Chapter 6: As Long as I'm Alive, I Have to Do Something
"Where?"
"The Western Godfall Land. Not only is it the site where a god fell, but it is said to hold the magic capable of killing a god."
Gods are immortal. This was a concept accepted as fact by every living being in this world. Elves like herself, by contrast, merely had infinite lifespans but could still be killed by external forces.
If an elf is killed, they die.
It was a very simple truth.
But gods could not be killed. At least, not with any known magic. And yet, in that western land, a god had fallen. The exact time of their demise was unknown even to the elves. The divine power released in their death had shrouded the entire region, making it impossible for any magic to probe what lay within.
Ever since she had heard the other elves speak of the Western Godfall Land, Serie had longed to go. Now, an opportunity was before her, and she had to consider if it might be the only one she would ever have in her long life.
Rhodes blinked. "The Godfall Land?" Why does that sound like the name of a final dungeon? he thought. Wait, can gods even die? Considering that the Age of Myth eventually ends in the stories, it was certainly possible.
A slight smile touched Serie's lips. "It is said that no living creature who enters has ever come out. Are you afraid?"
Rhodes shook his head. "No. I'm just curious. Why do you want to kill a god?"
Serie's smile widened, becoming a thing of pure, unmasked sincerity. It was the most genuine expression he had seen from her.
"Because if magic isn't for the purpose of killing your opponent, it's meaningless. The same applies to gods."
How twisted, Rhodes thought. Is this what the Grand Master was like in the Age of Myth? He found it hard to imagine how she would view the peaceful world to come, a world after the Demon King's fall and humanity's victory. It was probably the one outcome she would least want to see.
But what does that have to do with me? He wouldn't be around to see what happened thousands of years from now, anyway. He didn't have the infinite lifespan of an elf, and this world had no magic that could extend one's life. If it did, Himmel would have surely used it.
A human's lifespan was simply too short. Even if he spent his entire life by Serie's side, to her, it would be nothing more than a brief adventure.
But for now, Rhodes didn't want to think about that.
He stood up and stretched lazily. "Alright, let's go and see it then. It's not like I have anywhere else I want to go." He quickly added a condition. "But we have to wait until the humans of this age have learned magic."
Since he was in this world, he had to do something. As long as he was alive, he felt he had to do something for this weak human race. He himself was weak—the only decent offensive spell he had was his arrow of light—but that was already stronger than most humans. He didn't know how humanity historically learned magic in this Age of Myth, but he didn't mind being a forerunner.
"Of this age? That's a strange way of putting it."
"Ahem, a slip of the tongue," Rhodes explained quickly. "To be precise, I meant my fellow kinsmen in this age." He couldn't risk revealing his identity as a transmigrator. That was a secret he would take to his grave.
Fortunately, Serie didn't press the issue. She just looked at him and nodded curtly. "Very well. We leave tomorrow."
Of course, Serie had no intention of taking Rhodes to the Godfall Land right now. He was far too weak. It would be pointless.
Night deepened.
Rhodes sat by the fire, occasionally turning the mushroom skewers they were having for dinner. He had wanted Serie to search for another Gray-Horned Rabbit, but a sweep of the area had yielded nothing.
In the quiet moment, Rhodes looked up at the night sky of this new world. It was more brilliant than Earth's, as if he could reach out and touch every single star. The moonlight draped the land in a soft glow. It was a sight he felt he would never grow tired of.
"What are you looking at?"
Serie walked over, having just finished setting her magical perimeter alarm.
"The stars," Rhodes said with a smile. "In my home, every star represents a world."
Rhodes wondered if he could see his old world from here, his blue home among the stars. He was almost certain he couldn't.
Serie glanced up at the sky and said flatly, "In elven legends, the stars are the eyes of the gods, watching over everything in the world." She had been looking at the same sky for centuries. She failed to see anything special about it. Truly the mark of a fleeting life, to be fascinated by such things.
"Doesn't that mean we're being watched all the time? That Goddess must have a lot of free time on her hands." The thought of being constantly watched by a god made Rhodes's skin crawl.
"Some elves see it as a sign of the gods' favor. Others loathe it," Serie said, her tone devoid of warmth.
Rhodes turned to her and teased, "You're definitely in the latter group, aren't you?"
Serie didn't answer, her silence speaking volumes as she simply gazed at the sky. After a moment, she asked, "What you said before, about every star in your home being a world... is that true?"
Ever since she had come to understand the concept of a 'night sky,' Serie had wondered the same thing. What are the stars? The elves saw them as the gods' eyes. The dwarves saw them as jewels embedded in the great crown of the world, a prize for whoever could conquer it. The demons simply hated the points of light, calling them the minions of the god of light.
And now, Rhodes had introduced a new concept: every star was a world. It was an absurd idea, but it was interesting.
"Of course it's true."
Rhodes was speaking the simple truth, but he had no idea how to explain to Serie that the stars were planets in a vast universe, and could therefore indeed be called 'worlds'. Besides, was it not a mistake to try and explain science in a world of Western fantasy? In a world like this, for all he knew, the stars really were some kind of divine machination.
Serie stared at the cosmos, the golden depths of her eyes reflecting the pinpricks of light. The silvery moonlight on her cheeks gave her an almost sacred aura, stirring an unexpected feeling in Rhodes's heart.
"If every star is a world..." she said softly, "then to others... is our world just another star?"
Rhodes looked at her, surprised. He hadn't expected her to grasp the concept so quickly.
"Exactly," he nodded.
Serie turned back to him, a faint smile on her face. "That's a nice story. At least, it's better than the elven one about the gods' eyes."
But it isn't a story, Rhodes thought with a sigh.