Not even half a day, let alone a full day, and people start longing for home.
One of my abilities, Night’s Shelter, is a gift that can slightly soothe that longing. Seeing a cabin pop up in the middle of a barren mountain with nothing but grass and trees left Roka and her sister speechless.
Miracles are directly bestowed by the Lord, while abilities are what I create by applying the Lord’s power.
There’s no need to even think about which is superior.
Miracles are far superior. I can’t create an ability to replace the Observatory of Star’s Dream that the Lord has taken, nor can I even dream of creating an ability similar to the Phylogenetic Seedling.
Even the simplest miracle, like the candles in the Sanctuary, would result in a pitiful imitation if I tried to mimic the Lord’s will to create an ability. The power would be halved, and the energy consumption would be much greater. The reason miracles are miracles is that they are directly granted by the Lord.
Ability, Night’s Shelter.
Mimicking the first shelter I remember, Uncle Helmut’s cabin, and reassembling it from possibility into reality. This ability also has its inherent limitations.
After a day, everything will return to possibility, but until then, it remains real.
“Good heavens, now you can even create houses?”
The Princess, surprised, looked around the cabin and even tapped the logs with her fist to check if it was an illusion. Roka was interested in the cabin itself, but her gaze soon turned toward the hot spring.
Seeing a steaming lake for the first time, her eyes were filled with curiosity.
“Master, what’s that?”
“It’s a hot spring. Unlike a regular lake, it’s heated by geothermal energy, so it’s warm.”
“Can I drink it?”
“Uh… a little, I guess?”
If she gets sick from drinking it, I can fix her, so it’s not a problem, but who would even think of drinking that? I have no idea what it tastes like.
Since no one has washed in it yet, she can drink it if she wants, but whether it suits her taste… well. Roka, driven by curiosity, scooped some water with a cup and took a sip.
Judging by her grimace, it seems it’s not suitable for drinking.
“It’s not for drinking; it’s for washing your body. It’s good for the skin and joints. Before I gained Divine Power, the elders in the village often visited, saying it was good for the body.”
Later, when they realized my Divine Power was better than the hot spring, they started coming to me instead.
But people still frequented it when they wanted to soak in warm water. Some even took the water home to fill their bathtubs.
Suddenly, I felt something fluffy touch my leg.
Looking down, I saw Roka’s tail swaying and wrapping around my leg. When I looked at her tail and then into her eyes, she stared at me and asked,
“Master, are you going to wash together?”
“Together?”
“Yes. With me.”
Of course not.
Why are you asking so seriously?
“Or are you thinking of washing with Auntie?”
No.
I don’t know why you think that.
Roka and Ardein still don’t seem to get along well.
Her sister suggested that Roka call her “big sister,” but Roka just frowned. By the way, could you let go of my tail?
I want to start preparing dinner soon.
“Let’s go together.”
She seems restless, like a child left by the water.
…Actually, I should be the one worrying, since I’m supposed to be Roka’s guardian, but it’s strange to receive such a look. Still, it’s not something to blame since she’s concerned for me.
“There’s a kitchen, a bathroom, everything you need! Even magic can’t create a house like this! Saint, though it’s not my place to say, who exactly are you serving?”
As Roka and I went inside, the Princess sighed while looking around the cabin. Though it might seem shabby by her standards, it’s still better than camping.
“A being who emphasizes hope and handles possibilities.”
To be honest, I know less about the Lord I serve than Grimudo does. At least I’ve fought the Primal Demon King, but my encounter with the Lord was brief.
I don’t even remember what I saw that made me think of the Lord. But I do remember that the only word I could use to describe what I saw and felt was “God.”
“I don’t really know exactly who the Lord is.”
“I can’t even begin to guess. Even gods have their own domains, but I can’t grasp the extent of the Lord’s domain that the Saint serves.”
“Neither can I.”
I just smiled. There was a time when I was curious about the Lord’s power.
I still am, but not as much as before. I’ve decided not to dwell on it.
If I can save more people with the Lord’s power, that’s enough.
“Shall we see what’s here today?”
“Didn’t you make this, Master?”
“I did, but the same things aren’t always in the same place.”
This cabin is an ability, not a miracle, and thus unstable.
The outcome isn’t always the same. Though it’s Uncle Helmut’s cabin, which possibility is reassembled isn’t up to me.
That means the contents of the cabin change every time.
So it’s like a treasure hunt, and there’s fun in searching through the house.
“Saint, can I eat this jam?”
For example, the jar of raspberry jam that Ardein brought.
Sometimes it’s in the kitchen cabinet, sometimes not. It might be on the kitchen table or in a basket as fresh raspberries. Sometimes it’s nowhere to be found.
This is one of the proofs that the point in time changes with each use of the ability.
I’m still too inexperienced to reassemble only a specific point in time.
“Can I eat this?”
Roka’s mouth watered at the sight of the deer hind leg marinated in soy sauce in the jar. Of course, she can eat it.
This is just a reconstruction of the past using the Lord’s power, not us stealing the deer that Uncle Helmut worked hard to catch.
“You can eat it. It’ll disappear after a night anyway.”
It might last until tomorrow evening, but I can’t guarantee more than that.
It’s a waste not to eat it. What’s already in your stomach won’t disappear.
“Are you going to cook, Saint?”
“Have you ever cooked before?”
“No, but…”
As I wandered around the cabin gathering food, she subtly asked.
“Do you need any help?”
“It’s fine. I think it’s easier if I do it alone.”
I appreciated the thought, but I decided to decline. How could someone who lived in a palace have ever cooked?
Just as I was about to light the fire and start cooking, I heard a voice from behind.
“Kid.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“Ah, right. Kid. Anyway, come with me for a bit.”
“Are you picking a fight?”
I thought they might start fighting, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
“You don’t know how to handle magical power, do you?”
“I know enough.”
“All you do is emit magical power, and you say you know enough?”
The Princess, being the adult she is, and older than me, was merely imparting wisdom to Roka.
“How amusing. Even at my most arrogant, I wasn’t that arrogant.”
A small confession: I don’t know how to use magical power.
I can’t train like a swordsman to emit Power Techniques, nor can I refine magical power like a mage to cast spells. All I know is how to utilize what the Lord has given me.
Unlike me, Roka, who possesses magical power rather than the Lord’s divinity, would benefit more from the Princess’s guidance.
“Saint, can I borrow this child for a bit while you prepare dinner?”
So I didn’t stop the Princess when she grabbed Roka’s arm and dragged her away.
“This kid has talent but needs some training.”
I thought it would clearly help Roka.
I waved goodbye as Roka was dragged away with a very reluctant expression. By the time she returns, the delicious bear paw dish will be ready.
‘Lucky.’
I didn’t expect the cabin to manifest at a time when such precious ingredients were available.
It should suit both Roka and her sister’s tastes. Though the lack of spices is a bit concerning, the ingredients are excellent.
This, too, is all thanks to the Lord’s grace.
