episode_0117

As soon as the earthquake subsided, the group began to get up from their seats.

“Julias. Are you okay?”

“Ugh, yes.”

It’s not like he’s okay, he got hit by a falling rock and blood is leaking out.

“Thank you. Hurry up and eat this.”

I immediately handed the canteen filled with sacred blood to Julias.

The group had quite anxious faces. Because I witnessed the power of the root snake, the god of destruction, right before my eyes. Even Jules has a puzzled look on his face.

─Maybe it’s because I’m old, but I don’t remember how much I talked about. For sure······.

“Please tell us about the identity of the flower that blooms in the heart.”

─Oh, that’s right. A flower that blooms in the heart.

Eyes like jade beads roll around.

─The flower that blooms in the heart has two powers. The reason for the totem’s existence is to benefit the world and to be able to transform the body beautifully.

I saw with my own eyes the transformation of the body.

I know that, but I don’t know what it means to benefit the world.

“I don’t think it will benefit the world at all. Could you please solve it and let me know?”

After a moment of silence, the root snake opened its mouth.

─You also have the Precious Blood, so why are you asking that?

···!

“This is…”

─Treating disease. Something that brings vitality. Depending on its use, it can even bring the dead back to life. Isn’t it perfect?

“If you eat a lot, won’t you become immortal? The demihumans crave blood like mosquitoes!”

─There is no such effect in the Precious Blood. That is an individual’s greed, not the fault of the flower blooming in the heart.

I was so dumbfounded that I was speechless.

···Personal greed? It was wrongly created to encourage individual greed and to be dominated by it…!

“If you are the servants who created the world, shouldn’t you first think about what would happen like this?!”

─It’s a lump of blood. I am not a servant. Just like you, they are their creatures. If servants were perfect, do you think this half-assed world would have been created?

“······.”

My head grew cold due to the root snake’s anger.

yes. In the end, the dragon is nothing more than a servant’s slave. The root snake began to speak.

─Venus’ totem has quite a few overlapping causal relationships. I won’t understand unless you explain it all.

“I’m sorry… I’d like you to explain everything.”

─But after that, I want to talk to you alone.

You want to be alone with me?

“···Grandpa?”

Hearing Jules’ trembling voice for the first time.

Jules eyes were shaking.

─Why are you doing that?

“Could it be that Si-hyeon was the reason why Hong Soo-rim’s owner got rid of Yeokrin? ”

─Yes. You’ve become more perceptive than before.

“······.”

Does this mean that the root snake had business with me from the beginning?

No matter which way you think about it, you can only imagine something ominous. But you can’t stop. You need to collect as much information as possible.

“Please explain.”

─Okay.

The corners of the root snake’s mouth rise.

─When it comes to totems, it would be good to give an example. The spy’s totem that is currently chasing me and swimming in the lava is the Root Village that Juyul mentioned. As befits his personality, it’s an invisible totem.

Honey mushrooms in Root Village?

Isn’t that something that received the protection of the Mother Goddess?

─Diana’s totem is a place called Ymir’s tomb, where four fingers are said to have been cut off. Because she liked noble things.

That’s… that’s a totem?

“Aren’t they all plants blessed by Mother Earth?”

─Wrong. The twin goddesses Earth Mother Goddess and Ceres joined forces to create it, and each servant’s wishes were added to it.

“···I don’t know.”

─Think of the plants around you. Vivid leaves without fallen leaves. A tree that is much taller than other places. Life soars endlessly.

······Resembles.

─Originally, it is right for leaves to fall and grow again. But there are no fallen leaves there. Do you know what it means not to?

I can get a feel for it, but it’s hard to define.

Therefore, I had no choice but to speak in abstract language.

“···Is it immortality?”

─It is eternal life. The flower that blooms in the heart was created by adding the twin goddesses’ life creation and endless vitality, and finally, Venus’s delicate personality and cursed polymorph ability were added.

“···A cursed ability?”

─Healing is a power derived from Venus’ polymorph ability. It involves taking injured organs, muscles, etc. and making them new according to the mold. The totem pays for the life force consumed there. So Amor could not die and became immortal.

If we compare it with what Julias said, it is a credible statement.

I’ve already heard that the body of someone with a congenital deformity can be transformed into a normal person according to the mold.

─Venus made the person who received the totem his agent, gave him a name, and began brainwashing his mind. To sacrifice for the world. To pursue a beautiful world.”

‘I thought about it carefully until my little friend came. Will I really be able to live in my next life without giving my strength to others? The answer is ‘no.’ It was. I will definitely help someone like I helped my little friend. In return, my family will die.’

What Amor said to me before he died hit me in the back.

These damn things…!!!

“Then Amor is…”

─He is a scapegoat. Amor is benefiting Ajin by sacrificing his life. It worked. Over the past few thousand years, the number of demi-humans who have survived thanks to Amor is in the hundreds of millions.

My heart doesn’t calm down.

It beats like a dragon and bursts out with passion.

“Doing such nonsense without even asking the individual’s opinion…!”

The corner of the root snake’s mouth goes up.

─Do you ask the will of the tool you made?

My heart sank.

Are people tools? I have no intention of letting Shir be used like this. That group of sociopaths don’t need respect.

“Is there anything we can do to prevent Amor from sacrificing himself?”

─Venus’ mind-altering magic focuses on changing one’s name. If you clearly remember your original name, you can resist brainwashing to some extent. If you resist for a long time, you develop tolerance. If that happens, there is no ability as good as that.

My guess was right!

There can be no good intentions in forcing a person to change their name!

“What do you mean by good?”

─Change in appearance means you can become an animal or a different person. You can have wings and fly in the sky, or swim in the water like a fish.

Immortal…!

Since their names haven’t been taken away, they can use their powers as they please!

Even though it couldn’t see, the root snake’s eyes became dark.

─Do you remember what the owner of the Calinarden said, as mentioned by Juyul? Beware of immortals. There is no way those who have tasted that kind of power would give up the ability called Polymorph.

“···Why does excessive consumption of sacred blood become immortal?”

─This is because the power of the three servants mixed in the blood flows into the body.

But for those without flowers blooming in their hearts, power is a limited resource. That’s why they always crave Precious Blood to replenish their power.

A feeling of uncontrollable anger erupted.

I somehow held it in and took a breath.

“······Why is it possible for Shir to change into something other than someone else’s ideal?”

─It’s because of you.

“Yes?”

─You have escaped brainwashing by having the agent recognize your real name.

Oh, I see.

······I guess I did a good job. You were doing well.

─In the past, Prometheus and Venus also respected the free will of demi-humans. I trusted Ain. Now, there are no servants who are as distrustful of human beings as those two.

I feel like my head is clogged with too much information.

So much so that I want to plunge my head into the cold, flowing underground water right now.

“Can you give me some advice?”

─Never call Amor Amor. Engrave your first name deep in your mind so you don’t forget it. Teach contemporary Amor the ability to transform. In some ways, Amor is the most powerful among the demi-humans.

Shirga?

“···Why?”

─Amor can change the structure of his body like a gargoyle, a member of Vulcanus. If you go one step further and become capable of precise physical transformation, you can even subdue a dragon with one hand. Immortals can be swatted away like flies.

The body of a living being is a microcosm, so there is no way that such a thing could be done easily. Even if it were possible, how could we convince Shir himself?

‘······I have to do it.’

It’s not a question of understanding. It must be done unconditionally.

I feel drained. Once I had a clear sense of purpose, I felt relieved and relaxed. Now, all we have to do is learn about the ‘agent’ that has become Shir.

“Finally… what is an agent?”

─I want to talk to you privately.

Only then did I have enough time to look at the group standing behind me.

Jules was looking at me in fascination, and so were the rest of the group. Among them, Jules was the one who came to his senses first.

“······Rootsnake wants a stand with Sihyeon.”

“? Sihyeon is doing it?”

“Okay, let’s avoid the seat.”

Jules takes Shir’s hand.

Since his name kept being mentioned during the conversation, Shir just stared at me blankly. Denis and Julias seemed to want to leave this place quickly, so they started heading out of the cave, following Shir, who was dragged out without even a single breath.

Suddenly, I feel like those two are mean.

─Sit down on the chair.

“···Yes.”

I sat down on the stone chair where Shir was sitting and faced the root snake from a distance.

─An agent is a kind of medium used by a servant to spread his will to the world. Each servant has an agent. I am also like Juyul’s younger blood relative. A totem of the Earth Mother and an agent of Ceres.

···Then this dragon is the same as Amor.

Isn’t that why he became close to Amor, and why is he telling everything to me, who wants the truth?

─In other words, it is a servant’s plaything.

“A plaything?”

─This world was created by a servant. The servant sprinkled the spices as it was convenient. All demi-humans can do whatever their servants want, but if a specific servant shares his or her power, the story changes. Other servants cannot interfere with the empowered demi-human unless the servant gives permission.

···Jul couldn’t remember Amor’s name, but Grace, the dragonian, still remembered Amor’s name.

─For example, Rotten Soul, Juriul said that you once saw a ghost in prison. But Juyul did not see the rotten soul.

Could it be that it was Pluto who cut down Sorshei at that time?

Are you putting restrictions on it so the gods can’t see it?

-But you saw a soul.

me? The point…

─Pluto has placed restrictions on the minds of all living beings so that they cannot notice the soul. But how do you think you could see it? It is a soul that is not visible even to Dragonia because it is allowed by other servants.

My body froze.

If this god’s follower finds out that I fell from this world through a pact with the devil, he might try to kill me.

─Do you know what the reason is?

“···I don’t know.”

-Because you are the devil’s agent.

······Devil’s agent? Who is the devil? After the accident, he stopped breathing.

Dantalian the Judge, the demon of goodness and generosity.

─That guy is the most demi-human servant I’ve ever seen. Good and generous, and breathes lies. I’ve never seen him collaborate with other servants.

The jade bead-like eyes of the beaked snake peeled off to the side, revealing the true eyes of the root snake. Clear, transparent… and creepy reptilian eyes. Why are you pretending you can’t see?

─He lies like a human being. He shows a generous side as a human being, and is good as a human being.

“Before…”

─Know that you are not the first person to suffer in this world after being deceived by Dantalian.

I’m not the first…?

Doubts spread uncontrollably. Something, I’m missing something. what? Why on earth? What makes me so anxious?

ah.

The angel knew of my existence from the very beginning.

Pluto warned me, and Venus penetrated the minds of all demi-humans, warning me again and again, and brainwashing those around her. Still, they couldn’t penetrate my mind.

I thought it was just a trick of the devil.

These are the creators of this world.

I killed Amor, Venus’ agent, and even received a warning from the servant myself to regain Shir’s name. Usually, when a variable does something like this, you have to step in and delete it, right?

Because I can’t control it! Because it’s rotten mold.

no! It’s not like this! The reason I’m anxious is────.

thud!

I felt like my heart would sink.

I’m out of breath. feel nausea. I feel like throwing up. My vision became blurry.

─He is also a servant. It’s natural to instill your own values into your agents. Think about it. Have you ever thought of yourself as being overly generous or kind?

The Root Snake’s words don’t reach my ears.

Only the woman he loved most in the world flashed before his eyes.

The greatest person in the world. The person I wanted to save even at the cost of my life. The person I loved most in the world.

“What do you mean by not keeping your promise…?”

What about your mother?

My mother had terminal liver cancer.

Put a hose on my stomach… drain the bile… lie down… and sit helplessly in front of the TV… right now… right now…

─Only he knows that.

no! This must be an angel’s trick!

“Well, don’t lie.”

─What I said is only a prediction.

“Aren’t you saying you can’t give a definite answer? Don’t say things like that! How many people are listening…”

The root snake is looking at me with its transparent eyes.

With eyes full of sympathy but not selflessness.

·

·

·

·

·

·

What have I done so far?

What on earth were you doing this for? I sold my soul to the devil to save my mother, and I was paying for that sin.

It was my karma. It was my original sin.

Your mother… passed away?

“Dantalian…”

This bastard…!

“Dantalian…!”

You bastard…!!!

“Dantalian───────!!!!!”

이 개새끼가!!!!