“Me too… Even I, one of the most powerful mages in Procyon who can wield massive spells, find this task impossible… Is that thing even human?”
“Humans couldn’t possibly do it.”
Luke chuckled softly, then placed the helmet he’d been holding in his left hand onto the table before sitting down on a nearby chair.
“Unfortunately, she wasn’t human.”
“Not human…?”
In that instant, Encia’s mind flashed with the image of a mighty being—a dragon—but she quickly shook her head to clear the thought.
“Why would a dragon help people? Dragons in stories are ferocious monsters, and according to rumors, they chase away anyone who enters their territory.”
A dragon wielding immense magical power beyond comparison to humans would never assist them.
“She… Hmm, though uncertain, might be what remains of a god still lingering on earth.”
“A god?”
Encia tilted her head in confusion.
“A god? Watching over the world from the lofty Divine Hall high above the heavens?”
It couldn’t be. Gods don’t interfere directly with the world anymore. They haven’t since ancient times when gods roamed the land and caused countless events. Nowadays, they only answer prayers and grant power to priests but never descend personally.
Could one of those gods have remained on earth? Why?
“I think I know what you’re pondering. I thought the same.”
Luke smiled faintly as he continued.
“Gods no longer approach humanity; they merely observe from their towering Divine Halls. That’s probably what you’re thinking, right?”
“Ah, well…”
“I thought the same. There were times when I even resented the gods for just watching during difficult periods.”
Luke gazed at the statue with an expression filled with nostalgia and affection.
“But after meeting her by chance… I learned not all gods behave that way. Even now, some gods like the deities of elves and dwarves watch over their people closely.”
“Yes… In Procyon, we believe the Sacred Flame resides at the heart of the scorching desert, though no one has ever seen it.”
Luke nodded slightly. Some gods indeed still visited the mortal realm to look after humans.
Among them was one who lived among humans while concealing their very existence, working tirelessly for humanity despite dwindling faith.
“One such god was named Gaia.”
“Gaia…? Never heard of her.”
“Of course not. She had no temples, no priests, and received no worship—just existing quietly upon the earth.”
Encia simply tilted her head in confusion at Luke’s vague explanation.
“If such a god exists, who is she?”
“She was the Goddess of the Earth, known as the Mother of All Lands.”
“Goddess of the Earth…?”
“That’s right. The Goddess of the Earth.”
Upon hearing this, Encia felt something strange. A goddess of the very ground they walked on? It seemed far beyond ordinary divine status. Farmers tilling fields, lords ruling territories, even the emperor of the Romania Empire—all stood upon the earth. How could such a grand deity remain so obscure?
It almost felt like someone intentionally buried her name.
“How is that possible? If there truly was a Goddess of the Earth, wouldn’t many people naturally worship her?”
“Well, the exact circumstances aren’t clear, but I did uncover one fact.”
Luke spoke calmly.
“She was another aspect of the Goddess of Life.”
“The Goddess of Life…!”
The greatest deity, creator of all life. Another facet of her…
“So everything makes sense now. As another aspect of the great Goddess of Life, it wouldn’t be unusual for her presence to fade unless the goddess herself emphasized it.”
“But even if she’s the Goddess of Life, leaving such a vast divine role untended seems odd, doesn’t it?”
“How can we mere humans understand the thoughts of a great deity? Perhaps… to her, even this side of herself isn’t particularly important.”
After taking a small breath, Luke looked at the statue and said,
“It’s widely known that the Goddess of Life cherishes all life. To her, the title of Earth Goddess might’ve been merely a tool to nurture life on earth—an unmatched nobility incomparable to other gods.”
“But still…”
“Of course, all this comes from records I’ve uncovered and my own deductions. Nothing is certain. This old man simply mourned her absence and sought any trace of her.”
Unable to say anything more to Luke’s sorrowful face reflecting on distant past events, Encia remained silent.
“Have you ever parted ways with someone precious to you?”
“Eh?”
“Have you lost someone dear? Or perhaps, given your youth, you may not have experienced it yet.”
“Precious person…”
At these words, the first figure Encia thought of was Tia.
An unknown entity whose appearance she didn’t know, only hearing its voice.
But someone who had always been with her since childhood… like family.
If Tia wasn’t precious, then who could be?
“Yes. Not long ago…”
“Hmm? So young and already?”
“Ah, it’s… kind of special. It wasn’t human, I didn’t know its form, I only knew its voice…”
“Hmm? Just a voice?”
“Yes. Since I was little, there was a voice that only I could hear.”
Though she had never spoken about it to anyone else, Encia slowly began recounting her story to Luke.
Why? Was it because talking about losing someone precious resonated with her? Or was it gratitude for sharing the story of the statue?
Whatever the reason, Encia kept talking.
“The voice named Tia taught me many things. Actually, the magic I use now was all taught to me by Tia.”
“Hmm… weather-controlling magic?”
“Yes. Tia knew so much. Things others didn’t know, she’d often share. I thought of her like a sister since she was always with me as a child… but recently, she left.”
“Teaching knowledge unknown to others…?”
Luke fell into deep thought after hearing Encia’s words.
“Why the long face?”
“Ah, the name Tia sounds familiar somehow. Tia, Tia… where have I heard it? Am I getting forgetful in my old age?”
After pausing briefly, Luke suddenly remembered something.
“In legends passed down from Rattkinia and Vistia, one of the alternate names for the Goddess of Life disguised as a Dragon Priestess descending to earth was similar. It was definitely… Tiamat, wasn’t it?”
“Tiamat?”
“Yes. Tiamat. Though known as Tia to those around her, this Dragon Priestess traveled the world with companions, elevating them to gods—a feat no ordinary Dragon Priestess could accomplish. What Dragon Priestess could possess enough power to create gods?”
“I’ve never heard of that…”
“It’s folklore from Rattkinia and Vistia, so it might not be widely known elsewhere.”
Encia tilted her head again. Could it really be true? More importantly, if Tia’s name wasn’t that of a Dragon Priestess but rather an alias of the Goddess of Life…
Could the Tia who spoke to her also be connected to the Goddess of Life?
Proficient in mana, knowledgeable about magic, and capable of turning a young child into one of the top archmages—Tia possessed extraordinary wisdom.
How else could someone not divine know such things?
“Is Tia also… a god?”
“Hmm. I don’t know who your Tia is, so I can’t say. Unless she’s the same being I loved.”
“R-Really?”
Encia felt a bit disheartened. Clearly, there were no definitive answers in this world. Only Tia could provide them.
If Tia were still here… if she could ask whether Tia was a god… would she have answered honestly?
She probably would have. After all, Tia never lied.
Encia missed Tia.
She wanted to hear her voice again.
—
“This is hard…”
“It’s not easy, especially at first. Everyone struggles initially.”
“I thought I had everything under control, but it keeps unraveling. Is this really the right way?”
“Of course! That’s why I borrowed books from other schools, remember?”
The sleepy girl said nothing in response, simply lowering her head.
“Maybe being a mage just isn’t suited to me?”
“Hmm… well, you certainly have potential as a knight.”
The sleepy girl casually scanned the bespectacled girl.
Her robust physique, impenetrable bone structure, elastic muscles capable of generating immense strength, and a body type that easily builds muscle—if the bespectacled girl had chosen the path of knighthood, she might have gone down in history.
“But you said you didn’t want that. Especially with those unbecoming glasses.”
“Ugh…”
The sleepy girl snatched the glasses off the bespectacled girl’s face. The lenses were completely empty, making it more of an accessory than anything else.
“Anyway, it’s natural for the first steps to be tough. Consistent effort leads to results. You can’t build a grand castle overnight.
It’s just hard to start with the circle. Once you get past that, it’s just gathering mana, which isn’t too difficult. Keep trying.”
“This is still too hard… Ugh…”
After reclaiming her glasses from the sleepy girl and putting them back on, the bespectacled girl complained.
“What about you? Can you use magic?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah. You seem to know so much… surely you can cast magic, right?”
The bespectacled girl looked at the sleepy girl with faint anticipation, hoping to see some flashy magic.
However…
“Nope.”
“Why? Can’t you use magic?”
“I can, but using my mana causes trouble.”
“Trouble…?”
The sleepy girl’s statement made the bespectacled girl tilt her head in confusion. It was the first time she’d heard of such an issue despite knowing her for quite a while.
“If I release my mana, people will come after me.”
“People coming after you?”
“Yeah. They’ll track me down and take me away. So I can’t use it.”
Is she being pursued by someone? But she showed no signs of it?
Besides, they’d grown up together like sisters, and this was the first time she’d mentioned such circumstances.
“My mana would expose me and cause problems, but as long as I don’t use it, I’m fine. That’s why I can’t show you magic.”
“Your mana alone would attract pursuers?”
“Yeah. Each person’s mana has unique waveforms, colors, and frequencies. Stories exist where detectives use residual mana at crime scenes to track culprits, like in novels.”
“Oh, that’s what it was! I read about it in a book! In ‘Magic Detective Homeros’!”
“Exactly. I can’t go into details, but my mana is constantly being tracked. So I can’t use it.”
The bespectacled girl stiffened and asked seriously,
“Is it something you can’t tell me?”
“Yeah. I can’t tell you or even Uncle. Please understand.”
The sleepy-eyed girl’s words left the bespectacled girl speechless.
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