World Keeper

Chapter 775: Make A Wish

I want to be a queen that answers the just wishes of her people. Elisae nodded to herself as she firmly imprinted this concept in her mind. She did not wish to be a Queen that sought battle or personal glory. As Scarlet had said, she wanted to build a nation where the will of the people was paramount. So long as it was a just, heartfelt wish, she wanted to grant it.

How do I build divinity with the concept of a wish? In order to prepare for her ascension, she had done quite a lot of research. She learned that the pain suffered by those who had achieved perfection in the soul and body was a mere fraction of that suffered by those with mortal, unrefined bodies. Although the burden was still considerable, she was able to train herself to endure that level of pain.

Granted, there was nobody willing to inflict such pain on her, so she was forced to learn magic that could do so herself. Even if Elisae was not so loved by the people around her, they knew what typically happened to those that tried to harm her. How could they be sure that a willing torture would not count as far as her karma was concerned? Both out of their love for their queen and fear for their own lives, they were unable to acquiesce to Elisae’s training request.

Aside from training herself to maintain focus under intense levels of pain, and taking the necessary steps to reach perfection, Elisae studied in depth the process of acquiring a domain. This part was not an exact science, as there were several exceptions to the common theme. Typically, if someone trained powers in a specific domain, they would receive it as their domain upon ascending.

However, the exceptions to this seemed to partially disprove the rule. Certain individuals did not receive the domain that they wished for, the most famous being the lord of Kross, Reynard Kross himself. He was among the first generation of mortal deities, taking the title of God-King even before Udona.

Reynard Kross had cultivated the Kings domain, wanting to become not only a God-King, but a king among gods. However, upon his ascension, the domain granted to him was simply the Knights domain. As if the heavens themselves had rejected his right to rule.

Granted, that did not stop him from growing the military power of his kingdom. In the past, the continent had been littered with numerous smaller human kingdoms, but there were now only three. The first was Hanbei, whose alliance with the Bloodhaven Empire had provided it with an additional layer of protection. The second was the Coalition of Man, often simply referred to as the Coalition.

This group was created in response to Reynard Kross leading his men to conquer and absorb other nations within the continent. Realizing the danger, over a dozen kings and queens all came together to form a united front. Only with their combined power were they able to protect their borders, with Hanbei serving as the balancing force.

Finally, the last nation was obviously that of Kross. Ever since his ascension, it has become known as the Empire of Holy Knights. Among all three nations, it boasts the highest overall military presence and the highest ambition. Unfortunately, many of its lands were damaged in the battles of conquest, leaving them rather poor economically.

Because of this, Kross relies heavily on the Boundless Caravan for trade, and is constantly on the lookout for deities willing to come and repair their land. According to what Elisae knew, Reynard Kross had even once reached out to the Goddess of Wood, wishing to use her influence as a nature deity to restore a large forest.

In a shocking turn of events to many who knew of Julia Hart’s kindhearted nature, she outright refused him. In the public response she delivered, she said that she would not use her power in aid of a tyrant to help him restore that which he damaged in his path of blood. The scars on his land would serve as his reminder that his decisions come with a cost.

With Julia leading the way, many deities similarly refused Kross’s requests to revitalize the land. Even after Sanctum opened up to the world, and a new wave of gods rose, there was nobody to help this country repair the damage that they themselves caused.

Regardless, Reynard Kross served as a perfect demonstration that you were not guaranteed to receive the domain that you wished for. There were other examples, but none as famous. If it is the will of the heavens, perhaps the Keeper and Greater Pantheon are the ultimate deciding factors? Or is it a system in place created by the Keeper?

If it was the former, then she had the chance to get the domain she wanted so long as she proved herself to be a morally righteous individual. However, the latter would indicate a truly impartial system, where specific domains had been declared as off-limits to mortal gods. Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm which answer was correct without speaking to a member of the Greater Pantheon directly, or someone with a direct relationship to the Keeper.

Elisae’s eye twitched at that, recalling the rumors that the First Blood was a descendant of the Keeper, but she shook her head. Even if that was true, she did not want to bother Scarlet even more than she had already for this matter. Asking her to put in a good word and make sure she got the domain she wanted would be taking advantage of their friendship.

Then, my only hope is to prove that I only want to use this power for the betterment of my people. She nodded her head, reaffirming her conviction. Through her many tests until now, trying out different domain options, she had confirmed several different methods of utilizing divine powers. The most notable method was that of a divine restriction, a restraint that a deity placed on themselves to focus their powers.

Most divine abilities had these restrictions in some form or another, in order to reduce their cost. For example, the Goddess of Mercy placed a restriction on her own divinity to prevent her from causing direct pain with her divine powers. The Goddess of Motherhood’s blessing was similarly restricted to those expecting mothers who were experiencing rather severe complications, in order to prevent the blessing from triggering with every expecting mother and rapidly consuming her divinity.

In that case, I’ll create a restriction of my own. As Elisae walked through the halls, she generated a ring of divine energy around her right arm, lifting it in front of her to watch it. My power of Wishes cannot be activated by myself. If I hear and accept the wishes of another, only then may it activate.

Her words flowed into her divinity, which then sank into her body. Elisae felt as if there were a shackle chaining her down, knowing that the effect had taken hold. She smiled happily, as this was the first step to her rise as the God-Queen of Hanbei.

Looking around the hall, she soon found a maid leaving one of the guest rooms, appearing to have just finished her routine of tidying up. With that same smile plastered across her face, the Queen of Hanbei approached the lowly maid. “Clarissa, right? I’d like to ask a favor from you.”

“W-what?” The maid jumped in shock, surprised by the Queen’s sudden approach. At this point, everyone in the castle was aware that their Queen had memorized all of their names. This was a rather touching point that increased their favorability towards her, as most nobles did not even know the names of all of their staff. “What can I do for you, Your Highness?” Clarissa asked while expecting there to be a mess somewhere she needed to take care of.

“I’d like you to make a wish.” Elisae said with that same expression, confusing Clarissa. “In order for me to train myself, I must answer the wishes of those around me. Thus, I beg of you, even if it is something you deem insignificant, please make an honest wish.”

Clarissa’s eyes went wide when Elisae bowed her head with her request. “T-There’s no need for you to go so far, Your Highness!” She said in a flustered tone, looking up and down the hall to make sure nobody witnessed the queen bowing to a mere maid.

“I won’t stop bowing until you make a wish.” Elisae’s voice turned a touch more playful at that, Clarissa’s expression turning awkward. Soon, the maid let out an exasperated sigh, being forced to think of a wish on the spot. In fact, there was one thing that had been weighing down on her.

“Is it… is it acceptable to Your Highness if the wish is not for the sake of myself, but for another?” She asked, keeping her eyes on the queen.

“That would be perfect!” Elisae nodded her head energetically. “A wish for the sake of others is truly a good wish.”

Clarissa smiled a bit awkwardly, her lips twitching. “Then… the Head Butler, Gordo. Lately, he has been ill. He manages his condition with the use of potions, and has been assured that it is not contagious, merely a malady of his age. A ki deviation, according to the physician. However, he has begun looking to train a successor, as the condition has been worsening over the last few years. If it is possible, would you be willing to help him?”

“Of course!” Elisae nodded again, her eyes wide at the knowledge that one of her trusted retainers had been hiding such pain. Even without the divine training, she would have asked Scarlet to look at him and see if she could help. “But… you need to phrase it as a wish. If you do that, I can use my power. I think… that should be how this works.”

The maid let out another sigh, thinking it over. “In that case… I wish for the Head Butler, Gordo, to find himself in good health.”

Elisae smiled as she heard the wish, focusing on her divinity. She did not yet have the domain she was aiming for, so she had to do a lot of the work herself. Still, the restriction that she placed opened a path for her. Now that she had heard a wish, one of the shackles on her divinity loosened. It is up to me to choose how to answer a wish… but to guide the future of my people, I must answer a just wish with an honest reply.

Elisae’s senses spread out through the castle, doing her best to remain unnoticed so as not to disturb the staff. It did not take long for her to find Gordo in the kitchen, attending to preparing the menu for the day’s meals. Her senses swept over his body, finding the deviation in his ki. This is all part of the wish. She repeated that to herself again and again.

Once she found the deviation, a corroded corner of his ki path, she channeled her divinity along the shackles she had placed. In accordance with the wish, let’s fix this. The butler looked around in confusion, seeming to sense something amiss as his ki path was quietly mended with divine power. Additionally, the damage to his organs caused by the deviation was similarly repaired in order to restore him to full health.

Elisae gave a small click of her tongue when she realized that he must have been using regeneration potions to maintain his health bar, keeping it from appearing and worrying her. Only once she had fulfilled the wish did she finally stand, allowing Clarissa to breathe easily. “Is there anything else you’d like?” Elisae suddenly asked, the maid blinking.

“Is the former wish already granted?” She responded in confusion, to which the queen nodded. “Then, for my second wish… I wish for you to be happy, Your Highness.” She answered, a somewhat cheeky smile on her face.

This time, it was Elisae’s turn to be surprised. Soon, she let out a light laugh, hugging the maid. “As long as I have people like you supporting me, I couldn’t be happier.” She said, before seeming to realize something.

Clarissa’s spark of divinity felt weaker than it had previously. Normally, this was something that Elisae wouldn’t have noticed. However, interacting with the maid for an extended period, and sweeping her divine senses over the area had allowed her to get a certain understanding. I see… if I am answering the prayers of others, are they perhaps contributing their small divinity to help me fulfill their wish? Or maybe the way I set up those restrictions means that it is their divinity that ‘unlocks’ my power? I should place a limit on one wish from each person… let’s say every week. That should be time for their divinity to recover without harming themselves. Thankfully, that second wish wasn’t anything serious.

“Is something the matter, Your Highness?” Clarissa asked from within Elisae’s embrace, seeming to notice the complicated expression on the queen’s face.

However, Elisae simply shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. I just learned something from this, is all. You’ve been a great help to me, Clarissa.” The matter of her divine spark was not a significant problem, as Elisae knew it was not enough to cause her any harm. Clarissa had no aspirations of divinity, and even if she did, she would only need to delay her ascension by a few days.