Chapter 164: Mountains Despise the Sky...? (3)

And so I gave new names to the gods.

I didn't want to do Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology, Indian mythology... because they're a bit too large in scale, but whatever.

I also took names from Chinese mythology, Celtic mythology, and Aztec mythology, and attached them generously.

If it weren't for Wikipedia, I would have been in trouble. The mythology I remembered had its limits. At most, it was just Greek and Roman mythology, a little bit of Norse, and maybe a bit of Egyptian.

Of course, the gods that exist in this world do not perfectly correspond one-to-one with the gods of the other worlds, so I couldn't attach the names completely. For example, Zeus or Thor.

For most of the earth gods, I took the names from mythology or borrowed place names on Earth. Hmm. Interestingly, among the gods I named, there were several dragons that are worshipped as gods by humans.Vissit novelbin(.)c.om for updates

Well, perhaps due to my influence. Dragons were generally quite friendly towards other life forms.

Unless they are attacked first, they are unlikely to bother others. If humans prostrate themselves and make requests, those children will usually grant them.

It is natural that they would be accepted as benevolent beings and worshipped as gods.

Anyway, let's move on from the deified dragons.

With their new names, the gods who did not stray from their own cultural realms ceased their conflicts and focused on self-improvement.

The most powerful of these cultural realms was the group of gods who called themselves the Olympians, taking the names from Greek mythology.

Based in Arcadia and a little to the west, they established themselves in various city-states, wielding the familiarity with humans as a weapon, and exerting their influence as anthropomorphic deities.

Well, due to being too close to humans, they often incurred the wrath of the gods and suffered bloodshed. But Baal scolded them harshly for that, so it should be fine now.

Incidentally, the Olympians were the most fiercely fighting gods in the conflicts between the gods.

If they hadn't been fighting so intensely, the number of gods might have been about 1.5 times the current number.

Next were the animal-headed gods causing a commotion around Ifrit.

Names taken from Egyptian mythology were given to these gods, born from the beastmen who adapted to the harsh desert environment.

They are mainly believed in by the beastmen living close to the desert and some people in the mage city of Procyon.

The people of Procyon mainly believe in the sacred flame Ifrit, but faith is a free thing. There is no one to criticize them for believing in other gods as well.

Calling themselves the Ennead, they used their power to imitate human magic and perform various miracles, gradually transforming the desert land into a more fertile one.

Well, now that they've given up on war, they're doing quite a good thing. Since it's forbidden to steal away the faith of other gods, they have no choice but to increase their number of believers and grow their faith. It's a natural progression from plunder to agriculture.

Next, to the east of the great forest where Yggdrasil stands, near the icy northern continent, are the gods who call themselves the Æsir.

These are the gods who took the names from Norse mythology.

Perhaps born from the hardy humans living in the harsh northern continent, these gods have a rather rough character, sandwiched between the elven great forest to the west, the dwarven Sagarmatha to the southeast, and the realm of the giants to the north.

Honestly, it's hard to say their power is great, but perhaps because of that, their bellicosity and combat prowess are not inferior to the gods of other cultural realms.

A notable point is that the Betelgeuse battlefield where the conflict between elves and dwarves unfolds is located near their territory.

Of course, just because they are the Æsir, they can't carelessly interfere with the elves or dwarves. If they accidentally provoke Yggdrasil or Sagarmatha, the Æsir will be utterly destroyed.

Hmm. Thinking about that, I don't like it a little. It feels as though humans are becoming mere puppets of the gods.

If humans progress a little further from here... will they start to deny the existence of gods? If they unravel the truth by elucidating the phenomena, will they strip away the existence of the gods?

If an era comes when gods are denied, then at that time... can I also cease to be a goddess?

I don't know. That doesn't seem bad either. Instead of being the goddess of life, as a... no, it would be better to call myself a dragon. I wonder if I can exist as just a dragon.

I don't know. It could be possible, or it might not be. I don't know which direction the future of humans will go.

I hope it goes in a desirable direction.

"But Mom."

"Hmm? What is it?"

Sagarmatha, who was sitting next to me, spoke in an unusually serious tone.

"Do you have an ideal type?"

"Ideal type?"

What is this kid suddenly asking about.

"Or... are you trying to raise that kid named Baal as your companion?"

"What are you talking about! That's impossible, isn't it!?"

Baal as my companion? That's impossible, isn't it?! Although that kid's appearance is a bit prettier than it seems at first glance, I would never!

"I've never even imagined having a companion. So don't say such things."

It's not like having a companion is absolutely necessary.

If a companion was absolutely necessary... Hmm... But still, not Baal. Baal is...

That child is still young, you see. At least, it would be difficult unless he become an equal existence to me.

In that case, rather than Baal... Erebus...

Ahem. Why did Erebus suddenly cross my mind for a moment?

That ungrateful child who ran away and caused a ruckus. Why did he come to my mind?

No way. Absolutely not.

"Right? Mom doesn't have such thoughts, does she?"

Sagarmatha, who heard my words, had a rare expression of joy on her face.

Does it make her that happy that I maintain a single life?

Well, if I were to welcome a companion, it would mean a new father figure for Sagarmatha. She might not like that.

So I spent time gently kneading the face of the constantly grinning Sagarmatha, as if her facial muscles were malfunctioning.