Chapter 77: Divine Punishment (1)
“You foolish brat, you don’t even have any manners. Did your parents teach you that?”
The atmosphere suddenly turned icy with the words that slipped out of my mouth.
“Wh-What?!”
The scoundrel who calls himself the Second Prince seemed flustered by my sudden insult. It looks like the pampered prince isn’t accustomed to such language, huh?
“H-How could you say something like that…”
“Bringing up someone’s parents? What a shocking slander!”
“For the representative of the Goddess to have such a foul mouth, could it be that even the Goddess of Life…?”
Ah, so he’s just not used to a good verbal smackdown.
I suppose curses and insults take time and history to evolve. In this era, with barely any proper history, there probably isn’t much in the way of filthy language either.
“You said you’re the Second Prince of Arcad, right? Just a foolish, utterly dense idiot. Think carefully about who you’re standing in front of right now. This place you’re standing in—think about it, kid.”
I took a light step forward, feeling the mana around us subtly shift.
I lightly clenched my fist, pressing down just enough on the shoulders of the human beasts surrounding me.
It wouldn’t be hard to turn them into a bloody mess, but I don’t want to splash crimson all over my temple.
“Ugh!”
With a squeal reminiscent of a pig, the fool dropped to the ground. He can’t even handle this little pressure, yet he dared to talk back?
Truly foolish.
“But we shouldn’t spill blood here. Everyone, go home. There’s no need for anyone else to try pulling that hero’s sword.”
I wanted to break some limbs just for fun, but I have a young hero standing behind me.
I don’t want to show him that side of things. This is a moment to celebrate—the birth of a hero!
I’d hate to taint such a moment with bloodshed.
“So those who value their lives should step back.”
As I wrapped up my little speech, I released the mana, and the folks who could finally move scrambled for the exit, fear dancing in their eyes.
Except for one, of course. The foolish Second Prince.
“Ugh! I am a prince! The Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom, Orcus! I can obtain anything I desire! You lowly beings dare not even look up at me! And yet you made me kneel?!”
“Exalted,” huh?
That’s just human standard, isn’t it?
“I cannot forgive this! Absolutely cannot forgive it!!!”
“Not forgiving, huh? What are you gonna do about it?”
“I’ll wager everything of the Arcad Kingdom! I’ll destroy you, your little brat behind you, and this temple! I’ll leave nothing behind!!!”
Heh… Is that so?
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“Why are you laughing?! Aren’t you afraid of the power of the Arcad Kingdom, the strongest nation in the world?!”
“Why should I be scared?”
At my soft-spoken question, the foolish prince took a cautious step back.
“Even if you claim to be the strongest, that’s just the human standard. And here you are, desecrating the words and actions in a temple dedicated to the Goddess—aren’t you belittling the Goddess of Life?”
“That’s just the god of those beggars! A pathetic god like that could easily be buried under my kingdom’s power!”
Heh… Just a silly brat who can’t tell front from back.
Hmm. Fine, I’ll spare his life.
But a little punishment won’t hurt.
“I’ve decided. You’re too pathetic to kill here.”
“What?”
“Be grateful. I shall gift you with immortality. Until the Goddess of Life returns your death, you will not perish. When everyone around you dies and is buried, you shall remain unharmed. Not even when the Arcad Kingdom turns to dust and fades from existence, will you rot.”
At my words, the prince’s face twisted in confusion.
“Immortality…? Not being able to die? Ha! Even if you ‘bless’ me with that now, my decision won’t change!”
“Blessing?”
What on earth is this fool going on about?
“It’s not a blessing; it’s a curse, you foolish human.”
“Ridiculous! How can not dying be a curse?!”
Sure, at first glance, it might sound like a blessing to never die.
But I… I only said you wouldn’t die, didn’t I?
“Think whatever you like. I’m curious when your foolish thoughts will change.”
I summoned mana and left a mark on the foolish prince’s soul.
A message for the reapers.
Don’t collect his soul.
And at the same time, I cast a spell on his soul.
A magic to absorb the mana around him to maintain minimal life force.
So he won’t die from running out of life force or lifespan.
It was a little bit of trickery creating this curse of immortality.
“I declare: You may wish to die like a human, but you won’t be able to die as one. Your descendants may look human, but they won’t be human.”
I piled the curse on him.
If you insult a deity in the temple, you better pay the price!
“You’ve insulted me by calling upon your kingdom’s power, so I’ll literally take your kingdom away from you.”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Power for power.
I wonder how he’ll change after the power he’s so proud of vanishes into thin air.
“Birth will gradually turn its back on your country’s land, while death will grow cruel toward your people. No matter how much you regret, you won’t return to normal until you start a righteous journey for life and come back to this temple.”
Desecrating the Goddess of Life is just like that.
Foolish humans deserve punishment.
Even if a kingdom fades away, leaving only traces behind due to these curses, divine retribution shall be delivered.
Honestly, I’m a bit miffed. I’ve been way too lenient, and these humans have gotten arrogant. Don’t I need to teach them a lesson?
So…
“Now, go back to your land. And regret for the rest of your life.”
I snapped my fingers lightly, and the image of the foolish prince vanished from the temple.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Second Prince, who boldly stepped forward to pull out the hero’s sword, returned to the Arcad Kingdom on the day the hero with the sword made their appearance.
As if he jumped across space, the Second Prince appeared in the capital of the kingdom.
The only problem? He suddenly appeared at a bit of a height.
“Aaaaaaah!!”
He fell from about 11 meters—height that terrifies most humans—and…
Crack!
He shattered his limbs as he smashed into the solid stone floor.
The fact that his head stayed attached might just be the Goddess of Life’s doing.
“Oh my god…!”
“This is… the Second Prince?!”
The guards freaked out at the sight of the battered Second Prince suddenly dropping from the sky, hurriedly bringing a wooden cart to carry him off to the palace.
Even though it was a palace, due to the lack of advanced construction techniques at the time, it was a wooden building, about three stories tall, and in an era where most buildings stood only one-story, this one certainly stood out!
Plus, it was quite spacious, and surrounded by a thick wooden fence—pretty luxurious for this age’s architecture.
“Oh my god! Second Prince?!”
“Send for someone from the Temple of Life! There’s an emergency!”
“Got it!!”
A man inside the palace, stunned by the sight of the now-crushed Second Prince, barked orders to another guard, who wasted no time heading to the building where the pilgrims of the Temple of Life were staying.
But…
“What do you mean?! The Arcad Kingdom has to leave?!”
“The Goddess has sent down an oracle! The Second Prince has insulted and acted against the Goddess of Life and incurred her wrath. Therefore, we must leave this place.”
“How on earth did this happen… but the Second Prince is seriously injured right now…”
At the guard’s words, the pilgrim shook his head slightly.
“There’s no need to worry about that. He won’t be able to die, even if he wants to. I feel more pity for the people of the Arcad Kingdom, to be honest.”
“What do you mean?”
“The repercussions of the Second Prince’s rudeness will fall upon the Arcad Kingdom. So tell them—it’s best to leave the Kingdom.”
“No! What are you saying? Are you saying the kingdom will just vanish overnight?!”
“If it were to vanish overnight, it would be better. The Goddess of Life seems to be very angry…”
The guard couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
What could the Second Prince have done to make the Goddess of Life so furious?
“Remember this well and convey it properly: Destruction is on its way for the Arcad Kingdom. All six cities and 17 villages that compose the Arcad Kingdom will face severe decline, and unless the Second Prince reflects on his mistakes, destruction is all but guaranteed.”
“What—what should we do?”
“The Second Prince must sincerely repent and undertake a pilgrimage of atonement, letting go of everything. Then, in the final moments, he must seek forgiveness from the Goddess of Life. Only that way can her wrath be averted…”
“A pilgrimage of atonement…”
The pilgrim shouldered his bag and continued.
“But for the current Second Prince, that’s impossible. His arrogance has led to this disaster, so he will only truly reflect on his actions after losing everything.”
“This is just…”
“However, the Goddess of Life has only shown her anger towards the land of the Arcad Kingdom. If you wish to live, you must flee. Then, you may yet be safe.”
Saying that, the pilgrim turned to leave, and the guard began to ponder whether to pass along his message.
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