episode_0048

“So, this is the guy named Deshade?”

When we arrive at the resuscitation center, a priest serving Gaia welcomes us.

There are coffins containing bodies lined up neatly here and there, and it is said that these also have an expiration date.

So, wizards create new spare bodies at regular intervals, and the revival center takes over and manages them.

“Yes. So, it is called Kangshin… Kangrim. It is the body where the newly born God descends.”

I introduce myself to the priest for what may be the first time.

I think I should just make a sign and hang it saying, ‘This is the God.’

A stern-looking male priest wearing glasses looks around at the scene.

If Thistle were present, this would be an attitude that could be considered rude, but it cannot be helped since the priests who serve Gaia attracted people with a tendency to extremely reject other gods in the first place.

‘For humans, he is the only god who can sublimate great feats, so he has almost monopolized the popularity, but now that another god has suddenly appeared, he has no choice but to take this attitude.’

Still, sometimes, some people don’t even bother to hide how they look at me as if I’m a fraud, so I feel dirty as well.

The priest held us for more than 5 minutes and then let us go.

“Honestly, I have never seen the coming of God, so a low-ranking priest like me cannot dare to determine it, so I have no choice but to believe it. I will admit that there is such a sacred energy within my body. Have a relaxing time.”

“Thank you.”

I stared at him for so long that I thought he was being territorial and trying to disturb me, but in the end, I just ignored him because he was flawless.

‘Even though it is a radical religion, are we going to accept what we can acknowledge for now? In fact, all high-ranking priests, starting from the bishop level, followed the legions, so it might be better to avoid unnecessary conflicts.’

I think it probably passed easily because the superiors were absent.

“Then let’s go in.”

Deshade went inside first. We walk around the inside of a fairly tall but wide building and go to a corner where there are few people.

“Please look at this first.”

When a nearby coffin is opened to reveal a spare body, Deshade approaches and looks around.

A solid body without a soul that just looks like a white wood carving.

The hard texture looks like wood, but in reality, the white color is all made from meat that has been stretched and hardened. So, when you burn the body of a soul bottle, it smells like burning protein.

Deshade begins to examine the body that has not yet contained such a soul.

“Hmm. They were combined into one type without distinction between men and women. By not specifying the shape, we expanded its versatility… Come on, make me a knife and give it to me.”

“Here it is.”

He creates a magical sword and hands it over to Deshade, who cuts off his arm and examines the cross section.

“As expected. There was a passage for magical energy to pass through, but it was blocked. They were using a method of forcing the soul into another mold, so it was difficult to find a place.”

“What do you mean? You put it in a frame.”

“Let me explain it easily.”

Deshade stands up and comes from a nearby table with bread and a glass of water that someone appears to have left there for him to eat.

I don’t know whose food it is, but I think I’ll be a little sad when I find out that the bread was picked up with an iron glove.

“This bread is your soul, and the cup containing this water is your body.”

Deshade crumples the bread larger than the cup into the cup and fills it so that there is no empty space.

“If you want to put the bread named soul in a cup without it sticking out, you would normally prepare a cup large enough to fit the bread. Did you understand that if the cup is small, you need to make it larger, and if the cup is larger, it can hold a larger amount of bread?”

“Bread is the soul, and the cup is our body?”

“The front is right, the back is wrong. The cup refers not to the physical body but to the frame that will contain the soul. Ordinary people will sacrifice the feats they have accumulated throughout their lives, people who have lived ordinary lives will dedicate their small lives themselves, and people worthy of praise as heroes will dedicate lives of great value and develop the framework of their vessels through God.◦ #◦

It seemed to refer to a ceremony similar to the Day of Offering held by the Gaia Church.

Ordinary people here offer their accumulated achievements to the gods, and in return, their spiritual vessels grow larger.

There are other methods, but unless you are an Irregular with strange beliefs like Dheavl, humans generally follow this method.

“So, the frame of humans who have grown up and developed their souls naturally since childhood will naturally contain the soul normally. However, the bodies of these soul soldiers are very violent, unlike the normal frame.”

Shin took out the bread and this time he picked up a slipper next to him and tried to put it in the cup. Of course there is no way in.

“There’s no way it can get in, right?”

“Yes. As it is, you shouldn’t go in. It’s not like it was made to be put in. If it is not the size that suits you, then of course you should not enter it.”

Deshade wrestles with it for a while and eventually leaves the cup with the slipper sticking out.

“It’s not working well. Just listen as if you are now filling the slippers perfectly into the cup. In any case, as it is, the frame of the soul must match the size of the soul, and the passage for magic to flow must also be open for humans to live and grow. However, this crude body was created solely to cram your soul into an artificial vessel that cannot fit, so it lacks all additional parts.”

“The appearance of the original soul we had is different from the appearance of this artificial frame, so of course it is uncomfortable.”

“Yes. So, from the perspective of the gods in the sky, soul disease beings like you are conscious, but because they have created bodies, they only look like undead at best. It’s a body with a serious structural problem, so even gods won’t answer its calls, it won’t be able to grow, and that’s why you can’t use magical power.”

‘That’s why you can’t receive recovery magic, and why soul patients don’t accept your prayers on the Day of Offering.’

That they are using a body that does not meet the standards.

For that very reason, we were not treated properly as human beings even by the gods.

“So what can change if I use this?”

He takes out the core contained in the fighting doll’s body, which he kept in his pocket wrapped well in cloth to prevent it from breaking.

“The dolls were remotely controlled by wizards using the magic core you were carrying. Unless you put it in a body made entirely from scratch in the form of a doll, it won’t have any meaning right now. Since the body is blocked from magic in the first place, it will not be able to move even if a medium is inserted into it.”

“Holy shit.”

Apparently, spirit bottles and dolls seem to have different designs. The things I cherished most quickly became useless.

“… Then how can we strengthen the body we are in?”

From then on, Master continued to sulk at Deshade, but eventually he couldn’t hold back his curiosity and opened his mouth.

“Well, it might be possible if this body, which is very well versed in the human body, gets involved and rebuilds it from scratch.”

“Is that possible?”

I thought that at best I could strengthen my body in its current state, but I may be able to make a bigger difference than I thought.

“It is possible, but I only know it in an abstract way, based on my original knowledge. It might be a good idea to ask the people who made this exactly what materials are needed. For the time being, I’ll just do some tuning.”

‘That’s a bit of a waste.’

As expected, the newly born god was not omnipotent after all, so it appears that he could not figure out the specific design of the soul bottle.

That’s why I thought that the guys who designed the soul disease system were even more amazing. Although I don’t like cleaning up after it.

‘If I’m going to make something, I’ll take responsibility until the end and complete it properly.’

Later, through Feria, I thought I would somehow try to contact a wizard or alchemist who had done research on soul disease.

Master takes Deshade’s words and asks.

“Then what does it mean to coordinate?”

“It’s a simple thing. If your soul is round, you can only approximate its shape by making your body round. In order to create a body in earnest, you have to mix the basic ingredients again.”

Ultimately, you will need the help of a wizard or alchemist.

‘But how do I find someone I can trust?’

A similar person would be Gloria, but I got to know her thanks to Feria. Gloria is someone who is difficult to meet.

‘Shall we get introduced to a trustworthy connection from Feria?’

While I was thinking that, Deshade suggested a different method.

“But if you want to gain more strength, isn’t there another way other than creating a new body?”

“Is there another way?”

“Yes. There must be a way to receive the energy itself, even if it is not magical power, by making a contract with a more powerful being.”

“Where would you find such a being? We are bound by these restrictions, but the officers will never give us the time to search for such a being, and we will just be watching them do it.”

Deshade, who sounds at ease, shows the three-layer pattern on his neck.

Deshade looks at them and points to the bracelet on my arm along with the pattern on my neck.

“What’s on your arm and the pattern on your neck all have the same power.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Those things were limitations, but they didn’t seem to have any advantages. It would have been convenient if that was all it took to become stronger. But even though the officers use this to give us orders, we don’t feel like we’re getting much stronger.”

Deshade shakes his head at Hwarim’s answer.

“I guess humans misunderstand it too.”

‘There’s a better way to use Atyr?’

It seems that there are uses in God’s mind that we are not yet aware of.

“Do not tell this even if other officers, wizards, or other people ask about it.”

“Isn’t there a need for a more efficient way to use it? This is a request I don’t understand.”

“There is a reason for that.”

‘It might be better to cover this up here.’

Even if it is an efficient method of use, it may not be a good idea to reach the ears of officers. If it became known, it would only lead to further exploitation, so we made arrangements in advance to prevent it from being discovered.

If there is someone else holding the leash, it is better to keep them unaware.

Deshade changed the subject so that he could say no more.

“But in your opinion, Deshade, is it really possible to take out and put in souls at will like in our case?”

“That’s why I answered that I couldn’t touch your wish to remove the symbol on your neck. If it’s possible for me now, if I do it well, it’s possible to transfer my consciousness to another body or resurrect a body that has recently died. Massaging the soul itself like this is impossible and should not happen.”

“As expected from God’s perspective, this seems like a special case.”

“Yes. The idea of summoning spirits from the other world is a method that only humans came up with. Only humans who are not afraid of trampling on law and honor tried methods that no one else would try. It would have been impossible to even predict the success rate in the first place.”

“But it was successful.”

“Yes. The success may have been a coincidence. However.”

“Just?”

“Otherwise, I might have borrowed the power of the devil. When it becomes clear that this is the case, I have to step forward.”

I wonder what this means.

“What does it mean to step forward? Do you mean to punish me with heavenly punishment?”

“To be exact, it means that we must perform God’s duty rather than punishment from heaven. God’s only role is to stop everything related to the devil. God is a concept that originally exists as a position where one must gather strength to confront the devil. One day, it must come to the surface, absorb all the themes, and act as a breakwater to protect life on the ground from rampaging creatures. But honestly, no one seems to care about the other gods anymore except me.”

“Wait a minute. Does that mean that it also includes preventing the devil from coming?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

When I heard Deshade’s words, something came to mind.

‘then’

She decided to die alone in the lonely castle.

‘Astesia.’

That day when we had to leave because we couldn’t do anything on our own.

I thought saving her was an impossible task.

But the impossible may be possible.

That is, if there is Deshade.

“Deshade.”

“Why do you do that?”

“What would you do if there was a devil trying to descend to earth?”

As soon as I said those words, the air changed.

“What does that mean?”

God’s mood has changed.

Should we say that his status as a god has finally begun to emerge?

I felt like a stupid, one-sided thinker, but like a smart guy from the neighborhood.

However, the newly created god before my eyes began to radiate its hidden divine power.

Deshade asks the truth of what I said in a voice full of confidence.

“Speak bluntly. As a god, a being with a duty to stop the devil, I must listen closely to what you said.”

It informs such a god of the existence of the devil.

“There is a demon attempting to be resurrected using the body of a demon in a nearby castle as a medium.”

“There is a devil.”

Suddenly the earth began to tremble.

‘Is it anger?’

Deshade made no move. However, anyone can know the movement of the earth that is now trembling even if he does not say it directly.

The current tremors are the surrounding earth’s response to God’s anger.

God approaches me and places the gauntlet over my head. Still, since conscience exists as a god, it asks my opinion.

“Can I take a look inside your head for the full story?”

“Any amount.”

Reading thoughts doesn’t just happen for a day or two.

If it were possible to save Astesia, I wouldn’t mind this level of discomfort.

As Deshade placed the gauntlet over my head, a bright light erupted and I began to feel a bit motion sick.

It feels like something is violently moving through my head.

Since entering the demon’s castle, all of the conversations I’ve had with Astesia have flowed to Deshade.

However, after that, an unexpected side effect occurred, perhaps because this time it was for ‘reading’ thoughts rather than ‘seeing’ them.

“I see. I didn’t know something like that could happen so close by.”

“Woo….wayeeek.”

As soon as my hand left my head, I vomited on the floor.

“Are you okay?”

I feel a little more comfortable when my teacher pats me on the back.

While we are doing this, Deshade, who has accepted the entire memory in my head, understands the full story of the incident and makes a decision.

“If something like that happens, I’ll have to step forward. I haven’t forgotten my role as a god. If such a devil were to descend, it is my duty to stop it. Also, I have to save that girl.”

‘He is a very responsible god.’

But then a question arose.

“Deshade. I have a question.”

“something.”

Suddenly, the shaking of the ground stopped.

“Even if we leave it as is, if Astesia, a demon, takes the medicine and dies, wouldn’t the descent of the demon naturally also be non-existent? If so, wouldn’t it be okay to just leave it as is?”

Since this god was said to be a human god, it would not matter to him if he let Astesia, a demon, die.

Humans in the kingdom union refer purely to humans with round ears, and it does not include beastmen, elves, or other similar-looking heterogeneous races. The same goes for demons.

Nevertheless, Deshade clearly said that he would save the girl. He clearly stated that he would choose to save Astesia.

“What did I say I came down for?”

The question comes back as a question.

“Because I love human beauty so much that I want to see it in person?”

“No. Didn’t you say there was another reason?”

I remembered the story I had with Deshade in the cave, but it wasn’t the right answer.

At that moment, what Thistle had said before came back to me.

“He said he would listen to human suffering and grant any wish that could be granted.”

“Yes. You judged that demon woman to be human and wanted to save her.”

Deshade said as he wanted to put his hand on my shoulder.

“Humans are no different than humans. If you, a human, recognize demons as humans, then those demons also fall into the category of my salvation as humans. Your wish is to save that demon, so how can I pretend not to know?”

“… Thank you.”

Deshade. A god who grants human wishes.

But who decides the definition of a human being?

This god left it in the hands of humans.

Thanks to you, I have hope.

It is now possible to edit the last chapter of a fairy tale that has an unpleasant ending.

I was so moved that I momentarily thought about joining the church. I immediately remembered Thistle crying, so I stopped.

Still, the phenomenon of seeing a halo behind Deshade was not going away easily.

“Hey…perhaps.”

Before we knew it, Rinai, the priest, was approaching us.

I had forgotten about it because I couldn’t see it from the entrance, but since this is a revival center, it is natural that the priest, Linai, is there.

“Uh. Isn’t it Linai? What’s going on?”

“Oh, this is where I left my things.”

Linai’s eyes stayed behind me. It’s like a crying expression.

And soon I found out the cause.

“Ho, is that by any chance my lunch?”

“““Ah.”””

We stopped for a moment at the question in a trembling voice. And then we look around at the atrocities committed by us, Deshade to be exact.

The bread was cruelly crumpled and stuffed into a cup, then fell out and fell on the floor.

A cup with one side of the slipper forced into it.

And the slippers and cup had the word ‘Rinai’ engraved in cute little letters.

Soon, Linai had tears in her eyes and was on the verge of crying, so Master and I responded quickly.

“… sorry. I’ll buy you food. Why don’t you go out?”

“I’m really sorry. I absolutely did not have any ill feelings towards you, so please do not misunderstand.”

‘I can’t believe things ended up like this.’

While we were trying to calm down the crying Linai,

Deshade took action to thwart our efforts.

“Would you, by any chance, become my believer? You have a body that looks like it has a great future. Maybe it’s because I work hard every day, but I have strong arms.”

“Hee, hee!”

Drop- Drop-

Deshade, wearing black full-body armor, suddenly jumps out, approaches Linai, grabs her arm, massages it, and demands that she convert. Linai is so frightened that she ends up crying.

“Master. I’m dumping you.”

bang!

“Keuuk!”

Before I could finish speaking, Master jumped out and kicked Deshade away. Still, it seems that the teacher was a little considerate, so Shin, wearing the chest armor, flew away and landed his helmet on the bed on one side.

‘You put a lot of effort into kicking it.’

It was a clean kick that had never been seen even in battle.

And we carried Linai, who was shedding tears, out of the resuscitation center.