Chapter 234
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 234
And then, it was time for a meal.
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“I feel like I’ve asked if you were hungry at least ten times already.”
“…I’m sorry. I had a lot on my mind…”
“I can assure you, you’ll think much better once you’ve eaten.”
“……”
Ater let out a soft sigh.
“…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Gio smiled brightly.
Finally, I can fatten this skinny thing up.
* * *
“Oh?”
Yoo Seong-un blinked, looking at the frame that had appeared for the first time in a while.
“What are you doing out in the hallway?”
“I thought I sensed you passing by, Mr. Yoo Seong-un.”
“Me? Yeah, I finally made it back after a long time.”
He had barely managed to return home after a grueling stretch of overtime.
“Have you been resting well in the cabin lately, too?”
“No, I’ve been in the ‘Animal Kingdom’ recently.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I think Mr. Ju-hyeon told me you were making a friend over there.”
“That’s right. For now, I’m building a dungeon.”
“…Ah, a dungeon.”
Yoo Seong-un, who had fallen silent, soon nodded.
So there was a reason he was out here.
It was time for a hallway meeting.
* * *
As always, the members of the hallway meeting gathered. Yoo Seong-un was the first to speak.
“So, what on earth do you mean by ‘building a dungeon’? If you’re planning to cause some disaster that I’ll inevitably have to clean up, you need to tell me beforehand so I can prepare.”
“He looks truly desperate…” Ju-hyeon murmured. Sankalut, draped around his neck, tilted its head.
“A dungeon?”
“Yes, a dungeon.”
“I once had one of those as well.”
“I believe yours hasn’t been destroyed yet.”
“I was kicked out of that home and now I am here. Humans are wicked. I want to go home. Do you feel the same, Mr. Gio?”
“One’s hometown is indeed a wonderful thing,” Gio agreed.
At that, Ju-hyeon asked, “So, what kind of dungeon are you building, exactly? You’ve painted dungeons before, Mr. Gio… or things like them. Like the ‘Breathing Sea,’ the ‘Void City,’ and the ‘Diary.’”
“It will be quite different from those.”
“How so?”
“I built a Demon King’s castle there.”
As Gio smiled with a face full of pure bliss, Yoo Seong-un fell silent.
“……”
Right. I knew this day would come eventually.
“…I’ve steeled myself.”
“Are you crying, by any chance?”
“Is this your first time seeing a curator cry?”
“I recall seeing you cry last time as well, Mr. Yoo Seong-un.”
“And you don’t remember that you were the cause back then, too?”
“I remember.”
“Of course you do…”
Drawing a deep sigh from the very depths of his soul, Yoo Seong-un asked, “So that’s what this is? A Demon King’s castle?”
“I’m glad you understand so quickly.”
Gio gave him a double thumbs-up.
“I once thought to myself…”
“You could stand to think a little less,” Yoo Seong-un muttered.
“I want infamy. However, it’s safe to say that ‘Arjio’ has done practically nothing wrong—at least, that’s what you all seem to think. Isn’t that right?”
“Oh, please…”
“So, to make it easier to live as ‘Arjio,’ I tried to build up a brand-new evil reputation, but Mr. Ju-hyeon vehemently opposed it. He said that would be a path where we both commit sins.”
“Nice.”
Yoo Seong-un and Ju-hyeon bumped fists.
“I knew I could trust you, Mr. Ju-hyeon.”
“It’s too early to let our guard down, but that was definitely one of the top five best things I’ve done in my life.”
“I’m surprised it’s not number one.”
To that, Gio said, “There’s something even more surprising yet to come.”
“Right. I could have sworn you said you would restrain yourself, but hearing that you went and built an entire Demon King’s castle has already sent my heart sinking to the Earth’s core. Go ahead, tell us.”
“I am going to become the Demon King.”
“…I see!” Ju-hyeon smiled with a perfectly polite face. “Why don’t you come over here so we can have another little chat?”
“Calm down, Mr. Ju-hyeon. I by no means ignored what you told me. I truly believe that what you said back then was entirely reasonable.”
“And?”
“So, I decided to bring over the Evil God Arjio.”
“……”
Ju-hyeon soon realized what Gio was trying to say.
“…So instead of forcing a new reputation for evil… you mean you’ll use your existing infamy? Since it’s a fact that you acted as an Evil God in another dimension, Mr. Gio?”
To be precise, rather than using the misdeeds of ‘Arjio,’ who had been framed, he intended to use the actual misdeeds of the ‘Evil God Arjio,’ who had a genuine track record of causing trouble.
Gio confirmed this. “I love how well we communicate, Mr. Ju-hyeon.”
“I didn’t particularly want us to be on the same page to this extent.”
Yoo Seong-un looked at Ju-hyeon with a faint, wistful smile. “I won’t bother seeing you off.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Seeing how well you two communicate, you must be about to transcend the boundaries of humanity. Make sure to accept my greetings when you become a Bishop later.”
“It’s not that bad, nor do I intend to let things go that far. But if it does happen, I will absolutely not let you off the hook, Mr. Yoo Seong-un. Let’s see how well you live after abandoning your colleague.”
“Despite how I look, I’m already serving the Snowfield, so managing two households is a bit tough for me.”
“You do know that just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want, right?” Ju-hyeon retorted, then turned back to Gio, his expression composed once more.
“I understand that the Evil God Arjio’s infamy was largely exaggerated. Even if he did far worse things than the human Arjio, you said a lot of extra things were forcibly added in the process of spreading his reputation.”
“…It’s not like I did absolutely nothing,” Gio said, his response a beat late.
“Why the delay? Does that mean you have a guilty conscience?”
“In any case, the fact remains that this wicked divinity turned the world into an absolute mess.”
“And I’m saying that the process behind it is highly suspicious!”
“I’m telling you, my Evil God self did plenty of wrong, too.”
Granted, it was true that humans had framed him for a large portion of it, but an Evil God was an Evil God for a reason. ‘Arjio,’ the pure manifestation of wrath formed from the coalesced souls of deceased saints, had cursed the world and committed massacres.
“Of course, things like the epidemic, the Demon King’s army, and cannibalism weren’t my doing.”
“See?”
“Still, if you exclude the times they blamed me for random misfortunes and disasters, the ‘Evil God Arjio’ was indeed a formidable mass murderer. That fact doesn’t change.”
Although the Arjio standing before them now was closer to an individual who had shaken off the souls of all those hate-filled saints, he couldn’t deny that they had once shared the same body.
“Those are indeed sins I committed, and they are my evil deeds.”
Therefore, this was not false advertising.
“Even if it’s not 100%, it’s a product that’s about 81% full.”
“Isn’t that a bit of an awkward number?”
“In this day and age, 81% purity is an absolute steal.”
“Well, I mean, that’s true, but…” Yoo Seong-un’s expression turned bizarre, unsure of whether he should be happy about an 81% pure Evil God. It might be a joyous occasion for Arjio, who was obsessed with infamy and being a Demon King, but it was a truly bizarre sentiment for anyone else.
Ju-hyeon seemed to share the feeling, rubbing his face. Sankalut asked, “Are you afraid?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a bit different,” Ju-hyeon corrected himself.
“It feels like leaving a child unsupervised by the water…”
“……”
“Yeah, that’s definitely fear.”
Without a word, Sankalut draped itself back around Ju-hyeon’s neck like an ordinary python. It couldn’t understand what its sturdy vessel was talking about and felt it would have to ask for an explanation later.
Completely unconcerned with Sankalut’s reaction, Ju-hyeon took his hand off his face and looked up.
“…You did properly understand and accept what I said, right?”
“Ah, of course.”
Just as Ju-hyeon had said, the events that had transpired in the ‘Animal Kingdom’ were certainly not desirable. If framing an innocent person and painting them as a monster far crueler than reality was the right thing to do, then those countless saints would not have been despised despite their innocence, nor would they have been reborn as the Evil God of Wrath.
“Allowing Earth to follow in those same footsteps would be far too wicked,” Gio agreed.
“I’m truly glad you think so.”
Unable to comprehend their conversation at all, Sankalut stared blankly into space with its round eyes. It had no idea what was too wicked or why they were glad. It seemed it would have to ask for an explanation for this as well.
Regardless, Gio continued his explanation. “However, I still want to enjoy high-quality battles. You could call it pleasure without responsibility, but to take at least a minimum level of it, haven’t I brought over a well-founded history rather than a false one?”
“Right, and you built a dungeon for it?” Yoo Seong-un smiled placidly, as he always did when he was at his limit. “What exactly do you want to do with that dungeon?”
“A religious war…”
“Wait, stop right there.” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
“Mr. Yoo Seong-un?”
“……”
“……”
“…Okay, I’ve processed it.” Yoo Seong-un, his face a mask of utter resignation, delivered his conclusion. “So you’re determined to bring down this Earth after all?”
“Oh, come on, why would you say it like that?” Arjio chuckled. “You don’t have to worry.”
“About what, exactly?”
“Earth currently has a reliable pillar.”
“Don’t tell me you’re talking about yourself?”
“Spot on. To be precise, the Black Cloak will play that role.”
“It’s truly wonderful to see you so full of self-love.”
“I am rather fond of myself.”
Arjio was the Evil God of Wrath, war, and pain. It was unthinkable for someone like him to grow dull in times of peace. Ultimately, he desired war with beings of rare and precious value. However, Gio knew that pursuing this was a rather shameless act. Furthermore, he did not want to act like the petty, small-minded people Arjio himself despised. Therefore, Gio had to compromise.
“An act that causes a minor incident without bringing harm to Earth, myself, or those around me. Something where the incident itself is shallow, but the perceived damage is blown out of proportion to elevate my infamy. And at the same time, something that creates an environment where I can battle individuals with the potential of a Hero…”
“And no matter how much you thought about it, the only answer was religion?” Yoo Seong-un cut in.
“Well, I can’t orchestrate the entire thing from start to finish, can I?” If he tried, it would be clumsy and bound to be exposed halfway through—no, it would simply fail. Even the God of Death had said that while Arjio was born an Evil God, he did not have the makings of true evil. “So, I thought about it.”
“Ah, I get it, I get it. You’re going to pull in your past infamy and pick a fight with Earth.”
“I judged that there would be no issues. I know because I’m a god, but blasphemy is really no big deal. And I already know of several religions on Earth that would absolutely never tolerate an Evil God of Wrath and greed like me.”
“You go on and on about being human when it suits you, but now you’re a god? Well, whatever, I understand. We have the Sun Cult, the Moon Cult…”
“So, we bring over the infamy of the ‘Evil God Arjio’ and conduct a subjugation campaign. It’s a perfectly justified subjugation. Since the battles will take place in another dimension, the ‘Animal Kingdom,’ no harm will come to Earth.”
“…Well, once a place is known as a dangerous dungeon, it’s common for Hunters to be assigned to it anyway.”
“But if we leave it at that, any random riffraff might show up. I don’t want that. What I desire is a battle with a ‘Hero.’”
“A hero…” Yoo Seong-un looked at Ju-hyeon. Ju-hyeon wore a firm smile.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“We have a hero right here, recognized by both our Gio and the Guild Master.”
“Excuse me, but can you not see that I’m a Non-Awakened? I could die right now if any of you so much as breathed the wrong way. You should be thinking about protecting a fragile civilian first.”
“You don’t sound all that fragile to me. You’re pretty brave for a Non-Awakened, Mr. Ju-hyeon.”
In any case, Yoo Seong-un nodded. “So you’re going to give it a religious coloring.”
“Yes. They are blind,” Gio said, a strange light in his eyes. “They know how to feel pure wrath.”
“I want that blind fury.”
A battle of true wrath.
“Because that is my reason for being.”
“…Is it not enough to just fight in the dungeon you’ve built? Surely you don’t want to see things through to the very end like the mermaids did. A divinity wouldn’t die that way, anyway.”
Even with Sankalut, humans had strained themselves to their limits, yet sealing it was the best they could do. Mortals could not kill immortals. That was the natural order of the world.
“I don’t know what kind of ending you’re looking for.”
“I have never seen an end; what I see now is merely a process. As you said, Mr. Yoo Seong-un, am I not an immortal being?”
“…Then what will you do once the war you want is over?”
“I suppose I will rest for a while.”
The current Gio did not consist of ‘Arjio’ alone. There was also Seo Gio, who found his energy completely drained by extroverted activities, and Giovanni, who highly disapproved of seeing blood.
“So, if there is a goal, yes.”
There was only one end he needed to see through this process.
“I want complete assimilation with ‘Arjio’.”
“What, are you trying to find peace?”
“Ahaha…! You could say it’s quite similar to that.”
He hoped that, as the current Arjio, he could bring the ‘Evil God’s’ war to a definitive end.
* * *
Arjio’s Quest
Control of the Evil God (1/1)
Sweet Rain on the Arid Forest (1/2)
Today’s Status_ 'Animal Kingdom'
"Bring it on! o(｀ᾥ´)o"
Today’s Status_ 'Diary'
"Another peaceful day! ✧⁺⸜(•⌄•)⸝⁺✧"