I Split the Sky
"What the hell is this lunatic?"
Those were Reina's first words after she released her beast transformation and returned to her original form. They perfectly captured my own bewildered state of mind.
"Grrrr—!"
Her voice brimmed with caution. Even though she'd undone the beast transformation, her wariness remained fully intact. This was after Rin had already lowered her weapon and clearly signaled she had no intention of fighting.
It was only natural. We'd suddenly hurled sword energy at her and left her injured—who would look on us favorably after that? Even I didn't come off well in this situation.
"What is this? Isn't that a cat beastkin? Hehe. I figured something like this might happen, so I came prepared."
When I simply stared without a word, Rin reacted first to Reina's heated glare. Wearing a relaxed smile, she pulled out an assortment of items: a wooden ball, some fish, a wooden scratcher, catnip, and more. It was a comprehensive cat-conquering gift set.
"How dare a mere human...! After angering this Lady Reina, you think I'll just roll over... Let's speak with our chieftain first!"
Reina had been raising her voice in clear irritation, but she quietly accepted the various objects from Rin's hands and withdrew from the area. It seemed the bribe Rin prepared had worked like a charm.
Reina, so you were that easy? Calming your anger with stuff like this.
And this was the first time I'd learned that beastkin enjoyed the exact same things regular animals did. Valuable information.
"The Shiba Ducal Family of the Seolha Empire... What brings the young lady all the way out here?"
"I apologize for the rudeness. I am indeed Rin Shiba, as you said. I have come to meet your god."
"Our... god?"
At Rin's explanation, Yuho glanced at me. Her eyes seemed to ask what I wanted to do. I nodded. Hearing her out didn't seem like a bad idea.
The Shiba Ducal Family was one of the only two ducal houses in the Seolha Empire and possessed what might be the strongest martial power on the entire continent. Despite having zero interest in worldly power or fame, they held ducal status because they pursued nothing but overwhelming strength, had led the charge in countless wars and returned with victory after victory, and symbolized the very blade of the Seolha Empire.
However, they were so self-centered that seeking their cooperation was extremely difficult. They would happily rush into any war, but for anything else they turned uncooperative—even if the order came directly from the emperor. The family even skipped the emperor's annual banquets every year using training as an excuse. That pretty much said it all.
It was strange that the emperor allowed such a family to exist as they pleased. Anyway, that was exactly why I was curious. Why had someone from such a closed-off clan come all the way to this place?
"The attack just now was meant to confirm whether your god was truly this man. I assumed that if he really was the god, you would rush to protect him first... For that, I wish to bow my head and apologize. It was too extreme. I'm sorry."
"No matter the reason, putting our god in danger is unforgivable."
Rin bowed her head in apology, but Yuho's expression didn't soften. If anything, hearing the reason seemed to make her even more offended—her face was harder than before.
"If necessary, I will show my sincerity even if it means cutting off this hand. After all, I can wield the sword with my left."
Rin drew her blade and moved to sever her own right hand. The sword had been sheathed at her left hip, making it obvious she was right-handed, yet she still tried.
"No, you don't have to go that far. That's more than enough sincerity."
The casual tone slipped out before I could stop myself. I usually spoke politely, but there hadn't been time to think. Her actions were completely unpredictable. Of course I could heal her even if she cut it off, but there was no need to shed pointless blood.
"If our god says so... Hmm."
Yuho seemed to have let go of some of her anger, but her expression stayed the same. No—her eyes actually grew fiercer.
"If a hand cannot serve as compensation... then I shall make one promise. I, Rin Shiba, will stand with the beastkin and fight the Church."
"The Church...?!"
Everyone present—including Yuho and me—was shocked. The young lady of the Shiba Ducal Family was turning her back on the Church? The Seolha Empire wasn't as devout as the Arcadia Empire, but humans still generally followed the Church's teachings, making it a universal religion. By contrast, the ancient god worshipped by the beastkin was considered heresy. No matter how I looked at it, there was no reason for Rin to side with the beastkin and oppose the Church.
If this fact reached the Church, it would cause an enormous uproar.
"As I said before, this maiden has come to become my lord's servant. I wish to convert."
"Do you truly understand what that means?"
"I do. Even if my family's wishes differ from this maiden's heart, it will not change."
This was headache-inducing. The beastkin had known the truth about my magic from the start. They'd become my subordinates after receiving the "healing" with full awareness. But did this person actually know what she was saying?
"Are you short on money? Just say the word, my lord. This maiden has plenty and can offer more."
Money pouches began emerging from every part of Rin's body. I only noticed it now—she had gold coin bags dangling all over her like training weights. This woman was seriously on another level.
"Hmm... How strange. People usually rejoice when given money... Perhaps you prefer something else."
Even as a mountain of money pouches piled up before me, I didn't bat an eye, so Rin fell into serious thought. She seemed to have misunderstood that I wasn't accepting because the amount was insufficient.
"No, that's not the issue. Do you really understand what becoming my servant means?"
"Hehe. Of course I know. Isn't that why I came seeking you? This maiden can do anything to become stronger! Please bestow your blessing so this maiden may grow strong!"
Rin answered with absolute confidence.
Yeah, she must have come all this way because she already knows everything.
Otherwise there'd be no reason to travel all the way to the Goshura Great Forest where the beastmen lived. One thing that puzzled me was how the Shiba family even knew about the ancient god. I'd only learned about it recently myself. It was surprising.
And the look on her face when she spoke of wanting to become stronger—unlike her usual playful, eccentric behavior, her serious expression held not the slightest hesitation. If anything, I could feel a rock-solid resolve.
This much should be fine.
"Becoming a servant simply means offering money steadily! That is the foundation of the master-servant relationship. Is that not the proper price?"
"No, I keep telling you the money is fine."
She acted like she knew everything, but in reality she knew nothing? To spout the wrong answer with such confidence?
She knew the ancient god could strengthen his subordinates through blessings, but only that much. She had no idea how enormous the actual price was.
I let out a sigh and explained.
It was true that, as a god, I could make my subordinates stronger. However, the power of the blessing changed according to the depth of their faith.
"...Becoming a subordinate means becoming the god's slave. And not just in name—through the power of my authority, you become bound both mentally and physically. Even so, is that still acceptable?"
"...A slave?!"
Rin's eyes flew wide open. The slight tremble in her pupils showed that it did bother her after all. Yes, this was the normal reaction. Who in their right mind would willingly ask to become a slave for life?
"Very well!"
She was actually okay with it?
"However... this maiden has one question."
"What is it?"
Rin, who had instantly given a positive answer, asked with a serious expression unlike any she'd shown before.
"Ancient god, my lord—do you share the same will as the Demon King?"
"No. Absolutely not."
I answered without hesitation. The Demon King's army were the damned bastards who had killed my beloved Daeho. On top of that, they kept disturbing my peaceful life. There was no way I could ever get along with them.
"Then all is well! Please make this maiden your servant. In the Shiba family, strength is everything. If I can become stronger, subordination is nothing... I would even offer my soul."
The moment I denied any connection to the Demon King, Rin broke into a bright smile.
Yes, there was one thing I remembered. While the Shiba family treated even the emperor's commands with indifference, there had been one instance where they moved with real purpose. They despised the demon race with every fiber of their being. Whenever war or anything connected to the demon race appeared, they would draw their blades and charge forward.
However, the Rin Shiba from the original story...
She spent all her time in closed-door training because she believed she was still too weak, right?
Thanks to that, she was a character who didn't appear until the latter half of the story. If Sieg Barbary felt like an addition after Freya, then Rin felt like a replacement who appeared after Daeho's death.
I decided not to drag things out any longer and bestow the blessing with a light heart.
"Heal—."
Rin Shiba wasn't injured anywhere and was perfectly fine, but I was so used to giving blessings through healing magic that I cast it anyway.
And the blessing I wanted to give her was—
"Become the strongest in the world."
I don't know why. The words suddenly came to mind as if something had possessed me.
The moment the healing light enveloped Rin—
"Yap!"
Rin drew her sword and swung it. Blue light—no, white sword energy. Even in broad daylight, the radiance was as blinding as the sun itself.
She swung her blade toward the sky. The sword launched a perfectly straight wave of energy.
In that instant—
"The—the sky...!"
Reina cried out in shock.
A straight line spread across the blue sky, growing wider and wider.
"It split?!"
It had been sliced cleanly in two. She had cut the sky itself.
Strength is justice. That is everything.
It was a phrase I'd heard since the day I was born. My mother, Duchess Shiba, had repeated it so often that calluses had practically formed on my ears.
Only the strong survive.
And I naturally agreed. It felt like I'd simply come to accept it as the law of the world. The world consisted of the strong, the weak, and those in between. The reason we could maintain our current affluent lives, the reason the Seolha Empire could hold its position as an empire—it was all because we were strong.
Become strong, Rin. The strongest in the world.
After hearing those words from Mother, I trained to become the strongest on the planet. I was the young lady of the Shiba family. Having received the finest body, swordsmanship, and environment the family could provide, I was certain I could reach the pinnacle.
But—
I can't win...
The Demon King I happened to encounter. The moment I saw her, I realized there were walls in this world that could never be overcome. Mother was certainly a formidable powerhouse, but the Demon King existed in a heaven above the heavens. That experience became trauma, and no matter how much I trained afterward, nothing felt satisfying.
Sometimes even my naturally optimistic personality couldn't overcome those negative emotions. It was miserable. The version of myself that couldn't surpass the wall.
I will slice the sky.
After that, I trained with the sole purpose of cutting the heavens. Then I learned a piece of information.
The ancient god of the beastkin can strengthen his subordinates. He can grant power that transcends human limits...
I saw it as an opportunity. One I would never regret.
When I first laid eyes on the ancient god of the beastkin, I was disappointed. He was nothing but a human. And a man, at that. That sort of being was a god? I couldn't believe it.
So I tested him. If he was someone capable of granting me power, he would easily dodge my sword energy.
In the end, seeing how the beastkin protected him with such care made me acknowledge that he was their god, but my doubts weren't completely erased.
Still, since I'd come this far, I wanted to at least receive the blessing as a test. The time I'd already spent would be wasted otherwise. Besides, I was confident.
Becoming a subordinate means becoming the god's slave. And not just in name—through the power of my authority, you become bound both mentally and physically. Is that still acceptable?
Subordination? Becoming a slave? On the surface I acted as if I accepted it, but I told myself there was no way. I'd heard of hypnosis magic that turned people into literal puppets, but the beastkin around him didn't seem like that. They all appeared to be living beings with their own wills.
I believed I could overcome such restraints through sheer spirit. I wouldn't become a slave. And even if I did, as long as I could become stronger! That would be enough to satisfy me.
So grant me power, ancient god.
"Heal—."
When the man activated his magic, my heart melted in an instant. A warmth that reached all the way to my bones.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
And then my heart began to race madly.
After receiving the blessing and looking at that man, my breathing grew ragged.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Moreover, a fresh desire to make that man happy bloomed within me.
"Become the strongest in the world."
The blessing I received was to become the strongest in the world. I wanted to achieve that and bring him joy.
So I swung my sword toward the sky, recalling the Demon King I had once faced.
Then—
Rumble—!
The sky roared like thunder and split apart.
"Insane..."
Was he satisfied? The man stared at the sky with wide, round eyes, completely dazed.
I want to make him even happier...!
It seemed yet another reason for me to grow stronger had been born inside Rin.