Chapter: 151
And so, Baal passed Shamash’s test.
What Shamash had set as the test was Erebus, but the question was worded ambiguously, you see. When there are mistakes in the question that allow for multiple correct answers, they usually acknowledge all of them as valid.
That’s why Shamash had no choice but to acknowledge that Baal had passed.
Let’s see. Now that Baal has passed Shamash’s test… What’s left are Thetis and Sagarmatha, right?
I wonder how those two tests will go. I’m starting to feel a bit jittery.
Suppressing my rising unease, I gently patted Nyx’s head, who was sitting on my lap.
The shy little goddess. It seems Nyx still finds the other gods a bit overwhelming, as she was clinging to me, trying to gauge the situation.
“Um, uh…”
“What’s up?”
“O-Oh, it’s nothing…”
Nyx’s voice shrank to the size of a mouse hole.
I just continued to stroke Nyx’s head in silence.
A timid, petite little goddess. Mmm, nice.
“Okay then, is it my turn now?”
Thetis said as she got up, and I grumbled softly while watching her.
“It’s getting a bit tedious now that it’s my fifth time around.”
The other kids nodded in agreement, echoing my grumbling.
If I had known it would take this long, I should’ve just speed-run through the tests.
On top of that, with the ban on harming living beings and all that, there really hasn’t been any actual crisis, has there?
I don’t know what the remaining tests are, but judging by the previous ones, it doesn’t seem like there’ll be any risk of hurting life.
They wouldn’t pull something like “raid the dwarves’ underground village and bring me back a treasure,” would they? I really hope not…
Sagarmatha may be a bit condescending toward the dwarves, but she wouldn’t throw such a ridiculous test at the beings who worship her, right?
“My test will be over quickly, so don’t worry. I’m just going to the deep sea with you, that’s all.”
“The deep sea?”
“Yep. The deepest part of the ocean. Don’t worry too much since I’ll be with you; it won’t be too dangerous.”
Hmm… Really?
In the deep sea that deep, the pressure must be insane. Can they really handle it?
“It might be a little tough, but to become the king of the gods, there shouldn’t be anywhere in this world that I can’t visit.”
I glanced at Baal nearby, and he wore a confident smile.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Of course! Absolutely no problem!”
Will they really be okay? It’s a place where not even a single ray of light can reach.
“Don’t fret too much. I’ll be going with you to ensure we get back safely.”
Hmm… If Thetis says so, then maybe it’ll be fine…
But there’s still this nagging unease. Should I have gone with them after all?
That thought was flicked away like a pesky fly by Thetis’ words.
“Mom isn’t allowed to tag along. You understand, right? I’ll have the other kids keep an eye on you.”
“Ugh… Alright, go ahead. But you two must return safely. Got it?”
“Of course.”
I really hope they’ll be okay. Ugh… worries stacked like mountains.
So, I watched as Baal and Thetis disappeared into the depths of the sea, while I kept gently stroking Nyx’s head.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Thetis descended into the deep sea, now accompanied by Baal.
The dim light slowly faded, letting darkness seep into the space.
In the abyss where the sky was completely out of sight, instead of the regular fish commonly seen above, bizarrely evolved creatures swam by.
Gazing up at Baal above her, Thetis spoke.
“The king of the gods… Honestly, the one who would fit that role best would be Mom… But I can’t burden her more since she already has so much on her plate. While I don’t like the idea of another god sitting on that throne, it’s just unavoidable.”
The expression on Thetis’s face was different now – cold, devoid of warmth.
“So, I’ll allow you to become the king of the gods. For Mother’s sake.”
“Mother…?”
“Yep. What’s wrong? Surprised I’m different here than when I’m in front of Mother?”
Baal, finding it hard to nod in the dark, felt the immense pressure of the water weighing down on him.
“Well, can’t be helped. I’ve always wanted to act like a kid in front of Mother. Your attitude inevitably changes based on your company.”
“You’re a totally different person…”
Thetis merely chuckled at Baal’s comment.
“And the reason I brought you here is that I wanted to have a conversation in a place where Mother wouldn’t hear us.”
“What kind of conversation…?”
“Gaia.”
The small word slipped from Thetis’ lips.
“The name you just mentioned… it refers to Mother, right?”
“……”
“You don’t have to be so tense. I just want to confirm; I’m not trying to get mad or anything.”
Baal slowly nodded.
“I see. I figured it would be like that. Seriously, why are there so many people infatuated with Mother? It’s a hassle, honestly.”
“Infatuated…?”
Thetis sighed softly, a faint current swirling away from her.
“Well, we’re not in a position to judge others either.”
“We? What do you mean?”
“Well, given the mistakes of the past, we can’t help it. But look, while you can’t help but feel fond of Mother, it’s best to abandon the idea of monopolizing her.”
“Why? Don’t just say that, tell me so I understand.”
Thetis smiled slightly at Baal.
“Because Mother is just too colossal a being. No one can monopolize her.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said.”
With a quiet wave of her hand, Thetis set a current swirling around it.
That current took the shape of a small sphere, which continued to spin on Thetis’ hand while gradually absorbing the surrounding magic.
“Do you know what magic is?”
“The power that’s in everything in this world, right?”
“Yep. The power that permeates everything around us.”
The sphere spinning on Thetis’ hand only absorbed magic from its surroundings, not releasing any.
It was like a prison purely for collecting magic.
“I used to wonder where that magic comes from and where it goes…”
The sphere continued to draw in magic and began to emit light as the concentrated magic started shining.
“Being born from the flow allowed me to trace the flow itself. Sure, I only managed to do it after countless attempts and failures.”
The sphere on Thetis’ hand sparkled with silver light, and then, with a small popping sound, it shattered into silver stardust and disappeared.
“The source of magic, the lifeblood that sustains this world. Where does it come from? What’s its origin?”
As she sank deeper, Thetis landed at the deepest point of the sea.
An abyss filled with darkness, where the only thing present was the pressing pressure surrounding them.
Yet, inexplicably, she also felt a scorching heat coming from the depths of the ocean below.
In silence, Thetis pressed her foot against the ground.
“The source of magic begins at the deepest part of this world, the place closest to the heart of the world.”
“The… heart of the world?”
“Yes. That grand heart concealed deep underground. A massive, beating heart that’s always active, sustaining the world.”
As Thetis brushed the dirt aside, a small amount of sand stirred and rose.
With the sand, silver particles that had been embedded in it floated up, briefly illuminating the area before fading away.
“Was that… magic just now?”
“Yep. That was magic.”
The sand settled back down, and the brief light illuminating the abyss vanished entirely.
“A large accumulation of magic might condense enough to be visible even by just sweeping the ground. This place is one of the sources of magic.”
“Here…? Wait, one of the sources?”
“Yep. There are around eight locations like this where highly concentrated magic wells up from the ocean. They were all as close to the heart of the world as this one, boasting a dense magic concentration.”
Baal slowly pressed his hand against the ground. Through the fine sand, he began to sense something.
A huge flow of energy, pulsing with heat.
He could feel the heart of a star beating beneath him.
“So, why are you sharing this with me?”
“Hmm. I thought you’d catch on if I just gave you this much information.”
Thetis clicked her tongue softly and started gathering magic from the floor.
“This concentrated silver magic is almost identical to the magic Mother possesses.”
“The magic of Gaia…?”
“To put it more accurately, the magic that rises from the heart of the world circulates throughout and eventually flows towards Mother.”
With a slight smile, Thetis continued,
“Mother can be seen as the destination for all magic. It seems Mother is unaware of this fact. Perhaps it’s because she possesses so much magic that she fails to notice the magic flowing in.”
“…”
“Mother is just too vast a being for any single individual to monopolize. So you should forget about claiming Mother as your own, and just focus on fulfilling your role as the king of the gods as she wishes.”
Thetis spoke in a cold tone.
“Mother cannot belong to anyone unless she herself desires it.”
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