Chapter 517: The Trend(3)
Chapter 517: The Trend(3)
The road to the World Tree is very long. As I’ve explained before, magic—including teleportation—is unusable there, so traveling on foot is the only option.
The area surrounding the path was a vast plain, but it shimmered with a golden hue as if infused with the World Tree’s energy.
Combined with the cool, refreshing breeze, there couldn't be a better place for a stroll.
The World Tree visible ahead was a truly magnificent sight. It created the illusion that I was stepping into a masterpiece painting.
This was my second visit to the World Tree. The first time, it was just Arwen and me, but today, Ariel had joined us.
A striking couple with a cute child walking toward a giant tree.
I was carrying Ariel on my shoulders, and Arwen was affectionately linking her arm with mine. To any onlooker, we must have looked like a picture-perfect family.
"…Did such a thing really happen? I had no idea."
"You couldn't have known. I didn't tell you."
"That is true, but… are you really alright?"
Arwen asked me, her voice thick with worry. Hearing her, I turned to face her.
Her silver-gray eyes, which looked as if they held the Milky Way within them, were filled with anxiety and concern. She was truly worried about me.
As we headed toward the World Tree, I told Arwen everything—the ascetic training I endured and the truths that were revealed afterward.
Since she is my partner for life, she needed to know. She had to be informed in advance to prevent any unforeseen harm.
"I'm fine. Besides, we're on our way to see Lady Hirt right now, aren't we?"
I replied with a bright, relaxed smile. Even though I had gone through that ordeal, I had no intention of opposing the gods.
Though things were awkward now, I planned to improve our relationship step by step. Visiting Hirt today was part of that effort.
"Still… I cannot help but worry."
Even after hearing my words, Arwen couldn't hide her troubled expression, clearly not at ease.
I suppose the fact that the gods viewed me with wariness wasn't something she could easily brush off. But again, I didn't have the slightest intention of standing against them.
I might hold immense social status, but at my core, I was nothing more than an ordinary citizen.
"If we keep communicating, the gods will come to trust me. I'll just think of it as them being a bit hasty for a moment."
"I think this every time, but you always exceed my expectations. Is it because you come from another world that you are so unpredictable?"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
At my cheeky reply, Arwen looked exasperated for a moment before letting out a small chuckle. She probably thought I lived a very carefree life.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
As we walked and talked affectionately, birds began to gather around us one by one.
Their bodies and colors were all different, so I couldn't tell what species they were, but I could tell they were fond of us.
Last time, birds had perched softly on my head and shoulders, and today was much the same.
"Daddy. Daddy. The birds are talking to Daddy."
"They're singing?"
"Yeah. They say they're happy to see Daddy again."
Surprisingly, Ariel was able to converse with the birds. Even now, she was telling me in real-time what they were saying.
I suppose it's because she’s an angel born from a seed of the World Tree.
Since she had rarely gone outside and spent most of her time at home, I hadn't had a chance to confirm Ariel's abilities until now.
'…I should start showing her the world soon.'
As my mother said, a child needs to grow up while mingling with friends. She can't stay cooped up in the house forever.
Though it might cause a bit of a stir, if I say she’s a gift from Hirt, everyone will probably just accept it and move on.
I smiled warmly at the sight of Ariel laughing on my shoulders and playing with the birds. Arwen, beside me, wore a similar expression.
And so, after walking like a harmonious family for some time, we finally reached the massive trunk of the World Tree, which had seemed like it would never get any closer.
My second visit to the World Tree. A divine giant tree that was beyond wondrous—it was mystical.
"Woooow~ It's huge!"
"It is, isn't it?"
"Yeah!"
Ariel, facing the World Tree for the first time since her birth, let out a cry of admiration. Her pure, innocent reaction made me laugh instinctively.
'If I told her I picked her up from here… no, I shouldn't even think that.'
There’s a joke parents used to make in my previous life—telling their kids they were picked up from under a bridge.
Technically, Ariel was "picked up" from under a tree, but it was a bit different from that. She wasn't an adoptee; she was truly my own child.
I tossed that thought away, fearing she might read my mind and make things complicated. For now, waiting for Lady Hirt was the priority.
[You have come.]
Before long, the voice of a beautiful woman echoed in my head. It was a mature tone, leaning toward a lower register.
"Huh? What's that sound?"
While Ariel looked puzzled by the voice she was hearing for the first time, I looked up.
Arwen also carefully unlinked her arm and folded her hands neatly. No matter how much she loved me, she couldn't be showing affection in front of the Goddess of Nature.
She then looked up, and Ariel followed our lead, tilting her head back.
Sparkle— Sparkle—
Just like last time, lights resembling fireflies gathered to form a silhouette. Soon, the light forming the figure began to clear, revealing her form.
She had light green hair reminiscent of grass, which sparkled like starlight.
Her eyes were slightly downturned, giving her a benevolent look, and they were the same light green as her hair.
Her massive size, easily exceeding three meters, seemed to embody the greatness of nature itself.
Finally, though her private areas were barely covered by a few leaves, I felt no lust whatsoever. On the contrary, I felt only a sense of awe.
The Goddess of Nature and the Chief God of this world, Hirt, had manifested before us once again.
Swoosh—
Having appeared before us, Hirt landed quietly on the ground. It felt as if a great mountain was approaching us.
She then locked eyes with us once before slowly kneeling to meet our eye level.
Even though she was kneeling, her size was so great that I still had to look up. Still, it was less of a strain on my neck than before.
"Welcome, child."
"It's been a while, Lady Hirt."
"A descendant of the angels greets the precious Goddess of Nature, Lady Hirt."
Unlike me, who gave a brief greeting, Arwen knelt and greeted her formally. Hirt gave a gentle smile and accepted our greetings.
"Whoa. You're huge!"
Ariel, however, was a different story. She was fascinated by the three-meter-tall Hirt and exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
It was somewhat rude behavior, but Hirt only let out a gentle laugh without saying a word. Since Ariel was an angel born from a seed she had provided, she probably found everything the child did adorable.
In a way, Hirt could be considered Ariel's grandmother. If my mother was her biological grandmother, Hirt was her grandmother in a mythological sense.
"Fufu. Have you been well? You seem to have grown quite a bit since I last saw you."
"Eh. You know me?"
"Of course. I know you very well."
"..."
I really need to start her etiquette training soon. It might be fine with others, but doing that even to Lady Hirt made my heart skip a beat.
Meanwhile, Hirt spent time playing with Ariel, reaching out a finger to stroke her hair or touch the sprout on her head, looking very much like a grandmother doting on her granddaughter.
Ariel also burst into laughter as she grabbed Hirt's large hand. It was a scene that felt both fitting and strangely out of place.
"Yaaaawn… why am I so sleepy…"
"You may sleep if you are tired."
"Zzz…"
As Hirt stroked her head with a finger, Ariel fell fast asleep in no time. She must have used some kind of trick.
Once she was asleep, I carefully lowered her so as not to wake her.
As I was wondering where to place the sleeping Ariel, a large palm was extended toward me.
"Place her on my palm."
"Would that be alright?"
"Of course."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
I asked once out of politeness, and once permission was granted, I placed Ariel on her palm.
Since Ariel was small and Hirt was massive, she fit perfectly. Saying "she fit the size" sounds a bit odd, but well, she fit.
Hirt then gently placed Ariel on top of her own head. It looked like a bird being placed in a nest, creating a peculiar sight.
"You must have many things you wish to say, do you not?"
Hirt, with Ariel on her head, asked me. She wore a gentle smile, but there was an underlying sense of apology within it.
She must know what her children did to me. That was likely the reason.
I nodded and spoke.
"I didn't come here to receive an apology from you, Lady Hirt. Lady Mora already apologized, and she was even punished by you. It's just that it seemed like you only found out the truth belatedly."
While Luminous and Mora were hatching their little plot, Hirt had been completely unaware. That was the situation as I understood it.
If she had known, she would have done more than just stop them; she would have dragged Mora away immediately. But she hadn't.
Recalling Hirt's tone at the time, it was more like a parent cleaning up after a child's mess, and I wondered why she hadn't noticed sooner.
"Mm… it is for a somewhat complicated reason, but it is because I am the God who manages this world. While I am involved in the world, I must also keep watch over matters outside of it."
After a moment of thought, she explained it in a way that was easy to understand. In other words, Hirt was the Queen and Chief Executive running the state, while Luminous and Mora were in supporting roles.
When one is focused on state affairs, especially diplomacy, they often don't know what their children are up to.
Of course, given my identity, Hirt must have been watching my every move. From her perspective, the trouble started the moment she looked away.
The problem was that she "looked away" from Hirt's perspective. For a god who has lived for thousands of years, a "moment" is a very long time by mortal standards.
"And I am the Goddess of Nature. I can deal with external forces, but unlike my children, it is difficult for me to exert great influence over the afterlife."
"By external forces, you mean the gods of Earth, right?"
"For now, yes. Since the gods of Earth are the only ones we have encountered so far."
"That must be very difficult for you."
I heard it from Mora. If they were to interfere with me severely or if anything were to happen to me, Earth's gods would declare war immediately.
For Hirt, this ascetic incident must have been more than just a close call. That’s why she had punished them so severely.
"Sigh… hearing you say that makes me feel somewhat comforted. I don't know what the rush was that made them torment such a kind child."
The feelings of a parent cleaning up a mess made by their children were palpable. Both the twin sibling gods and Hirt were remarkably human.
It’s because they are human-like that they make mistakes. Furthermore, hadn't they said they couldn't see my future at all?
As I had used as an analogy before, they had acted out of the anxiety that the hunting dog they had raised so beautifully might one day bite their throats.
Since it was something that had never happened before, they must have been very uneasy.
"If you wish to hold my children accountable for what they have done, I will gladly accept it. A child's fault is the parent's responsibility."
"No. There's no need for that. I've already received an apology. Besides, I said some harsh things to Lady Mora as well."
At the time, I was so angry that I had lashed out at Mora, calling her "disgustingly human."
If I were to meet her again, I wanted to apologize for those harsh words. Even though she was the one in the wrong first, it was for the sake of restoring our mutual trust.
Instead, there was one thing I wanted to ask. I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out a black elixir the size of a pea.
The pill that had come from the hand that had held Mora's. I was curious about what it was.
"May I ask what this is?"
"..."
Hirt stared silently at the object on my palm. But her reaction was a bit strange.
Hirt, who had been wearing a soft smile until a moment ago, now had a peculiar expression. It was a look that said, 'Why is this here?'
Judging by her reaction, it was clearly no ordinary elixir. Seeing Hirt, of all people, make such a face made me even more curious.
"Child. May I ask where you obtained that?"
After staring at the black bead for a while, Hirt asked me in a curious tone. Even the Goddess of Nature found the bead's existence puzzling.
I had no intention of hiding it, and there was nothing to gain from avoiding the question. So, I answered her plainly.
"I got it when you dragged Lady Mora away. I was holding her hand then."
"You were holding her hand?"
"Yes."
"Hmm…"
Hirt seemed even more puzzled by my answer. But soon, she let out a sigh of realization and gave a bitter smile.
Just as I was blinking, unable to fathom what was going on, Hirt spoke quietly.
"First, let me tell you what this is. This is 'Divinity' that has broken off from Mora."
"…Pardon?"
"…Eh?"
What did I just hear? Not just me, but Arwen, who had been listening quietly beside me, had a similar reaction.
Divinity. Was it the same divinity that Luminous and Mora had occasionally wagered?
It felt cheapened because they kept wagering divinity like it was pocket change, but it was never something to be ignored.
Even a tiny amount of divinity is not something a mere mortal could withstand. The same went for the piece of Mora's divinity I held.
"Di-Divinity? The divinity I'm thinking of?"
"Indeed. It is the power absolutely necessary to become a Transcendent Being. Though it is a very minute amount, it is undoubtedly divinity."
"Why… why do I have Lady Mora's divinity… I only held her hand then…"
It wasn't a case of "we only held hands and a baby was made," but "we only held hands and divinity was made." I used a humorous analogy, but this was a problem on a completely different level.
I looked at the black bead—no, the divinity—with trembling eyes. What if I had just eaten this without thinking? What would have happened then?
Once, while I was talking to Luminous, Mora had intervened. The clash of their two divinities had given me a divine fever that left me bedridden for a while. What if I had actually consumed divinity?
Hirt, perhaps reading my thoughts, gave a silent smile and told me what would have happened.
"There would have been no major problem even if you had eaten it. You would have simply suffered from a divine fever for about fifteen days. Divinity is power in a compressed form. While it is true that divinity is needed to become a Transcendent Being, one also needs the corresponding 'Authority' and 'Symbol.' Do you understand what I mean?"
"…Roughly."
I understood the meaning. But it didn't quite sink in. How could a mere mortal understand the world of the gods?
"Then, can you tell me why this is in my hand?"
"Of course. It is because of the restriction placed by the gods of Earth."
"The gods of Earth?"
"It seems they have taken measures to strip us of our divinity should we make direct contact with you."
"Does that mean…"
Was Mora trying to play a trick on me? Just as a sense of betrayal was about to set in, Hirt quickly continued.
"Mora was likely not trying to do anything strange to you. Simply holding hands must have connected you."
"…I'm a bit sorry to say this, but at the time, Lady Mora was clinging to me, begging me not to depict her as an Evil God."
"At that time, it wasn't skin-to-skin contact, and it was one-sided. As I said, it must be direct contact. It is likely to prevent anything beyond giving you sacred power."
I tilted my head. I felt like I understood, yet I didn't.
However, a few questions remained. If Mora had her divinity stripped, even if it was a tiny amount, did it also apply to Hirt?
It might be a somewhat rebellious thought, but I couldn't help being curious. So, I stared intently at Hirt's face.
She must have read my mind, as she replied with a smile that said I was hopeless.
"Touching me will not mean much. I am an existence that is nature itself. Touching the ground or a tree doesn't cause anything to happen to you, does it?"
"Then what about when you bestowed the Pure Blessing? Should that be considered separate?"
"It would take a long time to explain. Shall I tell you?"
"Um… I'll pass."
There was no need to give myself a headache listening to this and that. It wasn't important anyway.
Hirt let out a soft laugh at my simple way of thinking. I rubbed the back of my neck and moved on to the next topic.
"So, Lady Mora wasn't trying to do anything bad to me, right?"
"As the Goddess of Nature and the one who rules this world, I give you my word. Her divinity was taken because of the restriction placed upon you; it was by no means because Mora harbored any ill intent."
"That's a relief. Then, one more thing."
I looked her straight in the eye and spoke in a questioning tone.
"Why did the gods of Earth place such a restriction?"
Even though the demon worshippers had committed a massive act of trolling, the gods of Earth clearly distrusted the gods of this world.
Of course, since the natural order had been more than just disrupted—it had been shattered—because I was forcibly brought here, their distrust was understandable. Hadn't they said a war almost broke out?
But even taking that into account, they had applied all sorts of insurance policies. To ensure that no one could ever do anything foolish to me.
Why on earth? While the gods of Earth had a tendency to protect me, their distrust of this world's gods was also significant.
At least from what I could see, the gods of this world were human-like and showed infinite love for mortals.
Even though they had been hasty in the recent incident, they had apologized in the end. Apologizing alone was enough to earn them a passing grade in my book.
"..."
Hirt remained silent as she looked into my heart. Her eyes also grew somber.
At the same time, a cool breeze blew, creating a calm yet heavy atmosphere. I waited patiently for her to speak.
After waiting for who knows how long, Hirt gave a bitter smile and carefully revealed their secret.
"…It is because there is a good reason for it."
"A good reason… you can't tell me, can you?"
"At least not for now."
Everyone has secrets they want to keep hidden for a lifetime. This is no different even for a god.
Hearing Hirt's answer, I nodded as if I understood. That one answer was enough.
"That's fine. Thank you for answering."
"No need for thanks. We are the ones who are more grateful. Is there anything you need?"
"Not particularly… Ah. There is one thing."
I already knew that the gods of Earth were closely watching this world. But I only found that out after Blood and Iron was released.
In that case, did they also know about the certain "trend" spreading through this world? If they did, how would they react?
"A reaction, you say…"
Meanwhile, Hirt, having read my mind, murmured softly. She then stared at me before letting out a chuckle and speaking.
"Even if I do not say, you will find out by this evening."
"What does that mean?"
"Ask the child beside you."
Arwen? As soon as I heard that, I looked at Arwen.
Arwen flinched for a moment upon being pointed out, then soon turned red and looked bashful. It seemed she was hiding something.
Something related to her—what could it be? I couldn't even begin to guess.
"When time passes, there is one god who will fly into a rage…"
Hirt murmured softly beside me.