Chapter 130
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130
“Brother Cha Yi-sol.”
In the end, Cha Yi-sol was summoned by Kang Seo-dam.
“I’ll ask you directly.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Have you made contact with an Evil God?”
“...Yes!”
“I appreciate your honesty.”
“But wait a moment, Teacher.”
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“Thank you…!”
Taking a deep breath, Cha Yi-sol spoke with solemn conviction.
“He might not be an Evil God!”
“……”
Kang Seo-dam didn’t bother to deny it.
“Indeed. Attempting to categorize a god from a human perspective is a rather foolish endeavor.”
“He might actually be a really nice person.”
“What I can tell you is that, by human standards, most gods are quite evil.”
“Ah… Yes, I remember you saying that.”
“You’re a diligent student. I serve a god myself, which is precisely why I can say this with certainty.”
He shook his head.
“Gods are not beings to be trusted and relied upon.”
“I’ve been curious for a while, but doesn’t the Sun God get angry or upset when you talk like that?”
“To a god, what matters are not words, but actions and results. As long as one does not commit acts that cause actual harm, they do not hand down punishment.”
“Gods are surprisingly… a bit…”
“Indifferent. And they are. It’s because their understanding of individual humans is quite low.”
Kang Seo-dam rummaged through the documents in his counseling room drawer.
“That is why some novice priests deliberately seek out Evil Gods, who tend to have a higher understanding of humans. Of course, once they become official priests and actually serve a god, they stop saying such things… Ah, here it is.”
He placed a few documents in front of Cha Yi-sol.
“These are materials on the Evil Gods officially recognized in the country. You may take them with you.”
“Th-thank you…?”
“But seeing your reaction, Brother Cha Yi-sol, it seems you already have a specific god in mind.”
“Can I tell you?”
“Do you know the god’s name? That would be an extremely rare case.”
Kang Seo-dam stroked his chin.
“Most Evil Gods have a separate name so that humans can call upon them without burden. Does the Evil God you know have an alias? In the case of our Sun Cult’s Seoul Branch, we have a second name, the ‘Light of Fairness’…”
At that, Cha Yi-sol gestured for Kang Seo-dam to come closer. As Kang Seo-dam obediently leaned in, the child whispered softly into his ear.
“Black Cloak.”
“…Oh…”
Slowly pulling back, Kang Seo-dam nodded.
“I see.”
“Yes.”
“……”
“Did I do something wrong…?”
“…I think we will have to think about that a bit more to know for sure.”
After a moment of contemplation, Kang Seo-dam asked again.
“You said you still don’t know whether he is an Evil God or a traditional god, correct?”
“Yes. How do you tell them apart?”
“You look at whether the claims and authority put forward by that god are harmful to humans.”
“Then he must not be an Evil God!”
“However, most Evil Gods often make false claims.”
Kang Seo-dam called in novice priest Iruda, who was waiting outside. Iruda, who had been planning to return to the lounge with her partner, Cha Yi-sol, quickly stepped inside and looked at Kang Seo-dam.
“We’re seeing a lot of each other today, Sister Iruda.”
“It seems so.”
“I assume it was you who told Brother Cha Yi-sol that he was dealing with an Evil God.”
“…That is correct.”
“I would like to hear your reasoning, if you don’t mind.”
“Yes, I’ll explain.”
Iruda began her explanation, her face wearing an expression of utter disillusionment with the world.
“I saw a drawing Brother Cha Yi-sol made. A black…”
“I just heard from Brother Cha Yi-sol which entity we are discussing.”
“That’s a relief. When I saw his drawing of that black figure, I felt a chill and a sense of dread.”
“Could you have simply mistaken the god’s overwhelming presence?”
“As far as I know, even if it wasn’t blatant, it was definitely the wicked divinity of an Evil God.”
“Not blatant…”
Soon, Kang Seo-dam asked a peculiar question.
“Did you not feel any warmth?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. Brother Cha Yi-sol did mention that it felt warm, so I thought it should be fine.”
At that, Cha Yi-sol muttered, “But it really is warm.”
“I’m not optimized for sensing a god’s temperature,” Iruda replied flatly.
“A god’s temperature?”
“……”
As Iruda hesitated, Kang Seo-dam explained in her stead.
“Do you remember when I said that a god is nature and fate possessing a will?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“The range of human perception is extremely narrow. So much so that, unless one becomes a deeply devout believer, an ordinary person might go their entire life without ever sensing a god.”
“Ah…”
“Fortunately, thanks to awakening as priests, we can sense gods more easily. Because of this, the way each priest perceives and interprets a god differs.”
Kang Seo-dam pointed to Iruda.
“In Sister Iruda’s case, she senses a god’s volume.”
“Volume?”
“How massive the god is, where their presence is touching her, how booming their voice is. Simply put, you can think of it as being able to sense every physical dimension of a god.”
“I see…”
“In your case, Brother Cha Yi-sol, you seem sensitive to a god’s temperature. Compared to Sister Iruda, who easily perceives a god’s intimidation and violence, you are more prone to sensing the affection or mercy a god sends.”
Having explained their cases, Kang Seo-dam pointed to himself.
“For most priests, including myself, however, sensing a god does not come so easily. That’s why we receive orders from the sect. The longer one stays in the temple, the easier it becomes to grasp the god’s will.”
“……”
“This means that both you, Brother Cha Yi-sol, and you, Sister Iruda, possess immense potential as priests. While other priests will develop their own ways of serving a god by the time they reach your age, for now…”
Kang Seo-dam’s gaze fell on Cha Yi-sol.
“That is all the more reason why I worry about which god you will form a contract with. Especially when combined with your personality… there are some concerning aspects.”
“Am I that concerning?”
“To be frank, yes. I know you possess an unexpectedly mature and clever side, but children your age are particularly prone to being swayed by their emotions.”
“…Mmm…”
After some thought, Cha Yi-sol asked, “What should I do?”
“Has that entity ever directly proposed a contract to you, Brother?”
“No. We’ve just met privately a few times.”
“I also do not yet know whether that entity is an Evil God or a traditional god.”
Though he wouldn’t say it aloud, Black Cloak was an entity upon whom the Light of Fairness, the very being he revered, had once descended. Since the traditional Goddess of Providence had affirmed his existence, it was difficult to dismiss him simply as an Evil God.
Besides, even among gods of death, their nature depended on their dimension of origin. There were traditional gods who respected human providence, and there were Evil Gods who disrupted the natural order to spread the agony of death across the world. Distinguishing gods by human standards was a truly difficult task.
“As I mentioned in today’s class, Evil Gods easily see through human desire and anger. They can turn even a once-rational person into an incarnation of greed, or a berserker of wrath.”
They broke humans with ease. It was the nature of an Evil God to turn a hero of conviction into a miserable murderer in an instant.
“There is a subtlety to it that cannot be found in traditional gods. It happens before you even know it, quite naturally. This is because Evil Gods are also a form of nature and fate.”
“……”
“Even within our Sun Cult, there have already been several instances… of priests who were possessed by Evil Gods and ruined their own lives and those of everyone around them. They entered into these contracts not out of selfishness, but out of altruism worthy of a saint or saintess, yet that was their end.”
Kang Seo-dam emphasized his next words.
“Do not trust gods.”
“…But then, why do we form contracts?”
“I misspoke. What I mean is, do not approach gods with human emotions.”
“Yes.”
“You may believe in and rely on them as much as you want, but you must not expect humanity from them.”
“……”
“Evil Gods are particularly cunning in that regard…”
Kang Seo-dam, who was about to say more, shut his mouth.
“……”
“…Teacher?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
He resumed speaking.
“I just hope you will be cautious.”
“Yes, yes.”
“The entity you spoke of has not been observed on Earth for very long.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“So there isn’t much data on him… Hmm.”
Kang Seo-dam nodded.
“I do not yet sense any negative energy from you, Brother Cha Yi-sol.”
“Ah, then is it okay for me to keep meeting him?”
“I would strongly advise you not to hastily form a contract. Avoiding that alone is half the battle.”
“Why not a contract?”
“No god can make someone their true follower without a contract. That is also why a devout believer who can use holy power is never considered a priest.”
“Ah…”
“For various reasons, gods do not exert influence on the human realm without a contract. A contract is a sort of final line of defense.”
“So as long as I don’t make a contract, it’s fine?”
“We will have to monitor the situation, but for now, that alone is enough.”
Iruda chimed into their conversation.
“Is it really all right to leave things like this? What if the Evil God has brainwashed him in a way that we can’t detect…?”
“I may not have been a genius like you, Sister Iruda, but I have far more experience.”
“But even so…”
“My partner was possessed by an Evil God and executed. I led the execution myself.”
“……”
“I am the person who can recognize the signs of an Evil God better than anyone else.”
He smiled faintly.
“Do not worry. Brother Cha Yi-sol is under the protection of the Sun.”
“I was disrespectful. I apologize.”
“How could I not understand your concern for your brother?”
“Thank you.”
“However, if any anomaly occurs, please let me know immediately.”
“We will.”
Stepping out of the counseling room, Iruda buried her face in her hands.
“……”
“Ruda?”
“I made a mistake.”
“It’s because you like me so much.”
“It angers me that you’re not wrong.”
“Thanks to that, I feel incredibly reassured, you know?”
“…If you know that, then behave yourself.”
“How?”
“Tell me every time he contacts you…”
“I will.”
The two chatted quietly as they headed toward their assigned room.
“By the way, Teacher said in class today that scholars summoned an Evil God.”
“He did.”
“So in the end, even if you’re not a priest, you can summon a god? Even if you’re an ordinary person and not an Awakened like us?”
“Since ordinary believers who aren’t priests can still use holy power, it’s not surprising.”
“But most people wouldn’t even dream of summoning a god.”
“That’s because… knowledge regarding gods isn’t widespread.”
Above all, in today’s chaotic world, public awareness was too low to handle such dangerous knowledge.
“To prevent people from rashly doing something crazy, the government and the Association control most of the information related to summoning gods. If there are people who know about it in detail, it would probably be the Top 3 Guilds.”
“The Guilds…”
“Unless you serve a god of the same lineage, you can join a private guild after becoming an official priest. With your personality, Yi-sol, that kind of freedom might actually suit you better.”
“Then what happens to your partner?”
“I heard they usually move together. It’s not a strict rule, but they say finding a fellow priest who you coordinate with that well is incredibly difficult.”
“Ohh…”
Cha Yi-sol didn’t make any promises.
“Well, you never know what the future holds.”
“That’s a wise mindset to have.”
“Then is knowledge about gods only known by… well… people high up?”
“It’s not so much that they know, but that there are groups controlling certain parts of that knowledge.”
“What if someone in that group has malicious intent?”
“…That…”
Iruda let out a sigh.
“…Is the sin of humans who trusted other humans.”
That is why, in the end, we lean on gods.
Because humans are neither immortal nor strong enough to be leaned upon.
* * *
A sin committed simply because one believed.
“……”
The diligent man had only wished for the tragedy not to repeat itself.
He loved his family, respected his friends, and stood by his colleagues. The man had never doubted that his work would contribute to this precarious world.
But in the end, because of that, he was left all alone.
“…I…”
It was miserably surreal.
“What did I do wrong?”
Though he had never believed in gods, he now found himself crying out to one.
There is a person here. Please, listen to me. Before I knew it, I had crawled into this mire. Please save me. Save me.
Yet there was no one by his side. Only the smell of burning filled the air.
“What did I…”
How much longer must I endure?
“What should I do?”
It was unendurable.
He had already realized that he was trapped deep in a pit of blood.
“……”
The god did not answer.
“……”
He had already created the Mark of the Evil God and was clutching it tightly in his hand.
He stood at a crossroads.