The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

So, to summarize, here’s the deal.

The immortality blessing that the Sword Master desired actually exists.

The Shimoa family, monopolizing the forgotten old god’s blessing, could enable a single head of the family to live for hundreds of years if they set their mind to it.

But no immortal lord has ever been born in Shimoa.

The blessing held by the parents vanishes the moment they have a child.

It transfers to the newborn.

Protecting the one blessed by the god is simply so that they can pass the lineage to the next generation.

Keeping the owner young is purely to maintain a prime appearance, making it easier to raise the child; it’s the god’s arrangement for them to flourish and increase their number of believers.

And in accordance with that intent, Shimoa chose to raise children and grow old together instead of seeking immortality.

…

“Our ancestors erected a new monument to honor the god who bestows blessings and pray monthly,” Hamel concluded, starting to wipe the monument with the handkerchief he brought.

But hearing this story set off alarm bells in my head.

For all the effort being put in, the blessing seemed far too powerful.

In the end, only Shimoa believed in this god; it’s hard to think that the last remaining priest who originally held the blessing prayed daily—it couldn’t just be once a month.

Something definitely had to be going on.

At that moment, I noticed that the wolf inscribed on the monument was almost identical to the embroidered wolf on Hamel’s clothing.

“Is Shimoa’s emblem also a symbol of that god?”

“…Yes.”

The emblem representing the Shimoa family is a white wolf.

But it only appears white when colored; in all other instances, it looks like a wolf, making one not think of it as a white wolf.

Adopting the symbol that remained in this land as their family emblem was quite a bold move.

Forgotten gods aren’t just forgotten by nature.

Some have indeed been forgotten, but most of them died out due to their followers being wiped out in the power struggles among gods.

No matter how much they made the golden wolf’s symbol appear white, to keep the forgotten god’s symbol as their family emblem and endure for hundreds of years takes some serious guts.

Thinking back, this might be why the Sword Master paid attention to them.

“The firstborn of Shimoa is always born with the god’s blessing. A child with the blessing grows up exceedingly healthy. Eventually, the blessing disappears from their body once certain conditions are met.”

“And those conditions are… that, right?”

River’s face turned red.

“…No, it’s not that. One of the conditions for the growth blessing to disappear is reaching adulthood. The moment they become an adult, the power transforms into a form easier to release for the next generation. Consequently, some of that power may also be transmitted to the partner during intercourse.”

It’s not that they don’t age, but the blessing that assisted their growth disappears—so I guess they have to reach the highest level possible before becoming adults.

“The Sword Master wished to take the blessing flowing through our blood. I’m not entirely sure, but it seems that when men become adults, they can’t extract the blessing. So, it seems he waited until a daughter was born.”

The Sword Master also lived long.

If it didn’t matter to him, he could have targeted Hamel, but he only began after confirming River’s birth.

As if he cared about the gender.

“I don’t really know, but… isn’t it a signal that they’re ready to create a child? So it grants them some power to protect their body.”

Looking at the size of the temple, it wasn’t some great god that only a few people worshiped in the past.

Yet still, a god is a god.

To think the immortality blessing could be transmitted even in such a weakened state is indeed the hallmark of a god.

…

After the hidden story of the family came to an end, we all gathered in front of the monument to offer a prayer.

River has been able to grow up without any ailments because the god’s blessing continues to be with him.

In gratitude, I offered a light greeting.

“Thank you, God.”

“Thank you…”

Lately, it feels a bit complicated that I’m praying to a forgotten god while I’ve been freely using the holy relic ‘Holy Artifact’ that houses the god’s blessing without offering a prayer to the church’s god.

The Saintess would be very disappointed.

When she asked us to pray together so earnestly, now I’m doing it so easily.

But if you dig into the Confucian angle, this person is hardly different from River’s ancestor, so it wouldn’t be weird to think of it as paying respects.

I was just glad to have resolved my curiosity to some extent.

[Hey there, little one. Look this way for a moment.]

At that moment, I heard a strange old woman’s voice from somewhere.

“… Did someone just call me?”

“You? I didn’t hear anything.”

“Who called?”

“Uh… I hear a voice…”

I began to look around, feeling strange, and everyone was staring at me with weird expressions.

Especially Hamel, who seemed utterly startled—what could I do if this was really happening?

[Yes, I called. Little human child.]

The voice rang out again.

I really wanted to look away.

I was tired and wanted to claim it was just my imagination, but unfortunately, this was in the temple grounds.

And I had a portion of some god’s essence within me.

In the end, I accepted it and answered the voice.

“What is it that you need me for?”

[At last you are looking this way. It has been years since I’ve seen a child who could communicate with me…]

As I responded to the voice, things that were previously unseen began to reveal themselves.

“Uh… huh?”

The sensation of seeing something that was previously invisible is incredibly mystical.

A large wolf with fur the color of gold light emanating from River stood in the center of the vast grounds, looking this way.

It was so large that it seemed to fill the desolate space completely.

Seeing something strange as I spoke into thin air worried River, who grabbed onto my arm.

“Atlas, who are you talking to?”

“Well, you see… that big wolf over there wants to have a chat with me.”

Upon hearing that a wolf was visible, Hamel reacted.

“A wolf?! You mean that being is here?!”

“Yes, it’s lying right there.”

“That place… you say?”

Hamel once again bowed his head toward the direction I pointed.

The wolf, with its head bowed, glanced at him slightly with its eyes.

[Still, it seems you’re showing some consideration, which is commendable.]

It seemed indifferent, but its voice bore a kindness.

“You are… the Wolf God, right? Why is it that only I can speak with you?”

[Who can say? I have my own questions I wish to ask, curious child.]

The now upright wolf god turned its gaze toward me.

I felt its sharp eyes piercing through me.

[Hmm… you don’t seem to be an ordinary child… it looks like you’ve lived a tumultuous life. Let’s take a look….]

“See… what?”

The wolf god spat out an ominous phrase.

Seeing my life?

Is it peering into my mind?

[It’ll be over soon.]

“Then why… AAAAAAH???”

“Atlas, are you okay??”

I tried to resist, but suddenly it felt like something was rushing into my mind through my spine.

Is this some god’s essence within me?

Damn, even this is possible? I feel like I want it out right now.

Yet perhaps out of consideration, the sensation of it rummaging around in my head lasted only a moment.

When I shot an angry glare at the wolf god, it chuckled slightly.

[You’ve got an interesting past.]

“… Isn’t that a bit too much of a joke?”

[If I’m to entrust my child to you, I must understand what kind of child you are.]

Alright, if this happens one more time, I’ll draw my sword.

Having firmly resolved that in my mind, I glared at the wolf again.

“So, am I good enough?”

[Hmm… Oh, this is more than sufficient. Brave… and what impresses me the most is your frequent battles with the Great Demon.]

“It seems you’ve tangled with demons quite a bit.”

[Indeed. They constantly attempted to take my children, those pest-like creatures drive me mad.]

If forgotten gods fought against demons, it must be before the eradication of the Demon Church that took place in the past.

Just how ancient is this god? I was extremely curious.

But even saying it, this god probably has no sense of how fast time passes.

[And… let’s see. Oh, I see you get along well with Typhon’s children too.]

Out of the blue, the wolf god mentioned Typhon’s children, those three monsters that reside in the heart of the Black Forest.

“Those guys?”

[Yes. I’ve clashed with them often… It seems they’re still alive.]

As if reminiscing, the wolf god reacted slowly, as if pondering something amusing.

[I became curious about what they’re up to. Give me a moment.]

“Eh??”

This time, a warm presence filled my body.

It felt similar to the sensation I had when the essence initially entered my body.

[I’ve added a portion of my power to you. Being my avatar, take it with you and see those children of Typhon again.]

A small golden wolf appeared on my shoulder.

“Do you know them?”

[You humans refer to us as forgotten gods, but we also had our heyday. There’s a long-standing feud with Typhon and his children. Just once would do… but I’ll also prepare other gifts so it won’t feel too lonely.]

Regardless, Typhon’s children are in the heart of the Academy’s Black Forest.

If they want, I can go immediately, so I might as well take it.

“If I’m truly speaking with the god, then… please ask if there’s anything you desire.”

As the conversation seemed to reach a conclusion, Hamel chimed in.

Let’s just relay it over.

“Is there anything you wish for from the people of Shimoa?”

[Want? Not really. A grandmother doesn’t make demands of her children. Just come around more often and entertain me. I’m getting pretty bored being stuck here all the time.]

“It seems she wants us to come by often and chat.”

“Got it… I’ll make sure we drop by more frequently.”

Having said that, Hamel bowed his head once more towards the monument.