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That was a big ass info dump!
If this were a novel, I would have dropped it!
So BORING!
Where are the constant, never-ending action I crave for my self-fulfillment fantasies?!
Actually, not really, it was interesting as hell for me.
So this world is like Norse Mythology but at the same time, it isn't, damn, what the hell.
Where the fuck am I? This is some twisted fanfic crap.
Okay, maybe I am being too harsh, we could consider this as a very original version of the Norse Mythology instead.
Yeah, let's see this through the brighter side of things.
"D-Drake?" asked Benladann, who glanced at me while I was thinking stuff, she had told me a big info dump after all.
"Erm, I am okay. I just… That was a lot. And they teach this to all the kids?" I asked.
"Yeah! I am from the descendants of Ymir, of the Ice Giants. And this place where we are living is named Jotunheim! I don't have any idea how big is, but if it was made of the entire realm fused with others, it is most likely immense," said Benladann.
"I… see…" I muttered.
"Still shocked?" she asked.
"Kind of… Have you met other giants? What about other tribes or towns?" I asked.
"No, sadly I have not… But I have heard that there were other towns and tribes of Ice Giants. This place where we are is named the Ice Peak Mountains, it is an enormous and extensive mountain range that seems almost endless… many Ice Giants live in here alongside all types of Ice Monsters… I have heard that there is a large Nation with things named Sects," said Benladann.
Sects huh…
"Wait, is there any explanation on why we all have Mana Cores inside our bodies?" I asked.
"Oh… It is said that it was the Divine Gift of Ymir who gave us Mana Cores to develop magic and abilities," said Benladann.
"But monsters also have them… and I am pretty sure humans, elves, dwarves, and so on will have them too," I said.
"…Yeah, religion is never completely accurate," chuckled Benladann.
"Actually, religion can be many things and they are never necessarily how the world actually came to be, but mere beliefs of the people living within it. As someone from another world, you shouldn't believe everything that religion tells you… Or are you just going to harbor hate against humans irrational just because Ymir hated the Aesir?" I asked.
"Oh… No, I would never… hate people just because religion says so… But I still like to be… a bit religious. It is a good belief to be thankful for the world, nature, and Ymir for the things we have… I think religion has soothed my pained heart when I was born in this world… I would ask you to respect these beliefs… If possible. I won't… force you to believe anything," said Benladann, glancing at her feet.
Ah… I think I fucked up.
Was I too harsh? Shit, I shouldn't have been such an asshole over it.
I wasn't particularly a neckbeard atheist in my world, in fact, I believe in God!
But I wasn't too religious either, and I always believed that the Bible was filled with a lot of fantastical things that shouldn't be believed to be real.
Hmm… I guess this is a heavy topic to talk about, but in the end, I didn't intend to hurt her feelings like this… I understand that religion is a way for people to find a path to their lives, a new purpose.
Simply telling them to "believe in yourself" would not always work, many people lack self-confidence, after all, telling them to just gain it out of nowhere will never work.
They need guidance, and someone to believe in, someone to lead their path to… somewhere.
We all seek a purpose in our lives, and not all of us can easily find one, many of us lose ourselves midway through.
I suppose religion offers an opportunity to unify people, to bring them together, and to give them a purpose to our empty lives, in a magical world, I suppose it might be even stronger than in a world without magic like Earth.
And if I take into consideration all the shit Benladann went through as Miranda… seeking guidance, a place to belong to, and a belief that could move her heart somewhere else was natural, religion was the best thing at the time, and well, her parents too, which seemed to be just as religious.
At the very least, this religion doesn't seem too oppressive in most aspects except into the "never trust humans" stuff… But it is not like such teaching is bad either, never trusting strangers is something we are all taught.
"No… Sorry, Benladann. I believe the religion of Ymir is a beautiful way to unify his children together. It makes me happy that religion is being used to unify people…" I said.
"Eh? Really?" asked Benladann.
"Of course. And I respect your religion too. I might even begin to believe in Ymir's existence as well. If he really sacrificed himself to create the world then he's a pretty nice guy," I said.
"Ah… Drake… I am so glad you believe that… I know that it sounds a bit dumb, but when I think about my parents and their teachings, about being grateful for the world, and about being grateful for nature and Ymir, my heart is soothed from the anguish I often feel," said Benladann.
"That's good, I have always thought that it is better to believe in something than in nothing," I said.
"You believe in a God?" asked Benladann.
"Well… Kind of. Before this, yeah. But now, I have kind of forgotten about all of this crap. But I will try to have an open mind about the religions and cultures of this world, I will ask you to guide me through them, of course," I said, petting her.
"Sure!" she said, giving me a gentle smile.
"Now, drink your herb tea," I said.
"Uegh…" she muttered, as she began to drink it.
Yeah, little girl, you were not going to deceive me, drink it all!
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