Chapter 248

Chapter 248

That the evil god he had called might not be merciful, not as much as he had thought.

‘...I already considered possibilities like that long ago. From the start, the words evil god and mercy never really went together.’

Climbing the stairs back up, Ather organized his thoughts.

Beings called gods do not know mercy. There were many times when their mercy became a calamity to humans. And what of an evil god? Argio had already proven his wickedness through history.

‘If he had truly been a benevolent god, the kind I saw and felt, then that history wouldn’t have been born in the first place. Even if he was wrongfully accused, the number of humans the evil god Argio devoured and mangled with his own hands is far greater than that. No matter what anyone says, he is an evil god of rage and pain.’

How could Ather, who was called a hero beyond his due, not know that?

‘I still remember.’

A tongue that spat curses, eyes filled with hatred. Large, sharp claws that reached out without mercy, and gazes that flashed with the excitement of the battlefield. A calamity made from the sacrifice of countless humans.

How many comrades had died to those hands and that tongue?

‘So it’s right to think that the evil god I saw after my revival-not-revival was all an act, or twisted. Or perhaps, among thousands upon tens of thousands of wicked faces, the only benevolent face was the one reflected to me.’

What was certain was that Argio was an “evil god.”

‘I can’t call him a human like me. He is a horrific, wicked calamity that can pretend to be human. If he returns to a complete form, the chances of that calamity being repeated are far too great...’

By then, Ather had climbed all the stairs and returned to the ruins.

“...”

Once he left the tomb, bright lighting reached him like sunlight.

‘...But even this sunlight was made by Argio.’

These ruins had neither electricity nor anything of the sort. A mere torch could not shine so brightly and comfortably. That was why Argio had said he had drawn in sunlight and sealed it inside.

‘It’s not that the mercy he showed me was a lie, either. Since I have been saved and am enjoying peace, I must not deny it. I must not commit something worse than a beast...’

Soon, Ather reached a conclusion.

“Argio.”

“You called me then, too.”

From the shadow of a pillar made by the light of the ruins, the evil god emerged.

“...”

Not a single sound came from the ornaments wrapped around his bare feet.

Red hair trailing long like the tail of a beast. Gold and jewels wrapped around that hair until it hurt the eyes. Skin pale as a demon’s, as if it had never received sunlight, and a self-assured smile framing that face.

This man had saved Ather from the endless pain of the thorn prison.

“...You are the only god who always answers my call.”

“Only natural, lad. This place was abandoned by the Creator.”

“An extremely interesting story, but I will ask more in detail later.”

“Then it seems there is something else you wish to ask.”

Once again, he was merciful to Ather.

“I will accept it, so speak.”

“Thank you for giving me the chance.”

After a short deep breath, Ather asked.

“Who are you?”

The evil god Argio, the cruel beast, could not be the man before him.

“Having seen it directly, I am certain. You are not the evil god Argio I knew, the one who tried to kill me and my comrades. The one bound to me by that deep, dreadful evil fate is the person sleeping in the last coffin in the deep tomb below. Not you as you are now.”

“Why do you think so?”

“The cruel beast was born from the rage and hatred of the sacrificed saint. That is something even a god cannot deny. I remember all the records of the royal house and these ruins, and I know that the moment a god denies himself, he can no longer exist as a god.”

“So I am not the evil god Argio?”

“...To be honest, I don’t know.”

Who was he, that he could deny himself and still exist as he was?

“That you returned me, who was rotten meat porridge, into a human—I can understand that as a miracle. But an evil god’s miracle cannot be this merciful and whole. How could a rebel against providence do such a thing?”

“Then you have not understood.”

“And you, too, would not have been able to take a human form. Humans are, in the end, children of providence. You could imitate the shape, perhaps, but you eat meals. You sleep, pass time, talk with me, and live the same providential time, do you not?”

“I also bleed red blood, do I not?”

“I do not know how that can be. And no matter how strong and clever among humans, I am still only human. There is no way I could uncover your truth. If that is possible, it would be only because you permitted it.”

“So you mean to ask for that permission?”

“If it is something I must know, you will let me know. If it is something I must not know, you will have me live in falsehood for the rest of my life, or make me forget what happened today. But since you have shown me mercy to this extent, unless it was nothing more than momentary amusement...”

Yes.

“...Unless that is the case, you will not dismiss my question as if it never happened.”

The minimum trust he offered him was Ather’s to bear. Just as all humans had prayed to gods through endless time. And Ather believed this question would not be ignored.

“...”

“...”

Argio, resting his chin, said.

“Even so, do people usually ask this outright...? Was I not an evil god? I know what you heard and saw in the tomb just now, but then shouldn’t you be more cautious?”

“I am so bewildered by myself that I feel self-loathing, but I am someone who has always believed that every conflict and discord comes from a break in dialogue... I can’t help it... I must do what I can.”

“I really can’t tell whether you give up quickly or whether you’re wise.”

“I would at least like to hear what role I play in your story.”

“A role? That’s easy.”

He declared cheerfully.

“You’re my friend!”

“...”

“To be able to curse me with your eyes, you’re not bad.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m immature...”

“You said you were a royal library librarian—did you never learn how to manage your expression?”

“I got scolded a lot for that reason back then too, that I was unpleasant.”

“I can see it without even looking.”

“Of course. You’re an evil god—do you really need to see to know the past?”

“Do you have some illness where thorns sprout if you don’t speak improperly?”

He was a friend who said everything he wanted, though in a different sense than Juhyeon.

“Hm, you want a more proper role, is that it?”

“That wasn’t exactly it, but.”

“If so, I can let you take the position of the Demon King’s right hand that will arise before long.”

“I’m sorry, but I truly never wanted anything like that.”

“Since it’s come to this, do you have no desire to become the leader of a cult?”

“Could you give me a moment to整理 my thoughts?”

“I’ll give you ten seconds. One, two, three...”

Ten seconds are up.

“So? Your answer?”

“I’ll give it once you tell me who you are.”

“You won’t get taken for an easy mark out there.”

“That may be irreverent, but the word sounds odd—what is an ‘easy mark’?”

“It means a fellow who’s naïve and thus highly useful to take advantage of.”

“That’s not a friend, is it?”

“You know well.”

Still, he had been a royal palace library librarian despite being a commoner. It wasn’t a position one could reach by being only kind and idealistic. Gio decided to tell his story.

“Do you know what multiple personality is?”

“Is it not a term for a person who has two souls in one body?”

“Now imagine that being me.”

“...You have multiple personalities? An evil god?”

“No. Up until now, it’s been three.”

Anyway, it was similar.

* * *

They moved to Ather’s quarters, where a resting space was well prepared.

“To sum it up, I’m a sampler.”

“What do you mean, a sampler?”

“Literally, like a very small amount of food made for the purpose of tasting it before eating the full meal.”

“That’s hard to grasp.”

“To put it in a comparison that’s easier to understand, you could say I’m like a test subject before making a proper final product.”

“Are you saying you are the result of an experiment...?”

“I am not an existence made by the experiments of the mages you know.”

Was the comparison still a little difficult?

“I’ll explain more step by step. Right now, this existence called ‘Gio’ is made from a total of three fused together. Seo Gio, Giovanni, Argio. All three were those who were called Gio.”

“...I will listen, for now.”

“Wise. As you know, I was an evil god of rage and pain. And that was born from the innate mystique and negative emotions of countless sacrificed candidates. That ‘innate mystique and negative emotions of countless candidates’ is what sleeps deep underground in these ruins, in the tomb.”

“...”

Frowning, Ather asked.

“...Mystique and emotions? Not those humans themselves?”

“If innate mystique and passing emotions can be called the humans themselves, then it isn’t entirely wrong.”

“So at the very least, you mean they are not people.”

“You may think of it that way.”

They were not the commonly known “human” form.

“And the human form with this red hair you see before you now, and the sealed self within the last coffin you met below, that is ‘Argio.’ The final candidate abandoned to the Black Forest. The being who crossed between the forest and the outside, and was called ‘Argio.’”

After deliberating, Ather asked again.

“...Are they very different? You, and the other coffins in that tomb... and the person called Argio...”

“They may be the same, or they may be different. In the end, that is only a matter of perspective.”

It was extremely trivial.

“‘Argio,’ the last candidate and one of the elements of the evil god, seized a good opportunity. That became the me of now. The opportunity to mix with the ‘Gios.’”

“Mix...”

“With conditions aligning well, ‘Argio’ could become the me of now. And with him as the lead, all existence and mystique of the evil god Argio became mine.”

“But you said you did not obtain the heart.”

“That is what you saw.”

“Then what, exactly, is that heart?”

“...Hmm...”

This time, Gio pondered.

“How should I explain this.”

“So even an evil god has things he can’t explain.”

“It’s troublesome.”

Hesitating, he barely came up with an answer that sounded plausible.

“When you swallow an entire fruit with a seed as large as an eyeball, what would be easier to digest?”

“...The flesh, I suppose? I’ve never eaten a seed that big, so I don’t really know.”

“That is exactly my situation now. What is easy to digest is the personality ‘Argio’ who found enjoyment in life-or-death battle. And I digested all the fragments of mercy, peace, and happiness the candidates held. But I could not digest the most important seed, so it is still left in my stomach.”

“That stomach is the underground tomb, and the seed is what you called the heart—the coffins?”

“Something like that.”

“Th-then...”

Ather’s expression grew subtle.

“Everything left in that tomb is nothing but the worst troublemakers, is that it?”

“To say ‘the worst troublemakers’ right in front of the person in question—you’ve got nerve.”

“Even if I die soon and am torn to pieces, I still have to say what needs saying.”

“My, my, you’re like a loyal minister who’d end up with his head on a pike in the marketplace because he only speaks blunt counsel. But they aren’t mere troublemakers. They are parts of me, and they are indeed my heart. One day, I must digest them... they are existences I cannot do without.”

“From the standpoint of a mere human, I want to ask whether you can’t just leave things as they are and erase everything in that tomb, but that would be too great an insult to you. Am I correct?”

“If you know that and keep saying it in front of the person in question, is that indeed an insinuation of a duel request?”

“You misunderstand.”

It wasn’t provocation—it was sincere.

And Ather soon drew the conclusion of this whole story. His face went white as he imagined a truly tremendous result. Then Ather shouted.

“...So in the end, it’s a prophecy of the end, saying you’ll someday return to that horrific evil god Argio!!”

“Accept reality, my friend, reality that cannot be changed! Life was never something that goes as one pleases! I, too, never thought I’d share one body with such old-fashioned, peaceful types!”

“Damn it, no wonder you looked so human—you scheming Demon King!!”

Ather howled in rage. Argio liked it very much.

* * *

“...”

Having heard everything, Juhyeon smiled bitterly.

“So even there, the victim...”

“Victim?”

“So what did he decide to do?”

“He’s been requesting one-on-one combat nonstop lately.”

“Oh, my.”

Juhyeon applauded Ather’s bravery.

“He wasn’t called a hero for nothing.”

“I thought so too.”

“Are you accepting?”

“Of course I am.”

It was exercise, and he liked it very much.

(Continued in the next part)