Rat God (2)

A rural rat beastkin girl who went through all sorts of travels ends up becoming the Rat God. It's not just a reversal of fortune—it's a complete upheaval of her life. But hey, life is unpredictable, right? Just like a street orphan who doesn't remember their parents growing up to become a hero and etch their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠name in history.

Anyway, now that Maybel had become the Rat God, there wasn't much she could do right away. Her responsibilities were limited to her own kind... the rat beastkin, and that was it. Considering the scale, it didn't seem like there'd be a ton of work. So, maybe she could broaden the scope a bit—include other rodent beastkin like squirrels. They're basically relatives, after all.

Of course, taking responsibility didn't mean micromanaging every aspect of their lives. Just providing a protective barrier so they wouldn't be persecuted by other races or shielded from external threats—that should suffice. While she's at it, she could serve as a central figure for the rat beastkin, preventing any shady schemes.

Hmm... when I put it like that, it actually sounds like quite a bit of work.

So, for now...

"Our rat beastkin had an uncertain future! Our small stature and frail bodies were despised not only by other races but even by those we once called kin among the beastkin!"

Ella was bowing her head to the gathered rat beastkin, raising her voice dramatically.

Maybel had gained divinity, but at her core, she was still a young girl from the countryside who hadn't even reached adulthood. She inevitably needed outside help. In that situation, Ella—who had adventured as a rat beastkin and gained plenty of experience—was the perfect card to cover Maybel's weaknesses. On top of that, no matter what happened, she'd always be Maybel's staunch, unwavering ally.

Ella had been a bit hesitant at first about Maybel becoming a god, but Maybel's resolve was rock-solid. After a short talk, Ella threw up her hands and started working for her.

And so, the duo of rat beastkin mother-and-daughter con artists... ahem. Anyway, she's a god now, so it's not a con! Definitely not!!

The process by which these two rat beastkin mother and daughter conquered this rat-hole village went like this.

First, neutralize the leadership. Strike the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head to prevent any other movements. If they didn't take them all out at once, some survivor might poison Armen. They had to grab everyone simultaneously.

Of course, the aqueducts and Armen itself were protected by barriers, so it was somewhat safe, but you never know. They might find a way I hadn't considered to harm Armen's people.

Anyway, with my help, the two rat beastkin ambushed and cleanly subdued the rat beastkin leadership. The old rat beastkin had their guards, but Ella and Maybel—bolstered by a bit of enhancement magic—beat them all down.

After securing the leaders, Ella and Maybel used my magic to summon every rat beastkin in the village to the central square.

The rat beastkin, clueless as to what was happening, gathered in the square and were shocked to see their battered leaders. Then they were shocked again at the sight of Ella.

Ella was a rare success story among rat beastkin adventurers. But about a year ago, she'd vanished without a trace. So, seeing her return in such a ragged state must have been a jolt. Well, the tattered appearance was just because she hadn't changed out of her battle-worn clothes before coming down. All her wounds were healed, so her body was fine!

Anyway. Facing the assembled rat beastkin, Ella raised her voice and spread ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the truth about the ritual—something most of them didn't know in detail. Learning the facts plunged them into shock. Trying to massacre an entire city's people for their future? That would shock anyone with normal sensibilities.

But not all believed her outright. No one would fully trust someone who'd disappeared for a while, suddenly reappeared, smashed the leadership, and started shouting claims like that.

Some rat beastkin even yelled that if it was true, it was unavoidable for their survival. But even those voices fell silent under Ella's cries.

The ritual the leaders planned wasn't to create a god for the rat beastkin. It was an offering for a voice from underground—not for a rat god, but for something crouched in deep darkness, seeking rebirth as a god. That voice would devour all the offerings and then swallow every rat beastkin here.

Of course, the rat beastkin didn't fully buy it. They dismissed it as nonsense, tried to drag Ella and Maybel down, and even moved to rescue their broken leaders.

That atmosphere crumbled because of me.

I enveloped Maybel in dazzling light and whispered faintly into the ears of the other rat beastkin.

That whisper shook the minds of every rat beastkin in the square, and they knelt without realizing it.

After that, Ella did some preparations, announced they'd perform the proper ritual soon and to gather back in the square, then dismissed the crowd. She sent the trembling leaders to the prison where she'd been held, then unified the rat beastkin's faith with a proper ritual, allowing divinity to settle into Maybel.

"But... is it really okay for someone like her to become a god?"

Maybel let out a weak murmur with an anxious expression. But does it matter?

"You seem to think gods are these grand beings."

"Well, of course! They're gods!"

I gave Maybel a small smile and said,

"Gods aren't as impressive as you imagine. They're just... beings who can do more than others."

Plus, the more faith they gather, the stronger they get and the more they can do. But that's a minor detail.

"I-is that so?"

"Yeah. That's how it is."

Well, from my perspective, I have to consider that gods are beneath me. Anyway, that's how I see it. They strut around like great beings, but their power seems below that of dragons to me. Though, who knows if their followers multiply.

"If becoming a god makes you uneasy... I'll lend a hand."

"A hand?"

"Yeah. How about I assign Sirius as your boss?"

Sirius was originally the beastkin racial god, so he'd probably look after a new god like Maybel well enough.

"Huh?! Sirius?!"

"Yeah. Once you become a god... the god of the rat beastkin. The Rat God. Your divine rank won't be that high. So it'd be good to have a higher god overseeing you. Sirius fits perfectly."

Maybel's face went blank at my words.

"Just what... is the Dragon Priestess? No, the dragon? Making new gods left and right, now dumping me under Sirius...?"

I gave her a small smile.

"From the start, while adventuring with the Hero, Sirius—the first Beast God—joined us too. We're pretty close friends, you could say."

"Even if you're friends, he's a god. A god."

"He only became a proper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠god after the adventures ended."

Honestly, if he hadn't settled in Arcadia, he'd still be a beast. He owes me for that.

"Let's see... roughly as a lesser god under Sirius... hmm. You might have to help with some of his work, but that's fine, right?"

"Me?"

"I'll handle giving you the necessary power. You'll get stronger, so it's not bad for you."

Under that pretext, I'll boost her power a bit and have her help Sirius. Maybe even assist with Pantheon security sometimes. That setup... hmm... wait.

Rat God. Rat god. Hmm... ah, right. What if we gather the Twelve Zodiac?

Twelve gods symbolizing each animal. Instead of Sirius handling all beastkin, his lesser gods could. Gather outstanding beastkin from each race, grant them divinity, and have them guard the Pantheon or the beastkin.

That sounds pretty good. While we're at it, tie them to the zodiac... divide the day into 24 hours clearly, assign one per month in the 12-month year... have them guard directions around the Pantheon. Handle all sorts of 12-related things properly.

Once Maybel adapts as a proper Rat God... once she's reborn as a god... she'll travel the world gathering suitable ones as a god. Yeah. That sounds good. It'll give her purpose.

"But now it's different! My daughter Maybel has embraced new divinity—she's our living god! Our future is no longer uncertain!"

Ella's voice echoed from the square, filled only with the cheers of the rat beastkin.