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Chapter 23: language
"I've made significant progress, and I believe I have some ideas on how my abilities can assist you," I replied confidently.
"Is that so?" she queried.
"Yes. Now, how about you? How far along are you with your own divinity?" I turned the question back to her.
Mahu's expression became contemplative. "There have been challenges along the way, but I believe I'm nearing an answer, especially with Maul as my first test subject."
"I'll eagerly await positive news from you, Mahu," I said, gazing at her for a moment before stepping into the portal that would lead me back to my realm. This time, my realm would welcome a new resident
It has been a year since my last conversation with Mahu. Ikem is now a year old but appears as a four-year-old child, he also possesses an intellect that matches his advanced physical growth.
During this year, I continued to visit Mahu. She would occasionally feed Ikem as he grew, and when he fell asleep, we would both observe Maul's struggles on the northern continent, where his mother held her rule. Maul's journey has transformed him into a truly mature individual, both in appearance and mentality. He now resembles a 16 or 17-year-old young man, bearing scars that serve as reminders of the hardships he has endured. It is hard to imagine that his actual age from when he was born is 6.
I must inform you that Maul has become a father to four children. This outcome was a result of an experiment conducted by his mother using her divine abilities. Mahu has always sought to bridge the gap with our other siblings, and her newfound ability presents an opportunity to expedite this process.
The ability she acquired is perfectly suited for someone like her who is revered as the goddess of motherhood. Through her divine connection to the divinity, she grants a blessing that can ensure a guaranteed pregnancy during intercourse. Furthermore, the blessing extends to both male and female, enhancing the potency of sperm and the fertility of eggs.
As a result, Maul is now the father of four young werewolves: two males and two females. However, as Crepuscular previously warned us, each generation born after a demigod becomes weaker, meaning that Maul's children will be unable to assume human form.
I am pleased with this news, as it signifies that once Ikem is ready, the population will experience significant growth. However, I am faced with the challenge of Ikem's accelerated growth. Since I possess limited knowledge of this world, I have nothing much to teach him. But I have decided on focusing on teaching him the language of the gods as a first step.
The language of the gods holds no special power or significance to me personally. However, I have noticed that as gods, we possess a different language compared to most beings in this world.
When I attempted to communicate with Ikem using regular speech, I realized that he did not understand or grasp the meaning of my words. As a result, I had to establish a constant connection with him in order to convey my intentions and thoughts effectively.
I consulted Mahu about this situation, and she informed me that Maul had experienced a similar challenge. Maul was unable to speak coherent words until Mahu taught him the language of the gods, enabling effective communication between them.
I had never realized this before because when I conversed with Maul, except for the small mana flucation when he speaks our communication felt so natural that I never questioned whether he had to learn the language. It was only when I began teaching Ikem the words that I realized the language was far from ordinary.
Ikem struggled to pronounce complete words, and yet, as the listener familiar with the language, I understood the full meaning of what he was attempting to say. Additionally, I noticed the same mana fluctuations when Ikem spoke, and upon closer observation, I discovered that these fluctuations were a result of mana assisting him in pronouncing the words. Even then, he struggled to articulate the entire word, and the mana itself seemed to bridge the gap, delivering the complete word to me.
It seemed as though Ikem would pronounce only half of a word, and then Mana would somehow pick up on the parts he couldn't articulate and complete the word by the time it reached my ears.
This realization tempted me to call Mahu so that we could conduct experiments on both Maul and Ikem to understand the phenomenon. I was frustrated with myself for not noticing this earlier with Maul.
Although I had noticed Mana fluctuations when speaking with Maul, I hadn't paid much attention to it because I didn't comprehend what was occurring. But now, as the one teaching the language, I had the opportunity to observe the process and gain a deeper understanding.
Perhaps I hadn't noticed this with Maul because I didn't engage in extensive conversations with him, and I wasn't constantly by his side. However, with Ikem, I was beginning to discover new things.
But I couldn't understand why Mahu, who knew about this phenomenon with Maul, hadn't delved into it further. It seemed to hold some significance. Thus, alongside teaching Ikem the language, I closely observed the effects of each word.
It wasn't until Ikem turned two years old that I realized why Mahu had shown little interest in the effect of our language. I attempted to convince Ikem to focus and try to say the entire word he desired, rather than just a portion of it.
After numerous attempts, he suddenly managed to say one complete word in the language of the gods—his own name, "Ikem." Astonishingly, a small shockwave emanated from Ikem, and he immediately lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.
I was so taken aback by the magnitude of this seemingly simple achievement that I failed to catch his unconscious form as he fell.
Reacting swiftly, I checked on Ikem and reassured myself that he would be fine. However, he would remain in an unconscious state for some time due to mana deficiency. I couldn't bear to see him like this.
I gathered the mana from my surroundings and transformed it into a small droplet of liquid, which I carefully administered into Ikem's mouth. It didn't take long before he awakened, now replenished with mana.
Relieved that he was okay, I realized how fortunate I was not to have involved Mahu in the experimentation of the language. She would have likely considered it foolish or unnecessary.
The recent event made me realize that while this language might hold significance for mortals or half-gods like Ikem, it was just a commonplace aspect of daily life for us gods. It held no special meaning for us, which likely explained why Mahu hadn't been as intrigued to explore its possibilities.
Although this wasn't a major breakthrough, it did make me contemplate the potential impact of a mortal hearing me speak the language of the gods. Half-demigods couldn't comprehend it, but I wondered if it would be the same for ordinary mortals.
I intended to explore this further, but it would have to wait until we received approval from Nana. For now, this setback was merely a minor obstacle for both Ikem and me.