Chapter 118 - Communion with a God (2)

This was not, in fact, his first encounter with a god.

He had met Karva before, but she had only appeared because he had performed her miracle through a Remnant, hadn't she?

There were no conditions here that would allow a god to suddenly manifest like—

'... Oh, right.'

Hadn't he been told this was where the god of purification first contacted humans and bestowed her authority upon them?

This was the very heart of the faith in a nation built around religion. It was fair to say that this place would satisfy those sorts of conditions somehow...

Still, meeting those conditions certainly did not explain why she had suddenly appeared.

Aiden cautiously moved Katya behind him and looked the being up and down.

Of course, in terms of sheer durability, Katya far surpassed him. But the being before them was the one who had granted the very source of that ability.

'She doesn't seem particularly dangerous, but...'

From what he knew of the various myths, Sier was among the friendliest of all the gods.

The account of her cleansing the Holy Kingdom with fire, transforming a barren, uninhabitable wasteland into fertile land fit for human habitation, was accepted as official history.

The Holy Kingdom's particularly strong religious character compared with other nations all stemmed from Sier's merciful nature.

'... Though I don't know why their succession ceremony is such a thugfest, in that case.'

Probably best to chalk it up to the dual nature of religion and move on.

But however merciful a god she might be, it was a mistake to assume he could predict a being beyond the bounds of human understanding.

Even the most benevolent god could be capricious.

The gods of this world might not be the hooligans of Greek and Roman mythology, smashing human skulls for their own amusement, but there was no guarantee they would never do such a thing.

As he watched her anxiously with all those worries weighing on him, Sier's first response was this.

-System Message

▶ Sier, the 'god of purification,' has increased affection toward you.

▶ Bond level has increased!

▶ You may copy one ski—

.

.

.

▶ The effects of 'Weaver of Fate' are changing.

▶ Sier likes you.

▶ Sier really, really likes you.

▶ Sier bestows a blessing upon you.

▶ 'The First Vow' has changed to 'The First Vow: Revised'!

"..."

What?

Aiden stared at the status window before him, looking slightly dazed.

'... Wait.'

He had picked up skills through all sorts of bizarre means, but this was the first time he had seen someone deliberately exert their own influence over Weaver of Fate.

"..."

Then again, on reflection, perhaps it was possible.

It wasn't so strange that divine beings could interfere with the acquisition of skills like these.

The reason Aiden could collect so many skills in the first place was the Outer God attached to him. There might be some difference in their standing, but surely another being of the same order could manage something.

'... Anyway.'

Aiden narrowed his eyes as he read the text in the window.

He understood that she could exercise such authority.

... But the statements about how she 'liked' him felt as though Sier had written them herself.

As though she were using the system window to tell him what she wanted to say.

If so, he could only ask the same question again.

'... Why?'

Both Karva before and Sier now were beings with whom he had no particular connection.

... No, beyond simply having no connection, it would have been stranger if such a connection existed at all.

And yet these beings...

'Just tell me they like me the moment we meet?'

They even seemed positively eager to make sure he knew it.

"..."

Well.

Perhaps this was another thing he ought to ask the priestess about when they next met.

Honestly, being loved by divine beings was so far beyond his comprehension that he could only feel bewildered, never mind weighing the risks and rewards.

For now, he was simply relieved that she showed no intention of harming him.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Aiden saw Sier—the enormous Katya—beaming as she spread her arms wide toward him. His expression instantly turned strange.

"... Huh?"

"Wh-what's wrong...?"

Katya, who had stepped back when he gently pushed her behind him, swallowed nervously as she asked.

Fair enough. From her perspective, Aiden was staring into empty space, his expression shifting wildly as he muttered strange things to himself.

... He probably looked like a textbook case of ghost possession.

In other words, it wasn't particularly strange that Katya's lips were working nervously as she tried to clutch his arm even tighter...

But Aiden was in no position to give Katya any more attention.

Something struck him as he watched the billowing energy flow from Sier's outstretched arms.

'Gold...'

It looked exactly like the supernatural power Karva had allowed him to wield when she manifested before.

As that same color suffused their surroundings, Aiden followed the course of the divinity with a dazed gaze.

A spiral turning silently yet fiercely.

The song of droplets leaping between waves of blue so vivid they hurt his eyes and foam of pure white.

He could see a depth like that of swimming through a vast ocean.

"..."

The important thing, as he had said, was that he could 'see' it.

Back when Karva had raised that golden supernatural power...

Now, encountering it for the second time, he felt as though he might understand something.

If he looked just a little longer.

If he perceived it just a little more deeply, perhaps he could see it in greater detail.

-System Message

▶ You perceive 'Mystery.'

▶ The beings of the pantheon watch over you.

▶ The minimum requirements for changing your 'Race' have been me—

Words appeared before his eyes, but Aiden was already walking steadily toward Sier, without a moment to spare them any attention.

Then, as though entranced, he stepped into the embrace of Sier, who held her arms open to him with a benevolent smile.

'... Somehow.'

He, too, felt a sense of longing.

As though he had done something like this many times before—

"... What the hell?"

... As that thought crossed his mind, someone's voice abruptly dragged him back to awareness.

It was... a bigger Katya, to be sure.

But not the holy-looking Katya from a moment ago, whom anyone would recognize as a giant.

The problem was that this was a Katya who was a little taller and larger within realistic human proportions.

... Abigail III was staring at him in utter bewilderment.

Held tightly in his arms, her cheeks slightly flushed, she looked far more flustered than angry.

"..."

... By contrast, Aiden's expression rapidly soured as he realized he was embracing the Pontiff.

▣

"..."

"..."

"..."

A peculiar scene was unfolding: three people glaring at one another, all wearing equally sour expressions.

Each had a reason for looking that way.

Two of those reasons, at least, were perfectly clear.

Aiden—Deeply depressed by the fact that he had suddenly lost his mind and hugged this woman.

Katya—Simply disliked the Pontiff herself.

"..."

Unlike those understandable but utterly petty reasons, the Pontiff's reasons for wearing that expression were important enough that anyone would sympathize.

"... I was the one who dragged you two down here, actually."

She had promised him a reward for his performance in the team competition and had intended to conduct a 'rite' down here to that end.

The Pontiff brushed back her hair as she added that explanation. Her original plan had been to prepare and conduct the rite down here now...

The problem was that Aiden had already accomplished what the rite was meant to achieve.

"... As you can see."

The nature of Aiden's divinity had already changed.

He gave an awkward nod as he looked at his divinity, which now contained several 'colors' at once.

Previously colorless, it now shone with hues vivid enough to be unmistakable even in this dark cavern.

How he had acquired it was more absurd still.

"You made direct contact with a deity?"

Her tone suggested he should stop talking nonsense, but someone of the Pontiff's caliber could hardly fail to recognize what had 'been' in this cavern until moments ago.

"... Even I've never met her in person. I don't know why she suddenly descended here..."

Indeed, whatever her tone, the fact that she wasn't treating his account as a lie made that clear.

-Skill Info

◆ The First Vow: Revised

Divinity whose user-specific qualities have been unlocked through a direct blessing from the god of purification at a sacred altar.

Reflecting your user-specific qualities, this divinity's attributes can be freely 'reversed.' 'Flame of Regeneration' is granted as a basic function.

Its direction of growth has not yet been determined. This supernatural power will develop according to the 'function' you desire.

△ Flame of Regeneration: Reverses divinity's fundamental property of 'burning heat.' Your divinity can heal the targets it burns.

... After all, the description itself confirmed that he had just made contact with Sier.

Reading the description of his newly unlocked skill did raise one question, though.

"Um, Your Holiness. Does divinity normally need to be developed separately after it's been given a characteristic?"

There had certainly been no mention of that in the game, and neither Katya nor anyone else—

"Isn't there anything you want to be?"

"Pardon?"

He had little to say when suddenly asked about his future aspirations.

Aiden had never attended school, but even if he had, he would probably have been the sort of dull, old-fashioned child who wrote something like 'a father' as his dream for the future...

"Then start by figuring that out."

"Pardon?"

"All supernatural powers follow a person's true nature. You just haven't fully established your identity yet."

"..."

It made him feel like some adolescent boy, but this woman was the foremost expert on divinity. She probably wasn't lying.

'... My true nature.'

The Lord Protector had answered a question like that without hesitation before, hadn't he?

Aiden didn't feel he had established exactly what he wanted clearly enough to do the same yet.

His goal of an idyllic, peaceful life... was definite. But he had never looked beyond it.

"... Anyway."

Leaving Aiden to his thoughts, the Pontiff turned her gaze to Katya beside him.

"What's with that face you've been making this whole time? Are you picking a fight?"

Despite the challenge, Katya merely tilted her head at a defiant angle.

"... You could have gotten away."

"What?"

"When he hugged you earlier, you could have gotten away whenever you wanted. But you just stood there. Didn't you?"

"..."

"Lecher."

"..."

"Pervert."

Katya kept firing off insults with her eyes narrowed to slits, but the Pontiff merely picked her ear without answering.

"Yeah, it felt pretty good. He's better built than you'd think. Nice to hold on to."

"..."

"You haven't tried it yet, have you? My dimwitted little daughter hasn't even taken the first step toward adulthood?"

As she listened, Katya's face flushed and darkened with anger.

"... Like you've taken that step yourself."

"..."

"You've never even dated anyone in your entire life."

The Pontiff, too, fell silent with a disgruntled expression.

... Caught in the middle of that conversation, Aiden could only wonder what the hell these people were talking about.