Chapter 4: The Beginning (4)
Chapter 4: The Beginning (4)
First of all, it was clear that this silver-haired girl with the cute appearance was a far more powerful being than I was.
Yet, the fact that she treated me with respect made a good impression. Because of her cute, youthful looks and polite attitude, I didn't feel much pressure while speaking to her.
I decided to ask the thing I was most curious about first.
"Did you... heal my body?"
At my question, the silver-haired girl immediately shook her head.
"No."
Huh...?
I was slightly taken aback by the completely unexpected answer.
"Not yet."
Not yet...? I found it difficult to understand what she meant.
"This place where you stand now is a world I have created within my dreams."
It didn't feel like a dream at all...
"I am currently in a state where I cannot move easily and am asleep, so I had no choice but to summon you here."
The silver-haired girl sitting before me—the being who introduced herself as Tiamat—began to explain things one by one so that I could understand.
Tiamat was originally a dragon who had ascended to godhood. She was once a powerful deity in another dimension, but she said she had lost her strength and was currently resting in her own private space in a state of light sleep to recover.
The reason she ended up this way was that she had exhausted a vast amount of power during a war between gods fought over control of the Pantheon.
The Evil Gods, who sought to seize power by killing or suppressing all opposing factions in the Pantheon, had been caught plotting in a dimension other than Earth. That dimension became a battlefield, and the ensuing conflict was so fierce it left the world utterly devastated.
As evidenced by Tiamat’s presence here, the victors were the faction she belonged to. Tiamat had suppressed the opposing Evil Gods... but in the process, she had spent so much power that she fell into a long slumber.
However, the reason she was able to wake up now was due to measures she had taken before entering her sleep.
Since the Evil Gods who caused trouble in the Pantheon were ultimately gods, they could not be killed perfectly. It was obvious they would be resurrected someday, and since the dimension that served as the battlefield had been completely shattered by the aftermath of the fight, they decided to use it as a prison to seal them away...
"But a problem has arisen, and the repercussions are reaching your world as well."
"Is the appearance of the Portals perhaps...?"
"Indeed. It is the work of the Evil Gods, who are trying to break the seal to escape the dimension where we imprisoned them."
Tiamat then provided further explanation to aid my understanding.
She said they were fracturing worlds and sending pieces of them to our world to create cracks and widen the gaps in the dimension where the Evil Gods were imprisoned. These fragments were the cause of the Portals.
The Dungeons inside the Portals were a type of bomb; if the creatures inside weren't killed within a certain time, the bomb would detonate, dealing a massive shock to the dimension and weakening the seal between our world and the dimension where the Evil Gods were trapped.
The seal, which was firm at first, had been weakening very gradually due to the persistent efforts of the Evil Gods.
The only saving grace was that the Awakeners born on Earth had unintentionally cleared the Dungeons in time, preventing many of these shocks and slowing down the process.
However, perhaps because the Evil Gods were also recovering their strength, the Dungeons were becoming increasingly difficult to clear...
She said that in places like underdeveloped countries that weren't properly prepared, Dungeons were going uncleared without us even knowing.
People getting injured like I was... it wasn't just happening rarely in our country. It was happening constantly in places I didn't know about...
I felt a bit ashamed of myself for thinking I was the unluckiest and most miserable person in the world.
Regardless of my feelings, Tiamat continued her explanation.
Tiamat had set up a device to trigger if something went wrong with the seal, but things had gone south much sooner than expected. Most of the gods had yet to recover, and Tiamat had no way to respond to the plan the Evil Gods had devised to weaken the seal and escape.
Though she was conscious in her state of light sleep, the power she could wield was minimal.
"It was only recently that I recovered enough power to think of a solution. It is to appoint a Proxy to command my subordinates in my stead."
"Then, am I that Proxy...?"
"Correct. I searched for several suitable humans and attempted to contact them in a way that would be quite familiar to you all, but you were the only one who answered."
An ordinary person with no abilities. Moreover, someone so severely injured he couldn't even move his body properly. I wondered why I was considered a "suitable human," but I didn't want to turn down such a stroke of luck.
"If you form a contract with me, your body will be completely restored. Will you contract with me?"
"Yes. I'll do it."
Well, I could have asked for detailed terms... but from my position, I didn't have the luxury to be picky. Such things were a decadence and a luxury I couldn't afford.
She was offering to make my body whole again; that alone was the fulfillment of my greatest wish.
Now, I wouldn't have to make Noona suffer anymore.
Ah... or should I say, I'd make her suffer a little less...
Since I hadn't saved any money, I'd still have to rely on her for a while...
Ahem... anyway!
It was certain that things would be much better than they were now if my body was just functional.
When I accepted immediately, Tiamat smirked as if she had expected it. I felt a bit like I was dancing in the palm of her hand, but it didn't feel bad. Even if she was using me, it wasn't to my disadvantage; rather, it was closer to her giving me immense help.
If anything, I only felt grateful to Tiamat for giving me this opportunity and choosing me.
"Then, come to my side."
I stood up immediately and walked over to Tiamat. Although it wasn't reality, walking felt awkward for the first time in a long while, but I got used to it quickly.
Because Tiamat had the physique of a young child, even though she was sitting on a chair, I naturally had to look down at her. From this close, I could see horns that I hadn't noticed when I was further away.
Tiny, ivory-colored horns were mostly hidden within her silver hair, their tips peeking out shyly. Since she said she was originally a dragon, I suppose those traits still remained...?
Tiamat, looking up at me, tapped the table.
"Is it not too high? Match my height."
"Ah... yes."
Her face briefly turned into a pout, like a typical young girl who was upset, before returning to her original dignified expression.
Hmm... based on what Tiamat said earlier, she obviously wasn't a child but a divine being of considerable age...
"It seems you are thinking of something strange."
"No, I'm not."
Can she read minds...?
Ugh...
Even though this is a dream space, do my thoughts show on my face? My sister reads my mind every time, too... I wondered if it was happening here as well.
Anyway, that wasn't what was important. I fixed my expression, took a deep breath, and quickly changed my posture as Tiamat instructed.
I considered bending at the waist to match the eye level of the seated Tiamat, but it felt a bit awkward to stare her in the face like that, so I simply knelt on one knee.
Mm... that's just right.
"Oh... so you know how to show proper etiquette?"
Huh...?
As it turned out, I had taken a posture a knight might take before his lord in a movie. Tiamat seemed quite pleased with this, as her satisfaction was evident.
What should I do now...?
Before I could say anything to Tiamat, I felt the sensation of her soft palms cupping my face. Then, she leaned in, pressed her forehead against mine, and closed her eyes.
Even though I had no special abilities, I immediately realized that this was an act akin to a ritual.
Her two hands and her forehead were warm. I felt an unknown energy flowing into my body.
★ ★ ★
What...? Was it a dream?
When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling of my room. A familiar sight.
But I soon realized it wasn't a dream. Unlike before, my entire body was overflowing with vitality.
Of course, the scars were still there, but I could clearly see with my own eyes that muscle had been added to my frame. This wasn't the frail body that had been unable to do even simple housework since the accident two years ago.
Above all, the biggest change was...
"It was real..."
Standing firmly on my two legs, I stood dazed for a while, caught in a whirlwind of emotions that were hard to describe.
"Ouch...!"
It might look stupid, but I pinched my cheek just in case it was a dream. I felt only a pleasant sting.
I clenched my fists and enjoyed this joyful moment alone. I knew for certain now that becoming Tiamat's knight and the manager of the Awakeners under her command was something that had truly happened.
At this moment, I wished my sister were here. I wanted to savor this happy moment with her and let her know that I wouldn't have to rely on her or be a burden to her anymore.
"Should I call Noona...?"
I looked for my smartphone, which I didn't use often. Since I had been confined to a wheelchair, my belongings were usually placed where I could easily reach them, and it was on a table next to my bed where I kept my things.
Holding the smartphone, I hesitated for a moment.
Did I really need to tell her over the phone right now? It was a wonderful thing that my body was healed, but I wanted to show her this state in person and surprise her. Doing it over the phone felt like it would diminish the impact, and it might just give her something else to worry about while she was in the middle of work.
Yeah... let's surprise her when she gets back. That'll be better.
But then, I noticed a strange new app on my smartphone.
[Awakener Manager App]
It featured a cute, silver-haired SD character, making it look like a mobile game app, but it wasn't a game. As soon as I saw it, I remembered what Tiamat had told me at the end of the dream.
"I shall allow you to use your power in a way that is familiar to humans."
Hmm... Tiamat said that since I was an ordinary person with no abilities, no magical foundation, and no awakened talent, she would change the method to one suited for a complete beginner...
But she could even do it like this...?
I didn't know whether to call it amazing or...
Well, it was a bit absurd since it was a different kind of power than I had imagined, but since she was the benefactor who healed me, I should think of it as amazing, right?
Seeing as she told me not to call her "Lady Tiamat" even though she was clearly my superior, she seemed like a good person, so I decided to think positively.
I sat on the edge of the bed and launched the app.