LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 350
Gaining knowledge is easy, but acquiring the correct self is difficult.
From the time I was a newborn, I’ve been exposed to various stimuli, accepting the world sensually, and through experiences and memories, I’ve built the shape of my self.
If such a delicate process fails to form a self, there’s no way to develop beyond being a newborn.
“Aww….”
“Well then, um. What am I to do?”
I sighed as I looked at the chaotic garden of the church.
Just because this child slightly pouted and cried, grass and flowers were all toppled, and the scene was of a broken tree—what a disaster.
“Okay… First, I guess I have to restore it.”
“Dya?”
And the culprit who devastated the garden was cluelessly bouncing about.
“When I was raising the other children, it didn’t matter if I made a mess in an empty situation… but not now, and that gives me a headache.”
Long ago, when there was nothing but me in the world. It was when my self began to sprout from the powerful natural phenomena.
The inept selves and the seven children with immense power could wield their abilities as they pleased and run amok.
Emotions would cause wildfires to blaze, floods to rise, typhoons to rage, and darkness to obscure the light with frequency.
Of course, back then, there was nothing on the ground, so even if the children unleashed their powers, it didn’t pose any problems.
All I had to do was fix the appropriately smashed world.
But now, it’s different.
In this world, many things have been born and created, and lives are being lived.
I can’t let them rampage like before; although I cast a barrier to reduce the surrounding damage… I couldn’t help the garden being in ruins.
No, it’s not that I couldn’t help it… um. How should I put it?
I can’t properly use my power around this kid.
As my main body gets closer to this child, it feels like I’m absorbing him, and a phenomenon occurs where any magic power below a certain amount automatically decomposes and gets absorbed by this child.
I don’t understand why this phenomenon happens. Well… this child isn’t a normal creature but rather a personified being formed from excessively condensed magical power. It’s hard to judge, so let’s set that aside.
Just keep in mind that there’s a problem like that.
Anyway, because of that issue, helping this child with an appropriate amount of magical power isn’t easy.
“If the other priests see this, they’ll be horrified again. I need to restore it before anyone comes.”
“Uu…”
As I sighed and spoke, the child’s expression turned sullen. Even though his self hasn’t properly settled yet, he still had feelings.
Even newborns have likes and dislikes. That held true for this child as well.
“Don’t be too upset, I’m not scolding you. You didn’t want to do this, right?”
“Aww….”
“From now on, try to control your strength more. Until your self properly establishes itself, let’s try to avoid causing accidents.”
“Kid!”
“You must also learn language and writing. The road ahead is long.”
If the body were just a newborn, it might have been easier, but the body and power are far from lacking as a demigod, so even if it did something akin to a newborn, the damage would be incomparable.
In the end, all I could do was find ways to help.
Uh. So…
“Should I start with controlling and suppressing emotions…?”
“Uwi?”
I thought it might be a bit difficult for a child who can barely speak, but how can I leave a child who levels surroundings to ruin according to their mood be?
First, I should teach them how to express their emotions without causing damage.
Once they gain a certain level of strength control, it should be fine to let it go a bit.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Well, at least it’s good that they learn quickly.”
“Hmm?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Fortunately, within about a year, the child’s self grew safely.
Not that saying it grew right is kind of strange.
“I’m used to saying odd things; I’ll just go with that.”
“Yeah. Do that.”
Because I was attached to this child before his self arose… he started to see me as another version of himself.
You could say it’s a voice that resonates within.
It seems he’s accepting it as a form of split personality.
In a similar case, Sia… after her self was formed, she heard my voice. That little difference brought about significant results.
“But why do I have to live here like this?”
“Because you’re the Dragon Priestess?”
“What’s the Dragon Priestess in the first place? Isn’t it my name?”
“The Dragon Priestess isn’t a name. It’s an existence that carries the meaning of the Goddess of Life.”
“What does it mean to carry out?”
“You don’t even know at the word level….”
After forming a sort of self, we could communicate and control emotions to prevent them from running wild, but the storm of ‘what is that?’ ensued.
The little child, curious about everything, bombarded me with questions about everything that caught their eye.
Sometimes I wanted to tell them to ask the priests of the Church of Life, but… why would they ask anyone else when they have a brain wiki that answers immediately?
And thus.
“Why are the priests wearing those white clothes?”
“What about the priests in black that I see sometimes?”
“What are those stones that people from outside take away?”
“Can I pull this tree out?”
It was a repetitive routine of answering this child’s questions.
Wait, the last tree is Sephiroth. It’s just going to be the staff you’ll hold, but for now, let’s seal it, okay?
You’ll eventually pull it out! But if you do it now, it’ll be a disaster!
With just that in mind, I continued answering that child’s questions day by day.
“Other people have names, but why am I called the Dragon Priestess? You said the Dragon Priestess isn’t a name.”
“Well, the Dragon Priestess isn’t really a name. Still, there was no one to give you one, so it can’t be helped. Most people will probably call you the Dragon Priestess. They might not even feel the need for a name.”
“Hmm… But I also want to have a name. Even if I don’t use it, I want to have one.”
Hmm. A name… a name.
Surely, it’s better to have one than not, even if you’re not called by it.
“Can’t you decide for yourself?”
“I don’t know about names. I don’t know which name is good, so… give me one.”
Hmm… a name. Now that I think about it, I often end up naming things oddly.
The seven children and various gods are all the same. Why does everyone ask for a name from me?
Well, since you asked for one, I guess I’ll have to give you one. Let’s see… what should I name you…
“The name is….”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“It seems the child is growing well. I was a bit worried, though.”
“Yeah. A pure child full of curiosity.”
Asherat watched the little child bounce around with joy in a blank state.
Could it be that receiving a name brings so much happiness?
“A name is the first step to proving existence. One who has a name and one who doesn’t is completely different.”
“Is that so?”
I… uh. I wouldn’t know that since I named myself. Although I still have a name that no one calls.
While I have many nicknames.
“By the way, how’s the Demon King’s spirit?”
“He’s instinctively started to dominate other existences. Even with just a spirit, it effortlessly subdued monsters.”
The Demon King’s spirit, transformed into a presence like black fog, couldn’t move from somewhere in the Demon King’s castle… or mountain…? Anyway, he was stuck there.
It makes sense he can’t move without a body, but perhaps due to that nature, he instinctively craved one.
The Demon King’s spirit tried to dominate the nearby monsters to use them as his body, but there was no body that could withstand the immense magical power that allowed him to maintain his spirit.
Most of them had already exploded into fragments.
Perhaps… unless they were dragon-level beings like wyverns or drakes, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the Demon King’s body.
If they were a complete dragon, they wouldn’t be robbed of their body by that Demon King, so those are excluded.
“Is there anything else unusual?”
“Oh, there were several peculiarities.”
“Peculiarities?”
“Yes. Among the monsters, there were a particularly strong giant fly, a very strange old man who didn’t seem human, and a skeleton that used necromancy.”
What the heck. What are those suspicious creatures?
“They sound like quite distinctive individuals.”
“Roughly speaking, it seems they approached, aiming for the immense power the Demon King possessed… but amusingly enough, they immediately got dominated by him as soon as they came close. They seem strong enough to resist losing their bodies, though.”
“Domination…”
That’s quite interesting. Well, if the Demon King should have many powerful subordinates, it should feel like the Four Heavenly Kings.
Wait, large flies, non-human-like old men, and skeletal necromancers…
There’s one spot missing! That’s not going to work as the Four Heavenly Kings!
Well, the fact that the list of the Demon King’s subordinates feels oddly familiar is something I’ll overlook.
“For now, let’s just continue monitoring for a while.”
“Okay. I’ll keep an eye on things.”
“Sure. I ask this of you.”
Because I have the important job of answering that child’s questions!