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The Jo-in tribe soared into the skies with the help of Sylphid, beginning to live freely.

At first, I toyed with the idea of teaching them how to reduce their body weight using magical power, but… it seemed that for now, having Sylphid simply convey the wind was enough.

Moreover, manipulating magical power comes with significant risks, so it required careful handling.

Well, it would be great if the Jo-in figured out how to reduce their body weight with magic on their own. But they would need to approach it not just by strengthening their muscles or skeletons, but by altering the very concept of body weight itself. That’s not an easy thought to come up with.

Thus, for a while, the Jo-in would only be able to ascend with Sylphid’s assistance.

Unless there was an enormous increase in their numbers, Sylphid’s powers should suffice. No need to worry about that.

Alright, I think I’ll wrap up the tale of Sylphid and the Jo-in right here.

When I conveyed Sylphid’s task to Sagarmatha, they merely nodded slightly with a blank expression.

Sagarmatha didn’t show any outward emotion, but seeing the relief underneath that expression made me smile faintly.

Good. With that, one issue was at least roughly resolved…

“Let’s sleep!”

“Eh?! Again?!”

“Again? When did I ever sleep?!”

“But you did sleep! Just a bit over ten years ago!”

“Was that sleep?! I just dozed off for a minute!!”

“Anyway, you were asleep!!!”

And thus began the fierce battle of wills between me, who wanted to get some sleep, and Asherat, who wanted to keep me awake.

You can’t call it proper sleep with just ten years!! I just want to sleep more!! I mean, ideally, I should be sleeping in centuries!

Asherat keeps nagging me about waking up briefly because of Sia! It’s so upsetting getting scolded by a deity!

“Look, you all manage whatever I need on your own! The gods are doing just fine without complaints! The life on the surface is growing well without any major issues!! What’s the big deal with interrupting my sleep?!”

“No way! The difference between the Goddess being awake and asleep is stability! When the Goddess is asleep, problems can’t be managed, but when awake, they’re usually no big deal!”

“Doesn’t that mean you’re relying too much on me?! Almost all of my tasks have been handed off to you, and I have them on autopilot, so there’s really no need for me to do anything!!”

Bunryeong is handling everything for me, and simple tasks are set to be dealt with automatically! So I can totally sleep!

Sia, the God of Magic and Knowledge – apparently that’s her new title – had been quiet, expanding the library in her temple! Most gods were busy watching the world from their believers’ perspectives and had no intention of causing issues!

If not now, then when should I hibernate!

“Mmm… but it feels oddly unsettling when the Goddess isn’t around.”

“Then wake me up when that happens. Simple as that!”

Just because I’m hibernating doesn’t mean I can’t wake up within a set period! I’d wake up just by a gentle shake!

It might feel a bit unpleasant though.

“Ugh… honestly, I’d prefer it if the Goddess didn’t hibernate… but if that’s what you want, then I have no choice.”

“Why are you acting as if you’re doing me a favor? I’m the one making the big concession here!”

How unpleasant is it to wake up after sleeping well? I really don’t want to do that.

“Alright. If something happens, I’ll wake you up.”

“Not just anything! Don’t wake me unless it’s something only I can handle!”

After being reassured by Asherat several times, I was finally able to return to my quiet room.

Great! Now I can sleep!

There’s nothing left to interrupt me! I’m going to sleep deeply! For several centuries at once!!

So, goodnight!

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

Well, just because I’ll be sleeping doesn’t mean my consciousness will be completely cut off.

If we said my usual consciousness is 100, then the consciousness while asleep might leave just about 1.

With that 1 consciousness, I can think or browse the internet of another world.

Originally, I’d planned to keep an eye on Sia, but somehow I ended up unable to sleep properly.

Anyway, what I’m trying to do with that 1 consciousness now is…

Check the connection with another world.

Through a window that only I can see, I could catch glimpses of another world… the internet of my original world.

The knowledge I needed through wikis or browsing the internet for fun, it might seem odd when I think deeply about it.

Why could I see the internet of another world? Why? For what reason? How?

The existence of such an ability implies a connection between me and the other world.

A faint yearning for memories lingering. A longing for the original world. A past life now forgotten.

The fragments of my past human self gathered those faint traces, filled with nostalgia for the unreachable world.

In such a situation, by pure coincidence… quite by chance, I stumbled upon a small, forgotten trace in a corner of the internet.

A writing similar to something I’d seen when I was human. A tiny little humorous photo I had chuckled at before. Threads I had skimmed over.

Faded memories resurfaced clearly, recalling memories I had long forgotten.

With them, the longing I had buried in my heart also resurfaced.

If I could return… no, I just want to see more. That world where I once existed as a human. Not just through this internet window, but directly. I wanted to see more of it.

I didn’t want to experience it through the limitations of time’s flow or the inability to see clearly. I wanted to see the other world.

That’s why… I intended to confirm the other world through the ability to see it.

Being able to view the internet of another world meant there was some form of residual connection with that world.

If I could confirm that connection and somehow interfere, if I could wield it, even just a bit, then I could see what I wanted.

Of course, the chances are incredibly slim.

It’s probably lower than a wild monkey randomly banging on a typewriter and writing a Shakespeare play.

Yet, despite that, I very much wanted to give it a shot.

Even if something went wrong and I lost this ability.

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

“By the way… how many of the heroes said they came from another world?”

“Well, that’s true, but why are you bringing that up?”

“Aren’t you curious? The world of the hero from another world! It must be an amazing world!”

The sleepy-eyed girl shook her head faintly at the words of the girl with glasses.

“Stop with the pointless thoughts and focus on practicing magic. The evaluation test is coming up, remember? You always talk nonsense right before an exam.”

“Ugh… do I really have to take the evaluation test? Can’t I just give up on the magic subjects? You can teach me the rest I need…”

“I’ve told you so many times that I can only teach you the basics. I also added that you need to study the advanced courses at the academy.”

“But… I really don’t want to take the test.”

The glasses girl groaned and rested her chin on her desk, clearly dreading studying for the exam.

Seeing her, the sleepy-eyed girl let out a small sigh before speaking.

“Fine. If you pass the evaluation test, I’ll tell you about the other world where the heroes came from.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah. Really. At least the parts I know.”

When the sleepy-eyed girl said this, the glasses girl’s face lit up with a big smile. She looked completely transformed from just moments ago, when she seemed to be dying to avoid studying.

“Awesome! Then I’ll study! This is nothing! I can stay up all night!”

“You still need to keep your sleep schedule. You promised the uncle.”

“If I don’t sleep on time, won’t I end up stunted? I didn’t even decide to become a knight, so if I’m a bit shorter, it’s not a big deal!”

“I’ll be sure to pass that on to the uncle.”

“Ah! Sorry! Forget what I just said!!”

“Then just behave and study.”

When the sleepy-eyed girl scolded her, only then did the glasses girl pick up her pencil.

“But how do you know about the other world where the heroes are said to have come from?”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know.”

“Hm… even though we’ve grown up together, sometimes I feel like I don’t know you at all.”

“People don’t even fully understand themselves, do you think others would?”

“There you go again with your weird talk.”

The glasses girl muttered in annoyance before opening her textbook and notebook.

Now was truly the time to concentrate on studying.

 

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