How did you do that?" "I just moved through space. Well then, I''d like you to guide the way. So... what''s your name?" Ah, I haven''t introduced myself yet. "I''m Maybelle Cinder. What should I call you, Dragon-sama?" "Hmm... I have many names, but... Ah, you can call me Tiamat. No one uses this name, and since I''m a dragon, it suits me." Tiamat? An unusual name. "Then I''ll call you Tia. I''ll guide you to the vige." And so, I apanied the dragon-turned-girl, Tia, towards the vige. Chapter 168: Rat and Dragon (3) "It''s a small vige." The dragon, no, Tia, made a briefment after seeing our vige. Well, since it''s a rural vige in the mountains, it being small is only natural. But for some reason, I felt a slight pang. I too would have thought this vige was small. But why? Hmm. I really don''t know. "Then let me give you a simple guide." A small inn, the vige chief''s house, a few residents'' houses. And the vige''s only shrine. Introducing this small vige, which was essentially all there was, did not take very long. It was just a light stroll around.However. "Maybelle? Why are you here?" "Huh?" While I was introducing the vige to Tia, the neighbor auntie who was returning from the vegetable garden was surprised to see me. Carrying a basket of vegetables on her head, the neighbor auntie looked at my face and said, "Jonson told the vige elders that you were in grave trouble, and they all headed to the cave behind the mountain..." "Ah..." It seems that fool did not do nothing after I fell underground. But that fool. He managed to summon the elders to the back mountain. Although the cave''s location is at the entrance of the back mountain, just going into the back mountain would get him severely scolded by the elders. A small amount of gratitude welled up, but that gratitude was quickly extinguished when I remembered that it was that fool pushed me into the small crack in the cave. Anyway. "I did go through a big ordeal. If it weren''t for Tia''s help here..." It was truly a big ordeal. I never imagined I would get to see a dragon in person. I never thought I would get to see a dragon, which I had only heard about in stories. "Oh my. An outsider?" "Yes, my name is Tia. I happened to meet this child and came here with her." Tia spoke to the auntie casually, as if it were natural. Well, since she''s a dragon who has been napping for about 300 years, she must see adult humans as mere infants, so her casual attitude is understandable. Her outward appearance is that of a very pretty young girl, but her rude way of speaking to the adult is... It feels very ill-mannered. "Could it be... Are you a noble?" A noble? No, she''s a dragon. But... Hmm. A noble. In other words, she looks like a noble. With her brightly shining silver hair and her very soft-looking clothes. Compared to my dull gray hair and rough cloth clothes, it''spletely different. Even that outward appearance must have been created by magic. Magic is truly amazing. Can I also... be prettier by using magic? I shook my head slightly. How could a country bumpkin like me be as pretty as her, even with magic? It''s impossible. "Hmm. I can''t tell you the details, but just treat me normally. Ah, I can''t help the way I speak, so I''ll just continue like this." "Ah, I see... I understand." The auntie was making an awkward effort to speak to her normally. She must really think Tia is a noble. But the reality is even more amazing. She''s a dragon! "In any case, if you''re here, then the people who went to the back mountain must be wasting their efforts. Shall we go call them back?" I nodded at the auntie''s words. I''ve already escaped, so if everyone is still trying to get through that cave, it would be troublesome. However. "I''m sorry, but I''ve asked this child to guide me. If it''s not too much trouble, could you go call the others?" "Ah, well... I have some things to do..." "I''m asking you." Tia said that and pulled something out from her sleeve, lightly tossing it towards the auntie. The auntie, slightly flustered, caught what was thrown at her. "This is... silver?" "Consider it a small fee for the errand. Is it not enough?" The auntie looked back and forth between the silver and Tia, then smiled and nodded. "It''s more than enough. More than enough for such a simple task." "Since I''m the one asking, after all. Then, I''ll leave that matter to you." "Yes, leave it to me!" The auntie put down the basket on her head as if tossing it aside, and headed towards the back mountain. But auntie, your way of speaking has changed to politenguage. It changed as soon as you saw the silver. Could it be that silver is an object that changes people''s attitudes? "Well then, I''d like to ask you to continue guiding me." "No, even if you say continue... I''ve already shown you almost everything. The only thing left is the shrine where I live." "A shrine? Whose shrine is it?" Whose shrine is it, you ask... Since there can''t be multiple shrines in such a small vige, it''s a shrine that houses multiple deities. The one with thergest share is the Mother of Life. Next is the great Sky Lord... We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Besides that, there are also the sacred me Lord and the deity ofw and justice, so it''s a shrine that houses multiple deities. It''s hard to say it''s the shrine of any single deity. "It''s a shrine that houses multiple deities. It''s difficult to have multiple shrines in this rural area." "I see. Then, please guide me there." "Certainly. This way." And so I went to the shrine where I live, together with Tia. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Maybelle! You''re safe..." Upon arriving at the shrine, the priest who was cleaning the shrine entrance greeted us. No, he froze in the middle of greeting me after seeing Tia. And then, the priest knelt down on his knees. What''s this? Why did the priest suddenly kneel down? Could it be that he realized she''s a dragon? "Y-you are...?" Seeing the priest like that, Tia spoke softly. "Stand up." The priest then stood up as if it was only natural follow Tia''s words. What''s this? Why is the priest moving like a puppet with just one word from Tia? Could it be that Tia is not an ordinary dragon? "I-I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to..." "Well, such things can happen in life. Don''t worry about it." Or is the priest actually a highly skilled one who can vaguely sense Tia''s true identity? Hmm... Doesn''t seem like it. Considering the priest''s slightly absent-minded demeanor. "Ah, we shouldn''t be doing this here. Please,e inside." And so, Tia followed the priest''s guidance and entered the shrine. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After that, there wasn''t really anything special that happened. The adults who had gone to the cave behind the mountain because of that fool Jonson all came back, and I also got scolded for Jonson''s reckless act of going into the mountain. The adults also seemed to be at a loss after seeing Tia. Well, even if I were an adult, I''d be at a loss seeing Tia. It''s unbelievable that someone wearing such pure white and soft clothes woulde to this rural vige. And she''s so beautiful, almost inhuman. Even though she''s a dragon and not human. "So, you wish to explore the world?" "Yes, that''s right. The ce I''ve been staying in has extremely limited ess, so now that I''ve be free, I want to see the world." Tia was talking with the priest. I was secretly peeking at the two of them. I wonder what kind of conversation they''re having? "Limited ess... Could it be that you are the Dragon''s Priestess?" Dragon''s Priestess? No, she''s just a dragon. "Why do you think that?" "First of all... that horn. I may not have a wide range of knowledge, but I am not aware of any beastfolk women with horns of that shape. At most, I''ve heard that even female beastfolk of the sheep variety can grow horns... but those are rounded, spiral-shaped horns." "Hooou..." No, she''s a dragon. "And the overwhelming divine power I felt when I first saw you... Even though I only sensed it briefly, it was an amount of divine power that a human body could not contain." "Hmm. Even though I tried to hide it, you noticed, did you?" "Thanks to the work I did in my younger days, I''m sensitive to the divine power of others, you see." Why does a dragon have divine power? Could she not actually be just a dragon? I don''t know. But among the gods I know, there is no deity named Tiamat. Could she be using an alias? Or... is the true identity of the Dragon''s Priestess... a dragon? A human inheriting the power of the Mother of Life, not that, but actually a dragon transformed into a human? Come to think of it, if she inherited the power of the Mother of Life, why is she called the Dragon''s Priestess? Not a saint-like figure. If the reason is... that the Dragon''s Priestess is truly a dragon? ...No, that can''t be. In the old stories, the Dragon''s Priestess who worked with the hero to bring peace to the world was actually a dragon? That doesn''t make sense. Moreover, dragons were... one of the monsters the hero defeated. Unless that story is false, it doesn''t make sense. Yes. "If the deities of the pantheon have not descended in human form, the only thing thates to mind is the Dragon''s Priestess." "Hmm... You''re quite sharp-witted, aren''t you." Tia smiled softly at the priest. "For now, keep this a secret, alright?" As she said that, her eyes nced briefly in the direction where I was eavesdropping. Was that... directed at me? Is she asking me to keep the secret of her being a dragon? Chapter 169: Rat and Dragon (4) "By the way, you said you want to go out and see the world... I don''t know the details, but is that alright?" "Ordinary problems can be solved with strength. And if necessary, you can ask the Temple of Life for help, can''t you?" That''s right! Since she''s a dragon! There''s no way there could be anyone stronger than a dragon, except for heroic figures like a hero, so she can solve everything with her strength! And... asking the Temple of Life for help, huh? Hmm... is it just a saying, or do she really have a connection with the Temple of Life? Well, it''s not really my business. I was secretly eavesdropping on the conversation between the priest and Tia, but it doesn''t seem like any particrly meaningful information came up. I might have been better off just going to sleep. "So, you''ll be traveling to see how people live in the world." "Yes, that''s right. I want to observe how people live.""Then, a merchant wille to the vige in two weeks, how about leaving with them? They are a trustworthy person." Tia shook her head slightly at the priest''s words. "I can''t impose on them. And if possible, I''d like to see the world quietly, on the same level as others." "I see... If that is the priestess''s wish, then there''s nothing to be done." The priest nodded slightly, then looked at Tia''s horns and said, "But if you want to move quietly, it might be better to hide or conceal those horns. There may be others like me who can recognize the priestess." "Hmm... is that so?" "Yes. The story of the Dragon''s Priestess who adventured with the hero is widely known. Someone with a bit of knowledge would be able to easily guess your identity just by seeing you. I was able to do it as well." Tia nodded slightly at the priest''s words. "I see. Then... maybe a hat or hood would work." "Can''t you make the horns invisible?" Tia shook her head slightly at the priest''s words. "I can make them invisible, but then my power would weaken. If I forcibly try to maintain the concealment, the hidden horns would be visible again... So I''d rather not do that if possible." "I see. If you don''t like it, there''s nothing to be done. But you can''t always wear a hat or hood... How about making it look like an ornament for your head?" "Head ornament?" "Yes. Make a head ornament that covers your head and horns, so that the horns are mistaken as part of the ornament. You can''t always wear a hat or hood, but a head ornament wouldn''t seem strange to others." Tia thought about it for a moment, then snapped her fingers, and a head ornament that covered her horns appeared on her head. "Something like this, I suppose. It''s a creation of illusion magic." Illusion magic? Magic can do that too? It really looks real! "Oho... the Dragon''s Priestess can freely use kinds of magic, I see. And this illusion looks so real. Truly impressive." "Un. This much is necessary to not fall short of the name ''Dragon''s Priestess''." So dragons can do that kind of thing... Hmm... was the hero really able to defeat such an amazing magic-wielding dragon? I''m starting to have a bit of doubt. Maybe it wasn''t a dragon, but some other monster that resembles a dragon that the hero defeated? No, the story clearly said it was a dragon. The hero''s story wouldn''t be a lie. "But the horns are still quitergepared to the head ornament. I''m not sure if this excuse would be convincing enough." "Hmm. If I make the ornament toorge, it might be cumbersome." "That''s true as well. I''m not sure if this small head ornament will be enough to deceive others..." "Hmm. I''ll figure that out. I''ll use magic to influence the thoughts of those who see the head ornament, so that they believe the horns are part of the ornament." Influence their thoughts? What''s that? Can she even control other people''s thoughts at will? What on earth can''t you do? Dragon? "Magic that influences thoughts... I didn''t know such magic existed. But... magic that controls the thoughts of others doesn''t seem right." "Oh? And why is that?" "The God of Wind and Freedom has said that all living beings have the freedom to live their own lives. But such magic infringes on the freedom of others. Even if you are the Dragon''s Priestess, it should not be used carelessly." At the priest''s words, Tia nodded slightly after deep thought. "I see. In that case, if it''s a magic that makes others mistake the horns as part of a head ornament, without controlling their thoughts, would that be eptable?" "Illusion... hmm... that might work." Is that it? Controlling thoughts is not allowed, but illusion is okay? Do all who study theology be like this priest? I don''t understand it. "Anyway, are you nning to leave alone?" "Yes. I intend to depart tomorrow." We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "In that case... how about taking apanion on your journey, Priestess?" Apanion? Could the priest be offering to apany? But if the priest, who has many duties in this small vige, leaves, it would be a huge problem. Blessings for newborns, healing the injured and sick, managing and mediating disputes among the vigers, taking care of orphaned children and teaching themnguage and writing, and handling funerals for the deceased - if the priest leaves, a major crisis would ur! "Apanion? Hmm... how troublesome." "But it would be better to have one. A noble person like you should not wander around without anypanion. It would be better to have someone to provide some care." "Hmm. Are you thinking of apanying me?" At Tia''s words, the priest shook his head slightly. "No, I cannot. My body is too weak to walk long distances, as I was injured by an arrow in my knee." "I see." Huh? But the priest walks around just fine, even faster than me. Well, he must have his own reasons for saying that. "Instead, how about taking that child, Maybelle, who came with you today." "That beastkin child?" Me?! "Yes. That child is intelligent, and will surely be of help to you, Priestess." "Hmm... be of help, you say. But if the child does not wish it?" At Tia''s words, the priest shook his head slightly. "That child also wanted to leave this vige, so if you ask them to apany you, she will surely leave happily. And..." The priest took something out from his robe and ced it on the table. "There is also a reason why that child must leave the vige." "What is this?" "A letter sentst year by the mother of that child, who left her in my care." As soon as I heard the priest''s words, I rushed into the room where the two were without thinking. "A letter from my mother?!" "Maybelle? Weren''t you sleeping?" "How can I sleep now?! You have a letter from my mother?! And why didn''t you show it to me?!" I trusted him! I trusted the priest!!! "Maybelle... calm down first." "How can I be calm?! It''s a letter from my mother, my mother whom I haven''t heard from in years!!" I poured out the emotions bursting from my heart. Emotions that I would normally never utter. "Why was there such a letter! Why did you hide it from me?! Why?!" "Maybelle." "I had trusted you, priest! I had thought of you as a parent, instead of the mom who left me here!!" Betrayal. Sadness. Depression. But also a glimmer of hope. The hope that my mom didn''t abandon me. The hope that my mom is still alive. Complex emotions swirled in my heart. "Let me exin step by step. First, calm down." "How can I calm down, priest?! Huh?!" I opened my mouth to shout again. And then, "Enough." At those soft words, my body froze. "I understand why you''re reacting this way, but first, let''s hear the story. So sit down and calm down." Tia''s voice, with its unyielding power, immediately suppressed the endless emotions surging within me. Like that, I forcibly closed the emotions I had been pouring out, and sat down silently on a nearby chair, without a word. "Yes, sometimes it''s better to calmly resolve things through discussion, rather than just venting emotions one-sidedly. Let''s talk it out." Seeing that I had calmed down the priest slowly began to speak. "I was going to tell you this when you became an adult. It''s for your own good." "For my own good?" "Yes. For your own good. To keep you from falling into danger." Danger? Me? Just what was written in that letter that could put me in danger? Chapter 170: Rat and Dragon (5) The priest handed me a letter. On the envelope, it was written in an unfamiliar handwriting, "To Maybelle." "And... this one is a letter sent to me." The priest took out another letter from his robe and ced it on the table. It was a letter in the same handwriting as the one addressed to me. Could this really be... a letter from Mom? If she could afford to send a letter on such expensive papyrus, then why wouldn''t Mome find me? Is there something going on with Mom? "I was going to show you the letter when you became an adult." "Why? Why did I have to wait until I was an adult to see it?" "Because your mother asked me to do it that way."At the priest''s words, I fell silent. What reason could there have been for that... "And if you found out about the letter from your mother, you would have immediately rushed out of the vige." I couldn''t respond to the priest''s words, because everything he said was true. If Mom is alive somewhere, I would have gone to find her. "ording to the letter... your mother is in a very dangerous situation. She didn''t want to involve you, her daughter, in that danger." "Dangerous situation..." So Mom didn''t abandon me, she left me here to protect me? She didn''t abandon me? Why? "Originally, I was going to keep it a secret until you became an adult... but if this person here, if this person can help you, I thought she could also help your mother." I turned my head and looked at Tia. For some reason, she was observing me with a face full of great interest. Well, she is a dragon. If Tia, who can freely use iprehensible magic, helps, then... Can she help Mom? Can she save Mom who is in a dangerous situation? "Of course, that''s assuming this person is willing to help. So, what do you think? Won''t you take this child with you?" Tia looked back and forth between me and the priest, then nodded slightly and spoke. "I don''t mind. I was just wandering around aimlessly, but traveling with a purpose isn''t bad either." Tia spoke as if she had experience traveling. Could this Tia really be the Dragon''s Priestess? The Dragon''s Priestess from the hero''s story? Then... could it be that the dragon the hero defeated fell for the hero, and that''s how the Dragon''s Priestess joined them? Maybe the story has been reversed all this time? "Really?! Thank you! I was so worried about sending this child alone, I was concerned about sending such a young child to a dangerous ce, but if the priestess helps, I''ll feel much better!" The priest bowed his head in gratitude to Tia. As if he was really worried about sending me alone. Even so, I''m more than capable of handling myself! Just because I''m short and look young doesn''t mean I''m actually a child!!! "Then, first, please tell me about this child''s situation. I need to know the details in order to help properly." At Tia''s words, the priest nodded and slowly began to speak. "First, I need to tell you about this child''s mother..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Her name is E. E Cinder. She was a small but spirited mouse beastkin, known as the ''Ashen E''. Born into a fairly wealthy mouse beastkin family, E was a bright and lively person who made many friends. If E''s mother hadn''t died when she was young... she would have lived a happier life, but unfortunately, E''s life was not smooth." The priest began to tell story of my mother. But... "Wait a minute, how do you know so much about my mother''s story?" "Well, we were childhood friends. E had an exceptional ability to befriend others. She became close friend with me, even when I was just an apprentice priest. Anyway, E''s life started to unravel when her father remarried." E''s new stepmother and two stepdaughters were older than her, so it was a new family for E with a new stepmother and two sisters. At first, E tried to get close to her new stepmother and sisters, but it was said that they really disliked E. Probably... they thought that if E wasn''t there, they could inherit all of E''s father''s property for themselves. She tried her best to get along with her new family members, but eventually gave up on the malicious sisters. After that, when her father fell ill and never got up again, the persecution from the stepmother and sisters became even worse. That''s how she left home and went on a journey, it is said. After hearing the priest''s long story, Tia briefly said, "It sounds like a story I''ve heard before." "Is that so? Anyway, that''s how she became an adventurer after leaving home. She gained various experiences while traveling. Since she admired the hero''s story, it''s natural that she became an adventurer." Mom... an adventurer...? "E, who wielded arge hammer that could barely be held with both hands, was strong. Thatrge hammer was powerful enough to knock down even a decent monster with a direct hit." We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "Arge hammer? But she''s a mouse beastkin?" Mom is also a mouse beastkin like me... Did she really wield a huge hammer with her small body? Something... it''s hard to believe. "She had amazing arm strength, you see. Therge hammer she used to wield during her adventurer days was entrusted to me, and I''ve been keeping it in the temple. I was going to give it to Maybelle when she became an adult to use as a weapon." "Arge hammer? Even if I get that, if I don''t know how to wield it, won''t it be difficult?" I don''t know how to use weapons at all, so even if I get that, it would just be troublesome. "If you swing it like chopping firewood with an axe, you''ll be fine. And you''re also strong like her, so I think you''ll be able to use it well enough." Hmm... Is the fact that I''m stronger than my build because I take after Mom? "Anyway, after bing famous as an adventurer, she returned to her hometown. In the name of the god of light and justice, she reimed the rightful property she was supposed to have." "Something... seems different... There should have been something like a ss slippering out, and a ball too." "ss slipper...? A ball?" What is Tia talking about? "Ahem. I''m not sure what you''re thinking, but let''s continue the story. After driving out the stepmother and two sisters, E became quite famous among the mouse beastkins, and many people proposed marriage to her." "Proposals... Marriage?" Come to think of it... what kind of person is my father? Mom never said anything about my father, so I don''t know at all. In fact, the priest feels more like a father to me. "Yes. I don''t know the details after that, but I heard she got married to someone she liked. After that... there was no news for a long time, and then she suddenly showed up in a tattered state, bringing you, still a young child, and asked me to take care of you. She didn''t exin the details, but said she got caught up in a troublesome matter, and left you and therge hammer with me." "Therge hammer... But I don''t remember there being anything like that. I''ve never seen Mom wield such a thing." "It was packed in a box and brought on a cart, so you wouldn''t have known. It''s under my bed now, I''ll show it to youter." Mom''s weapon... Hmm... I don''t know. I don''t have any memory of seeing that. "Ahem. After that, there was no news of her for several years... Last year, a letter arrived. A letter asking me to show it to Maybelle when she bes an adult, and a letter addressed to me. There were two letters. The letter addressed to me said that she was in a bit of a difficult situation, and asked me to send Maybelle to where she is when Maybelle bes an adult. But that was just a cover. The real message is hidden in the first letters of each paragraph in this letter." "Vertical writing?" Vertical writing? What''s that? "I''m not sure what you mean, but anyway, the hidden message in her letter was as follows: [Mouse beastkin. Danger. God. Daughter. Safety. Travel.]" This is... "I couldn''t fully understand the contents, but it seems that there is danger for the mouse beastkin, and it is rted to gods... It seems to be asking to send Maybelle to a safe ce. It seems she was in a situation where she couldn''t even send the letterfortably." "If it''s a gods, is it referring to Sirius, the god of the beastkin?" Sirius, huh The guardian deity of the pantheon? It was written in the book that he was the first beast...Were they the same god? "Probably. Since Sirius, the god of the beastkin, has be the guardian deity of the pantheon, it would be reasonable to think that E is involved in some problem that arose due to that vacancy." "Hmm... Sirius, huh. That''s interesting." The priest seemed to know that Sirius was the god of the beastkin. The book I read didn''t have that information. "Anyway, since there may be dangering for Maybelle, I was nning to send her to a safe ce when she bes an adult, but since the priestess is offering to help, that''s great." "But what about Mom?" "Worry about yourself first. She''ll somehow manage on her own." "But..." Even if Mom is in danger, I have no choice but to run away to a safe ce. "She risked danger to send you that letter." I want to go to where Mom is right away... "Excuse me, but the fact that the letter made it here means the danger targeting this child maye here as well, doesn''t it?" "That''s true, but by the time the letter was sent, they had likely already figured out the location here. There was no clear timeline, so the grace period is probably until the time mentioned in the letter, when Maybelle bes an adult. The request is to send Maybelle to a safe ce before that." "Then why are you trying to have this child apany me, instead of sending her after she be an adult?" "I wanted to teach this child various things so she could fulfill her part until she be an adult... But if the priestess is willing to apany her, it would be much safer than me teaching her various things, wouldn''t it?" That''s true... It would be much safer to be by Tia the dragon''s side than to learn various things until I be an adult. Hearing the priest''s words, Tia nodded slightly. "Hmm. Then... to ensure this child''s safety, wouldn''t the simplest method be the best?" "Huh?" The simplest method? "Just smash everything to pieces and it''ll be solved." Tia''s words were more simple and drastic than I had imagined. Chapter 171: Rat and Dragon (6) And so it was decided that I would leave the vige with Tia. Really... how did ite to this? It''s true that I wanted to leave this vige, but I didn''t intend to leave so suddenly. At least I was nning to leave after making some preparations... And to smash everything? Without even knowing what danger there is? Well, since Tia is a dragon, she may actually be able to do that. "Oh my back... It''s been so long since I lifted it, it''s so heavy." After finishing the conversation to some extent, the priest went back to his room for a moment, and then brought out arge box with a grunt, opening the lid to show the hammer inside. "Here. This hammer was the weapon your mother used. It was made by a dwarf who helped her when she was an adventurer."The huge hammer inside the box. Its length was about as tall as me, and the hammer head at the end looked bigger than my head... Can this really be called a hammer? Honestly, this doesn''t seem like something made for humans to use. It looks like a hammer a giant from stories would use. Mom... used this monstrous thing as a weapon? Really? "Hoh... this is quite a well-made item." Tia began to examine the hammer with keen interest. "An item forged from a whole lump of iron. It must have taken considerable effort. The current dwarves have advanced their skills to this level." "Hoh. You can tell at a nce. It''s a hammer called the Earth Smasher. A skilled dwarf spent a long time making this item. Its value is beyond words." The jet-ck iron hammer. The Earth Smasher. The priest held out the handle towards me. "Try lifting it." "But..." Could I really lift something that looks so heavy? Among my peers, there was no one stronger than me... Honestly, I was stronger than the adult male priest... But for me to lift something this huge...? Reluctantly, I gripped the handle of therge hammer the priest handed me. "Huh?" I lifted it up lightly, easier than expected. What is this? I thought it would be extremely heavy... Is the exterior just for show and the inside hollow? No, if that were the case, the priest wouldn''t have struggled with it earlier. What is this? "As expected, you lift it nimbly. In fact, that hammer uses a special dwarven technique to enhance the owner''s physical strength using their innate magic." "Indeed, a magic weapon made using dwarven blessings to increase physical strength. Well, to wield such a heavy hammer as a weapon, ordinary strength would not suffice." "Thanks to that, E, who was already quite strong, became even stronger. Any monster struck in the head would be sent straight to the afterlife." I moved the hammer in my hand around. Hmm... It feels lighter than the axe I used for chopping firewood. At this level... I could probably swing it. "Of course, it would take some practice to use it as a weapon properly. Originally I had nned to teach you calmly over about a year..." "Well, with me apanying you it should be fine." Tia said confidently. Certainly, if traveling with a dragon, what is there to be afraid of? The dragon Tia herself is scary! For now she''s being friendly towards me, but! The dragons from stories were terrifying monsters, so even if Tia is the Dragon''s Priestess, I''m still afraid of her! "Despite my appearance, I''m quite skilled with weapons. I''ll teach you how to use them in our travels together." "I appreciate you offering, but do priestess know how to use weapons too?" "Of course. If I didn''t know how to use that sword, how could I teach its techniques?" That sword...? Surely not the hero''s sword? The sword I''ve only heard about in stories... Tia has it?! Then is Tia really the Dragon''s Priestess from the stories?! "Ti-Tia. By any chance... do you have the hero''s sword?" "Maybelle." "But priest! The legendary hero''s sword! Anyone who grew up hearing the hero''s tales would want to see it!" Even the priest scolding me had an oddly excited look on his face! He wants to see the hero''s sword too!! The priest who normally tells me to be honest with myself! Is being evasive this time!!! "Well, the hero''s story is the dream of all children, so to speak. I''ve heard the story since I was young too." See! He also wants to see it, doesn''t he? "Hmm... Well, it doesn''t really matter if I show it. After all, the hero is no longer around." "Really?!" We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now The priest is more excited than me. Well, it''s only natural. The hero is the one who traveled the world on behalf of the Goddess of Life, so of course the priest of the Temple of Life would be delighted. With the priest''s eyes sparkling, Tia pulled something out. A small leather pouch. No matter how you look at it, it''s too small to hold the hero''s sword. Tia calmly inserted her hand into the pouch and... "Ta-da." A massive greatsword emerged from the pouch. What''s this? Is this also magic? How amazing! "This is... Don''t tell me, a spatial magic?!" "Spatial magic? What''s that?" "It''s a legendary magic that is said to have no sessful recreations. The only known user is... the Dragon''s Priestess from the stories. It''s such a fantastical magic that it''s thought to be an exaggeration in the stories, and it has disappeared from most tales, known only to a few researchers." At the priest''s words, Tia wore a self-assured smile. "It''s not something that can be easily replicated, is it? I put a lot of thought into creating this magic myself. If you im to be able to replicate it, that would be more amazing." "This magic is actually possible? Wait a moment. Did you say you created this magic yourself?" "Yes. I made it directly." At Tia''s words, the priest fell silent, his expression frozen. "Th-that is, um... Excuse me, but... are you the Dragon''s Priestess from the hero''s story?" "Yes, that''s right. Didn''t you already figure it out?" "No, I... I thought you were a newly appointed Dragon''s Priestess... No, I mean... Are you truly the Dragon''s Priestess who traveled with the hero?" Tia responded with a small nod of her head. "Ah, how... It''s estimated that was hundreds of years ago... How can you still be alive as a human from that time..." Ah, I see. The priest didn''t know Tia was a dragon. He must have thought she was just a human, even the Dragon''s Priestess from the story. "I''m a bit curious about how that story has been passed down, but let''s move on. And since you''ve confirmed it''s me, don''t keep asking about it over and over." "Goodness... Goddess of Life..." At the priest''s invocation of the goddess''s name, Tia flinched slightly. Perhaps because she is the Dragon''s Priestess, the embodiment of the Goddess of Life. "Anyway, my identity isn''t that important, so let''s keep it a secret. If the news spreads, it might cause some troublesome issues." "Understood." After hearing the priest''s response, Tia held the greatsword horizontally. "This is the hero''s sword, Chloive Sis. Only the chosen one can wield this sword." The massive greatsword, blended with silver and gold, with arge gem at its center. At a nce, it looks more like an art piece than a weapon, but the chilling light emanating from the de reveals that this is no ordinary item. "This is... the hero''s sword..." "To be able to see the actual item is truly moving." The priest, saying these words, produced a papyrus and a small piece of charcoal, and said, "If it''s alright, may I draw a sketch of the hero''s sword? I''d like to record and preserve its appearance." "Un. Go ahead." "Thank you!" When Tia gave her permission, the priest was overjoyed and spread the papyrus he held on the table, and began to draw with a piece of charcoal on the papyrus. Hmm... I didn''t know the priest had this kind of skill, but he seems to be quite a good artist. The charcoal in the priest''s hand was almost perfectly tracing the shape of the hero''s sword. Hmm... I''ll leave the priest, who is absorbed in drawing the picture. "So, when do you n to depart?" "Hmm. The sooner the start of such a journey, the better." The sooner the better...? Does that mean...? "Let''s depart tomorrow morning. If it wasn''t evening right now, I would have left immediately." Tia gave a small shake of her head. "Traveling on a night road where nothing is illuminated except starlight and moonlight... Even if I don''t mind it alone, it''s a bit of a hassle to go with someone else." "Normally, you would use torches or something to light the way." "While it''s possible to travel long distances instantly through spatial movement, that way you can''t fully enjoy the atmosphere of the journey. Anyway." Spatial movement...? Is it a magic that can instantly bring you up from the depths of a deep cave, like blinking an eye? Just how many magics does Tia know? I was a little curious about that Chapter 172: Rat, Dragon, and Travel (1) The next day. After packing a small amount of luggage, I finished preparing to set out on a journey with Tia. Leaving with the letter from Mom, with many anxieties in my heart. To be honest, I keep wondering if it will really be okay? But... I have no choice but to leave. When I was young, I resented being abandoned and left behind... But if Mom had no choice, if it was to ensure my safety... It must have been an unavoidable decision. If that Mom is in danger now... It''s my turn to help her. Although I''m just a country girl who has never properly wielded a weapon... The Dragon''s Priestess, a huge dragon and the hero''s partner from the story. With Tia... I think I can save Mom. So I forcibly mustered up courage in my heart.Towards the world outside the vige. Towards the unknown world. I took a step forward. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I woke up to a small sound during my centuries-long hibernation, and a small mouse-kin was there in front of me, frightened. Through this somewhat webnovel-like event, I ended up apanying the gray-haired small mouse-kin, Maybelle. To be honest, I didn''t really need to apany her... But when you hibernate for centuries, you tend to want to take a look around and see how the world has changed. While I was hibernating, the tasks I had to do were taken care of by others. Thanks to that, nothing was left behind. So I have the leisure to leisurely explore the world, you see. And... I''ve be a little interested in the story rted to Maybelle and her Mom. The way they build up various stories on their own, even without my involvement... is quite fascinating. But Maybelle''s Mom... I think her name was E, E Cinder. No matter how you look at it, she has a Cindere-like feel, doesn''t she? Being persecuted by her stepmother and two sisters, just like the original. Well, without ss slippers or a ball, she reimed her inheritance through her own power. There was no magic that dissolved at midnight either. Hmm. Anyway, let''s move on from her story. "Phew... Haa..." "Are you alright?" "I''m..., fine..." Maybelle, carrying a huge backpack, trudging along the rugged mountain path. "But thanks to my increased strength, I can manage it somehow." "Is that so?" Maybelle''s figure, carrying a backpack bigger than her own body, looked very unbnced. Honestly, if she were an ordinary human, she wouldn''t have been able to walk for long with such a heavy bag. Even when doing military marches, they don''t carry bags that heavy. "Shall I help you carry it?" "No. It''s fine. It''s my luggage." Maybelle, using arge hammer as a walking stick, stepping on the ground. Hmm. She''s small and cute, but her strength feels unbnced, which is kind of charming. But... It''s clear that she''s struggling, and I can''t just leave her be. So. "Then let me help you for a bit." "Huh? No, it''s really fine! It''s my luggage, so I have to carry it!" "I''m not trying to carry your luggage or anything. I just want to take a look at that hammer for a moment." "The hammer? The Earth Smasher?" I nodded slightly, and Maybelle, though somewhat reluctant, handed me the Earth Smasher. Hmm. I''ve been a bit curious about it since I first saw it. I wonder how the dwarven enchantment method has changedpared to the past. So I examined the Earth Smasher closely. "It''s well-made, but there''s a bit of a rough feel in the part where magic is used for the transformation." If it works this way, then with 10 units of magic, the efficiency of the 4 units of enhancement would be quite low. If I say it roughly increases strength by 40%, it''s not a small amount, but if I maximize the efficiency, I can refine it to be more sophisticated. To the point where 8 units of enhancement are achieved with 10 units of magic. About twice the previous effect, you see. "There, I''ve done a simple adjustment. You should feel a bit more power now." "Hmm... Really?" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Maybelle took the Earth Smasher that I had slightly modified in her hands, and her expression changed to a slightly surprised one. "Wow? It really got stronger? How did you do it?" "I just made a minor adjustment to the dwarven technique. I reduced the unnecessary consumption of magic and made it smoother. Just by optimizing like that, the difference in performancees out to this extent." "It doesn''t seem as simple as you say..." Well, there''s no one who can handle magic as skillfully as I can. I know magic like the back of my hand. "Th-thank you." Maybelle bowed her head to me in gratitude, then began to examine the hammer she held in her hands. Seeing that she could clearly feel the increased strength, a smile appeared on her lips. Satisfied with the improved hammer, Maybelle took her gaze off it and opened her mouth to look at me. "But... why is Tia helping people like this?" "Hmm?" "Tia is... a dragon, right? A dragon as huge as a mountain. From the perspective of such a dragon, wouldn''t humans be no different from crawling insects on the ground? Why is Tia helping humans like this?" Hmm. Why help humans, huh? Come to think of it, I don''t really need to help humans... Hmm. If it weren''t for the believers who regard me as the Goddess of Life and send me their faith... would I have ignored humans? No, I wouldn''t. Since I was originally human, as long as I have those memories, I cannot turn a blind eye to humans. Of course, I can''t say that fact out loud. That the dragon''s previous life was human. Who would believe that? No one would. Even my own children wouldn''t believe me if I said that. "Is it because of the Goddess of Life? Is it because she told you to look after humans?" I am actually that Goddess of Life. I wouldn''t be giving orders to myself, would I? I''m just doing it because I want to. "I''m just doing it because I want to." "But I don''t understand. Isn''t it normal for dragons to not care about the plight of humans, just as humans don''t care about the plight of insects?" Hmm... That may be true, but. I''m just doing it because I want to. If I didn''t care about life and all that, I wouldn''t have created this world in the first ce. In that sense... am I taking some responsibility for the things I''ve created? "It could be, or it couldn''t be. If a small animal is shivering from the cold, some may hunt it, some may leave it be, and some may even help the animal. I''m just like the humans who help the animal, helping humans." Well, that doesn''t mean I''m equating humans to animals, but I do have a sense ofpassion, since we''re all the same, in a way. "You''re right... There are people who take in and raise orphaned animals. I can understand it roughly the same way." Strictly speaking, it''s different, but anyway. "Just understand it roughly like that." I''m toozy to exin it in detail. "Alright, let''s keep going. We need to reach the vige before the sun sets today." Honestly, I could get there instantly with spatial movement, but that would be too convenient. I''d like to be able to instantly teleport to the other side of the continent if I wanted to, but that wouldn''t give me the feeling of traveling, would it? "Okay, okay. We need to reach the next vige before sunset." And so, Tia and Maybelle continued on the treacherous mountain path. The ce we arrived at was a vige of a suitable size. The vige was situated next to a small river. It seemed to have wheat farming as its main industry, as golden wheat fields swaying in the wind were spread out around the vige. In that vige. "So, where should we go now?" "Well, since we''ve arrived at a new vige, we should go to an inn first, don''t you think?" It''s basic that wherever you go, you need to secure lodging first. If you don''t arrange for a ce to stay, the trip will be tiring. Having a space to rest well is important, you see. "An inn, you say? Coincidentally, I''ve heard about a ce from the priest, so I''ll guide you there." "You''ve heard about it, have you? So you know the exact location, I take it?" "Yes! I''ve heard plenty about this vige from the priest. If I just organize the information I''ve heard, I''ll be well-versed about this vige!" "Then, please guide the way." It would be fine to ask the vigers about it as well, but since Maybelle is speaking so confidently, it wouldn''t be bad to entrust it to her. And so, I started walking behind Maybelle through the vige. Chapter 173: Rat, Dragon, and Travel (2) Maybelle set off confidently, but... "Hmm... I''m sure the priest said there''s a big tavern to the west of the central square, and next to it is a nice inn..." "But that''s to the south, isn''t it?" "Ah, is that so? Then if we go down this alley here..." "That way leads east." "Ah, T-Then the other way." "If you go towards the side of the building we just passed, it leads to the central square, right?" "Ah..." Maybelle had heard a lot of information from the priest, but it seems she''s both directionally challenged andcking a sense of direction. Even in this small vige, she wandered around for quite a while unable to find her destination.Well, in a small rural town like this, being directionally challenged not wouldn''t really matter. She probably didn''t even realize she had a poor sense of direction. The priest... did he not know this girl was so directionally challenged? No, if he knew, he surely wouldn''t have sent her off alone. If she had gone off on her own, she might not have been able to reach her destination properly and would have wandered around for a long time. After wandering for a while, Maybelle eventually stopped in front of a building. "T-This is the ce, right?" "It does seem to be so." Maybelle, a bit exhausted from entering the wrong buildings a few times, pointed hesitantly at the building in front of her. Hmm. Without a proper sign, it''s a bit confusing. But the location seems to match what was described, so it''s probably the right ce. "I didn''t realize I''m so bad at finding my way... If I was alone, I would have been in big trouble." "Yeah, you really would have." Normally, the image thates to mind with a mouse is small but nimble and clever. But this girl ispletely different from that image. "Let''s just go in for now." The building we entered was, fortunately, the inn that Maybelle was looking for. Well then... I suppose we''ll stay here for the night. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "It feels a bit strange since this isn''t the room I''m used to sleeping in. And the fact that I''m not sleeping alone makes it even more peculiar." Maybelle gave a slightly stiff smile. The tension on her was clearly visible. Well, it''s understandable for her to be tense. A young vige girl who somehow ended up embarking on a journey wielding a hammer, all to search for her long-lost mother. In this situation, if she wasn''t tense, I''d suspect her nerves were made of steel wire. "And to be in the same room as the Dragon''s Priestess... Ugh, I''m so nervous..." Ah, so I''m the cause of it. Hmm... It''s understandable. The story of the hero is widely known as the original heroic tale, and the Dragon''s Priestess who appears alongside him is also well-known. Ahem. It''s a bit awkward, isn''t it. "I''m not going to eat you, so why are you so tense?" "B-But you''re the Dragon''s Priestess! And you''re actually a giant dragon. This kind of story, no one will believe it." "It''s not for no reason that I''m called Dragon''s Priestess." Well, it''s just a title that ended up on me. "For now, keep it a secret. It would be a bit troublesome if others found out." "Understood! I''ll take it to the grave!" That was a rather lively response. Her small stature and cute appearance make for a pleasant sight. Despite the energetic tone, her body was still trembling slightly. Hmm, let''s see. In times like this, a warm and sweet beverage would be nice. I lightly snapped my fingers, and a steaming cup of cocoa appeared in the air. Cocoa, a drink that hasn''t yet appeared in this world. Hmm, I wonder if I can find it somewhere. Or maybe I should make it myself. Well, I''ll think about thatter. For now, I just want to rx. "Do you enjoy sweet things?" "Huh? Ah, yes, I do. But things like honey are very precious, so I can only have them on special asions. Normally, I eat fruits and such..." Honey. Hmm, honey. Well, honey can only be obtained through beekeeping. Unless there is a special case of taming monster bees, it seems to be a quite precious item. And it appears that sweet-tasting nts like sugarcane or sugar beets have not yet been discovered. But I feel like they must exist somewhere. Hmm... Perhaps they are growing in a different form. "If you like sweet things, try this as well. Be careful, it''s hot." "Ah, yes. I''ll enjoy it." Maybelle carefully took the teacup I handed her and stared at the steaming cocoa for a while. Then, with a look of great determination, she took a sip of the cocoa. "Ouch, it''s hot!" Startled, as if her tongue was burned, the teacup flew out of Maybelle''s hand. I told her to be careful because it''s hot. What a troublesome child. I caught the falling teacup and used magic to gather the scattered cocoa into one ce. Then I guided the cocoa back into the teacup without spilling a single drop. Hmm, this level of magic use is quite simple now. The consumption of magic is almost negligible. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "Didn''t I tell you it was hot?" "It, it burned..." "Looks like your tongue got burned. Let me see." I lightly touched Maybelle''s cheek with the index finger of my empty left hand, and the magic seeped into her mouth. It doesn''t seem to be too severely burned. This should be able to heal it instantly. "There, the healing is done." "Wow... the pain disappeared in an instant..." Maybelle stuck out her tongue and lightly pressed it with her finger. Hmm, she seems surprised that the pain vanished so quickly. "Alright, now be careful and drink it." "Y-Yes." For some reason, she seems even more tense than before. Trying to rx her tension seems to have backfired. Maybelle carefully poured the cocoa into her mouth. And then... "...!!" Maybelle''s eyes widened. "What is this? It''s so sweet! And there''s a faint bitterness that seems to entuate the sweetness, unlike honey!" "Looks like you''re enjoying it." "Yes! It''s so deliciously sweet! Incredible!" I smiled softly as I watched Maybelle exim in admiration. She''s eating it so delightfully, it''s worth the effort of making it. "Alright, let''s review the n for the journey once more." Maybelle, her mouth full of cocoa, could only nod her head slightly. "First, we''re heading to the Temple of Life where your mother''s letter was sent from, right?" "Yes. The letter was sent from the Temple of Life in Armen." Armen? Where''s that? After 300 years, I''ve heard of that ce before. "I''ve never heard of that ce. Where is it?" "Ah... You were asleep for about 300 years. Hmm, how should I exin it..." Maybelle paused for a moment before speaking. "Do you know the region of Arcad?" "Of course. Wasn''t that the country that existed before Arcadia?" "Yes. Armen is a city-state located northwest of the Arcad region." Northwest of Arcad? Hmm... There were only small viges in that direction. But a city-state has been established there? Even though it''s close to Arcadia, they managed to build a city in that area. "Isn''t it dangerous being so close to Arcadia? They managed to establish a city there, huh." "Ah... The thing is, the country of Arcadia no longer exists." "What?" The country disappeared? In just 300 years? What on earth. What on earth happened? "Well, about 80 years ago, the king died without appointing a sessor. At that time, the coteral royal family members fought each other to be the king... It ended up being split into several pieces." Hmm... So his country was torn apart like that. The one in paradise must be feeling frustrated. "Now it''s split into several city-states, each iming to be the sessor of Arcadia, and they are fiercelypeting with each other. I don''t remember the details, but..." "I see, that''s enough." Several city-states... It feels like the Three Kingdoms, or rather the Sixteen Kingdoms. This too must be the history of humans. Hmm... A faint sense of regret arose, but I didn''t want to get involved in human history again. I should just watch from a slight distance. "But if Arcadia has been split into several pieces, what is the situation of Sirius, the capital of Arcadia?" If all the city-states im the legitimacy of Arcadia, then Sirius must be the city coveted by all. No, since it was a city named after the guardian deity of the Pantheon, can the other cities even invade that ce? "Sirius is... said to be neutral. The Sirius Temple and the Epona Cavalry both said they would open the door to the throne of Sirius if a rightful king of Arcadia appeared. So Sirius is being ruled jointly by the Sirius Temple and the Epona Cavalry as a neutral city." Hmm. It seems they also haveplicated circumstances over there. Well, without a legitimate sessor, they couldn''t easily make a move. But... aside from the Sirius Temple or the Arcadian throne, the Epona Cavalry? Epona was surely the name of the beastman of horses who distinguished himself in the war of Arcadia, the one who guided hero and me... "If it''s Epona..." "Ah, yes. As you know, Dragon''s Priestess, it''s the name of the first cavalrymander of Arcadia. Her name was used for the cavalry unit because of her distinguished service in capturing the king during the war." I see. Her name was left behind due to the great achievements she made. Humans leave their names behind after death... Chapter 174: Rat, Dragon, and Travel (3) "But... even if I''ve left the vige like this, will the priest be alright?" "At this point?" Isn''t that the kind of thought you should have had before leaving the vige? "Ah, well... when we were about to leave, my mind was just full of all sorts of thoughts. Thoughts about Mom, and thoughts about the outside world." "Hmm... Well, I suppose that''s understandable." A young girl who has only grown up in a small rural vige, suddenly leaving the vige. It''s natural for her mind to be in turmoil. But well, she''s worrying unnecessarily. "That priest has decent enough abilities, so don''t worry about it." "Is that so?"I nodded slightly. Since the priest had abilities that were quite decent for a human, there''s no need to worry at all. And... when we left the vige, I briefly set up a barrier to prevent anyone with hostile intent from entering the vige. So there probably won''t be any particr problems. "Then I''m relieved to hear that. I was a little worried." The thing you should be worrying about is your sense of direction. Well, that can be solvedter by making something like apass that points you in the right direction. Hmm... If I make such an item and thenter a different human picks it up and treasures it as a valuable... No, that couldn''t happen, right? Nah, it''s impossible that every single thing I make would turn into a treasure. Though a good number of the things I''ve made so far have been that way... "So, the n is to head to Armen, then?" "Yes. If I go to the Temple of Life there, I might be able to find a clue about my mother." The Temple of Life, huh... I''ve been somewhat neglecting my duties as the Goddess of Life, but I should probably visit there at least once. "The Temple of Life, huh? That should make things a bit easier for you to get your message across." "Yes. The priest also wrote me a letter of introduction since he''s affiliated with the Temple of Life, but I''m sure it will be even better if you, the Dragon''s Priestess, speak directly." Not the Dragon''s Priestess, but the Goddess of Life, but whatever. Anyway. "Then let''s rest up well today, and set out tomorrow." "Okay." And so, Maybelle and I spent the night at the inn. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The world 300 yearster had changed in many ways. Previously, most buildings were made using wood or y, but now it seems they are constructing buildings using bricks. They''re using bricks for construction, and evenying them out like paving blocks on the main roads. It gives an overall sense of cleanliness. Well,pared to the primitive era, this is a tremendous advancement! The overall clothing style hasn''t changed much, but the fabrics themselves seem much cleaner. In the past, it was mostly leather-based clothing, but now they seem to be using more cloth The overall economic situation also seems to have improvedpared to before. And another interesting point is... the small shrines I see here and there. Not just one or two, but I''ve seen at least fifteen or so, and they all have different shapes, housing different deities. Hmm... It seems they''ve put a lot of effort into expanding their religious beliefs, now that they''ve restricted the deities. Well, as long as it doesn''t harm humans, I don''t mind what they do. The variety of deities diverse, but the major ones seem to be the Sky God Baal and the Mother of Life... that would be me. Besides that, children''s deities are popr, and surprisingly, Sirius is also there. There are some other deities as well. Hmm. Having many "hills" of deities to explore is probably a good thing for humans. And so, Maybelle and I continued our journey. Along the way, we encountered monsters, humans, thieves, pilgrims, adventurers, and soldiers. It was quite surprising to see so many humans, and the rare appearance of monsters. ording to what I''ve heard, it seems that humans havee to realize that the magic stones, monster hides, meat, and bones from monsters can be useful materials. As a result, the profession of adventurer, who hunts monsters, has be quite popr. Well, the risk involved is certainly high, but they say that if you''re lucky enough to obtain arge magic stone from a monster, that alone can make your life easier. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.orgwindow.yaContextCb=window.yaContextCb||[] window.yaContextCb.push(()=>{ Ya.Context.AdvManager.render({ renderTo: ''yandex_rtb_R-A-2282848-6'', blockId: ''R-A-2282848-6'' }) }) Donate now In a simr vein, the number of soldiers has also increased. However, the soldiers seem to be generally underpaid. They are maintained as a concept of security forces and standing army. The soldiers themselves are in a dangerous position, being deployed to wars, and with meager wages, leaving them full of discontent. But well, military rebellion is not my concern. Anyway, Maybelle and I arrived in Armen. "This ce... is quiterge." "Yes, it''s quite sizable." It''s about the same size as Sirius City, before he fell asleep. It''s a substantial city-state that has developed significantly in the past 300 years. As I was marveling at the changes, a well-dressed guard approached us. "It seems this is your first time visiting our city." "Yes, this is my first time in a city of this scale." "Haha, that''s what most visitors say. Armen isrger in scalepared to other city-states." The friendly guard began to provide information about various ces in the city. "That tavern sells good beer, but since you both seem young, it''s best not to touch the alcohol. However, the food there is delicious, so you could try the restaurant." "Un, that''s helpful information. I''ll keep it in mind." "As for amodations, there''s a ce with a horse-shaped sign over there. I''ve heard that the lodgings there are quite decent, and they apparently get their furniture supplied by a dwarf." "Dwarves, huh... I''ve only read about them in books, but it seems they are present in this city as well!" "Well, I haven''t seen them myself, but the amodations are said to be good, so you could consider staying there." Hmm, I wonder if he''s being entirely truthful or just trying to direct us there. "Anyway, I need to go to the Temple of Life first. Do you know where it is?" "Ah, so you''vee to visit the Temple of Life! Are you perhaps pilgrims?" "Not quite pilgrims." At my response, Maybelle let out a smallugh. From her perspective, it must have been quite amusing for a Dragon''s Priestess to be mistaken as a pilgrim. "The Temple of Life is located right in the central square. It''srger than the other temples, so you can''t miss it." Hmm, a central square, huh. Seems like creating such a thing is a trend. "Thank you. We''ll be on our way then." "Yes! Armen is a cleaner citypared to others! I hope you have a pleasant stay!" "Cleaner?" "Yes, Armen has its own unique facilities. The water supply and sewage system help maintain the city''s cleanliness, making it much more tidy than other cities." Hmm? Water supply and sewage system? That''s quite remarkable. "Other cities rely on slimes to consume the waste, but that means they have to endure the stench until the slimes can clean it up. Armen, on the other hand, uses the water supply and sewage system to provide clean water and flush away the waste. That''s how they maintain a clean environment." Impressive, to have built water supply and sewage systems in this era. It''s quite advanced, even though such systems were already present in ancient Rome. "Thanks to the clean water supply, Armen has also developed a bathing culture. If you don''t mind bathing with others, visiting the public baths could be an interesting experience." Bathing, huh. Now that I think about it, I don''t have much memory of properly bathing. Well, I could get clean instantly with magic, so bathing wasn''t really a concern. "Bath...!" Unlike me, Maybelle''s eyes were sparkling with excitement. "If it''s alright, would you like to try visiting the bathhouse?" "Hmm, a bathhouse..." Honestly, even if I were to immerse my body in boilingva, I wouldn''t feel the heat. So I wonder what the point of bathing is. Well, it doesn''t really matter. "First, we should go to the Temple of Life. We can think about it after we''ve taken care of our business." "Okay!" And so, we parted ways with the guard and headed towards the central square. During that time, Maybelle showed signs of trying to go down a different path a few times. Hmm... It should be fine to just go where there are a lot of people, so why does she keep veering off to a different path? I just can''t seem to understand it. "W-We''ve arrived." "Indeed. If someone hadn''t tried to go a different way a few times, we would have gotten here faster." And so, we were able to reach the Temple of Life in Armen. Chapter 175: Rat, Dragon, and Travel (4) "The Temple of Life in Armen... is quiterge." "To amodate such arge poption, the temple must berge as well." Honestly, the temples in the countryside are small. Moreover, they enshrine several gods simultaneously. Since the number of vigers was notrge to begin with, there was no need for it to be big. Anyway. "Let''s go inside first." "Huh? Right away? Without any preparation procedures?" "Is that necessary?" At my words, Maybelle tried to say something but closed her mouth again.From the beginning, my very existence is a free pass to the temple. Well, I n to conceal my identity outwardly. But I can subtly hint to a priest who would understand. "Are you really sure it''s okay?" "Just trust me. I''ll take care of everything." So I confidently entered the entrance of the temple. "An audience with the high priest? Did you make a reservation in advance?" "I didn''t make one." "Then you should make a reservation. If you make one now... you''ll get a time 3 weekster." "3 weeks?!" "Yes. The high priest of the Temple of Life is an extremely busy person." I was blocked by the staff sitting at the information desk at the temple entrance. "Well, this is really an urgent matter." "People who say that while trying to get an audience with the high priest are not one or two. You must follow the proper procedures." Hmm. Should Iin that I''m stuck, or should I appreciate that they don''t make exceptions to the procedures? I can feel Maybelle fidgeting behind me. Hmm. I can''t help it. I subtly released my divine power. "Just because you look cute doesn''t mean anything goes." The information desk staff didn''t seem to notice the divine power I released at all. Well... yeah. Not everyone who works at the temple needs to be a priest. But. ng! Thud!!! "Wh-What was that just now!!" The priests inside are different. "Huh? Priests? Why suddenly..." "What divine power was that just now?! That momentary but immensely dense divine power...!" "Di-Did a god descend?!" Hmm... They noticed the divine power I briefly released to this extent. They seem quite skilled. Well, anyone who can''t sense it is unqualified to be my priest. Especially since I released it intentionally. "May I go in for a bit to talk?" The priests looked at me, exchanged nces with each other, and all nodded in unison. Yeah. That''s right. That''s how it should be. The temple can be considered the home of the enshrined gods, so if that gods says they want to enter, they shouldn''t be stopped. "Since it''s resolved, let''s go in." "Ah, yes..." And so, Maybelle and I headed inside the temple with the priests. --------------------- "If I may ask..." "Don''t ask about impertinent things." If I said I came to my own temple but couldn''t meet the high priest because I was stopped at the entrance, how embarrassing would that be? "I will also forbid asking about my identity. Just roughly guess in your mind. Whatever you think, that will be correct. Don''t voice it out loud." "Y-Yes, I understand." The priests'' attitude towards me was extremely deferential. So deferential that if I told them to lie on the floor, they would immediately prostrate themselves. "So, may I ask why the honorable one hase here? Could it be... to choose a new hero...?" "Don''t guess such things." "Ah, yes." I took a sip of the dried flower tea in front of the priests. Phew. Humm. The scent of the flower tea is nice. "The reason I came here is nothing special, I''m just looking for someone." I subtly gestured to Maybelle, who was fidgeting behind me, and she came forward in front of the priests. "This child''s mother sent a letter through the Temple of Life, does anyone know about it?" "This child is...?" "A child I happened to meet, there are circumstances, so I won''t go into details. Her mother, who she was separated from as a child, sent a letter from here to the countryside where she is." "A letter?" Maybelle took out a neatly folded piece of parchment from her pocket. "My mom who I was separated from as a child sent me a letter. Since the ce the letter was sent from is here, I came to find clues." "Hmm... A letter..." One of the priests looked at the letter and spoke. "There are not just one or two people who send letters through the Temple of Life, so how can I remember them all?" We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "The letter was sent about a year ago, but is there anyone who remembers it by chance?" "There are dozens of letters sent every day. There may be records somewhere, but how would we know whose letter it is." Hmm... So there are that many letters? "Is there no way to do something? I''m a mouse beastman with gray hair like me..." "A mouse beastman... Hmm..." Then, one of the priests raised his hand, as if he remembered something. "Come to think of it, there was a person who seemed to be a mouse beastman who came a year ago..." "Really?! Do you remember?!" "I didn''t look into it deeply because I was busy, but I think it was a mouse beastman, with a small build andrge, round ears." Maybelle clung to the priest desperately. "Please! I beg you, even a little, please give me a clue about my mom!" "I don''t know much either! I just noticed the unfamiliar appearance..." "And? Is there nothing else? Think of it as saving a person''s life!" Maybelle cried out while clinging to the priest. I pulled her away from the priest and said, "Maybelle. Calm down first." "But..." I gently infused divine power into the anxious Maybelle to stabilize her emotions. "Ooh..." "Such divine power..." "As expected..." Ignoring the priests'' reactions, "Is there nothing else you remember about the mouse beastman that appeared a year ago?" "Huh? Ah, yes. Since beastmen are rare in Armen, it seems to have left a strong impression." "Hmm... Anything else? Can''t you remember anything else?" At my words, the priest thought deeply, then said in a small voice, as if he had remembered something. "Come to think of it... the person had a strange smell." "Smell?" "Yes. It was a musty smell that is hard to find in Armen." A musty smell? Hmm... "No other clues?" "No, nothing else particrly..." No other clues. Hmm. At the priest''s words, Maybelle slumped her shoulders in great disappointment. "Is there really no other way? Is there no way to find my mom?" "Even though there''s nothing right now, one thing is certain." "What?" I looked straight at Maybelle and said, "That a year ago, the one presumed to be your mother came to this temple. That is a fact, isn''t it?" "But..." "I don''t know if that mouse beastman was your mother, but at least it seems that a letter was sent from here." In the worst case, the letter itself could have been a trap to lure this child. No, the mouse beastman who sent the letter may not have been this child''s mother. But that''s another issue to be put aside. For now, it seems a letter was sent from here. "The clue would be... the smell." If there were other clues, that would be good. Hmm. "Anyway, thank you, Maybelle. Let''s go back." "What? The clues about my mom are stillcking!" "We''ve heard everything we can for now. Let''s try other methods for the rest." At my words, Maybelle''s face showed a slight dissatisfaction, but she had no choice but to nod. I need to go back and organize the information. Watching us, the priest in the best clothes approached and spoke. "Excuse me, where are you staying, esteemed one?" "Uhm. I''ve booked a room at an inn." It was a decent inn rmended by the guards, though a bit pricey. But a few silver coins are no big deal. "I see. If you haven''t decided on a ce to stay, we were actually considering offering amodations at our temple''s lodging..." "I''ve already secured a suitable ce to stay, so it''s fine." "But... I wanted to amodate you in a better ce." I shook my head slightly. "It''s enough as it is. So don''t worry too much about me. And keep my identity a secret." "However, your reappearance in the world... the power of a hero is needed, does it not?" "That''s not the case. It has nothing to do with a hero." I''m just trying to take a look around the world, that''s all. So, "Just erase me from your mind. Understand?" "Understood, esteemed one." The priests nodded their heads slightly at my words. Well, even if I say that, it will probably leak out somewhere, but it''s better than not saying anything. And so, Maybelle and I left the temple. Chapter 176: Village of Mouse Holes (1) "What should we do now?" On the way back to the inn where we were staying, Maybelle asked with a worried expression. It''s natural for her to be anxious since the clues we found were not very helpful. But... it''s not that we didn''t get any results. "First, let''s have a proper meal. And... hmm. Let''s go to the bathhouse." "Huh? Bathing? Didn''t you say we''d go after finding my mom?" "Un. But the situation has changed a bit, hasn''t it?" At my words, Maybelle puffed out her cheeks. Small child is just cute when doing that. "I''m not going for myself, but for you. Don''t argue and juste along. First, let''s have a meal.""Okay... You must be thinking of something. I''ll trust you." So Maybelle and I turned slightly off the path to the inn and went to find a restaurant. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The restaurant was..., well, just average. The meat dishes that could be eaten as side dishes with alcohol were decent, but the cooking of this era... Hmm, a bitcking in seasoning. There''s ack of spices, and salt is about the only thing avable to adjust the vor, and even that is incredibly rare. Anyway, in this gradually improving world, cooking still has a long way to go. But. "I''m d there''s a lot of meat." "Yeah, I suppose so." For a rural girl, or rather, for people living in this era, this would have been more than enough. Well, let''s move on from the rathercking meal. "Is it really okay to go to the bathhouse when we need to find my mom?" "I have a n, so don''t worry." With that, Maybelle and I headed to the bathhouse. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The bathhouse itself was quite ordinary for the time period. It''s more like a hot spring than a bathhouse. Water flows in from the aqueduct and is heated to fill the tub. Well, it''s a primitive bathhouse, so it can''t be helped. It''s just a matter of pouring hot water over oneself to wash. But it should be fine. Yeah. "I didn''t know bathing in hot water could feel this nice." "How have you been washing yourself up until now?" "Well, I''ve been washing in cold water, It''s even harder in the winter." Hmm... I see, heating the water requires firewood, which isn''t free. And not everyone can use magic or control spirits. So having a paid service to heat the water is a given. "But why did you suddenly decide to bathe?" "Hehe. It''s like this." I used magic to create a small soap bubble in the palm of my hand. To be precise, it''s a magic construct resembling a soap bubble, but let''s skip the details. "When the priest mentioned that your mother, who was suspected to be the one who sent the letter, had a strange smell, I had a hunch." "A hunch?" "Yes. Didn''t you hear from the guards when you entered Armen? This ce is very clean." Maybelle nodded slightly at my words. "With a well-developed water supply system and sewage treatment, this is a city where people with foul odors are rare, don''t you think?" "That''s true, but..." "And that''s where I had a possibility in mind. Your mother may have been in a ce with that kind of smell, which is why she had that odor." "Huh?" Maybelle didn''t seem to catch on to what I was getting at. "It''s a simple idea. Your mother... is likely to be in the sewers or around there." "The sewers...?" I nodded slightly. "The priest said that beastmen are rare in Armen, didn''t he?" "Yes, he did." "It''s not impossible that she came from somewhere else and sent the letter here, but the possibility is not high. So if we assume your mother is in Armen..." I presented a few clues. "Rare beastmen, a musty smell, and the sewers of Armen. Considering all these elements..." "Are you saying my mom is in the sewers?" "The possibility is high, I''d say. But if she came here just to send the letter and then left... then I may have guessed wrong." But I have a feeling that Maybelle''s mother is in Armen. So... "I don''t want to just barge into the smelly sewers, so I''ll use a little trick." We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "The trick... is that bubble?" "Yes. It''s a bubble that I can control remotely and share my vision and hearing with." I casually floated the bubble into the water, and it flowed through the bathhouse drain. "Ah, so that''s why you brought me to the bathhouse!" "More or less." I also wanted to see bathing in this era, but the main reason was that. As the bubble floated down the drain, I began to remotely observe the sewers. "Alright, the preparation is done. Let''s use this bubble to explore the sewers." If we find Maybelle''s mother down there... well, I don''t want to go down, but I may have no choice. So Maybelle and I finished bathing and returned to the inn. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Hmm..." "What''s wrong?" I was remotely operating the magic bubble to examine the sewers from our inn room. The dark, crude sewers were honestly a very difficult ce for people to traverse. Slimes were stuck everywhere, and the filthy water swept things away. I had imagined a somewhat more modern sewer system, but that was clearly off the mark. Could anyone really live in this environment? "Is that not the ce?" "Hm?" "I''ve been searching the sewers for a while, but I don''t see anything notable. Did I make the wrong guess?" At my words, Maybelle''s thin tail drooped. She was clearly disappointed. If this isn''t the ce, then... I''ll have to make something to help find what she''s looking for. What should I make? Apass-like item with a popr image? No, that''s a bit in. Hmm, finding what she''s looking for, finding... As I pondered, I nced at Maybelle. What she''s searching for... suddenly, an image shed through my mind. A character from a famous bullet hell game, with mouse ears, who had the ability to find things. That''s it, dowsing would be perfect. Just as I was lost in thought about what to create, a sound came from the sewers. Unlike the dripping of water, this was the sound of something heavy entering the water. I turned my gaze in that direction, and saw a small figure moving through the dark sewers. "I found someone." "Huh?" "There''s a person in the sewers." I began to remotely control the bubble to chase after the figure''s form. The small figure moving through theplex, tangled sewers. I followed behind the figure, graduallymitting the structure of the sewers to memory. The sewers did not seem to be just a simple structure for waste disposal. The small human descending theplex path skillfully. Likely, a rat beastman. It seems my guess was correct after all. "Let''s confirm the location and then descend." "Understood!" But really, a rat beastman in the underground sewers... Hmm... It reminds me of a game where there is an underground city of rats beneath the human city. Ah, that''s it. Unlike the malicious rat people in that game, these rat beastmen may not be so evil. There might just be various things happening, that''s all. I continued to follow the small figure. "Hmm..." The small figure emerged from the sewers and arrived at a small vige deep underground. "There''s a small vige underground." "Huh? Underground?" "There aren''t many people wandering around, but they all seem to be rat beastmen. It''s as if they''ve created this vige to hide from the eyes of other humans." "Eh?" I ignored Maybelle''s bewildered voice and surveyed the small vige. Hmm. If there is such a vige, there''s no need to go through the smelly sewers. I erased the sewers'' structure from my mind and remembered the coordinates of the vige. "Get ready to depart. We''ll teleport there directly." "Ah, yes!" A vige inhabited only by rat beastmen, how intriguing. Why is there such a vige beneath Armen? Why are the rat beastmen here? I don''t know for sure, but something feels off. A suspicious, conspiratorial scent. Chapter 177: Village of Mouse Holes (2) Then, Maybelle and I teleported directly to the vige underground. It seems the existence of this vige was unnoticed by those above in Armen. How did they manage to create this vige while evading the eyes of others? It must have required no small amount of cost and effort. "So, where should we start looking?" "Hmm... Let''s see." There were quite a number of people wandering around... Hmm... Alright. "Let''s try using this here." I created two L-shaped metal rods and simply cast a spell on them.Holding these rods in both hands and concentrating my mind, I could use this simple tool, dowsing, to find the location of what I was thinking about. "What''s this?" "It''s an item I made by casting a simple spell. If you hold these rods in your hands and focus your mind strongly on something, the ends of the rods will point towards what you''re thinking of." "Eh? Is this a magical tool to find what you''re looking for? You made something like that in an instant?" "Yes. It''s not that difficult of a spell." Maybelle spoke with a slightly dumbfounded expression. "If you can make things like this, why didn''t you do it sooner? Wouldn''t it have made things easier?" I didn''t voice the thought that simply solving everything with a snap of my fingers would be boring. "It can only point in the direction of what you''re looking for, not tell you the exact location. If what we''re looking for isn''t in this vige... it will only indicate the direction, nothing more." "But..." "And even then, it can only point horizontally. If we were searching for your mother above in Armen, it would only indicate the direction directly above us." In other words, it can find the X and Y coordinates, but not the Z coordinate. This dowsing method is incapable of three-dimensional tracking. "I see." Well, that was just an excuse to hide the truth that I wanted to experience the process of searching. "Here, give it a try." Maybelle grasped the dowsing rods I handed her. "Like this?" "A little lower than that. If you hold it too high, it will get caught on your hands and not turn properly." "Ah, I see." Even if it turns, if it gets caught on the hands, the direction won''t be properly indicated. With that, Maybelle closed her eyes while holding the dowsing rods I had given her. After a short time passed... "Kkeueueung..." The dowsing rods in Maybelle''s hands slowly began to move. "Phew... This isn''t easy." "Is that so?" "Yes. It''s not easy to clearly imagine Mom, and continuously concentrating is difficult too." I see... Is it that difficult? I didn''t make it thatplicated. Is the mental power required to use it different for each individual? Or is Maybelle just a bit... poor at concentrating? Well, it doesn''t really matter. "For now, it seems to be pointing in the right direction. It''s staying fixed in one direction when I move, which is good." As Maybelle moved around, the dowsing rods continued to point in the same direction. "Alright, let''s head out then." "Yes." Cloaked in magic, we set off. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Hmm... This vige feels familiar, almost like it''s imitating a dwarven vige." "Huh?" My muttered words caught Maybelle''s attention. "This vige. It has a simr feel to the dwarven viges I''ve seen before." When I used to sneak away from Sagarmatha, I would go explore the dwarven viges. Theyout of this ce is quite simr to the viges I saw back then. Looking closer, the mushrooms and moss here are almost identical to the ones I had gifted to the dwarves. "A dwarven vige!" "They used to carve out viges deep in the mountains, inrge cave systems. Well, it was more than just a vige, really." Dwarves, being strong and sturdy, were excellent at digging into the earth to find valuable metals. To find ores, they dug into the caves, and then utilized the created spaces to build residential areas inside the caves, repeating the process of digging deeper and creating more living spaces. In the end, aplex dwarven vige resembling an ant''s nest waspleted. In that sense, this vige... the vige full of rat-people could be considered a derivative of the dwarven vige. "A dwarven vige, huh... I''d like to visit it once." "It does feel a bit cramped, but it was a nice ce." "If I meet Mom... I''d like to go on a trip with her." "Yes, first we need to meet your mother." Cloaked in magic, we proceeded in the direction indicated by the dowsing rods. "It seems to be pointing to that building." We arrived at a building with an armed guard at the entrance. "Hmm... Let''s see..." We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now There are about five rat-people inside. Not too many. But the heavy guard posted here makes it seem suspicious. "What should we do?" "First, let''s take a peek into the guard''s mind." "His mind?" I nodded slightly. "If we can understand why your mother is imprisoned here, and why you were left in that rural vige, it might help us solve the problem." "But, wouldn''t it be better to just ask Mom directly?" At Maybelle''s words, I paused for a moment. "It seems we can''t speak to her directly right now." "Huh?" I looked at one of the rat-people inside the building. The rat-person''s life force was dangerously low, resembling Maybelle''s soul. "Your mother is in this building, but she seems to be too weakened to speak at the moment." "Then we have to hurry and rescue her!" "I said ''at the moment,'' didn''t I? Her life is not in danger, and as long as her life is sustained, we can revive her, even if she''s been dead for a short while." Maybelle finally realized who I was. "The Dragon''s Priestess who can revive the dead..." "That''s right. As long as your mother''s life is sustained, I can do something about it. Let''s focus on gathering information first." "Okay." We cautiously approached the guard. "But how will you subdue him? Should I hit him with a hammer?" "If you hit him with a hammer, his head will be crushed and he''ll die, so don''t do that." On our journey here, I had seen the power of crushing monsters'' heads, so I knew the force of that hammer. And I didn''t want this child tomit murder. So... "Hup." A small magic flowed from my fingertips, touching the guard. It was a technique to temporarily hypnotize and subdue the mind. Could this be called magic? It''s just a crude skill of mentally dominating others, but since it uses magic, let''s just call it magic. "Subdued." "Already?" "I don''t want to bother with such trivial matters too much." It''s enough to flick my fingers like a green dinosaur. Whatever. T/N: Wut? "Alright, thene this way." At my words, the guard approached us with a slightly dazed expression. Good, he''s properly under the hypnosis. Of course, anyone who isn''t a god-like being wouldn''t be able to resist my mental control. "Now then, let''s see what the rat-people are up to." I began delving into the guard''s mind. "The name of this vige is ''Rat Hole Vige,'' quite a fitting name." "Rat Hole? It does seem like a ce where rats can live without any problems." "Hidden from the eyes of others, it''s a suitable ce for the rat-people to plot something." At my words, Maybelle looked at me with an uneasy gaze. "Plot something?" ¡°I¡¯ll read some more and then tell you.¡± In that way, I began to delve into the guard''s mindpletely. "Hmm... Let me see." I clicked my tongue slightly at the things the beastmen were nning. "Huh? Why are you doing that?" "Ah, no. I just didn''t expect them actually try to do something like this, so I was a bit surprised, you could say." "What kind of thing were they nning to do?" I looked at Maybelle and spoke softly. "These rat-beastmen It seems they were nning to create a new gods." "Huh? A gods?" "Yes, a new gods. A gods for the rat-beastmen." I didn''t expect the beastmen would use the method I had used, so it was really unexpected. "Was it possible to artificially create the existence of a gods?" "It''s not easy, but it is possible." By manipting public opinion and incitement, and gathering the faith of many people, a gods can be created. The method of creating and changing gods. The method I had used. Somehow the rat-beastmen had noticed that, and they were trying to do it for themselves. And it was to be a gods for the rat-beastmen, their own gods. After the original beast, the guardian deity of the pantheon, Sirius, had changed, they were trying to create a new gods to fill that void. "But that''s just..." "First, let''s rescue your mother, and I''ll exin it to youter." At my words, Maybelle nodded slightly. What''s important now is not some rat gods, but rescuing Maybelle''s mother. Chapter 178: Mother and Daughter Reunion T/N: You know what, you may read the previous chapter again. There are still some parts left out after ''I''ll read some more and then tell you.'' But if you have already read up to ''What''s important now is not some rat gods, but rescuing Maybelle''s mother,'' then it''s done. --- Rescuing Maybelle''s mother was not particrly difficult. Honestly, if it were difficult, that would be a problem. But no matter. We had already roughly pinpointed the location through dowsing, and now that we were this close, we could locate her exact position through spiritual means. The rat beastmen we encountered, I simply suppressed their minds, lightly skimmed their thoughts, and manipted their perception so that they wouldn''t recognize me and Maybelle, allowing them to continue with their work. I was a bit concerned about freely manipting the rat beastmen''s minds, but... well, there was no other choice. I just had to make a slight adjustment to their perception. And so, without any interference, me and Maybelle headed towards the location where Maybelle''s mother was being held. "Is Mom really here...?""Isn''t that what the dowsing rod in your hand is telling you?" Maybelle continued to ask anxiously. It was an gloomy and deste prison. It was understandable that she would be uneasy about her mother being held in such a ce. So, I reassured Maybelle as we proceeded. "Let''s hurry. We need to get your mother out of this ce as soon as possible." "Okay!" And when we arrived at the location... "It''s a dead end." "I see." Unlike other prisons, this space waspletely walled off, with only a small hole at the bottom. And inside, there was a soul that seemed to be Maybelle''s mother. "There''s no entrance, is this really the right ce?" "Yes, that''s correct." I could clearly sense the presence of the soul beyond the wall, so there was no doubt about it. "But... there''s no way to get into this room." "Hmm, looking at the slightly different material of this wallpared to the others, it seems they built a new wall to imprison her here." The room waspletely sealed off. Except for one section of the wall, which had a slightly differentposition. Apparently, they had constructed a new wall to turn this former prison space into a secure confinement. "Why would they do something like that?" "Who knows. It seems excessive to go to such lengths to imprison her, but... perhaps there was a situation that necessitated such measures?" "What do you mean? A situation that required imprisoning her like this?" "For example... if they needed to extract certain information from your mother and had to ensure she couldn''t escape, even if she had be weakened. Regr bars might not have been enough to hold her." Even in a weakened state, someone like her probably couldn''t have broken out of regr prison bars. But you never know. There are even children who can wieldrge hammers with their tiny bodies. "Perhaps they thought that walling her in like this would prevent her from escaping." The rat beastmen we encountered on the way here didn''t seem to know the full details about Maybelle''s mother either. They were simply following orders to push food through the small gap at the bottom of the wall and record any responses. They thought they were doing work for the sake of the rat beastmen, but... "Then, shall I try to break down this wall?" "With your strength and that hammer, it might be possible. But if you do that, the debris could end up harming your mother inside, so don''t start swinging the hammer." We came to rescue her, so it would be bad if she got hurt by the debris. So... "In a case like this..." I raised my index finger and ced it against the wall. "This is how you do it." I drew arge circle on the wall with my finger, and as I pull it away, the section I had outlined was cleanly sliced off. I made sure the detached fragments fell outside the room, not inside. Good. "Neat, isn''t it?" "Neat? No, it''s not! Normal people can''t do that kind of thing!" "Is that so?" "Yes!" Right, in this era, the use of magic hasn''t been fully developed yet. No wonder they can''t do something like this. But if you get the hang of using magic, there''s nothing you can''t do. Humans are still mostly just using scrolls for now. With the right techniques, magic can be an all-purpose tool capable of any task. "Anyway, I''ve made an entrance now. Let''s go in." And so, me and Maybelle entered the room. "Mom...?" The cramped and deste room. A lone slime was rolling around in the corner, a pitiful sight. In the corner, a gray-haired rat beastmany on the floor, in a state ofplete disrepair. "Mom!!!" Maybelle quickly approached the rat beastman and embraced her. A faint breath. A weak life force. A life like a candle in the wind. "Calm down. At least she is still alive." "B-But..." "If you hug her forcefully in this weakened state, what will happen?" At my words, Maybelle''s movements hesitated. I understand her feelings, but still. So, "Just wait a moment." I summoned magic to envelop Maybelle''s mother. Her physical condition was truly in shambles. The muscles in her limbs were tattered. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now Moreover, it seemed she had not been eating properly, as she was malnourished and extremely weakened. Hmm... truly, a life hanging by a thread. "Let''s see..." First, I used magic to restore her weakened body, repair her damaged muscles, and revive her faint soul. Even in a half-dead state, it would be clean and fresh as new in no time! Calling it "new" is a bit strange, but.. Anyway, she''s healthy now. "I-Is it finished?" "Yes. The physical recovery isplete, so now I''ll awaken her consciousness." And so, I revived the consciousness of Maybelle''s mother, E. E''s tightly closed eyelids slowly began to move. And then, "Mom...?" "Maybelle...?" The eyes of the two met. "Ah, Mom..." "Dear God..." Maybelle embraced her mother, burying her face in her embrace, and E slowly began to stroke Maybelle''s head, sobbing. "Dear God... why did you send this child to me...?" Hm? "I am not afraid to die myself... but I wanted to protect this child... why... why did you let this child die..." Ah, I see. She is mistakenly thinking she has died. It seems she believes not only she herself, but also her daughter Maybelle, have died. "Ah, Mom?" "Say nothing... poor thing... how much you must have suffered... I wanted to protect you so badly... even if we had to part, I wanted you to grow up safely..." "No, Mom? Why are you saying that after we''ve reunited after 10 years?! I''m not dead! Not dead!" When Maybelle shouted like a scream, E''s gaze slowly began to clear, as if she had regained her senses. "Huh...? I''m not dead...?" "No! I''m not dead! I''m not dead!" "......." Realizing what she had said, E, "Ah, that... forget it..." covered her reddened face with both hands. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Maybelle''s mother did not lift her face for a long time. She must have been extremely embarrassed. Maybelle herself was also feeling embarrassed. "A touching reunion of mother and daughter, but let''s move to another location for now." Honestly, it doesn''t matter if we stay here, but she''ll be embarrassed for hours if left as is. For now, I''ve suppressed the minds of all the rat beastmen inside the building, but if new onese in from outside, the story will be different. Well, I can subdue them too, but to have a calm conversation, we should move to another ce. "Another location?" "Yes. Let''s see... first, I''ll restore this wall..." I lifted the removed wall section and firmly reattached it, slightly melting the rock surface with heat to bind it together. "There. This way, no one will be able to know the situation inside." "Maybelle? Who is this person exactly..." "I''ll exinter. For now, just know that this is the person who is helping me." At Maybelle''s words, E nodded slightly. Hmm. Looking at her, E also seems quite young. Is it a characteristic of beastmen? They look more like sisters than mother and daughter. Ah, no. I don''t have time for unnecessary thoughts. Let''s move to another ce. Let''s see... the inn where we were staying would be a good ce. I snapped my fingers lightly, and the dark space instantly transformed into the inn room. "Th-this is?!" E, who was experiencing spatial movement for the first time, had a very flustered expression, but Maybelle, who had already experienced it several times, calmly began to console her mother. "It''s okay. The person just used magic to move us to another ce." "Spatial movement? That''s not magic, it''s a miracle..." E finally had the chance to examine my appearance, and after looking me over, she said, "Could it be, the Dragon''s Priestess...?" "Un. You''re quick-witted." At this point, anyone would have noticed what I was doing. "Anyone who experiences the miracle of spatial movement would notice, especially a young girl withrge horns using such a miracle." "I see, that makes sense." I wonder if I should seal that magic to hide my identity. But that would be a hassle. "Just what kind of situation led the Dragon''s Priestess toe to your aid?" "Yes, I wonder how it came to this..." It was just a series of coincidences, but it feels as if someone had prepared for this to happen. "I would like to allow you and your daughter to have the conversation you couldn''t have in 10 years, but let''s leave that forter." I looked at E and said, "I have a rough understanding of what the rat beastmen are trying to do, about creating a new gods, but just in case, could you tell me everything you know?" I also want to know why they are targeting Maybelle, and why E herself was imprisoned in that cell. Chapter 179: Sacrifice for the Gods (1) The joyful reunion between mother and daughter was set aside, as it was more important to listen to the story first. "How on earth can mere mortals create a god? I don''t understand!!" Maybelle still seemed unable to believe that the beastmen were trying to create a god. Well, it''s understandable that she would think that way. "If they''re just trying to create a special being, not a god, then I can understand it a little, even if it''s hard to believe. But to create a god? That''s sphemy!!" Creating a god. Spreading biased information to many people, guiding their thinking, inciting them, and applying a specific direction to the collective consciousness to create a new faith. Through that, either creating a god that did not originally exist, or changing an existing god by oveying different information. Was that what the rat beastmen were trying to do? No, more importantly, where did they learn about such a method? Except for me and Baal, no one else seems to properly know about that.Keeping those questions in my heart, I began to focus on what E was saying. "It''s understandable that you can''t easily believe it. But it''s what''s actually happening." E continued the story while stroking Maybelle''s head. "After the original beast, who was the original god of the beastmen, became the guardian deity of the pantheon under the name Sirius, a great rift urred in the beastmen''s society." Hmm? "The spiritual pir of the beastmen, the god of the beastmen, had disappeared, which had united the diverse beastmen of different species. As a result, conflicts began to arise among the beastmen, even though they were of the same race." "There''s one error in what you said." "Huh?" I interrupted E''s story, and she looked puzzled. "Error? What error..." "In your words, you said that after the original beast became Sirius, the guardian deity, the beastmen split apart. But it''s actually the opposite." I recalled the dpidated temple where Sirius, the original beast, had resided. The revival of Arcadia was due to Sirius, the original beast. Arcadia''s state religion could be considered the original beast, but as time passed, the number of non-beastmen in Arcadia increased, and the number of those who believed in deities other than the beastmen''s tribal god, the original beast, also grew. That''s how the diversification of faith urred in Arcadia. As faith became more diverse, the beastmen who originally believed in the original beast also tended to believe in gods that were more beneficial to them, and eventually, their faith split into various directions. Through this process, it was not that the original beast, now called Sirius, turned his back on the beastmen, but rather, the beastmen turned their back on the original beast, who then received the name Sirius. Well, it''s just a reversal of the chronological order, but still. "Is that so? But the schrs'' research..." "Isn''t it possible that the beastmen were unable to record the fact that they had first abandoned their tribal god, and so they distorted the record?" Otherwise, it wouldn''t make sense. The image of Sirius, lonely and forlorn in that gloomy temple, is still vivid in my mind. Humans, it seems, leave records in a way that is advantageous to them. "But..." "Let''s move on from the issue of the veracity of this. What''s important now is not the facts themselves." At my words, E nodded slightly and cleared her throat. "After the beastmen split apart by tribe, we rat beastmen found ourselves in great danger. Even before, we rat beastmen were quite shunned among the various beastmen, and after the loss of the protection of the original beast, the future of our rat beastmen tribe became bleak." I see. Indeed, beastmen are a highly diverse species. Even among the same beastmen, they would treat each other like different tribes if the species were different. "We rat beastmen are not physically superior like other beastmen, and our ability tomunicate with animals is limited to only small rodents. We have almost no advantages as a race. It was clear that the future of our tribe was dark." It seems the tribal discrimination that was suppressed when Sirius bound all the beastmen together had now reared its head. Discrimination never goes away, does it? "In the face of this crisis, the rat beastmen strived to find ways to secure the future of their tribe. Some tried to find the value of the rat beastmen through interactions with other tribes, while others like me wanted to reveal our individual strength to show that the rat beastmen are not weak." Hmm. Now that you mention it, E had said she was an adventurer in her youth. So there was that background as well. It wasn''t just that she was driven out by her stepmother. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now "In the midst of searching for ways to help the rat beastmen, one ascetic heard a voice." "A voice?" "Yes. They say he was a seeker who was practicing deep underground. He heard the voice while practicing in the deep earth." A voice... a voice, huh. "The voice was telling him to create a new gods. If the absence of a gods was the problem, then creating a gods could solve it. It said that if they created a gods specifically for the rat beastmen, the standing of the rat beastmen could rise immensely." That voice sounds suspicious. Moreover, a voiceing from underground... Is it that guy again? "The voice knew many things that even the elderly rat beastmen schrs did not know. The method of creating gods was also taught by that voice." "So? Did they follow the instructions of that voice?" "Yes. The rat beastmen had no choice. And so, to create this god, the rat beastmen prepared many things." E continued stroking Maybelle''s head, and Maybelle seemed to fall into afortable sleep at her mother''s touch. "Just like when she was little, stroking her head makes her fall asleep. I''m d I don''t have to tell her the story that I can''t share with her." E continued speaking while continuing to stroke Maybelle''s sleeping head. "Afterwards, the rat beastmen did everything they could to desperately save money and prepare the materials needed for the ritual to create the god. The most important of these prepared materials was... the sacrifice that would be the body of the new god." Body? Sacrifice? Those aren''t necessary to create a god using the methods I know. What is this? Are they creating a god in a different way than I''m familiar with? "They paired off the selected individuals, and creating the exceptional child... the sacrifice that would be the body of the new god was also part of that n." "The selected individuals?" "Yes." E stroked Maybelle''s head again, and Maybelle slightly moved as if the touch tickled her. E gave a small smile to Maybelle. "This child was also the most promising candidate to be the body of the god in that ritual. But that would mean sacrificing this child to create a new god. I could not allow such a thing, so I entrusted this child to a safe ce." "That''s... isn''t that betraying your tribe?" E nodded slightly. "Yes, it is betraying my tribe. But I wanted to protect this child. From the moment this child was born and wrapped my hand with her tiny fingers, my life became a life for this child. Even if the tribe prospers, if this child is sacrificed, all of that would be meaningless." Indeed. It seems a mother''s love for her child has be greater than her love for the tribe. Maternal love is truly remarkable. "Of course, all of these ns were kept strictly secret even from me, the party involved. I didn''t know anything either, so if my husband hadn''t found out, this child would have been taken." "Husband?" "Dad?" Maybelle, who had been sleeping, suddenly woke up as E''s story about her husband caught her attention. It seemed the talk of a father she didn''t know had piqued her great interest. "Your father... he was truly a brilliant man. He was the smartest among the young rat beastmen, you know? If it wasn''t for this foolish ritual, he might have be a leader of the rat beastmen." "But, my dad is now..." E shook her head slightly at Maybelle''s words. "To help me and you escape... he''s gone." As E spoke, Maybelle''s tail also drooped, as if she had be gloomy as well. How sad. "But it seems the ce he mentioned was truly a safe one. I''m d our daughter has grown up safely there." "A safe ce? You mean the rural vige where I was?" "Yes. Your father... he said you had to go there to be protected. I didn''t know that his old adventurerrade was a priest in that vige, but thanks to that, I was able to entrust you to him with confidence." Hmm. It seems Maybelle''s father had foreseen the future and made such preparations. It''s as if he even knew that I would be sleeping there. Chapter 180: Sacrifice for the Gods (2) Maybelle''s father seems to have foreseen the future or found a way through his exceptional knowledge, but there''s no need to dwell on that right now. "I understand the gist of what''s happening, but there are parts I don''t understand." "What is it?" I lightly snapped my fingers, and at the same time, Maybelle fell asleep. After all, it wasn''t appropriate for the child who was about to be a sacrifice to hear the story. "The sacrifice to be the body of the deity. As far as I know, such a thing is not necessary to create a deity. Why did they demand that?" "Huh?" E, who was holding the suddenly sleeping Maybelle, had a greatly surprised expression. I have experience manipting public opinion and inciting to create or change many deities, but such sacrifices were never necessary.No, there wasn''t even a ritual to begin with. It was just a matter of manipting public opinion and incitement to lead the beliefs of many people to establish the deity in the form I wanted. Therefore, there is no such thing as a ritual to create a deity. "The existence of a deity is born from the beliefs of countless humans. Therefore, a physical body is meaningless." A deity is born from the beliefs of many people. Except for a few special cases that have a physical body... Without the beliefs of such humans, it would be a weak existence that cannot even maintain its own existence. Hmm. From that perspective... Isn''t a deity a kind of mental parasite that is born by feeding on the faith of many humans, unable to exist without the beliefs of the majority of humans? It''s an interesting thought, but what''s important now is not that. "That''s why the idea of a sacrifice to be the body of a deity in this ritual is... strange." "Is that so? But how, Dragon''s Priestess, know about this ritual?" "Hmm. The details are a secret. But one thing is certain... There is no one who knows more about how to create a deity than I do." That''s how I used to make gods in the first ce. However, the ritual to create a deity that E exined... No matter how I think about it, it''s different from the method I used. It''s as if... ¡°But if you perform the ritual, are you sure you''re really creating a new diety?¡± "Huh? That''s..." "I also know well the methods of creating deities. But the ritual you mentioned seems to be apletely different thing from the method I know." E''s face began to harden at my words. "That''s... but..." E couldn''t continue her words properly. Hmm... "Perhaps the voice that taught them that ritual has deceived everyone?" Otherwise, it doesn''t make sense. The unreasonable demands and the attempt to deceive the desperate rat beastmen to obtain what they want... If it''s a trick, then... what does that voice want? "Exin the ritual that the rat beastmen are preparing as detailed as possible. I''llpare it to the method I know." "Ah, I understand." E began to exin the ritual to create a deity that she knew. "First, the materials for the ritual are a child who will be the body of the deity, arge amount of mana stones, and the prayers and beliefs of the new deity''s followers. Finally... to turn the prayers and beliefs of ordinary people into a pure deity, arge number of souls will be sacrificed for the deity''s ascension." Oh, this is bad! This ritual is suspicious! Arge amount of mana stones can be used to perform various magic or miracles, but arge number of souls? That''s out of the question! It''s not a proper ritual at all! It''s clearly a ritual with a suspicious ulterior motive! "That''s a failure." "Huh?" But if the voice that came from underground is the one I''m thinking of, did they want to revive themselves using such means? Even if they revive, they''ll just be easier for me to find. "Doesn''t it seem like a suspicious ritual? A ritual that demands arge number of souls? Even the gods of the Pantheon don''t make such demands. Did the rat beastmen really believe in such a ritual?" "The esteemed ones of the rat beastmen believed in it firmly. I don''t know much, but... at the time, since they said so, I had no choice but to believe it." Believed in it firmly, huh... Was the situation so desperate that there was no other choice? Or... "Hmm... I don''t know who that voice is, but... it might have brainwashed them." "Brainwashed?" "Yes. Otherwise, they wouldn''t believe in such a preposterous ritual." The only thing actually needed to create a god is the faith of the believers, ording to E''s exnation of the required materials. The other materials... Hmm... Maybe I should have them capture me and drag me underground sometime. From the looks of it, they probably wanted to extract the magic from the mana stones, absorb arge number of souls, and obtain a physical body to inhabit, bing aplete entity. If such a ritual seeded, they could be reborn, possessing a body filled with arge number of souls and magic. We rely on your support! read at https://novelplex.org Donate now It wouldn''t be as good as their original state before being shattered, but... What a fools. But therge number of souls among the required materials... Hmm... Are they nning to kill all the rat beastmen and offer their souls? If not... "As for therge number of souls required for the ritual... How do they n to obtain them?" "That..." E hesitated for a moment before speaking. "They said they would obtain them by wiping out the inhabitants of Armen." "Armen?" The rat beastmen underground are nning to wipe out the city of Armen on the surface? How...? Well, I can kind of guess. Since the rat beastmen are living deep in the sewers, unknown to others, it wouldn''t be too difficult for them to tamper with the water supply. The people of Armen are using the water from the water supply normally, so if they were to release a longsting poison into the water source, they could easily wipe out the human inhabitants of the city. Hmm... Wait a moment. Could it be that the water and sewage systems of Armen were prepared for this ritual from the beginning? Preparing the water supply as a means to obtain arge number of souls, and the sewers below Armen as the location for the ritual? If that''s the case, then this ritual has been in preparation for a very long time. Even before the birth of Maybelle, who is sleeping there right now. Hmm. "I can''t just leave this be. This is..." "Yes. For Maybelle''s sake, the ritual must be prevented." E stroked the sleeping Maybelle''s head again. Her gentle touch was filled with deep affection. "Not only for Maybelle, but I can''t let the people of Armen be massacred either." So, what''s the best course of action? The simplest method would be to storm the underground right now and destroy everything, but... Hmm, hmm. While they''ve done wrong,pletely massacring them all is a bit... Hmm... If it was already done, it would be a different story, but they haven''t done it yet, so killing them all is a bit... My heart is softening. Well, the rat beastmen are just desperately trying to survive, so killing them all doesn''t feel quite right. Sabotaging the ritual would not be enough. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. That''s it. "What if we make Maybelle into a god?" "Huh?" E''s eyes widened in surprise. What, why are you looking at me like that? "Uh, did you hear me correctly? This child, and the to sacrifice the people of Armen?" "No, not that ritual." If the rat beastmen needed a god, then if a god for the rat beastmen already existed, this wouldn''t have happened in the first ce. So... "Rather than that suspicious ritual, it''s about properly creating a god." "Properly, you say..." E looked at me with eyes full of distrust. Well, I understand, but still. Because of the suspicious ritual to create a gods, her daughter is in danger, and she even lost her husband. It''s natural for her not to trust me. But... "Your daughter is not being sacrificed as an offering for the physical body of a god. By reversing the ritual that the rat beastmen are preparing, we can directly ascend this child to the position of a god." "B-But..." "If that happens... Your daughter will be a living human who has risen to the position of a god, and when her life as a living being ends, she will be the god of the rats and watch over the rat beastmen, so the future of your race will also be guaranteed, won''t it?" At my words, E fell into deep contemtion, and then spoke in a small voice. "It is certainly tempting, but... But, bing a god means taking on an immense responsibility, doesn''t it?" "That may be true. But she can be the most honored existence while still alive. Aren''t you ufortable with your child bing such an existence?" E shook her head slightly. "No, it''s not that. I''m just... Worried that after bing a god, an immortal being with immense responsibility, this child may be burdened and suffer from the weight of it." I see. It''s ultimately because she''s worried about her child, isn''t it? Parents are always worrying about their children, but isn''t this worry a bit too much? In that case... "How about asking her directly?" I looked at the sleeping, or rather, pretending to sleep Maybelle. Chapter 181: Rat God (1) "The sleeping, or rather, pretending to sleep Maybelle." Although her eyes were closed, her ears had been twitching slightly since a The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!