Ch.185Siblings (6)

“But before I tell you, I wish to ask your intentions.”

These were the words not of Rte, who held the list in his hands, but of the severed head placed beside him.

A head that spoke perfectly well without vocal cords or lungs. A being that couldn’t be explained by ordinary logic or science.

Something that could rightfully be called a god. The God of Dreams.

He gazed at Llewellyn with bright crimson eyes that hinted at a touch of madness.

“What do you intend to do when you meet the gods?”

“…I thought I had explained that before.”

“I merely made assumptions. They were mostly correct, but verbalizing it is important. I want to hear your thoughts from your own mouth.”

Llewellyn had just experienced the importance of verbalization moments ago.

He never realized how much difference it could make whether something was put into words or not.

So, persuaded by the God of Dreams, Llewellyn pondered.

After some thought, he responded with a question.

“What exactly do you want to know?”

“There are mainly two types of gods remaining in this land.”

An explanation Llewellyn had heard before. But he waited without interrupting.

“One type consists of those who, like me, chose to remain. Their reasons varied.”

The God of Dreams began with a sigh in his voice.

“Some out of compassion for humans, others because they had unfinished business, and a very small number… who were wary of the Great Ascension itself.”

They were right, in hindsight. From this passing remark, Llewellyn realized that Ortemilia had thoroughly explained the world to the God of Dreams.

“Their power is not particularly impressive. Most of them, anyway.”

“Are you one of them?”

“Compared to my prime, I too have essentially fallen. That’s how much time has passed. Seeing how gods are unknown to the world and all sorts of beings roam freely, I suspect the others are in similar situations.”

It’s commonly called the “sage time.”

A term for feeling emptiness, futility, and lethargy—usually experienced after sexual activity.

Yet the God of Dreams was experiencing this merely from learning about the world. Probably because he realized that gods had truly fallen.

So with another sigh, the God of Dreams continued.

“Some may have preserved their power, but not many, I imagine.”

“And the other type?”

“Gods who committed sins and were imprisoned, sealed, or abandoned.”

This time, there was no hint of his previous demeanor.

Rather, the God of Dreams adopted a deliberately serious tone, as if what he was about to say was particularly important.

“First, let me clarify that they aren’t necessarily evil gods. In fact… the pantheon was a place where both good and evil existed.”

When Llewellyn raised an eyebrow at this unexpected statement, his sister, who stood beside him holding her brother’s hand, spoke up.

“It’s all part of providence anyway, right?”

“Yes, indeed. Good, evil… perhaps even something in between was necessary to constitute this world. So as necessary evils, they always had their place in the pantheon.”

“Then who exactly are these sinners?”

With evil gods, good gods, and neutral gods all having their place in the pantheon.

Confused about what made some gods sinners, Llewellyn listened as the God of Dreams solemnly replied.

“Those who forgot their purpose and fell from grace.”

With those words, a dreamlike image appeared before Llewellyn’s eyes.

Something he hadn’t expected to see. It looked like the back of a man.

“Those who damaged the order and negatively influenced both good and evil.”

This time, he saw a pair of similar-looking men and women, though their faces were too blurred to make out clearly.

“And finally… those who, like the God of Craftsmanship, murdered other gods and indulged in their power.”

This time, nothing appeared. Perhaps because Llewellyn already knew someone who fit this description. As the dream faded, Llewellyn stared blankly at the God of Dreams.

“But these sinners don’t matter much. With some exceptions… most possess power that you may covet.”

“Are they strong?”

“Why would they be sinners if not for their strength? One can only commit sins when one has power.”

In other words, gods without power cannot even commit sins. Still not fully understanding, Llewellyn returned to the main point.

“So? What are you trying to say?”

“I want to hear what you intend to do. When you find these gods, what will you do? I want to hear your policy.”

Policy. Though the word seemed oddly formal, Llewellyn considered it.

Indeed, he hadn’t really decided what he would do.

He had always thought he should find gods and seek their power.

The transcendents he had faced were more formidable than expected, and he would need more power to fight Netel in the future.

In that context, divinity was as intuitive a power as levels.

Llewellyn became aware of his still-beating heart and the divinity residing within it.

And the miracle—the most powerful means to manifest that divinity.

Its effect was simple yet powerful.

It spreads divinity and perfectly reads and recalls the memories and life of one being within its range.

Then it allows complete mastery of one of that being’s skills, as if one were that person.

Not only could it supplement lacking skills, but it could also compensate for Llewellyn’s lack of experience.

The moment Llewellyn read and grasped Rie Hezedia’s life, he could block all attacks at her level.

And with physical abilities unmatched anywhere on this continent, he could handle any skill or experience in an even better way.

That was just the manifestation.

He hadn’t even reached transformation or realization yet.

Transformation reverses the process or results of manifestation to create entirely different effects, while realization is a compromise between transformation and manifestation, expressing them in a complete way.

He couldn’t even imagine how powerful these two would be.

They were powers he absolutely needed to acquire if he was to fight Netel.

But.

“…I’d prefer to talk and persuade them if possible.”

Llewellyn wasn’t living with the sole purpose of destroying all gods.

Rather, he believed gathering capable allies was better than monopolizing power for himself.

His life experiences had shaped him that way.

Without his lover and sister Yoon Se-ah standing right beside him, he wouldn’t have been able to live properly.

Without his landlady, he would have had no home to return to, and after his sister went missing, he would have been homeless.

Without friends, he wouldn’t have learned how to maintain healthy relationships, and thanks to good teachers, he was able to fill gaps in his knowledge and grow.

There were many others he was grateful to. The same held true after coming to Netel.

There wasn’t much Llewellyn could do alone. People are meant to live with other people.

Even after becoming a god, that remained true. Llewellyn was quite firm on this.

“Whether they help me or not, if they chose to remain in this land, their desires probably aren’t that different from mine.”

Llewellyn wanted to be happy.

Not just for himself. He wanted everyone around him to be happy too.

In other words, it could be called an ideal. It was a change created by the divinity Llewellyn had acquired, the mourning that surrounded his body, and the countless experiences he’d had in the two months since coming to this land.

Llewellyn spoke firmly.

“If I meet them, I’ll talk to them first. If there’s room for compromise, I’ll compromise. If there’s something to persuade, I’ll persuade. I’ll bring them back to the pantheon.”

Both the God of Dreams and Ortemilia looked at him with interest.

Beside them, Lucilla thought she would have to make decisions her brother couldn’t, but she kept this to herself.

“I’ll rebuild the pantheon. If they can’t be compromised with, if the world is better off without them… I’ll destroy them with my own hands. I’ll make their power mine.”

“What will you do with that power?”

“Live happily, of course.”

Without power, one cannot protect happiness. Especially in this land.

Fortunately, Llewellyn, being a homunculus, hadn’t lost everything from the start.

It had always been that way. Llewellyn was lucky.

Both as Yoon Se-jin and as Llewellyn.

But luck doesn’t last forever.

That’s why he needed more power.

“But that doesn’t mean I want to take down innocent gods. I should focus on the guilty ones.”

“How self-righteous. How will you determine that boundary?”

“I’ll have to listen carefully to those around me.”

Llewellyn didn’t consider himself wise or firmly principled.

He couldn’t throw himself into danger disregarding his own life when someone was in peril, and he might hesitate at crucial moments.

But he was surrounded by people.

People with diverse experiences and perspectives.

“You can advise me too. You seem… like a good god. With a sense of responsibility.”

“…Hmm, different from my first impression.”

“See, didn’t I tell you?”

Ortemilia crossed her arms with a satisfied smile, while the God of Dreams raised an eyebrow with interest.

Llewellyn smiled, and after exchanging glances with Ortemilia, the God of Dreams nodded.

“Very well. Then there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Ortemilia fluttered the document she had been holding and tossed it lightly.

The fluttering parchment flew toward Llewellyn’s hand, and he grasped it.

The parchment contained numerous names.

Actually, they were more like titles than names.

Llewellyn looked at the top of the list.

[God of Life and God of Death]

Even at a glance, they seemed powerful.

“…The God of Life and the God of Death. Once renowned as the most powerful gods, second only to the King of Gods—the God of Fire, Civilization, and Knowledge—they were siblings highly regarded in the pantheon.”

Siblings. Llewellyn flinched involuntarily, and Lucilla hesitated beside him.

Lucilla moved closer to look at the document and frowned.

“The God of Life was loved by both people and gods for her gentle yet passionate demeanor, while the God of Death was respected and feared for his businesslike yet compassionate nature. They were good gods.”

It didn’t make sense. Llewellyn looked at the document briefly, then raised his head to look at the God of Dreams.

“The God of Life and the God of Death cared for people with their powers and divinity, and governed their domains with order.”

The explanation was gentle. There seemed to be no ill feeling. But.

“…Then why are their names on the list of sinners?”

The God of Death and the God of Life were not on the list of gods who chose to remain, but on the list of sinners, right below the God of Craftsmanship.

To the confused Llewellyn, the God of Dreams answered.

“That was before the siblings joined together and consumed each other.”

A choice of words that made the siblings Llewellyn and Lucilla flinch. Regardless, the God of Dreams gave them time to process before continuing with what seemed like important information.

“The reason why all beings in this world live and die, why death inevitably follows life.”

[Mourning]

[Remaining Duration: 60 seconds]

Thump. His heart beat deeply. A sudden sense of dissonance and the unexpected activation of mourning. Llewellyn looked down at his chest in confusion.

“Despite the gods’ thorough efforts to prevent it, life and death mixed their bodies, completely blending the two.”

Belatedly realizing the source of the dissonance, Llewellyn looked up at the sky that couldn’t possibly be seen.

“They became one god—the God of Life and Death. Once a god that the ‘Steward’ loathed and hated.”

That hatred came directly from ‘Father.’