Chapter: 53
[Deceased Souls…]
“It might take a bit more time since we’re still preparing, but it’s necessary for this world.”
The afterlife is important, be it religious or spiritual.
Just knowing there’s heaven and hell after death or the idea of being reborn through reincarnation would lessen the evils humans commit!
Even a vague concept of its existence can reduce the wrongdoings humans commit!
Of course, those who don’t believe in such an afterlife will ignore it and continue their mischief. Those sinners won’t stop their antics, no matter what.
For those types, judgment in life may come quicker than judgment after death.
Well, whatever those sinners face after death can only be chalked up to their karma!
Hmm… Shouldn’t there be some sacred texts to teach humans? Like a moral code or something?
Now that language and writing are out there, it’s about time knowledge and wisdom started stacking up… Hmm… After wrapping up the afterlife business, I should do a little investigation.
If there’s any weird knowledge floating around… that wouldn’t be good!
I can’t just sit by and watch the humans I’ve nurtured get tainted with bizarre ideas!
Oh, but the elves and dwarves will be handled by Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha, so they’re off my plate. The lizardmen are under my direct watch, so they should be fine.
The real trouble is with humans. And the beastmen too.
[Hmm… Thanks for the offer, but can I take some time to think it over?]
“Of course! I’m not trying to rush you into a job or anything. And since it’s about dealing with the dead, using the death aura that’s hanging out in you could be pretty useful.”
[That… might be a little interesting.]
“Just know, the gig involves managing the world itself, so you better be ready for a long haul.”
In a worst-case scenario, you might have to keep at it until the world ends.
Looking at it like this, it really is a black job. A bona fide black company—the afterlife! Uh-huh…
For now, there’s nothing I can do, but when I get more employees… Talking about it feels like running a company! Death Company Inc. or something!
Anyway, once the staff increases, let’s make sure to rotate them for enough rest. Working for a black company that doesn’t allow breaks would be a drag.
And when the team grows, we’ll need a boss to manage them. A head honcho. A managerial type—like a company president.
Honestly, if I were to create such a position, it would have suited Erebus perfectly, but that idiot hit me from behind and scurried off underground without a trace.
If he hadn’t sneaked away through the crack made by my scales splitting, I might have just confiscated his scale, given him a good talking to, and after some time, handed him the death god position.
But thinking about a runaway now is pointless, isn’t it? He’d get away faster than I could dig around looking for him.
I don’t know what tricks he pulled, but he doesn’t even show up when I summon him… it’s really a hassle.
Maybe I should use my creation powers to… make something that can catch him?
If that brat is causing nonsense somewhere in this world… that would not be good. Hmm.
Let’s save this thought for later. Operation Capture Erebus!
But if I can catch him… would I be able to forgive him?
If I can forgive him, what kind of punishment fits?
Why on earth am I even thinking about rehabilitating a troublemaker who ran away?!
But let’s not forget. Before washing machines were a thing, laundry used to be beaten with sticks to get rid of stubborn stains.
Nah, since Erebus is entirely black, that might not be enough. I’ll have to beat him to a pulp, gently heal him, then beat him some more until he’s stripped clean and becomes all pristine white.
I may not get angry often, but when I do, it’s terrifying! Erebus needs to remember that. Running off after causing trouble, tsk tsk.
Still, since I see him like a parent would, I won’t completely wipe him off the face of the earth. He has committed sins, but I plan to knock him around until his ego is half-crushed! I’m determined to ensure he never pulls any more stunts again!
After that, I’ll have him shoulder the death god duty for life, buried under an avalanche of work. And vacations? Forget it! That should hopefully scrub away some of his sins!
Hmm… Why am I starting to feel like even that might not suffice? How much do I need to punish Erebus before I can forgive him? It’s my heart we’re talking about, yet it’s a bit hard to gauge.
Logically, I know I should moderately punish him and then forgive, but emotionally, my heart is screaming to just keep him locked up… It’s truly a dilemma. Really.
Well, I haven’t even found a trace of Erebus yet, so it’s mostly me overthinking it.
Lost in my thoughts, Seres chirped in with a tiny voice.
[“I’ll think about it. Not sure if I’ll end up working, though.”]
[“Even if I say this, when work comes up, dragons have this habit of jumping at the chance. Most of them are just lounging around in their caves, hibernating to avoid riling up the Creator Dragon God… So, if there’s a chance to go outside, they’ll race to volunteer.”]
Hmm. Are they stuck there because they’re too worried about me?
On the final day of the dragon era, I explicitly told them they wouldn’t have to repeat the same sins if they behaved.
Seems like a bit of a pity, I guess.
[“This child too. I felt sorry for him shivering in the cave corner, so I got him to work… But now he’s caused a ruckus. Quite the hassle.”]
“Well, it’s not like the kid wanted to cause trouble or something. Plus, he suffered because of it…”
[“It hurt so much! I thought I was going to die!”]
“Believe it or not, he actually almost kicked the bucket and came back!”
That caused the Dragon Lord to flash a wry smile.
“If the dragons are hesitant to leave their caves because of me, pass the word that they don’t have to worry anymore. I only warned them because I was concerned they might repeat the same mistakes from the past.”
Both the Dragon Lord and Seres looked slightly taken aback by my words.
[“Is that true? But we remember seeing the Creator Dragon God transform other dragons…”]
[“That was terrifying. Seeing other adults being yanked from their bodies and turning into spirits…”]
Hmm, from the point of view of young dragons and hatchlings, that probably looked horrifying.
“Just avoid messing up like those guys, and you’ll be fine. Anyway, relay that message.”
[“Got it. Other dragons will surely appreciate that.”]
[“But somehow… even after telling them, it feels like everyone will still just curl up in their caves and not budge. Why’s that?”]
Hmm. Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just a dragon thing to seem lazy?
Anyway, I’ve said my piece! They’re free to live as they wish!
[“Speaking of which, what will you do about the spot where the evil energy is pooling?”]
“Well, that’s a good question. I think I need to do a little digging and then figure out the follow-up…”
That evil energy is sensitive to life force, so if I sprinkle enough life essence, it might get temporarily purified…
But then that just means I’m taking on more work. Ugh…
This is annoying. Should I just dig up the corpses buried underground and wipe them all out?
Dragon corpses are ridiculously sturdy, so getting rid of them is a chore. Ugh…
[“If it’s alright, can we take care of it from our end?”]
“From your end?”
[“Yeah! We’ll give the dragons a reason to step outside. If we teach them how to increase their own life force and have them sprinkle it over there… would that neutralize the evil energy coming from the ground to some degree?”]
“That makes sense.”
Dragon life essence is stronger than that of other beings, so if they’re properly trained, they should manage just fine.
[“Plus, it’d give the other dragons a valid excuse to get moving around.”]
Nodding slightly, I considered the Dragon Lord’s suggestion. It definitely sounds like a solid approach to tackle the evil energy issue and get the dragons moving.
“Go ahead with that plan. Sounds promising.”
[“Thank you, Creator Dragon God.”]
“But since this is a dangerous area to manage… I’ll occasionally drop by myself to check on things.”
“Sure thing. We’ll look forward to it.”
Great! It felt like something I had to do anyway, so if the dragons can handle it, I’m grateful!
That reminds me! Maybe I should bestow a title on the dragons who take on this task!
“I’ll give a title to the dragons doing this work, as it feels like destiny.”
[A title?]
“Yeah. Since they’ll be boosting their own life energy to dispel the evil, from now on, call those who do this work, ‘Life Givers.’”
Upon hearing my words, the Dragon Lord pondered for a moment before a big grin appeared.
[“Thank you. They’ll be absolutely thrilled to use the title given by the Creator Dragon God.”]
Sounds good! If they’re happy, I’m happy too.
And wouldn’t it be fun if the dragons stopped just sleeping in their cave corners and, disguised as humans, brought some change to civilization?
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