Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep

Chapter 60: One Who Worships God (1)

Manipulating the faith in the Cloud Whale was a great success.

In an era vaguely aware of the existence of gods, where each region had its own arbitrary traditions, and proper documentation of these traditions was not even established.

It was very convenient to be able to slightly manipulate and disseminate information to change the traditions to the desired form and function of the god.

Well, it was possible in this era because the traditions about the gods were not yet clear. It's a trick that can only be done now, and won't be possible after a little more time has passed.

In each region, in each city. The same god, yet the traditions passed down are all different, and even the names they are called by are different. Just as in some places the god of the gentle wind is in others the god of fierce storms. Because there was no clear information like this... That's why there was a lot of room for me to intervene.

With just the right amount of rumor and magic, I could be able to make the god I want. There's no scam like it.

Well, I won't be able to use this later. As records about the gods increase and the same content is unified in other regions, my room to intervene will be reduced a bit.

Ah! Speaking of which, Sylphid has also made it onto the list of gods. It seems that the spread of fear caused by storms was effective.

Honestly, I thought that sailors might develop faith in Sylphid after sailing began, but faith must have arisen from the fear caused by destructive storms.

The Cloud Whale was roaming the world according to my intentions, leading various types of white birds and helping the birth of new life.

Hmm. I spread the word thinking of storks and said white birds, but I wonder if any white bird is okay? From swans to storks, white doves, and so on, they were all circling around the Cloud Whale.

Even if I set the big branches, can the details change? I learned one more point to be careful about.

Moreover, now that the Cloud Whale has gained a bit of intelligence and can communicate, it has become much easier to handle.

If only it didn't throw tantrums like a child sometimes.

Well, still, where else can you communicate with a beast? At least it listens when spoken to.

Thinking about the Cloud Whale, I was planting flowers while cultivating the second layer of the underworld when a message rang on GodTalk.

Hmm, is it the lizardmen again? I have been regularly communicating through the Archmage, but why are they looking for me again?

I have been properly collecting the blessing of the great warrior before the martial arts tournament at the annual lizardmen festival and bestowing blessings on the winner, and continuing conversations with the Archmage until the Archmage dies or gives up his position, so there should be no reason for the lizardmen to look for me.

Thinking so, I opened the message window and found that it was not the lizardmen but another being who had sent the message.

The dragons. The dragons roaming the world under the name of life-givers had sent me a message.

Moreover, the name under which the message was received... was not Creator Dragon God but another being.

The name of the god who received the message on the screen was written as the Goddess of Life.

Hmm, the Goddess of Life, huh. I certainly used the name god of life when I fixed the faith in the Cloud Whale as the god of birth, but why the Goddess of Life...?

Hmm... Either the information I spread was slightly distorted, or the dragons, knowing that I am a woman, spread the name Goddess of Life instead of god of life.

Let's skip the title, and the sender was the Dragon Lord.

Hmm... Why is he calling me again? He's a child who can handle most things on his own. Is it something important enough to call me?

Anyway, I opened the GodTalk screen.

[O great Mother of Life, your humble servant calls upon you.]

Why is he calling me the Mother of Life instead of Creator Dragon God? Suddenly I have two titles.

I cleared my throat softly and turned on the recording before speaking.

"What's the matter?"

[Thank you for answering my call. It's just that, there's something I find difficult to decide on my own, so I called upon you.]

What now!

"Isn't it something you can handle on your own for the most part?"

[It's a matter too grave for me to decide alone, and it's also an important matter related to the future of those who bestow life.]

Hmm. For the representative of the dragons to say this much, what kind of matter could it be?

"Tell me. What is it?"

[It's about the expansion of those who bestow life.]

"Expansion?"

Expansion, as in, has a new dragon been born? Or has a hatchling matured into an adult dragon and become one who bestows life?

No, it hasn't been that long. It's only been a few years at most.

What made me understand the situation was a single statement from the Dragon Lord.

[Some humans have admired us and expressed their desire to become those who bestow life. What should we do?]

"What?"

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Humans? Those who bestow life?

No, that's... what is it. It's possible because it's dragons, right?

Creating an excess of life force with magic and sharing the surplus life force is something they can do.

Humans? Like dragons?

Normally, that would be impossible???

"Could you tell me how this came to be?"

[While wandering around the city healing the sick, a human child who saw their sick mother become completely healed and healthy said they wanted to do the same.]

"A child? Isn't that just a child's admiration?"

[We thought so too, and told them that it's not something that can be easily achieved. That it's a task that requires dedicating one's life to the Goddess of Life, but the child was adamant. The dragon who was talking to the child told me about it, and I too didn't know what to do, so I brought it to your attention. Besides that child, several others have also asked to become like us.]

Hmm... What to do.

Humans and dragons are entirely different beings, and humans can't do anything the way dragons do.

Lacking in magic, and the overflowing life force is possible because they are dragons...

Can humans even possess such overflowing life force? I view it negatively!

If humans, whose bodies are neither as sturdy nor as large, were to have cells endlessly regenerating due to excessive life force... That's just getting cancer!

If I were to make them give up their dreams... Hmm... That seems like the most realistic approach, but... why don't I want to do that?

Is it because I don't want to ruin that child's dream?

"This is a difficult problem."

I fell deep into thought.

Even though it was a position created for dragons, humans wanting to do the same work.

Un. Maybe I should expand the scale? Make it a group that anyone, be it human or dragon, can belong to?

But even then, humans wouldn't be able to restore life force. That child wants to become one who bestows life because they want to heal others, right?

While thinking, an idea crossed my mind.

Unlike dragons who use magic to activate life force for healing, could I create a system that uses a different resource for healing?

For example, could they utilize faith in a God?

Of course, it sounds quite fanciful under the current circumstances. But if it works properly, it could be a great help to those who believe in a God.

Priests who gain power through faith and heal others would be born.

So.

"Have them pray to me for 10 minutes every morning and before bed."

[Pray? What significance does such an action have?]

"It's a simple test. It's an experiment to gauge what can be done using human faith."

If it works properly, priests who perform miracles through faith will emerge.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And my experiment.

"Bestow upon me the light to heal them."

Concluded with the young child who prayed to me every day becoming a youth and a priest who heals others through faith.

Apart from that young man, there were several humans who wanted to become those who bestow life, but he was the only among humans who could do such a thing through faith.

Thus, the young man, with faith in God in his heart, became a priest who heals others by carrying out the will of God.

A priest who uses faith, not magic or life force, to produce magical effects was a being that did not exist before, but now they will certainly exist.

Thanks to them, the members of those who bestow life began to increase little by little.

No, they are no longer simply those who bestow life.

Now, as members of the Temple of Life, they have become proper members of a temple.

Of course, most of the followers are still dragons, and the human followers are a minority. But it's a good thing that there's even a little diversity in the species of the members, isn't it?

Anyway, thanks to the clear miracle of healing, the Temple of Life is bustling every day. The Temple of Life has become the most important healing center for those who are sick.

Thanks to that, the voices of the followers seeking me have become more numerous and louder... That would be a minor issue.

I continued to ignore the voices of those seeking God, as I finished up the last layer of the afterlife.