“By asking me for training, I assume you’re interested in deifying?”
“After hearing your explanation now, yes, I am more than interested!” Lord Revireus declared. “I wish to become a man capable of defending my mother. I need to become stronger than her to become the ruler of the Mythical continent she’s protected all these years. I believe that I’m not strong enough to do that now! I wish to become as strong as Renge…no, for how presumptuous it might be, I wish to become even stronger than him!”
That was quite the statement. Lord Revireus really loved and respected Renge, so to state he wanted to grow even stronger than him was saying a lot. But I could understand that kind of admiration. It drove me to improve too, to create medicine that would help people, like my grandmother and Lico did. Doing that would protect my family, too.
“Stronger than Renge, you say?” Air responded. “That’s quite the tall order. But yes, a dragon like you should have plenty of potential. And a red dragon, at that. Yes, very well. There was one strange fool who tried to raise a dragon among my younger siblings, but yes, dragons should be strong.”
“Y-You’ll make me into your student…?” Lord Revireus asked, nervous.
“Of course. I’d say you show more promise than Renge, with his lack of motivation. Oh, yes, why don’t you come with us too, Holy Woman?” Air turned to me.
“Huh?” I squeaked. “M-Me? Come with you where?”
“Air!” Renge looked at him angrily.
I never expected him to call for me to join their training. I had no idea why he’d ask me, because there was no way I could become a god!
“The divine realm, at the planet’s core,” Air said. “I’ll teach you how to use your power. Renge never taught you, did he?”
“Ngh! I…!” Renge groaned.
“If you increase the Stella’s purification by a stage, you’d become much stronger. And if you learn how to control it, you’ll be able to handle it even if you increase its stages. If you keep using it when you’re not used to it, it won’t be long before your purification becomes too strong and ends up bleaching out the people you’re trying to save,” Air explained.
“B-Bleach them out… Wh-What do you mean?” I asked.
Just the description made it sound ominous. This must have been what instinctively scared me so much.
“You’ll purify the desires living things need to live, too. From their sex drives and appetites to the desire to produce excrement or sleep. Even their thirst for knowledge. Without those desires, they will become catatonic and inactive and waste away. When desire is too strong it can become harmful, but there’s no life without it either. To begin with, the Stella was created from the concept of adjusting the desires of living things. It’s just like the Camilla, but its power moves in a different vector. So if the Stella becomes too strong, it can change the way a living being acts and looks. Just like how the Camilla evolves into Kathra and morphs people into monsters,” he said.
“Are you saying the Stella can turn people into monsters…?” I asked, my mouth drying out at the thought.
“Yes.”
That revelation made everything go dark. I wobbled where I stood, and Renge had to catch me.
I can’t believe it… The Stella can turn people into monsters…
“But they won’t turn into the same kind of monsters living things turn into from Kathra,” Air explained. “Unlike Kathra, that scatters desire, they’ll become white monsters that sap desire from other living things, sucking it from them to multiply. And to defeat them, you’ll need Kathra monsters nearby. But if they get too large, they’ll suck up all the desire from a Kathra monster, too.”
I was aghast. That would probably become a “white monster” that would be as large as a Sugula. It wouldn’t grow and expand in space but eat away at the surface of Wisty Air.
A bleached and bleaching monster that eats away at all desire. And I could end up creating it by misusing the Stella. The De Marl worshipper from earlier came to mind. He was only minorly affected, but if my power gets any stronger, I could end up—
“Please teach me how to use my power!” I said, eager not to become a monster-making machine myself.
“That’s fine by me. We’ll have to spend some time at the core to train,” Air nodded.
“Thank you!” I bowed.
“Tina…!” Renge looked at me, alarmed. “What about… Right, your herb garden and working on medicine? Weren’t you going to bring people from all over the world to develop Deshmel?”
“Ah, yeah. Dad did bring that up,” I responded. “But if there’s going to be so many people here, that’s all the more reason for me to learn to control my power, isn’t it? What if I accidentally turn people into monsters? I have to do something!”
If my power became stronger, I could end up hurting those around me, and I didn’t want that. After all, the Stella was always emanating out of me over a large area. And while it was good for purifying the monsters right now, if it grew any stronger, it could start causing harm.
“I’ll go explain things to Dad!” I said. “And I’ll have Muje look after the garden for me. Jiril, Mirage, could you handle things in the dining hall?”
“Mmm, we don’t mind, but…”
“What about the commercial areaaaaa? Should we cleaaaan the storerooms? And should we refuuuuuse requests for potions while you’re away?”
Aaah…I didn’t think being away from here would be so nerve-wracking.
“And if you’re going away for a while, you’ll need a change of clothes and cosmetics, mm? This might be Air, but you’ll still be a young lady spending time with an adult man, mm. And having Lord Revireus with you is concerning, too…”
“That’s true, despite his behavioooor Lord Revireus is still a maaaan.”
“What are you two worried about exactly?” Lord Revireus asked gruffly.
“I won’t lay a hand on my grandnephew’s lover,” Air demurred. “We’re not even the same race. You’re getting carried away with your daydreaming…”
They’re right; why would those two worry about that? But that said, I will need clothes and daily necessities…
“To begin with, who said you have to move to train? You can just come and go from here. See?” Air said and threw some blue, gelatinous slime on the floor.
“Whoa! What’s that?!” I exclaimed.
It looked like a piece of slime, but it had eyes, so it must have been alive somehow.
Eeew, what is this?!
“If you tear it apart, it splits into two,” Air explained.
“Tear it apart?!”
What does that mean?
I tried to do as he said. But…
Ugh, it feels so slimy!