Ch.188Life and Death (2)

“The God of Life and Death really said such a thing…?”

The God of Dreams spoke with disbelief, and since the Dream God was the only familiar face among the people and deities present, there were no other reactions.

“How strange. When they were imprisoned, they clearly said they had no regrets.”

“No regrets?”

“Yes. They claimed they had only done what lovers naturally do. How many bards’ songs were made about their behavior in the pantheon…”

The God of Dreams trailed off with a pained voice. The deity rolled their crimson eyes to look at Llewellyn.

“What do you intend to do?”

“I’m not sure.”

He withdrew, saying he would think about it. Even now, the God of Life and Death stood outside the walls like an inanimate object.

Just waiting for an answer in the middle of a demonic realm that would make ordinary beings lose their minds.

Recalling this fact didn’t exactly make Llewellyn feel guilty, but… somehow, looking at them made him uncomfortable.

No, was it even a “him”? He didn’t even know their gender. They were called siblings, but if they had merged, what would their gender be?

He didn’t know. All the parts that might have indicated gender were filled with ambiguity, neither male nor female.

So Llewellyn drummed his fingers on the table, revealing his discomfort, while his sister sitting beside him massaged his shoulders.

“Looking at the bigger picture.”

Amid this, it was Ortemilia who spoke up. Someone with the most realistic personality of anyone present, and also possessing a subtle madness.

“There are only two possible responses to choose from. Either we comply, or we do not.”

Llewellyn found this statement somewhat ambiguous, and indeed it was.

“Not whether we will do it or not?”

“We don’t know if we can do it, do we? Even if that’s not the issue, we can’t be certain of their true intentions.”

That was true. Llewellyn was grateful for having a companion who could identify problems he hadn’t thought of, though he was slightly irritated.

“What are you trying to say?”

Ortemilia knew that Llewellyn was channeling some displeasure into irritation.

And she had enough generosity not to dwell on it or take offense.

Still so young, she thought. Without showing it, she spoke calmly.

“It’s just a hypothesis, but what they want might not be separation.”

“Then what?”

“Well, that’s difficult to judge right now, but it’s likely not something beneficial to us.”

If it were mutually beneficial, there would be no reason to hide it.

Even if driven by greed, if both parties benefit, social relationships would lead to disclosure of the facts.

So if they were hiding something that could be interpreted as mutually beneficial, it could typically be interpreted like this:

They were concealing some scheme, and it might not only benefit the proposer but could also harm the one receiving the proposal.

Though this might be an overinterpretation, it was natural when dealing with an incomprehensible deity.

One mistake, one wrong decision could be life-threatening. In any slightly barbaric world, this was a given.

Not just in Netel, but everywhere. Therefore, decisions must be made carefully. Llewellyn was someone who understood at least that much.

“So what should we do?”

His sister, who had been massaging his shoulders, spoke. She was now a sister who had no hesitation in massaging, touching, or holding her brother’s hand.

Originally, she had been hesitant, fearing cold rejection like in middle school despite her natural closeness with her brother.

But since becoming lovers with her brother, she no longer hesitated.

She stopped massaging his shoulders and moved closer, resting her head on them.

‘Didn’t they say they were siblings? Why are they so intimate?’

The God of Dreams thought but didn’t voice this, while Ortemilia observed the pair with her emotionless vertical pupils before speaking.

“First, shouldn’t we gather more information? What the God of Dreams knows, what I know… plus what we can discover through observation or draw out through conversation. We should integrate everything before making a decision.”

A sound argument. This was a moment that required careful decision-making more than ever. Llewellyn pouted with some dissatisfaction but remained quiet, unable to find grounds for refusal.

“And in my view, that role would be better suited for you, God of Dreams.”

“…That’s sudden.”

“Judging by its demeanor then, it doesn’t seem to consider me or Lucilla as equals. As a deity of equal standing, you need to draw out information through conversation.”

Another sound argument. Sometimes she might act strangely, like serving eggs or doing odd things.

From Llewellyn’s perspective, Ortemilia had the air of an extremely pragmatic scientist with a subtle madness.

Being called an alchemist fit that image. She was versatile, skilled in crafting magical items and proficient in all kinds of magic.

Yet she chose the opposite path from honing magic to cultivate power.

Llewellyn felt some dissonance but had spent enough time with Ortemilia to accept it.

It also helped that she filled the void of a mother’s presence he had never experienced.

“Then what about us?”

So Llewellyn naturally asked Ortemilia about the next plan.

“…Isn’t that for you to decide?”

At Ortemilia’s words, he blinked.

Ah, right. I’m the leader. With this newfound realization, Llewellyn pondered briefly.

It was shortly after that when Arba came to visit.

“Is your offer to take us in still valid?”

It was an abrupt question. But it wasn’t unreasonable to bring up.

Not knowing proper guest etiquette, Llewellyn brought out drinks as he would when his sister’s friends visited. Arba found it odd to receive a drink in her own building but quietly accepted the tea.

To Llewellyn, she appeared extremely elegant.

They say all knights are nobles, and she certainly had a noble charm.

He almost laughed, imagining Arba in a dress, thinking she might have been a young lady in her youth.

But he managed to hold back with what he felt was superhuman patience.

He always tended to be optimistic to the extreme in his self-assessment.

Arba read his expression and frowned slightly before quickly composing herself.

Though as a beastkin, her expressions weren’t fully visible to humans anyway.

“So, why did you suddenly decide to accept the proposal?”

Llewellyn waited until she had calmed down before speaking, and Arba sighed while fidgeting with her teacup using her ambiguous forepaws-hands that were neither lion nor human.

“Is it because of that? That… monster?”

The God of Life and Death was an incredibly bizarre monster even by Llewellyn’s standards, which were informed by various media.

If one didn’t know it was a deity, they might think it was a boss monster or a failed masterpiece of the three races, given its appearance.

Its abilities were also extraordinary. Even with Llewellyn’s 22 points in dexterity, he couldn’t perceive its ultra-acceleration, and it remained unscathed after being directly hit by his sister’s powerful attack, the Star Flame.

Later, Yoon Se-ah herself told him that even the monster Tarrasque, level 15 with 24 health points, would lose a limb from a direct hit by Star Flame.

Just by looking, it seemed likely that this being had health points exceeding Llewellyn’s.

Of course, like the God of Craftsmanship they had fought before, it might be using some means of substitution.

Either way, it was clearly not something to be taken lightly.

Llewellyn initially assumed that Arba had decided to accept the proposal because of the God of Life and Death.

But the truth he heard next was different.

A female beastkin knight and one of the rebellion’s leaders.

Arba took pride in her city.

But that pride was directed not so much at the city itself but at her subordinates who maintained and protected it, and at the city that had been quickly established and sustained on the foundation of an ancient city.

It was limited to that, not directed at the city’s inhabitants.

That’s why, while she cherished and protected the city of Arba, she sometimes felt irritated.

Because there were too many variables in the city.

Countless things that prevented normal city management.

Assassins, black mages, cultists who worshipped black mages like gods, cannibals.

The last one, the cannibals, were the most troublesome.

They had been somewhat manageable when the Cannibal Baron was sane, but after Baron Dasril died, even that became difficult.

To make matters worse, there were rumors of a new power emerging among the cannibals recently.

Those who consumed more human flesh were suddenly becoming stronger, which was extremely problematic.

And that wasn’t all.

“Drug dealers and cannibals are cooperating?”

“Yes. Suddenly, those already troublesome individuals are becoming drug-addicted cannibals.”

Drug-addicted cannibals.

Llewellyn mulled over what he had heard, his expression becoming extremely perplexed.

One might think that already troublesome individuals taking drugs wouldn’t change much, but Arba was no ordinary person who couldn’t handle such matters.

She had once been among the highest ranks of the rebellion’s leadership, a close confidant of Ethan the Star Blade, who could be called the leader, and a skilled knight.

She had excellently trained her subordinates to perform beyond their duties, and she was excellent at commanding them.

If someone like her called something troublesome, it must be no ordinary matter. Llewellyn looked at her at this point.

“So?”

“If your offer is still valid, I’m thinking of relocating the city of Arba to… the place you proposed.”

Llewellyn thought the problem must have become quite troublesome.

Considering she was thinking of abandoning what they had built and relocating.

But that was just Llewellyn’s impression, and Lucilla seemed to think differently.

Lucilla crossed her arms and legs, glaring at Arba with cold eyes.

Perhaps because she could truly kill with just her gaze, Arba shuddered under the infamous “Annihilation’s” stare.

“Seems like there’s another reason. Why don’t you just tell us?”

Huh, is there? Unlike Llewellyn’s clueless expression, Arba displayed deep conflict on her face before sighing.

Along with that sigh came a lament.

A story that made even the impassive Lucilla frown slightly.

To summarize that story:

“The demonic realm is expanding…?”

“Yes, we didn’t know the cause until now, but now I understand.”

Looking at Llewellyn’s surprised face, Arba lamented with her characteristically sleek lion face.

“That monster was the cause.”

The God of Life and Death standing outside the walls.

Arba was pointing to that deity as the cause.