Chapter 576
The continent was flipped upside down. A nuclear bomb, the kind that would finally end the chaos caused by the council, had been dropped onto the surface.
Really, this wasn’t just any casual affair. Enen, who typically avoided communication with mortals unless absolutely necessary, had broken his silence and intervened in the human world. His voice, once reserved for popes, saints, and a handful of cardinals, now echoed across all the holy sites and churches throughout the continent.
This was no trivial matter. Even a simple council held by mere mortals grabbed the continent’s attention, let alone a direct address from a god.
“O-oh, my Lord! I have no regrets even if I die today!”
“I’m one lucky fellow! To be born in this era, blessed with the chance to hear Your voice!”
“Behold! The Lord’s gaze is ever upon us!”
The factions that had been shouting and arguing all over the continent suddenly transformed into a “We Are the World” choir, praising Enen and crying buckets.
The fact that they had been screaming at each other before only highlighted how devoted they were. For such pious believers, nothing could be more significant than the voice of their deity.
After a great cheer, these faithful souls started interpreting Enen’s remarks, rather than the council’s deliberations.
“The oldest worries and sins? What could that mean?”
“From what He said, it seems the negative elements have vanished…”
“Aren’t those the evil spirits mentioned in the scriptures? There’s a verse stating that with the righteous faith of the Lord, He sealed the continent’s worries and the sins of the sentient beings into the frozen wasteland—”
“Oh, I get it!”
Thanks to the dedicated interpretation of the believers, the process went remarkably quickly.
Given the impressive speed of their understanding, it was only natural. Among the Dawn Sect believers, there were plenty who could rattle off page numbers and verses from memory with just a gentle nudge. How could such people miss the opportunity to interpret the voice of their god?
Thus, the people of the continent came to realize that the evil spirits recorded in the scriptures were not just metaphorical— they actually existed, and they had been wiped away by someone’s hand.
“What a joyous occasion!”
“Even if I didn’t know those evil spirits existed, it’s still nice to hear they’re gone.”
“Today marks both the Lord’s arrival on the continent and the day evil vanished. It could be declared a festival without issue!”
As the interpretation spread, the mood across the continent took a sudden turn for the warmer. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago they had been quarreling with the opposing faction.
In any case, having concluded that the evil spirits had been dissolved, the believers turned to the next line for interpretation.
“The hero who overcame the evil spirits—”
“Of course, it must be Count Tailglehen.”
“Honestly, there’s no one else it could be.”
Results came in even faster than when interpreting the evil spirits.
“The blessings of the radiant sun indicate that the count is a blessed soul of the Lord, and the love of the heavens signifies that he’s the leader among the northern nobility.”
“And what about the grace of the foliage?”
“World Tree resurrection!”
Yeah, that was one swift interpretation. There was no need for the true believers of the sect to weigh in; even before the majority had discerned the concerns and sins spoken of by Enen as evil spirits, they could already guess the hero’s identity.
“Carl, why don’t you sit here for a moment?”
“Um… sure?”
As it turned out, those formerly terrifying evil gods had become comically harmless, and the family’s vigilance began to rise toward the heavens again.
Looks like we’re in serious trouble.
The summoning of the inquiry was pretty straightforward.
“Are those things truly evil spirits?”
Because of Enen’s announcement, my wives had grown suspicious of the existence of these evil spirits.
“I understand they can’t harm us. They’ve been quiet so far, and with the assurances from two gods, there’s no reason to doubt that.”
Having sensed the unusual atmosphere, Mar glanced at the evil gods pretending to sleep near Titi and then returned her gaze to me.
“However, if they were just simple evil spirits, I can’t imagine why Enen would express joy to the entire continent.”
“W-well, maybe he was just happy that the long-sealed evil spirits were finally gone?”
“That’s inherently suspicious. You imply that he wouldn’t bother to be joyful about nothing more than the disappearance of evil spirits that people don’t even recognize?”
That was pretty rational, and I was left speechless.
If those things were truly just weak spirits, Enen could have made them vanish with a simple flick of his finger. But the fact that they had been sealed away for hundreds of years suggested they were entities even he found difficult to dispose of.
Mar truly was sharp. She could spot the truth with even the smallest clues.
The problem was, that intelligence was now a dagger that would pry open my lies.
“Honestly, just tell me. I know they aren’t harmful, so I won’t be asking you to get rid of them or send them back.”
“Really?”
As soon as I said that, I quickly clamped my hand over my mouth.
What a moron. Asking if that was true was effectively confessing to a guilty conscience.
“Yes, really. Our Pedi loves them, so as a mother, I can’t just push them away.”
But Mar gave me a gracious smile in return.
It hurt. Even if it was well-intentioned lying to ease my family’s worries, I was deceiving this kind-hearted and generous wife of mine. This was a weight I would have to bear until the day I died.
“Actually…”
Gathering my courage, I finally spoke.
“They’re not evil spirits; they’re evil gods.”
And just like that, I, along with the eleven evil gods, was shown the door from my own mansion.
“Master! Where are we supposed to go now?”
“Why am I your master?”
The plucky little chick, the embodiment of Pride, opened its beak, prompting me to snap back in annoyance.
But after a moment, I sighed. Despite my initial irritation, in an objective sense, I did end up becoming their master. If I picked up some strays, I became responsible for them.
“There’s a lake nearby—”
Just as I was about to head for the refuge my father informed me about, a communication device in my pocket began to glow.
From the purple hue, it seemed the Emperor was calling.
—
Another Minister.
And it looked like this time, he was causing trouble.
‘Of all the things—now he’s claiming there are evil spirits?!’
I pressed my fingers against my temples in frustration, trying to suppress the headache.
I just couldn’t make sense of it. The guy was supposed to be chilling in the mansion but suddenly went off to eliminate some evil spirits? From the sounds of it, the scripture’s mention of the frozen wasteland seemed to be some remote area even north of the North. Did he voluntarily head there?
‘What, does he have extra time on his hands?’
How irritating. If I granted him leave, he shouldn’t be wandering about taking on evil spirits. If there’s time to spare, he should be serving the Empire and the citizens instead of gallivanting across the continent.
As much as I wanted to write up a general notice for him to return, I forced myself to hold back. Dismissing his honeymoon and parenting leave should be reserved for genuine emergencies. If I abused it out of spite, how could any bureaucrat feel secure enough to have kids in the future?
…
‘Still, with four kids already, would it really be that bad?’
For just a moment, the wicked whispers of the evil spirits echoed in my ear.
Strange. I had heard that the Minister had eliminated evil spirits, but are there remnants that survived?
If that was the case, my twisted anger and judgment would be directed toward the Minister for not dealing properly with those spirits. Whatever the case, it seemed that the Minister had failed to ensure total eradication.
– Knock knock
“Your Majesty, it’s the Information Minister.”
“Come in.”
I removed my hand from my forehead as I responded to the voice from beyond the door.
Honestly, he sure arrived quickly when called. Shouldn’t I just summon him every two hours to ensure he doesn’t end up in any bizarre situations?
That might not be the best method, but what can I say? He’s the one who has shown abnormal behavior.
‘Hmm?’
Then, as I carefully opened the door to let the Minister in, my head stiffened instantly.
“Oh, is this the Imperial Palace?”
“Wow, I didn’t think I’d see the Imperial Palace so soon!”
There, at the Minister’s feet, a gaggle of… animals? Huddled together.
Confusion engulfed me. Sure, thanks to the Minister, the palace had turned into a zoo, but these talking beasts? They were practically a species of their own—unless you wanted to scour the entire continent in vain.
“Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. How may I serve you?”
“What in the world did you bring from that frozen wasteland?”
The Minister opened his mouth with an enlightened expression at my words.
“They’re evil gods.”
…Not enlightenment; he must have lost his mind!
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