Chapter 129
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/week
Illustrations: None
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“It’s an honor to meet you.”
Ian bowed sincerely.
He felt a slight sense of incongruity.
The woman before him, except for being as beautiful as a piece of art, seemed entirely ordinary.
If he said she looked like an ordinary human beauty, would it be blasphemy?
“I don't feel your sincerity, but I accept your greeting.”
“Sorry. It’s just that... you seem quite comfortable.”
“Comfortable?”
At Ian’s words, Hrundal's lips curved into a slight smile. It was a surreal feeling, as if a piece of art had come to life.
Was this how the protagonist of a museum coming to life felt?
“Yes. The other mysteries I’ve encountered were... much more overwhelming to converse with.”
The mysteries, including Drake Longtail, had drained Ian just by talking to them.
He was sturdier now that he had taken that elixir.
Perhaps it was thanks to that elixir that he was able to converse with the goddess?
“That’s to be expected,” Hrundal said with satisfaction.
“I created this space to summon you. It’s a space prepared for you, so it’s naturally less burdensome.”
Hrundal, too, was a divine being.
Higher beings hesitated to initiate contact, and Hrundal was no different.
"You have carried the item I bestowed, and reached the holy place."
Hrundal continued.
“I created the space, but you are the one who came here.”
Ian nodded, understanding her words.
“Then, if I possessed an item imbued with the power of the Sky God and reached a holy place of the Sky God...”
“You could meet the Sunbearer,” Hrundal replied nonchalantly, as if it were obvious.
“But there wouldn’t be much to gain from that visit, since the Sunbearer hasn’t summoned you.”
“That’s true.”
The reason Ian could visit the Ice Palace was Hrundal's invitation.
“You said you had something for me...”
Hrundal interrupted Ian.
“You are in a hurry, like a mortal. But it has been a long time since a living person visited this place.”
Snap!
With a snap of her fingers, the scene changed. They were in a banquet hall. The long table was filled with various foods.
“Let’s talk slowly over a meal.”
Most of the dishes were cooked meats, with wine and other beverages. Ian sat at the table, slightly disappointed. He had hoped for Earth food at a divine banquet, but no such luck.
“Can I eat this?”
“Of course. Do you think I would serve inedible food?”
Fortunately, the food was delicious. Hrundal watched Ian eat with pleasure.
“How is it? Not to your taste?”
“No, it’s just...”
Ian swallowed and spoke.
“There’s a story I know, where if a living person eats the food of the underworld, they can’t return to the living world...”
“Oh?”
Hrundal seemed intrigued by Ian’s story. It was quite fascinating.
“It seems like a story told by someone well-versed in the underworld.”
“Pardon?”
“Haha. Since you’ve eaten the food of the underworld, you can no longer return to the human world, Ian.”
Pfft!
Ian spit out his wine, coughing. Hrundal laughed happily.
“It’s a joke! You timid thing!"
“...”
No, when it's a god saying it, it's hard not to believe it...
Ian continued eating.
The goddess seems to have a mischievous side.
“You’re quite different from the last time we met.”
“What do you mean?”
Hrundal looked intrigued.
The more Ian saw of her, the less he understood this goddess. Last time, she exuded such an overwhelming presence that he couldn’t even lift his head...
Now, it felt like he was visiting the house of an older sister who attended an art college!
"I thought you were a much... colder person."
“Cold, you say? Of course, I am. As the overseer of the afterlife,” Hrundal said.
“Underneath my Ice Palace lies a prison for the damned. Borrowing the Sunbearer's term, it is hell.”
“...”
“Periodically, prisoners escape from hell and surface. My warriors and I are tasked with subduing these escaped demons and sending them back to hell,” Hrundal said, almost singing.
“That's why I favor strong warriors. Only warriors strong enough to face the demons from hell can maintain order in the world.”
Ian understood Hrundal's words. The goddess’s role was like that of a warden.
She was a jailer preventing the damned prisoners from stepping into the land of the living.
“But that is merely my duty. My essence is closer to that of an artist.”
Ian nodded, looking at the paintings decorating the walls of the banquet hall.
Hrundal was the mistress of a citadel watching over hell. But at the same time, she was a goddess of art and painting.
“As the guardian of the dead, I must always be cold and ruthless. But as an artist, I must capture the world’s beauty with vibrant colors.”
Ian smiled at Hrundal.
“The one standing before me now... is the goddess of painting.”
“Haha, precisely. Mortal.”
Hrundal added playfully, “You better hope you never meet me as the warden.”
“... I hope so too.”
It was a chilling joke. Meeting Hrundal as the warden meant Ian was imprisoned in hell.
“So, Ian. Do you like my paintings?”
“Of course.”
With a snap of Hrundal's fingers, Arcana cards began to spin around Ian.
“In fact, I’ve seen something similar in my past life.”
“Oh? And what is that?”
“A thing called tarot cards...”
Ian briefly explained what he knew about tarot cards. He wasn’t an expert, just aware that they were used for fortune-telling, like predicting the new year's luck or couples' love fortunes.
Hrundal smiled faintly at Ian’s explanation.
“That’s possible. Mysteries aren’t bound by time and space.”
“Is that so?”
“Ian, did your people in your past life believe in the existence of the soul?”
"... Well, some."
Some believed in souls, while others didn’t.
“It’s the same here. There are those who don’t believe in the soul’s existence. But souls do exist.”
Hrundal explained that mysteries reveal themselves to believers. And it wasn’t strange for human beliefs to take similar forms.
“That’s why you can handle so many mysteries.”
“...? What do you mean?”
Hrundal laughed.
“You believe in the existence of mysteries more strongly than anyone else, don’t you?”
“???”
Ian didn’t quite understand Hrundal's point.
“Whether we believe it or not... Mysteries exist, right?”
“Wrong. It's not because they exist that you believe in them, but because you believe in them that they exist."
Ian’s mouth fell open. This must be why he fit so well with the Arcana 0 card, [The Fool].
It was natural for Ian to not understand Hrundal's words. Most residents of this medieval fantasy world didn’t understand mysteries. They might have heard of them but couldn’t understand or interact with them.
Imagine someone claiming, “I believe in ghosts! I even bought a whiteboard to communicate with them!” Would you think, “Ah, they believe so strongly that ghosts might exist,” or would you think, “Too bad that TV show about Martians got canceled.”
Most people would think the latter.
People in this world are no different. Mysteries exist, but they are hard to encounter or understand, making them virtually nonexistent to ordinary people. Since they can't imagine or interact with them, the average person becomes even more distant from mysteries.
But Ian was different.
Seeing the status window, Ian was convinced he had been reincarnated in another world. Naturally, he believed he should have some kind of cheat ability. That's the rule, right?
Ian firmly believed that he could handle mysterious powers as if it were natural.
As a result, he could handle all sorts of random mysteries, enough to surprise even Eredith.
“But I use magic through my status window?”
“Status window?”
Ian explained to Hrundal what a status window was. He felt a bit embarrassed while doing so. It’s a concept from game fantasy... Like, have you read The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor?
Hrundal replied firmly,
“I don’t know what that ‘status window’ is.”
“...”
“The Sunbearer wouldn’t know either. The only one who knows about that bizarre phenomenon is you."
...Even the god of Heaven's Faith doesn’t know about it?
A scene played out in Ian’s mind.
[Oh, a status window! Lord of the sky! What is this power?]
[... I don't know, what is that? It's scary...]
It was a comedy skit.
"I think that ‘status window’ was created by you, Ian."
“... I created the status window???”
Hrundal concluded,
“[A very sophisticated system of self-suggestion.]”
That was Ian’s status window.
Neither Hrundal nor the Sky God knew what the status window was.
Logically, the only one who could create the status window was...
Ian, himself.
“Why are you so surprised?”
Hrundal asked, seeing Ian standing in shock.
“Human wizards called [Archwizards] or [Lemegeton] used their unique methods to perform magic.”
Hrundal continued, “You’re no different.”
Archwizard Maronius created a magical system with his language. If Maronius could do it, why couldn’t other humans?
Ian using magic through a ‘status window’ was no different.
“Of course, the Sunbearer’s blessing is undeniable, but the concept of the ‘status window’ was created by you, Ian.”
“...”
Ian’s head spun. He had thought the status window was a perk from being reincarnated in another world. But it turned out he was an incredible mental case experiencing hallucinations...?
No.
That was too harsh.
It was better to say he had such innate magical talent that he could turn his imagination into reality. Ian himself didn’t know it, but he was born with immense magical talent...!
Seeing Ian standing there, Hrundal smiled, an amusing idea crossing her mind.
“I’ll lend you my power. Would you like to use that ‘status window’ more precisely?”
“Huh... Yes?”
Ian answered absentmindedly.
Hrundal took it as a positive response.
“Let’s imbue your magic into the Arcana cards I
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