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Adaptation Period

Simply put, it’s the time it takes for your body and mind to get used to a new environment, applicable not only to people but also to animals.

Ignoring this can lead to serious trouble.

If you suddenly move a fish into a new aquarium, nine out of ten will perish.

Pulling a cat out of a corner will result in being recognized as a threat and getting attacked. Every animal needs its own time to adapt to a new environment.

As mentioned earlier, this applies to people too.

Karem was having an absolutely hard time coming to his senses.

“Out of it” might be the more precise term.

Common sense dictates that day and night cannot coexist.

Even at noon, shadows are cast, and there’s a limit to how far the sunlight can illuminate the land.

The boundary where day and night coexist is a fleeting moment or only possible in specific areas.

Yet, the scene unfolding right before my eyes was blatantly defying the basic laws of nature.

A narrow band of purple cutting exactly through the sky.

On the right side, a bright, clear sky of midday.

On the opposite side, countless stars illuminating the night sky.

This unnatural coexistence of two heavens seemed frozen in time, just as it was.

Snowflakes the size of a thumb scattered in the wind, disappearing into the forest. Each time they clashed with the icicles, like chandeliers clinging to the gnarled trees, a clear and pure sound echoed.

“Hey. You still have a ways to go. Get it together.”

“Ah, right.”

As the warrior smacked Karem’s back forcefully, Karem, albeit grudgingly, resumed movement. He did not feel like protesting.

“Still, you’re regaining your senses faster than I expected.”

Whether Karem felt awkward or not, Tutatis remained composed.

The god brushed aside the icicle hanging from his head and continued speaking.

“Among the ones invited by the missus, there were those who rolled on the ground for a week.”

“Uh… rolled on the ground? Why?”

Not quite that bad, Karem tilted his head and wiped his skin.

Isbith was rather dry, making his skin feel tight.

“Well, I won’t go into specifics because it’s troublesome. Just think of it simply: a fish out of water.”

“Uh, so if the weather feels dry and my skin feels tight, could it be… that?”

“I felt a similar way when I first arrived at Isbith too.”

As Tutatis recalled the memory, he slowly tapped his forehead.

“Right. There was a warrior who once said it felt like your skin was stripped, and vinegar and salt were poured on the spot.”

“Am I in such a dangerous place?”

“So, is there anything hurting?”

“Uh, not really. It’s just that my skin feels tight.”

“Well, that’s good then.”

Wait, is that it? Karem felt uneasy. Hearing about skin stripping and salt left him feeling unsettled; not feeling any discomfort from it seemed even stranger.

And the words that followed from Tutatis were pure terror. Among those who were invited to the divine realm, there were scarcely any like him and Karem who remained in decent shape.

Like a cod dragged out of the water, they couldn’t breathe, or burned alive, feeling like thousands of needles were stabbing them—these were vivid experiences recounted by previous visitors.

In stark contrast to the unreal beauty of the scenery, Karem felt goosebumps crawling all over him.

He couldn’t bear to hear any more.

“Ah, if the whole body were like a razor blade—”

“Uh, so how did you like the sacrifice?!”

“Huh? Sacrifice? I haven’t offered it yet.”

“I mean, not this offering, the dishes I’ve served you all this time.”

“Oh.”

The guest’s reaction was a lifeline extending the chef’s life. In that sense, it was quite curious.

Of course, every sauce and spice he offered disappeared without a trace, but he hadn’t actually seen any of them eating; just the nameless traveler got to witness that.

And even that was debatable because what he saw seemed more like stuffing than eating.

As Karem watched with a hint of anticipation, Tutatis, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around.

“You saved my life!!!”

Suddenly, he knelt and pressed both hands on his shoulders.

In reflex to such an unexpected reaction, Karem twisted his body to escape.

But he could not break free from the god’s power.

“No, that’s too much praise. I mean, could you—”

“You don’t realize how damn close you are to your wife’s curse with that skill.”

“No, no matter how good it is, it’s not to that extent… right?”

His thoughts failed to complete.

Through Tutatis’s eyes, he saw the struggles of countless warriors.

Yet, something felt off.

When examined more closely, he comprehended its true nature.

Beyond the glory of battle and the honor of hunting lay a painful reality that no one was paying attention to.

Most warriors, so focused on honor and glory, were busy stuffing their bellies with jerky and hardtack made from stones, tree fruits, and grass roots, desperately filling their hollow stomachs outside of civilization.

This was the essence of Tutatis’s desperate look.

“I’d rather just eat raw meat roasted over a fire than go through all this!”

“…”

“With that damned skill, no matter what food you make, it tastes like nothing! Literally, nothing! Tastes! Like! Nothing!”

Releasing his grip from Karem’s shoulder, Tutatis removed his helmet and tousled his hair, which was as wild as his beard.

Karem saw himself reflected in Tutatis’s fierce, brave eyes.

“So I have just one request.”

“Uh… as long as it’s within my ability and doesn’t interfere with my daily life…?”

Whatever pride the warrior who ascended to godhood may have had seemed lost because Tutatis smiled brightly, like Alicia discovering candy.

“Then offer it to the altar—!”

Splat!

Suddenly, an ice shard exploded from the top of Tutatis’s head.

The shock made Tutatis bend his head, scowling as he turned away.

“Where did I go wrong? That woman!”

While Tutatis shouted like a whale, causing the icicles hanging on the trees to chime, he grumbled as he stood up.

“What was that just now?”

“She’s urging me not to say useless things.”

“Uh…”

“Ugh. Reincarnator. No, Karem, you… yeah, you’re at least holding onto your disguise, so it’s better than me. Decent.”

Flailing his hands in a gesture to move forward while letting out several sighs, the warrior god showed no semblance of godly dignity.

If anything, it felt like a whiny husband he had seen often in his past life.

That grumbling somehow felt intertwined with deep affection for the counterpart.

“So, you really love the Lady of Winter, don’t you?”

“What? No, I?! Pfft. Nonsense! Who’s who! I was tricked into this!”

“They say intense denial is no different from affirmation.”

“No way!”

And thus, Karem learned a part of why Skadi urged Tutatis forward.

“It’d be annoying if she fussed about not arriving despite being right there before them.”

Following the grumbling Tutatis, they arrived at a place that was unreal yet pastoral, like the sky where day and night coexisted.

The ground was blanketed in white frost, with grass laying flat.

Countless ice pillars reaching toward the sky.

Snowflakes dancing against the pull of gravity, spinning slowly in the air.

And beyond that stood an old house that merely used an overturned longship as the ceiling.

Nothing special seemed to catch the eye.

Unless you counted the huge wooden house rising enough to comfortably house hundreds of people, a blend of rustic charm.

“Is that it?”

“Yeah. It’s my house.”

“It’s quaint.”

“Not a big deal. It’s just built like the house I wanted to live in.”

Yet, was he not bad at taking compliments? Tutatis roughly ruffled his hair with a hand shaped like a pot lid, gesturing for Karem to follow.

“By the way, a house you wanted to live in?”

“Since I was young, I dreamed of this house in a peaceful place.”

“Didn’t you have a house?”

Wait, that wording felt a bit strange. Karem glanced at Tutatis, feeling a bit uneasy at the potential alternate meaning.

“Before it became like this, I couldn’t make one when I was human.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be that kind of situation.

Suddenly, Tutatis made a face of deep irritation.

“But those old geezers in the temple always complain it’s lacking majesty or scruffy, being so noisy about it.”

Honestly speaking, it was true that something lacked majesty. Tutatis’s longhouse looked merely like that of a leading figure from a large village rather than that of a god.

Actually, the Felwinter family’s ancestral estate, Winterhome, seemed far more majestic for a god to live in.

“Only those who lack confidence in their own strength and abilities care about majesty. Those savage civilized people!”

“Is that so.”

Civilized folk were probably not worried about being hit with axes.

Karem followed Tutatis, giving him appropriate nods as he grumbled.

Creeeak—

Entering the spacious longhouse, the decor immediately caught the eye, as quaint and pastoral as the outside.

A rectangular table surrounded by chairs encircled by a blazing campfire in the center, animal head trophies, wooden furniture carved from trees, and animal skins spread across the floor.

“Where has that woman who urged me to hurry gone? Ah, take off your shoes before entering.”

“Ah, sure.”

He hadn’t taken off his shoes inside except when washing or lying on the bed. It felt odd to remove them after so long, yet there was also a surprisingly nostalgic sensation as it crossed his mind.

As Karem wiggled his toes against the bear fur, Tutatis walked ahead, prompting him to follow suit.

Thump-thump—

“Mew-?”

Something was waddling toward him, and it felt like a curious mix of being both soft and cute but also not cute at all.

Draped in orange fur that resembled a bottle, thicker at the hands and belly, with modestly gathered claws, button-like eyes, and white fur that looked like a mask, complete with rabbit-like ears.

It was the sort of bizarre creature you’d only encounter in a game.

“Tutatis, is this the lady Skadi?”

“What? That thing? Stop being stupid.”

“Ouch.”

As Karem rubbed his crown, Tutatis roughly patted the bizarre creature’s head.

“Yeah. She’s here. Where’s the missus?”

“Mew-”

“Went to fetch something to drink?”

“Mew-”

“Got it.”

The unidentified creature waddled away, and Karem found it hard to tear his gaze away from its quirky form.

“Why are you just standing there? Sit down and wait.”

“Ah, sure. By the way, what’s that creature’s name?”

“What? That thing?”

“The one that said “mew” and walked away just now.”

“Reyna. She’s the offspring of a crow god being raised by another deity.”

Karem softly mouthed the name in his head.

He had never kept a pet in both his past or present life.

Most likely, he wouldn’t start now.

Owning a pet meant being responsible for another life.

It was too burdensome to care for a life that couldn’t speak when he could barely take care of himself.

“Oh no, but there’s Mary… No, never mind.”

Just thinking that was a bit off. Karem resolved to observe quietly as he had in his previous life.

“Then, Tutatis. Why did you invite me here?”

In an effort to clear his mind of the image of that fluffy orange fur, Karem decided to change the subject.

“Because you possess a valuable thing worth having.”

At the stairs leading down to the opposite side of the door.

Creeeak— Creeeak—

A woman dressed in a gown that seemed woven from endless white snow appeared, holding a large jar as she ascended.

“Why did you ask me to hurry, only to go off elsewhere?”

“Then, what? After inviting a guest after a long time, would you serve them empty-handed without even a beer?”

With just one line, the lady, Skadi, silenced Tutatis as she gently placed the jar on the table.

“Uh… value? You mean the offerings I prepared?”

“Correct.”

Joy, warmth, and anticipation shimmered in the goddess’s eyes like the auroras in the night sky.

 

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