The young girl’s attire was relatively modest.
A white robe extending from below the chest to the ankles revealed her lightly bronzed skin above the bosom, leaving it fully exposed.
The girl reflexively clutched the copper circular necklace hanging around her neck and, after staring upward for a while, suddenly knelt down on the floor as if in a panic.
Just like that.
As if the era had changed, the girl’s figure disappeared.
When she reappeared, she looked slightly different from before.
“Y-You’ve arrived…?”
There was a difference—her attire had changed. While the original outfit remained, copper bracelets and anklets now adorned her wrists and ankles. Additionally, something akin to a scarf now thickly wrapped around her shoulders and neck.
Also, one strange point: though she seemed to recognize me, that was all.
I approached her from below, but her gaze remained fixed on the corner of the ceiling where I had been.
Then, time flowed as if rewinding.
“You’ve come!”
To me, it felt like an instant, but for her, it seemed like several days had passed.
I glanced around the well-maintained room with its splendid decor and asked:
“Can you see me?”
“Yes! I can see you clearly!”
This time, her response suggested I could expect some reaction.
“Why can you see me and speak to me?”
“That… Could it be because I was granted the qualification of priesthood? Maybe?”
“Priesthood?”
“Um… Did you not know about me?”
“…”
I quietly pondered and then asked:
“Isn’t your name Heeba?”
“Eh? That name… No, no! If the Lord wishes to call me Heeba, there must be a reason! From today onward, please refer to me as Heeba!”
“…”
This wasn’t what I meant. So, was it my fault that she introduced herself as Heeba?
Upon reflection, there seemed to be a significant age gap between this young girl now and the Heeba I’d seen earlier. Also, the differences in clothing and the metal adorning her wrists and ankles hinted at something…
“Can priests converse directly with gods?”
“Uh… Isn’t that obvious?”
Her reaction made me wonder why I’d even asked. I thought for a moment.
‘She…’
She didn’t have the ability to see gods. Nor did she possess any heightened spiritual awareness or sensitivity that would allow her to perceive spirits or ghosts.
Most importantly, I was currently observing the past. If someone from the past could respond to me…
“You don’t have the ability to perceive gods.”
“Eh? Then what grace has been bestowed upon me?”
“…”
Grace.
“You might be able to see the future.”
“M-Me? The future?”
“Yes.”
And not just any future. A distant, far-off future.
However, whether perceiving such a distant future would positively impact her in this era… Honestly, I wasn’t sure.
“Um, sorry to interrupt… Is that why?”
“…”
“A-Actually, I’ve often predicted how others would turn out, which is kind of weird. But… Future?! Could it really be? Has such a blessing been bestowed upon me?!”
“…”
Saying so would be a lie, but did I really need to clarify the truth here? Was it right for her to revere me as a god? What could I gain from this?
“I am a being from a very distant future. I’m not the deity you know. Though I deal with them, I’m not exactly on their level.”
“Y-You negotiate with gods?!”
She was utterly astonished.
“Then… Are you a demigod? Or maybe a god-man?”
“…”
Before continuing, I had one question.
“Whom do you worship as the supreme celestial god in your era?”
“The… Have you heard of Asharluhi? Bel Marduk. The great son of the sun who defeated Tiamat, the evil dragon that sought to destroy the gods, and used her body to create our world. The agent of Enlil.”
But to me, his name sounded different.
Amaru Utu.
The son of the sun.
Interpreted also as the calf of the sun.
And Tiamat, called the evil dragon, was originally the goddess of the sea. To defeat her, Amaru Utu—or Marduk—…
“Are you alright?!”
“…Ah.”
Just as something began to surface, nausea and bone-crushing pain distorted my expression. This broke my focus, returning me to the present.
The splendid decor, the grand bed, and the fountain-like pond were gone. Here lay nothing but ruins.
“Do you know who Marduk is?”
“-…The main deity worshipped by those who dismantled the Lou Temple.”
Lou Temple?
“The monotheistic religion preceding Irene’s Doctrine, which revered the lord of heavens and father. The unspoken name, the tetragrammaton’s origin also comes from there. At least, that’s what I know.”
“-Your sect classifies the Lou Temple as another heresy.”
“-They contributed to the fall of the Great Empire of Bella, allied with the Demon King, erased Bella from the map, and brought calamity to its land.”
That’s why most of the peninsula remains a barren wasteland unsuitable for life. Yet the Lou Temple isn’t entirely rejected because within the empire, their activities are virtually nonexistent.
“They actually conduct their rituals secretly.”
“Didn’t they worship a deity named Yahweh?”
“-Technically incorrect, but let it slide.”
“?”
Anyway…
“Isn’t this place where fire giants once resided?”
“-We’ll find out now. Ask properly this time.”
Nodding, I delved back into the past.
“My Lord! You’ve finally arrived!”
She seemed a bit taller than before.
“When was the last time you saw me?”
“It’s been over 100 days! And… Let me guess! You’re the deity who oversees fate and travels between the underworlds! The Death Guide, Nantaur, right?! Sorry for judging by appearance, but it seems fitting…”
“…”
“Not him? Then perhaps… Nergal? Era? Eragal?”
“…”
Casually glancing at the Demon King, she shrugged.
“Or are you a secret deity we don’t know about?”
“Does it matter?”
More importantly, these people seem to have no qualms calling out the names of gods. We were taught never to utter the name of Father, the Sky God, or the Lord.
“In fact, I… am a priest of Nantaur. This statue here was erected to honor him…”
The statue and my appearance couldn’t be more different. I look youthful, whereas the statue depicts a middle-aged man with heavy wrinkles, a thick beard, and messy hair.
“People think my ability to foresee the future comes from the blessings of the god of fate. Using this gift, I help many people…”
“How so?”
“Mainly, I share visions with others. For instance, how cities will be established in the future, wingless birds flying in the sky, self-moving carriages… things like that.”
“…”
That piqued my curiosity.
“May I take a look?”
After saying it, I wondered if it was even possible. I’m already peering into the past; can I delve deeper into someone else’s past within it?
“Of course!”
“Excuse me.”
If it doesn’t work, so be it. Placing my hand on her head, I glimpsed something vague yet fragmented.
A massive bird-like thing that doesn’t flap its wings. A mysterious box on iron wheels moving automatically. Something long like a snake—no, more like a centipede. It moves along strange roads while emitting smoke.
Though faint and blurry, I could make out the elongated structure resembling a centipede, its wheels pulsating powerfully. Eventually, it disappears into tunnels amid towering buildings, filling the sky with black smoke.
“I saw it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. As you said, a giant iron bird that doesn’t flap its wings. Though calling it a bird might be inaccurate—it’s more like a ship.”
Mages reportedly tried to lift ships into the air like magic vessels cutting through the seas, aiming to dominate the skies. I’ve never seen one, but…
Even the greatest achievements of sky-dominating mages pale in comparison to the advanced technology I glimpsed. I instinctively realized this.
Of course, what’s impressive isn’t immediately important to me. Instead, curiosity arises.
Is our future truly so radiant? Yet the world shrouded in black smoke reminds me vaguely of the Demon Realm shown to me by the Demon King.
“What you saw must be from a distant future, even for me.”
“Really?!”
“Yes.”
Is it that surprising?
“Surely you must look forward to seeing it someday.”
“…”
“Impossible for me, right?”
Why does she ask hopefully? Moreover, if you’re immortal as a giant, why declare it impossible?
“Are you not a giant?”
“Giant?”
“Eldjötnar.”
“…”
Confused, the girl tilted her head.
“What are you talking about? Why would we be giants?”
====
“My head hurts.”
[What? What is it?]
Caught between muttering to myself and addressing the Demon King, the Spirit Demon bounding toward me interpreted my words.
“Peering into the past, these people seem unaware they’re giants.”
[Huh?]
I explained part of what Zora told me.
[Marduk, right?]
“Do you know him?”
[I learned about him while studying Lou Religion mythology. The prime culprit who destroyed their sanctuaries and temples, the heavenly sovereign revered by the bloodline of rulers who founded an empire in the desert. That’s Marduk.]
And he is…
[Creek’s Celestial God Jeupse. In Vera, that equates to Jupiter.]
“…So they’re connected?”
[All religions always recycle and absorb elements from the past to unify. Likewise, depending on the creatures who support them and their nations, faiths and deities undergo transformations.]
Zora chuckled.
[Irene’s Doctrine is, in that sense, a mutation in the religious world. Its foundation lies in the Lou Temple, but they don’t view Irene as the savior or the sole son of the Sky God.]
While prophecy existed, it wasn’t about Irene.
If it were Irene…
Those who led him to death would have betrayed and defamed their own savior, their god.
Acknowledging that would collapse the Lou Temple. Hence, they deny it.
He’s not a savior or redeemer. Just one among countless false prophets.
[Let’s set that aside. So… if they aren’t giants, what are they?]
“Perhaps a race or ethnicity native to this region.”
Still, something about the Demon King’s story nagged at me.
Back when the one-eyed Great Mage ruled as a deity…
They faced Ragnarok, the prophecy of doom, as their destiny.
Yet, for some reason, this one-eyed Great Mage is said to be Jeupse’s son. And in some distant world, he’s known as another God of Wisdom.
Athena, the great Goddess of Wisdom, War, and closest to an omnipotent deity in Creek, is now called Astarte the Demon. Sometimes referred to as Ashtar, even as a male demon.
One question popped up.
“Why is Athena classified as a demon while Celestial God Jeupse isn’t?”
[I mentioned this before, right? Irene’s Doctrine absorbs good elements. They call the Sky God, the Father in Heaven, the Lord—that’s Jeupse they were referring to.]
“So…?”
[Jeupse, the Celestial God, was absorbed into Irene’s Doctrine as a positive aspect.]
Yet the world sees Jeupse and the Sky God as separate entities.
[If you purely follow Jeupse, wouldn’t you adhere to Jeupse’s original doctrines? But that clashes heavily with Irene’s Doctrine teachings.]
Jeupse is also known as the God of Love, Justice, and Fairness, but…
…this deviates greatly from Irene’s Doctrine, whose core is unconditional love.
“…”
Still, I definitely conversed with Jeupse.
He claimed not to be Jeupse himself but aimed to carry on Jeupse’s legacy, which somewhat resolved my doubts. Still, there were too many mysteries.
“Alright, noted.”
Let’s revisit the past again. Perhaps what I’m observing isn’t the past I expected.
-Don’t forget. The role of the World Tree. Observers and watchers.
“I understand.”
I readily agreed without hesitation since I was just about to reflect on that point anyway.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
