“Sia?”
I carefully called out, but Encia didn’t show any particular reaction.
No, not only did she not react, but she even yawned as if she had heard something imaginary.
“Hmm… I keep hearing Tia’s voice again. It can’t be time for Tia to wake up yet, though.”
Hmm… She really is pretending like she heard nothing.
After all, I told her I’d wake up several decades from now, so waking up after just 14 years was a bit early, right?
But still… why have I already awakened? The last time I entered hibernation, I slept for centuries…
This time, I resolved to sleep for only a few decades! But I never expected to wake up this soon.
And because I woke up much earlier than planned, I still feel a little sleepy.
Well, I can always go back to sleep later. For now, let’s focus on Encia.
“Sia.”
“Mm… Have I been too lazy lately? My body feels weak. Why do I keep hearing phantom voices?”
“Sia.”
“Ugh… This won’t do. I’ll have to ask Cecil to prepare some food to replenish my energy today.”
“Sia.”
“Ugh… Am I finally losing my mind? Why do I keep hearing Tia’s voice…?”
Hmm, this is oddly amusing. Encia doesn’t realize I’ve awakened and keeps going on like this—it’s kind of fun, like playing a prank.
But I can’t keep teasing her forever.
“Sia, I woke up a bit earlier than expected. It’s not an illusion.”
“The world has gone mad! Now the hallucinations are whispering that they’re not hallucinations! Something must be seriously wrong with me!
What should I do in this situation? Should I go to the Church of Life? Do they treat madness there?”
It’s unlikely they handle mental issues at the Church of Life… And why is she babbling so much?
She isn’t properly listening to me, which is quite troublesome!
“If you keep saying nonsense, I might just go back to sleep, Sia.”
“Hmm? Wait… Could it really not be a hallucination…?”
“Nope, it’s not a hallucination.”
At that, Sia’s expression began to change. Her formerly indifferent look gradually filled with vitality.
Her eyes, once full of boredom, now sparkled with anticipation.
She quickly glanced around her surroundings cautiously before softly muttering.
“Tia?”
“Yeah, Sia.”
“Is it really you, Tia?”
Sia kept repeating the same question. Does she really find it hard to believe that my voice is real?
“Yes, it’s really me.”
“You’ve awakened from your slumber? Already?”
“It’s not a dream, right? You really have awakened, haven’t you?”
“Yes, it’s really me. Don’t doubt it.”
Upon hearing my words, Sia suddenly burst into tears.
Was she so happy that I returned? Encia couldn’t suppress the overwhelming emotions and started crying uncontrollably.
“Tia… It’s really you, Tia!”
“Don’t cry like that, Sia. You’re a grown-up; you shouldn’t cry like this.”
“Really, Tia…! Tia, Tiaaaa…!”
“Yes, I’ve awakened, so stop crying already.”
“Am I dreaming? Is Tia really awake?”
“Yes, it’s really me. Did you live these past years being deceived?”
“No! Nothing like that! It’s just… I can’t believe Tia has returned. That’s all.”
“Yes, if that’s how you feel, I’ll accept it. So please stop crying. Look at your face—it’s all blotchy.”
“But… Tia has come back. I’ve dreamed of this moment so many times! Yet… the tears just won’t stop. They overflow without permission… I didn’t know I could cry this much…”
“You’re such a troublesome young lady.”
Encia sobbed loudly while I smiled at her.
Now that I think about it, this kind of reaction is surprisingly refreshing. Up until now, those around me—no, the gods nearby—were the types who wouldn’t bat an eye even after decades passed.
There were even cases where I’d awaken after centuries of hibernation, and people would simply say, “Oh, you’ve awakened,” and leave it at that!
Of course, this is partly due to humans having shorter lifespans.
“Now stop crying. We have so many stories to catch up on, and at this rate, we won’t get to talk before tomorrow.”
“Yeah… Sniff… I should stop crying now. There’s so much I want to talk about.”
After some time passed:
“Yeah… I’ve calmed down now.”
Encia, who cried for a long while until her eyes turned red, spoke.
“Seriously, you’re not a child anymore. It’s just that you’ve slept for a long time and have awakened.”
“Just a long nap? Fourteen years is an absurdly long time for humans.”
“Still, compared to the times I overslept by hundreds of years, this is pretty quick.”
Encia’s expression froze momentarily upon hearing my words.
“Hundreds of years? How long do you sleep?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Even to me, someone who can’t shake off drowsiness unless I sleep for such lengths of time, it feels a bit excessive.
I can force myself to stay awake when sleepiness hits, but if I relax even slightly, I risk dozing off immediately. Ugh…
Anyway, now that the crying has stopped, it’s time to have a proper conversation.
“Well, now that the crying is over, let’s share all the stories we’ve accumulated during this time. I’ve just been sleeping, but surely you, Sia, must have a lot to tell?”
“Yeah, I have mountains of stories to share. So many things happened while you were asleep!”
“Ho, that sounds promising. What happened while I was asleep? Oh! Right. Did you write any books?”
“Yeah, I did. It was tough navigating through trial and error, but somehow, I managed to write one. During the process, I also took on a disciple.”
“Disciple? You, Sia?”
“Yeah. While organizing what you taught me into a book, I realized there were parts I needed to teach directly. So, I took on a disciple. I’ll introduce them to you later.”
“That sounds quite intriguing.”
Thus, Sia and I began unraveling the stories that had piled up over the span of fourteen years.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“So, the reason Master is so energetic is because this person named Tia has awakened?”
“Exactly. I haven’t been this happy since Tia went into hibernation.”
Encia’s disciple glanced at Sia with a slightly pouty expression.
“Do you know, Master, that I can’t hear this person’s voice despite you saying so?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Tia’s voice can only be heard by me.”
Encia’s disciple, Cecil, looked at Encia with cold eyes and said,
“To be honest, all I can think is that Master has finally lost it. Even if you claim this person spoke to you, there’s no way for me to verify that.”
“Hmm… Still, Tia really has awakened and is speaking to me.”
“Unfortunately, only Sia can hear my voice.”
“Tia says she regrets not being able to make her voice audible to you.”
“Which is precisely why I can’t trust what you’re saying. It’s good that Master has regained some energy, but…”
Cecil sighed softly after giving Encia a cold stare.
“If Master believes that, then so be it.”
Having said that, Cecil cleared her throat and continued.
“Cough… Hello, Tia-sama. I am Cecil, Sia’s disciple. I’ve heard a lot about you, though meeting you… meeting you directly? Anyway, it’s a great honor.”
“Ho… This child is your disciple, huh? Please give her my greetings.”
“Tia sends her greetings and says she’s pleased to meet you.”
While Encia relayed my greeting, I carefully observed Tia’s disciple.
Her magical power wasn’t particularly abundant, but it was neatly organized within her body. Clearly, she had put in a lot of effort to control her magic.
Of course, compared to Encia, she still fell short. However, considering her abilities relative to Encia, she was far from ordinary.
And if she followed Encia’s teachings well… then the total amount of magical power wouldn’t matter much.
After all, Encia’s main magic involved manipulating natural magical power with just a small amount of her own.
Thus, Cecil, as Encia’s disciple, could be considered one of the more exceptional mages of this era.
Ah, Encia is an exception. She’s an irregular mage.
Compared to 14 years ago, her magical power had increased significantly, yet there was no leakage of it outside her body.
Encia had clearly mastered the perfect control of her enhanced magical power.
“Looking at your disciple, I can tell you’ve worked hard, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, she worked incredibly hard! Oh! By the way, do you want to see the book I wrote? I tried to include as much of Tia’s teachings as possible, but I felt I couldn’t fully capture them due to my limitations. Still, it was effective enough to raise Cecil.”
Encia spoke modestly, almost shyly. Was this humility or truth?
Considering how she raised such a capable disciple, it seemed like humility. Still, I intended to check the book eventually.
I shifted my gaze to the book laid out on the table by Encia.
[!– Slider main container –]
