Chapter 94: 93. I’ll Tell You Everything About My Eldest Child’s Tastes, Too

1.

To gods, divine artifacts were the only means of glimpsing a realm they could not reach through their own power alone.

No being surpassed Ignia in handling fire, and no being understood the principles of earth more deeply than Gaia.

The problem was that, having already reached the pinnacle, further growth was nearly impossible for them.

They had long since done everything they could accomplish alone.

To them, divine artifacts were the final ladder to ascend to a higher realm.

Which meant that for gods, laying everything down merely to be chosen by a mortal was no great matter.

Especially if that craftsman was an Heir of Fire….

"…I wasn’t composed enough…."

Gaia rested a hand against her forehead and sighed.

It had been fine for her to rush back as soon as she realized the divine bell was ringing.

The problem came afterward.

While she had fumbled with the difficult, complex communication window, the little one had chosen one of the other gods and begun speaking with them.

She did not know who it was, but… gods were not inherently kind and gentle.

Many would whisper all manner of sweet words to draw him to their side.

She had even heard of more than one Heir of Fire being swept into the folds of the gods’ skirts that way.

It was only natural for Gaia to grow desperate….

In the end, she had no choice but to bring up her relationship with Dolores, her strongest card.

That she was her eldest child’s mother.

"…How undignified."

It was information she would have told him soon enough….

Still, it was difficult to shake the feeling that she had cut in line.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the divine realm.

Ignia, Goddess of Fire.

She had taken out the bucket list she kept hidden away and was just about to name the tiny item she had written there that she wanted, when—

"I’ve decided wha—"

[Please wait a moment, Ignia.]

"?"

[Would it be possible for you to wait just one year?]

"…What?"

A message that abruptly brought her mood crashing down had arrived.

"Why?"

She would not get angry.

She was a noble god, after all. She was merely listening to the reason.

She had even looked after the dwarves on the eighty-ninth floor for the sake of this descendant.

Of course, that excluded the dwarves on the eighty-eighth floor. They were the race Ignia hated most.

Those blinded by money.

They were exactly the kind of people Ignia, who loved intangible values such as effort and pride, despised most.

She had already been deeply disappointed in the race known as dwarves after the Heirs of Fire disappeared.

Then she had heard rumors that the dwarves had fallen under the sway of a merchant company formed by lesser creatures and become obsessed with nothing but money… After that, she had been so disgusted she never even went near the dwarves’ floors.

But when she looked again this time, there was at least one settlement left that had rejected the Company’s influence.

They were, in their own way… trying to restore their lost techniques as well.

There’s been a change like this?

The last dwarves she had seen had been nothing more than well-fed pigs, so there was a noticeable difference.

This descendant was probably from here too.

Thinking it was a fairly promising discovery, she had supported them….

And now, suddenly?

"I need to hear the reason."

[It is simply that I do not believe my current skill is enough to fully realize the standard you desire, Ignia.]

"…"

[If I am going to craft it, I do not want to make a clumsy imitation. I would like to craft other divine artifacts over the next year and build my skills further, then complete the item you envision without any shortcomings.]

Flutter.

The flames behind Ignia’s back swayed softly.

That meant she was in a decent mood.

"Hmm…."

What seemed good about this descendant was not merely his confidence….

Completion.

She liked that he wanted to make it perfectly.

Details, details, and more details.

That was what Ignia obsessed over and loved.

"If that is the reason…"

Other divine artifacts… Then another god would receive a practice piece.

She liked that as well.

One year was but an instant to a god, and if it meant receiving an even finer item, she could wait.

"It is worth waiting for."

She was simply hoping the fruit would ripen into something delicious.

Ignia nodded, quite pleased.

2.

"Ah."

It sounds like things went well for now.

I said I wanted to build my skills while making other divine artifacts.

And her response was, well….

『If that is the reason.』

『Then another god will receive a practice piece?』

"…Let’s not respond to that separately."

It did not seem bad.

I seemed to have avoided making her feel bad for no reason.

Of course, the divine artifact I would offer Gaia could never be a practice piece.

I had not said that, and it felt like Ignia had decided that herself, so there was no need to correct her….

But as I was about to end the conversation, I felt there was one thing I ought to clarify.

"I’m not a dwarf, you know."

For one thing, Gaia knew perfectly well that I was not a dwarf.

She had seen my face and confirmed my identity.

Ignia, on the other hand, did not know.

Yet she kept saying, “your race, your race,” and believed I was a Sun Dwarf… and that was why she was supporting the dwarves, wasn’t it?

She had certainly done a good thing, but if she found out I had known all along, it might look like deception.

Since she was a god, I needed to be careful about every part of this.

It would be seriously troublesome if she later misunderstood and thought I had deliberately deceived her.

She was the Goddess of Fire, too. She might flare up in an instant.

"As respectfully as possible."

[Yeah.]

"And I believe there is one misunderstanding I would like to correct."

Let’s just be direct.

"I am not a Sun Dwarf."

『…?』

『Was that a joke just now?』

Of course it would sound like a joke.

"I thought it would be proper etiquette to tell you in person when I formally enter the Tower someday, while greeting you properly, but…"

I had a feeling this was going to take a while.

"Now that I have learned you were investing your precious divine authority because you believed me to be a Sun Dwarf, I felt that remaining silent would be deceitful."

In other words, since you are spending resources because of me, I could not help but tell you.

"As a human, I acquired the techniques of the Heirs of Fire… and earned the qualification."

I’m not a dwarf, damn it, so don’t go back on your word later.

『…A human?』

This time, it took a while for a reply to arrive.

"However, if this fact becomes known to the outside… a great danger could come not only upon me, but also on those around me. Only a very small number know this, but…"

"I judged that I could trust you with this, Ignia, noble and great master of fire…"

You are an insanely awesome and great god, so I am telling you because you are worthy of knowing.

So please, keep it secret.

I could not openly tell a god to keep quiet, so I mixed in a little flattery.

I had said everything I needed to say.

Now the question was how Ignia would take it.

And not long after—

『Puhaha! You have a good eye. Exactly right. I am fundamentally discreet. You saw that… very accurately.』

Perhaps her mood had suddenly improved, because her tone had become a little bouncy.

『I swear upon the name of fire that I will protect your secret. Until you reveal yourself to the world personally, I will not let a word of it slip to anyone.』

『And you need not think so hard about it. My daughter received a flower from you, so it was something I would have learned before long anyway.』

Wait a second.

Yeomhwa was the only person I had given a flower to.

Yeomhwa….

Hwa. Fire.

Not to mention the Origin Script of the flower I remembered.

"…Yeomhwa is Ignia’s apostle too."

It must be similar to Dolores’s situation.

Then it had been inevitable that she would discover I was human. It was only a matter of time.

She must have asked Yeomhwa.

Wow, that was a crazy good call.

I was glad I confessed in advance.

Things like this always went easier if you came forward yourself first.

[…Wow, I just looked it up, and swearing upon the name of fire apparently means she is practically staking her life on it?]

…Really?

Somehow, I had received much stronger assurance than I expected.

And she seemed to be in a good mood, too.

"Thank you!!"

『And Descendant? You need not worry about my sharing divine authority with the dwarves. Tending to a few mortal settlements will not burden me.』

『It is true that I looked upon them again because of you, Descendant… but it is for them to prove whether they remain worthy of receiving it. The fact that you are human is no reason for me to take back the fire I have already bestowed.』

…I did not expect that problem to be solved too.

It looked like they would no longer starve to death immediately, either.

She would keep my secret, and unless the dwarves screwed up again, she would give them enough that they would not starve to death.

And she had allowed me to postpone it by a year.

Nice and clean, huh?

Maybe Ignia was more reasonable a goddess than I thought…?

『Honestly, I am even more curious now. How in the world did you, with the frail body of a human, acquire the techniques of the Heirs of Fire…?』

『But… as you said, I am the “great and noble Goddess of Fire,” so I will wait.』

Hmm….

It seemed she liked what I said earlier.

What a relief.

"Thank you. I will certainly come see you again when the time is right."

『Work hard.』

[The communication has ended.]

"…That’s over."

She ended it rather coolly.

Maybe because I emphasized her image as a noble and impressive god, she was trying to act in a way that suited it….

Anyway, I think I handled that well.

Now then….

Rub, rub, rub.

I rubbed my hands together and opened Gaia’s communication window.

[Gaia, Goddess of Earth.]

『Little one…?』

"Hello!!"

『Little one, I am sorry. You must have been very startled, yes? It must have been sudden.』

"No, it’s all right!"

Grinning broadly, I tapped the attached video.

Expecting to see Gaia’s lovely, lovely face.

The problem was that the video that played showed countless natural landscapes in sequence, including verdant hills and flower-filled fields.

[May today be a healthy and happy day as well….]

Huge, colorful Gothic lettering was plastered right in the center.

"…"

It was the sort of video that looked like it would appear every morning in an elderly relatives’ group chat.

The sort of video that had probably already been forwarded around a hundred times before making its way back to the elderly person who had first sent it.

"…"

[LOL.]

I had not exactly been tricked, so why did I feel tricked…?

I closed the video and focused on the conversation.

"Thank you for the video that will make me healthier and happier."

『I am glad… I thought long and hard before choosing it….』

Hmm.

I see.

"I will treasure it."

I’ll just treasure it.

『Hehe, I would appreciate that. And… if our conversation just now has made you feel pressured, you need not worry. I did not bring up my eldest child’s name to demand that you offer me a divine artifact….』

"No, it’s all right."

Honestly, it had only made me more certain.

"I would like to make this divine artifact for you, Gaia."

I explained my plan.

I wanted to understand the power Dolores wielded… that power.

And because Gaia was the Goddess of Earth, I thought it would bring me closer to that aspect.

"Ultimately… I want to make better equipment for Dolores."

After that lengthy letter and explanation, no response came for quite some time.

『Hehe….』

『I see. That is something I truly want to tell my eldest child.』

Gaia seemed satisfied.

But saying something like that to her mom was a little… embarrassing.

"Um… could you perhaps keep it a secret…? It’s a surprise…."

『Hehehehe, of course. I understand.』

Good, good.

That settled the agreement.

All that remained was deciding what to make….

"So I would like to ask you for one piece of advice, Gaia."

『What are you curious about?』

What else could it be?

"What kind of item would you like to receive, Gaia?"

It would be classified as a divine artifact either way… but the item would remain on this side, like [The Cradle of Earth].

In that case, it would be best to create something that I could offer to Gaia while Dolores could use it too.

"I would like it to be something you want… and, if possible, equipment Dolores can use as well."

『Hmm….』

Gaia seemed to consider it for a moment.

『Then how about an insignia?』

"An insignia."

『Yes. The insignia my eldest child currently uses is….』

"It’s no good."

It was really no good.

I knew because I had seen it myself.

But it was not as though I had never considered it.

"The thing is… I still do not properly understand the energy of earth."

I felt uneasy about putting something I did not understand into equipment.

I was confident about the energy of fire. Both Rose and Totality ultimately contained the power of fire.

Understanding the power of earth had to come first.

That was why I had planned to make this divine artifact first, too.

Then Gaia answered as though it were nothing.

『If you want to understand the energy of earth, would it not be enough for me to help you from beside you?』

"…Oh."

『Hehe, now we can keep talking like this. Tell me what you are curious about, little one. Then I will teach you.』

"…You’re right."

I had not thought of that.

Last time, we had only exchanged a few oracles… but now we could communicate both ways.

That meant I could ask whenever there was something I was curious about during the crafting process, right?

If the Goddess of Earth personally taught me the power of earth… where could I find a better tutor?

The completed item would become one of Dolores’s weapons, armor, or insignia.

And it would help Gaia’s divinity too.

"Sounds good. That sounds amazing."

『Then it is decided.』

The crafting of an insignia for Dolores…

would be done together with Gaia, the ultimate tutor in the power of earth.

『I can tell you, one by one… everything… about my eldest child’s tastes, too.』

"Whoa."

『Hehe.』

Gaia laughed quietly.

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