-It's still okay.
Asin eased Noel's tension.
The fan had started to quiet down again.
“Good thing Kkamangi isn’t here.”
If he were here now, he’d be running all over the place excitedly, making things even more chaotic.
-That's true. He might have already touched it.
Asin stood up.
-Noel. Are you really planning to break the seal completely?
“Of course. The Purification is done. I can’t do anything about its original rotten personality, but at least it should be in a state where we can talk. Besides, that fan is not something you can find easily.”
It was able to contain a God-level ghost.
A seal didn't kill a ghost, but it was an excellent means of tormenting one.
‘I’ll have to examine it more closely, but for now, it doesn’t seem to be a single-use item.’
It was so magnificent that it was impossible to tell whose fan it was.
-It's true that the fan is a rare item. It's very old and quite extraordinary.
Asin agreed.
She had deliberately not touched it until now.
After all, there were some who had coveted the power of other gods and fallen into becoming evil gods.
They were still gods, if you could call them that.
-But we don't know what's inside.
“That’s why we have to look. What’s there to worry about when you’re here, Asin?”
Noel grinned broadly.
Hadn't he already seen Asin's power when she calmed Hwaran?
She possessed great power for a mere Guardian spirit.
“And I should probably stop the ghost in there from getting out, right?”
Black smoke seeped from Noel’s body.
As he extended his hand, the black smoke instantly enveloped the entire room.
“Asin, let me know if it feels suffocating.”
-Understood.
Asin replied, watching Noel’s power.
Seeing it again, it was still so alien.
When she touched the black smoke, it felt soft and comforting.
Wasn't this a gentler power than it appeared?
-Does it distinguish based on hostility?
“Oh, that’s right.”
Noel beamed, thinking that was just like Asin.
It merely manifested in the form of black smoke because it had similarities to the Guide of the Dead.
That black smoke was composed of countless soul fragments.
Some said the soul fragments were the tears shed by ghosts, while others claimed they were shards of memory shed by ghosts who lingered instead of passing on to the Underworld.
Though he didn't know exactly what they were, they were made of so many soul fragments that they could grasp other souls and form a sharp edge to inflict pain.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve done this.’
The black smoke that filled the room followed Noel’s fingers, transforming into unknown characters that were imprinted all over the walls, ceiling, and floor.
-What does that mean?
Asin couldn't read the script.
She had never seen writing like it in her life.
‘I thought Asin would be able to read it. Guess not.’
He could read the writing of this world.
But it seemed the reverse was difficult.
That was good information to have.
It meant he didn't have to worry about his writing being read.
“Simply put, it means ‘No Exiting’.”
As Noel walked up to the fan, the characters vanished as if they had seeped into the walls and ceiling.
‘Alright, then. Shall we break the seal?’
He grabbed the fan without hesitation.
It felt strangely familiar, as if it had always been his.
'It does look a bit familiar.'
It was heavier than it looked, and a tingling sensation traveled up his palm.
Most of all, it was disgustingly fluttering.
It seemed the being inside was hearing everything.
“Hey, come on out.”
Noel snapped the fan open.
Fwoosh.
It was a black fan, but on it was a breathtakingly beautiful painting of a golden moon and some unknown flowering tree.
His gaze lingered on it for a long time.
Noel waved the fan slowly, then gave it a sharp shake and threw it to the floor.
Amazingly, it remained fully open.
The fan began to tremble, the vibrations growing stronger until it suddenly shot up into the air.
Sssshhhh.
With a chilling sensation, something black poked its head out of the fan.
It was hair.
‘It’s really… black, isn’t it?’
This was beyond just black hair.
It was so pitch-black, as if the night sky had been poured into her hair.
A face emerged, followed by a body, until she stood there.
It was quite a bizarre sight.
Her hair, her robe—everything was black.
As soon as Asin identified what it was, she stepped in front of Noel and lowered her sword.
-That is a Plague God.
“Huh…?”
-A god that spreads all manner of plagues. So they hadn't disappeared after all.
Something white was indeed being emitted around her, like mushroom spores.
Was that the plague?
Noel watched with great interest.
Whether it spread disease or not, it wouldn't work on him.
-…So that's why it was sealed. As I thought, there's never a seal without a reason.
Asin glared at the Plague God.
How many of the living had died because of that being's existence alone?
-…Hah.
The Plague God let out a long sigh.
It seemed to release more white spores.
-Cover your mouth. It's dangerous.
At Asin's blatant hostility, the Plague God, who had been looking at her, slowly closed and opened her eyes with a weary expression.
-As expected, that's your reaction. …This is tiresome. Just kill me.
The Plague God closed her eyes completely.
He had expected some kind of resistance, but she was surprisingly calm.
That couldn't be easy.
“Wait a minute, Asin.”
Noel stopped Asin.
-It's fine. I can already see the immense Burden on that one. This is something I'm allowed to cut down.
It was absurd to even call it a god, but an evil god was still a god.
“That’s not it. It’s strange that there’s no resistance.”
-Didn't you purify it?
“Still, they usually scream about how unfair it is, how they’re innocent.”
-Wouldn't it be because it's a fact that it has taken countless lives?
“That’s possible. But a Plague God having a conscience is pretty funny, isn’t it?”
How ridiculous for something that kills people by spreading disease to talk about conscience.
If anything, shouldn't it be conscienceless?
-That… is true.
Asin hesitated for a moment.
Now that she thought about it, it was strange.
Purification aside, it wasn't aggressive.
It must hold a huge grudge.
“Why were you sealed?”
But at Noel's words, as if a button had been pushed, her eyes flew open and she suddenly lunged at him.
Asin gripped her sword and swung it at the perfect moment.
CLANG!
A sharp sound rang out, and the Plague God's head was knocked back so far her neck could have snapped.
‘Wow… That must have hurt.’
The Plague God staggered but didn't fall.
The Plague God's eyes, now blazing with fury, were fixed not on Asin, but on Noel.
-How dare you speak of that matter so lightly!
White spores filled the room as black lines rose from the nape of the Plague God's neck, creeping up to her face.
That wasn't Soul Corrosion.
Instead, it seemed to be causing the Plague God pain.
‘A curse…?’
But it was a bit strange for a curse.
It also looked like another seal.
“Asin.”
-Do not speak! That power will pour into you!
“It’s fine. That can’t harm me at all.”
Asin stared in surprise, and the Plague God raised her voice in shock.
-What… did you say?
Underworld Envoys couldn't be cursed.
Wasn't that also a type of curse?
They said Necromancy was a power similar to that of the Guide of the Dead.
Likewise, curses didn't work.
“…It’s just my constitution.”
Noel said evasively.
That wasn't what was important right now.
“Asin, can gods be cursed?”
That's what Noel wanted to know.
In his world, there was only one being called a god.
But here, countless gods existed and were actually worshipped, weren't they?
‘The God-level ghost in my world was cursed.’
To be precise, it was tainted by the Soul Corrosion within the curse.
Could that happen here, too?
-Gods can also be tainted by Corruption. However, that is a matter that requires some thought. It is not a simple issue.
Asin regarded the Plague God with a more relaxed demeanor than before.
“So even if it’s not exactly a curse, they can be affected by something similar?”
-That's right. But the preconditions are numerous.
“I see.”
Noel reached out his hand.
The black smoke seized the Plague God by the neck and slammed her against the wall.
SLAM!
The rather loud noise made Noel flinch.
‘…Oops. A noise complaint!’
Noel’s gaze flickered downward.
It was just for a moment, so it should be fine, right?
He looked at the Plague God with an anxious expression.
The Plague God was still on edge, but she had calmed down a bit more than before.
Getting hit really did seem to cool one's anger.
-What… are you? How can you restrain me, a god?
The Plague God stared as if she couldn't comprehend the situation at all.
He looked like a brat, but her power had no effect.
The Plague God's gaze shifted to Asin.
Was that Guardian spirit really that strong?
“I asked why you were sealed.”
Noel asked again.
-What do you intend to do with that information? Are you trying to mock me?
“I’m the one who broke your seal. Can’t I even ask that question?”
-How dare you mock a god…! You will face divine punishment!
“Are you even a god? Asin called you a Plague God, but who would believe in a god like that?”
Even if he were a Shaman, he felt it would be better to bite his own tongue off than to serve such a horrifying god.
Who would ever like that?
-Hah…! Even in this state, I still have the power to curse you!
As her face contorted in trembling rage, signs of Soul Corrosion appeared.
‘Right. This is the kind of desperate struggle I was expecting.’
But the direction of her anger was ridiculous.
Why was she taking it out on the wrong person?
“You’re not going to say thank you, either?”
-What…?
“I told you I freed you from the seal, didn’t I? It’s only natural for me to be curious about why you were sealed, but you’re taking it out on me for asking? I guess a being who calls itself a god doesn’t know how to say thank you.”
He had no intention of letting such insolence slide.
Would her tongue fall off if she said thank you?
Noel was quite displeased.
-....
The Plague God looked somewhat shocked.
-You had better watch your tongue. This time, I will take your head.
Regardless of the Plague God's reaction, Asin prepared to swing her sword again.
This time, she was truly aiming for the neck.
It wouldn't be annihilated just because its head was lopped off.
But its power would be greatly diminished.
-…How horrifying.
“Me?”
Just as Noel asked, a fierce gust of wind arose.
-Me.
Asin's sword stopped beside the Plague God's neck.
Noel was surprised, and the Plague God glanced at Asin's sword with a look of disappointment.
-…I am so loathsome, I can hardly bear it.
The words were steeped in deep self-reproach.
Neither Noel nor Asin knew the reason.
-Then, first, you should thank this child. The feeling of being loathsome will ease a bit.
Asin, a god, taught the being who was a god yet not a god the most basic thing Noel had mentioned.
To express gratitude.
The Plague God looked at Asin with extremely weary eyes.
-Are you going to mock me?
-Are you so afraid of being mocked?
-Are you not afraid?
-It would be a lie to say I'm not. But I am dignified now, so what does it matter? I know better than anyone that I am not a being to be mocked.
Faced with Asin, who was full of self-respect and confidence, the Plague God lowered her gaze.
-If I told you… that I was once one of the Gods of the Seven Stars, would you believe me?
“What’s that?”
Gods of the Seven Stars.
He had no idea what that was.
-…Do not jest.
Asin narrowed her eyes.
-You don't believe me either. Then again, I wouldn't believe it myself. A noble god becoming a Plague God. It's the perfect setup for ridicule, isn't it?
The Plague God smiled self-deprecatingly.
“Huh? I asked what that is.”
-I am Tamrang. The first god of the Big Dipper, which floats loftily in the sky over there.
“So, I’m asking, what kind of god is that?”
Noel asked again.
He didn't understand why stars were suddenly being brought up, whether it was the Big Dipper or anything else.
-A god who governs the lifespan, fortunes, misfortunes, and wealth of the living. Simply put, you could say I determine the fates of those yet to be born. I am indeed a noble god, one who stands beside the Heavenly God.
If she could control fates before birth, that meant she was a true god.
That would mean Tamrang was a real god who, for some reason, had been cast down.
Noel's expression grew heavy.
Damned fate.
In his previous world, they also prattled on about everything being the will of God. It was the same here.
The only difference was that in that world, one couldn't dare to question it, but here, that wasn't the case.
“So, do you just randomly assign people's fates? Or do you actually put some thought into it? There are so many people, how do you even implant that 'fate' thing?”
-....
She had just said she'd become a Plague God, but he was asking about something else entirely, showing more interest in that than in her fall. The Plague God was momentarily at a loss for words.
Shouldn't ridicule have come first?
“I've been really curious. About what the hell is up with that damned fate. If someone lives a hellish life from birth until death, why is that? Is it because of some deep-seated grudge? Or is there some reason they just have to suffer like that? Tell me.”
-Why… are you not mocking me?
“What is there to mock? The fact that you fell from up there to down here? Or that you were sealed?”
-Yes.
“…Hah. Seriously, keep your inferiority complex in check. Even pity would get annoyed and run away. Hey. Everyone has at least one unfortunate thing happen to them. But not everyone lives like you. You said you were a noble god, right? I guess you never knew what it felt like when you were up there, judging others and laughing, saying things like, ‘You lived a miserable life, but your efforts to persevere are commendable,’ huh?”
Noel scoffed.
-An inferiority complex…?
“Yeah. It’s disgustingly obnoxious how you act like you're the only pitiful one after having enjoyed everything. Stop wallowing in self-pity, answer my question from before, and then die. I'll let you be annihilated, just like you want.”
The black smoke gathering in Noel's hand transformed into a longsword.
He immediately pointed it at Tamrang's neck.
End
ⓒ Hwang Siwoo #1axjm
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