GalaxyTL
* * *
“……Ha~i, Ooookay! Adjustment complete~~~!”
At the edge of a beautiful spring, where Sereu flowers bloomed wildly, the fog-like substance covering my mind was swept away, and I heard a “word” for the first time.
It was oddly high-spirited and uplifting.
“Yahho, little white snake-chan, how’s it going?
My name is Water Goddess Weelow, the crystal-clear goddess who purifies the streams. Nice to meet ya!”
Raising my head, the being floating above me looked like a human woman at a glance.
However, her body… from the gently undulating hair that reached her waist to her slender limbs, everything was made of collected water.
In other words, a humanoid figure of water floating in the air. That’s how you’d describe the appearance of Water Goddess Weelow in a nutshell.
“Well then! To the white snake-chan, who’s probably confused about what’s happening, even though it’s through a medium, I, Water Goddess Weelow, will personally explain the situation! Phew! Super rare experience! You’re lucky, huh?”
The water goddess, who was spinning around merrily, spoke, and the little white snake listened seriously, flicking its tongue.
“First off! You, around this area… it’s called Zahan in human words, but you’ve been chosen as the guardian sacred beast of this area, congratulations!”
The water goddess clapped her hands, but the white snake tilted its head. Guardian sacred beast?
“Oops, sorry, it must be confusing to be told that all of a sudden, huh? A guardian sacred beast is, well… there are various kinds, but it’s like the god of the land! It protects the land! In your case, that’s the kind of guardian sacred beast you’ve become!”
Protect the land? Me, a small white snake?
The white snake tilted its head again.
Up until now, he had struggled even to hunt a small insect, a weak creature.
Every day, struggling desperately to survive, yet things never going well, his body remained small.
Could he really fulfill such a great responsibility?
The white snake sincerely wondered.
“Ah, it’s okay, it’s all riiight! Along with wisdom, I’ve given you a certain amount of strength, and above all, being a guardian sacred beast doesn’t mean you have to do something specific!”
The Water Goddess read the white snake’s thoughts and continued to explain while dancing.
“As a guardian sacred beast, your job, well, since I appointed you, is ‘water control,’ but the spell engraved in your body will do that automatically! All you need to do is not die! See, easy, right?”
Just not die? Is that all?
“Exactly! Just that, and I get less work, happy! You get wisdom and strength, lucky! We’ve successfully built such a win-win relationship!”
Then… it’s okay, right?
“Perfectly okay! You’re practically one of my followers now, so near this spring… or rather, as long as you’re in a place with moisture, you won’t get hungry and will gradually become stronger! Super relaxed!”
But what if strong monsters or humans attack…?
“Oh! Worrywart, aren’t you, little white snake? Then, I’ll give humans a divine revelation in my name! ‘This is a sacred place, with a guardian sacred beast, so take good care of it.’ As for monsters, there’s no dangerous ones around here that could bother you now, so don’t worry!”
The Water Goddess spoke cheerily, but her body was gradually beginning to drip to the ground from the tips of her toes, turning into droplets.
“Ooh!? Whoops, activity limit already~~? Well, guess it’s goodbye then, little white snake! Finally, hm… calling you ‘little white snake’ all the time doesn’t quite cut it, right? So, I’m going to give you a name now! I’ll only say it once, so listen carefully, okay?”
Then, the Water Goddess took a deep breath and exhaled.
The frivolous atmosphere vanished, and the surroundings were enveloped in a sense of tension.
“Your name is… ‘Guardian Sacred Beast Jarnayaharma.'”
As she spoke solemnly, the Water Goddess’s body turned back into mere water, splashed down, and seeped into the ground.
That was the moment of the birth of Jarnayaharma, previously known as the white snake, and the first and last encounter between Guardian Sacred Beast Jarnayaharma and Water Goddess Weelow.
* * *
A hundred years passed.
Jarnayaharma didn’t move from the spring he was appointed to guard as the guardian sacred beast, staying still, just still.
It would be bad to do something careless and die, failing to fulfill the role given by the Water Goddess.
…Of course, he had such thoughts.
However, the main reason he didn’t make any noticeable movements was, as the Water Goddess had said, he didn’t get hungry at all as long as he was in a place with moisture.
He absorbed the magical power of the earth and the water that sprung forth.
Jarnayaharma took in the magical power contained in that water, and it seemed that was how he could live.
Anyway, he could live without doing anything.
Therefore, he felt no need whatsoever to go hunting and scare himself.
By that time, his body, which once was thinner and smaller than twigs scattered around, had grown thick and large like a log.
The first time he met a human after becoming a guardian sacred beast was also around that time.
A hunter had wandered into his dwelling.
Seeing Jarnayaharma’s beautiful, sacred, and grand appearance, the man immediately understood that this was the guardian sacred beast mentioned in the divine revelation of the Water Goddess that the village elders spoke of, threw his body to the ground, and prostrated himself, rubbing his head in the dirt.
Seeing the foolish figure of humans, who once chased him in jest, trying to kill him, Jarnayaharma felt his self-esteem fulfilled.
The man quickly returned to the village and told the villagers about the guardian sacred beast he had seen in the mountains of Zahan.
The devout villagers immediately prepared offerings and dedicated them to Jarnayaharma.
For Jarnayaharma, who could live on water alone, these were entirely unnecessary, but since they were given with good intentions, he consumed them without leaving any behind.
Among the offerings were crops from the fields, meat from monsters hunted in the mountains, and even human daughters offered as sacrifices.
He could not quite understand the human thinking behind offering their own kind, but well, since it was given, he accepted and ate without reservation.
* * *
Such interactions with humans continued for another hundred years.
By that time, Jarnayaharma’s body had grown so large that it was comparable to the great trees around, and no creature dared to approach his territory out of fear.
He had become capable of generating fog, making his territory more comfortable for himself.
This increased his mystique, and the faith of humans in him grew even stronger, leading to the construction of a majestic altar and paved paths for pilgrimages.
His pleasure was the offerings made by humans, which came once every few decades.
No, more precisely, among the many offerings, he looked forward to the humans offered as sacrifices.
Sacrifices were his greatest entertainment, providing a refreshing change to his otherwise stimulus-limited daily life.
Humans, unlike the beasts around, showed a variety of reactions that amused him.
Some cried out in despair, others raged in anger, and still others resigned themselves to silence…
No matter their reaction, all humans offered as sacrifices were ultimately consumed by Jarnayaharma, ending their lives.
The sense of superiority, being able to freely take the lives of others due to his overwhelming power, satisfied the arrogance that grew in his heart over time.
He wanted more sacrifices…
However, he possessed enough wisdom given by the Water Goddess to understand that this wish could not always be fulfilled.
Offering such a large number of sacrifices would not be sustainable for the group of humans who worshipped him.
Therefore, sacrifices were made only once every few decades.
It was insufficient, but patience made the excitement all the more intense when the time finally came.
He convinced himself of this, dozing on the altar, waiting for the next sacrifice to be brought to him.
* * *
What woke him from his slumber was a faint murderous intent directed at him.
He immediately raised his head, searching for the source of the intent.
It was a girl with dirty clothes, black hair, and black eyes.
Jarnayaharma, almost reflexively, flicked the girl away with his tail from above.
…He regretted it immediately.
The girl wouldn’t be unharmed after that.
She seemed different from a sacrifice, but she was a valuable human who had come into his territory.
He had wanted to torment her more for his amusement…
However, fortunately, the girl who had been slammed against a large tree was not dead.
Was it possible for humans to be so durable?
He had thought that being struck with such force would turn her into a burst, mushy mass of flesh…
Such questions arose.
But he didn’t pay much attention to these doubts.
After all, since she had survived, that was good enough.
He would carefully torment her and enjoy it.
He moved towards the girl.
The girl threw pebbles in resistance, but it was utterly futile.
He dodged everything and approached her.
Be afraid. Despair. Let that satisfy his heart. Become his entertainment, brightening his days.
However.
However, the expression in the girl’s eyes reflected in Jarnayaharma’s red pupils showed.
No fear, no sadness, no anger, no despair, no resignation.
Nothing was visible.
There was only an expressionless face.
But what dwelled in those eyes was a burning attachment to life. An intense will to fight that almost made him flinch.
It was a flame that he, having become a guardian sacred beast, had unconsciously lost.
…He was large, and strong.
The girl was small, and weak.
That was supposed to be the case.
Yet,
Why doesn’t this girl try to dodge?
Why doesn’t she try to run away?
How can she stand so boldly, waiting for me like this?
Considering her movements up to now, she should have been able to jump away and escape.
Yet,
This girl doesn’t run away.
She throws pebbles that won’t hit…
Pointlessly?
Was it not pointless?
As if,
As if I am,
Could it be, this girl,
Used herself as bait.
And with pebbles, guided my path…
…Led me here, all the way?
Jarnayaharma was a mighty guardian sacred beast.
However, his strength was not something he had won through battle.
Torturing sacrifices once every few decades.
Casually swallowing beasts that wandered in, looking to escape.
That was about all he had done.
In short, he was not accustomed to fighting.
Thus, he leaped into the girl’s trap without noticing.
By the time he sensed danger, it was too late.
There was no way to stop his body, already leaping towards the girl.
In the space where there should have been nothing.
About a meter before reaching the girl.
There, he was split in two by the girl’s 【Magic Slash Thread】.
And died.
…Just before death, the moment Jarnayaharma realized he was going to die, he remembered his 200 years of life.
He understood this to be what is called a “life flashing before one’s eyes,” referencing the knowledge given to him.
The bubbling pure spring.
The wildly blooming Sereu flowers.
The occasional sacrifice offered.
That was all.
Those were the only things that composed his 200 years of memories.
An exceedingly bland, empty life.
No, perhaps not.
It was I who did nothing.
It was myself who had aimlessly spent these 200 years.
Realizing this,
Before being overwhelmed by intense regret.
His head was split in two, and his thoughts dissolved into darkness.
This was the end of Guardian Sacred Beast Jarnayaharma.