Episode 188
Elonia couldn’t believe it. This lazy-looking brat was Sirius, the Calamity God they had so resented. And what had he just said?
‘Capturing a runaway slave shouldn’t take this long?’
They had struggled so much to defeat Dolores. And now they were being mocked like this?
Sirius, picking his ear with his pinky finger, then flicking it away, grumbled,
“Choosing an apostle is such a chore. I didn’t think this land was worth much effort, so I chose randomly. But I made a mistake. A slave should be somewhat dimwitted. I should have chosen someone more intelligent.”
Snap. Crack.
The sounds of sanity snapping echoed through the spire. Elonia wasn’t the only one who was furious. Artius, having learned Philemon’s true identity through Dolores’s memories, gritted his teeth, his face contorted in rage.
“How dare you…”
“No, Artius, don’t!”
Philemon quickly stepped in front of him. Sirius, looking at them with indifference, then waved dismissively at Philemon, as if shooing away a dog.
“Your task here is done. I have things to do, so go back.”
“S-Sirius, wait…!”
Philemon’s body began to rise into the air, her form flickering, as if she was about to disappear. She looked at Artius and Elonia with pleading eyes.
Neither Elonia nor Artius, nor Lucius, could let her go like this.
‘I still have so much to say to Mother…!’
She hadn’t been able to thank her for choosing her as her daughter, twice, for saving her, for making her happy.
How could she stop Philemon from disappearing? Just as Elonia reached out,
Flash—
“…!”
A bright light erupted, and Philemon, who had been floating in the air, returned to the ground. The source of the light was, of course, Lucius.
Lucius seemed unaware of what he had just done. Sirius, his sleepy eyes now wide open, his gaze cold and sharp, glared at Lucius.
“What do you think you’re doing, you pre-slave?”
“Wait!”
Elonia quickly stepped between them and shouted,
“I know Mother has to go back! But at least give us some time to say goodbye…!”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. Sirius had suddenly appeared right in front of her. He tilted his head, observing her for a long moment, then, as if realizing something, said,
“Aha, so you’re the daughter that slave was trying to save?”
His earlier annoyance vanished, replaced by understanding. It was a relief that Philemon didn’t have to leave immediately. But,
“A slave? How dare you call her that in front of me?!”
“Your Highness, don’t!”
Elonia’s anger surged, and she almost lunged at him, but Lucius’s desperate plea made her stop.
Artius was being held back by Philemon, and Elonia was being held back by Lucius. It was a comical sight, in a way. And,
“What’s wrong with calling my slave a slave?”
“You bastard!”
“Elonia, no! Artius!”
Philemon, shielding them with her body, pleaded with Sirius.
“Sirius, please ignore them.”
Words were like water. And a human had just insulted a god. Sirius was already offended.
And what had he done to deserve Philemon’s disrespect?
“A bastard? That’s quite a way to address the god who gave you a second chance.”
He deserved their gratitude, their worship. And yet, they called him a bastard?
How ungrateful.
Philemon, sensing his growing anger, pleaded with him again.
“Sirius, I’ll return willingly. So please, let them go!”
“Let them go after insulting a god?”
Philemon knew Sirius. He might be lazy, but his anger, once ignited, was boundless. She couldn’t let Artius and Elonia be harmed by him, not after everything she had done to protect them. She tried to reason with him, carefully avoiding any words that might offend him.
“You don’t have to stay here any longer. Tristan is gone, and there’s nothing left for you here…!”
“That’s not for you to decide, slave.”
“…!”
Philemon had miscalculated. Sirius, a god, wouldn’t tolerate being questioned by a mere slave.
He pointed at her accusingly.
“And speaking of Tristan, do you think you did a good job?”
“Th-that’s…!”
“Tristan wasn’t that strong when he first arrived here. If you hadn’t been so lazy, we could have captured him easily. And you dare to talk back to me after prolonging this mess?”
Philemon couldn’t answer. He was right.
She had been too preoccupied with her own regrets, her own longing for Ravanta, and had missed the perfect opportunity to capture Tristan.
Just as she lowered her head, her body trembling with shame,
“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s your fault for treating your apostles like slaves!”
“…What?”
“Even humans know slavery is inhumane! It’s your fault for forcing people to be your slaves!”
Elonia marched towards Sirius, pointing a finger at him accusingly. Her parents, seeing her reckless behavior, gasped.
“Elonia!”
“Elonia, stop!”
Even Artius was telling her to stop, but Elonia, blinded by rage, continued her tirade.
“If you could capture Tristan yourself, why didn’t you?! Why send others to do your dirty work?! You’re the master, aren’t you?! If the apostles are your slaves, then you should have managed them properly!”
“…Are you done?”
“No, I’m not! According to Dolores’s memories, you were always sleeping! Did you not expect your slaves to run away while you were napping?! That’s why you’re still so lazy!”
“Elonia, please stop!”
Philemon wanted to cry. Elonia, her precious daughter, would be killed after this outburst.
She tried to kneel before Sirius, but his cold voice stopped her.
“…I can kill a human if I want to.”
“Go ahead! Kill everyone! Let’s see who worships you then!”
“Elonia, please!”
“Your Highness!”
No one could stop Elonia, her anger reaching its peak. Just as Sirius’s fury was about to descend upon her,
“Who said you could kill a human?”
An unfamiliar female voice echoed from behind Sirius. And then, just as suddenly, a figure appeared. Elonia and the others, stunned by the unexpected turn of events, could only stare.
The woman, her arms crossed, looked down at Sirius, a mocking smile on her face.
“You’ve really messed things up, Sirius.”
“Ugh, it’s Madicte.”
Madicte? The patron god of Ravanta? Elonia and Artius’s eyes widened.
Sirius, pretending not to know her, grumbled,
“Messed up? What are you talking about? Nothing happened. Stop jumping to conclusions.”
“Nothing happened? You were about to kill a human, Sirius. And this is my land. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Madicte, ignoring everyone else, smiled at Sirius, her gaze unwavering.
Sirius’s eyes turned cold.
“Not all gods are equal. My divine power is greater than yours right now.”
“Is that so? So my divine power is the problem.”
Madicte smiled, her smile suggesting she had powerful allies.
Sirius’s face hardened, realizing his mistake.
“No way…”
The sky darkened, the sun vanishing as if swallowed by a black hole.
“Elonia, Philia!”
Artius, fearing another teleportation, quickly pulled Elonia, Philemon, and Lucius into a protective embrace.
Sirius, fortunately, was distracted.
But they couldn’t relax yet.
[Sirius, the Calamity God. You’ve caused quite a commotion.]
“…!”
An overwhelming pressure, far greater than the pressure emanating from Madicte and the Calamity God earlier, descended upon them. Artius, struggling to maintain his composure, looked around.
Philemon’s face turned pale. Elonia asked,
“Mom, what’s wrong? Who is it?”
“Th-that’s…”
Before Philemon could answer, Sirius gasped, his voice filled with dread.
“Ugh, I’m really screwed now…”
[I’m here too, Sirius.]
“…!”
Another voice echoed, and Sirius was slammed against the ground.
The infamous Calamity God, subdued by an invisible force.
There were beings even gods couldn’t defy. And there were two of them.
Elonia, her eyes wide with disbelief, looked around and asked,
“Who are you?”
“You insolent human, you have no right to question us.”
Madicte replied, her voice cold and sharp, unlike the gentle and benevolent patron god of Ravanta she was supposed to be.
The other voices, however, seemed to be trying to calm her down.
[Madicte, calm down. Our divine power won’t diminish just because they’re curious.]
[They have a right to know. They’re the ones who suffered the most because of our negligence.]
Their voices were much gentler than Madicte’s or the Calamity God’s. A large, warm hand seemed to brush against Elonia’s head, and then a voice, gentle and kind, spoke.
[So, you’re Elonia.]
“How do you know my name…?”
There was no need to ask. Gods knew everything.
The voice, laced with amusement, introduced itself.
[I am the God of Death.]
And then another voice, equally gentle, spoke.
[I am the God of Punishment. We are the gods who govern the gods.]
Gods who governed the gods? Elonia and the others, who had always seen the Calamity God as the most powerful being, couldn’t comprehend this.
And how had they appeared so conveniently?
As if anticipating their suspicion, they spoke.
[Believe us or not, it’s your choice. We’re just here to do our duty.]
“So it doesn’t matter if I don’t believe you?”
[It’s your choice whether or not to believe in our existence.]
Faith was a god’s lifeline. But these gods didn’t seem to care about belief.
Their reaction was completely different from the Calamity God and Madicte, who were constantly worried about their divine power diminishing. Elonia finally realized,
They were absolute gods, unshakeable in their power.
And then, anger surged through her.
She clenched her fists, glaring at the empty space before her.
“…If you’re the gods who govern the gods, why are you only appearing now?”