“Salmon loved humans intensely. He gave them his power, enough to let them live well. That’s how the country created by those who received his power, Salmon Kingdom, came into existence. That’s why it possesses the power closest to the gods. Of course… as human greed is endless, Salmon, the god, abandoned us, who tore each other apart and hated each other intensely. That’s the story known externally.”

“Well, then it’s not true? If it’s not true, why not correct it? Many countries and people already know it that way.”

Sesenia slowly shook her head.

“Salmon’s humans, they consider themselves gods. So, they don’t care much about the views of other countries.”

“I see.”

“The god with broken wings had to land on the ground. Even so, foolish Salmon, our god Salmon, loved humans to the end. Despite generously giving all his power whenever they needed it… he loved the first humans he created, loved them intensely. A true god who loved humans so much, who would do anything for them.”

That’s why he even made such a bet with his creator. That’s how much he loved humans.

“In the end, Salmon disappeared. He wanted to meet the god Roowrick, but Salmon didn’t have the power to go there. I know that after that, the god Roowrick abandoned the empire. The first place where he shared his power after hearing Salmon’s words. But in the situation where Salmon disappeared, humans weren’t important to him. Roowrick tried to erase the Salmon Kingdom that made Salmon disappear, but he’s still watching over the Salmon Kingdom, afraid that Salmon might appear again, in any form. That’s the end of the myth.”

“Ah… it’s really sad… a farewell.”

“Yes. A sad farewell. There is no record written after that. The two gods who created the world for some other reason disappeared, and then without any change, quite a long time passed. I told you last time. There is a myth that no one wanted to know, an uninteresting myth. In that myth, the Salmon god is quite similar to you.”

As if reminded of what Sillien said then, Sesenia blinked her eyes as if thinking deeply.

“Right. But what is similar?”

“Profound self-sacrifice.”

“Me? Why?”

He asked for his safety, but in reality, you… you saved us. First and foremost, there is no danger around you, and you have prepared many ways to prepare for that danger.”

Unable to make any kind of response, Sesenia blinked her eyes, and Sillien chuckled.
“Anyway, in the end, whether Salmon merely concealed everything about himself or completely disappeared, it cannot be known. However, it seemed to end with Salmon giving his last power to the Salmon royal family, who kept asking for more power. This is the truth known only to the Salmon royals. Although the information known to Salmon’s citizens and the royals differs, this is the conclusion.”

“Ah…”

“For quite a long time, efforts were made to find the devoted Salmon god who had manifested and sacrificed for them. However, those efforts did not bear fruit. Over time, the power Salmon god granted gradually weakened. But in this generation, a child with a power as strong as when Salmon god devoted himself was born.”

“Really?”

“That’s me.”

Suddenly, a smile appeared on Sillien’s face.

“Uh…?”

“I actually don’t know. I just said that because it sounds like that, I don’t even know if my power is strong. It might just be something I say. The story ends like this.”

The story of the myth, long if it is long, short if it is short, has come to an end.

“Is it true?”

“Yeah?”

“Which one is true? Your myth or mine? Or are both false?”

“I don’t know which one is true. In the end, our side praised the greatness of the Salmon god, and your myth, the history, praises the god Roowrick. But in the end, the conclusion is the same. It’s just different ways of saying the same thing when you dig deeper. So… both are probably true.”

It was such a fitting statement. Perhaps that’s why Sesenia’s chest felt so stifled.

“And Sesenia.”

“Yeah?”

“That day. I thought about it. Calling the power of a god. Your words from that day. On that day, the myth of my country, which had been temporarily buried in my memory, came to mind. Maybe… our source of power, Salmon, who is said to be born from Roowrick, known as the god of the beginning, might be the same at the beginning. Also, Roowrick always wandered looking for Salmon. So maybe Roowrick’s power reacts there.”

“That’s…”

“It’s just a hypothesis, but I’ve thought about it too.”

At that moment, Sillien made a voice that seemed to be heard.

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Sesenia, who had been lost in thought about the story of the myth, belatedly asked him, but Sillien just smiled amusingly.

When Sesenia frowned and looked at him, Sillien opened his mouth with an ‘ah.’

“I forgot why I started telling this story because I got so immersed in the story.”

“Oh, right.”

“That damn madness. That madness appears in the imperial nobles who cannot properly handle the power of the gods.”

“Why does it appear?”

Even after hearing the story, Sesenia couldn’t easily deduce it.