“Nice to meet you, Miss Arthur. I see, you truly are an upright person.”
“Nice to meet you too. And you are…?”
In the deepest part of the Theocracy Holy City Athens, a bewildered female swordsman was teleported into an unfamiliar room.
White walls and a reflective marble floor, all around were strange and peculiar pieces of furniture.
The young girl wore a light, fluttering white dress, with nothing overly elaborate or ornate, but it accentuated her purity and beauty perfectly.
“Here, would you like a drink?”
She took a metal can out from a strange box.
“So cold!”
It felt just like it had come out of an ice cave.
“If you drink it in one gulp, it’s really refreshing.”
Though you should be careful about drinks from strangers, there was something almost magical in the girl’s words.
She imitated the other, pulling open the metal ring on the can with a gentle tug, then took a small sip.
The cold liquid touched her tongue—slightly bitter, a little tart, and with what seemed like countless bubbles popping on her tongue.
The taste was odd, but the moment she swallowed, a sensation of indescribable refreshment spread through her.
“Excuse me…”
“My name is ‘Athena.’ It’s a borrowed name, but I really like it.”
Athena? Isn’t that the “Goddess” mentioned in the theocracy’s doctrine?
It was even said that the Holy Sword called “Durandal,” once lent to herself, was made by this very “Goddess.” But she… How to put it?
She didn’t seem like a god at all.
“Mm, I was never really a god.”
Can she read minds?
“Sorry, your expressions are just too easy to read.”
Even so, being able to guess someone’s thoughts just from their face wasn’t something an ordinary person could do.
“Forgive me, Goddess, but is there something you need from me?”
At these words, the girl’s cheeks puffed up like a wind slime, replying playfully, “Just call me by my name. I don’t like that title.”
“Athena… Lady Athena, what did you summon me for?”
“That’s better. To put it simply, I’d like you to become my ‘Hero.’”
“Hero?”
The Evil Dragon’s already been defeated—why would a Hero be needed now?
“That’s right. I once made a mistake. Though I’ve found a way to fix it, as you can see, I no longer have the strength to leave this place. That’s why I need a ‘helper.’”
“Athena… Lady Athena, you made a mistake?”
The legends couldn’t be verified, but the theocracy preserved many “Holy Relics,” each one telling of the “Goddess’s” wisdom and greatness.
It was exactly because of that, Arthur was intensely curious about the mistake the goddess spoke of.
“I once had a dear friend. Maybe because I loved her so much, I ended up using my powers to protect her, and at the same time protected her whole clan. At the beginning, those were truly happy times.”
As she spoke, her expression grew gentle. Perhaps that “friend” was when she first started to “love” humanity?
“She was very clever—so clever she didn’t seem to belong to this world at all. Together, we led others, first making stone tools to hunt, then clearing forests for farming, even discovering animals that could be domesticated…”
As the girl spoke, Arthur could almost see that distant time, when humanity had just been born and “civilization” advanced at an incredible pace, everything vibrant and full of hope.
“But one day, ‘Magic’ and ‘Monsters’ suddenly appeared in this world. After that, there were Elves, Dwarves, Dragons, Demons, Angels…”
“Wait, you said suddenly?”
Weren’t those things supposed to exist since the world began?
“That’s right, suddenly. I only figured out the reason later—they all appeared due to the influence of ‘Ley Lines.’”
“Influenced by ‘Ley Lines’? What are Ley Lines?”
“You can think of them as places where all of this world’s ‘Energy’ and ‘Memory’ gather. At the same time, they can also influence reality in this world.”
Arthur looked half-confused. She only understood that Ley Lines were places where “Energy” gathered—maybe something like “Magic Gathering Points”…
“Simply put, ‘Ley Lines’ can consciously or unconsciously create or change things, just like this.”
As she spoke, a metal can appeared out of thin air in the girl’s hand. She poured out its contents—at first, a fizzy yellow liquid, but then it turned clear…
The sight before her eyes was incredible. If this wasn’t some trick, then what was this girl if not a “god”?
Wait, she’d just said the Ley Lines could do things like this…does that mean…?
“That’s right. I’m the first Ley Line in this world to gain consciousness.”
“Of course, all these inspirations came from my dearest friend. She loved to tell stories to pass the time, and those vivid tales filled me with longing. That’s why the world became the way it is now.”
Such an absurd creation myth shook Arthur’s understanding to its core. But there was no reason for the “Goddess” to lie about something like this.
“This power is wonderful, but it also comes with huge drawbacks.”
Drawbacks? Was that the mistake the “Goddess” had made?
“As you might have realized, at first I couldn’t control my powers, and they did cause a lot of trouble.”
That was certainly true. Even to this day, those “Fantasy Species” still affected the world. Her own homeland had been destroyed by an “Evil Dragon,” and even her family…
“So this is a god’s mistake?”
“Eh? Those aren’t mistakes.”
“Not mistakes?”
“I fulfilled my friend’s wishes and made the world more interesting. Humanity’s progress was never hindered. If anything, life became more convenient with ‘Magic.’”
That was true. She finally understood how this “Goddess” thought.
In her eyes, those creations and humanity should be equals. No—humanity was indeed favored to some extent, but the one she truly loved was always just that single person.
It was a little cruel, but from the “Goddess’s” point of view, turning the world into what it is now wasn’t a mistake.
“Later, a second Ley Line gained consciousness in this world. But for some reason, it doesn’t seem to like humans very much.”
“A second ‘Ley Line,’ and it doesn’t like humans?”
Wait, if the first Ley Line is Lady Athena, then with the second, just how many Ley Lines are there in this world?
“Don’t worry. In all this long history, Ley Lines that have naturally gained consciousness are only myself and her. The others just follow their instincts.”
“Sorry, I’m not sure I really understand…”
“Then let’s put it simply. Do you know about Dungeons?”
“What!?”
Dungeons? Dungeons can turn fantasy into reality? Now that she thought about it, there really were a lot of Monsters gathering there. Maybe it wasn’t just the “Magic Source” attracting them, but—
“No need to be so surprised. Dungeons simply transform Monsters they perceive into reality by channeling energy. They don’t have abilities like mine.”
For some reason, hearing this made her feel relieved…
So that’s why Dungeons became gathering spots for Monsters.
“Let’s continue. The second Ley Line doesn’t like humans, so in the past, several large-scale ‘Monster Surges’ broke out. You should find records of those in some old history books.”
Arthur nodded after hearing this. The “Monster Surges” Lady Athena spoke of could indeed be found in the histories written by the theocracy.
“Later, all those ‘Monster Surges’ disappeared, and the one who put an end to them was my dear friend, the First Hero Alice Rica.”
……
—————
After sending Arthur off, the girl lay down on the bed. Her body, which shouldn’t have needed to breathe, was heaving violently.
Ley Lines are places where all Energy and Memory gather—Arthur didn’t really understand what that meant…
She could only hope that this upright, tolerant girl would keep the promise she’d made.
She’d already paid the reward in advance. That was the “Soul” of Arthur’s family, which was what “Energy” and “Memory” truly meant.
“Rikka…”
Now that the soul of her old friend had gone somewhere unknown, she had no choice but to search for it in the clumsiest way.
She reached into her chest and took out a faintly glowing orb, cast a few spells, and engraved many “Ordinances” on its surface.
Once she finished, the Light Orb slowly floated out of the room.
This was a part of her very essence, equivalent to a small Ley Line. Of course, it had another name—Dungeon Core.
The girl entrusted her yearning and hope to this new Light Orb, and once again drifted into slumber…