Ch.357Spiritual Being (2)

Leaving the child who could read my innermost thoughts behind, I quickly got dressed and rushed to the temple.

I left the child with Arwen for now. It might take a long time, but identifying the child’s true nature was the priority.

The fact that the child resembled both me and Arwen was problematic enough, but the wings on its back were the most critical issue.

If this were revealed to the public without any preparation, I could confidently say the repercussions would be beyond imagination.

Unlike demons, angels only existed in records and were considered an extinct race. The myth that elves were their descendants was extremely well-known.

But suddenly, a being with angel wings appears? And a child resembling both me and Arwen?

Its mere existence would cause tectonic shifts, but combined with everything else, the situation would be truly dizzying.

Being half-killed by Marie was secondary; I needed to clearly understand exactly what kind of being this child was.

[In terms of race, it is indeed an angel.]

When I asked Luminus, he confirmed it was an angel. Upon hearing this, I let out a hollow laugh as dizziness washed over me.

In truth, I had instinctively sensed it was an angel when I saw the translucent wings on its back. But what about the sprout on its head?

It was certainly cute, but something didn’t seem right for it to be merely decorative. It wasn’t like some half-plant, half-animal creature.

[This requires some explanation. Do you know how angels are born?]

‘Um… no.’

Even I, who read many books, only vaguely understood the birth of angels.

Some say gods create them directly, while others claim they are born naturally.

Unlike demons, there’s so little known about angels that various theories circulate.

[Angels are beings born from powerful divine energy. Since they must serve by our side, they’re born with strong divine power.]

‘That’s difficult to understand. Do they just come into existence, unlike humans?’

[To explain in more detail, divine energy becomes a kind of seed. Angels are born from that seed.]

I nodded at those words. But doubts kept multiplying.

If angels are born through the divine energy of gods, why are there no angels now?

The story of angels breaking their own wings and becoming elves belongs to “mythology,” not history. It means it happened in the distant past.

Even during the demon war, angels didn’t help—they didn’t even exist—and the world was barely saved with the World Tree’s power.

Looking back at everything, the conclusion is clear. Currently, gods lack the capacity to create angels.

Why? Why can’t gods create angels anymore?

To honor the angels who broke their wings to atone for their sins? This lacks plausibility.

No matter what, they would have needed insurance when the demon war broke out. According to documents, each angel was extremely powerful.

So then…

[S-so that child was born through a kind of loophole. After 3000 years, the divine energy concentrated in the World Tree transformed into a seed with the help of the mother. That’s why there’s a sprout on the child’s head. Therefore, it’s more of a ‘spiritual being’ than an angel.]

As questions kept piling up, Luminus spoke with a slightly urgent voice.

I pushed aside my distracting thoughts and returned to the topic of the child.

‘So what do you mean by saying it’s an angel?’

[In human terms, it means it’s not a purebred. But being born from divine energy, it’s still a transcendent being. Strictly speaking, it would be correct to consider it a child of the World Tree.]

‘But it looks exactly like me?’

[Do you know what’s needed for a seed to sprout?]

Of course I do. Water, soil, and lastly, abundant nutrients.

[You have a blessing from your mother, so nutrients and soil are meaningless. Just by being near you, it could obtain nutrients.]

‘Then what about water?’

[Water comes from both your body and the child’s, doesn’t it?]

‘…’

Good heavens. Hearing Luminus’s answer, I felt my mind go blank.

I understand water is necessary, but replenishing it that way makes me truly sorry to the child. It’s not just unhygienic—it’s just… sorry.

But at the same time, it makes sense. There’s no liquid with more clearly imprinted genetic material than semen.

Perhaps that’s why it resembles me like a carbon copy. There’s no other explanation.

‘Is it similar to Aphrodite…?’

Everyone knows the birth story of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty in Greek and Roman mythology.

Following Gaia’s orders, Cronos cut off Uranus’s genitals, and the blood spilled into the sea.

Foam rose where the blood fell, and from that foam, Aphrodite was born.

There are other similar myths, so it’s not completely incomprehensible. I just feel a bit sorry for the child about the process.

‘…What if I had planted the seed in the ground?’

[It would have grown into an ordinary sacred tree, like the World Tree.]

‘If that’s all, why didn’t you tell me about the future?’

[A sacred tree growing in your territory versus an angel being born like now—just these two possibilities would split the world’s trunk into two.]

‘Ah.’

I understand immediately. The difference between the two is indeed beyond my imagination.

So that’s why it was called revealing heaven’s secrets. I nodded inwardly before questioning Luminus again.

Now that I knew the secret of the heavens, the remaining question was how to deal with this child.

One thing for sure is that its teeth are strong enough to chew up the World Tree’s seed. Plus, despite being newly born, it’s very strong.

Just thinking about it, the difficulty level is tremendous. I suddenly have to raise a child, but what can I do?

It’s a gift from Lady Hirt herself, so I should embrace it with love. Even if Marie kills me for it.

I laughed nervously while predicting the tidal wave that would surely come, when something suddenly occurred to me. I asked Luminus:

‘Then can’t Jin reincarnate as a transcendent being?’

In the Biography of Xenon, the World Tree exploded gloriously through the sacrifice of elven heroes, so it’s virtually impossible.

Of course, reincarnating as a mortal rather than a transcendent being would be different. For reference, Kayre is scheduled to be resurrected that way and reunite with Elisha.

This seems like another matter that needs slight adjustment. Also, divine energy can extend lifespan, so I could include Lilly in that.

‘Waiting decades for a reborn lover…’

Not bad. But as I said before, this is a kind of insurance.

First, I plan to go with the storyline where merging with the Great Demon’s soul leaves no option but annihilation.

I thought about this internally and returned to the main topic—the child’s treatment.

‘Is there anything I should be careful about?’

[Not particularly… but as you know, the child is inherently powerful, so you should be careful.]

‘I already suspected that. Anything else?’

[You can raise it as a normal child if you wish.]

That’s exactly what I don’t know! It’s troubling to suddenly have a child without any preparation.

If I left it with my parents, it would be an incredible burden. Moreover, the child already recognizes me and Arwen as its parents.

At first, I thought about leaving it with my parents, but that seemed too irresponsible, so I quickly discarded the idea.

Although the situation is absurd, it’s a gift from the goddess of nature herself, so I can’t really complain. I’ll just have to accept it.

[Give it plenty of love and cherish it from now on. It will surely be a great help to you and those you love.]

‘Of course I should. Oh, by the way, the child seems to have mind-reading abilities. Do all transcendent beings have that?’

[You can tell by how we read others’ minds. The child will have various abilities, but it will likely have “powers” similar to yours. Starting from being loved by animals to being able to rapidly grow plants.]

I nodded as I heard about the child’s potential. Even as a mixed-blood rather than purebred, it seems to be born with inherent powers.

The immediate concern is whether to announce the child’s existence or try to hide it until the end. The moment its identity is revealed, all kinds of waves will come.

But leaving it with Arwen bothers my conscience, so I couldn’t help but worry.

‘Let’s go back to the dormitory first. And…’

I need to prepare to be beaten by Marie. I let out a deep sigh in my complicated state.

She’s the one who will be most upset in this situation. She generously let go of the man she loves, only for him to return with a child?

I wouldn’t blame her if she went beyond being upset and filed for divorce. This is the worst-case scenario, but it’s not impossible.

[I’m sorry. Mother surely gave you this gift out of affection…]

‘It’s okay. Marie will understand.’

She’ll understand intellectually. But emotionally, that’s another story.

As I was about to end my communication with Luminus while planning the future bit by bit, something suddenly made me curious.

Perhaps because we were talking about angels, a question came to mind.

‘Luminus. You and Mora are Lady Hirt’s biological children, right?’

[Hm? Y-yes, that’s right.]

‘And angels are beings born through faith, not biological children.’

[…That’s correct.]

‘Then you two are…’

I started to ask a question but stopped midway, furrowing my brow.

What was I going to ask?

Everyone occasionally experiences forgetting what they were about to say. This happens especially often when searching the internet in my previous life.

That’s my current situation. I clearly had something to ask, but I couldn’t remember it.

More precisely, it felt like the memory had been completely erased. And I also felt a sense of déjà vu.

[My child?]

‘…It’s nothing. I’ll ask later. I’m sorry.’

[Alright. Do you have any other questions?]

‘No.’

My communication with Luminus ended there. I pushed down the inexplicable uneasiness deep into my heart and returned to my chamber.

And when I returned, what I saw was…

“Whoosh~!”

“Kyahaha!”

Arwen was using magic to levitate the child in the air. And the child was flapping its wings, gliding through the air.

Judging by the bright smiles on both their faces, they were truly having a good time.

“Ah. You’re back?”

Arwen greeted me with a welcoming expression when I returned. I smiled warmly at her, seeing how happy she looked.

To be honest, I thought she would be dragged around by the child, but the result was the opposite.

She then canceled her magic and placed the child on the soft bed.

The child, noticing me, blinked its golden eyes cutely before breaking into a bright smile.

“Appa!”

The child shouted and carefully climbed down from the bed. I told her to be careful and slowly approached.

This adorable child now fully recognizes me as its father. Although I suddenly became responsible for it, as Luminus said, I should raise it with love.

Moreover, since it was prophesied to be a great help to me and those around me in the future, it certainly won’t be a burden.

Tap tap tap tap!

The child runs eagerly toward me. Seeing even its translucent wings flapping, it really seems to like me.

I bent my waist slightly and spread my arms. It was an instinctive reaction, captivated by the child’s cuteness.

But until then, I had no idea how strong a child born as a transcendent being could be.

It was foolish to expect a newborn child to control its strength.

Hop!

The child lightly jumped and shot toward me like an arrow.

THUD!

“…Huh?”

As an indescribable pain surged up from below, I realized.