Chapter 193

“Wait… you’re saying you’re going to reincarnate a god as a human? Isn’t that unprecedented?”

After finishing my conversation with Baal, when I relayed the contents to Thanatos, he reacted with great surprise.

“Well, it may be unprecedented, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”

“Hmm… If we treat the soul of a god like any other creature’s soul, it might be possible. However, considering how souls interact with bodies, this person would likely be reborn with far greater abilities than ordinary humans. There’s also the possibility of other problems arising.”

“For instance?”

At my question, Thanatos paused for a moment before speaking.

“Isn’t the main issue whether the soul of a god reincarnated as a human will be judged by the same standards as other humans after death?”

“Hmm… Since it’s the soul of a god, shouldn’t it be judged differently from regular human souls?”

“Yes. Even though it’s a god’s soul, if it’s judged by the same standards as other humans simply because it was reincarnated as one, that could cause trouble. Therefore, we need stricter criteria appropriate for judging a god’s soul.”

Hmm… Indeed, if we judge a god’s soul by human standards, it would create fairness issues given their potential.

We’ll have to pay special attention to that point. In fact, perhaps we should apply even more rigorous standards since it’s a god’s soul.

Such new criteria… Hmm. We might need to consult with other gods of the underworld about this.

Who knows, maybe other gods besides Baal might also be forcibly removed from their positions and reincarnated as humans.

So, we should prepare accordingly.

“In cases where divine spirits reincarnate as humans, we should establish new criteria. They’ll naturally possess exceptional abilities beyond those of ordinary people, so we need to set stricter standards.”

A human possessing a god’s soul would have far greater power than normal humans. If such a person commits a crime… they’d likely commit far greater sins than others.

Therefore, they should receive harsher punishments.

“Yes, understood. If you set such criteria, I’ll discuss and decide accordingly with others.”

“Hmm. If you need help, I’ll participate as well.”

“Thank you, but we should be fine with just Hades and us if you give us rough guidelines. You’re busy after all.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yes. Once we resolve the issue of handling divine souls, the rest will proceed smoothly.”

Hmm… Indeed, experts in this field are reliable.

After all, they’ve been judging souls in the underworld for ages. That experience isn’t something easily transferable.

“Then, I’ll leave the follow-up to you. Take care of Baal’s matter as well.”

“Yes, please leave it to us.”

I’d like to somehow encourage that guy who seems down, but right now, anything I say might backfire.

Let him rest as a human for a while… and hopefully his weary soul will recover.

Until then, Baal’s divine throne will remain vacant.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Is the investigation progressing well?”

The room Huang Dong-gyeong assigned for investigating the king of the gods. Countless notes plastered across the walls.

While living and sleeping here daily, searching through countless Elf books for clues, progress has been slow and frustrating. Just as Huang Dong-gyeong arrived.

“As you can see… I’ve found a few minor clues, but not enough to make any real connections yet.”

From dwarf fairy tales and legends, there were faint hints about ‘heaven,’ often depicted as an antagonist or bystander. But no clear connection to Baal.

Searching through these stories was enjoyable at first, but became tedious once they numbered in the hundreds or thousands.

This approach feels endless… we need a turning point.

“Then, what about these?”

Huang Dong-gyeong signaled to the servants behind him, who placed stacks of carefully bound books in a corner.

An impressive collection of ancient volumes. Even with my limited knowledge, I could tell these were extraordinary historical artifacts.

Books that belonged more in a museum than here.

“Judging from your expression, I seem to have done quite well.”

“These books… how on earth…”

“Since your investigation wasn’t making much progress, I used my personal connections to gather books from before the empire’s founding and regional legends. I wasn’t thrilled about asking the Elves for help, but…”

Elf books? Indeed, among the volumes were some made from parchment – characteristic of Elves who rarely use plant-based materials.

Given Elves’ thousand-year lifespans, these books might contain records from before humanity began recording history.

“If what you say is true… most human historians would pay fortunes just to read a single line from these.”

“Exactly. They were expensive. Anyway, I’ve done my best to acquire these books. Please handle them carefully. If returned undamaged, what was supposed to be a purchase can be changed to a loan, with partial refunds promised.”

Gathering books of this quality must have cost Huang Dong-gyeong significantly, even with his resources.

“Thank you very much.”

“Hmph. If you’re thankful, find some clues already. I can’t keep funding you indefinitely.”

At Huang Dong-gyeong’s words, I nodded slightly. With this level of investment, I need to produce some results to call myself a man of integrity.

Looking at the mountain of books, I renewed my determination silently.

…

One month later.

“This is…”

I swallowed dryly as I looked at the threads connecting pinned memo papers.

“If this is true, it will cause quite a stir in academia.”

What started as a search for the god known as the king of gods has led to discoveries that could shock both theology and historiography.

The memos contained names of numerous deities.

Dozens of times more gods than currently listed in the Divine List.

These gods lived during what’s called the Age of the Gods, when deities walked the earth.

But the truth was different.

The Age of the Gods wasn’t when gods roamed the world.

Strictly speaking, it was an era when countless gods flourished and then disappeared for some reason.

It would be more accurate to call it the Age of the Gods’ Fall.

And likely… the god Baal, known as the king of gods, also disappeared due to this fall.

However…

“What caused the gods’ fall? And how did some survive to reside in the Divine Hall?”

If there was something capable of causing gods to fall… it would have to be either other gods or dragons.

Did gods wage war against each other? Or fight dragons?

I don’t know. I truly don’t know. Something is missing in this puzzle.

There aren’t enough clues. Without more decisive evidence, presenting this at a conference would only invite ridicule.

And rashly publishing findings could result in never seeing the sun again under charges of defaming the Divine Hall’s authority.

Any announcement must be carefully prepared, supported by undeniable evidence.

If done correctly… my name will be recorded in history.

“First, I need to investigate further.”

In the Elf-recorded books, there were accounts of various cultural confederations of gods and their rulers.

Several gods claimed the title of “king of gods.”

They shared many common traits – most proclaimed themselves gods of the sky and wielded lightning as their weapon.

Perhaps… the original of these could be the sky god Baal.

Though it sounds far-fetched… assuming this connects many things together.

If the sky god Baal ascended to the throne of the king of gods, and his faith spread worldwide, transforming into various local gods with different names… it makes sense.

Just as the warrior god Asterios with the bull’s head from ancient Minoa was absorbed as a subordinate of the Divine Hall’s guardian deity Sirius, then spread globally and transformed into the Eastern faith of the Chief of the Lizardmen Tribe, combining with various local mythologies.

Could Baal’s faith have undergone similar transformations, eventually losing its original name?

Hold on… Asterios faith?

A fleeting thought crossed my mind.

The bull-headed god… the faith of the Chief of the Lizardmen Tribe. The warrior god of Minoa…

And other warrior gods with bull heads found throughout the world.

Something thin, like a thread, began connecting in my mind.

The era when the warrior god of Minoa and the faith of the Chief of the Lizardmen Tribe spread… must have been during the Age of the Gods. Chronologically, they would be very close.

Hmm… or am I just speculating? But my intuition tells me there’s a connection between these and Baal, though my rational mind says otherwise.

Ugh… should I trust the knowledge I’ve accumulated over years or my innate intuition?

I don’t know. I really don’t know.

But not knowing isn’t a reason to give up.

Once again, I picked up another book beside me to search for more definitive clues.