Chapter: 673
While riding Ziz to Kroita, where Behemoth is located, the Eternal Blue Sky made an absurd remark that certainly made my head spin.
– She’s my sister…
What? Ziz is the sister of the Eternal Blue Sky, the deity of the heavens? That’s information that defies my human sensibilities and logic. My mind was reeling from the absurdity.
To be fair, it was me who asked the Eternal Blue Sky about Leviathan, Behemoth, and Ziz. If I hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have had to strain my brain with this revelation.
‘…You mean sister?’
After watching the kids playing under the care of Trixie, the royal knights, and royal magicians, I continued my conversation with the Eternal Blue Sky in my head.
Fortunately, there were plenty of people to look after the kids on Ziz aside from me. A momentary lapse in attention was no big deal.
– Ah, yeah.
The Eternal Blue Sky confirmed my inquiry. What a bummer. Honestly, I was expecting to laugh like an intern hearing one of the Executive Manager’s bad jokes, but here we are.
– Indeed, she’s my sister, who was also a goddess of the skies like me.
‘Wait, what?’
At that point, I was shocked yet again. Not only was Ziz my sister, but she was also a goddess? A sky deity overlapping with the Eternal Blue Sky’s domain? How is that even possible?
‘Isn’t it already established that sky deities exist?’
– Deities are ultimately formed by belief. If you worship the sky differently, another deity of the sky can emerge. That’s what Ziz was.
Complex wording, but I tried hard to grasp it. What’s more important right now isn’t the existence of multiple sky gods but Ziz’s true identity.
Given that even in the previous world there were separate Greek and Nordic sky gods, it didn’t seem impossible.
– Sometimes there’s fierce rivalry over overlapping domains, but Ziz and I got along quite well. Ziz was such a gentle and pure-hearted child; she saw me as family rather than a rival.
That made me glance over at Ziz’s head.
Indeed, that innocence must have been innate since her days as a goddess.
– Well, we spent a lot of time together like family, and various things happened…
Suddenly, the Eternal Blue Sky went silent.
I couldn’t tell if the silence was due to reminiscing about the sister she had lost or if she was unsure how to explain things to me.
– I’ll just tell you what you’re curious about because longer explanations might bore you.
The voice of the Eternal Blue Sky, breaking the silence, was tinged with sadness, so I guessed it was leaning toward the former.
– I mentioned that gods cannot be physically subdued, right? They can only be eliminated after losing their faith and divine essence.
‘Yes, I remember.’
I recalled how the Eternal Blue Sky said that when the holy beings first burst forth from their seals, it left me pondering their treatment.
Too powerful to deal with as gods, but re-sealing them didn’t add up either.
‘It’s a relief I gathered them.’
Looking back, collecting those beings was a divine win. I wouldn’t even want to imagine the difficulty of parenting without them.
– When a deity loses their essence, they can no longer rule as a god but don’t entirely disappear. They continue living as something that was once a god.
While I imagined the holy beings lounging around in my mansion, the Eternal Blue Sky’s words helped me grasp the general situation.
Honestly, by this point, it was impossible not to understand. Losing divine essence, something that was once a god, a former godlike entity.
‘So Ziz is something that has lost divine essence.’
– That’s right. After various events unfolded, the faith worshiping Ziz declined, and the sky goddess Ziz fell from grace.
Her voice was soaked with bitterness, and I felt a twinge of guilt. If I hadn’t asked trivial questions, she wouldn’t have had to speak of her sister’s downfall herself.
– Still, she’s such a bright child, so she doesn’t seem too bummed out. Being a goddess was a hassle anyway; she probably thought it was a chance to explore the world freely. I couldn’t bring myself to stop her, so I let her go.
A small sigh rang in my mind.
– If I had known that was the last conversation, I would have stopped her to the end.
‘Last?’
– Yes. She left to the south and was hunted down by humans. The Ziz that exists now is not the Ziz I know. It’s more like a different entity made from Ziz’s fragments.
What a shock that landed on me.
Not only did the sister who was once a goddess lose her divine essence, but she was also killed and altered by humans. It’s a horrifying tale.
‘That makes sense.’
At the same moment, I began to understand why Trika could create artificial beings.
It wasn’t a matter of creating something from nothing. Considering the Eternal Blue Sky’s statement about Ziz’s fragments, capturing something “once a god” seems to yield otherwise unattainable loot.
Based on that situation, it makes sense that they likely created artificial beings from the acquired spoils. Utilizing Trika’s technology to build a body and then infusing that body with the spoils much like a soul.
– We live off nature’s mana or divine power. We eat regular food, but it doesn’t provide much efficiency.
And what Leviathan said earlier supports this hypothesis.
Yeah, mana may be plausible, but insisting that I must consume divine power was bizarre. Now that I realize she’s a former deity, the mystery is finally being uncovered.
‘So, does that mean Leviathan and Behemoth are…?’
– As far as I recall, one was a deity of the sea, and the other a deity of livestock? That’s how I remember it.
Hearing the specific term “livestock” made it all the more convincing. Behemoth caring for livestock clearly denoted its role as a deity of livestock.
‘Unbelievable.’
Thanks to that, my head began to throb.
Artificial beings could only be created by killing something that was once a god? That method was only conceivable during the wild religious frenzy of the time.
As the kids safely landed in Kroita, their eyes sparkled at the sight of Behemoth.
I couldn’t even wrap my head around what transpired in the meantime. Behemoth, entirely covered in grass, trees, and flowers, looked to the kids like a moving mountain. Honestly, I found it fascinating too—imagine how blown away those kids must feel.
“There are so many cows and sheep!”
On top of Behemoth, numerous cows and sheep could be seen. At this point, it felt less like a mountain and more like a farm.
– Little guests have arrived. Nice to meet you!
Even with the sudden visitors, Behemoth greeted the children in a gentle voice.
Given its calm and gentle nature, it was the expected response. However, knowing that Behemoth was once a deity now altered my perception a bit.
A gentle and kind deity that once fell from grace due to losing their faith, ultimately hunted down by humans, only to be reborn as an artificial being. Not exactly the most cheerful situation.
‘Does it not remember anything?’
I pondered as I watched Ziz lying flat, resting on the ground.
For now, it seems like these beings don’t have any memories of their time as deities. If they did, they would surely cease to follow Trika, who hunted and resurrected them, and they wouldn’t accept being treated like livestock.
So, it’s both fortunate and unfortunate. It’s fortunate that they live quietly without the memories of their past as deities, but—
– I want to talk to Ziz again, but she isn’t the Ziz I once knew. If the Ziz without any memories of our time together realizes I know more, it would just be me pretending…
Given that the Eternal Blue Sky lost her sister forever, it’s truly tragic.
‘Do they really not remember?’
But I can’t help but question that. These gigantic creatures have inherited her name and characteristics. It’s entirely possible they retained some memories as well.
Of course, it could be that Trika intentionally omitted those memories while creating them—
‘But that doesn’t seem likely.’
That hypothesis wasn’t all that persuasive. Altering memory remains a daunting realm even in this advanced era of magic and technology. Even the continent’s greatest magician, Trixie, hesitates to dabble in the field of memory alteration.
Did Trika somehow accomplish what’s been deemed impossible with technology from two millennia ago? If Trika solely used their technologies to create an artificial being, it might make sense, but considering the involvement of the divine is dubious.
‘Or, perhaps it’s a seal?’
That too might be difficult as a method of manipulating memories, but if it’s sealing rather than erasing, it could definitely be plausible. Forgetting is something every creature inevitably experiences.
Moreover, instead of sealing just specific memories, it would be easier to block off all memories before death.
‘It’s tricky.’
As I contemplated numerous theories, I let out a small sigh.
Thinking alone won’t change anything. Only the Empire of Trika, who created those beings, truly knows the truth.
*
After conversing with the Honorary Priest, I blankly gazed at the sky.
I’ve again mentioned the sister I had kept in my heart for so long, a sister I had tried hard not to recall. The precious sister that left me over two millennia ago resurfaced in my mind.
‘I used to love flying around.’
Ziz, being a goddess of the sky, had a strong attachment to the heavens. It was so typical of her to soar through the sky, surveying the world.
‘I want to see her…’
I miss her. While I’ve cared for so many divine beings like my sister, Ziz seems particularly dear to me, perhaps because she was a sky goddess just like me. She called me sister and would always follow closely behind.
And now that sister’s faith has vanished and she has fallen, killed at the hands of humans.
‘Why you?’
It’s a bitter reality. While it’s not uncommon for entities that lost their divine essence to be hunted down, it’s certainly not every day that it happens. And yet, that tragedy happened to my sister, Ziz.
Why did it have to be you? Was it my fault for not stopping you when you left for the south? Was I wrong for considering your pride when you stepped down from the throne of a deity and didn’t want to make you a divine beast?
I don’t know. It’s all been over two millennia since.
– Why do you look so down? You seem weak.
– Ah.
While I was lost in thought, Constantina returned.
– I was just recalling old times.
– For you, ancient times would be like the distant past.
– It’s not that long ago. It was when I was with Ziz.
– Ah.
At my words, Constantina seemed to understand. She knew Ziz was special for me—
– Speaking of which, Ziz, Behemoth, and Leviathan have awakened. It was delightful to reconnect after such a long time.
?
– Connect…?
– Yes. Behemoth and I share a bit of an overlapping domain. I even visited Behemoth a few days ago.
– …Do you remember it?
– Of course! Even if I died and came back, Behemoth is still Behemoth!
That statement made my head go blank.
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