Chapter 226
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226
“Welcome!”
Pop!
Confetti burst into the air, welcoming Gio.
“We have cleaned and tidied our den so that our precious guest may rest in comfort.”
“Are you weary from your journey? We have children prepared to fan you.”
“If there is anything you desire, please do not hesitate to speak!”
Rami, the chief of the Fox Tribe, watched her kin—all transformed into humans—welcome their ‘guest.’ She subtly gauged Gio’s reaction, rubbing her hands together and offering a fawning smile.
“We have decorated our den for you to look around at your leisure. Please, feel free to explore as much as you like. While we would not dare presume to offer you a meal, we are more than happy to provide this modest service.”
“Oh, I see.”
Gio looked around.
“The atmosphere is quite different from that of the Wolf Tribe.”
“Hehe, the wolves have no interest in decorating their homes. They’re strong in both body and mind, so they have no trouble living in a bare cave. But we foxes… we’re truly fragile creatures.”
Rami adopted a sorrowful expression.
“Without a soft bed, our bodies ache. If our home isn’t bright, we easily fall into depression. That’s why we decorate our den as much as we can.”
“An interesting story. What about the Crow Tribe?”
“As the smallest of the tribes, their homes are also small. They build round, egg-like nests using twigs, leaves, mud, and their own feathers gathered from nature.”
The most cost-effective housing, one might say.
“Of course, the nests collapse just as easily. Because of that, the crows treat every tree in this forest as their home and move frequently.”
“So it wouldn’t be wrong to say the entire forest is their home?”
“They’ve even created the most detailed map of this forest. They use their ability to fly to explore places too dangerous for us to visit.”
“Is that so…”
Indeed, the fox den felt completely different from the gloomy caves of the Wolf Tribe. Even though the world had supposedly ended, the place was filled with all kinds of gold, silver, and treasures—heaven knows where they found it all—and the den was organized with a clean, bright atmosphere.
“You even grow plants.”
“Ah, those are…”
Rami smiled, looking at the plants placed here and there.
“They’re purifying plants that help with breathing. We may not be able to create magnificent devices like the Crow Tribe, but the Fox Tribe isn’t lacking when it comes to using our heads.”
“And yet, you crossed the Black Forest without any device to meet me, didn’t you, Ms. Rami?”
“Because I am the chief! It’s a position only the strongest and smartest fox can hold. Of course, I’m not the only one who can withstand the poison of the Black Forest. There are others who primarily work outside, hunting and gathering.”
“Hmm.”
Gio turned his gaze to the foxes watching him with smiling faces. Though their faces were pale with fear and their smiles trembled, he could tell they were doing their absolute best.
“Are foxes naturally this skilled at transformation?”
“Specializing in transformation magic is a great strength of our Fox Tribe!”
“I see.”
Amidst the forced, amicable atmosphere, Gio thought to himself:
How cute.
And yet, it was overwhelming.
No matter how they viewed him, Arjio would have simply shrugged it off with an ‘I don’t care,’ but his other selves—Seo Gio and Giovanni—screamed that this wasn’t right. Stroking his chin, he found himself enjoying the contradictory emotions.
“Are all of you here adults?”
“Yes, that is correct. The younger children might make mistakes, so we have hidden them away.”
“Oh, dear. There’s no need to fear me so much.”
“……”
“How sweet of you.”
When he offered the praise out of genuine admiration, Rami’s face turned stark white. She had clearly hidden the children, claiming they were ‘immature,’ out of fear that the entity before her might harm them.
Gio thought once more:
Truly cute.
But what was he supposed to do about this?
To be honest, it’s a bit… awkward.
Every one of his personas shared a strong tendency to ‘act first, think later.’ Their specialty was to consider the worst- and best-case scenarios, then push forward at the opportune moment.
The problem lay in the foxes' reaction. The Wolf Tribe hadn’t shown this level of fear, so he hadn’t felt particularly guilty.
But these kids are absolutely terrified of me.
Yet, they were practically on their hands and knees, begging to stay on his good side. Their desperate pleas for mercy put Gio—who wasn’t one hundred percent Arjio—in a very awkward position.
If their desperation had been dialed back even five percent, he could have shamelessly pushed forward with a, “Since we’re breathing the same air, we’re friends now, right?” But…
“……”
In a situation like this, if he asked, “Hey, want to be friends?” the only response he’d get was bound to be, “Yes! We will be your faithful doormats! Please, just spare our lives!”
Gio decided to bury his proposal to become pen pals deep in his heart for now.
This uncomfortable hospitality was a difficult concept for Gio. He pitied them for offering it, but he knew that if he tried to repay their kindness, they most likely wouldn’t welcome it.
What does one usually do in times like this…?
For once, Gio was at a loss.
“……”
“……”
Behold, this chilling silence—awkward for him, terrifying for them.
How was he supposed to deal with a tribe that assumed a posture of utter submission he’d never asked for? It was so different from the wolves who’d confronted him head-on, or the crows who’d observed him in secret.
“Hmm.”
Arjio, whose only experience as an Evil God was venting his anger, pondered.
“Right, first…”
Gio decided to feed them.
“You said you were hungry, right?”
“…Ah, yes! Could you please take pity on us and show us mercy? We will do our absolute best to fulfill your every desire…!”
“The wolves said poison-free meat would be enough.”
“! We feel the same! That would be more than we deserve!”
Everything they could hunt or gather in the Black Forest was poisonous, and lately, even that was dwindling. The only other creatures were monsters far too powerful for the Fox Tribe to hunt.
“If you would only give us a chance…!”
“Do not worry. I have already resolved to give you a gift.”
But simply giving them a gift felt unsatisfying. As difficult as it seemed right now, Gio wanted to be friends with them, and a one-sided relationship of ‘bestowal’ was not to his liking.
Should I test the waters?
It was a shame, but it didn’t seem like they could become comfortable with each other right away.
To soothe the foxes, who looked ready to grovel at any moment, Gio decided to propose a ‘deal.’ It was a simple trick; a mutual exchange would make the other party feel much more at ease.
And as it happens, there’s someone I’m looking for, too.
For some reason, he could no longer hear the voice that had called out to him.
Honestly, he thought, how can they be so relaxed, just expecting me to find them?
In the end, Gio had to search for the one who called him. He had no intention of letting go of a potential new friend, a precious talent.
It could get complicated, but with the help of the local residents, it should be easily resolved…
Gio grinned and bent down to meet the eyes of the Fox Tribe Chief, Rami.
“Now.”
“……”
“What do you say?”
In her human form, she was quite small compared to him. Making gentle eye contact, Gio tilted his head slightly and spoke in a soft, low voice so as not to sound threatening.
“However, if I give you a gift, it’s only natural that I receive something in return…”
“……”
“What do you think?”
“…We have, of course, prepared for that as well.”
“Hmm?”
How did she prepare when she doesn’t even know what I’m going to ask for?
“Although most of the foxes we have prepared are elderly and waiting to die… I-I am only seven years old. Though I am the chief, I am still young. My flesh is tender and in the best condition of all the foxes, so I am sure I will be more than satisfactory for you to consume.”
“Whoa, whoa, hold on a second.”
“Yes…!”
“……”
Arjio realized belatedly.
“…Ah.”
Come to think of it, wasn’t there a rumor that the ‘Evil God’ eats people alive?
* * *
In the end, Gio sought help from Sankalut, a fellow Evil God.
“If you help me, I’ll throw a blood festival for you.”
“Mr. Gio?”
“Have you ever heard of ox blood soup?”
“…Why on earth are you calling that a blood festival?”
“I can also give you blood sausage.”
“No, I mean, your choice of words is a bit… Is it because you’re an Evil God?”
“I want to hear your opinion.”
Ju-hyeon, who kept Sankalut as a bodyguard, had tagged along and was chiming in with objections, but Gio wasn’t listening. He was facing a major life crisis.
Seeing Gio’s state, the red snake tilted its head.
“What is the matter? You seem troubled.”
“My children are afraid of me.”
“I believe that’s only natural?”
“The problem is that it’s not natural to me at all. Judging by your reaction, you won’t be any help.”
“Your sudden abuse makes me feel wronged.”
“I feel wronged too.”
He had no immunity to the kind of ruined, awkward atmosphere the Fox Tribe had created. Until now, Arjio had been far more accustomed to outright rejection, wariness, or anger. He had absolutely zero experience dealing with young ones who trembled in fear while simultaneously trying to curry his favor.
“They took it for granted that I would eat them.”
“Just what on earth have you been doing in the ‘Animal Kingdom’...”
“I am being truly and unfairly accused, my friend.”
He knew such rumors existed, but Arjio had never actually eaten a human. Even when he’d heard the story from the wolves, he had only been amused, thinking, My infamy has been inflated to this extent.
“Could it be that I am receiving divine punishment for trying to enjoy a sweet deal?”
“……”
Ju-hyeon smiled silently and placed Sankalut, who had been wrapped around his neck, onto the dining table. Realizing where he had been placed, Sankalut straightened his body, staring blankly at Ju-hyeon with wide, round eyes.
“So you’ve finally decided to throw me to the Evil God as a snack. I never imagined our friendship was so shallow. I’m certain my body doesn’t taste good.”
“Since Mr. Gio made that body, it probably tastes good. More importantly, I didn’t put you on the table to offer you as a meal to Mr. Gio, Mr. Sankalut.”
Sankalut did not believe him.
“You take me for a fool. Humans eat at a dining table. And Mr. Gio is a divinity who enjoys meals. I will be eaten. Chewed up and swallowed. Save me! I’m useful!”
“I only put you there because we happen to be at the dining table. It seems the one Mr. Gio wants advice from this time is you, Mr. Sankalut. I was trying to leave myself out of it.”
“You are lying. I do not want to be eaten. Put me back up.”
“I’m not lying. Seriously, what kind of Evil God is afraid of being placed on a dining table…”
“This is Mr. Gio’s stomach! This is a dining table! I’m going to be eaten! Liars! You said you’d send me home if I kept my promise, but you deceived me! I feel a deep sense of betrayal!”
“Your vocabulary is improving by the day.”
At Ju-hyeon’s troubled expression, Gio sniffled mockingly and explained the snake’s condition.
“It seems my dining table looks like a sacrificial altar to Sankalut. After all, this table has a history of everything placed upon it being consumed.”
“Does history really need to be brought into this? Besides, Mr. Sankalut has eaten with us at this table several times. It’s hard to understand why he’s suddenly so scared.”
“That’s because there was other food back then. With so many dishes far more delicious than him on the table, he probably didn’t think his turn would come. He was also given food himself. Since that was a sign he was an invited guest, he must have judged the probability of being eaten was low.”
“I think divinities who enjoy 'amusement' need to retake a basic common sense class if they want to live on Earth. Their way of thinking is so bizarre I can’t keep up…”
But somehow, he understood.
So this is what Mr. Yoo Seong-un meant.
As a curator, Yoo Seong-un had warned him multiple times how different the mindsets of humans and anomalous entities were. He’d told him to pay close attention to their ‘rules’ to avoid making mistakes, as an action of little significance to a human could be a massive insult to an anomalous entity.
If Mr. Gio hadn’t helped me, I would have run into disaster long ago.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Ju-hyeon stroked the snake’s head. He had a duty to raise this ignorant, ill-tempered Evil God to be strong. He spoke soothingly.
“Take this opportunity to get used to it. Mr. Gio will absolutely never eat you, Mr. Sankalut. If it really looks like that’s going to happen, I’ll put you right back on my neck.”
“Scary human… scary human…”
“I didn’t think it was something to cry about.”
As the snake shed bead-like tears, Gio chimed in.
“Those are crocodile tears.”
“Ah.”
It meant the snake was trying to appeal to Ju-hyeon’s sympathy. Of course, Ju-hyeon thought, but he wasn’t particularly angry. He was just curious about what kind of advice Mr. Gio wanted.
“I take it something happened in the ‘Animal Kingdom’?”
“Mr. Ju-hyeon, my honorable friend. Please, hear me out.”
“Your tone has become considerably more archaic than usual… but yes, I’ll listen for now.”
“So, I went to my hometown…”
As Ju-hyeon listened to Gio’s story, his face contorted strangely.
“……”
“Why are you angry?”
“Aren’t you angry about being falsely accused like that, Mr. Gio?”
Ju-hyeon could understand the Fox Tribe’s perspective. Driven into a corner where only death awaited them, what else could they do? Even if their opponent was an Evil God, they had to do their absolute best out of desperation.
Thus, what angered Ju-hyeon were the humans from before the fall who had recorded ‘Arjio’ as the worst kind of monster. What a despicable act.
“Mr. Ju-hyeon, you don’t even know what I actually did in the past, do you?”
“Even if I don’t, there are some things I just know. We’ve spent time together, after all.”
Although he didn’t know exactly what Arjio had done, he firmly believed he had never committed an act like cannibalism. Arjio was a divinity of pure wrath; he wouldn’t do something so wicked.
“Thinking objectively, I don’t think you’d bother eating humans. They don’t have much meat on them anyway. Livestock are raised specifically to yield a lot of meat, but humans don’t have that kind of yield.”
“Exactly. I am a gourmet, after all.”
By that same token, he had no intention of eating the foxes, who could transform into humans, communicate, and had little meat to offer.
However, for Arjio, who had until now rather enjoyed his infamy as an ‘Evil God’ engraved in history, it was a difficult situation to make excuses for.
“It was obvious they would be terrified no matter what I said.”
It was too overwhelming.
“Their fear seemed so immense that I intended to propose a deal to ease their tension, but I was so flustered when she offered herself as a living sacrifice that I just gave them some food and ran away.”
“I suppose giving them food even in that situation is very typical of you, Mr. Gio. But did you have something you wanted to trade with the Fox Tribe?”
“I was planning to ask them to find someone. There was definitely someone who called me in the 'Animal Kingdom,' but I couldn’t find them. I wanted to borrow the strength of the local residents.”
“It’s unusual that you can’t find someone who called you, Mr. Gio. You usually find people on Earth just fine. Is there a reason?”
“It’s literally difficult to pinpoint the location. The voice that called me was too faint, and with the dungeonification underway, there are distorted dimensions everywhere… If they would just call me one more time while I’m in the 'Animal Kingdom,' I could find them immediately. But for now, it’s difficult.”
“Could they… be dead? I don’t want to think about it, but the 'Animal Kingdom' you described sounds so chaotic and dangerous that I’m worried.”
“I don’t think they’re dead. But since things have turned out this way, it seems I have no choice but to search for them myself.”
There was a limit to how much of that vast forest Gio could wander by himself, and he couldn’t send Dana and Honey alone for fear of an accident. He had entrusted Dana with collecting the lost children only because he knew she would selectively check for their souls.
A full-scale exploration is a different story. It could be dangerous.
This applied not only to his children, who would have to navigate the Black Forest, but also to the Black Forest, which would have to endure his children. There was no need to trouble so many people when he could simply enlist the help of the residents who were already familiar with the area.
And in the process, wouldn’t it be wonderful if he could also soothe the anxious beasts of the Fox Tribe?
“……”
Thinking about that made Gio feel wronged once again.
“My children are afraid of me…”
“Hey, don’t cry.”
Ju-hyeon was at his wit’s end.
I’m actually seeing an Evil God cry twice in one day.
This absurd situation continued until Yoo Seong-un visited Ju-hyeon’s house.