Episode 48. The God Who Broke Taboos
Leaning against the bookshelf, Lacrahan's hand, instinctively turning the pages, stopped mid-air.
There was a sentence he'd never seen before.
Lacrahan flipped the book over and checked the cover again.
"The Trivia of the Adkins Family? Was there such a book?"
He returned to the page he'd just been reading.
[The Adkins family begins with one of the gods who descended to this world.]
The combination of the words "Adkins" and "god" was so unfamiliar that it felt disjointed.
Lacrahan sat in his chair, entranced, and turned the next page.
[ The Supreme Being sent the smaller gods, created from parts of himself, to the human world, entrusting them with one thing: they must not fall in love with humans.
Leaning against the bookshelf, Lacrahan's hand, instinctively turning the pages, stopped mid-air.
There was a sentence he'd never seen before.
Lacrahan flipped the book over and checked the cover again.
"The Trivia of the Adkins Family? Was there such a book?"
He returned to the page he'd just been reading.
[The Adkins family begins with one of the gods who descended to this world.]
The combination of the words "Adkins" and "god" was so unfamiliar that it felt disjointed.
Lacrahan sat in his chair, entranced, and turned the next page.
[ The Supreme Being sent the smaller gods, created from parts of himself, to the human world, entrusting them with one thing: they must not fall in love with humans.
That was the only rule.
But there was a god who broke this taboo, and his name was Adkins.
He fell in love with a human woman, and this incurred the wrath of the Supreme Being.
The Supreme Being, having learned the truth, condemned them and separated them.
But there was no stopping those already in love. No matter how far they were separated, crossing oceans, mountains, and facing near-death experiences, they found each other again.
Even banished to the ends of the continent, they found each other again.
As if each other were their own life.
Ultimately, the Supreme Being summoned Adkins back to the heavens, where the Garden of the Gods resided.
But by then, a new life was already growing within the woman's womb.
This was the first Adkins to take root in the human world.
He resembled his father, the God, and possessed the properties of ice, but he was not a true god, yet he was far too remarkable to be called a mere human.
He was the Merc Adkins we know today, the founder of the Adkins family.
Meanwhile, trapped in the Garden of the Gods, Adkins created a divine object that would bind him and the woman together forever.
So that they could recognize each other and be together in the next life, and the life after that.
After some time, he passed it on to his woman, avoiding the eyes of the Supreme Being. ]
“Hmm.”
Lacrahan stroked his sharp chin.
The contents of the book were both intriguing and absurd.
Lacrahan turned another page and continued reading.
[ In fact, there is no other record of the ending of their love.
However, I am certain that it was not a happy ending.
The fact that there is no other story was enough to infer the fact.
After that, all the gods returned to the Garden of the Gods, and the era of the three gods and the Awakened who protected this continent began.
Some say that Adkins came down to this land and became the god who protected one of the three continents, and in each country... ]
Lacrahan stood from his chair and walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out another book.
He searched his memory and found the page.
It was a book that collected legends about the North.
His long fingers stopped at a tale handed down in a village near the border.
[ A couple engaged in a forbidden love, hiding a token of their love in this small village to avoid the eyes of the Supreme Being.
When they finally meet again after many lives, they will be forced to split half of what is most precious to them.
To reclaim that, they will inevitably return here. Only then will they recall their past love and fulfill the love they left unfulfilled in their past lives. ]
“So, finding the hidden token confirms their past love...”
Lacrahan’s deep eyes slowly opened.
Laurent sat by the river, having parted ways with Bercheria, aimlessly tossing small stones into the water.
“How long are we going to keep doing this?”
Beloveye was beside him.
His calm blue eyes and hair swayed in the wind.
“So you want me to watch Bercheria’s wedding?”
Beloveye stared intently at Laurent, who grumbled.
When he first heard the order from the Supreme God to bring Bercheria to Der'Ansis, Beloveye had a hunch that this operation would inevitably fail.
First, he hated humans more than he'd imagined.
In fact, this was something they had themselves committed.
It made no sense to favor those who dumped trash in the ocean, slaughtered indiscriminately, and disrupted the order of the sea.
Therefore, he put Laurent, the only human he could communicate with, in the lead.
This was the second reason he predicted this would fail.
This handsome Prince, exceptionally popular among humans, was a perfect substitute. His good looks made Bercheria highly likely to fall for him, and the fact that human women were always clinging to him raised expectations. This meant no trouble.
He had returned to Periat with such a light heart, yet Laurent suddenly fell for Bercheria.
What was most upsetting was the fact that he had tried to sell the lizard-turned-Beloveye to Bercheria.
And he had used a poisonous substance to do so.
This was the first insult he had ever received in his life.
Of course, thanks to that opportunity, he had learned a lot about the person this Awakened Bercheria was.
"Laurent. There's no point in standing there and watching. Unless you get involved and cause trouble."
Laurent picked up a nearby rock and carelessly threw it into the river.
"How could I get involved? I can't even."
"Why?"
“What if Bercheria hates me if I cause a scene?”
“Huh...?”
Beloveye was flabbergasted.
He began to think that Laurent might be more seriously in love with Bercheria than he had thought.
“Laurent.”
Beloveye, resting his chin on his hand, followed Laurent and picked up a stone, playing with it.
“Why do you think the Supreme Being ordered you to marry Bercheria?”
Laurent raised his eyebrows as if hearing something completely unexpected.
Beloveye shook his head left and right.
Born a Prince and enjoying everything, Laurent didn’t know how to question someone’s orders. Because when he gave them orders, no one questioned them.
Sometimes, humans mistakenly believe that what they see and hear is all there is to the world.
“The Supreme Being’s purpose isn’t to bring Bercheria to Der'Ansis.”
“Then?”
“It’s to prevent Bercheria from remaining in Periat.”
"What do you mean? The Supreme Being hates it when the guardian deity of Periat remains in Periat?"
"Yes."
Beloveye turned his head toward the river.
"To be precise, I should say he hates being around Lacrahan."
Laurent still looked puzzled.
"It's a long story. To put it simply, Lacrahan was hated by the Supreme Being a long time ago."
Beloveye frowned, recalling that tumultuous incident from the past.
He had lived here as long as the Supreme Being. He was a primordial god, born at the very birth of the sea.
Therefore, unlike the weather goddess or the earth god, he didn't need an Awakener.
It would be correct to say that Beloveye was the sea itself, and the sea was contained within him.
Unlike other beings, he had lived in the same consciousness for countless years and thus knew a great deal.
In fact, his desensitization might be natural in a way.
If humans were to realize everything they knew, how many would be able to endure it?
“Laurent. I’ll tell you a secret, the only human I can communicate with. The Supreme Being.”
Laurent swallowed hard.
“He’s not as generous as everyone thinks. He has all the tens of thousands of emotions humans feel. He can hate someone, and He can love someone. The only difference between him and me is...”
Beloveye thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“I guess it’s that if he puts his mind to it, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
Beloveye chuckled, recalling a long-lost memory.
“But you know, Lacrahan wasn’t someone who could be loved in the first place. He was quite a pain in the ass.”
Laurent, who was looking at Beloveye, had a blank expression on her face, as if he didn’t understand what he was saying.
“But you know, if the Supreme Being hated Lacrahan so much, shouldn’t he have done something to prevent this marriage from happening?”
Beloveye spread his arms wide behind his back and looked up at the sky.
He decided not to tell Laurent that the Supreme Being couldn't interfere with free will.
He was afraid that if he talked too much, he might incur the Supreme Being's displeasure.
Laurent stared intently at him, and he said with a serious expression.
But there was a god who broke this taboo, and his name was Adkins.
He fell in love with a human woman, and this incurred the wrath of the Supreme Being.
The Supreme Being, having learned the truth, condemned them and separated them.
But there was no stopping those already in love. No matter how far they were separated, crossing oceans, mountains, and facing near-death experiences, they found each other again.
Even banished to the ends of the continent, they found each other again.
As if each other were their own life.
Ultimately, the Supreme Being summoned Adkins back to the heavens, where the Garden of the Gods resided.
But by then, a new life was already growing within the woman's womb.
This was the first Adkins to take root in the human world.
He resembled his father, the God, and possessed the properties of ice, but he was not a true god, yet he was far too remarkable to be called a mere human.
He was the Merc Adkins we know today, the founder of the Adkins family.
Meanwhile, trapped in the Garden of the Gods, Adkins created a divine object that would bind him and the woman together forever.
So that they could recognize each other and be together in the next life, and the life after that.
After some time, he passed it on to his woman, avoiding the eyes of the Supreme Being. ]
“Hmm.”
Lacrahan stroked his sharp chin.
The contents of the book were both intriguing and absurd.
Lacrahan turned another page and continued reading.
[ In fact, there is no other record of the ending of their love.
However, I am certain that it was not a happy ending.
The fact that there is no other story was enough to infer the fact.
After that, all the gods returned to the Garden of the Gods, and the era of the three gods and the Awakened who protected this continent began.
Some say that Adkins came down to this land and became the god who protected one of the three continents, and in each country... ]
Lacrahan stood from his chair and walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out another book.
He searched his memory and found the page.
It was a book that collected legends about the North.
His long fingers stopped at a tale handed down in a village near the border.
[ A couple engaged in a forbidden love, hiding a token of their love in this small village to avoid the eyes of the Supreme Being.
When they finally meet again after many lives, they will be forced to split half of what is most precious to them.
To reclaim that, they will inevitably return here. Only then will they recall their past love and fulfill the love they left unfulfilled in their past lives. ]
“So, finding the hidden token confirms their past love...”
Lacrahan’s deep eyes slowly opened.
***
Laurent sat by the river, having parted ways with Bercheria, aimlessly tossing small stones into the water.
“How long are we going to keep doing this?”
Beloveye was beside him.
His calm blue eyes and hair swayed in the wind.
“So you want me to watch Bercheria’s wedding?”
Beloveye stared intently at Laurent, who grumbled.
When he first heard the order from the Supreme God to bring Bercheria to Der'Ansis, Beloveye had a hunch that this operation would inevitably fail.
First, he hated humans more than he'd imagined.
In fact, this was something they had themselves committed.
It made no sense to favor those who dumped trash in the ocean, slaughtered indiscriminately, and disrupted the order of the sea.
Therefore, he put Laurent, the only human he could communicate with, in the lead.
This was the second reason he predicted this would fail.
This handsome Prince, exceptionally popular among humans, was a perfect substitute. His good looks made Bercheria highly likely to fall for him, and the fact that human women were always clinging to him raised expectations. This meant no trouble.
He had returned to Periat with such a light heart, yet Laurent suddenly fell for Bercheria.
What was most upsetting was the fact that he had tried to sell the lizard-turned-Beloveye to Bercheria.
And he had used a poisonous substance to do so.
This was the first insult he had ever received in his life.
Of course, thanks to that opportunity, he had learned a lot about the person this Awakened Bercheria was.
"Laurent. There's no point in standing there and watching. Unless you get involved and cause trouble."
Laurent picked up a nearby rock and carelessly threw it into the river.
"How could I get involved? I can't even."
"Why?"
“What if Bercheria hates me if I cause a scene?”
“Huh...?”
Beloveye was flabbergasted.
He began to think that Laurent might be more seriously in love with Bercheria than he had thought.
“Laurent.”
Beloveye, resting his chin on his hand, followed Laurent and picked up a stone, playing with it.
“Why do you think the Supreme Being ordered you to marry Bercheria?”
Laurent raised his eyebrows as if hearing something completely unexpected.
Beloveye shook his head left and right.
Born a Prince and enjoying everything, Laurent didn’t know how to question someone’s orders. Because when he gave them orders, no one questioned them.
Sometimes, humans mistakenly believe that what they see and hear is all there is to the world.
“The Supreme Being’s purpose isn’t to bring Bercheria to Der'Ansis.”
“Then?”
“It’s to prevent Bercheria from remaining in Periat.”
"What do you mean? The Supreme Being hates it when the guardian deity of Periat remains in Periat?"
"Yes."
Beloveye turned his head toward the river.
"To be precise, I should say he hates being around Lacrahan."
Laurent still looked puzzled.
"It's a long story. To put it simply, Lacrahan was hated by the Supreme Being a long time ago."
Beloveye frowned, recalling that tumultuous incident from the past.
He had lived here as long as the Supreme Being. He was a primordial god, born at the very birth of the sea.
Therefore, unlike the weather goddess or the earth god, he didn't need an Awakener.
It would be correct to say that Beloveye was the sea itself, and the sea was contained within him.
Unlike other beings, he had lived in the same consciousness for countless years and thus knew a great deal.
In fact, his desensitization might be natural in a way.
If humans were to realize everything they knew, how many would be able to endure it?
“Laurent. I’ll tell you a secret, the only human I can communicate with. The Supreme Being.”
Laurent swallowed hard.
“He’s not as generous as everyone thinks. He has all the tens of thousands of emotions humans feel. He can hate someone, and He can love someone. The only difference between him and me is...”
Beloveye thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“I guess it’s that if he puts his mind to it, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
Beloveye chuckled, recalling a long-lost memory.
“But you know, Lacrahan wasn’t someone who could be loved in the first place. He was quite a pain in the ass.”
Laurent, who was looking at Beloveye, had a blank expression on her face, as if he didn’t understand what he was saying.
“But you know, if the Supreme Being hated Lacrahan so much, shouldn’t he have done something to prevent this marriage from happening?”
Beloveye spread his arms wide behind his back and looked up at the sky.
He decided not to tell Laurent that the Supreme Being couldn't interfere with free will.
He was afraid that if he talked too much, he might incur the Supreme Being's displeasure.
Laurent stared intently at him, and he said with a serious expression.
"Perhaps he is already planning this, isn't he?"
Beloveye gave him a strange expression, neither frowning nor smiling.
"Your Highness! It's Wyatt! Are you here?"
A booming voice came from the entrance, and Lacrahan lifted his head from his books.
He stretched and walked out of the library.
"Grand Duke!"
Wyatt noticed him and approached him, quickening his pace.
"People are looking for you. What are you doing here? Don't you know it's a wedding coming up?"
Lacrahan took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
"Where's Bercheria?"
Wyatt's small eyes widened.
"Huh? Wasn't she with you? I was at the guard post when she made such a fuss about finding the Grand Duke that I came here."
"Hmm."
Lacrahan walked ahead of Wyatt.
Suddenly, the empty bed in his room came to mind.
He'd thought she'd be back by now.
But there's still no word...
"This could be a bit of a fluke."
"Huh?"
Lacrahan turned his head as if to tell Wyatt not to pay attention.
Even if Bercheria changed her mind about marriage, that was still Lacrahan's responsibility.
The only consolation was the certainty that Bercheria couldn't leave him even if she refused. He hadn't realized that the fact that Bercheria's staff, which had weighed heavily on his mind, was engraved on his body would now make him feel so grateful.
"Grand Duke."
"Yes."
"I'm asking because I've come all this way."
"Yes."
"Do you truly love that weather goddess?"
Beloveye gave him a strange expression, neither frowning nor smiling.
***
"Your Highness! It's Wyatt! Are you here?"
A booming voice came from the entrance, and Lacrahan lifted his head from his books.
He stretched and walked out of the library.
"Grand Duke!"
Wyatt noticed him and approached him, quickening his pace.
"People are looking for you. What are you doing here? Don't you know it's a wedding coming up?"
Lacrahan took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
"Where's Bercheria?"
Wyatt's small eyes widened.
"Huh? Wasn't she with you? I was at the guard post when she made such a fuss about finding the Grand Duke that I came here."
"Hmm."
Lacrahan walked ahead of Wyatt.
Suddenly, the empty bed in his room came to mind.
He'd thought she'd be back by now.
But there's still no word...
"This could be a bit of a fluke."
"Huh?"
Lacrahan turned his head as if to tell Wyatt not to pay attention.
Even if Bercheria changed her mind about marriage, that was still Lacrahan's responsibility.
The only consolation was the certainty that Bercheria couldn't leave him even if she refused. He hadn't realized that the fact that Bercheria's staff, which had weighed heavily on his mind, was engraved on his body would now make him feel so grateful.
"Grand Duke."
"Yes."
"I'm asking because I've come all this way."
"Yes."
"Do you truly love that weather goddess?"
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