Chapter: 150
“Something that has a form but can’t be grasped, on the opposite side of the light?”
Baal tilted his head with a puzzled expression, not understanding what it meant.
Well, it’s not surprising that Baal wouldn’t know about the long-lost Erebus.
“Alright, if you can bring that guy, I’ll let you pass the test.”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll give it a try!”
“Oh, and Mom can’t help you anymore. You’ll have to do it all on your own.”
At Shamash’s words, Baal replied confidently.
“Okay! I’ve received enough help already! Now I’ll do it myself!”
It’s great that he’s enthusiastic, but… hmm. It’s probably going to be tough. If he were that easy to find, we would have done it ages ago.
Baal rushed out as if he could find it right away, not grasping the difficulty of this test, while the other kids and I silently stared at Shamash.
“Setting an impossible test, isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“Right! Even for me, it wasn’t an easy trial, but I made concessions!”
Sylphid, you’re no different, are you? If I hadn’t persuaded you, you would have steamrolled through it.
Well, it seems Sylphid didn’t really think it through.
“Hmph. I have my own thoughts too, you know. You thought I just threw out an impossible test for no reason?”
Shamash has… thoughts?
No, when making judgments, there’s some level of discernment, but Shamash usually seems like he’s just basking in the sun without a care in the world?
“This test was for Mom’s sake. I understand she cares deeply about that kid, but she’s been rather neglectful lately! I wish she’d give some attention to us too!”
Wait, are they blaming me?
“So that’s why you came up with this impossible test?”
“Yep. That little kid will figure out after struggling for about a year that it’s impossible. Until then, Mom needs to stick with us.”
“What about… the test?”
Shamash chuckled lightly, as if it were nothing, and spoke.
“As for the test, I’ll just consider the efforts during this time and let him pass, as if he succeeded. So don’t worry about it.”
Hmm… It’s nice that he’s passing regardless of success, but have I really neglected this child to the point that they think like this?
Well, when I think about it, I did kind of neglect them. After teaching them how to create avatars, I barely even saw them. I just assumed they were all grown up and taking care of themselves.
But that thought seems to have been only mine.
“Alright then, Mom. Let’s make the next year enjoyable together.”
Ugh… What is this? Is this some kind of obsession?
I don’t really get what ‘obsession’ means, but it sounds like excessive attachment or something…?
So, I ended up spending about a year with the kids.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Thinking it over calmly, my kids don’t seem to be doing anything against what I want.
Sylphid? She can be a bit of an airhead. Maybe she just got too excited in the race and dashed off?
After talking rationally, Sylphid understood my intentions, so she probably didn’t intentionally go against my wishes.
Anyway, since I know the other kids also aren’t going against my will, I can watch Baal’s test with a little more peace of mind.
“Mom’s cooking is seriously something else! It’s like nothing in this world. How can it possibly be this delicious?”
“Yep. It’s the best.”
I smiled as I watched Sylphid and Sagarmatha finish off more than four servings of cream pasta.
Well, the concept of pasta doesn’t really exist in this era yet. There’s that primitive cream stew made with milk, but that’s about it.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying the food. But why aren’t the other kids here?”
“They went to watch over Baal. They seem to have found something or whatever. Sagarmatha and I are just here to ensure you don’t rush off to Baal.”
“I see. Monitoring.”
Sagarmatha, who polished off the cream pasta like a pro, quietly raised her fingers to form a V.
“So they found something, huh? Did they stumble on a clue about that guy?”
“Impossible, right? How could they find something that’s been shattered into a million pieces and lost its form? Even if they did, they’d probably just gather some chunky bits.”
Yeah, that sounds about right.
It’s close to impossible to collect all of those countless fragments scattered everywhere. Even if they find something, I wouldn’t hold my breath about it.
Just as I was thinking that…
“I found it!”
About seven months after Baal took Shamash’s test.
Baal came to us, bringing a small dark-haired goddess with him.
“Found…?”
“Ugh, ugh…”
The young goddess he brought had a gloomy aura, with dark hair covering her face.
Hmm. Oh! Oh!
“The answer to Shamash’s question is the shadow! So I brought the goddess of shadows!!”
Well, I guess that fits.
Yeah, that makes sense. This kid wouldn’t know anything about Erebus, so there’s no way he could find it, especially not when it’s scattered into endless pieces.
Instead, it looks like he brought the perfect subject for Shamash’s question.
“This place… I shouldn’t be here…”
“Aw, come on! You’re the answer to Shamash’s question! Stand tall! Don’t hide behind me! Step forward!”
Baal tugged the goddess, who kept trying to hide behind him, dragging her forward. The other kids and I just facepalmed at the scene.
“But… this, I mean…”
The timid young goddess kept looking uneasy. Baal claimed she was the goddess of shadows.
Looking at her, it seems she’s a goddess who’s just been born and doesn’t know a thing.
“Well, I did think about darkness and shadows when posing the question, but…”
Shamash merely sighed as he looked at the young goddess.
“Shamash, it seems like you got yourself in a bit of a bind.”
“No, but! We didn’t think of this little goddess, none of us!”
“We all had the same thought, but Baal couldn’t possibly know about her, could he?”
I gently placed my hand on the timid goddess’s head and started to stroke it slowly.
A faint smile began to appear on the small goddess’s face, who had been curling up in fear.
She probably felt reassured by the presence of the highest god caring for her among the others.
“Regardless of what your intention was in posing the test, it’s undeniable that this child fits the answer.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
I opened my mouth, noticing that Shamash wanted to say more.
“So, as the goddess of light, justice, and law, what do you think?”
“Ugh… Well… H-He passes.”
“We did it!”
At Shamash’s announcement, Baal jumped up in joy.
“Yay!”
“It’s all thanks to you! I appreciate it!!”
Then, he started spinning around, hugging the young goddess. Hmm.
This duo looks… kind of nice. The energetic sky-blue boy and the shy black-haired girl…
“Ugh… I planned to spend a whole year with Mom…”
“Your mistake was in not clearly stating the answer to the test.”
“No, but… ugh… why on earth did the goddess of shadows have to show up now…”
At Shamash’s words, the young goddess flinched and hid behind me.
Oh dear, she’s a bit frightened by Shamash’s comment.
“Don’t worry. Shamash isn’t angry with you.”
I gently stroked the timid goddess’s head once more.
“Now, what’s your name?”
I sat down to match her height and asked.
A bit messy hair. Pale skin. And a subtle divine aura.
She really looks like a newborn goddess.
The young goddess didn’t answer my question and just shook her head silently.
“Why? It’s not like you can’t speak… Hmm… Do you perhaps not have a name?”
Slowly, the young goddess nodded.
“I… don’t have a name…”
“You really have just been born.”
“Of course! I was born from the rumors spread among humans!”
Baal proclaimed proudly. Indeed… Baal was the very god born from those rumors.
“Unlike the elves, it wasn’t easy, but I worked hard to spread the stories and this is how she came to be! I did well, right?”
With sparkling eyes, Baal looked at me like a puppy seeking praise, and I couldn’t help but slowly pat his head.
“Uh, so that means…”
“Ah, yes. The goddess of shadows… the one without a name yet. Baal, what do you think her name should be?”
“Um… I don’t know!”
He doesn’t know…?
Hmm. Looks like he really whipped her up without a second thought.
“It would be a problem if a newborn goddess doesn’t have a name.”
In order for devotion to the gods to be properly conveyed, people need to recognize that god clearly.
Thus, the name of a god acts as a crucial landmark.
“Then… I’ll name you.”
A name given by the current supreme god? It’s not something I do often.
You can be proud of it!
“Your name shall be… Yeah, this fits perfectly.”
As I stroked the timid goddess of shadows, I announced,
“From now on, your name shall be Nyx.”
And so, the goddess of shadows and night, Nyx, was born.
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