Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 601

Side Story. 8

3.

“We are critically short on High Gods.”

The Divine Realm’s administrative conference. The expressions on the assembled gods were grave. An issue that was brought up at every meeting but for which no suitable solution could ever be found was once again the topic of discussion.

In any world, the role of the administrator is crucial for its proper functioning. It was only natural that the larger and more difficult to manage the world, the more the power of a higher-level being was needed. However, the reality of the Divine Realm was that the number of High Gods was less than twenty, while the number of dimensions was overflowing. Originally, the replenishment should have occurred naturally with the changing of the generations of the Spirit Kings, but because each Spirit King who disappeared refused the path of a god, there had been no change in personnel for tens of thousands of years.

“What good is it if the number of Middle and Lower Gods increases? There are areas that only High Gods can handle. The more fundamental parts need to be resolved.”

“But there’s nothing we can do about it. The souls of gods who could become High Gods keep heading to the mortal realm when it’s time for them to choose.”

“We need to coax them into becoming gods somehow! What are you doing in the Underworld that you can’t even persuade one of them?”

“We’re doing our best, okay? What do you want us to do when they refuse?”

“The problem is that once they go to the human world, it becomes even harder to persuade them. The more entangled they become with relationships, the more skeptical they are about becoming gods.”

“What if the next in line also refuses to become a god?”

The conference hall, filled with lamenting voices, blaming voices, and indignant voices, was in utter disarray. But no one could come up with a suitable solution. The last meeting had ended in the same way, leaving everyone with a sense of hopelessness.

“Then we just shouldn’t give them a choice.”

Suddenly, a languid voice was heard. Everyone turned to look in surprise. It was a man who had been lounging lazily with his legs up on the desk throughout the meeting.

He was strikingly handsome, with hair as dark as ink. The eyes that were revealed between his slightly opened eyelids were also black, as if they would swallow even light. He lowered his legs and sat up straight. That alone was enough to silence everyone.

Demon God Kanos. The strongest High God and the creator god of the Demon race. One of the Supreme Gods who had existed since the beginning of the Divine Realm, along with the Celestial God, the God of Fate, and the God of the Underworld.

During administrative conferences, the Supreme Gods took turns attending as representatives. Their position was akin to that of a chairman, so the direction of the meeting was determined by which Supreme God was in attendance that day.

In that sense, meetings held during the Demon God’s turn were always a failure. When it was his turn, Kanos would only fill the seat and rarely get involved in the meeting. It was fortunate if he even attended. Everyone had resigned themselves from the beginning of today’s meeting and had been treating his presence as if it didn’t exist. But for some reason, the Demon God had stepped forward. Kanos smiled faintly as he looked at the tense individuals.

“Who is next in line to make a choice?”

“Excuse me? Ah, that would probably be the current Elquines.”

The surroundings stirred briefly. The current Elquines was born as a complete being and was considered the strongest Elquines of all time. It was already publicly acknowledged that if he became a god, he could even rival the power of the Supreme Gods. A different light flickered in Kanos’s black eyes.

“Ah, is it finally time for him to disappear? It would be a waste for such a great figure to wander the human world without becoming a god. Perfect. Just send him to the Divine Realm.”

“But the Underworld has an obligation to explain all the rights given to a Spirit King who has disappeared. If he intends to choose the afterlife after hearing the explanation, he will strongly resist.”

“Have you only done business once or twice? Pretend to give him a choice and deceive him appropriately. He won’t know the structure of the Underworld since it’s his first time disappearing anyway. What’s the problem when he’s so innocent?”

No, don’t call this business.

The gods felt like crying, but they couldn’t bring themselves to show their dissatisfaction. Still, the problem that had never been resolved was solved, so the overall atmosphere was bright. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t considered forcing the issue. They just hadn’t been able to put it into practice because they feared the aftermath.

But if Kanos ordered it, the situation would change drastically. The Demon God didn’t usually do anything, but once he got involved, he was sure to handle things properly. Rather, once he started to step in, there was no one more reliable among the Supreme Gods.

Thus, the fate of one Spirit King was decided without his knowledge.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he instinctively felt that something was wrong. The first thing he saw was a deep gray color. Dark fog covered everything, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead. There seemed to be nothing wrong with his sensory functions, but he couldn’t gauge where the beginning and end were. But what was even more incomprehensible than being in this place was the fact that he was aware of this situation.

He should have been on the path of reincarnation, but all his memories were still clear. From finishing his life as a Spirit King and arriving in the Underworld, to hearing the explanation about his new life and even the moment he made his decision. None of it had disappeared or faded. Of course, it was difficult to see the current situation as being born in the Interdimensional Realm [realm between dimensions].

Could there have been a problem somewhere, or was this also part of the reincarnation process? He had accumulated a lot of knowledge through his long life, but the Underworld was still an unknown world to him. Since he was experiencing reincarnation for the first time, he couldn’t guess the cause, so he waited patiently. Whether it was an accident or a situation someone had intended, it couldn’t continue like this. He would be able to find out what happened if he stayed still.

“Welcome, Eluien.”

As expected, a vague echo was soon heard from within the fog. It was an unidentifiable voice, impossible to discern even the gender.

“Eluien? Is that what they’re calling me?”

“Yes, Eluien. It is your new name bestowed by the Main God.”

“…Main God?”

His face furrowed at the mention of an unexpected being. He had only learned that a Spirit King could become a god when he came to the Underworld. He was told that he could choose between the Divine Realm and the afterlife, and he had clearly chosen the afterlife. That meant becoming an ordinary member with a physical body. But why would the Main God interfere in that life? As his suspicion solidified into certainty, an unpleasant sensation washed over him.

“Reveal yourself.”

“That is not something I can do.”

“What do you mean?”

“This place is entirely your domain. Everything is achieved according to your will. If you wish to see, you will see.”

“…”

Was he merely a conscious entity that had not yet materialized? He sighed and roughly swept back his hair. And this time, he slowly turned around, imbuing his surroundings with ‘will’. As the thick fog rapidly cleared, the surrounding currents swirled fiercely. The heaving spaces took shape one by one before his eyes.

What was eventually completed was a massive citadel towering with an ivory glow. A sparkling pattern was engraved on the central pillar. It was the shape of a white snake coiling around a scale holding two weights.

After staring at the pattern for a moment, he—Eluien—slowly walked forward. A woman with long golden hair stood respectfully in front of the wide-open castle gate. He knew without having to confirm that she was the being who had been talking to him until just now. Seeing the six white wings on her back, he reaffirmed that his judgment was correct. Furthermore, he knew what he had to do now.

“Your name is Uriel. Begin what you must do.”

The moment the order was given, breath was instilled into the being recognized by the owner. Life began to flow into the body that had been frozen like a doll, and the focus of the empty eyes became clear. The newly created divine being respectfully bowed to its master.

“The angel Uriel greets her noble master. It is an honor to serve you.”

“I will ask one thing to confirm.”

“Yes, ask away.”

“Have I become a god?”

Uriel trembled slightly, sensing a cold rage from her master. However, the instinct to obey the master’s orders was stronger than fear for the divine race. A calm answer soon followed.

“Yes, you have. From today, Eluien, you are the god in charge of punishment and curses.”

Ha— Eluien laughed coldly. Even though he was only reconfirming what he had guessed, it wasn’t that this moment wasn’t absurd. It was even more so because he hadn’t even suspected that something like this would happen. He had been completely deceived. It was the first humiliation he had ever felt in his life.

* * *

“What is this?”

Eluien’s gaze was fixed on the pile of documents on the desk. There were countless documents piled up in the office, but he couldn’t mistake them for the existing ones. They clearly hadn’t been there until yesterday. Among the tense angels, Uriel cautiously replied.

“It is a report on the ecosystem changes in Byton.”

“Ecosystem changes?”

The piled-up documents floated into the air and spread out in front of him. Eluien slightly frowned as he read all the rapidly passing lines of text. All the recorded contents were lists of damages from the same incident.

“An entire kingdom has been annihilated.”

It wasn’t just the residents who had died. Not even a single blade of grass had survived, including the livestock. It was neither a scale that could happen in just a few hours nor something that could be done with human force. Eluien returned the documents to their original place and turned his gaze to Uriel, who was standing in front of him. Uriel, who had been waiting, calmly opened her mouth.

“Three demons ignored the barrier set up by the priests and invaded.”

“Where are they now?”

“I am sorry. We have not secured the criminals. By the time we grasped the situation, they had already hidden in the Demon Realm. The Demon King is feigning ignorance and claims that they cannot be handed over without the Demon God’s approval. We have sent a request for extradition to the Demon God as well, but…”

He didn’t need to hear the rest. They would have ignored it again. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. The Demon Realm, which was one of the major dimensions but closer to the mortal realm, was a special dimension in many ways. No one could interfere in the affairs of the Demon Realm except for the ruling god, Demon God Kanos. Even Kraze, the god of hell, another administrator, only provided minor assistance. Taking advantage of this, demons often caused accidents in other dimensions and hid in their own realm.

The dimension Byton, which Eluien was in charge of, was an unfortunate world that had been connected to the Demon Realm due to the foolish desires of a human. Because even the timeline was tied to the Demon Realm, it had become a resort where demons came and went as if it were their own home. As such, there were frequent incidents caused by demons.

But no matter how many crimes they committed, they often missed them if they didn’t deal with them on the spot. The biggest problem was that once they hid in the Demon Realm, there was no way to pull them out. They had sent several official letters to the Demon God regarding this, but the Demon God had not responded at all. It was even questionable whether they were even sending the official letters in the first place.

He had heard that the Demon God liked to wander around and rarely stayed in his palace, but he didn’t think he would neglect his duties. Or was it that he was ignoring the protests of a fledgling god who had just ascended to the throne?

“…Either way, he’s an unlucky bastard.”

“Excuse me?”

“No, never mind. Anyway, if we leave it like this, there will be no end to it.”

Being a pushover was enough for now. As he put down his quill and stood up from his seat, the angels who were in the middle of their work raised their heads in surprise. After instructing them to continue what they were doing, Eluien opened the door and walked out. Uriel, who had hurriedly followed her master, asked.

“Eluien, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the Demon God’s palace.”

Uriel’s eyes widened. It was the first time since becoming a god that her master had said he was going out. Eluien’s blue eyes shone coldly.

“If he doesn’t respond, I have no choice but to go find him myself. I need to see what kind of face he has.”

It sounded like he was going to slap that face while he was at it, but Uriel said nothing. She felt like it would be very satisfying.

“The Demon God is currently out.”

Eluien looked down at the black-winged angel who was anxiously watching him with a tense expression. The divine power flowing through his body was definitely that of the Demon God, but he could also feel the energy of another god. That meant he was an angel stolen from someone else. Moreover, he was a high-ranking divine being with six wings. He had heard rumors that the Demon God had a bad temper, but he was worse than he had imagined.

“What is the estimated time of return?”

“I am sorry. We do not know either.”

“Then I’ll wait inside.”

“Excuse me? But…”

“Well, it’s still my palace, so he’ll have to come back sometime, won’t he?”

Eluien ignored the flustered angel and walked straight inside. The other Demon God’s angels in the hall discovered him and stirred. Eluien was also briefly taken aback in another sense. There were more than ten angels at a glance, and all of them had the energy of another god mixed in.

“It’s getting worse and worse.”

At this point, he wondered if there were any angels who possessed only the Demon God’s energy. Eluien ignored the watching eyes and sat down on a chair in the hall. Uriel, who had quietly followed, stood behind him. The angel who had missed the chance to stop him at the door came in, pale-faced and flustered.

“This is really troubling.”

“What’s troubling?”

“Yes, yes?”

“Is it more troubling than me, who has been ignored despite sending dozens of official letters? Or is it more troubling than the humans who are killed in vain overnight and can’t even be investigated?”

“That, that…”

“It’s not something to argue with you about, so bring your master.”

Complete communication cannot be achieved with angels stolen from other gods. Still, since they were the Demon God’s property, they should be able to send an emergency signal to their master. The angels’ faces turned even paler. It was when they were exchanging glances, not knowing what to do.

“Lord Kanos is not someone you can meet in such a reckless manner.”

An angel walked out from the darkness inside. The woman with neatly arranged coral-colored hair had blood-red eyes.

“Lady Yubia!”

The faces of the angels who turned around lit up. A different light flickered in Eluien’s eyes as well. The angel who had appeared now possessed only the Demon God’s divine power. At a glance, she seemed to be the one in charge of the angels.

“I greet the God of Punishment. My name is Yubia.”

“Are you the Demon God’s chief angel?”

“Yes. I understand your anger, but the Demon God is a Supreme God. You cannot unilaterally request an audience like this without a prearranged appointment. Please show some respect.”

“It is you who are being excessively rude.”

Uriel’s face hardened. An audience was an expression used when the person seeking the meeting was of a higher status than the person being met. No matter how much of a Supreme God he was, the Demon God was also a High God like Eluien in terms of rank. It was not fitting and completely ignored this side. But Yubia didn’t care.

“The Demon God has existed since the beginning of the Divine Realm. His dignity cannot be compared to that of a newly born High God.”

“What is that…!”

“Did you just say dignity?”

Eluien, who gestured for Uriel, who was trying to protest again, to step back, opened his mouth. Yubia slightly lowered her eyes.

“A guy who can’t even handle his work properly is praised for his dignity just because he was born earlier. If the years one has lived are all that proves worth, then the Demon God must be quite a sight to behold.”

Yubia’s face hardened at the blatant sarcasm. Eluien slowly scanned her expression, then lowered his crossed legs and stood up from the chair.

“Now that I see it, he’s not even worth meeting. I wasted valuable time. But since I’ve come this far, I’ll say what I have to say. Go and tell your master.”

“I will listen.”

“I will give him a week from now. Tell him to cooperate with the extradition of the criminals within that time. If he doesn’t, I will go to the Demon Realm myself and kill them.”

Of course, the casualties that would occur in the process would not be limited to those involved in this incident. Invading the Demon God’s jurisdiction also meant that he was willing to wage war with him. Yubia, whose eyes were shaking, was about to open her mouth.

“Wow, that’s quite the fiery declaration of war, isn’t it?”

A cheerful voice filled with laughter was heard. Eluien turned his head and looked at the man who was there, not knowing when he had arrived. Dark black hair that slightly covered his shoulders and eyes that were even darker than that. Was it because of his white skin that contrasted with it? Even though it was just a simple combination of black, he was an unusually flamboyant man. He couldn’t help but know that he was the Demon God the moment he saw him. If someone with such an intense presence wasn’t the Demon God, it wouldn’t make sense.

‘Finally, I get to see that handsome face,’ Eluien thought simply, meeting the Demon God’s indifferent gaze. Kanos, who had a surprised expression, laughed lightly.