Ch.15250. The God is Watching Over Me!

Every world has its own unique worldview.

One yet all.

For instance, like how light was created when it was said “Let there be light,” and the world was formed.

Or how the world was composed from the body of a giant.

Or how the world was formed through divine intercourse.

Or how an egg broke, forming heaven and earth.

Or how a hill rose from the dark sea, and the first god who became noble established new creation and laws.

These are one yet two, two yet three, three yet four, four yet infinite.

Even that ultimately converges into one.

-It might sound strange, but that’s how it is.

And we have some clues to understand this more clearly, right?

-Remember how the Demon World Tree altered the demon realm at will to establish another world, then targeted you and affected the middle realm.

The Demon King explains further.

-Then wouldn’t the opposite be possible too?

Even if there are multiple worlds, what if we could choose the most appropriate one, the good one, the best one?

The opposite would be possible too, of course.

In the end, it is an observer and a supervisor.

Simultaneously, it is a being and law capable of intervention.

On one hand, it’s a system born to establish clear order so that worlds don’t mix chaotically.

-I suppose the World Tree is a similar entity with a similar role. Assuming that makes the story simpler.

The world is one yet not one.

But if we start dividing and splitting it piece by piece, the truth becomes fleeting, dim, and futile.

Truth must be singular yet clear, unwavering, and definitive.

What determines this is the entity tasked with the role of observer and supervisor.

From the middle realm’s perspective, the World Tree?

Then in the demon realm, wouldn’t it be the Demon World Tree?

-When you think about it, it’s inevitable that tree-worshipping beliefs and religions emerge.

Yes.

By that logic, it’s like saying it’s another god-like entity.

If everything we just assumed is possible, then it wouldn’t be wrong to call it another god.

“……”

Even if I understand, I merely understand.

It’s still difficult.

Kariel closed one eye in contemplation.

The Ice Sand Sea people.

Commonly called the Wikinggru, they had their own belief system.

Even by their standards, there was a version of heaven and hell as described in the Irenis faith, and the form their gods pursued was clearly established.

Those who revere and worship warriors.

Those who wish to reign as glorious warriors even in death.

What awaits them is the arrival of destruction, called the final trial.

Even in the Krik Vera mythology, the final phase speaks of destruction, and in what’s commonly known as Nordic mythology, there are stories of gods striving against destruction.

And.

In the Irenis faith too, they speak of the resurrected one, the savior, returning at the end of days.

Only the righteous and the good can be saved then… those who believe and are faithful.

But why do they all speak of destruction in the same way?

-The World Tree and the Demon World Tree probably share the same root.

“Root?”

After leaving the temple, following the large man, we were able to enter a small nomadic tribal village around sunset.

The one who came out to greet us… well, not exactly greet, but meet us.

Mergup, a man with red skin and a large build, was also a high-ranking priest in the tribe.

“……”

The first thing I felt when I saw him was a familiar unfamiliarity.

Except for his distinctly different skin color, he reminded me less of a human and more of… a somewhat smaller, skinnier ogre by their racial standards.

But upon reaching the tribal village, I glimpsed even more peculiar sights.

‘There’s not a single human here.’

Ogres, orcs, goblins, trolls, gnolls, and the closest to human appearance were just dwarves.

Their skin colors were uniformly very dark, as if by agreement.

Various non-human races caught my eye.

There were even elves, but… they seemed to have completely different habits from the elves we knew.

They wore leather and had bizarre tattoos all over their bodies, with intense light flowing from their eyes.

‘The forest folk would have been horrified if they saw this.’

Yet what’s fascinating is how these diverse racial groups mingle comfortably… how should I explain it?

There were even occasional beings with horse lower bodies and human upper bodies.

Exactly as described in myths and legends.

Besides, the livestock they raised seemed quite diverse.

When I asked about this, the answer was surprisingly simple.

They said what’s the point of racial distinctions when they worship the same god and share the same beliefs?

After all, everyone is a servant of god, and in the divine gaze, all are equally insignificant creatures.

Unless one is a hero exceptional enough to catch the god’s eye.

Ending my contemplation, I ask again.

“Did you mention parallel worlds or multiple, multidimensional worlds before?”

-Did I say that?

…Playing dumb.

Ignoring the Demon King’s puzzled attitude, I ask again.

“Skipping the complicated parts for now. So I should understand that the role of the World Tree and Demon World Tree is to protect the center of our world from all those many worlds?”

-Probably. And usually in such systems, there shouldn’t be personal will or opinions? Any private will. But seeing how the Demon World Tree is personally obsessed with you and holding grudges… the situation is quite serious.

At this point, it really seems like I’ve been cursed by the world.

…The problem is that this curse is one-sided malice shot from across the world.

Actually, it might be more of a tantrum than malice, but an ant crushed by a giant’s tantrum… well, there’s no point in discussing it further.

-Keep in mind that young Jephs’s proposal isn’t entirely bad.

“…I ignored the Demon King’s proposal, so how is his proposal any different?”

-Is your head stiff? Do you think the King of the World and a god or chief deity of a pantheon are equivalent concepts? Does the king of a small island look the same as the king of the world to you?

“……”

To me, they seem the same.

The point is that they can’t escape the limitations of kingship, right?

A king is ultimately in a position where they must struggle to protect rather than gain.

No matter how I look at it, it’s a losing position.

…But if one decides to accept the losses, they could indeed help many people, lead them, or have a positive influence.

However, I’ve seen all too well that good intentions don’t always lead to good results.

Wasn’t I partly responsible for such harm too?

-Don’t the power and wealth you could gain by ascending to that position appeal to you?

“That would bind me rather than truly free me, wouldn’t it?”

Whether feet bound by fear.

Or feet bound by pleasure.

Or being blinded by phenomena deemed good or bad, getting attached to them, and becoming immersed in them.

Isn’t it all the same in the end?

-…I’m not sure if you’re wise or just ignorant of the world because you haven’t tasted extreme experiences yet. Yes, that’s actually correct. This is why innocence is good, but still.

The Demon King looked somewhat disgruntled.

On the other hand, he was giving me an appreciative look, which made me frown involuntarily.

-But you know, that way of thinking itself is already not human…

At that moment, Zora, who had been peering into the temporary tent with her head bowed, was entering the tent.

“There are many fascinating things here. This kind of exchange as foreigners is usually impossible. Our Kariel has quite the talent.”

Surprisingly sociable, Zora seemed busy satisfying her personal curiosities by poking around here and there.

“By the way, when did you learn the local language? Your proficiency is extraordinary. How long have you been learning it?”

“…I’m curious about that too.”

I thought there was nothing, but with such a fraudulent ability, I should accept other shortcomings.

It’s just personally disappointing that I discovered these talents and abilities so late…

‘Is it really late?’

I was a bit confused.

But even if I had this talent, if I hadn’t met the Demon King, my situation wouldn’t have changed much.

Given the skills and results I needed at the time, this talent wouldn’t have been much help.

“If you can commune with gods, it means you have exceptional talent in that area too. Is that why? If you didn’t learn it, then it must have been acquired that way? Divine grace or blessing? If it’s like that… you’ve received revelations or oracles, which is why you’ve been so insistent on coming here?”

“……”

It seems that my conversation with Jephs appeared completely different to Zora and Mergup, who had entered the temple with me.

“From what I heard, it takes about twenty days to reach our destination if we ride beasts without local supplies.”

“Then…”

“On foot, it’s two months at the fastest? Longer if we’re slow?”

In other words, with my or Zora’s speed, we could move even faster.

“I’ve secured a rough map. But it’s not detailed… we’ll need to find landmarks to navigate, so we’ll have to pray for good luck.”

She’s certainly capable.

Every action has a reason.

And she still manages to satisfy her personal desires and interests.

“When you live long enough, you develop various skills.”

Zora, who had easily guessed my thoughts, turned her gaze to the small brazier burning inside the tent.

“Come to think of it, when you were talking to yourself, were you speaking with a ghost, spirit, evil spirit, or divine spirit? If that’s the case, you should have said so earlier.”

“……”

“If it’s for the sake of getting by, I completely understand. It’s quite common for unusual types like us to be treated strangely when we talk about such things.”

“It sounds like you’ve experienced that too.”

“When I was human, I was treated as more than just eccentric—I was treated as a possessed patient.”

“……”

“Even though I say human, since the worlds are different, in this case, it would be correct to say I was from the demon realm.”

So, despite appearances, she’s quite old?

“What does it feel like to receive divine revelations?”

“…I wonder.”

“Isn’t it unfair to answer like that when I asked?”

No, I really didn’t feel anything special.

At first, I almost got nervous… but thanks to the Demon King mocking and taunting Jephs, at some point, the tension completely collapsed.

To begin with, I’m not someone who has ever communed with or been possessed by gods.

“I think it’s better not to know.”

“Why?”

“If a god shows interest in you, isn’t it ultimately because they want to use you for some purpose?”

“Ah. Yes. That expression really hits home. It gave me chills.”

Zora quickly indicated her understanding with an exclamation.

“That could be extremely troublesome.”

“……”

As long as she understood, that’s fine.

The Lord is watching over me!

To be impressed and moved by this—I might have already reached the height of impiety.

Well, such anguish was already far too late by the time I allied with the Demon King.

====

And so.

After exactly 9 days and nights, we were finally able to reach that place.

The ruins of the fire giants, or whatever it was.

More precisely, a boundary that wasn’t quite a boundary.

From a high plateau that was like a cliff, we could barely take in the broken traces of an ancient civilization spread out far below us.