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“Um… If she’s a god, what should I do? How can I meet her again?”

Encia said to Luke, feeling a bit down.

She wanted to hear Tia’s voice. She wanted to meet Tia. She had no idea where she was, where she might be sleeping, and even though she had never seen her in person…

She just wanted to meet her.

“Well, how would I know? I’m also unable to meet the person I love.”

Luke replied with a slightly indifferent expression. Gaia. The Goddess of Earth. Another aspect of the Goddess of Life.

What kind of things has Luke done to meet someone like that?

Encia couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“Tia said she’d be asleep for several decades; do I have to quietly wait that long?”

“Hmm… sleeping for decades means she’s not an ordinary being. She must really enjoy her sleep.”

“Really? Oh, yes. That’s true. Aside from instances where she sleeps for long periods, she would often doze off and mumble while resting. And she did tend to be lazy.

Yet, she was incredibly serious when it came to teaching me and passed on some unimaginable lessons.”

“Lazy but sincere when teaching others… your precious person is quite the oddball, just like my beloved Gaia.”

“Is that so? Still, it’s probably hard to find someone more special than Tia. The knowledge she possesses is infinite; she has taught me things that others don’t know.

For example… when she taught me magic, she showed me how to change the properties of the arid desert land. Thanks to that, the land is now quite fertile and good for farming.”

“Well, Gaia wasn’t easy either. She once told me that swimming is good for building stamina, so she redirected a river to flow right by our house. I seriously thought I was going to be swept away by the current back then…”

“The river? For sure, that’s something only a deity could pull off. Tia only let me hear her voice. She taught me how to utilize the magical power spread across nature as my own.”

“Using nature’s magical power? That’s pretty impressive. Changing the weather with only one’s own power wouldn’t be easy.”

At Luke’s words, Encia shrugged slightly. It seemed she felt quite pleased to gain recognition from this mysterious man named Luke.

“By the way, the Tia you mentioned… judging by what I’ve heard, she seems to have a personality similar to Gaia. Was she particularly bothersome at times?”

“Oh, yes! She really could be quite a nuisance. There were many times I would ask her something, and she would brush it off as a bother instead of answering.

Despite her laziness, though, she’d always inform me sincerely when it was truly necessary, which made her somewhat unpredictable. Plus, when she was kind, she was remarkably gentle.”

“Always sleepy, bothersome, and lazy. But at times diligent, kind, thorough, not human… a being with another name used by the Goddess of Life… hmmm…”

Luke pondered for a moment, then looked at Encia and said.

“Could it be that they are the same being…?”

“Huh? Tia?”

“Listening to what you’re saying… I’ve got a feeling that could be the case. Who else but a god could know knowledge that no one else knows?”

“Um… the god of knowledge?”

“Well, that I can’t say for sure. But the likelihood of the Gaia I’m looking for being the same as your Tia seems pretty high.”

“So, if that’s the case, does that mean Tia is also another aspect of the Goddess of Life?”

“If the Tia you know goes by the name Tiamat, then it’s likely.”

Encia thought for a moment at Luke’s words, but then recalled that Tia had only asked her to call her Tia and never said anything else.

Where could Tia be now? If she were a god, could she be met if she entered the Divine Hall?

Then… if she became a god, could she meet Tia?

She couldn’t know anything. Everything was uncertain.

She could only hope for it.

“That being said, if she truly is the same person… she is said to awaken after several decades, right?”

“Yes. She definitely mentioned that.”

“I don’t know exactly how many years that several decades is, but I’ll visit you every ten years.

Since the possibility of the Tia you speak of being the same entity as Gaia has increased.”

“Really? Oh, um, sure… I’m okay with that. I don’t know when Tia will awaken, but….”

Though it was said she would awaken after several decades, that span could be ten years, twenty years, or perhaps even over fifty years.

What if… what if Tia awakens and he is dead? This line of thought began to worry Encia.

No, more than that.

“The Gaia you’re searching for, you said she’s another aspect of the Goddess of Life, right?”

“Um. Yes, that’s right.”

“Then… isn’t there a chance of meeting her after death during judgment in the Underworld? They say if you pass judgment in the Underworld, you can enter Paradise… then there would be a chance to meet the Goddess of Life…”

“That might be possible. But it’s still just a possibility. There’s no guarantee you’ll pass. Just think about what might happen if that slim chance fails.”

“Ah. Well…”

Encia thought for a moment and then lowered her head.

After death, her soul would be purified, leading to a new life.

But that equated to the existing self ceasing to exist.

Even if the soul remained the same, if the memories were different, wouldn’t that make them separate existences?

“It’s impossible. That’s what it is.”

“Well, that’s true. I just want to meet her as me again. Even if I were to go to Paradise, I can’t be sure I’d see her there.”

Even in Paradise, where all her wishes could be fulfilled, she likely couldn’t spend time with the Goddess of Life.

Unless she were the Earth Goddess, who was a part of her.

That’s why Luke must be searching for another way to meet her.

“Still, your situation is better than mine. In several decades, you should be able to meet again.”

“Several decades in a human’s life is an incredibly long time.”

“But at least you can meet for sure. It’s not like there isn’t a way to extend a person’s lifespan.”

“You can extend a person’s lifespan? Is that a thing?”

“Yes. It exists. Oh! Right. If you happen to die early, then the clue you found will disappear…

Since meeting like this is also fate, I’ll let you know. Of course, whether or not you can do it depends on you.”

Luke gave a small smile as he looked at Encia.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Alright! I did it!!!”

The girl with glasses burst into laughter as she watched the faint flames blooming from her fingertips.

“Congratulations. You formed a circle around your heart and successfully transformed the basic elements of magic… you’ve taken your first step as a mage.”

“Thank you! Really, thank you! Now, I’m going to become a mage! Hooray!!!”

“Well, there’s still a mountain of studying ahead of you.”

At those words, the girl with glasses froze for a moment.

“A-are there more…?”

“Of course! Do you think becoming a mage is just about creating tiny flames from your fingertips?”

“Of course not! I want to be a powerful mage who can burn countless monsters with a light flick of my hand! Strike them down with lightning to electrocute them! Slice through everything with winds as sharp as blades!”

“Well, if that’s the case, you’re aspiring to be an elemental mage. Let’s think of it that way. I’ll bring back an elemental magic book next time, so let’s practice the spells.”

“Spells…?”

“Yes. Spells. You don’t want to become a mage without knowing the spells, do you?”

At that, the glasses girl hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

“Of course not. I wasn’t totally oblivious to the importance of spells or anything.”

“True, spells are essential for a mage….”

“Of course, they must be memorized! Completely! Perfectly! You have to memorize everything! If you don’t recite the spells properly, you might fumble and fail at a crucial moment.”

“Can’t I just use my will to manipulate magical power?”

“Absolutely not. Do you know why spells exist for mages?”

“Umm… for appearances?”

“Are you joking?”

The drowsy girl gave a wry smile as she continued.

“Spells are words that fortify your will. They are optimized phrases meant to imbue magical power with intention for use in specific forms.

Of course, there are mages who can use magic without spells, but those are either fully skilled mages who’ve mastered the spells to the point of their wills responding reflexively… or mages with tremendous willpower able to control magical power.”

“Does it mean that if you have willpower, you don’t need to cast spells?”

“Exactly. It’s alright if you’re a dragon.”

“Eh.”

The glasses girl found herself at a loss for words at the drowsy girl’s statement.

A dragon. Once treated as the mightiest monsters, but now recognized through various studies and incidents as transcendent beings.

“So, unless you have willpower like that of a dragon, it’s tough?”

“If you could use magic in a way similar to casting spells without saying the words, then yes. Spells are optimized for using magic like that.

Creating your own spell is part of every mage’s wishlist! Naming spells after the mage who created them isn’t simply about convenience—it’s because if you create a completely new spell and get recognized by the Procyon Mage Association, your reputation can grow.”

“Ugh… memorization is hard… can’t there be an easier way?”

“Nope. You’ll have to memorize all the spells.”

The glasses girl sighed heavily at the drowsy girl’s words.

The road to becoming a mage was clearly still long ahead of her.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“First, what do you think magical power is?”

“Magical power? It’s a force without a physical form that permeates the entire world.

It’s the driving force for using magic, and one can find it in all forms of life, natural elements, and even monsters.”

“Exactly. That’s the general idea.”

“Right?”

Encia tilted her head at Luke’s words.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t say anything wrong. I just want to add one thing.”

Luke calmly continued his explanation.

“Through magic, magical power brings about various changes. Sometimes it becomes flames, other times ice, and at times it can create shockwaves without form.”

“Yes. I know that.”

“In other words, magical power can be anything. Have you ever pondered what exactly magical power is capable of?”

At Luke’s words, Encia thought for a moment and shook her head.

She had used magic in various ways—creating flames, setting up walls of fire, forming gigantic boulders to drop, and controlling clouds—but the extent of magical power’s potential had never crossed her mind.

As Tia had taught her. As Tia had said. She had merely followed what Tia had taught her.

“Magical power is a force that has no direction. Its potential depends on the user’s will.”

“And how does that relate to extending lifespan?”

Luke seemed to disregard Encia’s question and continued.

“Among the treasures passed down from the emperor of the Romania Empire, there’s something called the Crown of Immortality.

One of its effects is to maximize vitality and extend lifespan.”

“Extends lifespan…?”

“Yes. The efficacy of the Crown of Immortality greatly contributes to the longevity of emperors.

Anyway, through seeking to replicate that efficacy of the Crown of Immortality, I discovered that magical power can be converted into vitality.”

“Converting magical power into vitality…?”

Luke nodded slightly.

“Vitality is the firewood for creatures to move. It’s like a well that gradually diminishes and dries up day by day.

If you were to add magical power to that vitality to replenish it, wouldn’t it prolong your lifespan?”

“Such a method…!”

“Well, I stumbled upon this fact while searching for a way to extend my lifespan because I wanted to meet her once more.

But to be honest, it’s not an easy method. Changing magical power into vitality itself is quite a hard task.”

Luke smiled wryly, but Encia was too absorbed in his words to take note of that wry smile.

Luke’s words. The potential of magical power conveyed by Luke. She was captivated.

Encia was beginning to shed her preconceived notions about magical power inside herself.

She started to realize that magical power is a force that can accomplish anything if it’s filled with intense will.

 

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