Chapter: 216
Paradise is structured in such a way that only souls that have been judged in the Underworld and granted permission can enter.
Naturally, there was absolutely no way to enter Paradise from anywhere else.
That was how it was… until now.
“What the heck is that?”
In one corner of Paradise, a tunnel made of rainbows had appeared, extending its rainbow bridge into Paradise itself.
And through that rainbow bridge, countless gods were passing by.
“Those guys….”
“They’re Valkyries.”
Low-ranking deities belonging to the Aesir, referring to themselves as Valkyries.
Well, even if they’re gods, it’s not like they’re the most powerful ones, considering they’re just the bloodline of gods.
No, what’s important right now isn’t that.
“Why are those guys here?”
“That’s what I want to ask! How did they manage to enter Paradise?”
“It seems they came through that rainbow tunnel… hmm…”
Who could have made such a tunnel… could it be Odin? No, what I asked Odin was to create a different world, not to make a passage that connects to another world, right?
Well, I’ll find out if I check. Regardless of if it’s Odin or someone else. To think they would dare tamper with the Paradise I painstakingly created. This won’t end well.
I let out a small sigh and approached the place where the Aesir gods were… hmm?
“What is this?”
An invisible barrier was blocking my path. What the heck is this? I’ve never made anything like this before! Why is there something like this here?
“Ah…”
“Ceress, do you know something?”
“Oh, um, well… I mean…”
Ceress stammered, clearly hesitant to say anything. That behavior seemed suspicious.
“Speak honestly. Tell me everything you know.”
“Yes, yes! Well, um, please don’t get too angry.”
What on earth is she trying to say?
“It all depends on the details.”
“Ugh… yes. That is, um…”
After hesitating multiple times, Ceress finally opened her mouth.
“You made a promise to me before, right? That you would create an afterlife for the dragons in exchange for becoming the god of death.”
“I did say that.”
Since dragons have incredibly long lifespans and there haven’t been any deaths yet, I kept pushing it back.
But even the oldest dragon is still a few thousand years old… right? Hmm. I’m not sure, but I know there haven’t been any dead dragons yet.
“Well, since the Goddess of Life kept postponing it, I thought, should I try making it myself? So, I was fiddling around with it a bit…”
“Hmmm? You tried doing it yourself?”
“Yes. You seemed busy with other matters, so I thought I’d give it a shot myself. Even if I seem like it, I receive quite a bit of faith as one of the gods of death.”
Hmm. I did say I’d do it but left it unattended for quite a long time.
But if I create something when there are no dead dragons, it feels like it’d be a waste, so I postponed it…
Maybe I should have just made it right away?
“It was fine that I tried to create it somehow, but making a world isn’t easy, you know? I was curious about how you did it, so I took a look around Paradise.”
Hmm. Just looking around shouldn’t be a problem, but how does that relate to this invisible barrier…?
“When I explored Paradise, I found it fascinating, so I slightly, just slightly touched it…”
“Touched it?”
“Yes, yes. I thought it might help if I referenced how the Goddess of Life did it… so I touched it just a little bit, and suddenly, the size of Paradise grew immensely.”
“Size?”
Ah, now that you mention it, it did expand since I created it. Hmm. I thought it was just because more souls were entering Paradise…
Could it be that Ceress was also recognized as a soul of Paradise when she touched it, causing it to expand?
“So, I panicked and decided to put up walls to prevent other souls from entering the expanded space.”
“Hmmm. So that wall you put up is this invisible wall?”
“Yes. I thought it would be troublesome if any souls from Paradise crossed over to that space.”
Hmm… I see.
It feels a bit wrong that she recklessly tampered with the Paradise I made, but considering she put up an invisible wall to prevent other souls from crossing, I’ll let it slide.
Looking at the cause, it’s also because I didn’t create the promise I made, so… hmm.
“From now on, don’t touch things casually. Talk to me first before you do. Just in case something goes wrong, we need to be able to act quickly.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Well, it’s not a huge problem that Paradise expanded. If souls had crossed over to the other side, that would’ve been a bigger concern.
“And as for the afterlife for the dragons, I’ll create it for you right after this is done. Though it might end up being an empty space.”
“Really? Thank you!”
It wouldn’t be good to keep postponing it.
“For now, let’s head over there.”
“Yes!”
I split the invisible wall with my magic, creating a path and passing through.
Hmm… an afterlife for dragons, huh. Should I make it interlinked with Paradise?
If I shape the dragons’ afterlife to wrap around Paradise… then couldn’t the dragons catch anyone trying to invade Paradise like those guys?
Well, I’ll think about that later.
“If it were up to me, I’d want to catch them all… but it might cause problems if I do that in Paradise created by the Goddess of Life.”
“As long as you don’t affect Paradise, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Let’s see, then…
“For now, I’ll take a look around by myself. I’m curious how they got here.”
“Ah, yes! Then I’ll stay put here.”
With that, I left Ceress waiting behind, concealed my presence, and approached the Aesir gods.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“How on earth did Odin notice this place?”
“He’s the wisest of the gods, so he must have figured it out.”
“I heard he learned about this place through a sage.”
The Valkyries were incessantly chatting while moving their belongings.
What are they moving around… hmm. Uh-huh… weapons, stones, armor, and so on.
These are items imbued with special powers. They must be objects that have gone through the hands of gods.
Are they… planning for a war?
“If you have time to chat, hurry up and move the cargo! We need to be quick!”
“Yes! Yes, ma’am!”
When a Valkyrie, adorned in more luxurious armor than the others, barked orders, the chatting Valkyries hurriedly sprang into action. That Valkyrie seemed to be in a position of authority.
“Keep moving without rest! Soon, this place will become a world for our Aesir! Odin has promised to turn this world into one for us, so we, Odin’s hands and feet, cannot afford to rest!”
Odin? This world? Hmm?
What I told Odin was to create a new world, but how on earth does he plan to make a passage connecting this Paradise?
Or perhaps there’s a chance that while he was trying to create another world, he accidentally made this passage connected to here. If it was accidental, then it’s just a trivial problem.
If there was no intention behind it, I can just brush it off as a minor incident…
Hmm. For now, let’s find the highest-ranked god among the Aesir here. If we calmly discuss things, we should be able to resolve it.
After thoroughly examining the Aesir gods who crossed over to Paradise…
“The fortification of Valhalla is going smoothly. The basic construction should finish in about three days.”
“I’m glad to hear it’s going smoothly. I was worried that if the construction didn’t proceed on time, Odin’s madness would create a problem. Still, just in case, encourage the Valkyries to work faster.”
“Yes. Lady Freyja.”
Inside the temporary tent, I spotted the highest-ranked goddess.
The beautiful blond goddess, who had received the report from a Valkyrie, nodded slightly.
Is this goddess Freyja? They say she’s the most beautiful goddess in the Aesir, and she really is stunning.
“Is there any other report?”
“No. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Alright. Please work a bit harder.”
Upon Freyja’s words, the Valkyrie bowed her head in greeting and exited the room.
“Whew… I’m so tired.”
The once noble-looking Freyja suddenly became limp, flopping down on the floor.
“Ugh… Valhalla, what even is that? Can’t we just stay in the Divine Hall? And this place is incredibly dangerous… If the Goddess of Life finds out, it won’t just end there…”
The goddess, who lay weakly on the table, began to whine in a cute voice.
“Odin that old man is insane. Insane! He’s trying to take all the Aesir gods with him because he doesn’t want to die!”
Hmm?
“What’s this about Valhalla? What’s this about Paradise?! He’s like a senile, one-eyed old man!!! Is stealing souls from the Valkyries not enough?!”
“What did you just say?”
“Yikes?!”
I heard something I couldn’t just ignore.
“Stolen souls?”
“W-Who are you?! Show yourself!”
At Freyja’s words, I slowly revealed myself.
“Odin, that fool, has been stealing souls…?”
“Y-You?! Who are you?!”
“Speak honestly about everything. Is it true that Odin sent the Valkyries to steal souls?”
“T-The Goddess of Life…!”
Freyja began to tremble upon seeing my figure in front of her.
As if she were… a small animal standing before its natural enemy.
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