Let’s rewind time for just a moment.
After sending the aggravating Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom flying off, I casually shook my hands.
First of all, since I already placed an unyielding curse of immortality on him, even if I slightly miscalculated the coordinates by setting them too high, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Then, before dealing with the aftermath regarding the Second Prince who disrespected me and this temple…
“Let’s relocate for now.”
I extended my right hand toward the boy hidden behind me.
“Come on, let’s go. Since you’ve been chosen as the hero, there are many things you need to learn.”
“But… isn’t something wrong here? Me, someone like me, being a hero…?”
The small boy started trembling while hugging the Sword of the Hero. Hmm. Was it really that shocking?
It might be best to give him a little time to calm down.
“Let’s move locations. We can’t avoid the gazes of others if we stay here.”
I lightly tapped the boy’s shoulder with my outstretched right hand and flicked my empty left hand, causing the scenery around us to instantly change.
“Huh?! Eep?! EEEEEEEK?! The surroundings?!”
“What an interesting reaction. It’s strangely entertaining. Come this way.”
I pushed the boy’s back gently, leading him to a resting area.
Inside the Temple of Life. A space accessible only to some members affiliated with the temple.
A perfectly isolated space from the outside world, with no windows or doors except for a few ventilation holes. Gently illuminated by white stones emitting soft light.
This space was originally prepared for the dragons serving in the Temple of Life to rest.
Thanks to all the dragons currently on pilgrimage, I can freely use this place at the moment. Here, we can relax without any interruptions from others.
“Where… where are we?”
“The rear part of the Temple of Life. A place accessible only to those specially permitted.”
“The back of the temple?! I never heard such a place existed!”
“Hmm. Not everyone is granted access. Very few pilgrims are allowed in here.”
It’s a place only dragons can enter. There are no external entrances, so one must use spatial magic to get in. Originally created because the dragon pilgrims complained about needing their own private resting area inside the temple, but I didn’t expect it to be used like this.
Anyway…
“Sit down for now.”
I pulled out a nearby chair, forced the boy to sit down, and flicked my fingers again.
Small ceramic teacups and a teapot appeared mid-air. I filled the teapot with water using magic and lit a small flame beneath it to boil the water.
Flicking my fingers once more, a transparent container and spoon appeared.
The transparent container, or glass bottle, held tangy-sweet yuzu syrup. Hmm, my memory seems to align well with my creative abilities.
I opened the bottle, added two spoonfuls of yuzu syrup to the teacup, poured hot water from the steaming teapot, and stirred it gently with the spoon to mix the syrup and water into a warm cup of yuzu tea.
“Here, drink this. Be careful, it’s hot.”
“T-thank you…”
The boy examined the teacup and its contents with wonder before slowly bringing it to his lips.
And then…
“IT’S HOT!”
I stopped and rewound time, returning the splashed yuzu tea back into the cup. Despite warning him, he still got startled.
Maybe he’s never eaten anything hot before?
“Be careful. I told you it was hot, didn’t I?”
“S-sorry…”
I absorbed some heat from the teacup the boy was holding, lowering its temperature.
“Don’t be too tense. Since you’ve drawn the Sword of the Hero, we will likely spend considerable time together.”
“Y-yes, yes? W-we… t-together…?”
“Hmm. As someone here to assist the hero, I’ll stay alongside you. Drink this slowly and take a break.”
I flicked my fingers again, and a small basket filled with snacks appeared.
Ah, maybe yuzu tea and snacks don’t go well together? Both are sweet… Hmm…
Meh, it’ll do.
“Take a break after finishing this task and eat these.”
I have some work to do.
I carefully picked up a snack, took a bite, and left the astonished boy behind as I moved to another room.
Let’s see, first I should inform the pilgrims affiliated with the Temple of Life.
I’ll provide a detailed explanation of what the Second Prince did, warn them not to travel to the Arcad Kingdom in case he causes harm, and advise against visiting until further notice. We don’t want retaliation from the kingdom when they find out what happened to their prince. It’s better if they just stay away.
Next, I’ll make sure the curse I placed earlier comes into effect.
Until the Second Prince loses his claim to the nation, until the nation rejects him, until he realizes his mistake…
Honestly, the most famous divine punishment involves a great flood, but I can’t drown all humans because of one prince’s actions, can I?
Although… could I cause a flood large enough to wipe out all humanity? Somehow, I feel like I could… but no, I can’t do that!
Anyway, I’ll punish the reckless Second Prince until he acknowledges his wrongdoing.
Personal punishment? I’ve already given him immortality. Plus, I marked him during the spatial relocation, so tracking him will be easy.
Thanks to that, his life is about to become quite miserable. And I’ll ensure it happens.
Anyway, I’ll think about the Second Prince later.
I created a chatroom to communicate with the gods of death and sent them a message.
“A Second Prince from the Arcad Kingdom insulted me. What should I do?”
「It would be appropriate to kill everyone in that country.」
“No, killing everyone seems excessive…”
「Is there any reason to keep them alive? If he’s a prince, that means he could become the next king. Wouldn’t it be better for the country if we just kill him quickly?」
“No, I intentionally kept him alive. My plan is to torment him until he regrets his actions.”
「Wouldn’t it be better to cut the heads off the nobles and officials? Just eliminating the royal family and their servants should suffice.」
Death gods, always ready to kill first.
「That Second Prince should come to the underworld soon.」
「We can arrange a lower-level tour for him.」
「We’ll make sure his soul and spirit don’t wear out and keep repeating the cycle. Don’t worry, we know how to handle it.」
Hmm. It seems the Second Prince’s post-death fate has been sealed.
Anyway, give him a moderate punishment. Don’t go overboard.
「Understood. We’ll use reapers to -」
Ignoring the death gods’ schemes against the Arcad Kingdom, I also sent the same content to Cloud Whale.
“What does ‘insulting’ mean?”
Ah, so Cloud Whale doesn’t understand that concept.
Thus, to explain it to Cloud Whale…
“Capturing someone, imprisoning them, and tormenting them for life.”
「How could anyone do such a terrible thing!」
A simple explanation, but it seems Cloud Whale understood easily. Matching eye level works wonders.
「Imprisoning someone? That means they can never fly freely again! Terrible! So terrible!!!」
Ah, that perspective.
Of course, for a cloud whale that flies freely, imprisonment would seem truly horrific.
「Who did this? I won’t forgive them! I’ll stop any new life from being born there!」
“No, stopping all new life is a bit extreme…”
「No, I’ll make sure not a single blade of grass grows on that land! I’m angry! Extremely angry!!」
Oh, uh… the death gods are serious, but this kid is pretty intense too.
If they both act at once, the Arcad Kingdom will become a barren wasteland haunted by death!
So, in situations like this…
“Ignore it for now. Later, say… six months from now, would be a good time.”
「What’s six months?」
“Hmm. About 180 sunrises and sunsets.”
「180 times…? That’s way too many…」
The young cloud whale can’t count three-digit numbers yet.
Hmm… I should have set his intelligence higher when I made him a god. Now I regret making him too childlike.
“Then I’ll notify you when it’s time to punish. Until then, leave it alone.”
Ah, right. I should also tell the death gods.
First, I’ll explain through the pilgrims how to handle things, give them plenty of time to prepare, and even if they do nothing after the deadline, it won’t be too late to punish them later.
Having conveyed my message to both Cloud Whale and the death gods not to interfere immediately, I passed the word through the pilgrims.
“The Second Prince of the Arcad Kingdom has insulted me in my temple.
Therefore, I hold the Arcad Kingdom accountable. All pilgrims should leave the kingdom.
My punishment will fall upon their land. Those who wish to avoid it may flee the Arcad Kingdom to remain safe.
However, pilgrims are forbidden from directly harming them. The punishment will not affect life itself but will stem from birth and death.
If the Second Prince sincerely repents and undertakes a penitential pilgrimage, he may earn my forgiveness, and thus my wrath shall subside.”
Hm. Let’s see, is that everything?
I’ve issued a proper warning, explained the response, warned the pilgrims—especially the dragons—not to cause chaos, and announced that divine punishment will begin six months later.
Then… ignoring the Arcad Kingdom, let’s focus on properly training this hero.
Surely, creating a human hero can’t be harder than nurturing the world, right?
