The Play of the Evil God, Part 3

Fortunately, the misunderstanding did not last long. The moment the words Seraphina had painstakingly translated formed the shocking command to destroy the Continent, she too had felt a deep sense of unease.

There was no way the god's will was flawed. However, she, the one interpreting that will, was entirely capable of making a mistake. Moreover, the revelation had not even been delivered in the Continent's common tongue. Seraphina had no desire to distort the Constellation's intent by arbitrarily interpreting a foreign language she barely understood.

Thus, the moment the sentence was completed, Seraphina secretly summoned Yeomyeong. She showed him the translated sentence and asked for its precise meaning.

"...Saintess. Is this truly the divine will sent by the god?"

"Yes. So please, translate it for me. What does it mean?"

Yeomyeong hesitated before conveying the contents written on the paper.

The meaning was vastly different from what Seraphina had initially deciphered. Yet, even though the words had changed, the sheer weight they carried remained undiminished. Seraphina murmured with a solemn expression.

"The world has ended..."

Yeomyeong replied, recalling the stories of the past world he had heard so far.

"The world ending... it seems to refer to this place, Earth."

"And I think I understand 'I was waiting for you.' There seems to be no one else in this world with the talent of a priestess. Even though they were constantly under the gaze of the Great One, they couldn't even perceive His existence."

"Then what do you think the final sentence means?"

"...I wonder."

Seraphina closed her eyes as she spoke. While the first two sentences were easy enough to deduce, the last one was not so simple. The young girl had to draw upon every ounce of her knowledge to begin her deduction.

'To return. Does it mean going back to his homeland... or perhaps reclaiming a certain throne? Is such a thing even possible?'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Not "I am returning," nor "I have returned." But "I will return." It was an expression of intent. It was closer to a declaration that He would eventually accomplish what could not be achieved right now. But that raised a question. Who could possibly dare to stand in the way of the entity in the heavens? Who could reject the exercise of His power? A mere human was out of the question. The same went for the Constellations. Even if one gathered all the gazes of the Constellations focused on the Continent, they would be nothing more than fireflies before the sun when compared to that silver brilliance. If there was anyone who stood even a remote chance, it would be—

"—the three Prime Gods."

Order, Goodness, and Life. The Great Constellations said to have existed since the dawn of the Continent, the true gods who governed its fundamental laws. Having once been a follower of Order, Seraphina knew just how colossal their divine authority was. Even the authorities wielded by the twenty-six Cardinals were awe-inspiring. If they joined forces, it might indeed be possible to oppose this great entity. After all, until recently, the god of this other world had not possessed a single proper believer.

'I heard that the three Prime Gods fell silent around the same time the Gates began to appear. There is definitely a connection.'

Thinking of it that way, everything fell into place—from His statement that He had been waiting for her, to His actions in aiding her vengeance. However...

"...*Sigh*. But in the end, this is all just speculation."

Seraphina let out a sigh. No matter how much she racked her brain, it remained in the realm of conjecture. The perspective of a human and the perspective of a god were bound to be fundamentally different. The young girl felt this truth acutely at every moment. What seemed like a rational answer to her might be nothing more than a foolish notion to a god. Ultimately, Seraphina steeled herself for potential blasphemy. Quieting her anxiety with the thought that since the god had initiated the conversation, He would surely overlook this small transgression, she asked:

"Yeomyeong. Please use the Ouija board to ask Him. What does He mean by returning..."

Seraphina hesitated, her voice trailing off. Then, recalling the phantom touch that had gently caressed her cheek not long ago, she carefully continued.

"...And also, what kind of existence He is."

The desire of a priestess to know the god she served. And one more thing—a yearning that even Seraphina herself did not fully recognize. The Saintess questioned her god. The response came swiftly. Yeomyeong translated the sentences that Seraphina wrote down.

Two answers to two questions. Yet, upon seeing the replies, Seraphina's doubts did not fade in the slightest. The answers were simply too double-edged and ambiguous, open to any interpretation. Flustered, Seraphina tried to ask once more, but this time, no answer came. Though the gaze watching over her remained, the silver eyes did not descend upon the Ouija board. Seraphina realized that their brief conversation had come to an end.

Ultimately, Seraphina had to fold the Ouija board neatly and place it back in her drawer. After dismissing Yeomyeong from her office, she stared blankly up at the sky.

"...Am I still lacking? Too inadequate to comprehend your divine will?"

Naturally, no answer returned. A short while later, Seraphina reopened the ledger of contribution points she had set aside and resumed her work, praying that one day she would have another opportunity to converse with Him.

"Haa... I did the right thing, right? I managed to walk the line perfectly, didn't I?!"

I hugged Wilson tightly to soothe my anxiety. Burying my face in her plush body, I replayed the conversation we had just had.

"Pretending to be a god... This kind of stuff really doesn't suit my personality..."

Pretending to be a god. It was exactly as it sounded. Until now, I had tried not to think too deeply about it, perhaps even turning my head to avoid it. But now, I had no choice but to admit it. Seraphina, the priestess from another world. The girl who could perceive my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gaze. She and her church... ridiculously, or perhaps tragically, mistook me for a god.

At first, I hadn't even imagined it. From the moment she emerged from the Gate, Seraphina had been wearing her priestess robes. She already belonged to a religion. I had assumed the prayers she offered were directed toward the god she originally served. It was in the same vein that I had guided her path and led her to the cult's bunker to use as a sanctuary. I simply wanted Seraphina's influence to grow in any way possible. I wanted her to survive, no matter what. I thought utilizing her otherworldly religion was just a decent method to achieve that.

Back then, I believed they had another god. To be precise, the possibility that they would mistake me for a god never even crossed my mind. It was only natural. For someone to sincerely believe in and follow a pathetic wretch like me, a lonely and weak madman... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠There was no way in hell that made sense.

This went beyond a mere issue of confidence or self-esteem. To use an analogy from my past: it was like going out to buy groceries without even washing up, only for an incredibly beautiful woman to fall in love with you at first sight and ask for your number. In other words, it was common-sense-defyingly impossible. There are only two reasons a beautiful woman would ask for my number. Either she is a human trafficker trying to ship me off to Cambodia, or she is a spy sent by my former boss, Atlas Kepler. For the record, two out of three times, it was a spy. That crazy, stubborn old geezer was always trying to find some dirt on me.

Anyway, Seraphina's case seemed similar to me. It was a mix of fifty percent rational disbelief—thinking it made absolutely no sense—and fifty percent reluctance to accept the fact that they were actually worshiping me.

'I'm already helpless enough. I didn't want to feel even more powerless.'

Even when I lived as a cosmic shut-in whom no one remembered, I had struggled against my own helplessness. In a world where morality had vanished, I had already suffered enough just watching the horrific spectacles unfold. But to have an even greater responsibility thrust onto my shoulders? To be worshiped as a god when I couldn't do a damn thing, and to helplessly watch my believers die gruesome deaths? I simply didn't have the confidence to endure that. I didn't have the sanity to survive hearing their final, desperate prayers.

So, I denied it. The language barrier served as a convenient excuse. Although I was running a translation program for the other world's language through the AI of the Celestial Observatory, its progress was still low. Until then, I could force myself to look away. But even that reached its limit. The turning point was Yeomyeong's arrival and Miraj's ritual.

Under Miraj's ritual, I had temporarily returned to Earth. Within a body of mist formed by the particles of the Celestial Observatory, I had reached out with my own will. I saw Seraphina kneeling in prayer. I witnessed the profound faith and relief contained within her. Those ruby-like eyes are still vivid in my memory. I had intervened directly. I could no longer remain a mysterious, anonymous benefactor.

I had to make a choice. Would I truly play the part of a god to match their prayers? Or would I reveal that I was just a pathetic human? Ever since the subjugation of Haninhae ended, my mind had been consumed by those options. I changed my mind dozens of times a day, torn between which path to take.

And so, I arrived at this moment. When Nisyona came up with the concept of the Ouija board, and a channel of communication opened through Yeomyeong. When Yeomyeong translated the conversation for Nisyona, stripping away even the excuse of not understanding what was being said. I had to choose, and I made my decision. I would pretend to be a god.

"...Wilson. I made the right choice, didn't I? Right?"

There were several rational reasons behind my decision. First, if I revealed that I was human, the upper hand in our relationship might shift to them. There is a fundamental difference in how one treats a god versus a human. Even if they asked for help, the underlying motivation would change. Of course, I doubted Seraphina would completely forget all the help I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠given her and demand my cooperation just because I wanted to return home... but peering through the Celestial Observatory teaches you just how low humanity can sink. I didn't want to allow even a sliver of that possibility.

There was also the matter of Yeomyeong's allegiance. He had declared his intent to establish order upon this land. I had drawn that stubborn, upright man into the embrace of faith. At the time, it was the optimal choice. With Miraj entrenched in Haninhae, if I hadn't neutralized Yeomyeong, I risked losing even Seraphina. I had lured him into the church by promising an order far greater than the old-world laws Lee Seokin could offer. But if I were to suddenly reveal now, 'Ta-da! The being you served is actually just a pathetic human'? No good would come of it. At the very least, he would abandon us. At worst, I couldn't even guarantee Seraphina's life.

As a result of those calculations, I did not reveal my identity to them. Though my final shred of conscience kept me from outright impersonating a god... by deliberately feeding them short, easily misunderstood sentences, I had essentially deceived them. In an instant, I had become the leader of a cult. Or perhaps it was even worse. At least cult leaders didn't usually elevate themselves to the status of an actual god. *Ugh.* A dull ache throbbed in my chest, born of guilt, self-loathing, or some indistinguishable emotion.

But I couldn't turn back now. Ultimately, my greatest goal was returning to Earth. And for that, I would do absolutely anything.

"So... from now on."

I quietly gazed at Seraphina as she let out a sigh on the other side of the monitor. At the same time, offering myself a bit of an excuse and self-consolation, I made a vow. Even if I was nothing more than a pathetic, fake god, I would do my absolute best, however lacking it might be.

"I will become your god."

And thus, my long performance began.