“The one who’s pretending to be asleep… it’s Maybel, isn’t it?”
Though her eyes are closed, her ears have been twitching slightly ever since a while ago.
Ella, who’s been stroking her hair, hasn’t noticed yet, but there’s no way she can fool me.
“To ask this question to my daughter… isn’t this too heavy a question for her to choose?”
Ella shows an extremely anxious expression in response to my words.
But still…
“This child is no longer the young one who parted ways with you back then.”
As I speak, I catch Maybel’s ears flickering ever so slightly.
“It’s been quite some time since you left this still-young child in the care of that countryside priest. And yet, you still think of her as just a child, don’t you?”
Ella seems struck by my words and hesitates, opening her mouth to say something before closing it again.
“When you parted ways, she was indeed a child, so I understand why the image of young Maybel remains in your memory. However, much time has passed now. She may not be an adult yet, but she’s certainly at an age where she can make reasonable judgments.”
“Y-yes, but…”
“If this child is no longer a mere child, shouldn’t we let her decide for herself?”
Ella is unable to counter my argument.
No matter how much a parent may want to, they cannot choose their child’s fate for them. As adults who have journeyed ahead on the path of life, we can offer advice, but we cannot live their lives for them.
Thus, Maybel must make her own choice. She simply must.
“What if Maybel refuses such a choice? What will you do then?”
“Hmm… Regardless of what happens, things won’t change much.”
It’s not like I’m going to force her into becoming a god or anything. Even if the Jwi Beastmen lack a deity, nothing drastically changes.
I’ll just dismantle their leadership, thwart their plot to annihilate Armen, and erase the entire ceremony as if it never happened.
As a result, the future of the Jwi Beastmen might become uncertain… which is unfortunate, but I can’t favor one race over another indefinitely. I’ve already done far too much favoritism as it is.
“I don’t know what will happen to the Jwi Beastmen without a god. They might find other ways to survive, or perhaps decline and be looked down upon by others, living like slaves. But I can’t concern myself with that.”
It may sound harsh, but there’s nothing I can do about it. In my position as the Goddess of Life, I can no longer favor any particular race.
Back in the day, due to my immaturity, I acted rather biasedly. Now, I’m trying to minimize such actions.
Ah, is this still a bit biased? After all, I’m still protecting Armen regardless of what happens to the Jwi Beastmen…
Hmm. Never mind! I’m just ignoring it! It may seem irresponsible, but… never mind! The Jwi Beastmen are at fault!
To begin with, I’m neither omniscient nor omnipotent! Though I inadvertently spread life throughout this world and ascended to a divine existence, I’m not all-knowing or all-powerful!
I’m merely a silver dragon with slightly more abilities than others!
So, I’ll just follow my heart! That’s it! Isn’t this easier?
Whatever consequences arise from this decision… let’s leave that to my future self! Please take care of it, Future Me!
While my mood lightens with these thoughts, Ella’s expression grows increasingly tense.
“Does this mean… Lady Dragon Priestess is abandoning the Jwi Beastmen?”
“First off, wasn’t it the Jwi Beastmen themselves who were about to commit wrongdoing? Besides, you also abducted Maybel to disrupt their ceremony.”
“That… yes, but…”
What’s this? Are you feeling guilty now that the potential demise of your race has been brought up? If you’d thought about that, you shouldn’t have taken your daughter away.
It’s contradictory. The desire to protect your daughter clashes with your role as a member of a race facing destruction. Now, you’re hesitating to give up either.
When faced with death, your resolve was clear, but now that things have improved thanks to my presence, you want to save your race too?
Truly contradictory.
However, such contradictions stem from the desires of life itself. The desire for something better cannot be denied. Since the situation has improved, all preconditions have changed.
“In any case, I have no intention of personally doing anything for your race’s future. Let me make that clear. All I’ll do is use the ceremony to turn Maybel into a deity.”
Perhaps I could create an entirely new god for the Jwi Beastmen if I meddled further, but I’m kind of tired of all this now.
“So, couldn’t I take on this monumental task instead?”
“That’s something I don’t want.”
“Huh?!”
Why does she look at me like I’m being absurd when I’ve already said no?
After all, it was Maybel who woke me from my slumber and intrigued me enough to join her journey with her fascinating story.
In such a situation, giving the position of a deity to someone else instead of Maybel? No way.
“My proposal is clear. Either Maybel becomes the god of the Jwi Beastmen, or the Jwi Beastmen get no god. There are no other options.”
It may sound cruel, but what can I do?
I don’t want it. Somehow, she understands the firmness of my resolve and falls silent for a moment.
“Who… are you exactly?”
“Hmm?”
What’s this? You’ve called me the Dragon Priestess until now, but now you’re doubting my identity?
“Honestly, though you seem to be the Dragon Priestess from the legends, your words aren’t adequately explained by that alone. It’s almost as if you’ve personally created gods for this world.”
Hmm… Indeed, it’s hard to see that as something a Dragon Priestess could do.
Although I’m not entirely sure how the current Dragon Priestess is perceived, the impression was that of a partner to heroes and a representative of the Goddess of Life.
Primarily, a proxy of the gods.
Would such an entity casually create gods? It’s an implausible tale.
“Who exactly… are you?”
I smile faintly.
“You don’t need to know.”
I have no intention of explaining, nor is there any need to.
“You should simply recognize me as the Dragon Priestess. Nothing more is permitted. Passing this information to others is forbidden. Whatever you may think about my identity, you must refrain from speaking it aloud. Do you understand?”
At my words, Ella reluctantly nods, clearly dissatisfied.
Good. Since everything seems sorted out, then…
“Maybel. Stop pretending to sleep and wake up already.”
At my words, Maybel, who had her eyes closed, flinches slightly.
Realizing Maybel was feigning sleep, Ella seems to catch on as well.
“Maybel…?”
“Most likely, she’s heard the whole story. Now, I’ll ask for your opinion. Maybel, what do you wish to do?”
At my words, Maybel slowly opens her eyes and rises from her lying position.
Looking at Maybel, Ella wears a worried expression, but it won’t change anything.
Thus, Maybel opens her small mouth.
“I… don’t really know what’s right and wrong. But even though I don’t know, still…”
“But?”
“If I become a god, can I destroy those who ruined Mom and killed Dad?”
The quiet voice of Maybel carries within it feelings of resentment and wrath.
A flame directed towards those who destroyed her family.
“I don’t really understand stuff like becoming a god or the future of the race. But there’s one thing I’m pretty certain about.”
Watching Maybel, filled with unwavering emotions and resolute determination, Ella’s expression turns sorrowful.
“I don’t want to leave unscathed those who caused our family suffering.”
Revenge. A simple yet intense emotion.
There will be no room for choice for Maybel, harboring such feelings.
“Tell me. What do I need to do?”
Seeing Maybel say this, I smile faintly.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
As for what happened afterward… Hmm, do I really need to explain everything? When I set my mind to it, there’s hardly anything I can’t accomplish.
Simply put, everything went completely haywire. That’s the best way to summarize it.
If I were to broadly categorize what I did to interfere with the Jwi Beastmen’s ceremony, it would fall into four main actions:
First, I installed barriers around key locations, including the capital of Armen, as a precaution against any possible dangers.
Second, I incited most of the Jwi Beastmen into collective thinking, steering them in the direction I desired.
Third, I subdued all the conspirators among the Jwi Beastmen’s leadership and locked them away in a room with no exits.
Finally, I utilized their ceremony to imbue Maybel with divinity.
Though divine essence has settled within her, it doesn’t immediately make her a god. Rather, she exists simultaneously as a living being and a vessel of divinity… hmm, the closest term for this might be…
A Sage God? It feels a bit awkward to write, but there doesn’t seem to be a more fitting word.
Anyway, it can be roughly explained like that.
For now, she possesses the power of a god as a human, but after death, she will ascend properly as a deity.
And thus, having obtained divinity, Maybel…
“This feels kinda overwhelming…”
“You must endure it as part of being a god.”
She gazes down at countless Jwi Beastmen bowing their heads to the ground, wearing an awkward smile.
