Chapter 37: Divinity (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Divinity (2)
“…”
“…”
A chilling silence hung inside the hut, built in the traditional style of the Tribal Alliance.
Aiden figured Rania’s quiet was understandable. She was about to leave the Empire and return to the Great Plains, and right before her departure, he had told her something that was bound to leave a terrible impression.
In the unnerving stillness, even Aiden felt a cold sweat break out.
…That damn guy.
Naturally, his first reaction was resentment toward Mayer, who had pushed him into this mess. After all, Mayer was the one who had insisted on it, claiming they could only enter the Inner Mindscape together if they fell asleep while holding hands.
“If you want me to meet the spirit, you don’t need to go to such lengths.”
Had Rania not spoken up in an exasperated voice, he would have remained stewing in his own bitter thoughts.
“…Pardon?”
As Aiden asked, Rania put the long pipe back to her lips and pointed a slender finger at the bracelet on his wrist.
“There’s a spirit in there. You create an Inner Mindscape every night to meet him, don’t you?”
“…”
Her words were so accurate that he was left speechless.
As he blinked blankly, Rania gave a light chuckle and tapped the skin near her unpatched eye.
“I’m a Shrine Maiden. Of course I can see spirits.”
That made sense. Come to think of it, he had only found Mayer in the first place thanks to her ability.
As Aiden nodded in understanding, Rania began stuffing fresh tobacco into her pipe.
“Hand it over,” she said. “Let me at least hear his story.”
Having no reason to refuse, he held out his wrist. Rania took the bracelet and peered into it, her brow furrowing slightly.
“…Why, this is the Knight of Dawn.”
“…It is?”
“You’re involved with someone on another level entirely.”
“…Am I?”
“Yes. He’s someone you would normally never cross paths with in your entire life.”
“…”
It was the sort of remark that might have stung, yet he didn’t feel offended. She stated it as a plain, self-evident fact. In the short time he had known her, this was the impression she consistently gave.
Cast iron, stone block—words like those fit her perfectly. Her speech and actions were unembellished, steady, and devoid of pretense. She simply spoke the truth, never with the intent to look down on others.
“Honestly, it’s foolish of you to be worrying about this.”
That was likely why he wasn’t particularly angered when Rania, after staring at the bracelet for another moment, added that comment.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Your ability isn’t the kind that can help someone else get stronger.”
“?”
Seeing him tilt his head in confusion at her cryptic remark, she suddenly changed the subject.
“How much do you know about the Heavenly Pantheon?”
“I’m not really interested in theology. Isn’t it just… where the gods reside?”
“To be precise, it’s where the known gods reside.”
“…Pardon?” Aiden asked, catching the ominous undertone in her voice.
Rania calmly continued her explanation. “A god’s power is determined by the size and influence of their following. Only those whose ‘Divinity’ has been proven are permitted to enter the Pantheon. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Just as believers need gods, gods need believers.”
The vows believers offered to their gods—like Qi Reinforcement: Consecration, Divine Power Enhancement: Vow, and Dharmic Power Enhancement: Mantra—were all proof of that bond. Believers would dedicate a virtue over which their god presided, and in return, the god would bestow their Divine Authority upon those believers.
However.
“There are a great many gods. There are as many Divinities as there have been supernatural abilities throughout the continent’s long history.”
Which, put another way, meant one thing.
“Not every god can prove their status.”
Naturally, there were gods who existed outside the Pantheon. Forgotten gods. Entities dwelling in the dark corners of the heavens. While some were forgotten simply because they lacked a sufficient following, others resided outside the Pantheon for entirely different reasons.
“Among those celestial outlaws, there is a particularly dangerous kind.”
“…And what is that?”
“Divinities that were ‘sealed’ by other gods.”
She paused, letting the words hang in the air. “Abominations known as Outer Gods.”
Harsh smoke billowed from her pipe.
“Sealed… you said?”
“Gods whose names and Divine Authorities were forcibly stripped from them, severing their connection to their believers. Even though they possessed more than enough qualifications to reside within the Pantheon, they were forcibly cast out.”
“How could that happen to them?”
“It is the fate that awaits any entity that threatens the very existence of the Pantheon. The god once worshipped by the Demon Race is a prime example.”
Rania chuckled softly. “The god of the Demon Race—the God of Predation, Wonil. A mad god who sought to grow his own power by devouring his own kind. His greed and hunger were boundless. It was said that if left unchecked, he would have brought destruction upon the entire Pantheon.”
As the most famous example of a sealed god, the tale implied a great deal.
“Why do you think I’m telling you this?” Rania asked, her gaze steady.
Aiden looked at her in silence. Having heard this much, it was obvious where the story was headed.
“The entity attached to you is one of them,” she stated. “It isn’t a… ‘normal’ god that forms a symbiotic relationship with believers.”
“…”
“It is an entity that exists purely alone. Not a god chosen by believers, but one who chooses its own.”
Alien. Unknown. Mysterious. Too strange to simply be called a god.
In that moment, the reason Rania had previously said a ‘terrible thing’ was clinging to him became instantly clear.
“What’s clinging to you is one of that kind. An Outer God. Its purpose, ability, and origin are all unknown.”
“…”
“The reason other gods grant you abilities so casually is surely because of it, though I don’t yet know why they would go to such lengths for you.”
As Aiden stared at her, lost for words, Rania just shrugged.
“Well, don’t look so depressed.”
After dumping such a momentous tale on him, her casual conclusion was almost absurd.
“Even if it’s an Outer God whose True Name and domain are unknown, you can’t definitively say it’s malicious. To be precise, we should say we know nothing at this stage.”
“…Is that so?” Aiden replied calmly.
It felt wrong to say this to someone trying to comfort him, but in truth, he wasn’t all that depressed.
In fact, how could I even be depressed…?
The scale of it all was too grand to digest immediately. He felt more dazed than anything. Naturally, he also had questions.
“…By the way, Shrine Maiden.”
“Yeah?”
“Why would such a terrifying entity choose someone like me?”
That was the biggest question of all. What reason could such an enormous being possibly have to take notice of an ordinary human like him?
“…”
Hearing his question, Rania paused for a moment before letting out a snicker.
“Because it likes you.”
“…Pardon?”
“That’s the feeling I get. At the very least, I don’t sense any intent to harm you.”
“…”
“I don’t know why, but it seems completely smitten with you.”
“…”
Far from being resolved, the mystery only deepened.
“Anyway, back to our original topic,” Rania said, resting her chin on her hand. “Because the origin of your ability is what it is, strengthening it directly is impossible. It doesn’t matter who you bring—not me, not anyone—no one can help you with that.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah. So if you want to gain a powerful offensive ability in a short amount of time, you’d be better off looking for top-grade ‘materials.’”
“Materials?”
“An ability that can serve as raw material for the Knight of Dawn to carve into whatever you want.”
“…”
“I don’t know what domain the Outer God attached to you presides over, but wouldn’t it be better to put it to use?”
…Aha.
She was telling him to stick to the basics.
…She’s basically telling me to raise Affinity and extort Skill Copy Tickets, isn’t she?
Aiden chuckled to himself. In the end, that was the only concrete ability he possessed. It felt a bit like returning to square one, but finally understanding the origin of his power was a significant gain.
Because…
If it’s something as grand as an Outer God…
…Doesn’t that mean I can rip Skill Copy Tickets from anyone, no matter who they are?
As long as he could raise their Affinity, there was no limit. It felt like he’d just been issued a license to fleece anyone he wanted to his heart’s content.
“…”
Mulling it over gave him a bizarre feeling, but he pushed it aside. He had to focus on the urgent matter at hand.
Let’s see. The first thing to consider was…
“…Is there anyone spectacularly impressive related to Divine Power?”
“Spectacularly impressive?”
“I think it’d be great if I could somehow get close to someone whose mastery over Divine Power is sublime.”
If his opponent was a spectral body, an ability related to Divine Power was the top priority. Katya was nearby, but her Skill Copy Tickets had long since been drained clean. He couldn’t think of any way to raise her Affinity further at this point. Finding a new target was the right move.
Rania, who had been listening quietly, blew out a stream of smoke. “There’s been a lot of noise lately. People are coming from the Holy Kingdom.”
“Pardon?”
“A delegation. Isn’t it related to you?”
Ah.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. He had heard about this. A delegation was supposedly being sent to investigate his use of Divine Power, an ability permitted only to royalty.
…They’re people I need to extract something from.
One way or another, he harbored no good feelings toward them. Almost all his memories associated with the Holy Kingdom were unpleasant.
So… whatever he did to them, he probably wouldn’t feel much guilt.
“You have the face of someone thinking wicked thoughts,” Rania said with a smirk.
Aiden couldn’t help but return a similar smile. “Thank you for your help, Shrine Maiden.”
“Call me Rania. And no need for thanks. I’m just putting you in my debt ahead of time.”
“Pardon?”
“Either way, I feel like I’ll be seeing a lot more of you from now on,” she answered in a languid voice, waving her hand dismissively. “See you again, Aiden Kellermain. Next time we meet, let’s grab some of those Far Eastern style noodles you like so much.”
“…”
She was a truly strange person. Though a Shrine Maiden, her presence transcended mere spiritual power, giving off an aura so mysterious it bordered on uncanny.
Even as he said his goodbyes and left the hut, Aiden kept mulling over that impression. She had invited him for noodles, so she couldn’t be a bad person, but…
Wait.
…Hold on.
Had he ever once mentioned his food preferences to her?
“…”
Feeling goosebumps prickle his arms, Aiden stepped out of the hut.
* * *
Evenings at the Kellermain estate were always simple and modest. As the small household consisted of only Kenneth Kellermain and Cisella Kellermain, it was difficult for anything too dramatic to happen.
“Dad—I’m home—”
Cisella Kellermain pushed open the front door with her tiny hands. She always returned late after her after-school classes, but even taking that into account, the house was chillingly quiet.
“…”
Pouting, she stepped inside. Her father always worked late, so she knew she shouldn’t be surprised, but she couldn’t suppress the pang of loneliness.
…Usually, Brother was here to welcome me.
Even with his ridiculously busy job, her brother had always waited for her to get home from school. She missed him dearly.
Where did he go? He hasn’t shown his face in so long…
Dad had said her brother left for a faraway place on an urgent matter, but still, couldn’t he have at least said goodbye before leaving?
With a gloomy face, she put down her bag and walked toward the kitchen. She was planning to make something to eat for herself, but… the moment she flicked on the kitchen light, an unimaginable scene met her eyes.
“…Ah, are you Mr. Aiden’s younger sister?” a woman’s voice asked.
Right in front of her, her father, Kenneth, lay passed out on the floor. The strange woman was holding him with both hands—
“…”
Cisella’s pupils quivered violently.
“W-What did you do to my dad?!”
“…Um, I know this looks strange, but he suddenly collapsed, so I was just trying to help—”
“W-We haven’t done anything to you! Get away from my dad!”
“…I didn’t do anything to make him pass out. He just heard my name and suddenly…”
“I said get away from Dad—!”
“…”
…This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Noel thought to herself, a dazed expression on her face.