Chapter 138

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 15, 2025

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‘The sin of monopolizing a god?’

At Yama’s words, Keres, who was standing nearby, spoke up with an expression of discontent.

「Well, it is annoying that for several decades she kept the Goddess of Life by her side and monopolized her… but are you really going to call that a sin? If the Goddess finds out about this, She will surely be extremely upset.」

「That One needs to become more aware of Her position. That’s why I say so.」

Yama said quietly. Due to the cloths covering his face, his expression remained hidden.

「She, who should be in the position of ruling over this entire world as its sovereign… How much damage has been done to this world by Her spending a human lifetime at one person’s side? Are you not aware of that?」

Yama cast a gaze colder than ice down upon the hero.

「During the decades that She spent as the Dragon Priestess by the Hero’s side, consider how much work She should have been doing. Surely you understand just how great a sin it is to have wasted Her time? Of course, She did handle matters remotely, but there’s no comparison between that and doing things in person.」

「No, but instead of blaming the Hero for something like this, wouldn’t it be faster to talk directly to the Goddess? If She finds out that you’ve pinned a completely baseless sin on such an innocent soul, She will definitely get angry! Especially since it’s the soul of a human She cherishes! A blameless soul! This is false accusation! False accusation!!」

Keres disagreed with Yama’s words.

「Therefore, I oppose! Absolutely oppose! I don’t want to pin sins on the Hero, who has worked hard for the sake of this world! Oppose! Absolutely oppose!」

Keres let out a high-pitched squeak.

「And certainly! It’ll definitely be found out by the Goddess later! I don’t even want to imagine the backlash then!!! If you’re going to be buried, do it alone! Don’t drag the other gods into it!!!」

「I agree with Yama. Keres opposes. So, what about you, Thanatos?」

Yama turned his attention to Thanatos, who had silently observed the situation.

「……」

Thanatos looked at the hero.

In that pitch-black shadow, what thoughts were hidden?

「I…」

Thus, Thanatos’s taciturn lips parted.

「Agree that the Goddess of Life must recognize Her position.」

「Huh?! Even Thanatos?! Two old men ganging up on her!!!」

「However, I am against making this a sin and pinning it on the Hero.」

Thanatos’s words contained both agreement and opposition.

「Uh… so which side are you on?」

「If there’s an issue, speak directly to the Goddess. Don’t pin it on an unfortunate human.」

「But the Goddess won’t easily listen to us.」

「Still, this isn’t right. We cannot create a false sin.」

Thanatos spoke quietly.

「Then it’s one vote for approval, two against! Right?」

Keres said excitedly, and Yama slightly nodded and responded.

「Hmm… seems that way. However, I believe only such drastic measures would make the Goddess realize.」

「Even if that’s true, this is still wrong. No matter how important the message may be, it’s unacceptable to do this to a human cherished by the Goddess! Absolutely opposed!」

Yama sighed while looking at Keres, who was throwing a tantrum like a child.

「Very well. I shall concede my stance as well.」

「Hmm. That’s how it should be. It seems the Goddess set up the underworld as a triumvirate to prevent incidents like this!!」

「Perhaps She just liked the number three.」

The hero could only dumbly observe the conversation between the three deities.

‘In the blink of an eye… was I sent to hell and back?’

「Understand, please. Yama is usually gentle, but he gets extreme when it comes to the Goddess of Life.」

「Honestly, is there any deity who doesn’t yearn for the Goddess of Life? Especially among the older generation of dragon deities, many became gods thanks to Her grace, regaining their physical forms.」

While muttering, Keres pierced the faint form hanging on the scales with the tip of her greatsword and returned it to the hero.

「Then, let’s pass judgment. Hero Johanan. Not guilty. Destination: Paradise.」

Yama slammed the bamboo slips he held onto the table with a “clang!”

As a result, light poured down from above the hero’s head, and his soul began to rise slowly.

「Farewell, Hero.」

「Please convey a message to the Goddess. Tell Her that due to Her neglect of duties while by your side, the Hero almost received an unjust sentence.」

「Ah, no! Don’t tell Her! If you do, She’ll definitely come overturning everything!」

As light rained down from above his head and covered his feet, the hero’s eyes were enveloped in brilliance.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

「Alright, where were we…?」

「Page 54. The section on the gods of the Underworld.」

「Hmm. Thanks, class president.」

The teacher adjusted his glasses, confirmed the page, and started writing on the blackboard with chalk.

「You all know there are more than a few gods of the Underworld, but today we’ll talk about the three most powerful ones.」

Thanatos. Moros. And Keres.

Their names were written on the board, forming a completed triangle with each name at a vertex.

「There are various reasons for the existence of the triumvirate in the Underworld, but the main reason is likely to ensure fair judgments.」

Lines were drawn connecting each pair of names, with arrows indicating bidirectional relationships.

「Since they deal with the souls of the deceased, these divine positions hold immense importance. If they were to run rampant arbitrarily, the consequences would be immeasurable. It’s generally believed that whoever created the Underworld took this into account when establishing the triumvirate.」

「Whoever created it, they must have been quite wise.」

「Do we know who it was?」

A student asked, and the teacher nodded.

「Despite extensive investigations by numerous theologians and historians, it remains unknown. Even the oldest book describing the afterlife, ‘Notes on the Afterlife,’ does not record who created the Underworld.」

「Could it have been made by the three gods themselves?」

「That theory exists, but it lacks convincing evidence. On the contrary, the Goddess of Life, often regarded as the superior of the Underworld gods, is considered more plausible…」

「Again with that Goddess? Did She create everything in the world or what?」

「There’s actually a separate book compiling interpretations of Her deeds from theology textbooks…」

「We’re already tearing our hair out memorizing those deeds!」

With students grumbling, the teacher nodded in agreement.

「Admittedly, it is somewhat excessive. Hence, some academic circles quietly propose that many ancient deities were conquered and assimilated under the name of the Goddess of Life. The pilgrimage order of the Church of Life was famous and militarily strong from ancient times. Moreover… there are simply too many recorded deeds attributed to the Goddess of Life to explain otherwise.」

「Is it okay to make such claims? Won’t the Church of Life object?」

「Of course it’s not okay. So keep what was said here a secret. Your teacher doesn’t want to be dragged away by the Inquisition of the Church of Life either.」

The sleepy-looking girl observing this scene merely yawned softly.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

After the blinding light disappeared…

「Where am I…?」

The hero saw a familiar landscape.

The small mountain village where he lived until just before his death.

The village where he lived peacefully after marrying his wife.

That scenery now unfolded before his eyes.

And there…

「You’ve arrived.」

Standing was the playful silver-haired girl, the Dragon Priestess, with a smile on her lips.

「It’s fortunate the completion wasn’t delayed. If it had been, we wouldn’t have been able to meet like this.」

No, it was the beloved sister he revered standing before him.