Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I'm Going to Sleep

"Why are you doing this?"

The first beast sat down on the floor of the dilapidated and dusty temple.

"If you come with me, you can live in a better environment than this. Why do you want to stay here?"

The first beast did not answer my question.

It was understandable, as it was a beast that could not speak.

But in the past, it used to convey its intentions vaguely, though now, due to the lack of faith, it could not do so properly.

The only thing I could faintly understand was... that it wanted to do something here.

I sighed softly and stroked the first beast.

While stroking its head, I infused it with a little bit of faith. It was a negligible amount of power for me, and I had no hesitation in sharing it.

Well, the act of transferring the faith that came to me to another deity was an extremely wasteful one, as only about 2 out of 10 units of faith could be properly received.

If it was not a case like mine where faith was meaningless, it would not have been done.

"Grr..."

Nevertheless, it seemed that the emergency measure had somewhat revived the first beast, as it had regained a bit of its vigor, even if it still lacked the energy to wag its tail.

"So, what are you trying to do here?"

"Woof! Woof!"

The first beast barked like a dog, trying to convey something.

But its intentions were not fully conveyed. I could only grasp a vague thread of it.

"Hmm... You want to leave something behind? Yourself?"

"Woof!"

It wants to leave something behind, in other words, it wants to be remembered by others. It does not want to be forgotten.

But looking at the current situation... Only a part of the beastmen still believe in the first beast. At this rate, it will soon be forgotten.

So what should I do? How can I help this weakened one?

Should I try to persuade the humans of Arcadia to believe in this creature? Or should I spread rumors to gather faith? Or perhaps use the king to manipulate the situation?

Hmm. This creature was once an important deity that even caused wars to be fought over it, but now it has become a forgotten deity. How pitiful.

While I was pondering this, a soft voice of Nyx came from behind me.

"Um.., is that beast-like creature also a gods?"

"Yes, despite its appearance, it is an ancient deity. It was the first beast that the beastmen worshipped. But now it has had its faith stolen by other gods, and has become so pitiful."

At my words, the first beast drooped its tail. It seemed to have been hurt by my words. But it was the truth, wasn't it? A beast deity that cannot even properly give oracles and blessings, versus other deities that can provide them as desired. It's obvious which one would be more popular.

"Hmm... The first beast, is that its name? It doesn't sound like a name..."

"It's not a name, just a term or title that refers to this creature."

Come to think of it, this creature still didn't have a name. I've always just called it the 'first beast.' The title was enough since everyone understood what it meant.

"Then what is its name?"

"This creature still doesn't have a name."

"Then, can't we give it a name now?"

"Now?"

"Yes. Just like you gave me a name, I think it would be good to give a name to this dog-like creature as well."

This dog-like creature... Even though it is a deity worshipped by a race, it has fallen into such decline.

Well, giving it a name isn't a bad idea... Ah, that's it. If I give it a name and make that name remain, wouldn't that be a way for it to leave something of itself behind, as it desires?

"What do you think?"

"Woof?"

But the first beast seemed to have no particular thoughts about it.

No... Even if it's a beast, as a deity, it couldn't be this simple-minded, could it? When we traveled together before, it wasn't this devoid of thoughts.

At this point, there must be something interfering with the development of this creature's intelligence.

Ah, that's right. It is a deity, but a deity of beasts.

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'Beasts cannot have high intelligence.' This perception has likely spread among the subrace including the Beastmen, so they must have thought the same of the Beast God. That influence is probably why this creature has become so foolish.

Hmm. For a deity to change according to the perceptions of its worshippers, what a troublesome existence it is.

Well, I'm a goddess too! But I've only been slightly influenced spiritually, while my core essence remains unchanged.

Anyway.

"If you accept my proposal... I will give you a new name, and have that name recorded in human history. That way, your existence can continue to be remembered as long as human history is not buried. What do you think?"

"Woof!"

The First Beast barked loudly without much thought. This creature probably just thinks I'm helping it.

Well, I am helping, after all.

"Then let's start by giving you a name."

Hmm, what should I name it? Let's see. Beast, dog, wolf, Fenrir? No, that's a bit ominous. Cerberus? Seems more fitting for the Afterlife. Hati and Skoll are also a bit foreboding. Garm is similar to Cerberus. Fenrir? Hmm... ambiguous.

No, let's move away from wolves... Ah, wait. There is one more wolf.

Canis Major. Sirius.

The alpha star of the Canis Major constellation, and one of the stars forming the Winter Triangle.

Sirius. Hmm, that's good. I think it's a good name for a city. After all, the other two stars of the Winter Triangle, Betelgeuse and Procyon, have already become the names of major cities.

I'll name this creature Sirius, and the capital of Arcadia... Hmm, what was the name of this capital again?

It's just called Arcadia, so the name of the capital doesn't stick in my memory. Hmm.

Well, I don't really need to remember that name.

Anyway, I'll just have to inhabit the sleeping king's dreams and gently persuade him, and I'd like to minimize the oracles I give.

As I lead the First Beast, now named Sirius, to the entrance of the Pantheon, I declare that this honored role of being the gatekeeper of the divine realm shall be given to the one named Sirius. And so the city that Sirius has protected all this time shall be renamed Sirius.

I can convey a similar sentiment.

Honestly, this creature has been instrumental to Arcadia's history more than once. Naming the capital after its name is the least I can do!

As the god of the Beastmen, it has been the driving force unifying the various Beastmen tribes, has been the cause of wars as neighboring countries coveted it as a deity, and has later helped defeat monsters, contributing greatly to the prosperity of this nation. It can be considered the top contributor to the current Arcadia.

"I shall give you the name Sirius, meaning 'Wolf of the Night Sky'."

"Woof!"

Sirius, the former First Beast, began wagging its tail excitedly at my words.

Hmm, if I had known it would be this delighted, I should have named it sooner.

Watching Sirius wag its tail like this, I can't help but feel a bit annoyed at the humans. How dare they neglect Sirius, who has worked so hard for their sake, just because there are now many other gods.

Alright, in that case, I'll heap all sorts of grand titles upon Sirius to empower it. That way, the humans will regret having abandoned such an extraordinary being.

And so, the First Beast, the tribal god of the Beastmen, headed towards the entrance of the Pantheon with me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"The deity once called the First Beast, as its faith began to wane, was given the name Sirius and became the guardian of the Pantheon."

"Good, that's enough. I think everyone already knows about the significance of the name Sirius, so I won't explain it further."

The teacher standing at the front of the class quickly writes on the chalkboard.

"The Celestial City. A city that once held the glory of the gods. It was the center of the human world until the calamity struck, and despite facing disasters, the Demon King, and countless wars, it has persevered to this day, where this academy you are studying in now stands."

The teacher underlines the various titles written on the chalkboard for Sirius and spoke.

"It is said that if you dig even a little into the land of Sirius, artifacts will pour out, because the history is so deep. There are also many adventurers who come looking for those artifacts."

"I've heard that there is a huge relic deep underground in this academy where we study!"

"Yes. The academy is protected by the power of that relic. Many places have been damaged, but it has created a barrier that does not allow malice to pass through... It is believed to be the ancient temple of the guardian deity of the Pantheon, Sirius, which was also the ancestral deity of the beastmen."

As the teacher said, a faint milky-white barrier was hanging in the sky outside the window.

As long as that barrier exists, the external enemies will not be able to enter the academy.

"The guardian deity of the Pantheon, the beast god Sirius, is still said to be guarding the entrance of the Pantheon."

"I've heard that it doesn't let anyone through except those who are permitted. Even the Demon King couldn't pass through the Pantheon."

The teacher nodded slightly and wrote another name on the chalkboard.

"Because of the meaning of 'guarding the gate', It is said to be the equal of the Underworld Colossus, Talos."

The Colossus of the Obsidian Rock. The Guardian Deity of the Underworld, Talos.

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