Chapter 179

“Let’s save the overly emotional reunion for later. First, we need to hear this story.”

“How in the world can mere mortals create a god? It’s incomprehensible!!”

Maybel still seemed unable to believe that beastmen could create a god. Well, thinking that way is only natural.

“It’s one thing if they were just creating some special existence or something… I might not fully trust it, but I could understand! But creating a god?! That’s blasphemy against the divine!!”

The idea of creating a god.

Spreading biased information to many people, manipulating their thoughts, inciting them into forming a collective consciousness with a specific direction, and thus forging an entirely new faith.

Through this, either creating gods that didn’t previously exist or altering existing deities by overlaying new information on them.

Could it be that the Ashen Rats were attempting such a thing?

Or rather, where did they even learn about such methods? Besides me and Baal, no one else should have proper knowledge of that kind of thing.

I buried these questions deep within my chest and began focusing on Ella’s words.

“It’s only natural that you find it hard to believe. But this is truly what’s happening.”

Ella gently stroked Maybel’s head as she continued her story.

“The original deity of the beastmen, the First Beast, after becoming Sirius, the Guardian Deity of the Divine Hall, caused a great rift in beastman society.”

Hm?

“She was the spiritual pillar binding together all the diverse types of beastmen under one banner. With her disappearance, conflicts began to arise among the beastmen, who had previously been united by the belief in their shared lineage.”

“There’s one error in what you said.”

“Huh?”

I interrupted Ella mid-sentence, causing her to tilt her head in confusion.

“What error? What are you talking about…?”

“In your story, you mentioned that after the First Beast became Sirius, the beastmen split apart. Actually, it’s the opposite.”

I recalled the decrepit temple where the First Beast—Sirius—used to reside.

After all, the revival of Arcadia had its roots in the First Beast, Sirius. The national religion of Arcadia could be considered synonymous with the First Beast, but over time, as more non-beastmen began living there, the numbers of those worshipping other gods gradually increased.

This marked the diversification of faith within Arcadia.

As faith diversified, even the beastmen who originally worshipped the First Beast started leaning toward worshipping gods they believed would benefit them. This resulted in their faith splintering into various branches.

So, it wasn’t that the First Beast turned away from the beastmen—it was that the beastmen turned away from her, leading to her becoming Sirius.

Well, it’s just a matter of reversing the cause-and-effect relationship, but still…

“Is that… true? But according to scholarly research…”

“Perhaps the scholars distorted the records because they couldn’t document the fact that the beastmen abandoned their racial deity?”

That makes more sense.

Even now, I can vividly picture Sirius standing alone in that ancient temple, left behind and forgotten.

Humans always leave records to suit their own advantage.

“But…!”

“For now, let’s set aside the question of authenticity. That’s not what’s important right now.”

At my words, Ella nodded slightly, cleared her throat, and adjusted her voice.

“After the beastmen split apart based on their races, our rat beastmen found themselves in grave danger. Even before then, rat beastmen were often shunned among the various beastmen. Once the protective fence provided by the First Beast disappeared, it was obvious what fate awaited the rat beastmen.”

Hmm. Beastmen are such a diverse group, after all. Even though they’re all beastmen, different species treated each other like entirely separate races.

“And unlike other beastmen, rat beastmen lacked physical prowess. Our ability to communicate with animals was limited to small rats, so we had few advantages. It was clear that the future of our race was bleak.”

It seems that the discrimination which hadn’t surfaced while the First Beast was around as their racial deity has now reared its ugly head.

Discrimination never truly goes away, does it.

“To deal with this crisis, the rat beastmen desperately sought ways to secure the future of our race. Some tried to find value in rat beastmen through interaction with other races, while others, like me, aimed to demonstrate that rat beastmen weren’t weak by showcasing personal strength.”

Hmm. Now that I think about it, Ella mentioned she used to be an adventurer when she was younger.

There was a deeper reason behind her activities back then. She wasn’t just running away from her stepmother.

“During this search for a solution, one of our seekers heard a voice.”

“A voice?”

“Yes. I’ve heard he was meditating deep underground, searching for a path. And then, he claimed he heard a voice.”

A voice… a voice…

“That voice instructed him to create a new god. It said that the absence of a god was the problem, and creating one would solve it. Furthermore, it suggested that creating a god specifically for rat beastmen would elevate our status immensely.”

Sounds suspicious.

And a voice coming from deep underground…

Could it be that guy again?

“That voice possessed knowledge even our oldest scholars didn’t know. The method for creating a god also came from that voice.”

“So? Did they follow its instructions?”

“Yes. The rat beastmen had no choice. To create a god, they prepared many things, gathering money and materials needed for the ritual.”

Ella gently stroked Maybel, who was wrapped in her arms, and Maybel, seemingly comforted by her mother’s touch, soon fell asleep with soft breaths.

She really drifts off quickly. It’s almost miraculous.

“As expected, stroking her head puts her to sleep just like when she was little. I’m glad, since this is a story I shouldn’t tell her.”

Ella continued her story, continuing to stroke the sleeping Maybel’s head.

“Afterward, the rat beastmen worked tirelessly to gather funds and prepare the materials required for the ritual of creating a god. Among the most crucial preparations was the offering that would become the body of the new god.”

Body? Offering? Isn’t that unnecessary for creating a god?

What is this? Is this a completely different method of creating a god than the one I know?

“They paired selected individuals, aiming to produce an outstanding child—an offering—who would serve as the body of the new god.”

“Selected individuals?”

“Yes.”

Ella once again stroked Maybel’s head, causing her to shift slightly, tickled by the motion.

Ella gave her a gentle smile.

“This child was one of the top candidates to become the body of the new god through the ritual. However, I couldn’t allow such a sacrifice. That’s why I entrusted her to a safe place.”

“That’s… isn’t that betraying your own race?”

Ella nodded slightly.

“Yes, it is betrayal of my race. But I wanted to protect this child. From the moment this child’s tiny hand grasped mine at birth, my life became solely for her. Even if the race prospers, if this child must be sacrificed, everything would be meaningless.”

Indeed. The love for her child seems to outweigh the love for her race.

Motherhood truly is remarkable.

“Of course, all these plans were kept thoroughly secret from me, the party involved. I knew nothing until my husband uncovered it. If he hadn’t, this child would have gone through with it.”

“Your husband?”

“Daddy?”

Apparently awakened by the mention of her father, Maybel, who had been asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. Her interest in the unknown figure of her father was clearly piqued.

“Yes, your father… he was incredibly smart. One of the brightest young rat beastmen, perhaps even destined to lead our race if it weren’t for this foolish ritual. He might have become someone great.”

“W-Where is Daddy now…?”

Ella shook her head slightly at Maybel’s question.

“To help us escape… Let’s not talk about it anymore…”

Upon hearing this, Maybel’s tail drooped, showing her sadness.

It’s somewhat heart-wrenching.

“Still, it seems the place he chose was truly safe. Look how well our daughter has grown up.”

“Safe place? You mean the countryside village I lived in?”

“Yes. Your father insisted that place was where you’d be safest. I didn’t know one of my old adventuring comrades lived there as a priest, but thanks to him, I could trust him with your care. It’s fortunate.”

Hmm. It’s as if Maybel’s father foresaw the future and made those arrangements.

He might have even known I was slumbering there.