Chapter 218 – 212 – The World We Deserve
Mithra, who retreated behind the sun, wriggled with anger.
It’s my sister’s fault again. She failed because of Ishtar’s interference.
The reason Thena Everlight resisted him and drove him out to the spiritual world was thanks to the outside help that invaded her.
Many of the Demon King’s fragments were also destroyed. The remaining numbers will be busy maintaining control of the demon world. The work of purifying the world through fire and war was once again in vain.
That bitch. A year that is truly the source of all chaos and sin in this world. If Ishtar had not been born, he would not have had to experience this frustration.
God tore out his spiritual mane and cursed his flesh and blood. What should I do? What on earth would I have to do to defeat my sister?
He had wiped out all the believers with the intention of starving his sister to death, but to no avail. Ishtar, still alive and well, proved that she could ruin Mithra’s plans.
As long as there are people who seek fire, the faith of the oven will continue, and as long as there are people who challenge fishing in the ice sea, the god of the North Wind will be alive and well. As long as glamor, spontaneity, and excess remain in this world, my sister will cling to life persistently.
Therefore, in order to hunt Nui, a denser and more sophisticated trap is needed. After gathering his thoughts, Mithra began to plan a terrifying plan that would last for hundreds or even thousands of years.
First, let’s start with the task of creating a ‘perfect human being.’ Humanity had to improve. Even Edin, who seemed like an ideal superman in the past, couldn’t overcome his inner inferior desires.
In order to achieve Mithra’s worldview on earth, we must first devise a way to cut out human desires. In a world without humans drunk on passion, my sister will slowly starve to death…
But how to make it possible? Chastity belt and doctrine alone are not enough. Through what can we achieve vertical improvement that liberates us from desire?
Whipping and torture? Isolation and confinement? Poison? Surgical brain surgery? Artificial depression through changes in sunlight?
However, while Mithra was grinning as he imagined such a terrible thing, the earth shook greatly. A terrible plan that someone had been drawing up for hundreds or thousands of years had been completed.
Mithra hurriedly turned his head to the ground as he heard variable noise coming from somewhere. And he fell into deep fear.
The shell of the person trapped in the abyss was broken. The crumbs of sin and death are peeled off…
The great light was returning.
————-
“So it was like this.”
When an earthquake occurred beneath his feet, Edin was frightened and threw himself into the bottomless pit of the World Temple.
And he saw a miraculous sight. On the other hand, it was also a sight that completely denied one’s thousand years.
“If I hadn’t been so stubborn about carrying it alone. If that had been the case, Yerek, we would have…”
The demon spirit was cracking like porcelain that had been struck. Breaking the eggshell, a mysterious white creature was crawling out with dozens of arms stretched out.
It was certainly a sight that should have left one filled with fear of the unknown, but strangely enough, I did not feel afraid. Rather, I had a feeling that this was how it should be, that this was the right answer.
The warriors and porters who had completely subdued the demons by wielding countless despair traps were lifted by the flowing energy that filled the bottomless pit. The two fainted from exhaustion and were unable to keep themselves together.
However, although they may have lost sight of the sword of despair, the two are holding each other’s hands tightly and not letting go.
Edin’s balance was tipped. It wasn’t because of the strong wind in the bottomless pit. It was because Edin’s time had really run out.
Edin’s remaining knee crumbled like plaster, and he fell to his left side. The broken and split soul could no longer hold its existence in this world.
Edin thought that he did not want to accept such a quiet and meaningless end. But who can decide that?
In the end, didn’t he decide to die here? I don’t know if what I just saw was the Demon God’s end or a transformation, but it might be good luck to leave with at least that in mind.
Edin humbly closed his eyes.
“You don’t know what that is? You did it.”
No. This is what the children of this era have accomplished. I was just trapped for a thousand years as a result of my stubbornness.
“Not at all. You are also responsible for An-Anu’s change of heart. Haven’t you shown me that even after completely falling apart and failing, I can still come back and try to make things right? You have not only overcome our limits, but also our limits.” At the same time, you demonstrated your will to live, and the thousand years you endured opened the era of eternity that will continue.”
···Who is this? Who is speaking?
“That’s right, when you collapse like this from exhaustion from fighting, he’s the one who quietly picks you up and takes you to camp. He’s the one who carries weapons, laundry, and the entire camp on his back. He’s the one who stole a little bit of your reputation and sold it to achieve a golden return and a family with many children. It is also.”
Edin opened his crumbling eyelids. And she held back tears.
“He was a man who was openly envious of your beautiful stories, whose list was updated every day. He was jealous of you as a lover for monopolizing not only your numerous friends but even Evenna’s choice. He was also a man who respected you endlessly as a friend and ideological disciple.”
“···Jerek Pallandale?”
“Then who did you think would come to fetch you at the last moment? Yajin, the idiot who only knows a knife? Rezandartam, the lazy lizard? Of course, it was me. Wasn’t it always up to me to look after everyone?”
“… To be honest, I didn’t think I would see anyone again. I thought there would be nothing after I died.”
“For someone with such a scary view of the underworld, you volunteered for the demon seal. I hope I’m wrong. Now, catch him.”
Edin inadvertently grabbed Yerek’s hand. And after a while he realized that he was standing up with his good knee.
Before they knew it, they were in the middle of a hazy world filled with fog. As the warrior looked around blankly, Yereek took out his handkerchief and grabbed the warrior’s head as if he was used to it.
And he started wiping his tear-covered face.
“Okay, hmm.”
“···Are you treating me like a child?”
“It’s Kalbang’s timid revenge.”
“···I’ll figure it out myself.”
Edin, who was crying, took her handkerchief and blew his nose. And she spoke with a clearer voice.
“You still blame me, right? Jerek? I’m sorry, I committed an unforgivable sin against you-“
“Let’s stop there. We shouldn’t wallow in regret. Our dance was beautiful, even if it wasn’t perfect.”
Jerek Pallandale laughed cheerfully. It looked like there wasn’t even the slightest bit of sediment left.
“And when you get there, you will naturally realize that there is no need to truly apologize for anything. ‘Tat, tvam, asi.'”
“What do you mean…”
“You’ll find out when you go. And stop sniffling and straighten your face. There’s someone waiting for you.”
“Who?”
“If the person who came to pick you up is me, then who will be waiting for you?”
Edin, who was walking through the fog following Yerek, soon spotted the faint outline of a building. And soon I found out that it was an old inn that the party members had once used as a base.
Once, when she had to run errands and was late returning to the inn, she would wait for Edin at the entrance like that. Crossing her legs and drawing letters on the ground with her toes.
The fairy, who had been pouting her mouth, sensed her presence and raised her head. And Edin and Jerek, written in ancient language, scratched away with their shoes the traces of grumbling that could not be read anyway.
“···I guess I’m not as good with words compared to Yerek. I can’t think of any words that would fit this moment. So I’ll have to steal the words of great descendants I heard a while ago and use them.”
Edin couldn’t listen to her comrade’s request to stop sniffling. Once she burst out in tears, it didn’t seem like it would stop for a while.
It took quite a long time for her to conclude her words.
“I loved you too, Evena. That fact will remain the same until the moment all the stars go out.”
There is a story about a girl who loved a boy. There is also a story about a boy who loved a girl.
There are as many different journeys in the world as there are heads. One of them has just concluded.
———————
And the story of everyone else continues.
A strange earthquake that occurred in Dae-Elan about a year ago left no real casualties. However, it was inevitable that the world would tremble with anxiety.
That’s because the mysterious vibrations could be felt even from the other side of the world. It wasn’t powerful enough to knock anyone down anywhere. But at the same time, it was so intense that even the most insensitive person would jump up in surprise.
Thanks to this, the scholars of the Magic Tower suffered from ambivalence for a while. While I cheered at the interesting mystery, I was also troubled by it. This is because requests poured in from all over the world to immediately explain things that are still unknown.
When even the Magic Tower responded that they did not know the cause, Summeris arbitrarily assumed that this was Armatam’s weapon. At that moment, So Elan also entered a war stance against Dae Elan. Small countries made a fuss and strengthened their border defenses.
Military tension, once solidified, was not easily resolved. The process of rushing to the border and pointing spears and knives at each other was quick, but the process of retreating is bound to be much more difficult and slow. The king and lords walked slowly, looking at each other. Step by step with an unspoken agreement.
And of course, there were frequent cases where agreements were broken. Sometimes there were expansionists who wanted to charge forward.
When soldiers who are supposed to keep the distance run to the border screaming in pain, the people left behind suffer from a security vacuum.
Ordinary people in each country were not happy with this situation. At that time, monsters were running wild from all over, and the demand for hero parties was higher than ever.
Thanks to this, the Party Federation, which was suffering from a manpower shortage amid the boom, ended up raising the lower limit of the request fee significantly.
When the cost of safety becomes high, it is the way of the world that those at the lowest level suffer. Therefore, the atmosphere of Vyserk, a remote port city, was quite depressing.
“I’m scared, Dad. Will I be able to do it?”
“There is no one better suited than you, daughter. Now you are the mayor. And I call you mom.”
“···It was my dad.”
“I’m more used to being a mom now.”
The young female mayor of Vyserk made an effort to turn her head away from her aide father, who strangely seemed more satisfied with life after gender reassignment and rejuvenation.
It was not the time to get confused. It was time to negotiate with the fate of the city at stake.
Not long ago, a disaster occurred in Visserk. They became the target of a group of succubi, and many young men were turned into women.
Not everyone saw it as a tragedy, but life in the city became difficult as fishing and boating were disrupted.
So the young mayor, who took office immediately after graduating from Armatam University, took a bold step. She reorganized the city’s industries, focusing on distribution and tourism.
The result was successful. There were a strangely large number of people who came to see the musical performance of beautiful girls who had been shy men until recently.
However, the dark clouds over the city, which seemed like they would soon clear up, deepened again. A large group of monsters appeared targeting the city, surrounding the coastline and threatening it.
It was very fatal at a time when the principal money for inviting musicians or building a theater could not be recovered.
“There are too many enemies, Dad. It’s a scale that can’t be solved without a special express. But we don’t have the money to buy a special party.”
“I told you to call me mom, Yenika.”
“···Anyway, we must seize this opportunity. If not for this person, there will probably be no special class to fight for us.”
The young mayor, Yenica, shed tears of blood inside her, shaking off her remorse for her father. She should focus on negotiations.
Jenica entered her mayor’s office, trying to steady her breathing.
“It’s late.”
The passenger who introduced himself as a ‘special fighter’ was sitting on the mayor’s chair with his feet on the table. Yenica was quite embarrassed. It seemed that the ransom negotiations were close to pato before they even began.
That guess was wrong. Jenica was thankful she was wrong, and she jumped up.
“The price is-“
The top fighter sighed, lowered his hood and explained clearly.
Yenika was captivated by her opponent’s impressive appearance. Orange ears resembling a feline creature. A jawline that draws a beautiful arc yet embraces a wild nature.
And the eyes, with clear traces of tears and fatigue, seem to have a story that is difficult to explain.
“A few bottles of good liquor are enough. Something strong. Don’t ask why I’m paying in alcohol.”
“Is that okay?”
The fighter got irritated and took out a bottle of alcohol. Then, as Jenica looked on in horror, she gave the bottle a whirl and in an instant, the whole thing poured down her esophagus.
Even sailors who are heavy drinkers do not drink like that. Yenika was dumbfounded by the mysterious technique that seemed determined to kill her own liver.
Eshen wiped her mouth and hiccuped.
“It’s enough to just fall asleep. Ransom negotiations over? Where are they?”
