Chapter 70: The Melancholy of Nibiru, 2nd Class Dimension Management God-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 70: The Melancholy of Nibiru, 2nd Class Dimension Management God-2
Ranael froze in place at the unexpected words.
Nibiru, who was famous for being a benevolent senior, exerted an uncharacteristic amount of absolute pressure on Ranael.
"Ranael... tell me. Where is that soul?"
"That’s..."
"Are you saying you can't tell me?"
Nibiru urged her in a soft voice, but Ranael hesitated at the sheer weight behind those words.
"Then, from this moment on, I am not your senior... I am Nibiru, a 2nd Class Dimension Management God."
Snap—
Pulling back from their close proximity, Nibiru snapped her fingers, and the teacups and table vanished instantly.
The chair Ranael had been sitting on transformed from a comfortable wooden seat into a strangely uncomfortable iron one.
Nibiru, who had previously told Ranael to tuck her white wings away because they were distracting, now spread her own wide as she looked down at Ranael from the air.
"3rd Class Dimension Management God, Ranael."
Nibiru spoke softly, but her voice was amplified several times over, echoing thunderously through the space.
"Ye—Yes!!!"
Only then did Ranael realize how rapidly the situation had shifted. With a face full of tension, she looked up.
A cluster of light that looked like fluttering feathers drifted down.
Knowing all too well the destructive power hidden behind that holiness, Ranael finally opened her mouth.
"I... I accidentally killed one more person."
"What kind of accident?"
"I forgot that I had already drafted someone from my dimension, and..."
"Does that even make sense? You forgot someone you drafted with your own hands?"
It sounded like such a ridiculous excuse that Nibiru started to press her further, then paused. A sudden thought occurred to her, and she asked Ranael just in case.
"Don't tell me... did you... did you even leave the drafting process in your own dimension to your subordinates?"
"......"
"Haaa... I’m going crazy."
Nibiru muttered, covering her eyes with her hand.
What kind of insane god would let a lower-ranking deity handle the sacrifice of a soul under their own jurisdiction?
"You were busy with something, right? That’s why you made the kids do it?"
Even among gods, there were hierarchies and specific duties. While they were absolute beings to mortals, in the world of gods, 3rd and 4th Class gods were essentially errand boys.
Having done plenty of such work herself back when she was 3rd Class, Nibiru asked again, hoping there was some reason that might warrant leniency.
"...Well, it wasn't really anything like that."
However, her junior ruthlessly crushed that expectation.
— Rumble!!!
The wrath of Nibiru, who was famous for never getting angry, shook her divine realm.
After the storm had passed and her anger had subsided, Nibiru questioned Ranael again.
"Fine... setting aside your mistake for a moment. Which dimension is that soul in right now?"
"I'm sorry! I don't know either!"
Ranael shouted, prostrating herself flat on the ground.
"What... You're the one who sent him to another dimension. It looks like you set it up so he’d transfer upon death. Shouldn't there be a coordinate formula?"
"It was a spell that sends the target to a completely random dimension, so even I can't track him."
"The more I hear, the more appalling this gets. Aren't you curious how I found out about this?"
"H-how did you find out?"
"The soul you sent ended up in the dimension where I am the Chief God. Thanks to that, Causality has become a complete mess."
"...I'm sorry."
"Actually, I could tolerate this to some extent. If you were a 3rd Class god under my management, it wouldn't matter... but you aren't."
"......."
"The reason I called you here was to let you know that you need to find that soul and bring him back before the Management Headquarters notices."
Nibiru paused for a moment to catch her breath.
"I suspect you did this because that soul got on your nerves... but even if it's a mortal, you should show proper respect to a sacrificed soul."
"Yes...."
"If he had possessed a dimension managed by another 3rd or 4th Class god, I could cover for you. Rank is law, after all. But... if it's another 2nd Class god, it'll be difficult. I haven't been 2nd Class for very long myself."
"T-that's true..."
"And... if the worst-case scenario happens and the soul possesses a dimension managed by a 1st Class god or higher, and you get caught..."
"If I get caught...?"
"Not only will you be stripped of your divinity... you'll likely be sent to hell."
"W-what should I do?"
"You should have thought of that before you started this mess... Anyway, find that soul quickly. That's your only way to survive."
"Yes..."
After dismissing her dejected junior, Nibiru held her brow for a long time, even after Ranael had left.
To think that even a god had to suffer from stress-induced headaches.
*
"She’s a good kid, but..."
Nibiru knew all too well that Ranael wasn't a bad person at heart; she was just vain and short-sighted.
After floating in the air and lost in thought for a while, Nibiru descended to the ground as if she had made a decision.
"I suppose I should help her out a bit."
As she waved her hand in the air, complex diagrams began to be drawn on the floor.
Red light seeped out along the lines of the drawing, and soon, it erupted into flames.
When the fire that had been heating the space for a while died down, a charred human form appeared within.
Nibiru reached out and stroked what appeared to be the human's head.
A faint light began to spread from the point where her hand touched.
As the light eventually enveloped the entire body, fresh flesh began to sprout from the blackened cinder.
"......"
The woman, now restored to her original form, showed no particular reaction.
She simply looked at her hands, gauging her own condition.
"Are you awake?"
"...Who are you?"
When the woman looked up with a dazed face, Nibiru spoke with a bright smile.
"I am Nibiru, a 2nd Class Dimension Management God. Um... would it be easier to understand if I said I am the God of your world?"
"A... God. Then, Lord God, why did you call for me? I thought I had fallen into hell for killing people."
"That's right. You killed many innocent people. And you burned them alive, at that."
"No, I don't regret killing those vermin. There is only one person I killed. If only I hadn't sent him there... he would have lived."
The woman flatly denied Nibiru’s words.
"Ahem... anyway, I've learned that there were... unavoidable circumstances behind why you did such a thing. I called you here to grant you a pardon."
"A pardon? I don't need such a thing... I must continue to suffer. I shouldn't be at peace. Lord God, please send me back to hell."
"What if the person you think you killed is still alive?"
At Nibiru’s words, a starlight began to twinkle in the woman's vacant eyes.
"What does that...? Is he alive? Is he really alive?"
"Yes. He is alive. However, he is in a very far-off place. Even I don't know his exact location right now."
"I see. Then you must have called me here because you want something from me."
"Hehe, you're quick on the uptake. Is it because you were a fairly capable office worker?"
Nibiru cleared her throat and looked down at the fragile mortal.
"I'm going to need you to do some work with me, Ms. Mina."