章節 172: Western Civilization
It was 7:30 AM the next day.
Drako had gotten up a couple of hours earlier to trainbut had already taken a shower and was currently finishing breakfast. He had arranged to meet Zoë at 8 AM, and Drako was one of those who didn't like to keep others waiting.
The worst thing anyone can do is keep someone waiting.
Drako hated people who were always late. If you were meeting someone at 8 AM, you couldn't be late for 8:05 AM. That was rude.
Drako dressed in a thin white shirt, combined with jeans and comfortable shoes. This time, he did not have to act as Akatsuki's leader or anything like that, nor did he have to train Raynare. That's why he could choose more casual clothes.
Five minutes before the hour was up, Drako stepped out the door.
If Drako hadn't misjudged Zoë, she should have arrived exactly at the time she was supposed to meet Drako.
"It's strange to see you up so early."
Drako didn't even turn around when two people left the house.
"I couldn't sleep well, Nyaa."
"Without Master at home, it feels a little weird."
The two girls who left were Drako's two Servants, Mordred and Kuroka.
Drako turned to face them. They both wore clothes that characterized them.
"Well? Is there anything you need?"
Mordred turned her head to the side, avoiding Drako's gaze, while Kuroka threw herself into his embrace.
Kuroka applied all the strength she could in her arms, even if Drako barely noticed, to express her feelings in the most convincing manner possible.
"I don't want you to leave." the nekoshou muttered.
Kuroka could not imagine a life without Drako. She had been living with him for two years, day after day, she was unable to imagine a life without Drako.
He was the one who had pulled her out of that hell, who had prevented Shirone from going through the same hell as Kuroka. He had given her a home, a new family. He had given her strength to fight and protect her beloved younger sister, even though she had not yet had the chance to use it.
Drako was Kuroka's world.
Drako spoke to the girls the day before after having the conversation with Zoë, and told them of the possibility that this journey would last more than a few days.
Artemis required their presence, and Drako suspected it was not just to formally join her group. A short trip to Japan by the goddess to perform this ritual of being accepted into the group was all that was needed if Artemis was to do just that.
It was not difficult for Drako to assume that Artemis needed him for something else.
"I don't know how long I'll be gone, Kuroka, but I promise I'll try to get back as soon as possible."
Drako tried to calm Kuroka. She hesitated, but finally broke away from Drako and nodded.
"Be careful." He said gently.
"I'll be."
Kuroka stepped back, and Drako laid eyes on the other girl who had come out to see him off.
Mordred, his first Servant.
Mordred seemed to be doubting something, and it seemed that she had finally gathered enough determination to look at Drako and speak.
"I will accompany you!"
"Impossible"
Drako had no hesitation in rejecting Mordred's request.
"But... I am your Servant! My duty is to accompany you and fight by your side!"
Drako shook his head. No matter what Mordred had to say, Drako wasn't going to take her with him.
"This isn't that war, Mordred. You don't have to worry, there are few things in this world capable of defeating Artemis and her hunters. Not only that, but I'm no longer that little dragon incapable of doing anything."
Mordred bit her lip and bent her head, unsure how to continue. Her instincts told her that this journey Drako was about to embark upon was not going to be as simple as she first saw it. Mordred felt that Drako might be in danger if he accompanied Artemis.
As she bit her lips, a pair of male arms surrounded her. Drako embraced her and drew her to his chest, burying her in a warm embrace.
Mordred remembered when she was first summoned, when Drako gave her this new life. The man who was now far taller than she was then was six inches shorter.
Yes, what he had said before was true. Drako is no longer that feeble little dragon from back then. He had grown up to be someone she could trust.
Mordred hugged Drako back as a smile formed on her lips. Yes, it was not bad to be able to trust someone like that.
"Well, it's time to go. Isn't it, Zoë?"
"Don't say my name so casually, call me lieutenant."
Drako released Mordred's embrace, and she parted, albeit reluctantly, and turned in the opposite direction.
As if she had appeared out of nowhere, Zoé was standing across the street. Just as Drako expected, the lieutenant had arrived at the exact time.
"Well, I'm off."
Drako hugged Mordred again and shared a slightly too long kiss with Kuroka before leaving with Zoë.
This did not seem to be to Zoë's liking, and it was evident from the disgusted look on her face.
Well, it wasn't like Drako cared.
.........................
If Drako was sincere, he didn't expect Zoë to take him to this place.
"What are we doing at the airport?"
Drako asked out of sheer curiosity. However, Zoë answered quite fiercely.
"We're going to travel to another continent, what more do you want?"
Drako felt something suspicious was going on here. Rarely did members of the supernatural world use human means to travel.
"Maybe... you don't know how to make a teleportation circle?"
"Shut up!" Zoë screamed as she blushed.
So Drako's suspicion was right. Apparently, although Zoë's magic power was quite high, she didn't even know how to use basic transport magic.
"You don't have to be ashamed of that. You know, even though I'm a dragon, I still don't know how to use the Dragon Gate. Tiamat wanted to teach me how to use it, but I think I was still too weak at the time."
"I didn't ask for your comfort."
Zoë responded to Drako's attempt to comfort her in a cold voice, though he could see that she was grateful at heart. She was not so surprised to hear the name Tiamat, as Artemis had mentioned it when speaking of Drako earlier.
Speaking of the Dragon Gate, Drako remembered that now was the time to learn about this method of transportation. It was the primary method of transportation for high-level dragons, so he needed to learn about it.
As they entered the airport, Drako and Zoë kept quiet almost all the way. In the end, Drako had to talk.
"Where are we going?"
"United States."
Zoë's response was still just as cold.
"Why are we going to America?"
To Drako's question, Zoë gave him a strange look.
"Don't you know?"
"Is there anything special I should know?"
Zoë slowed down, and looked at Drako as if he really was a freak.
"Sigh... you don't really seem to know anything. It's a bit of a long story, so I'd better tell you inside the plane."
Drako nodded, and the two continued on their way to the plane.
Not long after, Drako and Zoë arrived at the plane.
Their destination: Maine.
............
Once inside the plane, Zoë and Drako sat in the back of it. Unfortunately for Zoë, since she didn't want to be so close to Drako. Now, she had to endure twelve hours at the side of a boy, which she didn't like at all.
Drako didn't care. In fact, it was quite nice to be around a beautiful woman like Zoë.
But now Drako was interested in something else. Why was America so important? Zoë had even looked at him funny about this.
"Hey, tell me about America. Why is it so important?"
Zoë gave Drako a strange look again. She really couldn't believe that Tiamat hadn't taught Drako anything about Western Civilization.
"This is a bit complicated to explain, and you may not understand it very well at first."
Drako shrugged.
"Never mind, we have a 12-hour flight to explain."
Zoë's forehead wrinkled with irritation at the thought of spending 12 hours with a womanizer.
"In the mythologies that originated in Western Europe in the past, especially Greco-Latin and Nordic, there is an effect called Western Civilization that affects both mythologies and mortals."
Western Civilization Effect-- this was something Drako had never heard of.
Probably because all DxD is focused on Japan, and barely reaches Romania in one volume, European mythologies hardly matter.
It's true that the gods appear throughout the novel, but not places like Mount Olympus and Asgard.
"I'm going to explain it to you in simple words. What is known as Western Civilization... is a living force, a collective consciousness that has burned for thousands of years. The gods are part of that, a fire burned in Greece. The heart of that flame moved to Rome, and so did the gods... wherever that flame is brightest, the gods will move there. Right now they're in the United States. Look at their symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center... like it or not, the United States is now the heart of the most powerful flame in the West. So Olympus is here."
Zoë's words were powerful, making an impact on Drako. After all, what she was saying made sense.
Why were the Roman gods the same as the Greeks, but with different names?
It was because they had moved to where that "flame" was most powerful.
The flame that Zoë talks about is not something that really exists, but an expression for the most powerful human kingdom/country/empire of the moment.
And without a doubt, the United States is the most powerful country in the world.
Zoë explained a little more to Drako about the concept of "Western Civilization".
Western Civilization is a metaphysical force that moves with the flow of civilization. It is the pure essence of humanity's culture and connects everything that constitutes the collective spirit of humanity and civilization.
This force moves with the centre of human prosperity and influence, and was originally founded in Greece (AN: Let's remember that, although the Greeks were not the first gods in history, they are the first to be born in the western side of Europe. Or so I believe, correct me if I am wrong). From there, it was carried by Zephyros, the western wind in Greek mythology, to Rome. Then it travelled through Europe, stopping in Germany (Nordic gods), France, Spain, and finally ending up in Britain for a while. The current center of the "flame" has been in the United States since 1860, precisely in New York City, where an entrance to Olympus is located on the Empire State Building.
Olympus is a different realm from the human world, so its entrance can change without any problem.
The fact that one of the entrances to Olympus is located in the United States does not mean that all the heritage of Greek mythology found in Greece is useless. On the contrary, Greece will always be more important for this mythology than any other place.
Still, the Olympians are strongly connected to western civilization as they are both its source and its embodiment. This connection had a profound effect on the gods and mortal civilization. If Western Civilization declined, the gods would be severely weakened. If the Olympic order was overthrown, then human civilization would fall apart at the seams, degenerating into chaos.
Chaos...
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