Blooming
Blooming
Unlike the time at the World Tree, even though we had conversed far more, only about half a day had passed.
When I asked Saintess Deoni about it, she explained that the process of first 'opening the path,' combined with the lack of someone to assist from the side as was the case now, was what had caused the particularly long time to pass.
"I have already explained the situation to the others, so there is no need to rush. Please take your time getting up."
The Saintess helping me rise moved with more care than a nurse supporting a critically ill patient, but I had no luxury to feel burdened by it.
"Facing divinity directly affects not just the soul and mind, but the physical body as well. First, steady your breathing. There is nothing wrong with your body, so sensation will return shortly."
All I could manage was a nod. There was no pain, nor was I drained, but my body simply refused to obey my commands. In that state, I could distinctly feel the Divine Power transmitted through the Saintess's hand as she supported me.
"You are already aware of the influence powerful divinity exerts upon the world. You could say your soul is currently experiencing those aftereffects. Ah, there is no need to try to answer. Opening your mouth will just result in drool dribbling out. That's what happened to me."
Truly advice born of experience.
Perhaps because she had the stamina to travel with heresy inquisitors and swing a mace, the Saintess unexpectedly helped me prop myself up and sit with little trouble. Only after about ten minutes, once I felt sensation returning to my mouth and extremities, did I belatedly realize I was showing no abnormal symptoms even within the altar's domain.
"So now I'm fine even inside the domain?"
"You are no longer affected by this level of Divine Power. It's similar to how you cannot properly sense the auras of Aura or Mana users of the Human Race. The difference, however, is that your sense for perceiving Divine Power has actually sharpened."
It was exactly as the Saintess said. Divine Power was now palpable in a way entirely unlike perceiving the world through Magic Sight.
An indescribable foreignness seemed to tickle from inside my body... but it wasn't unpleasant or uncomfortable, which was incredibly fascinating.
"Then does that mean I can use Holy Arts now too?"
"Is that not possible? You are the Hero."
There was no trace of doubt in the Saintess's gaze, as if she were stating the obvious. And I couldn't question her reaction with a 'what are you talking about,' either.
The goddess Epaga had definitely said she 'did not make me into a Hero,' not that she 'had no intention of making me into a Hero.' She hadn't added anything after that, but now that I could clearly perceive the Divine Power sluggishly seeping out from within me, I understood for certain.
Even the fact that she had never directly referred to me as a Hero was a consideration born from her wish that I not be bound by that karma.
Contrary to the image she projected, she was truly a merciful god.
"She never directly called me a Hero."
Even though I knew the answer, I suddenly grew curious about what kind of reaction I would get, so I tossed out the empty remark. The Saintess, abandoning the businesslike demeanor she had shown until now, shot me a crooked look and spoke.
"In the future, should such situations arise, do not think, 'It is not so because it was not spoken.' Instead, think, 'It was not spoken because I can understand without it being spoken aloud.' Hero."
Judging by the smile tugging at the corner of her lips, this Saintess seemed to be quite the formidable woman in many ways.
It was a rather absurd story in many respects, but perhaps because we now shared the common point of a revelation, it was certain that the sense of distance the Saintess and I had felt toward each other had instantly shrunk. Thanks to that, within a somewhat lighter atmosphere, we briefly discussed Divine Power and Holy Arts while I rested until I could fully control my body.
Fortunately, once sensation began returning, it took less than five minutes before I could move in my usual condition.
The moment I could move adequately without support, I dusted myself off and stood up. Inside the ruins, which we had returned to, something resembling an encampment had already been set up.
Since the space was well-ventilated, smoke from the campfire lit in the center steadily drifted out through some part of the ceiling. The heresy inquisitors, Priest Mender, Master and Seneran, and Asilie were all sitting around it at their ease, continuing their meal. The moment they saw us, however, they hurriedly rose from their seats.
Not everyone reacted the same way, though. Unlike my companions, who had already been told the situation and approached without any particular worry, the heresy inquisitors and Priest Mender dropped to their knees and bowed their heads almost before they had taken a few steps.
Unconcerned by the way my companions, who had been about to casually ask after my condition, were startled by this abrupt reaction, Priest Mender, who had stepped slightly ahead of the inquisitors to present himself with full formality, spoke in a voice trembling with deep emotion.
"The mercy, vast as the sea, of Demon God Epaga, forged of protection and oracle, descends upon this land to guide us, the unworthy. As a loyal servant and staff who worships the Demon God, I give sincere thanks to be permitted to directly witness and share in this moment."
Could all the order's officials recognize this sort of thing? Thinking that maybe that bastard Siegfried lived while facing these kinds of reactions as well, a strange sense of kinship welled up.
But Asilie, who couldn't grasp the situation, expressed her confusion with her eyes and expression, glancing back and forth between them and me. Master and Seneran weren't much different. Only, Master was a fair bit more dignified, and Seneran was exceedingly more frivolous about it.
However, showing them would be faster and more certain than explaining the situation myself, so I raised a hand and made a 'wait a moment' gesture.
Even the Saintess, who had been standing beside me, walked over beside Priest Mender, and the process of her bowing and presenting herself with equal formality felt excruciatingly long.
No matter how lacking the explanation was, no one here was so clueless as to not understand what it meant. Without exception, everyone's eyes went wide.
Into that atmosphere, the Saintess spoke, standing in for Priest Mender.
"In this time when chaos has descended, God has solidified His will and bestowed His grace..."
"How could one who claims to be a servant of God witness this grace and fail to offer praise?"
"Yet an excess of glory can blind those who live mortal lives..."
"How could one who claims to be a servant of God fail to guide them to the righteous path?"
Watching them intone in perfect synchronization, without a single misstep as if they had rehearsed it, the only thing I felt was a sense of bleak futility.
The world is not simple.
The role of a Hero is not simple either.
And what these people expect of a Hero would not be simple, either.
"In that trial, we shall not be overconfident, nor arrogant, nor stray into the wrong path..."
"How could one who claims to be a servant of God fail to swear an oath in this place, to pursue faith but not fanaticism?"
Even if a sense of responsibility hadn't welled up to the point of fearing I might not live up to those expectations, my mind freezing up from the unimaginable scale of this was unavoidable.
Running away or ignoring it? Impossible.
No matter how much I'd been told to live as my heart wills, as a son of the Land of Eastern Courtesy, my conscience screamed that I had to put in the effort to repay kindness for my heart to be at ease. Where the hell could I run, and how could I ignore it?
I had to at least try, first.
"I, Deoni Bire, in my capacity as the saintess sanctioned by the Demon God and representing the order... pay my respects to the most radiant glory of Epaga, the Hero."
Unaware of my inner lament, the Saintess raised her bowed head, met my eyes, and declared.
◈
The heresy inquisitors, who were so overwhelmed they burst into tears, were a problem. But for me, the bigger problems were Seneran, who fainted and collapsed backward the moment she heard the Saintess's declaration, and Asilie, who was so shocked she didn't know what to do.
"I had thought the possibility of there being Demonfolk blood among your ancestors was the whole story."
"I thought that was about the extent of it, too. I didn't expect this."
"You're quite composed for such a thing."
"Could I be any less so than you, Master?"
Likely hit with no small shock by the fact that the research subject she thought was a one-of-a-kind rare specimen turned out to be nothing more than a Demon God limited edition, Seneran had laid flat on her back, covering her entire face with a wet towel and whimpering. Asilie stroked Laika's back almost obsessively, unable to even speak properly as she struggled to process the situation.
Even the Saintess had no time to talk with us, as she was busy calming the order's people and discussing future policy. So I naturally ended up speaking one-on-one with Master, who was the most composed.
In fact, Master remained calm even amid this astonishing situation, displaying the composure to even smile.
"It's fortunate Seneran sent all the workers back the moment she heard the Demon God Church's saintess speak. The fewer people who know about this sort of thing, the better."
To be honest, he was so composed it made me uneasy. That was because, having spent so much time living together, Master and I had become far too aware of what the existence of a member of the Human Race who could use Magic Power meant to Seneran.
All the research and attempts we had undertaken up to now were ultimately aimed at broadening the 'possibility that the Human Race could use Magic Power rather than Mana or Aura.'
I had believed I was worth researching, whether as a mutation or a unique constitution, but the conclusion that I was an artificial existence thoroughly created through the intervention of divinity had been reached.
"...Does all our research so far just become meaningless, then?"
In the end, it meant we had just wasted time, never escaping the assumption that the Human Race cannot use Magic Power. When I cautiously asked, troubled by his calm demeanor, Master instead looked at me as if wondering what I meant before letting out a small laugh.
"You're not entirely without a mage's temperament after all. Worrying about research in this situation."
I had actually been worrying about Master's mental state, but I decided to keep my mouth shut for now. Fortunately, what he said next wasn't so despairing.
"It's the opposite, rather. The Hero's power is hereditary to some degree. Unless you live your whole life celibate and have no descendants, the possibility for the Human Race to use Magic Power has been opened because of you."
"What? Then why did Seneran faint?"
At my question, Master burst into slightly louder laughter and casually moved some Mana to whisk away the wet towel covering Seneran's face. Checking her complexion, I felt a wave of deflation.
"...Huh."
Seneran, who I'd thought had passed out from the shock of a despairing reality, had her eyes rolled back, a blissful, shit-eating grin splitting her face.