Chapter: 295
What…?
“What did you just say…?”
Encia, who had suddenly brought up the subject, pretended not to listen to me and started rattling off her own thoughts.
“While Tia was sleeping, a lot of things happened. I met many people and read many books. To write the book Tia requested, I needed loads of knowledge and a meticulous verification process.
Along the way, there were many things I had to do. One of them was making a trip to Sirius, the capital of the Romanian Empire.”
Encia continued her story in a calm voice.
“When I went to Sirius, I met someone.”
“One person?”
“Yeah. A person who is wandering the world after losing a loved one.”
Encia’s words flowed on without interruption.
“He was a very strong man, but he had grown extremely weak.”
“That’s contradictory.”
“It is, but it’s due to other factors that he became so weak. He was someone whose heart broke from losing the one he loved. If his beloved had been by his side… he wouldn’t have become so weak.”
So what does that have to do with me being the Goddess of Life…?
No, more importantly, how on earth did Encia figure that out?
The name I gave to Encia was a fake, so she shouldn’t have been able to guess my identity, right?
“I learned a lot while talking with that person. Among the things I discovered… was a tale about the Goddess of Life.”
A tale about me…?
“The Goddess of Life. The goddess of all gods. The greatest of goddesses. The deity who created all life in this world. A goddess so well known that no one is unaware of her existence, and with the most fervent devotion. And she established the Church of Life to take care of humanity.”
Hmm. It feels like a bit too much flattery. I’m feeling a tad embarrassed.
Although it’s all true.
“Before we talk about the Goddess of Life, let’s divert the topic for a moment.
The person I met in Sirius, the one he loved, the entity named Gaia… was not human. She was once the Goddess of the Earth, but her faith had dwindled, leaving her like a fading remnant of a god.”
Hmm? Gaia?
Wait a second. That…
“It’s said she was such a powerful being that even in her declining state, she could create mountains, redirect rivers, and conjure massive stone walls in a heartbeat.”
Hmm. Uh… Isn’t that all stuff I’ve done!
Hold on, then… who was that speaking…?
“That Gaia person… No, she wasn’t technically a person. She was a remnant of a goddess. Anyway, he said that the goddess Gaia was actually one of the many aspects of the original Goddess of Life.
In this era when many gods have ascended to the pantheon and no longer intervened directly in the world, it’s said that the Goddess of Life left a fragment of herself on Earth to look after the world… and living beings.”
I feel like I can identify who might’ve said that… No, no. How much time has passed? There’s no way that guy is still alive. Humans don’t live this long.
If he were an elf, I could understand. But he’s purely human. If he’s somehow still alive, it’s hard to classify him as human.
“While we were chatting away, I mentioned Tia to him.”
“Just in case, what was that person’s name…?”
“Luke. He introduced himself as Luke.”
Luke? Lucius? Lucius Altrius III? Is that really Arthur?!
No, but wait, how is that guy still alive? Surpassing human lifespans? Did he happen to have some elven blood in him?
No, that doesn’t make sense. We confirmed during training that he was pure human. How on earth is he still alive?
Could it be… he’s become something that transcends humanity?
Ahem. We’ll look into that guy later. How on Earth is he still alive in a human body?
But what a surprise. He’s still searching for me.
Honestly, considering he was the emperor of a country… he could’ve chosen any woman he wanted.
Is that fool still hung up on me?
Such a fool!
“In any case, the person who heard the story about Tia mentioned the name Tiamat.”
“Tiamat?”
“Yeah. Apparently, that was the name a dragon priestess proclaimed for herself long ago.”
Encia was referring to the name I had once taken.
Arthur, where did you hear that name? Not many would remember such an ancient name.
Was it from Ratkinia founded by Maybel? Or Bistria where Asterios was? Either way… it’s surprising that name was still known.
“That dragon priestess… he even mentioned that she might not even be a dragon priestess at all. There’s no way there exists a dragon priestess who can elevate beastmen to gods, right?”
“That’s….”
“He suggested that the dragon priestess named Tiamat might be an alias used by the Goddess of Life to observe the world. After all, the Goddess of Life wouldn’t casually reveal her existence, right?”
I found myself speechless at Encia’s words.
That was undoubtedly the case. With that name, she had been operating as a dragon priestess rather than as the Goddess of Life.
Could she have pieced together my identity with those clues? Why are both Encia and Arthur so frustratingly competent?
“Tia’s name. A nature almost identical to Gaia. And knowledge seeming to encompass the essence of the world. No matter how you slice it… Tia isn’t an ordinary being.”
“Sia.”
“It’s not normal when a short nap means decades have passed, and a real sleep leads to centuries. After piecing those many hints together, the being most aligned with Tia’s true identity is… No matter how I think about it, it must be the Goddess of Life. It may be a bit irreverent, but still.”
Encia slowly continued her tale, as if gauging my reaction.
“Tia. Share with me. Your true identity. I want to know who you are. If necessary, you can write a wish that I’ll grant. Please.”
“Sia.”
“Please. I want to know more about you. So tell me.”
Encia spoke earnestly. Did she really want to know about me that much? Did she genuinely wish to understand me?
What does my existence mean to Encia? What implications does it hold?
I can’t say for certain. I can’t decipher what thoughts lie within Encia’s mind.
But, for Encia, who has so capably fulfilled my desires… wouldn’t it be acceptable to share about myself?
With that ambiguous notion in mind, I carefully opened my mouth.
“Sia. Do you really wish to know about me?”
“Yeah. Please tell me. Why can Tia talk to me? Why can I hear Tia’s voice while no one else can? I want to learn more about Tia. The Tia who always felt like she’d be there, but could leave at any time. I wish to know more.”
“And after finding that out, what if I leave?”
“If Tia were to leave… I would be sad. I’d be scared. I might even regret wishing to know such things. But despite that, I want to know. If I learn Tia’s true identity, and that instead of being gone, Tia has merely returned to where she belongs… then I think I could find some comfort in that.”
Even if that means we’d part ways… would she still wish to know my true identity?
Even if I were to disappear… would she feel at ease knowing I’ve returned to my rightful place rather than ceasing to exist?
I don’t know. I can’t grasp Encia’s sentiments.
That said…
“I….”
I began to speak slowly.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The origin of all magic theories lies in the first magic theory. The author of Sientia Basic Magic Theory. Numerous legends surround Encia.
The tale goes that after entrusting everything to her disciples, she quietly retreated and vanished.
There are stories of her constructing an unbreakable tower of wisdom in magic, and then dedicating herself to researching other fields in pursuit of monumental achievements elsewhere.
Tales speak of her gathering an immeasurable number of books to compile all the knowledge in the world and establishing a vast library with her disciples.
And the most outrageous, yet widely acclaimed story.
The narrative that after mastering all of magic, she ascended and became a divine being beyond human comprehension.
Of course, the authenticity of such tales is murky. After all, if she ascended to godhood, shouldn’t her name appear in the Manshinrok, the divine registry?
While it’s said that the Manshinrok passed down to humans is incomplete, if she truly became a god, shouldn’t her name at least have shown up there once?
That’s why many dismissed it as mere folklore, leading to the disbelief of many, yet the mystery of a legendary figure who vanished after reaching the pinnacle of a field kept such rumors alive.
The sole disciple possibly holding clues about her whereabouts, Archmage Cecilia Marigold, has maintained silence regarding her, ensuring the truth remains elusive.
– Explanation of Basic Magic Theory: Sientia Basic Magic Theory
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