Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 283
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 283
60. The Age of Adventure (6)
In the middle of it all, a tea table sat there all alone.
I looked around, but the Saintess who had guided me here was nowhere to be seen, and there were only two chairs placed before the tea table.
I took one of the two chairs and sat down.
-Poof!
Then, as if flower petals were scattering, blue light burst forth and the owner of the other chair appeared.
"Thank you for granting me this meeting."
The goddess Sepia.
The creator who shaped Rondel, the one true God, and a lofty transcendent who had even taken the world to which Earth now belongs into her hands.
She was also the being who might be my Mother.
At the goddess's appearance, I immediately rose from my seat and bowed in respect.
In response, Sepia, with a serene expression, took the seat across from me and gestured for me to sit as well.
'Hm?'
But as I sat down before her, I couldn't help but feel something was off.
How should I put it the energy she possessed seemed smaller than before?
Of course, even now, I could feel an awe-inspiring energy that I wouldn't dare to challenge.
Yet even this seemed considerably diminished compared to what it once was.
The energy I had seen from her until now had been like the universe itself, impossible to measure, so I couldn't help but find it strange.
[It's only natural, given how much power I poured out.]
"I dared to judge you with my narrow perspective, Sepia. I apologize."
For a goddess, reading thoughts was no trouble at all.
Without showing any sign of surprise, I immediately bowed my head deeply and apologized.
'Right merging two worlds couldn't possibly be as easy as pasting a computer file.'
Even if she wouldn't reveal the truth, there was no way the goddess would lie.
So I accepted her words as they were.
[There's no need to be so formal and wary. I hold you dear, so be at ease.]
"Thank you."
With that, the goddess summoned tea and snacks onto the table.
It seemed she was quite welcoming me.
Then, at her gesture, a mysterious iridescent tea was poured into my teacup.
And she placed a cookie adorned with decorations whether candy or actual gems, I couldn't tell onto my plate.
'Refusing would be impolite.'
Honestly, I was curious about food that the creator herself had brought out.
So I obediently put the tea and cookie she offered into my mouth.
"Whoa...."
An exclamation escaped my lips on its own.
It was on a different level from any refreshments I had eaten in my life.
The taste was one thing, but the moment I ate it, it felt as though my insides were being purified.
On top of that, a considerable amount of Mana accumulated within me the refreshments themselves were like refined elixirs.
Of course, compared to the Mana I possessed, it wasn't that great a amount, but for an ordinary Mage, it would be no exaggeration to call it a treasure.
After all, it allowed one to accumulate Mana on the level possessed by a 7th-circle Archmage.
As expected of the goddess's refreshments.
They were absolutely extraordinary.
-Swipe.
"What is this?"
Perhaps my reaction amused her.
The goddess pulled a small box out of empty air and handed it to me.
[I shall give this to you as a gift.]
"Oh, thank you."
The goddess had packaged the refreshments I was eating as a gift for me.
There was quite a lot of it, too.
Neatly individually wrapped cookies and thumb-sized glass bottles of tea concentrate, twenty of each, were inside.
I had never heard of the goddess giving a gift to anyone, so I could feel that I was being regarded as someone special, just as she said.
Was my relationship with her, after all, as Grand Duke Lucas had surmised?
[Correct.]
"Pardon?"
[You are the most special being among the many children I have birthed.]
And as if answering my curiosity.
The goddess continued with a gentle smile.
[You are the reincarnation of Kaeos, who created the greater universe to which Earth belongs.]
So that's why, when the Heavenly King and Demon Kings of Earth died one after another, unable to absorb Kaeos's Authority, I was able to absorb it without any side effects?
Because I am Kaeos himself?
'I thought surely not, but the guess turned out to be true.'
I couldn't help but stare at the goddess with a dumbfounded expression.
The appearance of a third Mother.
No, to be precise, it would be right to see her as the first Mother.
Since she is the one who created the original me.
[I originally intended to tell you gradually over time, but since you've already guessed, there's no need to deliberately hide the truth.]
Thanks to this, my view of the goddess couldn't help but change.
No matter how absent my memories are, isn't she still my Mother?
[Even though you were forgotten by the world and your power weakened, when you raised the World Tree, you laid down all the power you had. Thus, all that remained was a handful of soul.]
"So that soul mixed among humans and entered the wheel of reincarnation."
[Yes. Thanks to that, I had quite a hard time finding you in another dimension.]
I was surprised, but not greatly shaken.
After all, I had somewhat expected it, and even if my past life was Kaeos, nothing changes.
If there is one thing to be concerned about, however.
[You need not worry. I have no intention of forcing you back into being Kaeos.]
It was precisely this.
With the goddess's guarantee, even that handful of worry melted away.
I let out a sigh of relief and bowed my head to her in gratitude.
"Thank you. Mother."
I felt no hesitation at all in calling her Mother.
Because the creator Sepia was the Mother of all life born in Rondel.
In fact, not just me but countless people of Rondel called her Mother.
[How good.]
However, the goddess who had been called Mother directly by me seemed to think differently, as she wore a dazzlingly bright smile.
Thanks to that, my conscience deep in my chest pricked at me.
Until now, whenever something happened, I had suspected the goddess's ulterior motives, but from her perspective, she had merely been looking after her own son.
After that, I exchanged various trivial conversations with the goddess.
She laughed at my words and nodded her head, looking for all the world like an ordinary person.
How long did we continue talking like that?
I seriously asked in order to resolve the question I had been holding all along.
"Was Arcia also created by you, Mother?"
At my question, the goddess widened her eyes as if surprised, then soon obediently nodded.
[When did you realize?]
"It was when I heard that Grand Duke Lucas's ability was created by you, Mother."
A perfect human, no, a new humanity that transcends humanity.
That was how I evaluated Arcia.
From birth she possessed Grandmaster-class martial power, quickly learned emotions and knowledge, could bear children, and even safely embraced the Authority of a creator.
Given all that, how could I think she was made by a mere human?
[Yes, I made her to be a being who would grow alongside you and guard your side.]
"Is her marriage to me also part of your plan, Mother?"
[That it is not. The feelings between the two of you have nothing to do with me, so rest easy.]
What a relief.
If everything Arcia did toward me had been manufactured by the goddess, it would have been a shock.
If that had been the case, the pleasant mood of this moment would have been ruined.
I scratched the back of my head with an awkward expression.
The goddess looked upon me benevolently even in that state.
[My son.]
But it did not take long for her mood to change.
Soon a bitter look rose on her face.
[After a few additional measures follow. I intend to no longer involve myself with the surface.]
"What?"
[I will end up using a great deal of power to harmonize the two twisted worlds brought together by what amounts to forced integration. Just making the two worlds flow according to nature will be overwhelming, so I will have no leisure to intervene in the world any further.]
I had to swallow dry saliva.
I had thought that since she was a goddess, she could knead everything as she pleased, but it seemed that was not the case.
[Now, the life living in Earth and Rondel, including you, must lead the world forward.]
What was the reason the Sepia Order could remain the sole religion in Rondel?
It was precisely because of the goddess's active intervention.
But from now on there will be none of that?
There was a risk of following in the footsteps of Kaeos, the creator of Earth.
[Divine power and abilities will be maintained as they are, but there will no longer be any selection of oracles, Saintess, or Holy Son.]
It was a completely unexpected development, so I was greatly flustered and asked back.
"Surely you are not going to disappear entirely, are you?"
The goddess no longer felt like a stranger.
So my question was full of worry, and she answered with the serene demeanor she had always shown.
[If a thousand or ten thousand years pass, who knows what may happen. I too may meet a future similar to yours.]
I let out a groan and rubbed my temples.
If it was going to be like this, why go to the trouble of forcibly integrating Earth and Rondel?
I do not understand the reason for deliberately taking such a risk.
[If it had been left as it was, Earth would have collapsed. By humans, by your own kind.]
"Ah."
So that was it.
I had to let out a sigh and express my regret.
I had thought that from now on I would be able to consult the goddess on various matters and cultivate the future, but that had gone awry.
[So from now on, I would like it if you could come visit me from time to time.]
Me, go visit the goddess?
I had never once considered it.
After all, the goddess did not dwell in any ordinary space.
[Now that you have absorbed part of Kaeos's Authority, you can reach the divine realm. I will teach you the method. Next time, let us have tea time together with Arcia.]
For some reason, those words put my mind at ease.
I nodded, saying I understood, and she reached her finger toward my forehead.
Then the method to visit the divine realm was etched into my mind.
[Thanks to you, I will be able to lessen my boredom.]
The position of creator somehow felt lonely.
I spoke as if to cheer her on.
"I will do my utmost to protect the Sepia Order. If people's faith persists, it will be a great help to you as well, Mother."
[Thank you.]
Just because there are no more oracles and the goddess does not directly select them does not mean the Saintess and Holy Son system needs to disappear.
The current Holy Son and Saintess can simply raise the next generation themselves.
And if I use my specialty, controlling public opinion, growing the Sepia Order's power is no difficult task.
"Then, could you tell me how things will unfold from here on between Earth and Rondel?"
When it felt like the conversation was winding down.
I brought up the matter that could be called the true purpose of my visit here.
I needed to know the reason why dungeons and mythological beings had begun appearing on Earth.
Would it not be better to conserve my strength rather than expend it on such places?
[It is to balance the two worlds. It is an essential process for adjustment.]
"Then I suppose we must not eliminate the beings from mythology?"
[No, it does not matter. After all, the amount of resources allocated to Earth is fixed.]
Does that mean that even if you kill them, new ones will appear?
"But confusion on Earth will not die down easily, as with this Egypt incident."
[If there is a common enemy, could you not cooperate with one another? If Rondel actively helps Earth on this occasion, relations will grow strong.]
I roughly understand the picture she is drawing.
I meekly accepted her words, saying I understood.
As expected, she was a creator her way of thinking was different from that of ordinary humans.
* * *
[Hwanung appears in South Korea.]
[The Primordial Heavenly Worthy who appeared in China.]
[Amaterasu descends upon Mount Fuji.]
[In Athena, Zeus.]
[The Tuatha Dé Danann, who revealed themselves not as one but as many members of the god race, in Celtic mythology.]
The appearance of mythological beings was successively reported from all over Earth.
However, the nations of Rondel fell into panic over the upheavals that struck them rather than over the anomalies occurring on Earth.
[The Dragon King of Dragon Land declares the founding of Dragonia, the nation of the dragon race.]
The dragon race, who had until now been called Rondel's adjusters and had lived closed-off lives buried in Dragonlands, had emerged onto the stage of history.