Chapter: 193
“Excuse me? You’re saying you will reincarnate a god as a human? Isn’t that unprecedented?”
After finishing my conversation with Baal, I relayed the discussion to Thanatos, who reacted with considerable surprise.
“While it is certainly unprecedented, I believe it’s not impossible.”
“Well… Hmm, if we treat a god’s soul similarly to that of an ordinary creature, it might be feasible. However, considering how a soul interacts with a physical body, it would most likely reincarnate with abilities far beyond an ordinary human. We can’t ignore the potential for other issues arising from that.”
“Other issues? For example?”
After pondering my question for a moment, Thanatos replied.
“Wouldn’t the first issue be whether the god’s soul reincarnated as a human can be judged by the same standards as regular humans after death?”
“Hmm… So you mean, just because it’s a god’s soul, it shouldn’t face judgment based on ordinary human standards?”
“Exactly. Even though it’s a god’s soul, if it were to be tried based on the same criteria that apply to other humans, it would be problematic. Therefore, we would need stricter criteria that fit the capabilities of a god’s soul.”
Thinking this through… It makes sense. If a god’s soul possesses significant potential, judging it on human standards would indeed raise concerns about fairness.
This is something I really need to ensure is in order. Perhaps even stricter standards should apply since it’s a god’s soul.
We may need to discuss these new standards with the other deities of the Underworld.
After all, aside from Baal, there may be other gods who might find themselves forcibly dethroned and reincarnated as humans.
It makes sense to prepare for that outcome.
“Let’s set new standards for cases where divine spirits reincarnate as humans. Unlike ordinary souls, they will naturally possess superior abilities, so we ought to establish stricter criteria.”
If a human carries a divine soul, then undoubtedly, if such a being commits an offense, their crime will be far greater than that of a regular human.
Thus, they must be punished accordingly.
“Understood. If you set those standards, I will consult with others and make final decisions that align with them.”
“Hmm… If you need assistance, I’m more than willing to join in.”
“I appreciate you offering help despite your busy schedule, but I believe we can handle the rest with just Hades and the rest of us as long as we have those broad standards in place.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“Yes. Once we resolve the standard issue concerning divine souls, everything else will follow seamlessly.”
Indeed, it’s reassuring to trust the experts in that line of work.
They’ve spent enough time judging in the Underworld, so it naturally follows that their experience counts for something.
“Then, I’ll leave the rest to you. And please take good care of Baal.”
“Yes. Leave it to us.”
While I wished I could uplift that gloomy guy somehow… I felt that anything I said at this moment would have a counterproductive effect.
I could only hope that he takes this opportunity to rest from his human life and… that his tired soul can recover.
Until that day comes, Baal’s divine seat will remain vacant.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Is the investigation going well?”
I was in a room provided by Huang Dong-gyeong to research the King of the Gods. The walls were covered with countless notes.
I had been living here daily, rummaging through numerous books to find clues, but had yet to achieve any significant results when Huang Dong-gyeong came to visit.
“As you can see… I’ve managed to find a few small leads, but they aren’t enough to grasp the situation.”
I had found minor references to the sky in dwarven tales and folklore, mainly depicting a negative or observational role. However, there was no direct evidence linking it to Baal.
While studying dwarven myths had been quite enjoyable, I was starting to get bored with the sheer volume of them, which numbered in the hundreds and thousands.
At this rate… I’d only be continuing on a fruitless investigation. I needed some kind of turning point…
“I see. In that case, how about these?”
Huang Dong-gyeong motioned to the attendants standing at the back, and they placed well-bound stacks of old books in one corner of the room.
A considerable number of ancient texts that seemed to boast an extraordinary history even from my limited knowledge.
Looking at those books that would fit better in a museum than anywhere else, I had no words.
“By the looks on your face, it seems I’ve managed to procure some decent items.”
“What are these books…?”
“Since it seemed that you were not making much progress in your investigation, I leveraged my personal connections to gather books from various sources. I’ve focused on works from before the Empire was founded, as well as some local folklore. Though asking elves for help was somewhat distasteful…”
Elven texts? Now that I paid attention, there were indeed some that were written on very old parchment.
Given that elves hardly use plant-based materials, any book made from parchment would be elven in origin.
If elves, who live for a thousand years, recorded these books… there might even be truths documented before humanity began to record history.
“If that’s true… most human historians would pay a fortune just to read a line from those books.”
“Exactly! They were that valuable. In any case, I managed to acquire these books after exerting my utmost efforts. Please don’t damage them. If we return them safely, we can switch to a loan instead of a purchase, and part of the cost will be refunded.”
It must have been quite a significant expense for Huang Dong-gyeong to collect this many books.
“Thank you very much.”
“Well, if you’re grateful, make sure you find some leads. I can’t keep pouring unlimited resources into this.”
I nodded slightly at Huang Dong-gyeong’s words. With this level of investment, I needed to yield at least a bit of a result to call myself a man.
I gazed at the towering pile of books and internally vowed to myself.
……
A month later.
“This is…”
I swallowed hard as I looked at the clues connected to the pinned notes.
“If this is true, it will create quite a stir in the academic world.”
What began as a search for the god titled King of the Gods had led to a fact that would greatly impact both theology and history.
The notes contained the names of numerous deities.
Far exceeding the number of gods currently listed in the pantheon, it was a staggering amount.
These were gods from an era that purportedly walked the earth.
The Age of the Gods.
But the truth was different.
The Age of the Gods wasn’t an era when gods roamed the earth.
Strictly speaking, the Age of the Gods was… an era when countless gods flourished, only to vanish due to unforeseen events.
It would be more accurate to call it the Era of the Fall of the Gods.
And perhaps… it would be reasonable to deduce that Baal, the god known as the King of the Gods, also vanished due to the consequences of such a fall.
However…
“What caused the fall of the gods? And how did some gods manage to survive and dwell in the pantheon?”
These aspects still left many questions unresolved.
If something could bring about the fall of the gods… only other gods or perhaps dragons came to mind.
Did the gods engage in a war amongst themselves? Or did they fight against dragons?
I don’t know. I really don’t know. Something feels amiss, and I lack a necessary piece to fit everything into place.
I need more clues. A more definitive lead. If I can’t produce something substantial soon, whatever I assert in the academic community will only be met with laughter.
And… if I were to present this hastily, I would face the charge of sullying the reputation of the pantheon, diminishing my chances of ever seeing the sun again.
I must present my findings carefully, equipped with undeniable evidence, and unleash it all at once.
If I do, my name shall be etched in history.
“I suppose I ought to do further research.”
The alliances of deities recorded in elven texts, and the gods that preside over those alliances.
Many of them claim to be the King of the Gods.
One thing all of them share is their identification as sky deities, wielding the power of lightning.
Perhaps what they refer to as the sky god is Baal himself.
It’s a rather far-fetched notion… But if that assumption holds, it could link many ideas together.
If Baal, the sky god wielding lightning, ascended to the position of King of the Gods, and this worship of Baal scattered across the world, eventually merging into local myths under different names… it suddenly becomes quite plausible.
The worship of Asterios, the warrior god with a bull’s head from ancient Minoa—known as the god of the labyrinth—could have been absorbed into Sirius, the guardian of the pantheon, before spreading worldwide, only to transform into the worship of the Sky God in the east, intertwining with local mythology.
Could it be that Baal’s worship also underwent such processes of amalgamation and transformation, resulting in the disappearance of his name?
Wait… Asterios worship?
A fleeting thought brushed through my mind.
A bull-headed god… Sky god worship. The warrior god of Minoa…
The appearance of a bull-headed warrior god in various cultures around the world!
It felt as if thin threads were knitting together in my mind.
Surely, the era when Asterios and the worship of the sky god expanded… must have coincided with the Age of the Gods. It must have occurred in close temporal proximity.
Hmm… No, maybe not? Am I just grasping at straws? But my intuition seems to imply that there’s a connection between the two, even as my mind insists they don’t relate.
Ugh… Which to trust: the knowledge I’ve built over time or this inherent intuition?
I don’t know. I truly don’t know.
But not knowing is not a reason to give up.
Once again, I picked up one of the adjacent books, determined to search for a more solid lead.
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