Chapter: 149
Language is one of the greatest weapons for intelligent beings.
By communicating smoothly with others, intelligent beings could gain even more.
Language was extremely important for those with intelligence.
Yet many still didn’t realize that it could also become a weakness.
“Hahaha! What’s this! It really works!”
I watched the countless debates happening among the elves with Baal.
“I just whispered a little, and they really believe it!”
“If a faint voice is heard when no one else is around, they’ll believe it’s their own thought.”
What I taught Baal was how to drop a little rumor.
In a solitary situation, you just whisper a very faint voice into their ears.
The reaction from those who heard it depended on their mental fortitude.
Someone with a strong mind might first dismiss it as an auditory hallucination, but if they keep hearing it, their mind starts to wobble.
For those with average mental fortitude, they’d waver a little right from the start until they eventually tip over.
And those with weak mental fortitude? They’d mistake that voice for their own thought and, if it keeps going, they’d lose their cool entirely.
Just by whispering a faint voice, all that becomes possible.
“By the way, it’s a total mess.”
“Well, everyone has opinions that clash. It’s natural for this chaos to arise.”
Of course, that applies to not just elves but also gods.
“If you become the king of the gods, you’re going to face much more than this. It’s up to you to manage and coordinate them.”
Gods are mostly just big blobs of ego.
It’s going to be way tougher than ruling over humans.
“Hmm… Can’t I just force them into submission?”
“If you rely on brute force, what will happen if someone stronger than you steps up and claims the throne? You’ll be the one flipped upside down. Sure, you could impose quick dominance with simple logic, but there’d be some serious backlash.”
Plus, if you suppress them with force, those you’ve pushed down will bounce back one day like a spring.
Unless you can hold them down forever, that is.
“Hmm… I don’t quite get it.”
“Well, for now, you don’t have to.”
You’re not the king of the gods yet, after all. There are still half of the other kids’ tests to go.
“This test… Honestly, I feel like I didn’t do much.”
“That’s true, but it was too tough for you to handle alone.”
Yggdrasil went too far this time. How could they throw something like that into the mix?
Honestly, it was impossible for Baal to tackle it by himself.
“Anyway, if I just keep whispering to guide them to eat fruit like this, it should work, right?”
“Yeah. If you do that, it might help balance out the elves’ meat-heavy diet a bit.”
Of course, it won’t change the fact that they’re still largely carnivorous. But hey, at least they’d start eating some fruit.
“If I had a bit more time, I could’ve swayed public opinion to get them eating plant leaves as well… but a month is just too short.”
“Plant leaves?”
“Yeah. According to Yggdrasil, plant leaves are no different from human hair. They grow continuously, and eventually fall off by themselves, just like hair.”
But let’s not ask if plants without leaves are balding. For them, being bald might be a huge tragedy.
“Anyway, if I create an atmosphere where it’s okay to eat fruit through public opinion manipulation like this, Yggdrasil’s test should be an easy pass.”
“Right. But, considering this test was assigned to me… doesn’t this seem like Gaia’s help was a bit excessive?”
Baal said, looking a bit worried.
Sure, I did assist him a lot… but honestly, it seemed Baal wouldn’t have managed such a hard test alone otherwise.
Would it be okay to hide the fact that I helped?
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Mom. No matter how hard the problem is, you shouldn’t just do everything for him like this.”
Under Shamash’s icy glare, I broke into a cold sweat.
Um. Well. I probably helped a little too much.
It was the same during the Sylphid and Yggdrasil tests. Honestly, the tests were so impossible that without my help, they wouldn’t have yielded any answers.
In reality, during the Sylphid test, Baal totally got pwned in the one-on-one race, and Yggdrasil’s test was something Baal couldn’t solve with just his wits.
Even though I knew it was kind of cheating, I had no choice but to pitch in.
And here I was, now busted for it.
“To be honest, I thought you’d give a little help, but this is pushing it. It’s practically like you solved the test!”
“But hear me out! The problem Yggdrasil gave was so difficult, there was absolutely no chance at all, right?”
“That’s exactly why it holds value as a test! If you assist him this much, what’s the point of even having the test?”
Shamash’s words felt like a reprimand. Being scolded by my own kid, how embarrassing. But yeah, I can’t really deny that I messed up.
“Well, Yggdrasil seems satisfied, at least…”
Yggdrasil, who was observing the elves, was beaming as some elves began putting fruit in their mouths.
“Stop dodging the issue! Shamash here! As the god of light, justice, and law! I shall punish Mom’s unfair actions!”
“Oh dear. My child is giving me a hard time! When I’m old, I’m just going to die!”
“Crocodile tears won’t work! You’re not even going to die to begin with!”
“Tch.”
Well, not much I can do now. I did break the rules, after all.
“As punishment! You’re forbidden from talking to that kid for the duration of the upcoming tests!”
“Ah, so that’s why you made Baal wait in the next room.”
“Yes! And he should stay with us during the rest of the tests! While we’re at it, make us tons of delicious stuff! And also… and also…”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do whatever you need, so don’t worry.”
It’s unavoidable. Apparently, they felt quite neglected by me.
Now all I can do is pray that Baal gets through the remaining tests well while I tend to the kiddos.
“Anyway, Yggdrasil, does this mean you’ve passed the test?”
“Yeah! To see those kids putting fruit in their mouths, it’s so moving!”
Yggdrasil looked genuinely joyful. It was delightful to see their worries ease.
“Honestly, I really wanted to fail the test because I helped you too much, but seeing Yggdrasil this happy… I guess I can’t do anything about it.”
“Hmm. So whose turn is it for the next test?”
At my question, Shamash pointed to themselves with their thumb and declared,
“The next test is mine! This one won’t be easy at all!”
Shamash triumphed proudly, puffing out their chest.
Hmm. At this point, it seems like they have no intention of testing Baal and just want to throw a tough challenge. I was just hoping for a fair test to verify his qualifications to be king of the gods.
“Well then, I’ll go fetch Baal. I need to tell him what the test is!”
Shamash said and went to grab Baal from the other room.
Hmm. Feeling a bit anxious. I’m worried about what kind of test Shamash is about to dish out.
But seeing that I can’t help Baal now, I can only hope he handles it well on his own.
“Here we go! I’ll announce the test now!”
Smothering the slight unease in my heart, I looked at Shamash as they brought Baal in.
The shining golden-haired beauty was leading in the sky-blue-haired boy.
Hmm. That’s quite the pairing, huh? Too bad neither of them seems to care about it.
“My test is…!!!”
Shamash pulled out a scroll from their bosom and dramatically unrolled it with a whoosh!
What was written on that scroll was,
“Bring that which has form but cannot be grasped, that which is on the opposite side of light!”
Ugh.
“Bring that which has form but cannot be grasped, on the opposite side of light…?”
“That’s…”
“No…”
The expressions on me and the kids turned icy as we realized what Shamash’s test meant.
No way, this is clearly a test to bring him, right?
Is it really okay to throw out a test like this? Neither I nor any of the other kids could find it after searching long and hard, and the only parts I could find were tiny fragments in the monsters’ magic stones.
You’re gonna make that the test? Seriously? For real?
This just screams you don’t want Baal to become the king of the gods, doesn’t it?
“Shamash… do you even have a conscience?!”
“Ahhhh! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you! Anyway! This is the test! You have a generous year! Even the smallest clue will do!!! Mom can’t help you anymore due to the cheating!! So go find it on your own!”
Shamash shouted that and shoved Baal out of the room.
Ugh. So this is it for making Baal the king of the gods.
Wait, but why all these ridiculously difficult tests? Couldn’t you just have a test that reasonably checks Baal’s abilities? Did you just not like him or something? Or have you pieced together that the “Gaia” Baal mentioned is actually me?!
I’m starting to feel a bit resentful toward these kids who don’t understand my feelings.
At this rate… my workload is just going to pile up even more.
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