Thetis (1)
After wrapping things up in Babel—no, Procyon—the Hero and I set off to tour the world once more. This time, it wasn't about smashing strong monsters. It was purely for sightseeing.
The Hero had been pretty rattled ever since the tower collapsed. His first kill—a human, no less—must have hit him hard. A righteous hero like him probably never imagined he'd take a life.
So...
"The sea!"
I'd dragged him along to see the vast ocean.
"Why the sea all of a sudden?"
"Hm. Just look at that endless expanse. Doesn't it clear your mind right up?"
The horizon where sky met sea stretched out forever. The sight alone was refreshing, like it punched a hole straight through your chest. I figured it might help ease the Hero's troubled heart, even a little.
"Well, it is pretty spectacular, I suppose."
"Right?"
Seemed like it was helping a bit. Good. If it offered him even a smidge of relief, the trip was worth it.
Plus, that diamond embedded in his sword... it hadn't affected him at all, as far as I could tell. No idea why, but it had been dead quiet. Was it because I was nearby? Or some other reason? Who knows.
"So, did you bring me here just to show me the sea?"
"That's part of it, but..."
I scooped up the Beast God, who was rubbing against my leg like a needy puppy after polymorphing into a small dog.
"I've got somewhere to be."
And with that, I hurled him toward the ocean with all my might.
The Beast God arced through the air in a massive parabola, shifting forms right before hitting the water. He turned into a sleek-skinned dolphin. Yep, just as I thought—whales count as beasts too, huh? Wait, does that mean whale beastkin are possible? Hm... better not dwell on that.
"What the—?!"
"And one more thing."
I snapped my fingers, and a wooden ship materialized above the waves. In this era, where the best folks had were rafts woven from logs or dug-out canoes, this would turn heads! But we had a long way to go, and I wasn't paddling a raft.
"Is that... a ship?"
"Yep. Made it myself."
I'd run into primitive sailors on past trips, but their "ships" were just rafts or hollowed logs. This was probably the first proper vessel he'd seen. Though, humans wouldn't take long to figure out real shipbuilding.
"But why a ship out of nowhere...?"
"The one we're going to meet lives far out at sea."
Time to pay Thetis a visit. We'd cross the ocean on this ship, using the Beast God as our engine!
I had him shift into a massive whale, tied him with rope, and off we went. A god's a god, beast or not. He cleaved through the rough currents like they were nothing—a sight to behold.
Spending time idly on deck got boring, so I went fishing! Sure, I could just magic up fish anytime, but fishing's about the thrill. Wondering which one would bite next, casting the line... pure fun.
"Urk..."
The Hero, though? Not so much.
"Seasick, huh?"
"S-sorry... Urp..."
I patted his back silently as he hurled over the rail. On land, he could slice any monster to bits, but at sea? Totally helpless.
Ugh. Should've left him ashore and gone solo. I'd have zipped to Thetis and back in no time.
All I could do was brew him some ginger-honey tea. I tucked the seasick Hero into the cabin, magicked him to sleep, then gazed out toward Thetis's domain.
Alone in that vast ocean... The lonely type, how was my girl holding up?
"Hyah!"
Fish zipped through the turquoise sea, trailing white foam. No—humans. No—fish-humans. Mermaids, upper body human, lower half fish. They swam circles around the ship, full of energy.
Er... didn't expect mermaids.
"What is this? Huh? What?!"
"It's hard! Not as hard as rock, but still hard."
"People up top! They have horns! Do land folk all have horns like that?"
Hm. Bubbly mermaids. Giggling at every little thing. They spoke my language, so probably human descendants.
Should learn more from Thetis.
"I'm here to see Thetis. Make way."
"Thetis?"
"Who's that?"
"Dummy! It's the Great Current!"
"Great Current! Great Current!!"
Great Current, huh. Fair enough—she pretty much ruled the ocean flows. Not wrong.
But they ignored me, chattering among themselves. No progress like this.
No choice.
「Thetis.」
「Mom?」
Hm. Quick response.
「Really you, Mom?」
「Yes, it's me. Long time no see.」
That instant—
"Whoa!"
"The currents shifted!"
"Everyone, swim away! The Great Current's moving!"
A massive current shoved the ship along. The Beast God thrashed to break free, but against that power, one beast-god was futile.
We rode it to a churning whirlpool—the heart of Thetis's true form.
「M-Mom...」
「I-I... sorry. I have so much I want to say, but seeing you... I can't get it out. So... ugh...」
I gazed at Thetis silently, then murmured softly.
「Have you been well?」
「Y-Yes... I've been... fine. Alone all this time, I thought about it nonstop. Why didn't I stop the fight? Why did I disappoint you? I kept regretting, over and over.」
Her voice was thick with emotion.
「I'm sorry, Mom. For disappointing you... for not doing better...」
Thetis was truly remorseful, reflecting deeply. Good. That was enough. All I needed.
"It's okay. You've reflected plenty."
「Mom...」
"My anger's gone now. Can't stay mad at a kid who's truly sorry."
I smiled gently.
"Let's hear how you've been spending your time."
Time to catch up on all those bottled-up stories.
"Er, um... something feels off. It's been so long since I had a body... feels awkward."
I eyed the aqua-haired woman before me—naturally, Thetis's incarnate form.
"Better than just your true body, though, right?"
"True. My true form makes everything tricky. One little move, and the currents tangle up, turning the sea into chaos."
"You're just too massive."
Too huge to budge easily. Size isn't everything.
"Speaking of... Mom, you've gotten awfully cute."
"Hm. Tell me about it. Polymorph, and I end up this tiny silver-haired girl with horns. Such a hassle."
I could tweak the details, but the horns and silver hair? Fixed. Force it, and I couldn't use my full power.
"I think it's cute."
"Hm. Thanks, at least."
"I mean it?"
Yeah, trying to cheer me up.
"Anyway, that's the last of the incarnation magic I taught you."
"Guess I really was the last one."
"Hm. Not an easy place to visit."
Smack in the ocean's heart. Tough for most. I could manage solo, but this was also to show the Hero the sea.
Hm? Oh crap! The Hero!
I rushed to the cabin, invigorating the half-dried-fish Hero with a burst of life force.
"Oh my, a human?"
"Hm. One I've been carefully raising."
He was asleep, so chatting was fine.
"Heh... Mom really loves raising folks, huh? Makes sense—you raised us, after all."
"Not particularly..."
I just didn't want them turning twisted loners without guidance. Not because I wanted to raise them!
"Suure. If you say so, Mom. Sure it is... inside."
This kid...