“If… she’s a god, what should I do? How can I meet her again?”
Encia spoke to Luke with a slightly melancholic tone.
I wanted to hear Tia’s voice. I wanted to meet Tia. Even though I didn’t know where she was or where she slept, and even though I had never seen her directly…
Still, I just wanted to meet her.
“Hmm. How would I know? I too haven’t been able to see the one I love.”
Luke replied with a slightly indifferent expression. Gaia, the goddess of the earth, another aspect of the goddess of life.
What kind of things has Luke done to meet her?
Encia couldn’t even imagine it.
“Tia said she would sleep for several decades… Do we just have to patiently wait that long?”
“Hmm… sleeping for several decades, so she’s definitely not an ordinary being. Quite the sleepyhead, it seems.”
“Huh? Oh, yes. That’s right. Not only does she sleep for long periods, but she often talks in her sleep and slacks off a lot too. Yet when it came to teaching me, she was incredibly serious and gave me lessons beyond imagination.”
“Slacking off but putting her heart into teaching others… your precious person sounds like quite the eccentric. Similar to the Gaia I loved.”
“Is that so? Still, it wouldn’t be easy to surpass Tia in uniqueness. Tia’s knowledge is boundless, revealing things others don’t know. For example, while teaching me magic, she showed me how to change the nature of barren desert soil. Thanks to her, that land became fertile farmland where crops now grow well.”
“Hmm. Gaia wasn’t exactly easy either. She once made a river flow in front of my house saying it would help build stamina through swimming. At the time, I thought I’d be swept away by the current…”
“To manipulate rivers? Indeed, something only a god could do. Tia just let me hear her voice… and taught me how to use the magic spread throughout nature as if it were my own.”
“Manipulating natural magic? That’s quite impressive. Well, using enormous spells alone to alter the weather isn’t exactly easy either.”
Luke’s words made Encia shrug slightly. It seemed she was very pleased to receive recognition from this mysterious man.
“By the way, the existence you call Tia… listening to your story, she seems to have a personality quite similar to Gaia. Wasn’t she often troubled by annoyances?”
“Ah, yes! She got annoyed at many things. Often, when I asked about things I didn’t know, she would brush them aside saying it was too bothersome. But in crucial moments, she would diligently explain everything, making her unpredictable sometimes. Plus, she was incredibly kind when she chose to be.”
“Sleepy, easily annoyed, lazy, yet occasionally diligent, kind, thorough when needed, not human… another name used by the goddess of life… hmm…”
Luke pondered deeply before looking at Encia and speaking.
“Could they be the same entity?”
“Huh? You mean Tia?”
“Hearing your description, I’m starting to think there might be a possibility. Who else but a god could possess such unknown knowledge?”
“Hmm… the god of knowledge?”
“Well, I’m not sure about that, but the chances are high that the Gaia I seek and the Tia you speak of are the same being.”
“So, is Tia another aspect of the goddess of life?”
“If the true name of the one you know as Tia is Tiamat, then the possibility is quite high.”
Upon hearing Luke’s words, Encia thought for a moment but remembered that Tia had only told her to call her by that name.
Where is Tia now? If Tia is a god, will I be able to meet her by entering the Divine Hall?
Then… if I become a god, will I be able to meet Tia?
There was no way to know. Everything remained uncertain.
I could only hope.
“By the way, if it really is the same person, she mentioned waking up after several decades, right?”
“Yes, she definitely said that.”
“I’m not sure exactly how many years ‘several decades’ means, but I’ll visit you every ten years. Since the likelihood that your Tia and my Gaia are the same being has increased.”
“Huh? Oh, well… it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know when Tia will wake up anyway…”
Though she said it would be several decades, it could be ten years, twenty years, or perhaps even over fifty.
And what if… I die after Tia wakes up?
Encia began to worry about this.
No, rather…
“Didn’t you say the god you’re searching for is another aspect of the goddess of life?”
“Hmm, that’s right.”
“In that case… wouldn’t there be a chance to meet her during the judgment in the underworld after death? They say if you pass the judgment, you can enter paradise… so there might be a chance to meet the goddess of life…”
“It’s possible, but there’s no guarantee, is there? Think about what happens if that slim chance fails.”
“Ahh… that’s…”
Encia thought for a moment and lowered her head.
After death, the soul undergoes purification and continues into a new life.
But isn’t that the same as losing the self you once knew?
Even if the soul remains the same, wouldn’t differing memories make it a separate existence?
“Impossible. That won’t work.”
“That’s right. I simply want to meet her again as myself. Even if I go to paradise, there’s no guarantee I’ll see her.”
Even in paradise, where all desires are fulfilled, one couldn’t spend time with the goddess of life.
Perhaps with the goddess of the earth, one aspect of her, but not likely.
That’s why Luke must be searching for other ways to meet her.
“Still, your situation is better than mine. After several decades, you might meet her again, right?”
“The lifespan of a human is a very long time.”
“But still, you can definitely meet her, right? There are ways to extend a person’s lifespan, after all.”
“Extend a person’s lifespan? Is there such a thing?”
“Of course. And since finding you early could lose a valuable clue… and meeting you feels fateful, I’ll tell you. Whether you can achieve it is up to you, though.”
Luke gave Encia a small smile.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Yes! I did it!!!”
The girl in glasses burst out laughing as she watched the faint flame bloom at her fingertips.
“Congratulations. You’ve formed a circle around your heart and successfully converted elemental magic fundamentals… Now you can take your first steps as a mage.”
“Thank you! Really, thank you! Now I am a mage! Wheeeeee!!!”
“Well, there’s still a mountain of study ahead of you.”
At those words, the girl in glasses froze momentarily.
“Ah, there’s still more…?”
“Of course. Did you really think becoming a mage was just about creating a little flame at your fingertips?”
“Of course not! I want to be a powerful mage who can incinerate countless monsters with a simple gesture, electrocute them with lightning, and slice them all with wind blades!”
“Hmm. Then your aspiration is to be an elemental mage. Consider joining the Elemental School. Next time, I’ll fetch an elemental school spellbook so you can start memorizing spells.”
“Spells…?”
“Yes. Spells. Surely you don’t want to be a mage without knowing any spells, do you?”
At that, the girl in glasses hesitated.
“Obviously not! Right? Unless… unless I somehow forgot about spells entirely?”
“Definitely, spells are indispensable for mages, but…”
“Obviously! Totally! Absolutely! Memorize them perfectly!”
“Just relying on willpower to control mana won’t cut it, will it?”
“Of course not. Why do you think mages have spells?”
“Hmm… overconfidence?”
“Are you joking?”
The sleepy girl chuckled wryly and continued.
“Spells are affirmations of will. Words optimized to imbue mana with intent and shape it into specific forms. While some mages can use magic without spells, they’ve either mastered their spells completely or possess overwhelming willpower.”
“So if I had dragon-level willpower, I wouldn’t need spells?”
“Exactly. If you were a dragon, yeah.”
“Eh?”
Dragons, once considered the strongest monsters, are now recognized as transcendent beings thanks to various studies and events.
“Unless you have dragon-level willpower, it’s impossible to use magic without spells?”
“If you try to replicate spell effects without chanting, you’re using something akin to spells. Spells are highly optimized for magic usage, after all. Creating your own spell isn’t just a wish list item for mages! Attaching your name to a spell isn’t just laziness. If you create a completely new spell and gain Procyon Mage Guild’s approval, your reputation will skyrocket!”
“Gah… memorizing is hard… Is there no easier way?”
“Nope. Just memorize them.”
The girl in glasses sighed heavily upon hearing the sleepy girl’s words.
Her path to becoming a mage would continue to be fraught with challenges.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“First, what do you think mana is?”
“Mana? It’s an invisible force spread throughout the world. It’s the driving force behind magic, found in all living beings, natural elements, and even monsters.”
“Right. That’s the general idea.”
“Huh?”
Encia tilted her head at Luke’s words.
“Did I get it wrong?”
“No, not wrong. I just want to add something.”
Luke calmly continued his explanation.
“Through magic, mana can cause various changes. Sometimes it becomes fire, sometimes ice, and sometimes formless shockwaves.”
“I know that already.”
“To put it another way, mana is a force capable of becoming anything. Have you ever thought about what mana can truly accomplish?”
Upon hearing Luke’s words, Encia thought for a moment and shook her head.
She had used it to create flames, walls of fire, massive rocks falling from the sky, and clouds controlled at will. But she had never really considered the possibilities of mana.
Just following what Tia taught, doing exactly as Tia instructed.
“Mana is a force without direction. What it can do depends on the user’s will.”
“What does that have to do with extending lifespan?”
Luke ignored her question and continued his story.
“There’s a treasure passed down among the emperors of the Romania Empire called the Immortal Crown. One of its effects is to maximize vitality, thus extending life.”
“Extending life…?”
“Yes. The longevity of emperors owes much to the power of the Immortal Crown. Anyway, in trying to replicate its effects, we discovered that mana could be converted into vitality.”
“Mana into vitality…?”
Luke nodded slightly.
“Vitality is like firewood for living creatures, a spring that dries up day by day. By adding mana to replenish that vitality, lifespan can be extended.”
“Such a method exists…!”
“Well, I stumbled upon it while searching for ways to meet her again. Converting mana into vitality is extremely difficult, though.”
Luke gave a wry smile, but Encia didn’t notice it.
She was too focused on Luke’s words, the possibilities of mana he revealed.
The preconceptions about mana within her were breaking down.
She began to realize that mana, imbued with strong will and earnest desire, could accomplish anything.
