Chapter 191
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191
Sankalut, the god of pain and blessings, was a classic example of an Evil God, one who had been subjugated when the gates to Earth first opened.
However, the subjugation of a divinity was fundamentally just a means of sealing them away. No matter how insignificant a god might seem, a divinity was still a divinity. If it was difficult for even beings of equal status to harm one another, how could a mere mortal ever hope to do so?
As a result, Sankalut ended up imprisoned in a research lab on Earth.
“■…”
It harbored no malice.
The evil divinity, born from the hands of humans, understood why the people of Earth had imprisoned it. But not once had it considered its ways to be wrong. That was simply how it had been made.
Driven by a pure desire to return to its old life, Sankalut slowly began to corrupt the research lab.
“Ah, Lord Sankalut…”
“Please bestow your blessing upon us.”
“We pray for your salvation!”
The humans, already pushed to their mental limits, readily accepted its salvation.
“■…”
Poor things.
Sankalut wanted to return to its home. There was a sense of stability that could only be found in a familiar place. It had even raised its children in preparation for a new beginning.
The research lab was gradually dyed in Sankalut’s colors. The process was incredibly quiet and stealthy.
Sankalut knew. It knew that the master of its master’s master, the ultimate authority over this research lab, was aware of everything and was simply turning a blind eye. No matter how long it waited, no attempt was made to stop it. Sankalut took that silence as permission.
Eventually, it succeeded in taking the entire research lab into its embrace. Sankalut scanned its surroundings, regularly receiving sustenance from its children. However, a potential high priest who could restore it to its proper form did not easily appear.
“■”
Around the time it still couldn’t exert its influence outside the lab, it found a human named ‘Ju-hyeon.’ That child’s vessel was incredibly vast and welcoming. Sankalut wanted to be held in those hands.
It knew how to make humans accept it.
“Yes, I see.”
“■…”
“That person… Yes, I understand.”
“■…”
“I will do as you say.”
To narrow the perspective of a human with such a vast vessel, one had to show them the limitations of their own species. When the most virtuous of humans become disappointed in their fellow man, they readily embrace faith. That was what Sankalut had learned.
It had intended to do the same to ‘Ju-hyeon.’
“……?”
But it failed.
It happened too suddenly. Something far too immense had snatched ‘Ju-hyeon’ away.
Sankalut grieved the loss of a promising sprout, but there was nothing it could do. A divinity could only bow its head to one far greater and more brilliant than itself.
Having lost such a precious vessel, Sankalut widened its search. Since finding a decent gem in a dumpster was so difficult, it decided to mine for gems in a gold mine from the very start.
“■…”
Avoiding the gazes of other divinities to target the sprouts under their protection was extremely difficult. But in the most chaotic of places, Sankalut spotted some very promising candidates. They were vessels named ‘Cha Yi-sol’ and ‘Iruda.’
“■.”
Since one was already in the embrace of another divinity, Sankalut decided to claim the one called ‘Cha Yi-sol.’ Besides him, there were no other potential high priests on this land who could safely contain it.
His vessel was massive and he was young, meaning his potential was limitless. Sankalut reached out before he could be snatched away, too. It selected one of the lab’s followers, one who had a child in the embrace of the Sun. The preparations were complete.
“■…”
“Ah, this is…”
“■…”
“Thank you, Lord Sankalut! With this, my child will receive the greatest grace…!”
“■…”
“I will raise your child in the embrace of the Sun, please believe in me!”
When trying to make a virtuous person disappointed in humanity, the most effective method was to make someone they cherished suffer at the hands of others. This was because such people were often numb to their own pain.
Sankalut observed its target. He was a child with many friends and family. However, within the confines of the Sun’s embrace, the one he was closest to was ‘Iruda,’ the follower of another divinity. Sankalut targeted her.
The stage had already been set.
A precious sprout was bound to be rejected by a rotten one. Sankalut whispered to its follower’s child, and upon hearing its whispers, the young sprout began to perceive the anger and jealousy they had long harbored as a form of pain.
It eventually succeeded in cornering ‘Cha Yi-sol’ and ‘Iruda,’ but…
“■”
Oh, dear.
“■¿”
Who would have thought that the sky-blue, who hated humans, would help a human child?
“…■…”
Sankalut grew sullen. It was simply too unlucky.
It felt the weight of a grand destiny. Then again, with so many divinities residing in this narrow land and so few coveted vessels, intense competition was inevitable.
But it didn’t seem to be entirely without effect.
If I back down now, there’s no telling when I’ll ever be able to return home, Sankalut thought, its resolve hardening.
The young ‘Iruda’ harbored a desire for revenge, and its follower’s child was still suffering in a mire of jealousy. It wouldn’t take long to break the vessel’s fragile heart.
Above all, Cha Yi-sol’s distrust had already begun to sprout.
Sankalut opened its mouth and whispered.
*
Iruda was badly hurt.
“……”
Cha Yi-sol stared intently at his unconscious friend.
“Iruda…”
“……”
“Iruda.”
He felt a little angry.
“How could you go and get hurt all by yourself, leaving me behind?”
They said partners bound by the order were a community of fate, which was why he could bear the sadness last time. But not this time.
Cha Yi-sol leaned against the bed where Iruda lay, his fingers twitching. He poked Iruda’s heavily calloused hand before gently taking it in his own.
“……”
It was covered in wounds.
“This makes me sad.”
He’d heard that Iruda, after finding out the details of the previous ‘individual training’ incident, had confronted the ringleader. And inside another training dungeon, at that. They had fought furiously, but only Iruda had lost consciousness.
The ringleader had played dirty, ganging up on her with their friends. They had even used some terrifying tool their parents helped them get. Cha Yi-sol thought that was truly detestable.
They smiled so nicely at me, but they only bully Iruda.
Cha Yi-sol wasn’t stupid. He knew what was going on. Since he seemed like an easy target and Iruda didn’t, they had attacked the difficult one first. They probably thought the reason he hadn’t cooperated with them was because of Iruda.
Idiots.
He had simply refused to join them because he disliked them.
“……”
He resented everyone a little.
It would have been better if Iruda had been more level-headed. Wouldn’t it have been better if the ringleader hadn’t been so greedy in the first place? How nice would it have been if the adults had paid more attention to the novice priests?
Then we wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.
No, maybe if he had been a better partner, they could have avoided this situation.
“…What should I do…”
He was starting to hate this massive, white house.
I miss Hyung. Noona, too…
He thought of his family, who loved him the most. Even this house, where so many unfair things happened, had been enjoyable thanks to Iruda, who showered him with affection. But now, even that felt overwhelming. He felt suffocated and sorrowful.
I want to go back to our real home.
He missed the meals they shared, sitting in a circle with his family and chatting noisily—even if the cold wind blew in during winter, the roof leaked during the rainy season, and they couldn’t always eat regularly. He missed his friends from the village, too.
“…Why is everyone…”
Cha Yi-sol buried his face in the bed and mumbled.
“…so eager to hate each other?”
He was scared.
I’m scared here, Noona.
Everyone was acting so petty and mean.
The villagers used to say that even if they were born from different mothers, they were still family. If there were leftover crops or food, they shared them. Even if a clumsy child joined their games in the empty lot, they just laughed and had fun. It was a village where the sky was wide open.
But not here. The buildings were so massive that they hid the sky. And though there were clearly friends and neighbors, they never looked at one another. If someone was clumsy at a game, they were quickly ostracized for lacking ‘qualification.’
Why do they have to go that far?
While the villagers were busy coming together, the people here were busy tearing each other apart. They acted as if they would die if they didn’t.
Maybe that was actually the case. That was why Iruda had ended up hurt like this.
“…Iruda…”
He felt gloomy.
“I want to go home.”
He missed home.
“Home was better. It’s too scary here…”
“You’re right.”
“……”
“It’s scary, isn’t it?”
Cha Yi-sol lifted his face from the bed and looked at Iruda, who was supposed to have her eyes closed.
Why?
“I understand.”
It was strange.
Something in the shape of his friend was comforting him. It squeezed his hand.
“I want to go home, too.”
“…Home?”
“Yeah. Being trapped in an isolated place is a scary thing.”
“You’re right.”
“Should I help you get out?”
“……”
When Cha Yi-sol fell silent, ‘Iruda’ smiled.
“You’re… more suspicious than I thought.”
“Who are you?”
“I want to be your friend.”
“A friend?”
“We’ll be able to help each other.”
“Maybe, but…”
Having grown up under the teachings of his Hyung and Noona, who always told him, ‘There are many scammers in the world, so if a smooth-talking stranger strikes up a conversation, rely on a trustworthy adult,’ Cha Yi-sol pulled a scribbled piece of paper from his pocket.
“First, I think we need a guardian consultation.”
“…Huh?”
“You talk too well. It’s suspicious.”
The paper Cha Yi-sol pulled out was one where he had previously drawn the Black Cloak.
“Gio-hyung, save us—!!”
And just like that, Cha Yi-sol and Iruda were sucked into the drawing.
*
“That’s so mean!!” the fragment of Sankalut, borrowing Iruda’s body, cried out tearfully. “I was the one who talked to you, so why are you asking another Oppa for help?!”
“I told you, you talk too well! It’s suspicious!”
“I haven’t even gotten through a fraction of a fraction of what I wanted to say because you summoned another divinity!!”
“Then I did the right thing! I asked for help before you could bewitch me with your fraction of a fraction!”
“I was trying to help you, so why did you call another adult…?!”
In the house that had suddenly become noisy, the mermaid Iser smiled bitterly.
“Teacher, shall I throw them all out?”
“Of course not,” Giovanni said, approaching the two children with his trademark cheerful smile. “Student Cha Yi-sol, what did you call me for?”
“This kid keeps trying to sweet-talk me!”
“My goodness.”
Sankalut flinched as Gio drew near.
“…Y-You, last time… last time, you were that…!”
“Ah, you’re the gem that tried to coax Mr. Ju-hyeon back then.”
“Why do you keep snatching away every vessel I choose?!”
“I didn’t snatch them,” Giovanni declared proudly. “A magnificent divinity draws people in simply by existing.”
“Th-That’s…!”
“Bees gather around flowers with plenty of nectar. To put it simply, it’s because I am more outstanding than you.”
“I worked hard, too!”
“My, working hard is the bare minimum. No matter how hard a flower tries to bloom, isn’t the choice ultimately up to the bee that flies in?”
“Ugh…!!”
Watching the conversation between the two divinities, Ju-hyeon, who was sitting on the sofa sipping tea, thought to himself, He’s comparing himself to a flower.
What incredible confidence.
Is this truly a conversation between divinities?
Ju-hyeon, who had come to talk with the mermaid before launching into an all-out war, felt a strange sense of emptiness. It could even be called a form of resignation. He looked at Iser with his characteristic earnest smile.
“Would you like another cup?”
“Yes, this is my first time trying this tea.”
“I heard it’s made from a flower obtained with the help of a dungeon Mr. Gio cleared.”
“The refreshing aroma is quite lovely.”
Amidst their heartwarming conversation, Gio called out to Cha Yi-sol.
“Student Cha Yi-sol, would you mind going over to them?”
“What about you, Hyung?”
“I need to have a chat with this uninvited guest.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve conversed with a divinity, so I’m quite excited.”
“Wow, who else have you talked to?”
“I’ll tell you later if you go over there and have some tea with them.”
“I’m sorry for interrupting when you have guests!”
“What a good boy.”
Having sent Cha Yi-sol to the reliable Ju-hyeon’s side, Gio looked at Sankalut.
“Now, let us have our own conversation.”
“A-Are you going to scold me?”
“We are equal divinities, so ‘scolding’ is not the right word.”
“Liar…”
“You may think whatever you wish.”
With that, Gio disappeared upstairs with Iruda.
“Oh.”
“Student Iruda isn’t waking up.”
“She was asleep to begin with.”
“Is that so?”
Soon, he returned, carrying Iruda, who was back to her original state.
Cha Yi-sol asked with pure curiosity, “Exorcism?”
“It was closer to purification through conversation.”
“Ah, I see.”
At that, Ju-hyeon thought, In this place, even an Evil God like Sankalut is treated like a mere stray spirit.
It felt so surreal that he couldn’t help but chuckle.