Meeting with the Gods (2)
I had no memory of anything after collapsing into Hyeonseok's arms.
The only thing I could recall was a pleasant fragrance that tickled my senses with every breath. Just that one thing. After that came the sensation of my consciousness snuffing out like a candle, and now here I was again — nothing but awareness, floating in a pure white room.
"Why on earth am I back here?"
I was worried about Hyeonseok and Yeonseo, but Gabriel had been successfully purified, so they shouldn't be in any real danger.
"Ugh, why do I keep ending up on this side lately? And Partruna isn't even here... Hm?"
As I looked around, a door opened before me, and two men stepped through.
"Oh? So this is her apostle?"
"So I've been told."
They know I'm an apostle... which means these two are gods as well...!
"Are the two of you gods, like Partruna?"
"We are. I am Thoth. This is Vulcanus."
"A pleasure to meet you, Apostle."
"Ah — yes! It's a pleasure to meet you too."
Thoth and Vulcanus carried similar yet distinctly different airs about them.
Thoth wore an ibis mask, a striped headcloth draped over his head, and around his neck hung a broad collar — an usekh — adorned with stone beads, gold, and all manner of jewels. His clothing was thin and loose, made of a fabric that let the breeze pass freely through; he wore a skirt or linen cloth fixed by a shoulder strap that left his chest bare, the neckline cut open and the side seams folded forward and secured with a waist sash. A cloth of golden thread was wrapped around his waist. In his right hand he held a staff, and an ankh hung from his left hip.
Vulcanus wore a short, rough-looking beard and an eyepatch over his right eye. A woolen cloak was draped over his left shoulder; his upper garment left the right half of his torso bare while the left side was knotted at the shoulder, falling into a tunic that reached his knees. Several finely crafted rings set with jewels adorned his fingers, and a leather bracelet circled his wrist. A blacksmith's hammer — clearly his symbol — hung from his right hip.
"Um, so... why am I here, exactly?"
"Hmm? What, did she not tell you?"
"I just blacked out all of a sudden, and when I opened my eyes, I was here."
Thoth furrowed his brow and began pressing the creases with his fingers, while Vulcanus stroked his rough beard and let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! Must've been in such a rush she didn't bother explaining!"
"Haa... well, she was reuniting with her big brother after so long, so I suppose it's understandable, but still..."
Big brother? What was that supposed to mean? "She" clearly referred to Partruna, but I couldn't make sense of it. A goddess with a big brother — did that mean another god? Or was it something else entirely...?
"Ahem!"
Thoth's pointed cough snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked back at them and asked the question that had been nagging at me.
"When you say 'she,' I assume you mean Partruna... but what did you mean by 'big brother'?"
"Hmm. Ask Partruna that yourself when you next meet her. More importantly — how is your body?"
Thoth changed the subject so quickly it was clear he wanted me to take that particular question directly to her.
"Uh... I'm not sure? It feels the same as usual."
"That can't be right... You absorbed the energy of an evil god and nothing's wrong?"
Ah. I think I know what he's talking about.
The moment the words left his mouth, a wave of mortification crashed over me so hard I thought I might die right there on the spot.
"Well... it's not that there's nothing..."
"Oh? And what symptoms, exactly? You'll need to tell me so I can record them. For future reference, you understand."
"Ugh... do I really have to say it?"
"What could possibly be so bad? Whisper it to me alone, if you must. That fellow over there prefers making things to writing them down — he won't care either way."
"W-well, if it's just that..."
I leaned in and whispered the side effect of absorbing an evil god's energy — that one's body grows feverishly hot — and the look on Thoth's face was so stunned I almost couldn't believe a god was capable of making it.
"Ahem. Yes, well... I shall refrain from recording that particular detail. My apologies."
"It's fine... More importantly, why am I here?"
"Partruna descended into your body."
Vulcanus, who had been quietly watching from the side, spoke up as he worked a raw ore he'd pulled from his robes.
"What? W-wait a second! What do you mean, descended?!"
"Calm yourself. She only went down to find out what Gabriel knew."
"Haa... A little advance warning would've been nice."
"More to the point — has Partruna told you the truth about this world?"
"Hmm, well, I get the general idea. Climb the Tower and gather divinity, right?"
"Ha! So she didn't tell you that part."
"Didn't tell me what...?"
"Vulcanus, keep your mouth shut. You'll come to understand in due time. When that day arrives, you will have a choice to make. Remember only that."
"A choice?"
"Whatever choice you make, we will understand. So don't worry yourself over it."
I couldn't begin to grasp what they were talking about, but it seemed that whenever the time came for me to choose, it would be a decision that affected even the gods. The fact that they said they'd understand no matter what I chose suggested I didn't need to dwell on it too heavily — and yet the mere possibility left a weight in my chest.
As I was wrapping up my conversation with Thoth, Vulcanus approached, slung an arm over my right shoulder in a companionable hold, and grinned.
"More importantly — looks like you've been putting that weapon I gave you to good use. I'll be sending a few more your way, so make sure you use those well too!"
"Ah! Yes, thank you. I wouldn't have made it this far without it."
"Hahaha! That's what I like to hear! And that fighting style of yours is something else. I've gotten to watch some truly entertaining scenes thanks to you!"
Vulcanus clapped me on the back, laughing with genuine delight as he launched into an explanation of the weapons I'd be receiving. Not that it mattered much — I'd only really understand them once I put them to use.
"Keep conquering the Tower well. There are artifacts and system unlocks we placed there for humanity's sake, after all."
"Yes! You don't need to worry about that. I need to gather divinity anyway, and unlocking things to restore the world — even if not completely — to some semblance of what it was would be for the best."
"Good! That's the spirit! No matter what hardships and trials come their way, humans always rise to face them. It's a sight that never gets old, no matter how many times I see it!"
As we were talking, a light flared beside us, and Gabriel appeared.
"Looks like the time has come. Welcome, Gabriel."
"This humble messenger greets the exalted gods."
"Enough of that. We'll have more to discuss with you going forward. For now, go and rest."
"Yes. And to the Goddess's apostle — once again, you have my deepest gratitude."
"I only did what needed to be done."
After that, Thoth and Vulcanus said they needed to speak with Gabriel and vanished from before me. Not long after, Partruna appeared in their place.
"Partruna! If something like this is going to happen, at least tell me first— Eek! What are you doing?!"
"What does it look like I'm doing?! I'm punishing my lewd little apostle! Honestly, how could you— how could you do something so—!"
The moment I tried to tell her she should warn me about things like this in advance, she marched right up, pinched my cheek, and stretched it out while launching into a full lecture. The more I listened, the more unfair it all felt. It wasn't as if I'd wanted that to happen — and judging by Thoth's reaction, even the gods hadn't anticipated that particular side effect.
"But you're the one who made this body! You're just as— just as guilty!"
"Excuse me?! What are you talking about?! I may have modeled it after my own, but it most certainly does not go that far!"
"Anyway! That... that kind of physical reaction is not my fault! Even Lord Thoth didn't know about the side effects of purification, so I'm innocent! Hmph!"
"Haa, fine. We'll put this conversation aside for later. I've already spoken to the two of them, so from now on, please investigate anyone or anything connected to the evil god a little more thoroughly."
"All right. But is that enough?"
"For now, it is. The evil god hasn't fully revealed itself yet — it's only just beginning to show its hand."
"But is it even possible to... contain that evil god's energy?"
"If the evil god itself granted the authority, or if someone received a storage-related ability from a god... then yes, it might be possible."
"Got it. I'll dig up everything I can and keep climbing the Tower to gather divinity. Speaking of divinity, though, there's something I wanted to ask you—"
"Well! Looks like time's up. See you later!"
"Wait, hang on—!"
The world before my eyes turned pure white, and my consciousness slipped away into sleep.
But her behavior at the end — the way she seemed to be hiding something the moment I brought up divinity — kept nagging at me. At first I'd thought she'd turned me into a woman purely out of personal preference, but the feeling that there was more to it than that kept circling through my mind.
And yet, when I opened my eyes again, I found I couldn't recall the subject at all. It was as if something was deliberately blocking the memory from surfacing.
In the realm of the gods — the Divine Realm that Charlotte had just left — Partruna and Thoth stood watching Charlotte and her companions through a mirror.
Having met the girl in person and spoken with her, Thoth seemed lost in thought for a long while before finally turning to Partruna.
"Are you truly certain you needn't tell him — no, her?"
"I have no choice. Not yet... the time isn't right."
"From what I can tell, she doesn't even remember her own past. And she doesn't question becoming a woman, either — she simply accepts it as your blessing."
"It's still too soon. She hasn't even reached the form I envisioned for her. She'll need to go through one more transformation... no, two more, before her body becomes what I've planned."
"Haa. Listen, Partruna. Plans matter, but must you hide this much? She is your apostle, is she not? And your big brother—"
"Stop! Please, just stop. I... I know. Hiding things won't solve anything. But at the very least, I want to wait until Charlotte has grown a little more before I tell her. By then, she'll be honest about the feelings she doesn't even understand yet — and she'll be ready to accept the truth."
"That would be ideal. But what if she can't? The moment she rejects it, our entire plan collapses."
"That's—!"
"You must account for that possibility as well. Contingencies are part of any strategy — part of any plan."
"As expected of Lord Thoth... you're always so thorough. Haa. All right. I'll have a proper talk with Charlotte when the time comes."
As Partruna and Thoth spoke, the other gods and Gabriel approached. At a gesture from Thoth, the space transformed into a council chamber, and the gods began discussing what was to be done with Earth — and the plan they had laid for the birth of a new god.
In a world crumbling to pieces, there were people searching for gods, and gods who would help those people by any means necessary.
And so, even today, they continued to live in this world.