Ch.26Meeting (1)

What is a ‘God’?

On Earth, many believe in gods through ‘faith’ alone, while others consider them to be products of human imagination. With freedom of religion, believing or not believing was a personal choice. For reference, I was an atheist.

But in this world, denying the gods is more than just troublesome—it’s dangerous. Unlike Earth, gods clearly exist here. There have been multiple instances where some mentally disturbed individuals caused disturbances claiming gods don’t exist, only to receive ‘divine punishment’ in the form of lightning strikes from clear skies.

That said, they aren’t literally ‘omnipotent’ gods, but more like absolute beings or transcendent entities who watch over this world. They use their followers’ faith as nourishment, share power with them, and deliver divine punishment for rule violations. Sometimes they perform miracles through their ‘avatars’ or deliver prophecies.

In short, gods and their followers have a relationship similar to parent and child, or perhaps even deeper.

‘Gods, huh…’

Currently, I was attending a theology lecture while lost in my own thoughts.

In my previous life, there were endless debates about whether theology should be considered an academic discipline, but in this world, it’s one of the most important fields of study. It would be stranger if theology weren’t developed when gods clearly exist.

For this reason, the professor currently lecturing on theology is a Cardinal, no less. I understand he wields power equivalent to that of a count among the nobility.

“The God of Light, Luminus, said this: ‘It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in me. However, always strive to follow the right path. I will help you walk the right path. And…'”

There are a total of three gods in this world.

First is the God of Light, ‘Luminus,’ whom the professor just mentioned. Luminus is primarily worshipped by humans, and with an enormous number of followers, his influence on the world is truly formidable.

While there are many symbols associated with Luminus, the most commonly known are the ‘sun’ and ‘hope.’ Perhaps because of this, many soldiers who face life-and-death situations in war are followers of Luminus. I believe my father was also a follower of Luminus.

Second is the God of Darkness, ‘Mora.’ Uniquely, Mora is worshipped by demons, because she symbolizes darkness—specifically the ‘moon’ and ‘rest.’ Looking at the grim reality of demons, one can understand what kind of rest they desire.

Finally, there’s the God of Nature, ‘Hirt.’ This deity is primarily worshipped by beastkin and dwarves.

Hirt symbolizes ‘nature’ itself, and for beastkin who lived in the wild, no god could be more comforting than Hirt. Dwarves also worship Hirt, recognizing that the ‘materials’ for their creations come from nature.

One might wonder which god elves worship—they actually worship all three gods. Perhaps because they are descendants of ‘angels,’ they can use divine power more easily than other races.

As I was reminded of the gap between elves and other races, a question occurred to me.

‘Would the gods know why I was reincarnated here?’

But I have absolutely no intention of going to a temple to ask. I’m living quite well as it is, and I detest situations becoming unnecessarily complicated.

Moreover, being gods, they’ve likely already noticed my existence. Yet there have been no prophecies or appearances of avatars. So I’ve been living comfortably thus far.

I might consider visiting a temple if the opportunity arises, but until then, I’ll continue living normally. After all, I don’t possess abilities that could change the world like protagonists in comics or novels, so why would they care…

‘…I wonder if the novels I write count?’

Anyway, let’s move on. Right now, focusing on the lecture takes priority. I shook off the thoughts in my head.

After clearing my mind, I looked forward and saw the professor lecturing in a measured tone.

Named Hollard, the professor was characterized by his very tall height and skinny build. I heard he holds the influential position of Cardinal in the Church of Luminus and is genuinely renowned.

While listening to the professor’s explanation, I glanced around. Perhaps because theology is as boring as history, there weren’t many students in the lecture hall. These students are likely devout followers of their respective gods.

How do I know? Many students who joined out of curiosity fled after experiencing unexpected boredom. I personally attend lectures consistently due to my interest. The problem is…

*Nod- Nod-*

Marie, sitting next to me, was nodding off. I observed her as she dozed with her eyelids half-closed.

Each time she nodded, her pen drew doodles on her notebook, and her silky white hair gradually began to cover her face.

Eventually, Marie’s eyelids closed completely, and her head slowly drooped downward. She had fallen completely asleep.

‘I’m pretty sure she was listening well until last week…’

For reference, theology is a 9 AM class. So what did Marie do last night to start dozing off from the first lecture?

I was a bit curious, but it seemed best to wake her up. Since I couldn’t touch her body, I put my hand near her ear.

*Snap!*

“…Hmm?”

When I snapped my fingers, Marie flinched and slowly raised her head. As she lifted her head, the hair that had fallen like a curtain parted slightly, and looking at her profile, she appeared somewhat dazed.

Certain that she wasn’t fully awake, I spoke.

“Are you awake now?”

“…Huh?”

At my question, Marie turned her head toward me in a half-asleep state. Her appearance, exuding a dreamy yet unique charm, caught my eye. It was a new side of her, as she usually showed only an energetic demeanor.

While I was thinking this, Marie still seemed unable to grasp the situation, blinking and then looking ahead. Perhaps after seeing the professor lecturing, she understood the situation and shifted her gaze back to me, asking in a voice of disbelief.

“…Did I fall asleep?”

“Yes. You were nodding off quite well.”

“Ugh…”

At my answer, Marie rubbed her eyelids and groaned. While she was waking up, I voiced the question I had been holding.

“What were you doing yesterday to be dozing off from the first class?”

“…Biography of Xenon.”

“What?”

“Yaaawn…”

Marie yawned widely and then answered in a husky voice.

“I stayed up all night re-reading from volume one to the latest. I originally planned to read only up to volume three, but somehow I ended up reading everything…”

“…”

“You know too. Professor Virus assigned us to predict the development of Biography of Xenon as a group project.”

I was speechless. The group project officially starts in a week. From her perspective, she was diligently researching.

But it’s not good to be so enthusiastic that it disrupts your sleep pattern. Doing so might cause you to lose both rabbits.

“Still, do it in moderation. Otherwise, you’ll have trouble focusing on lectures, like today.”

“But it’s too interesting! I’m already looking forward to the next volume…”

I could only laugh bitterly inside at Marie’s complaint. While I’m happy as an author, the next volume won’t be out for at least two months.

Before entering the academy, I had a backlog, so volume 8 could be released earlier. But now, I rarely have time to write manuscripts, and it becomes even more difficult as exam periods approach.

Not only that, but considering the time I spend teaching writing to Cindy and history to Marie and Cecilly, there’s practically no time left. Although I return to my dormitory during free periods to write, I also need some leisure time.

‘Thanks to that, I can establish the settings meticulously, but…’

The papers and books in the research lab have been tremendously helpful to me. Additionally, while Cindy may lack writing skills, she’s knowledgeable about history and has clearly explained points I was curious about.

As a result, volume 9 of Biography of Xenon is set to be an interesting episode in many ways. The demon executives, who have been subtly revealing their presence until now, will begin to take center stage, delivering many fresh shocks.

This is because the demon executives include not only humans, beastkin, and demons, but even elves. For reference, the background setting is the ‘Seven Deadly Sins,’ commonly used in subcultures from my previous life, and each possesses special abilities.

While I was briefly recalling these settings in my mind, Marie looked at her notebook and muttered quietly.

“…I guess I really did doze off. What did I write here?”

“You didn’t write anything, you just drew lines.”

“Tsk. Sorry, but do you have notes? If you show me, I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Sigh… Just this once, okay?”

“Thanks~”

Marie smiled brightly and began copying when I showed her my notes. But there was one thing I overlooked.

“Mmm…”

“…”

Sleep doesn’t easily go away.

I could only be dumbfounded at the sight of Marie nodding off again while copying my notes. Why did she ask to see them if she was going to do this?

As I sighed deeply and was about to wake Marie up—

“Just let her sleep. Marie tends to be sleepy, so once she stays up late, she keeps dozing off.”

It was Rina, sitting on my right. She was looking at the nodding Marie with an expression that suggested this was nothing new.

Hearing her words, I asked as if wondering if it was really okay.

“Is that really alright? If she gets penalty points…”

“It’s fine. Marie has learned enough to get decent scores in theology. I can guarantee it, having studied with her at the imperial palace.”

From Rina’s words, it seemed she and Marie had undergone separate advanced training before. Well, being a princess and a duke’s daughter, they would have received education quite different from other nobles.

While listening to her, I voiced a question I had been holding.

“I’ve been wondering, since when have you and Marie known each other?”

“Probably… around when we were 10? I think we met from then.”

“I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

Marie usually feels uncomfortable around Rina. I can tell that much since Marie frowns whenever she looks at Rina.

However, I can’t directly ask the parties involved about the reason, so I plan to keep it to myself.

Rina seemed to find my answer bland, chuckling before calling my name.

“Issac.”

“Yes.”

“Are you interested in a gathering?”

“A gathering?”

“Yes. A gathering.”

While I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Rina smiled gently and said to me.

“There’s a gathering coming up soon, though it’s just for freshmen. But people from both literary and martial departments will be there, so it’ll be crowded.”

“…This is the first I’m hearing of this?”

“My brother told me in advance. And the academy will announce it soon. What do you think?”

Rina looked directly into my eyes and encouraged me again with a face full of expectation and interest.

“Will you attend?”

That’s a nice way of putting it—invitation or request.

“Attendance is optional, but personally, I would ‘really’ like you to come.”

To me, it was essentially an order from the ‘Princess.’

‘…How pitiful.’

If volume 9 of Biography of Xenon comes out late, it’s Rina’s fault.