Go, Even If You Can't Eat! (2)
The Main God, who had been standing in place, spread his arms wide and tilted his head up toward the Goddess of Justice, who stood on the circular railing.
"Are you busy?"
"..."
"Why are you like this~ If you don't answer, I might... get sulky, you know?"
"...Ha."
Watching the Main God threaten to sulk and the Goddess of Justice let out a sigh, I was dumbfounded.
Is that... really how gods talk to each other?
It didn't seem any different from the conversations between ordinary people who were close friends. Was I expecting something too divine and grand?
Feeling a slight sense of disappointment, I pricked up my ears and watched the two gods to hear more clearly.
"Just because we are gods doesn't mean we are all that different. You poor soul."
"...!"
I had been feeling a bit let down by their initial interaction, so I couldn't help but be startled by the Goddess of Justice, who had accurately identified my true nature.
Wow, how did she figure it out like a ghost... Ah, right, she's a god.
Having asked and answered my own question, I waited for what the Goddess of Justice would say next. Since my identity was already exposed, all I could do was wait for her judgment.
The goddess, who had been watching me for a moment, let go of the scales and the sword she was holding. Then, the scales and the sword were sucked into a twisting space in mid-air.
Whoa, is that the subspace I used to see in novels?
Snap—
The sound of the goddess snapping her fingers was perfect for waking me from my distracted state of admiration.
Srrrk—
With a sliding sound, a staircase made of wooden planks began to form along the wall of the circular railing, leading up to the Main God and me.
"Come up."
"...?"
She wants me to walk up on wooden planks that look like they'd break the moment I step on them? Is this some kind of fairy tale?
Full of doubt about whether I should trust those words, I tried to look at the Main God, but he had already lowered his arms, stepped onto the planks, and was striding upward.
The Main God stepped up and looked back down at me.
"Not coming? We're gods. Where did that human who was trusting and following us until just a moment ago go~?"
"Yes! I'm coming!"
Thud.
Was it just my imagination, or did every step I took feel heavy?
"Hoo... Since I've already decided to trust them, what's the point of doubting now? Let's go. It's 'Go, even if you can't eat,' isn't it?"
I steeled my resolve once more, took a deep breath, and slowly followed the Main God upward.
Once I reached the top of the circular railing, an entrance that looked like a square door emitting a brilliant white light appeared. The Goddess of Justice and the Main God must have already entered, as they were hidden by the light.
I raised my left arm to shield my eyes from the glare, squinted, and stepped through the light.
How long had I been walking? Just as the blinding light began to fade, the surroundings suddenly plunged into darkness. Everything was swallowed by shadows.
It happened so fast that I stood there blankly, unable to react at all.
"...What is this?"
About 10 seconds later, the surroundings began to be covered in a pure white space.
"Ugh!"
Unable to adapt to the sudden change in environment, I squeezed my eyes shut. As I slowly began to squint, the voice of the Goddess of Justice reached my ears.
"You can open your eyes now, human."
When I opened them, I saw the goddess bickering with the Main God.
"Hey, Main God. Can I really trust you and go through with this?"
"Ha~ I am the Main God. The 2nd Main God. You don't trust me?"
"Ah, no, it's not that... It's not that I don't trust you, but how can you trust that human over there?"
Wait, why are you suddenly dragging me into this? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Are they really going to talk about whether to trust a human or not without the person in question's consent? Even if they are gods, this is a bit rude and hurtful.
Keeping a calm expression on the outside, I looked back and forth between the goddess and the Main God, suppressing my displeasure on the inside.
"You saw it yourself just a moment ago. He passed through the Path of Light and the Path of Darkness, and there wasn't a single repulsion."
"..."
Excuse me? Hello? Main God-nim. What are you talking about? Are you lying to me... and to her, for your own purposes? Hoo... human life really is treated like it's worth less than a dog's...
"It's not like that, so stay quiet. I told you not to doubt me."
"...!"
The Main God didn't even glance at me, continuing to look down at the goddess as he spoke.
"You know as well as I do that if he were biased toward either light or darkness, he wouldn't have been able to make it this far. What kind of place do you think this is? Above all, you, who seek the most perfect balance of anyone—do you really think it makes sense for you to be unaware of this phenomenon?"
"..."
The goddess looked at the Main God for a moment, then turned her fierce gaze toward me. I couldn't shake the feeling that her eyes were trying to pierce through me and uncover something. Thinking that if I got caught on even one thing here, I'd definitely suffer, I stood there, tense.
"Haa~ Fine. You're already set on this. It doesn't matter to me since I just have to send this guy off, but... he doesn't have any abilities, does he?"
"Don't worry about that. I will..."
"Wait a second!"
Snap—
As the goddess snapped her fingers again, a subspace opened in mid-air, and the scales appeared. The goddess reached out, grabbed the handle at the center of the scales, and didn't take her eyes off me. She was even biting her lip. In her gaze, I couldn't help but feel like prey being watched by a predator that had just discovered its target.
"Do you really have to do this?"
"Even if you are the Main God, this is an overreach of authority. You know that, right? I'm going to do the job I was given. I don't tolerate anything that isn't just."
"Hahaha! Are you afraid I might have done something?"
"Hmph, you never know. Move aside."
"Do as you please. But I hope you keep in mind that this is an action you'll regret~"
"Why is the Main God's tongue so long? That makes it even more suspicious."
Despite the Main God's dissuasion, the goddess, claiming it was her duty, retorted sharply and aimed the scales at my heart. She shook the scales slightly from side to side, and a clear, delicate jingling sound echoed.
Jingle, jingle—
"Judgment!"
No sooner had the goddess finished speaking than a giant, translucent, plate-shaped board rose up beneath my feet. I looked at the goddess, not knowing how to react, and she gestured toward the plate-shaped object with her chin. It seemed she wanted me to step onto that giant plate.
I slowly took a step and climbed on, expecting the scales to tilt immediately due to my weight. But something incomprehensible happened. Instead, the goddess, who I had been looking at head-on, began to sink lower and lower.
?
??
???
Something heavy was placed on the scale, so why is the balance acting so strangely? My scientific knowledge is being shattered. Isn't it normal for the heavy side to go down and the light side to go up?
I lowered my head more and more to look down at the goddess. She had her eyes wide open and her mouth agape, looking completely stunned.
"...Goddess-nim?"
Flustered, I called out to her.
"W-w-w-w-what is this!?"
The flustered goddess seemed to come to her senses at my shout, but she ignored me and turned her head to look at the Main God. She ran toward the Main God, who was closing his eyes and giggling as if he had lost his mind, and grabbed him by the collar.
"Kee-hee-hee-hee!"
"Y-y-y-you!!! What did you do without me knowing! Don't just laugh! Answer me right nooooow!!!"
The goddess screamed, shaking the Main God so hard his head bobbed back and forth. After about seven shakes, the Main God grabbed the goddess's arms, pulled them down, and looked at her with a deadpan expression.
"I told you clearly, didn't I~? Not to do anything you'd regret. I didn't do anything. You were the one who doubted me."
"B-but! You already granted abilities to a human soul! That goes against the natural order! This is fraud!"
"Fraud? You're accusing me of fraud in front of the Goddess of Justice? Even after you verified it yourself with your own abilities?"
"..."
Knock down!!!!
The goddess hung her head in defeat at the Main God's fact-bomb. Everything seemed to crumble under the weight of his truth. I was so impressed by the Main God's coolness that I gave him a double thumbs-up in my mind.
Main God-nim, you were awesome. I knew I could trust you! Hallelujah! This must be why people search for God and shout 'Hallelujah' when they survive life-or-death situations!
Just as I was fervently praising the Main God in my head, his annoying voice reached my ears.
"Why are you just hanging your head~ Goddess of Justice? You need to balance the scales, don't you? Kee-hee-hee."
Grind...
The goddess, gritting her teeth, glared at me with a face full of rage. After glaring at me for a moment, she turned her head back to look at the Main God.
"I'll balance the weight, obviously. But before that! Why doesn't this human have any Karma?"
"I don't know that either. I wanted to know that myself... I just anticipated your suspicion."
"Ah~ so annoying! How am I supposed to balance it if there's no Karma? Ha~ my head hurts."
The Main God, watching the goddess frown and hold her forehead in agony, spoke up casually.
"Why are you overthinking it? Wouldn't it be enough to just give him a chance to receive an ability?"
"...Oh? You mean just give him a 'chance'?"
"Yeah. Let's keep it simple. Try it. Why not do it while you're at it? It's a rare opportunity, isn't it?"
"..."
Seeing them decide things without asking for my opinion at all, I was convinced that my position was definitely that of a lab rat for the gods. Ah, my poor, tragic fate! Oh, wait, didn't I say earlier that I didn't have a fate? Damn it...
While I was accepting my position as a lab rat for the gods, the goddess seemed to have finished her thinking and snapped her fingers.
Snap—
Then, the scales began to sink into the pure white floor. Soon, I was able to look at the goddess head-on.
"..."
".... Human?"
"Yes?"
"Follow me. As an apology, I'll give you a chance to obtain an ability."
"...Oh! Of course!"
Thinking I might actually receive an ability, I excitedly followed the goddess. After all, it's 'Go, even if you can't eat'...
The Main God watched Eodum following the goddess from behind, and once he disappeared from sight, his smiling expression faded. At the end of his expressionless face, only a look full of doubt remained.
"Is this... what Father intended? What kind of future did you see to do this... The last legacy left by Father... I will watch over it once."
The Main God's voice, filled with longing, lingered in the space.
"Oops, I have to hurry and follow! I'm curious to see what kind of ability he'll get~?"
Returning to his playful self, the Main God used his divine power to cast teleportation.