That Bread Back Then, Part 7

Noel looked at Tam-rang with a look of genuine disgust.

"Asin. I guess the world is in this state because the higher-ups are like that."

"…My lord, mind your words," Asin murmured.

She glanced upward, her heart in her throat.

"Even if I try to watch my words, it's just too absurd. They probably sat up there all elegantly, deciding things like, 'This one shall live a life full of happiness,' and 'That one shall live in misery until they die.' But the moment he falls from his high horse, he can't handle it and whines for me to kill him. No matter how many times I say it, it's truly disgusting."

"To be frank, I do agree that his whining is rather unseemly," Asin admitted, narrowing her eyes.

She had held high expectations for him, as he was once one of the Seven Star Gods whom she had never dared to look up at in the heavens.

"Right? Well, meeting another god at least makes me realize how much more amazing you are, Asin." Noel finally flashed a bright grin.

"I… whined?" Tam-rang looked utterly shocked.

"Yeah. Big time. Why? Do I need some kind of qualification to say that?"

"I believed I was doing the right thing." Tam-rang knit his brows tightly.

"What? When you were sorting through fates like someone sexing baby chicks?"

"It was not like that. I realized the fates we had decreed were unjust, and I sought to correct them." Tam-rang closed his eyes tightly before slowly opening them.

"Why must those whose nation was plundered, who committed no crime, perish in such vast numbers? Why must they continue to suffer? Should not those who plundered them be punished instead? Yet, their nation was destined to enjoy long-lasting prosperity. How does that make any sense?"

"Why are you asking me that? You're the one who decided it."

Fate was never a gentle stream. It was always unfair. Yet, seeing the very god who decreed fate ask such a question was highly ironic.

"It was not I alone, but us. The seven of us."

"But you were one of them, weren't you?"

"Yes. I was. It was indeed unjust. Believing that those who coveted the lives of others deserved punishment, I interfered with life and death, fortune and calamity."

"Is that not also a grave sin?" Asin asked, her gaze remaining wary.

"By the laws of heaven, yes. But I judged that coveting the lives of others was the far greater sin."

"Don't tell me you were the only one who thought that?"

"…No. I was not the only one. Not just me…"

Tam-rang trailed off, catching his breath. His mind was a void. Why?

"I clearly… remember a boiling rage. I remember the voice of the One who stripped me of my divinity. But after that… I remember nothing."

"Really? Then who sealed you?"

"…I do not know."

At his ignorance, the rising tide of anticipation cooled. Noel looked at Asin with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

"Asin. Can former gods get amnesia too? Is this even allowed?"

"It is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because he has been steeped in impurity for far too long. Falling to the state of an evil spirit does not merely corrupt; it strips away many things. Memory is one of them."

"Can it be recovered?"

"That, I do not know," Asin replied with a troubled look.

Her face clearly asked, What on earth are we supposed to do with him?

"Anyway, Tam-rang, you thought you did the right thing, but the higher-ups disagreed, and you ended up like this, which made you angry. Is that it?"

Since the heavens surely had their own laws and order, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible. Usually, the faction advocating for minimal interference would hold the majority. That was simply the nature of gods.

"Yes. I saved the oppressed and slew the oppressors. With a plague. That was my sin."

…Ah, so he killed them with a disease.

Noel stared intently at Tam-rang. In an instant, his eyes shifted to a deep purple. His gaze drifted upward.

No joke, he had never seen anyone carrying such a massive mountain of karma before.

Following the thread extending from Tam-rang's heart, a colossal scale came into view. It was tilted helplessly to one side.

When Noel severed karma, that thread was what he cut. But this time, even the thread itself was incredibly thick.

This is insane. Just how many people did he kill? Noel couldn't hide his astonishment.

"Is that why you became a Calamity Deity?" Asin lowered her sword. There was a detail in Tam-rang's words that caught her attention.

"Presumably. I was reborn, shrouded in all manner of pestilence as my punishment."

"Was it an entire nation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that you destroyed with your plague?"

"Most likely. The medicine of that era could not possibly have withstood it."

"…I see." Asin seemed lost in deep thought.

"What do you do once you become a Calamity Deity?"

"What else is there but to have your past as a Star God forgotten, to be pointed at in scorn, and to die a shameful death? I am an existence that no one wants, that no one wishes for."

"Not that."

"Then what do you mean?"

"You said you were one of the Seven Star Gods. Can you still see people's fates?"

"…It is not as clear as it was when I was a Star God. Even now, I cannot see your fate."

"I already told you mine is hard to see. Right, Asin?"

"That is true. It is as though a thick fog shrouds it," Asin nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, you can still see things a bit better than other gods, right?"

"Perhaps. I have only just been released from my seal, so I cannot say for certain."

"Can you control your power?"

"Do I look that incompetent to you?"

Noel pondered Tam-rang's defensive retort for a moment. If he could control his power, what did it matter if he was a Calamity Deity?

Should I put a leash on him?

That would certainly be safer.

Ah.

Noel remembered the most important thing.

"So, do you still want me to kill you?" Noel asked. The determination in Tam-rang's eyes from earlier had faded, but whatever. His own will was what mattered most.

"But why would you kill me? Do you not fear the heavens?"

"I have my reasons. Why? Now that I'm actually offering to do it, you don't want to fade away, do you?"

"I have found… a lingering attachment." As Tam-rang lowered his gaze, Noel sheathed his sword.

"Then just say you don't want to fade. How hard is that? It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Look at humans. There are countless people who die and then whine about not wanting to be dead."

"I am well aware of that much," Tam-rang grumbled, looking slightly miffed.

Noel found his irritation amusing. Was this the end of a god whom no one believed in anymore? It felt incredibly pitiful.

"Regardless of what we do with you, you have grown exceedingly weak. Without an entity to anchor yourself to, you may fade away naturally." Asin looked at Tam-rang. It was the consequence of his long imprisonment.

"…Your observation is correct."

"Perhaps whoever sealed you did so within this fan, hoping you would fade away on your own."

"Most likely. It is a wonder how you even found me. No, it is a miracle you managed to break that seal."

"The seal must have weakened over time."

It was a seal so fragile that simply waving the fan had broken it. Noel muttered a reply as he picked up the fan that had housed Tam-rang. As expected, it wasn't a single-use item.

Fwip.

A strangely pleasant scent wafted from it. A familiar scent, too. It definitely hadn't smelled like this when Tam-rang was still inside.

"That cannot be. It was a seal meant for a god."

"Whatever. So, what do you want to do?"

"…Why do you ask?"

"I'll let you anchor yourself to me for a bit. But it won't be for free. I'm putting a leash on you."

"What does that mean?"

"You're too unstable. Someone needs to keep you in check. That's all it's for. Nothing else. I swear it on my god." Noel pointed a finger at Asin. Since she wasn't actually his god, swearing on her was completely meaningless. Yet, Tam-rang's eyes wavered. It was because his mind was still hazy. Having just emerged from the seal, he was probably in a state akin to drunkenness. This was the perfect time to push him.

"My lord, why… are you helping him anchor himself to you? He is a Calamity Deity." Asin wore an anxious expression. He was a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

"Who knows? Maybe he can return to being a Star God someday."

"…Do you truly believe I can return?"

"Of course," Noel replied readily. Tam-rang didn't seem to realize it himself, but something was already placed upon him. It was likely what prevented him from going berserk. Who else could have placed such a thing?

The Jade Emperor. Or perhaps one of his fellow Star Gods.

At the very least, they had no intention of killing him. While there could be many reasons for sparing his life, it was highly possible they harbored a lingering hope that he might one day return to his seat.

So, I'll let him anchor to me for a while.

If he still possessed the power of a Star God, he could fill in the gaps during Noel's fortune-telling sessions.

I can combine his insights with Kkamangi's information.

Noel smiled inwardly, thoroughly pleased with the prospect.

"Noel, pray reconsider. He is a Calamity Deity. Some even call his kind evil gods. He may bring ruin to your endeavors." Asin worried that even if Noel held his leash, Tam-rang's presence would still interfere with his plans.

"Asin."

"Speak, my lord."

"I've been wondering about this for a while, but how on earth do you tell them apart?" Noel tilted his head. To him, they all just looked like ghosts. It wasn't as if they had 'Guardian Deity' or 'Calamity Deity' written on their foreheads, so how did she distinguish them?

"I can see a highly unpleasant energy swirling around him. Its nature is entirely different from that of an evil spirit." It was dark and dense—a characteristic primarily seen in malevolent deities.

"Ah, so you can see their energy."

"Indeed. And if the energy is not visible, I judge by instinct."

Having received Asin's confirmation, a mischievous grin spread across Noel's face. In other words, in his current state, Tam-rang was utterly powerless.

"So, do you want to wear the leash voluntarily, or do you want to fade away? For your information, if you wear the leash, no one will even know you're a Calamity Deity."

"Can you truly make even his energy vanish?" Asin asked, recalling her own explanation. To wear a leash meant to serve. What servant would dare project their aura in front of their master? She knew Noel could suppress a spirit's presence, but to think he could do even more than that.

"Yeah. I can."

Whether it was energy or anything else, the leash would conceal it all. This was the power of Necromancy.

"I hate Tam-rang!" Kkamangi shrieked at him.

Tam-rang stared blankly at Kkamangi before turning his gaze away, curling up in the corner beside the sofa. With his long hair and pitch-black appearance, he looked incredibly gloomy.

There was writing engraved on his neck. Simply put, it meant 'Noel's Guardian Ghost'.

Noel yawned as he watched Kkamangi badger Tam-rang, then headed toward the bathroom.

That tiny bean never gets tired, does he?

Yesterday, Kkamangi had returned in high spirits after seeing Shin-hoo, ready to chatter away, only to freeze the moment he saw Tam-rang. No joke, he had stood frozen in place for a solid twenty minutes. Ever since then, he shrieked whenever he laid eyes on Tam-rang.

"Noeeel! Kkamangi is the black one! But Tam-rang's hair is super black! Tam-rang wants to be Kkamangi!"

Upset, Kkamangi crouched low in front of the bathroom door where Noel had gone, burying his head. Sob, sob. Asin approached and gently patted his back.

If that's the reason, what am I supposed to do about it? Noel wondered. He didn't get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why Kkamangi kept calling Tam-rang by his name if he hated him so much.

Noel glanced at Kkamangi and began washing his face. Since the little spirit remained in that position even after he finished, Noel let out a sigh.

"You should speak to him as well, my lord," Asin whispered softly, stepping closer. She had already tried to comfort Kkamangi, but her words apparently weren't enough.

Noel stepped out of the bathroom and picked Kkamangi up by the scruff of his neck. "Kkamangi."

"…Yes?" Kkamangi sniffled, looking up at Noel.

"To me, you look much more like the night sky. You don't look like Tam-rang at all."

"Really?"

"And most of all, you have a cross on you, don't you? No other cat has that."

"Ah! That's right!" Kkamangi patted his forehead with his front paws. It seemed to be a point of great pride for him.

The moment Noel set him down, Kkamangi trotted straight over to Tam-rang. "I have a cross! You don't have one, do you, Tam-rang?"

Tam-rang stared at Kkamangi, then rolled his eyes toward Noel. His gaze practically begged him to take the tiny creature away.

"We have to live together for a while, so get used to it. And just so you know, if you lay a single finger on Kkamangi, Asin won't let you off easy."

Noel yawned and began preparing some food. Watching him, Tam-rang looked back at Kkamangi and slowly extended a finger.

Chomp.

Kkamangi bit down without a moment's hesitation.

"…That hurts," Tam-rang muttered. His feelings were deeply hurt.

"Good to see you again." Noel greeted the ghost he had previously met at the bakery equipment store. He figured the ghost would still be at the shop today, so he had briefly called him out to a nearby alley.

The ghost's eyes darted around rapidly. Along with the cute cat and the terrifying entity he had seen last time, there was now an additional, incredibly gloomy presence.

"This is my god. She's not scary at all," Noel said, introducing Asin.

"I apologize for the other day. You seemed rather distressed," Asin said.

At her apology, Noel squinted at her. Back then, she had definitely looked at the ghost with gentle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes... but had she let too much of her desire slip?

"Chef. By any chance, do you remember what you said when we met yesterday?" Noel put on his most innocent expression.

"That I would do anything?"

"Yes. That. You remember, right?"

"I remember," the ghost nodded repeatedly.

"I'll grant your wish, so please be the chef at the bakery I'm going to open." Noel looked at the ghost with an earnest, pleading gaze.