kscans

Chapter 3 - The Gods' Oracle ~The Morning of the Beginning~

『Huh? Here again?』

That night, the Little One had a dream.

A pure white space, covered in a thin haze.

There was no end to the white space that stretched out before her. The sky was also pure white, with something shining here and there. Looking closely, she could see shimmering lights in the distance around her as well.

She knew this place.

The little girl sitting in the white space was named Chihiro La Giorgia. A count's daughter in a country called Frontier. Although she was a count's daughter, it was a title in name only, one her commoner-turned-royal-chef father had received from His Majesty the King as a reward for various deeds.

Chihiro, his daughter, also had a number of secrets.

And when those secrets were involved, the little girl had been summoned to this pure white space before.

This was the Celestial Realm. The place where the gods dwelt.

『Chaos? Abyss? You're there, aren't you?』

Chihiro swept back her pitch-black hair and muttered wearily. It was a gesture unbefitting of a toddler. Then, from the empty space, two handsome men appeared. The man with long, gently waving blond hair tied back in a simple knot was named Chaos. The man with straight blond hair cut neatly at his shoulders was named Abyss. Both of them gazed down at Chihiro quietly with soft golden eyes.

《It has been a long time, beloved child.》

《Are you well? Do you lack for anything?》

They were the gods of this world where Frontier existed, Arcadia.

In her past life, Chihiro had helped them, and as a reward, she had been given her current life. To think she would see them again. Chihiro had nothing but a bad feeling about this.

And as if to confirm her fears, the gods opened their mouths to speak, their words heavy.

《Actually, we have a favor to ask of you.》

《This was something even we did not know, but…》

Reluctantly, the little girl listened to their story with a sullen face. It seemed this was a seed she herself had sown.

In the past, these two gods had made a grave mistake.

Taking pity on the exceedingly frail humans, they had used their divine power to help them.

The power of the gods, which should only be bestowed upon carefully selected individuals, commonly known as golden magic. With this immense power, they created forests in Arcadia, transformed the creatures living there into intelligent monsters, and filled the land with golden magic.

This was something that should never have happened.

There is an unwritten rule that gods must not interfere in the course of the world. The power of the gods is immense. They can do anything. Nothing is impossible. If such power were given to them, people would become corrupt. Since everything would go well without any effort, humans would stop thinking, civilization would show no signs of developing, and the land itself would become dependent on magic and cease to grow on its own.

Realizing their mistake, the gods thought to erase the source of this problem, the golden magic, from the world.

But any further interference would be a bad move.

Borrowing the power of the gods of Earth, who had extended a helping hand, the gods of Arcadia attempted to bring about a change of eras through human hands.

Chihiro was one of the souls invited from Earth for this trial.

To be blunt, it had been a huge nuisance.

Without any understanding of the situation, she had been reincarnated into a dying child, still possessing her memories as a Japanese person from her previous life. There were many twists and turns, and while it was good that things worked out in the end, it was a daily life of walking a tightrope right next to death. Imagine a second life that starts with death flags flying everywhere, heading straight for a bad ending. You wouldn't want to do it even if you were paid a fortune.

But that was all in the past.

Though it could hardly be called uneventful, the golden magic had vanished from the world, and people had welcomed a new era. Everything was supposed to be over. Chihiro, too, was supposed to have started a new life.

But. Now, a major problem had arisen, they said.

『Is it my fault?』

As the little girl muttered sullenly, the gods gave a wry smile and a small nod.

《One could say that. It was full of unexpected events, after all.》

《There is no other way to put it. It was born from the ring you connected. Please raise it to the very end.》

Well, what do you know.

A shocking truth had come to light at this late stage.

Even after the golden magic had disappeared from the world, magical power and magic remained in Frontier.

The magic of the Four Great Elements, not golden magic.

This was Arcadia's own unique magical power, born from the land itself, and it had apparently remained due to the existence of the Golden Ring. And the one who had completed that ring was the Little One.

『So, what you're saying is, because the Golden Ring was completed, magic remained in Frontier?』

The two gods gave a large nod.

《It was not supposed to remain.》

《All magical power, all magic, was supposed to disappear.》

Then, narrowing their eyes slightly, the two looked down at Chihiro.

《《You are the one who left it behind.》》

Oh no… All I wanted was to not kill the Lords!

If she had killed the Lords and let the forests wither as the gods had intended, no magical power would have remained in Arcadia. Naturally, magic and everything else would have vanished.

But Chihiro had distorted that outcome.

The monsters known as the Lords of the Forest. They had filled the land with magical power just as the gods wished and had protected the humans. The price for that was a tragic end, being destroyed like so much junk. That was unforgivable. Chihiro, who had interacted with the Lords and grown close to them, took action that differed from the gods' intentions in order to save them from death.

She completed the Golden Ring, which was connected by magical power, and used it to destroy all the forests at once. The source of the golden magic was the forests created by the gods. So, if she could destroy them, wouldn't the Lords be able to survive?

Her guess was correct. The forests lost their golden magic, but the Lords survived. However, as a result, it seemed she had created an environment within the completed Golden Ring where magical power could exist.

The gods spoke plainly to the stunned little girl.

《In a way, you are an O-saki in training. One who acts as our proxy. You have the right and the responsibility to interfere with the world.》

《Stabilize the magic that has been born, and nurture and complete the new principles of magic. That is the responsibility of the one who created it.》

O-saki.

This was a title bestowed upon those who were given the gods' magical power and overcame a selection process.

An existence equal to the gods, achieved through trials.

Commonly known as an Arahitogami. One who watches over the mortal world in place of the gods who watch over it from the Celestial Realm.

In her past life, where she had charged ahead without understanding anything, Chihiro had earned that qualification. Though she was living a normal life now, she was scheduled to gain eternity and become an O-saki in her next life.

《《Take responsibility.》》

『Yes…』

The Little One could do nothing but hang her head and agree.

But…

『Specifically, what should I do?』

The little girl looked up with a pathetic expression.

The gods gave a wry smile at that and taught her the basic procedure.

《You must create an even larger Golden Ring.》

《There are still several forests in the remote regions. Travel to the ends of the world, and when the Golden Ring is complete, magical power will dwell throughout all of Arcadia.》

《《The rest will follow the ways of the world.》》

『Ah… So, you mean, things will work themselves out?』

With a nod, the gods vanished.

At the same time, the real Chihiro woke up.

Someone please tell me this is a lie.

On the king-sized bed, four family members slept side by side. Each was breathing softly, suya suya, or snoring loudly, gaa gaa. It was a scene of utter peace. And yet, a storm was raging in Chihiro's heart.

In training, huh. Those two have really been picking up some strange habits from the Earth gods.

Even thinking such random thoughts couldn't change reality. The Little One sat up with a start and held her head with an indescribable expression.

"Another pilgrimage? You've got to be kidding me."

In the early morning, before the night had fully broken. Unaware of the whitening sky, the Little One brooded over the future.