Chapter 331 - Dmitra (2)
There was less than an hour left before Nídhöggur’s attack that Hraesvelgr warned about. Theodore and three high elves were preparing for a clean operation. It was a plan to borrow the power of a god to go against Nídhöggur. From the point of view of the material world, Nídhöggur was an uninvited person. The gods were a part of the material world and a guardian.
The problem was that there was no god to ask for help.
“...I-Is this really okay?” Ellenoa made an embarrassed expression while wearing thin cloth, a dress for ceremonial occasions or special rituals.
Theodore briefly went blank when he saw her. There were laurel leaves in her hair, and the fabric, which had been made with the elven weaving technique, wrapped smoothly around Ellenoa’s slim body. Setting aside sexual attraction, it was a beauty that made everyone feel admiration.
“Beautiful.”
Ellenoa was surprised by Theodore’s words. “Huh...? T-Thank you.”
“Ah! N-No, it looks good. Cough.”
She had already heard everything. Both of them were aware of the serious situation and avoided each other’s eyes for a moment. Then Ellenoa cautiously opened her mouth first. She had heard a few words on the way here, but she couldn’t help doubting Theodore’s plan. “Theodore, is this really possible? I didn’t think that Mitra could return to being a god again.”
“Haha, my explanation was a little bit brief,” Theodore acknowledged it with a bitter smile.
If Ellenoa was asking this, then the other high elves were likely to be confused about whether this was a good idea.
‘Honestly, I also think it is a bit absurd. I didn’t have time to explain and skipped many things.’
It was a plan to return Mitra’s divinity and prevent Nídhöggur’s attack. Regarding the theories of elementals, the elves’ ideas were more established than those of magicians. If it hadn’t been for Theodore’s accomplishments in the past, they would’ve dismissed his plan as nonsense on the spot.
However, Theodore was confident in his own way.
He had once succeeded it inside his own body and now had a deeper understanding of the concept of gods. It would be possible if he used all the resources of Elvenheim.
“Making gods from zero is impossible even for transcendents. However, filling in incomplete pieces isn’t that difficult. I can just barely try it with my capabilities, but it will be possible with your help.”
There were three elements that established the existence of a god: the trinity of prestige; power; and authority. Those with all three were recognized as a definite god.
Prestige was the symbol of a god, the presence of divinity. Power was the proof of a god, i.e. if people had faith in the god. Authority meant the presence of worship.
In the ancient days, a god was born when the name of an existence became known and worshipped. They sought to love and take care of mortals, filling in the parts that were missing.
‘It isn’t easy when I think about it.’
In an age when all gods had disappeared, where could divinity be obtained? What types of means could be used to collect believers in a world that was not religious, apart from the Lairon church?
In that sense, Theodore was fortunate. The ancient elementals themselves were fragments of the gods and had divinity from the start. Theodore established the temple of four elements in his body, and for a short time, he brought back Mitra’s divinity.
However, the third piece wasn’t as easy to fill. They needed followers who truly believed in the god. It used to be that hundreds of humans were sufficient, but not now. Now, at least tens of thousands of believers were needed. Furthermore, Theodore was a magician, not a priest. He might deify Mitra, but it wasn’t enough to make her a god. He had forgotten about it until he encountered this situation.
Ellenoa understood what he said and nodded. “Aha, then we are in charge of Mitra’s ‘authority.’ The mother of a great land. We will pray for Dmitra, who is related to the parent tree.”
“Ah, but she can’t become Mother Earth. The three divinities of the sky, sea, and earth... This isn’t an exact calculation, but it would require ‘authority’ 30 times the size of Elvenheim.”
“3-30 times...! It is great, Mitra.”
[Hoi?] Mitra made a confused sound as she heard her name. Then she laughed and clung to the wall. Despite her mystical powers, she was just like a mountain girl.
[Yes, Mitra is amazing! Always like this!]
“Yes, now it is time to become more amazing.”
[Hoing!]
Theodore opened his arms, and Mitra rushed into them. She was like a cicada clinging to a tree. As he carried Mitra on his back, Theodore and Ellenoa walked side by side. Every time they took a step, the light got closer. This was a spot on the branch of the world tree where the tribes gathered when there were important matters.
Step.
There were three steps left when Ellenoa’s pace slowed. She hadn’t even been in this forest for 10 years. Theodore wondered if this was too much of a heavy burden, but Ellenoa was a high elf with a good nobility. Additionally, the power of the elemental rulers was essential to Theodore’s plan.
Ellenoa seemed embarrassed about her delay in walking. “Ah...”
Her palm wasn’t firm like that of a magician. She placed her hand on top of Theodore’s rough palm.
Why...? The trembling of her body suddenly stopped.
“Let’s go, Ellenoa,” his steady voice calmed her.
“Yes, Theodore.”
The two people walked into the blinding white light together.
* * *
There was a forest. It was easy to mistake it for Elvenheim, but there were a few other species besides the elves. There were the ents that integrated with the forest and protected the ecosystem, as well as the dryads. Additionally, there were the lizardmen from the swamps and the beast clan.
“Everyone, thank you for gathering,” Ellenoa’s voice didn’t tremble at all despite there being thousands of people before her. Her clear voice calmed down the area, and everyone, regardless of species, concentrated on her words. The high elves, dressed in the ceremonial clothing and boasting a mystical atmosphere, were the pride of the forest.
“I think that everyone knows the threat that we and this forest face. The evil dragon from the myths, he looks down from the sky and wants to burn our world tree.”
Ellenoa was calm despite her angry words. However, her calm created a bigger ripple. The people listening silently were overwhelmed with enough anger to forget their fear. It was proof they were assimilating Ellenoa’s feelings.
“We have tried to guard this forest, but we are helpless.”
Before the evil dragon that possessed transcendent power, the only thing the inhabitants of the forest could do was either run, die, or pray. Filled with powerlessness and remorse, Ellenoa continued saying, “We thought we anticipated the future, but we were ignorant.”
The high elves, who could summon the elemental rulers, were arrogant and thought they could defend the forest with their own strength. In the past, they had thought they could defeat all disasters and misfortunes. It was a stupid wisdom. That’s right.
She mourned in front of everyone, “Therefore, I prayed to the parent tree.”
From here on out, it was the pre-written script.
“I didn’t know where to go and how to overcome this difficulty, causing me to pray to the parent tree.” As Ellenoa continued in a sad voice, she called Nohengrin under the ground. She reduced the power and presence of the summoning as much as possible so the others wouldn’t notice.
Once she told him the purpose of this summoning, Nohengrin responded in a pleasant voice, “Then I received the answer!”
It was true that they had gotten permission from the world tree. However, the consciousness of the world tree hadn’t grown yet, so it couldn’t use that power freely. Fortunately, the world tree responded positively to Mitra’s mana, so Theodore’s plan would work.
As those present started to respond to Ellenoa’s speech, Ellenoa and Theodore thought almost simultaneously, ‘Now!’
At the same time, a large stone pillar appeared in the middle of the empty space before Ellenoa.
Kukukukukung...
No, it was an egg, rather than a stone pillar. The pillar in front of Ellenoa had an oval shape. It seemed like it had soared up at her call. Ellenoa stroked the surface of the smooth stone egg and finished the play.
“The parent tree called a god.”
The crowd stirred at the word ‘god’, while Ellenoa continued to the end without losing her flow.
“After the Age of Mythology, few deities remained in this world. Mother Earth, the beginning of the world tree Yggdrasil and the name of the great goddess!”
The rock egg was split in half.
“Dmitra!” Ellenoa raised her voice as much as possible. Unfortunately for her, the effort had little meaning. She didn’t need to do anything more because the crowd in front of the world tree was already captivated by the girl who emerged from the rock egg.
She had wheat-colored hair that went down to her waist, two eyes that shone with a mysterious light, and ocher skin. Butterflies danced in the air around her, while the gnomes, famous for their invisible appearance, showed up. Just after that, the smiling girl held out her hands to the ground, and branches started to sprout from the world tree.
The dry skin peeled off, and green buds grew. They bloomed all at the same time. It was a spectacular sight that could be called ‘A Hundred Flowers.’ The inhabitants of the forest saw the flowers blooming under their feet and realized this wasn’t a mere gimmick.
“I-It is a real god...!”
Theodore’s partnership with the world tree was only brief, but there was no need to worry anymore. The reaction of people who saw miracles was the same in every age. They would feel honored, fearful, and either reject or challenge it. The inhabitants of the forest worshipped the world tree, so there was only one choice.
“D-Dmitra! The earth goddess!”
“Please save us, Dmitra!”
“We believe in you!”
They kneeled down and lowered their heads. No one forced them to do so, but the beast clan laid down their pride and bowed before the great being. It went without saying for the ents and dryads. They followed Mitra’s orders before she even revealed her identity, and now they were completely submissive.
[Hoong?]
Then something strange happened. Mitra, who was in her early teens, started to grow further. Her slender limbs elongated, and her flat body started to develop curves. Mitra’s innocent eyes filled with mischief, while her wheat-colored hair grew longer.
[Hihihi! A lot bigger?]
Based on the way humans aged, Mitra now seemed to be somewhere between 16 and 18 years old. Having turned bigger in an instant, she laughed while touching her arms.
‘...No, it isn’t just her body. Her divinity also grew,’ Theodore admired inwardly as he watched Mitra.
It was as he said. Her constantly rising power purified the odors and poisons of the undead from the bloody battle a while ago, causing the flowers and grass to raise their heads despite Nídhöggur’s dark sky. This was the power of Dmitra, the goddess of plants.
[Theo!]
Theodore was surprised by the sudden call and answered stupidly, “Y-Yes?”
Mitra giggled and said playfully, [Thanks for raising me!]
“...Are you a cat or a dog?”
[Hihihi! Then can I call you ‘Father’?]
“Eek.”
Theodore paled at the thought of being called ‘Father’ when he wasn’t even married. Meanwhile, Mitra turned her head. [Hung! Theo is a father to Mitra!]
Then she turned toward the surprised Ellenoa. [Theo is Father, then Ellenoa is Mother! How about it?]
“Huh?!”
“What?”
The Theodore and Ellenoa were shocked by Mitra’s words and avoided each other’s eyes. Mitra shook her head with a chuckle at the sight. Her playfulness had increased, and she had the ability to catch them off guard. She looked between Theodore and Ellenoa before clapping. [Ah, both of you are too shy. I need to use a lot of effort to make it progress quickly.]
Then she pointed to the sky with her finger and shouted in the exact direction of Nídhöggur, [So, you! That black thing over there! Get lost!]
A sullen voice was heard from the sky in response, -Cheeky little girl.
There was a white light. Then the ward, that Hraesvelgr had made, cracked repeatedly and soon disappeared without a trace. The shape of a dragon with huge horns protruded from the crack in the blackened sky. It was a transcendent that was the embodiment of fear.
This was the encounter between the evil dragon, Nídhöggu, and Earth Goddess, Dmitra.