Chapter 214

I started following Hadaesu. Just how long do I have to walk in this damn place? No matter how much I walk, all I see is this cursed white flower field. It’s like they buried tens of thousands of dead people here. Why the hell did they have to plant white flowers of all things?

After walking for a while, he finally spoke.

“Hmm… This should be far enough.”

He turned around to face me and continued.

“From now on, you’ll have to choose from three relics… but I can’t give you all of them.”

What the hell? Relics? Are we playing Pokémon or something, you crazy bastard?

“The first is this gem, which contains the heart of my daughter and the sealing power she wielded in life. If you accept this gem and I, as an Apostle, approve it, you will become the next Apostle. Then, things like the Black Round Table won’t even matter.”

For a moment, I was tempted to accept. But as with all tempting offers, there’s always a catch.

“However, if you accept this offer, you’ll become a body that can’t die even if you want to. You’ll have to serve the God as an Apostle for eternity.”

See? When a guy makes a tempting offer, it’s usually like this. What, if I refuse, are you gonna stab me in the gut or something?

“The second option is two items inside this box.”

Now he’s pulling a gacha on me? If he says there’s a 1% chance of getting a good relic, I’m gonna kill him.

“One is the magical knowledge left behind by my daughter. She recorded it day after day for your sake. It’s not complete, but it should be helpful. And the last one is…”

He pulled out a glowing sky-blue orb from the box and showed it to me. The energy I felt from it…

“It’s the magic and power left behind by your son. He was so thorough that he left this as insurance in case he failed. Well… he left behind 40% of his power, so if you take this… I won’t speculate on what-ifs. What’s certain is that he left this for you, just in case.”

“Hand it over. That one’s mine, no matter what.”

“I’m under orders to distribute these relics properly, following the correct procedures.”

He released a threatening aura and suppressed me. They say he’s the strongest among my mother’s close aides, and it’s no joke. Just his warning alone was more intense than Lancelot or Media’s killing intent.

“First, let me explain the risks hidden in each relic.”

Suddenly, the air around us grew heavy. The kind smile and warm demeanor from earlier were gone, replaced by red eyes and a chilling killing intent that made my body tingle. Just his killing intent alone caused the flowers around us to wither and the ground to turn to sand.

“If you choose the first relic, the power, you’ll have to fight me. As the one who leads the Apostles, it’s my duty to manage their quality. You’ll need to wound me five times to pass.”

Wound you? Five times? Are you out of your damn mind?

“And if you choose the second relic, my daughter’s recorded knowledge and your son’s power… you’ll have to fight those who guard them.”

“Those who guard them?”

At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me.

“Handing over my sister’s relic is outrageous! No matter what, I’ll stop… you!!!”

“That’s right. I can’t just hand over my contractor’s relic. It must remain mine forever.”

A giant bipedal lizard-like man and a woman with long, flowing black hair and crow wings were glaring at me.

“Let me introduce you. One of my sons, Eldracan, and one of my daughters, Harpas.”

“Halcas?”

As soon as I uttered one of the most cursed names in the world, the woman with that disgusting name screamed.

“Harpas! Harpas! Why do humans always say it like that? Ha~ru~pa~su, you damn brats!!! Call me Halpas if you want! Harpas is fine too! Or just call me Har like my brothers do!”

The lizard next to her tried to calm her down.

“Hey, relax… But don’t people on the internet call you Harcas?”

“Harpas! Not Cas! In demon society, ‘Cas’ is a nickname for old people! Don’t just take words from other languages and twist them!”

She was about to say something else.

“But that’s what it means, right? Even in our society, it’s for old…”

Before she could finish, she got angry again.

“Then do you call our father Hacas even though he’s super old?!!”

“No, for men, it’s Halbae…”

Hadaesu stepped in to mediate.

“Enough about ‘Cas.’ Just choose already.”

“Do I really have to fight?”

“Young Master, it seems you’re misunderstanding something…”

He locked eyes with me and continued.

“We haven’t yet avenged my daughter’s grudge. So choose. Will you fight me and die…”

He pointed at the idiot siblings.

“Or will you fight them and die? I’ll let you fight after you’ve touched the relic. It’d be cruel to die without even touching it.”

The idiot siblings were glaring at me again.

“You’re the one who caused my sister’s death! I’ll execute you here and raise the flag of rebellion again!”

“A pathetic human who couldn’t even be a proper father! You don’t deserve anything from me!”

After observing their expressions and attitudes, I realized something.

These guys are terrible actors. If they really held such deep grudges, they wouldn’t have been able to joke around earlier.

—

Meanwhile, Zick explained all the truths to the group, including Airi. From who Werner’s mother was, to what crime Media committed before being born as a human on this planet, who his nanny was, why his personality turned out the way it did, and what happened to their children in the future.

As one of God’s closest aides, he had the authority to access all truths. Though he was destined to die in a fire along with his village, God’s mercy allowed him to live, and he became someone who loved and blindly believed in God more than anyone.

Of course, everyone reacted differently to the truth. Camellia was shocked to learn that her brother and father, who were now locked in the basement, had sided with such a woman. Glacia had figured out her identity but didn’t know she was Werner’s mother.

Upon hearing the truth about her son, Lorcha seemed to have made a decision and returned to the mansion.

But the most intense reaction came from someone else.

“Haaaa… Damn it… What do I do… Will she forgive me if I kneel and beg…?”

Airi recalled all the rude things she had done to the woman who could become her mother-in-law. Calling her a damn brat god was the least of it. She had thrown the crow sent by the god, told her to shut up, and even told her to get lost.

“She’s definitely going to oppose me… What do I do…?”

As her misdeeds played out like a panorama, she pulled her hair in agony. Her position was already unfavorable, and now she had lost points with her potential mother-in-law. But she had her reasons. Their relationship had started during a sensitive time, and suddenly changing her attitude would have been awkward.

Unbeknownst to her, the woman in question actually liked her attitude. Werner’s mother liked both obedient and rebellious people. As long as they weren’t liars who deceived others for their own gain, she liked anyone. Airi, Glacia, Camellia, and Lorcha had all passed her standards.

“Will she forgive me if I kneel and beg…?”

Not knowing that Werner’s mother disliked such transparent apologies, Airi was spiraling further into despair.

Just as she was about to walk down the path of ruin, someone spoke up, though not with the intention of stopping her.

“Human child.”

It was Peresa, the Spirit King of Wood.

But Airi, who was currently preoccupied with a much higher being’s problem, waved her hand dismissively.

“If you’re here to scold me, come back later. I’m already dealing with enough…”

“Do you not wish to become my contractor again?”

“Eh…?”