Episode 113. Time to Reclaim
The appearance of the man he was seeing for the first time was definitely unfamiliar to Gerard.
Gray hair aside, gray eyes were something he had never heard of before.
But was he a deity?
Was that proof he was a deity?
He and he knew that the appearance of a deity before humans was absurd in the first place.
It was absurd.
Was he trying to joke around?
Gerard narrowed his eyes at the man before him.
"How dare you mention a deity in front of the Emperor of the empire? Are you crazy?"
He strode toward the unfamiliar man, examining his face from side to side.
Then he leaned in closer and whispered in a low voice.
"You know what? Any other time, I might have pretended to be fooled for a moment. But right now, I'm feeling very uncomfortable."
"..."
"So, if you don't want to die right here and now, you'd better get out."
The Supreme Being turned his head away from Gerard, who was scheming right in front of him, and sighed deeply.
"I've met many people, but it's been a long time since I've seen someone as absurd as you."
Gerard scoffed at the Supreme Being's words and glanced around quickly, habitually checking to see if Lyone was nearby.
Still, it was unacceptable for the Emperor's authority to be so low that he was fooled by a stranger.
"I've never met anyone who talks as convincingly as you, you know? Ah. Enough. I don't think I need to say anything else."
Gerard raised his hand and called out to his royal guards.
"What are you doing? Get this man out of here immediately...!"
The moment he realized he didn't hear the presence behind him, he felt goosebumps run down his body.
"Dylan!"
Gerard felt a shock as if he'd been hit in the back of the head for the first time in his life.
Dylan froze, as if he had been turned to stone.
“What the heck is this...”
It wasn’t just Dylan.
Every human, even the weeds, seemed artificially created, lifeless, and still.
Gerard, unable to control his expression, turned to the Supreme Being.
“How did the world come to a standstill?”
The gray man laughed incredulously at his astonished gaze.
“You are truly a worthless human, Gerard.”
As soon as he finished speaking, an incredible energy emanated from his body.
“Ugh!”
Gerard covered his face with his arms, oblivious to his loss of dignity.
The gray man didn’t need to emphasize the fact that he was the Supreme Being.
A human should have felt it simply by being near him. After all, all beings in this world were born from the fingertips of the Supreme Being.
For a created being to fail to recognize its creator was sin itself.
“Absolute Being! Please save me!”
Gerard instinctively fell to his knees.
For the first time in his life, his body trembled involuntarily.
“Please forgive my sins!”
The Supreme Being's gaze, looking down at Gerard, who was crouching with his eyes closed, was cold.
Humans never realized it, no matter how long it took. Pleading for forgiveness was utterly useless.
The Supreme Being created humans, but life was theirs to live afterward.
She could intervene in the reincarnation of the dead, but life itself was not.
It simply cycled according to the laws of the universe.
Those who lived virtuously were granted a better life, while those who sinned were born into insignificant existences.
This was a cosmic law beyond even the Supreme Being's control.
Just as the Supreme Being created the first humans, and they, of their own free will, have spread humanity to this day.
"Sin is over. I hear you're going to war with the North?"
Gerard raised his head, his face stricken.
"Oh, no. I was so angry that I blurted out something. Supreme Being, please forgive me."
The Supreme Being wearily brushed his gray eyebrows.
"I didn't come to stop you."
After all, he couldn't interfere with human free will.
“I’m sorry. I will never again wage war...”
“I have no interest in whether you start a war or not, Emperor of Periat.”
Gerard raised his head with a blank expression.
“...Huh?”
The Supreme Being raised an eyebrow at Gerard.
“Whatever you do, it’s your freedom anyway. Isn’t that right?”
“...”
“I asked, isn’t it?”
“Huh? Ah. Yes.”
Gerard glanced at the situation and pressed his forehead to the floor.
In truth, he was more angry at Lacrahan than truly wanting to start a war.
So it was natural that he felt dazed by the current situation, where the Supreme Being seemed to be pushing for war unconditionally.
“But if you want to go to war!”
Gerard closed his eyes tightly and waited for the next words.
“I want to praise your resolve.”
“Yes?”
The Supreme Being pursed his lips and then muttered in a coercive tone.
“You wanted war, didn’t you?”
“Ha, but I...”
“Are you planning to be a man and say two things out loud?”
Gerard flinched and shook his head.
“No, Supreme Being! I am the Emperor of the Empire. I’m not one to say two things out loud.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Gerard peered up.
Only when he saw the Supreme Being nodding contentedly did he understand why he had come to him and what he wanted.
"I want war!"
He couldn't understand why, but it was clear.
At that moment, his base instincts began to rise.
His heart, which had shrunk so tightly that he thought the Supreme Being had come to judge him, began to expand again.
"But, Supreme Being."
"...?"
"What would happen if I didn't go to war?"
"What?"
The Supreme Being's expression changed for a moment at Gerard's question.
And he didn't miss that moment.
"Of course, I'm not saying I won't go to war."
He twitched his eyebrows, trying to suppress a smile.
"It's just that I felt that the Supreme Being could provide some small assistance in my war effort."
Gerard had already risen from his seat, straightening his shoulders.
His pride, which had been hard to shake due to his life as an Emperor, was now naturally rising.
“You dare, a human, to make demands of me?”
“A demand?”
A smirk spread across Gerard’s lips.
“But if war starts, who knows what dangers might arise? I thought it would be nice if the Supreme Being would respond to my call just once.”
“...What? You dare, a human, to propose a deal to me first?”
“There’s no way I would do that.”
Gerard raised a finger and held it out before the Supreme Being.
“Just this once. If you could appear before me just once like this, I believe I could successfully wage the war with that power.”
The Supreme Being looked down at Gerard.
Whether he knew it or not, Gerard was cleverly proposing a contract within the limits of human free will.
It seemed he had misunderstood him all along.
Gerard was no insignificant human.
“You parasite.”
He was a leech, always finding a way to survive, anywhere.
Lacrahan gently stroked Bercheria's cheek as she lay defenseless.
Her blonde hair swayed gently as the wind blew across the green grass.
A smile spread across Lacrahan's lips without his knowledge.
The peaceful air, undisturbed, and Bercheria within reach whenever he wished.
Everything was perfect.
He touched his thin, red lips with his fingertips.
Since giving up on becoming a god, he had waited for hundreds of years, dying, being reborn, and dying again. What he had been waiting for wasn't some grand moment.
It was simply now.
A peaceful moment, holding the woman he loved, and sharing it with her.
He had struggled and endured for a long time to enjoy this small happiness.
Some lives were nothing but suffering, and others were barely manageable.
But no time could fill the emptiness within him.
Only in this life, meeting Bercheria, did he finally understand the reason he had lived so far.
If someone asked him if this moment was worth it, he could answer without hesitation.
Of course it was.
If there was anyone who didn't understand him, he would ask back.
Have you ever been in love?
Have you ever heard the breath of the woman you love?
Have you ever imagined how sweet the breath was, the way her beautiful breasts heaved and rose?
Have you ever seen her blink, her lips quivering, holding back her words?
Or seen her walk toward him with both eyes?
I told you, if that moment ever came to you, you would understand me.
Even if it meant making a greater sacrifice, Lacrahan would choose this path again.
It was a fate that had been set from the moment he first met Bercheria.
The path he had walked, or would walk, was all lined up for her.
It was all decided in that moment.
"Bercheria."
At Lacrahan's voice, she whined and tilted her head.
He found her adorable, and he chuckled softly.
"Rest here for a moment."
Lacrahan briefly kissed her cheek, still warm from the heat of earlier, and rose from his seat.
He carefully unfolded the cloak lying on the floor, covering Bercheria's body, and took in her appearance one last time.
"Don't worry. Everything will be alright."
He didn't think this moment would be his last.
Lacrahan had never once been defeated by anyone. Even in the long years he had lived as a god.
Even after he had given up his godhood to protect Bercheria.
Even while enjoying his life as a human.
Even though he had promised himself another chance, he had never truly lost. Even if the opponent were a Supreme Being, that fact would not change.
"Muha!"
Lacrahan called Muha.
Muha, who had been lazily rolling around, suddenly sprang to his feet and spread his wings.
Lacrahan climbed onto the nape of Muha's neck as he lowered his beak and whispered in the language of the gods.
"Let's go up to the ground."
Muha scratched his beak beneath his wing, where the deepest wound lay, and then soared upward.
Just staying here for a moment had already healed Muha's wounds.
Even as he flapped his wings as Lacrahan instructed, Muha continued to look below where Bercheria slept.
"It's okay."
Lacrahan whispered, patting Muha's thick neck.
"If she stays here, Bercheria will be safe."
The Supreme Being wasn't a being that needed to be fought with force.
To begin with, Bercheria wasn't even a match for the Supreme Being.
Even if he had become a god now, Bercheria could not escape the frame of being a creation of the Supreme Being.
"In the end, I must tie this knot."
Muha flapped his wings even more vigorously, as if trying to let go of his attachment to Bercheria.
The appearance of the man he was seeing for the first time was definitely unfamiliar to Gerard.
Gray hair aside, gray eyes were something he had never heard of before.
But was he a deity?
Was that proof he was a deity?
He and he knew that the appearance of a deity before humans was absurd in the first place.
It was absurd.
Was he trying to joke around?
Gerard narrowed his eyes at the man before him.
"How dare you mention a deity in front of the Emperor of the empire? Are you crazy?"
He strode toward the unfamiliar man, examining his face from side to side.
Then he leaned in closer and whispered in a low voice.
"You know what? Any other time, I might have pretended to be fooled for a moment. But right now, I'm feeling very uncomfortable."
"..."
"So, if you don't want to die right here and now, you'd better get out."
The Supreme Being turned his head away from Gerard, who was scheming right in front of him, and sighed deeply.
"I've met many people, but it's been a long time since I've seen someone as absurd as you."
Gerard scoffed at the Supreme Being's words and glanced around quickly, habitually checking to see if Lyone was nearby.
Still, it was unacceptable for the Emperor's authority to be so low that he was fooled by a stranger.
"I've never met anyone who talks as convincingly as you, you know? Ah. Enough. I don't think I need to say anything else."
Gerard raised his hand and called out to his royal guards.
"What are you doing? Get this man out of here immediately...!"
The moment he realized he didn't hear the presence behind him, he felt goosebumps run down his body.
"Dylan!"
Gerard felt a shock as if he'd been hit in the back of the head for the first time in his life.
Dylan froze, as if he had been turned to stone.
“What the heck is this...”
It wasn’t just Dylan.
Every human, even the weeds, seemed artificially created, lifeless, and still.
Gerard, unable to control his expression, turned to the Supreme Being.
“How did the world come to a standstill?”
The gray man laughed incredulously at his astonished gaze.
“You are truly a worthless human, Gerard.”
As soon as he finished speaking, an incredible energy emanated from his body.
“Ugh!”
Gerard covered his face with his arms, oblivious to his loss of dignity.
The gray man didn’t need to emphasize the fact that he was the Supreme Being.
A human should have felt it simply by being near him. After all, all beings in this world were born from the fingertips of the Supreme Being.
For a created being to fail to recognize its creator was sin itself.
“Absolute Being! Please save me!”
Gerard instinctively fell to his knees.
For the first time in his life, his body trembled involuntarily.
“Please forgive my sins!”
The Supreme Being's gaze, looking down at Gerard, who was crouching with his eyes closed, was cold.
Humans never realized it, no matter how long it took. Pleading for forgiveness was utterly useless.
The Supreme Being created humans, but life was theirs to live afterward.
She could intervene in the reincarnation of the dead, but life itself was not.
It simply cycled according to the laws of the universe.
Those who lived virtuously were granted a better life, while those who sinned were born into insignificant existences.
This was a cosmic law beyond even the Supreme Being's control.
Just as the Supreme Being created the first humans, and they, of their own free will, have spread humanity to this day.
"Sin is over. I hear you're going to war with the North?"
Gerard raised his head, his face stricken.
"Oh, no. I was so angry that I blurted out something. Supreme Being, please forgive me."
The Supreme Being wearily brushed his gray eyebrows.
"I didn't come to stop you."
After all, he couldn't interfere with human free will.
“I’m sorry. I will never again wage war...”
“I have no interest in whether you start a war or not, Emperor of Periat.”
Gerard raised his head with a blank expression.
“...Huh?”
The Supreme Being raised an eyebrow at Gerard.
“Whatever you do, it’s your freedom anyway. Isn’t that right?”
“...”
“I asked, isn’t it?”
“Huh? Ah. Yes.”
Gerard glanced at the situation and pressed his forehead to the floor.
In truth, he was more angry at Lacrahan than truly wanting to start a war.
So it was natural that he felt dazed by the current situation, where the Supreme Being seemed to be pushing for war unconditionally.
“But if you want to go to war!”
Gerard closed his eyes tightly and waited for the next words.
“I want to praise your resolve.”
“Yes?”
The Supreme Being pursed his lips and then muttered in a coercive tone.
“You wanted war, didn’t you?”
“Ha, but I...”
“Are you planning to be a man and say two things out loud?”
Gerard flinched and shook his head.
“No, Supreme Being! I am the Emperor of the Empire. I’m not one to say two things out loud.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Gerard peered up.
Only when he saw the Supreme Being nodding contentedly did he understand why he had come to him and what he wanted.
"I want war!"
He couldn't understand why, but it was clear.
At that moment, his base instincts began to rise.
His heart, which had shrunk so tightly that he thought the Supreme Being had come to judge him, began to expand again.
"But, Supreme Being."
"...?"
"What would happen if I didn't go to war?"
"What?"
The Supreme Being's expression changed for a moment at Gerard's question.
And he didn't miss that moment.
"Of course, I'm not saying I won't go to war."
He twitched his eyebrows, trying to suppress a smile.
"It's just that I felt that the Supreme Being could provide some small assistance in my war effort."
Gerard had already risen from his seat, straightening his shoulders.
His pride, which had been hard to shake due to his life as an Emperor, was now naturally rising.
“You dare, a human, to make demands of me?”
“A demand?”
A smirk spread across Gerard’s lips.
“But if war starts, who knows what dangers might arise? I thought it would be nice if the Supreme Being would respond to my call just once.”
“...What? You dare, a human, to propose a deal to me first?”
“There’s no way I would do that.”
Gerard raised a finger and held it out before the Supreme Being.
“Just this once. If you could appear before me just once like this, I believe I could successfully wage the war with that power.”
The Supreme Being looked down at Gerard.
Whether he knew it or not, Gerard was cleverly proposing a contract within the limits of human free will.
It seemed he had misunderstood him all along.
Gerard was no insignificant human.
“You parasite.”
He was a leech, always finding a way to survive, anywhere.
***
Lacrahan gently stroked Bercheria's cheek as she lay defenseless.
Her blonde hair swayed gently as the wind blew across the green grass.
A smile spread across Lacrahan's lips without his knowledge.
The peaceful air, undisturbed, and Bercheria within reach whenever he wished.
Everything was perfect.
He touched his thin, red lips with his fingertips.
Since giving up on becoming a god, he had waited for hundreds of years, dying, being reborn, and dying again. What he had been waiting for wasn't some grand moment.
It was simply now.
A peaceful moment, holding the woman he loved, and sharing it with her.
He had struggled and endured for a long time to enjoy this small happiness.
Some lives were nothing but suffering, and others were barely manageable.
But no time could fill the emptiness within him.
Only in this life, meeting Bercheria, did he finally understand the reason he had lived so far.
If someone asked him if this moment was worth it, he could answer without hesitation.
Of course it was.
If there was anyone who didn't understand him, he would ask back.
Have you ever been in love?
Have you ever heard the breath of the woman you love?
Have you ever imagined how sweet the breath was, the way her beautiful breasts heaved and rose?
Have you ever seen her blink, her lips quivering, holding back her words?
Or seen her walk toward him with both eyes?
I told you, if that moment ever came to you, you would understand me.
Even if it meant making a greater sacrifice, Lacrahan would choose this path again.
It was a fate that had been set from the moment he first met Bercheria.
The path he had walked, or would walk, was all lined up for her.
It was all decided in that moment.
"Bercheria."
At Lacrahan's voice, she whined and tilted her head.
He found her adorable, and he chuckled softly.
"Rest here for a moment."
Lacrahan briefly kissed her cheek, still warm from the heat of earlier, and rose from his seat.
He carefully unfolded the cloak lying on the floor, covering Bercheria's body, and took in her appearance one last time.
"Don't worry. Everything will be alright."
He didn't think this moment would be his last.
Lacrahan had never once been defeated by anyone. Even in the long years he had lived as a god.
Even after he had given up his godhood to protect Bercheria.
Even while enjoying his life as a human.
Even though he had promised himself another chance, he had never truly lost. Even if the opponent were a Supreme Being, that fact would not change.
"Muha!"
Lacrahan called Muha.
Muha, who had been lazily rolling around, suddenly sprang to his feet and spread his wings.
Lacrahan climbed onto the nape of Muha's neck as he lowered his beak and whispered in the language of the gods.
"Let's go up to the ground."
Muha scratched his beak beneath his wing, where the deepest wound lay, and then soared upward.
Just staying here for a moment had already healed Muha's wounds.
Even as he flapped his wings as Lacrahan instructed, Muha continued to look below where Bercheria slept.
"It's okay."
Lacrahan whispered, patting Muha's thick neck.
"If she stays here, Bercheria will be safe."
The Supreme Being wasn't a being that needed to be fought with force.
To begin with, Bercheria wasn't even a match for the Supreme Being.
Even if he had become a god now, Bercheria could not escape the frame of being a creation of the Supreme Being.
"In the end, I must tie this knot."
Muha flapped his wings even more vigorously, as if trying to let go of his attachment to Bercheria.
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