The night grew colder, the city of Monetre glowed in yellow lights as torches and gas lamps lit up the streets and houses to ward off spirits, amidst the elongated stretches of buildings in the city district, a building that looks to be just a normal tavern was hiding something beneath its structure.
As it turns out, the Monetre Protection Bureau, specifically the Division 0 was using the tavern as a secret hideout, they stayed beneath the tavern in a large basement sequences shaped like a labyrinth, and in one of the room, Heimfher was seen eating a roasted chunk of meat with Murph accompanying him from the side.
Heimfher had just been accepted into the Division, and except from focusing on his food, he also need to find out more about the so called awakened and their ways of living.
So he asked Murph.
"I understand what awakened is, but can you tell me more? How do i acquire God's Magic? What kind of rituals do i need to perform.. Does it like, sacrificing someone?"
Murph looked at Heimfher who was filling his mouth with the roasted beef before answering.
"It depends on what power you're trying to get, and you also can't acquire some of it because the method of the rituals are still unknown, or no one knew about the name of the God—
"To do a God's Magic ritual, you need two steps.. One, get yourself an items or objects that has some sort of connection with a God, then two.. Find out that God's name, some Gods purposefully give humans countless hints and records of history so that we all know their name, but some also prefer anonymity, concealing their true name so that no mortal would be able to borrow its power."
Heimfher nodded as if understanding what Murph was saying, he chewed his food before gulping it down and continue on to his next question.
"You said earlier that the there are countless gods and that their seats are all available, does that mean you can become a god?" He said.
Murph was slightly startled by Heimfher's next question, his eyes twitched for a moment until he regained his composure soon after.
"Hmm.. Technically, its true.. But its not something that can be done that easily, no one knows what it takes to become a God, no one knows how people achieve Godhood, when they do, no one will be expecting it—
"There's something special that you need to achieve, something that made you resonate with the world, and the method to do that- No one knows what it is, even if someone inevitably understood it, they'd instantly be sent into the god's realm before they can say anything to anyone—
"And just when i said 'Anyone' i quite literally mean it, achieving Godhood isn't exclusive to the awakened, an ordinary person can become a God.. And there is one recorded instance of a person achieving Godhood, do you want to hear it?"
Murph suddenly offered a story to Heimfher, and Heimfher being the curious person that was still trying to learn more about the world, doesn't have much choice except accepting it.
"Sure.." He said, followed by Murph faint smile as he began to tell the story.
"Her name is Claris, she was a commoner born hundreds of years ago.. And what makes her different from other people, is her unparalleled beauty, from the first time she was born, her body was praised, her eyes glittered like a snowflake, and her hair was as smooth as silk– Her beauty was so undefeated that even kings, queens, emperors, and empresses, all captivated by her—
"They gave her wealth, prosperity, safety to her parents, accepting all of her requests, and everything in order to adopt her.. And do you know what happened next? Claris, having seen the true nature of humans when faced with the ultimate beauty, understood something.. And at that moment, the heaven called her. In the record, witnesses claimed they saw Claris being engulfed by a blinding light while she was standing infront of a king, that's when Claris disappeared from everyone, nowhere to be seen."
Murph said with his blank face, he was telling Heimfher the story so casually that Heimfher felt that it was a normal occurence, when in reality, it wasn't.
"Did she.. Become a God?" Heimfher asked.
"That's what many people believe, and so do i.. I believed, just like many other, that she had ascended into the seat of the Goddess of Beauty." Murph responded, his finger occasionally tapping on the wooden table beside him as he looked at Heimfher.
After Murph explained further about the story, Heimfher went quiet for a few seconds, he analyzed the story to search for a question that he could ask, and when hearing that Murph believed Claris had become the Goddess of Beauty, Heimfher suddenly thought of a question.
"If.. Claris truly became the Goddess of Beauty, does that mean people can use her God's Magic? What does someone with the power of beauty even do?" He asked.
Murph then chuckled, he looked fascinated by Heimfher's sharp thinking and his analytical brain that could find questions that quickly, he answered his question with a smile that somehow felt sweet despite his stern appearance.
"Heh– Like i said earlier, not every God wants humans to borrow their powers.. It could be that Claris changed her name when ascending to the seat of the Gods so that no one will be able to use her power—
"Though i don't know what kind of power the Goddess of Beauty would have.. She might not have a power at all.."
Heimfher finished his late night meal with satisfaction, his stomach was finally full again and he also managed to get valuable information from Murph.
Seeing as how Heimfher was done eating, Murph then urged Heimfher to go back home.
"You should go back, it's already pretty late– Though honestly i would want to appoint you immediately, you're still a student at an academy—
"Why don't you quit and work full time here? The payment isn't bad you know, and we don't have an age limit as long as you're powerful and can work together as a teammate."
Heimfher thought about the offer for a while, it wasn't a bad offer, infact it was an offer that would never come again in a hundred years, Heimfher already knew that he wasn't cut out for swordmanship, so clinging into a skill that he himself realized that he had no talent in would be a waste of time.
"...I'd be an idiot if i decline it, but can you give me a few days? I have something that i need to do before leaving the academy." He said calmly.
Murph then crossed his arms as he stood up and replied in a calm voice.
"It seems like you're planning to do something, just make sure its not illegal okay?"
"Don't worry, i just wanted to speak with my mother and also.. Talk to someone." Heimfher said.
He and Murph soon walked together out of the room and on their way to the basement exit, Heimfher was greeted by the othe members of the division, all this time he was only talking to Murph, but when he realized that there were many more people in the division, he knew that he would have to introduce himself to everyone sooner or later.
"Is that the kid who bought blight mana from that guy?" A man with similar clothing as Murph walked pass Heimfher while asking to Murph, he looked quite the gentleman based on his long hair and blue eyes.
"Ah, Duskiell.. Yeah, he's not an awakened, just an ordinary student at the Swordmanship Academy, he survived after drinking that blight mana, so im recruiting him, you don't have any complaints right?" Murph replied to his colleagues.
"Oh, sure— WHAT?! He drank the blight mana liquid!? Hey hey.. You gotta be joking, that bottle was atleast the size of a large gold coin you know.. Then- does that mean his mana had increased?!" Duskiell said out of shock, he initially thought that Heimfher only bought the blight mana and never expected him to drink it as he knew that it would be unlikely for Heimfher to survive if he consumed the liquid.
"Yeah, i've checked it, his mana veins are larger than everyone in here, that's why i recruited him, he'd grow strong in no time.." Murph then proceeded to walk again with Heimfher, passing Duskiell as the two of them headed towards the staircase.
Duskiell turned his head towards Heimfher, his eye pupils expanded at the sight of him and he seems to be interested with what Heimfher would do in the future.
"Not bad kiddo, you're extremely lucky huh.. This is interesting, i'll be watching you..." He said quietly, making sure that Heimfher or Murph couldn't hear it from the distance.