Chapter 495
The wrath of the heavens turned the god of flora into a god of brigands in an instant.
– …I know. My era has already passed, and I have neither the capability nor the desire to revive the old powers. Now, it’s the age of settled people, not nomads.
The eternal blue sky, with its bittersweet tone, continued as if overcome by emotion, its voice shaking slightly.
– So I thought I’d just hang around the World Tree like a lazy bum. Since I contributed to its revival, Constantine wouldn’t kick me out, and just taking a small portion of the divine power flowing through the World Tree should suffice for me to live as a god.
I knew this. I heard similar sentiments when I first encountered the eternal blue sky.
– Even if I stay quietly within the World Tree, I thought there would still be children in the North who remember me, which led me to this decision.
I bit my lip slightly, instinctively reminded of a certain marquis.
I must hold back. If I laugh now, the eternal blue sky might descend into the evil gods.
– But, but there are no kids in the North who worship me as a god…! Does it make sense for a god to have no followers, no matter how lazy they are?!
‘That is indeed strange.’
As soon as the eternal blue sky shrieked, I quickly fired back.
Honestly, even I find this situation a bit peculiar. What kind of god has no followers? It’s as if calling oneself a god without a congregation. Even the most dubious cult leader has a horde of followers!
– The only one I can call a follower is you! You believe in my existence, you bear my mark, you have divine artifacts, and we communicate! You are the only proof that I’m a god!
What a tear-jerking statement. The heretic who shattered his own faith claims that I am the only evidence of his divinity.
Just listening to him makes my heart feel tight. How on earth did we end up in such a convoluted mess?
– You’re taking away the only follower of this lazy bum? Even the one who aided in reviving the World Tree? And you still call yourself the mother of the flora?!
With a shout that seemed to erupt in anger, I remained silent.
In fact, I had a lot I wanted to say. I’m more of Enen’s follower than the eternal blue sky’s, and if we’re being strict, the situation is that the eternal blue sky covets Enen’s possessions. And now, Constantine, a new marauder, has barged in.
Or rather, is she even a marauder? At least Constantine doesn’t see me as her follower or honorary priest, right? She just expressed her gratitude for reviving the World Tree, after all.
Of course, I didn’t share those thoughts with the eternal blue sky. I have no intention of creating an evil god.
– You’re still as lively as ever.
As I thought of some appropriate comforting remarks, I suddenly heard Constantine’s voice ringing in my head.
What’s that? Why are you also speaking in my head? Do you think I’m some kind of communication relay?
– Hey! Get out of my devotee’s head! I’m the honorary priest!
The eternal blue sky seemed to share similar sentiments, showing an intense reaction.
– Your honorary priest? Not Enen’s blessed one?
– Eek…!
However, faced with the hard truth striking at my solar plexus, it seemed speechless.
– Moreover, it seems that Enen has often been indebted to you, and you seem to permit him to cling to this child. So, isn’t it fine for me too? I’m the closest follower to Enen!
– You’re just playing with elves and fairies! Your kin are over there!
– It’s only natural to show gratitude to the child who helped me reunite with them, right?
Listening to their heated—and one-sided—argument, I held onto Trixy’s hand beside me.
Let the gods work out their issues themselves. I’m in the midst of one of the few joyous occasions of my life.
“Carl?”
Trixy, who had been gazing absentmindedly at the World Tree, turned to me.
“It’s going to be an unforgettable day, isn’t it?”
I smiled brightly at Trixy and planted a kiss on her. Although the majority of the guests were focused on the resurrection of the World Tree and Constantine’s voice, this gathering remained our wedding, after all.
And this chaos would surely become a shining event of our wedding with the passage of time. As long as the World Tree thrives and the elven race exists—this wedding would forever be etched in history.
– I, I’m the god of the heavens! Once upon a time, I was the only god! So surely, I can afford to show some courtesy to elders!
– The sun embraces its followers with warmth, and the flora grows beside them. But the heavens, being a noble place that followers yearn for yet cannot reach, should more gracefully exist without any followers at all. Isn’t that the way of the heavens?
– What nonsense is that!
I tried to ignore the one-sided nature of their conversation.
– As civilization progresses, the value of the sun increases, and the weak seeds weave blue flora over time. However, the sky remains lofty and blue even through the eons. Thus, there’s no need to change and revolt against the natural order.
The gentle voice of Constantine sent a shiver through me, even as a bystander.
Though it was respectfully phrased, it really meant, ‘Your fall is only natural, so just sit quietly.’
I might be reading too much into it, but it does seem she’s pinpointing the downfall of the eternal blue sky.
– ….
The eternal blue sky fell silent at such a cruel remark—
– Huh…?
‘Oh.’
– Ah.
That one is crying.
The sky’s sorrow was both desolate and poignant.
– I didn’t do anything bad to you… I treated you well when you just became gods without being territorial or anything…
– Of course, I remember. If it weren’t for you, many gods would have collapsed before fulfilling their wishes. Even Enen didn’t speak it, but respected you.
– R-really?
– Yes. I respect you too, but I was a bit too casual since it’s been a while since we last met.
Still, I believe that the one who had been crying will settle down soon, as they’re being comforted earnestly.
More importantly, the glory days of the eternal blue sky seem even more splendid than I thought. Just piecing together fragmented information suggests a level of a primordial god, once unique, embracing even latecomers. Hearing a latecomer god say, “You’ve fallen,” might make one’s head understand, but their heart would surely feel a pang.
‘The downfall of the heavens is natural…’
Thinking back, the sun’s value is eternally firm, and the flora will cover the earth over time.
On the other hand, the position of the sky seems a bit ambiguous. In the past, it was revered as an unreachable ideal, but as humans progressed, they began to conquer the sky. However, once conquered, one can’t extract resources from it.
Right. This isn’t the eternal blue sky’s fault but rather a positional problem. If only it had been the universe, it would’ve still been thriving.
Or maybe not.
“Child.”
“Oh, Grandmother.”
As I sorted through my thoughts, my grandmother, who had been praying in front of the World Tree, approached me.
“I’m sorry. This was supposed to be your wedding, yet I got distracted by other matters.”
If even my grandmother, who was filled with excitement, seemed genuinely embarrassed, it must’ve been difficult for her.
“It’s alright. I understand the importance of the World Tree to the elves, and witnessing the revival of a god is truly a miraculous event. Seeing such auspicious occurrences back to back, perhaps today really is a special day.”
As I casually replied, my grandmother’s expression seemed to brighten a bit.
In fact, aside from her guilt, we’re really okay. Trixy, being half-elf, welcomed the revival of the World Tree, and as I thought earlier, I see this chaos as a factor that will enhance our wedding. It’s a gain, not a loss.
“…Um, but Grandmother. May I ask one thing?”
“Feel free to ask.”
If there’s one concern weighing on my mind, it would be,
“What is that?”
The red bird overhead was staring down at me.
It looked somewhat like a hawk, but upon closer inspection, what I thought were feathers were all flames. That crazy bird is setting fire to my wife’s grandmother’s head!
Fortunately, her hair wasn’t actually catching fire, which was a relief.
“Oh, this one.”
In response to my question, my grandmother spoke with an honorific tone.
I felt uneasy. What on earth is this hawk for my grandmother, the elven leader?
“He’s the Fire Spirit King.”
“What?”
A king…? That hawk?
I hadn’t even imagined such an identity; I gazed at the red hawk with quite the surprise. Since it appeared immediately after the revival of the World Tree, I had presumed it was some spirit or similar, but I never guessed it was a king.
And the bird responded to my gaze by opening its beak.
– ▷§▥＠▣※◎
?
What the hell? What is that supposed to mean?
With an unimaginable being spouting incomprehensible words, I could only blink dumbly. Is that the language of spirits? Even if he’s a spirit king, shouldn’t it be polite to speak the human language when entering the human world?
Given my reaction, the hawk shut its beak and then opened it again.
– 궔뙮댖쁥랪묃얎?
…
‘Did the translator break?’
What kind of creature is this?
After a few more attempts with communication errors, eventually, coherent language emerged from the hawk’s beak.
– Are you alright now?
“Yes…?”
– Phew, my bad. It’s been a long time since coming to this world, and I got confused about which language I should use. I thought I wouldn’t be coming back and had half-forgotten.
As the Fire Spirit King perched atop my head, I absentmindedly nodded.
It’s odd. Just a moment ago, it was babbling some bizarre language, and now, it sounded entirely human.
– By the way, I heard from Constantine that you assisted in the revival of the World Tree?
“It was just a coincidence.”
– No matter the cause, the result is what matters. Thank you! The spirit realm was so boring that I thought I’d lose my mind.
With a flap of its wings, the Fire Spirit King hopped onto my head, settling down in a posture like it was sitting on an egg.
It’s warm. Despite being entirely made of fire, it exudes a pleasantly warm sensation.
– Those guys also want to thank you—
– Kyaaaaaaaaaa!
Before the Fire Spirit King could finish its sentence, a blood-curdling scream echoed.
I quickly turned my head to the source, finding the serpent spirit circling the World Tree had been captured by fairies, now reduced to a rope tugging toy.
– That’s the Earth Spirit King.
“What an unfortunate sight.”
How did such a noble being end up in such a predicament?
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