Please read this before reading my translation of Elquiness, the Spirit King.

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Table of Contents
Illustrations ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Prologue .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 30
Chapter 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 51
Chapter 4 ....................................................................................................................................... 69
Chapter 5 ....................................................................................................................................... 89
Chapter 6 ..................................................................................................................................... 113
Chapter 7 ..................................................................................................................................... 140
Chapter 8 ..................................................................................................................................... 163
Chapter 9 ..................................................................................................................................... 193
Side Story: A Day in the Life of Naduel..................................................................................... 213
Extra: Character Profile – Elquiness ........................................................................................... 225
Extra: Character Q&A ................................................................................................................ 226
Extra: 4-Panels ............................................................................................................................ 228
Index ........................................................................................................................................... 230
Illustrations
Elquiness
Trowell
Prologue
‘April 26th, 20XX. That’s the day I died.’

…It really set the mood. I was just copying the beginning of an anime movie that I’d seen
recently. It was a great choice of words, all things despite. After all, I could actually see my dead
body right there in front of me.

“Huh…”

I felt somewhat agitated as I stared at the familiar figure laying strewn about in the middle of the
road. That full head of curly black hair and that thick, horn-rimmed glasses taking up nearly half
my face. That skinny frame wearing that rustic blue school uniform. This was, without a doubt,
the reflection of myself that I’d seen in the mirror before heading to school this morning.

“Is this… for real? Seriously? This is happening? This is real? Really?”

I kept slapping and pinching myself because I couldn’t believe my own two eyes. Yet, the
bizarre reality unfolding before me (yes, this is undoubtedly real) refused to go away. I was
floating in the air while looking down at my dead body below me… This was really happening.

“Argh—this is driving me insane! Why did this have to happen to me?!”

My name is Kang Jihoon.

I turn seventeen this year, and I’m an ordinary Korean high school student. I have never once
doubted the fact that I am perfectly ordinary. I had average athletic abilities and average grades.
Neither my physique nor my looks stood out from the crowd. Who else would you call ordinary,
if not someone like me?

Someone people claimed that being ordinary was one of the most difficult things to achieve in
the world, but I saw being ordinary as the easiest and simplest thing ever. My thoughts on this
this matter had never changed… at least not until this morning—no, until just a few minutes ago.

That was when the ‘accident’ had happened.

The accident hadn’t been caused by anything out of the ordinary. Korea was a small nation with
a lot of traffic. Traffic accidents were a dime a dozen.

The source of my misfortune had been the English flash cards that I’d been trying to memorize. I
had mock exams coming up, and that was why I’d been studying—something that I normally
didn’t do. But how was I supposed to know that I’d get hit by a car that had ignored the red
light? There’d been nothing I could do.

‘So that’s why they say you might end up dead if you suddenly do something that you normally
don’t do, huh…?’
The adage was completely right. Our ancestors hadn’t pulled their words of wisdom out of
nowhere. Was this my punishment for ignoring their advice? Wasn’t that too harsh?

I hadn’t even been hit that hard. It had basically been a light tap. Granted, I had ended up being
sent flying because of that light tap, but, as far as I could see, it wasn’t like I’d broken any bones
or started bleeding out or anything. And yet, that light tap had managed to kill me.

Surely, something had gone wrong. Very wrong.

My corpse looked so uninjured that neither the driver nor the police officers who had arrived on
scene had realized that I was dead. I even tried to slip back into my body. But my body
continued to reject my soul no matter how many times I tried, and I gave up upon realizing that
twenty whole minutes had passed since I’d last breathed.

'Ahh, I died such a pointless death.'

Chapter 1
1.

It had already been four days since my pointlessly short life had come to an end. Yet, my
everyday life hadn’t really changed much. I was still wandering about in my school uniform like
always. I’d even attended class, witnessed my corpse being collected, and attended my own
funeral to boot.

At the moment, I was sitting in front of my funeral portrait while pretending to know the
‘friends’ who had come to pay their respects. It was actually pretty fun. Was it because it gave
me the chance to see the real worth of the friends I never even knew I had? It was especially
interesting to see people whom I’d rarely interacted with or had always been too taciturn to really
speak to me bawling their eyes out in front of my portrait. It felt new, and it came as a bit of a
shock.

Unfortunately, however, none of them could see or hear anything I did or said. In anime, it
wasn’t uncommon for the recently deceased to be able to communicate with the living even after
becoming a ghost. But that was only possible because it was fiction.

No one alive could perceive my presence. I hadn’t even met any other ghosts(?) yet. The former
made sense, but the latter less so.

This was a funeral home. There was no way that I was the only dead person here. Case in point,
there were multiple other funerals taking place right now in this very building. Some of them had
even started after mine. And even still, I had yet to meet another wandering soul. How could this
be?

For the first couple of days, I remained calm because I thought that the grim reaper would show
up to collect me soon. However, I couldn’t help but start growing nervous now that it’d already
been four whole days.

‘Or do you just wander around alone like this after you die? Forever?’

I couldn’t help the fact that my nerves had begun bleeding into my thoughts.

I fretfully bit down on my lip. I was so sick and tired of being alone. I was especially
uncomfortable in situations like this, where no one noticed me even though I was buried in a sea
of people. It made me think about things that I really didn’t want to. Like the fact that it was my
friends and not my family who were mourning me right now, for example.

‘Well… Not like I expected them to be sad about my death to begin with.’

It felt strange to call my parents and brothers ‘family.’ After all, they had never shown me much
affection even when I was still alive.
Even still, I’d thought that they would at least hold a funeral for me, if only out of consideration
for their public image. Contrary to my expectations, however, their eyes had been as cold as ice
as they looked upon their son and brother who had come home to them as a corpse. They had
even tried to have me cremated without giving me a proper funeral and spread my ashes on the
first mountain they could find.

It was my friend, Ha Taejin, who had learned of their plans and stopped them. He was standing
here mourning me still. Furthermore, it had been my classmates who had pooled together the
money for my funeral costs.

I smiled bitterly as I looked at Taejin, who was clenching his fists with a stiff look on his face as
he wore his mourner’s tag. He was normally bright and cheerful to a fault, but right now, his face
looked downright murderous. The fact that the look on his face was my fault didn’t quite sit well
with me.

‘Argh, don’t be like this. Think positive thoughts, think positive thoughts!’

I shook my head hard and did my best to clear myself of any stray thoughts.

Now that I’d died, I didn’t want to bring my worries from this life with me into my next. While I
did feel a little guilty because my friends were here crying for me, I wanted to forget everything
as quickly as possible and be happy. I needed to experience new things and forge new
relationships to make that happen.

‘That’s right! I should leave! I’ll go and find others who are in the same boat as me!’

I hadn’t seen either hide or hair of another soul—which was nothing to say of actually managing
to meet one—but it was far too early to give up. It’d only been a measly four days since I’d died.
It was still too early to decide that I’d experienced everything there was to experience in the
afterlife.

Besides, if I didn’t have any relationships right now, then all I had to do was go out forge new
ones! If it was too hard to find souls who were already dead, then all I had to do was stay near
someone who was about to die and wait for their soul to appear!

Fortunately(?) for me, death was a frequent phenomenon in hospitals. Finding someone who was
about to die inside a hospital was as easy as pie. This way, I could make a new friend and the
new soul wouldn’t have to be lonely—it was a win-win situation!

‘I’m a genius!’

“Alright! Shall I?”

I made up my mind and immediately jumped up to my feet. But a certain face came into my field
of vision before I could turn around with the same gusto. It belonged to Ha Taejin, who was still
mourning me.
He was the only one who had maintained his stony composure while the rest of my friends were
crying. Yet, he was also the one person here who was mourning my death the most.

“I’m gonna be happy,” I said with a bitter smile. Then, though I knew I couldn’t actually touch
him, I patted him on the shoulder and continued, “So just forget about me already, Ha Taejin.”

2.

If someone asked me to express how I currently felt in just three words, I’d be able to answer
them without any hesitation whatsoever: Bewildered, bewildered, and bewildered! Seriously,
I’ve never been this bewildered before in my entire life!

Finding the ICU at the hospital was easy. I didn’t even have to climb up the stairs or wait for an
elevator because, as a ghost, I could just phase through walls. That was why I’d been burning up
with my desire to make a new friend(?) when I initially found my way to the ICU.

Until something happened to bewilder me even more, that is.

There was a chilly air in the ICU, just as I’d always thought there would be. Unlike the other
wings in the hospital, all the patients here were at death’s door. Most of them looked like they
were in critical condition even at a quick glance. It was a place filled to the brim with sorrow and
pain, a place that only caused anguish to both the ailing patients and their families visiting them.

Most of the patients were unconscious, and many were hooked up to ventilators or to strange,
complicated machines that I did not know the purposes of. It was such a horrible sight that I tried
my best not to look directly at the most critical patients.

The ICU patients needed to depend on machines in order to prolong their lives, but at the end of
the day, they were all hanging on simply because they wanted to live. It pricked at my
conscience to be here among them with less pure intentions than they, but I did my best to not let
it get to me.

After all, I was already dead. I was just trying to find new friends because I didn’t want to be
alone. Was that really such a terrible thing? It wasn’t even as if I was wishing death upon them
or anything. All I wanted was to get acquainted with someone—anyone—after they died.

Besides, even the newly deceased would surely find it easier to adapt if they got to meet their
senior in death(?) first instead of suddenly getting dropped into an unfamiliar situation. Right?

“S-Sangmin, no! Open your eyes! Sangmin!”

“Brother!”
Had I been wishing too hard?

I hadn’t even been in the ICU that long, but I was already seeing an omen(?) of impending death.
There was boy around my age who was struggling to breathe even though he was hooked up to a
ventilator. He also began to have a seizure. He was wrapped head to toe in bandages. It looked
like he’d gotten hurt pretty bad.

A bunch of doctors and nurses came running over and started working frantically, but the sound
of his labored breathing only continued to grow quieter. Even I, who had no medical knowledge,
could tell that he was beyond hope.

After all, his soul had begun rising up from his body.

“Whoa…”

It was shocking, in more ways than one, to witness a soul separating from its body. There was a
body beginning to grow cold lying in the bed, and then there was another translucent copy of the
same exact figure floating in the air above it. It looked straight out of a horror movie. A shiver
ran down my spine.

Once the boy’s soul had completely separated from his body, the doctor began shaking his head
with a dark expression on his face and his family began wailing. The boy was fully dead.

“Well then, shall I go ahead and say hello now?”

I felt a little sorry for the boy’s family, but I’d been looking forward to his moment for some
time. I slowly made my way over to the motionless soul.

But just then…

Pop.

“…Huh?”

A bright light suddenly burst forth from the wall on the other side of the boy’s bed. It probably
wasn’t any ordinary light, judging by the fact that the boy’s wailing family didn’t seem to have
registered it. I was startled, so I instinctively stopped dead in my tracks and quickly hid behind
the wall.

It was only after the fact that I remembered that I had no reason to hide, but it was too awkward
to step back out from my hiding place by this point.

Then, something came out of the light.

‘Wait, are those people?’

I was alarmed to see two men walking out of the light. They looked Western, and they were also
extremely attractive—like the kind of people you’d only see in movies.

They were dressed in strange but gorgeous costumes, and their hair was so long that it reached
not only past their hips but all the way down to their feet. They almost looked like angels, if not
for the fact that they didn’t have any wings sprouting from their backs.

The not!angels walked up to the boy, who was sitting blankly on his deathbed, with practiced
ease. Then, with the boy still sitting in between them, they began holding a conversation that
sounded rather complicated. For the most part, however, it sounded like one of them was
explaining something while the other was asking questions.

“Choi Sangmin, Korean, Aquarius. A sixteen-year-old high school student. The cause of death is
a traffic accident. That concludes the records of his death.”

“How will he be transported?”

“He’ll have to walk the path to his next life. He has too much karma.”

“Then he’ll be in the Central Records. Be sure to have him processed. Is he the last soul for
today?”

“Yes, for our part.”

The man, who appeared to be on the receiving end of the other man’s report, nodded in
acknowledgement. Then, he grabbed the boy, who was still sitting absentmindedly on his
deathbed, and pulled him gently into the air. The boy’s soul still didn’t seem to have grasped
what was happening to him.

“Let’s go.”

“Understood, Lord Freunis.”

Pop.

And that was the last I saw of them. There were no traces of them to be found anywhere by the
time I came back to my senses. I stood there in stupefaction for quite some time. To be honest, I
was beginning to doubt what I’d just seen.

“…I thought that grim reapers didn’t exist because they didn’t come for me.”

Indeed, I’d truly thought that grim reapers didn’t exist. But those men—were they angels or were
they grim reapers?—had unmistakably come to pick up that boy’s soul. I hadn’t been able to
understand most of their conversation, but they had clearly timed their arrival with the boy’s
death.
‘But, what about me? Why didn’t anyone come for me?’

“What the hell…?”

I was flabbergasted and took a deep breath.

It was all so different from what had happened when I’d died. No one had been there when I’d
become a soul. I was sure of it. And, I hadn’t been in a daze, unable to grasp what was going on,
like that boy had been either. Something had clearly gone wrong.

I began staking out the hospital after that and continued to observe as people drew their last
breaths. I wanted to know if I’d misinterpreted the situation with the boy. I was also hoping that
at least one other person would also find themselves in a similar situation as me.

But the grim reapers appeared to collect the newly deceased souls every time someone died. It
was like the world was trying to prove that I was all alone. The grim reapers always arrived
exactly on time too. They never missed a beat.

I grew more anxious and fretful as time passed. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was really okay
for me to keep hiding away like this.

At first, I wondered if the grim reapers were ignoring me on purpose. Maybe I really was so
worthless and unlucky, like my father always said, that even the Afterlife was rejecting me.

But that didn’t make sense, no matter how many times I thought about it. I mean, what had I
even done? My only sin was that I’d lived an ordinary life while doing my best to avoid drawing
attention to myself. Besides, even if I had done something wrong, wouldn’t it make more sense
to take me to the Afterlife first and then punish me or cast me down to hell or something?

I pondered for a very long time before I finally came to a conclusion. If I couldn’t figure out why
they were doing this to me, then all I had to do was walk up to them ask them directly.

Nothing would change if I kept hiding like this. I had to talk to them in person. The fact that I
had to seek them out first hurt my pride, but now wasn’t the time to worry about something like
that. I might end up alone and ignored forever if I missed this chance. If this was all just an
accident, then they would probably just take me to the Afterlife, and if they were ignoring me on
purpose, then I could get down on my knees and beg them to take me.

‘And, who knows? They might just end up taking pity on me too.’

Right on cue, I saw that someone’s soul was about to rise up from their body in the ER. The
medical team was doing their best to save them, but things weren’t looking too good.

It didn’t take long before the person died, just as I’d predicted. I situated myself near where the
newly deceased soul was sitting blankly on their deathbed and waited for the grim reapers to
appear.
Pop.

“…They’re here!”

I was happy to see the light shining so faithfully like it always did, but it also made me feel a bit
bitter. Two men slowly began walking out of the light. I’d seen them so often these past few days
that I could help but feel familiar with them.

They began documenting things with the soul sitting between them like they always did. Neither
of them had noticed me yet. Then, possibly because he’d felt my gaze on him, the man who was
making a report suddenly turned toward me. His face stiffened up as soon as he saw me. His
superior standing on the other side made a face.

“Very well. This soul’s name is Lee Dongeun… Hmm? Why are you making that face, Hares?”

“L-Lord Freunis… There’s a boy…”

“A boy? What are you… Ack!”

The man called Freunis finally noticed me too and gasped loudly. It relieved me a little to see
him so shocked. It meant that they probably hadn’t missed me on purpose. They stood there
blinking in disbelief for quite some time and only snapped back to their senses and began
panicking after I’d smiled at them shyly.

“W-what in the world is going on here, Hares? Why is there a soul wandering around without a
Guide?”

“B-but… T-that’s impossible. That boy is not among the souls who met the end of their fate
today, Lord Freunis.”

“What? He’s not?”

“Of course I’m not,” I said truthfully after watching them flail for a bit. “I died over a week ago.
It’s actually already been over ten days since I died. I’ve been waiting for someone to take me
away, and I decided to talk to you because no one came for me.”

But the men only grew more suspicious after hearing me out.

“A Guide never came for you even though you’ve been dead for over ten days?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hah. And you expect us to believe that?”

“Huh?”
“What you’re suggesting isn’t possible, boy. When a soul reaches the end of their fate, their
frequency is automatically transmitted to us Guides. It’s not possible for your frequency to have
gone unnoticed for even a day or two, which is nothing to say of ten.”

“What? But I’m right here, aren’t I?”

“That’s why I’m saying it’s strange… huh? Speaking of which, what’s with you? Why don’t I
feel the frequency of death coming from you?"

“What?” I couldn’t help but ask back when the Guide’s question took me by surprise.

“Indeed,” Freunis said as he scanned me inquisitively. “You’re clearly a soul, but I don’t feel the
aura of death coming from you. This makes no sense…”

“That’s not all, Lord Freunis!” the man called Hares interjected as he handed something to
Freunis. It was a leather scroll inside a transparent case, which was packed to the brim with tiny
letters. It looked like some kind of written report. “I checked the past records just now, and
there’s no record of a boy named ‘Kang Jihoon’ dying on April 26th.”

“What did you say? His soul is standing here right before our very eyes, but there’s no record of
him? Isn’t it normal for there to be a record created even if he’s simply having an out-of-body
experience?”

“Yes, you’re right. But there’s no record of him at all, as I’m sure you can see. And, please take
a look at this here too.”

I probably wasn’t the only one who had realized that the situation was taking a turn for the
strange. Hares unfurled yet another scroll that he had been carrying with him. Freunis furrowed
his brow when he read it.

“Isn’t this the Record of Life? Why are you showing me this…?”

“I checked just in case. It’s not just the record of the boy’s death that’s missing. I couldn’t find
the record of his birth either. He doesn’t belong in this world.”

“W-what?”

I couldn’t help but stiffen up when I heard what Hares had said.

Hares looked just as confused as I was as he turned to me and continued, “Simply put, this child
has no destiny.”
3.

Before my eyes was a beautiful hall filled with ivory pillars. The hall was as big as a school
gymnasium, and the floor, the flowers decorating the pillars, the stained glass on the windows,
and the curtains hanging in front of them were all white. All the whiteness made the already
bright space appear even brighter. Even the trees beyond the terrace were white.

I was stranded all alone in this place that seemed to be doing its best not to take on any color
other than white. I wanted to sit, but this place was devoid of any chairs or tables. Or any other
furniture, for the matter. It didn’t even feel like this place was ever really used to begin with. I
thought back to everything that had happened before I’d come here in order to stave away the
boredom.

I was a child without a destiny.

I hadn’t even been alive, according to Guide Hares. People were conceived in their mother’s
womb only after being recorded in the Record of Life, apparently, but I had skipped that process
entirely. In other words, from their point of view, I hadn’t even been born yet.

But then, what about everything I’ve gone through until now?

My life hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing, but I had a past that I could definitely remember, and
I would’ve had a bright and promising future if I hadn’t died. I could still vividly recall my
memories of life. So, how could I not have even been born yet?

I had no idea how I was supposed to take this.

Freunis had looked similarly unconvinced.

“I don’t believe this. How does it make any sense for someone to be born without having been
recorded in the Record of Life?”

“That strikes me odd as well. But proof that it’s possible is standing right here before our very
eyes. We have no choice but to believe it.”

“Goodness…” Freunis had sighed over and over again, having lost the words to say. Then, a
while later, he had brushed back his hair and said, “I think this is beyond our authority.”

“Then…?”

“We have no other choice. It might be cumbersome, but we’ll have to trust the higher-ups to
make a decision.” Then, with a mixed look in his eyes, Freunis had turned to me and continued,
“I’m taking this soul to Arehis the Arbiter.”

And so, that was how I’d ended up here.

Freunis and Hares had vanished off to somewhere as soon as they’d brought me here. They’d
probably gone to find Arehis—or whatever his name was. The mood felt so serious that I
couldn’t help but wonder if it was really okay for me to stand here and wait without doing
anything, but it wasn’t like there was anything else I could do. More importantly, I couldn’t see
any exits. How was that even possible? Solid walls were blocking the path in every direction I
looked.

I walked up to the wall because this was the world of souls(?) and I thought I’d be able to just
pass through the walls, but instead of simply phasing through, the wall began discharging
something like electricity. I thought I was going to be electrocuted(?). The walls apparently
discharged electricity if someone got too close to them without permission.

I knew this because the grim reapers from earlier had been able to phase through without any
problems. ‘Tch.’

“Argh, I’m so bored. How much longer are they gonna keep me here?”

I hadn’t actually been here for that long, but being alone in such a quiet place made me feel like I
was going to die of boredom.

Just then, I heard an unfamiliar voice coming from right beside me.

“Oh dear. My apologies for making you wait so long, Little Jihoon.”

I flinched and turned around with a quiet gasp. Three men were suddenly standing next to me out
of nowhere. Two of them were the Guides who had brought me here to begin with, and the third
was a man whom I’d never met before. There were standing there looking at me as if they’d
always been there to begin with.

“Um, hello.”

‘Ack! That’s not it!’ I regretted it immediately as I greeted them out of instinct. ‘What kind of
idiot just says hello like that? I should’ve asked who he is or whether he’s the person in charge
here. They won’t take me seriously unless I assert myself!’

My mood fell like a sack of bricks. Had I ruined everything from the outset because of this timid
personality of mine?

“Haha, there’s no need to be so nervous. Shall I begin by introducing myself? My name is

Arehis. I manage the souls and records of the dead. I’m more often called simply as the ‘Arbiter.’
To explain things in your world’s terms, Little Jihoon, I’m like a department head of sorts.”

The man called Arehis introduced his rather normally. He had shoulder-length black hair and
blue eyes. He had a very elegant air about him, likely due to the calmness in his eyes and his
intellectual appearance.
I stared back at him in a daze for a bit before I realized that I hadn’t introduced myself back to
him. I quickly bowed my head and stuttered, “Oh… I’m sorry. I’m…”

“I know who you are. You’re Kang Jihoon. You were born on February 19th, and you are an
Aquarius. Your place of birth is Suwon, Gyeonggi-do province, Korea, and your home world is
Earth. You are currently sixteen years old and a first-year in high school.1 You died on April
26th. Is this correct?”

I simply nodded back in mute amazement because he’d been right on his money on all counts.

“Pardon my rudeness, but I took the liberty to investigate your background before coming here,”
Arehis continued with a satisfied smile. “It took me a bit of time to find anything about you
because there weren’t any records of you in the Record of Destiny. I can fully understand why
Freunis and Hares were so alarmed and why they sought me out. I’m here to help you figure out
where you belong.”

“Where I belong?”

“Why don’t we sit down before we start? This might take a while.”

I frowned. There was no furniture in this quiet space, as I’d noted earlier. So, where exactly were
we supposed to sit? He wasn’t suggesting that we sit down on the floor, was he?

Arehis began to chuckle. Perhaps he’d read my mind. Then, something surprising began to
unfold before my very eyes. The area around us began to warp as if it was being sucked into a
black hole. Simultaneously, a brilliant array of colors began to fill the space. I felt like I was
being mixed into a world of color.

“Ack!”

The area around me had altered completely by the time I came to. The white, temple-like
background form earlier had disappeared and was replaced by a cozy room with a bright red
carpet and a fireplace. At the center of the room were sofas and tables with plenty of room for
four people to sit comfortably.

“Please, take a seat.”

Arehis and the Guides began sitting down on the sofas as I stood there like a stupefied country
bumpkin who had just moved to his first big city and had no clue what to do. Everyone else
seemed so unperturbed by the sudden change in scenery that I was almost ashamed of myself for
being so astonished.

‘Wait, is stuff like that just the norm here?’

I awkwardly sat down opposite of Arehs. He could’ve given me a heads-up, at least. His words
were kind, but he was anything but considerate.
The mood settled down with alarming speed as soon as I sat down. Arehis, who looked like he
had fallen into thought for a moment, pulled out a translucent rectangular box. The box looked
empty from the outside, but strangely enough, several cards flew out of it as soon as he opened
the lid. The backs of the cards were all black, and the fronts of the cards were a variety of
primary colors.

I stared quizzically because I had no idea what those cards were supposed to be, but Arehis
began talking about something else entirely instead of explaining anything.

“Do you know where we are right now?”

“Not really. Is this the Afterlife?”

“Haha, it’s something like that. This is the Nether Realm.”

“The Nether Realm?”

“The Heavenly Realm, the Spirit Realm, the Demonic Realm, and the Nether Realm—together,
they are called the Four Great Realms. The Four Great Realms exist fully independently, unlike
the Middle Realms—that is, places like Earth, where you’re from, Little Jihoon. Generally
speaking, no one with a physical body may enter any of the Four Realms without permission. Do
you understand my explanation?”

So, basically, these were places where only the dead could go, right?

To be perfectly honest, I could barely make heads or tails of what he was saying. The Four Great
Realms, the Middle Realms… It felt like he was talking about a whole other world entirely
(though I guess this was technically true).

Arehis smiled bitterly as I blinked in mute confusion and continued, “This isn’t the important
part, so feel free to pay it no heed. In any event, this place—the Nether Realm—is similar to
your concept of the Afterlife, Little Jihoon. Souls are collected here at the end of their lives and
reallocated to their next ones. Souls like you.”

“Um, I think I get the gist of it… So, what’s going to happen to me? Did my death get properly
processed? The Guides were telling me earlier that I technically haven’t even been born yet…”

“I was just about to explain everything to you. After all, that is why I’m here,” Arehis replied
gently. Then, the smile vanished from his face and he took on a more serious expression as he
looked to me and continued, “First, I must offer you an apology. This was an accident caused
entirely by an error on our end. I suppose you can say that a problem occurred while your soul
was being allocated. You are the victim of our mistake, Little Jihoon.”

“While my soul… was being allocated?” I asked sourly. Our conversation had only just started,
but it was already starting to sound ominous.
“Whether they be souls walking to the path of the next lives or newly created souls,” Arehis said
calmly with a nod, “those with a physical body are allocated down their destined paths from
here, the Nether Realm. But rarely… very rarely, something goes wrong in the allocation
calculations and a soul is misallocated instead of being sent down their destined path.”

“Is that… what happened to me?”

“Yes. It only happens in one in a billion—no, one in ten billion—cases, but I’m truly sorry that it
happened at all. By any chance, were you unable to form a relationship with your parents or
siblings?”

I gasped and started like I’d just been set on fire. Arehis sighed as though he had been expecting
my response.

Then, with a gaze filled with sympathy, guilt, and pity, he looked straight at me and continued,
“It was only natural for them to neglect you because you were not originally destined to be a part
of their family, Little Jihoon. They probably had no idea why they were acting like that toward
you either. They were likely always wondering why they were rejecting you so strongly. You
ended up having to suffer without cause because of our mistake. I am truly sorry.”

“…Then, does that mean that I have a real family out there somewhere?”

“Yes. You’ll find them once we find your true path. After all, your destiny has yet to be carried
out.”

He was saying that I’d been running down the wrong path from the very beginning. Arehis
smiled awkwardly as he watched me be rendered speechless in my devastation.

“To be honest,” he continued, “it’s strange to me that you were even alive all this time, Little
Jihoon. Souls without a destiny fail to attach properly to their bodies, so they tend to separate
from even the slightest impact.”

“Hahaha…”

No wonder I died even though I wasn’t even hit that hard.

But I wasn’t fully convinced just yet. The accident that’d killed me had been nothing but a minor
collision. But I’d been hit before too, and nothing had happened to me. Technically speaking, the
accident had been much lighter in terms of force in comparison to all the other times I’d been hit.

Not to brag, but I’ve even survived getting beaten up by a bunch of thugs that I’d accidentally
crossed paths with back in middle school. I’d been lucky that Taejin had been nearby to rescue
me. I probably would’ve spent several days in the hospital otherwise. I could still remember the
incident clearly because that had been the start of Taejin’s and my friendship.

But shouldn’t my soul have separated from my body back then?

“Oh, that’s because you didn’t perceive that you were in danger back then, Little Jihoon.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your body is perfectly normal. It just isn’t properly attached to your soul. In cases like yours,
psychological shocks affect you more than do physical shocks. In other words, your soul
detached from your body because you thought that you were about to die. You must’ve had a
rather strong will to live, especially considering that you never thought about dying all this
time.”

I didn’t respond. In any event, I guess it was a good thing that I’d had such a strong will. If I’d
died young, before developing the ability to think critically, then I might have wandered alone
for a very long time, before anyone found my soul, because I wouldn’t have known to seek out a
Guide. I consoled myself with the idea that I hadn’t been completely abandoned by luck.

Unbeknownst to me, however, my luck hadn’t run dry just yet.

4.

“Well, shall we figure out what your true destiny is now? Please look over here,” Arehis said as
he pushed the cards from earlier toward me. He chuckled gently when I stared back at him,
puzzled, and explained, “these cards are called Soulmates.”

“Soulmates?”

“Yes—companions of the soul. The colors painted on these cards will make a soul’s destiny
visible. You need to go back to where you belong as quickly as possible. After all, you’ve been
absent for seventeen whole years. The Soulmates will help you figure out where you need to go.”

Once he was done explaining, Arehis promptly shuffled the cards and spread them across the
table with their black backs facing up. I stared at the cards with a mix of anxiety and curiosity.

“What am I supposed to do with them?”

“It’s simple. You just need to pick whichever one you like.”

“…That’s it?”

“Haha. It’s very simple, yes? But Soulmates were created by the Almighty’s divine power. Trust
the process.”

I didn’t reply. ‘Does the ‘Almighty’ refer to the highest-ranking god?’

I didn’t particularly want to, but I also figured it couldn’t hurt, so I picked a card at random. I
didn’t hesitate, since there was little point in pondering over my choice anyway.

“I’ll go with this one,” I said.

“Oho, you’ve made your choice then, yes? Very well, then. Allow me to confirm your destiny at
once.”

With a curt nod, Arehis quickly flipped over the card I had chosen. The color on the other side
was beautiful. It was the color of the clear blue sky.

Well, technically it wasn’t sky blue. The color seemed to change if you looked at it from a
different angle. A mix of sky blue, white, crimson, and dark-brown flitted across the card. Every
last color it reflected was beautiful.

The blood immediately drained from Arehis’ and the Guides’ faces.

“Ack! Lord Arehis!”

“T-this is…!”

I was confused. The three of the gasped and stared wide-eyed between me and the card in turns.
Even I, who had no idea what was going on, could tell that something was wrong.

‘Is there something wrong with the card I picked?’

I grew uneasy and timidly asked, “Um… what is it? Is something wrong?”

Arehis sighed. “Is this fortune, or is this fate…? Anyway, we finally found you. Thank
goodness.”

“I’m sorry?”

They found me? What?

I stared back at him in utter confusion. It was only then that Arehis snapped back to his senses
and looked apologetic.

“Oh dear. It seems that I’ve gotten ahead of myself. My apologies. I wasn’t expecting this even
in my wildest dreams…”

“What is it?”

“Are you curious?”

“Um, no, actually. Should I just go ahead and pick another card? I don’t think I thought my
choice through enough.”

But Arehis smiled back and shook his head. “Haha, that won’t change anything. The Soulmates
don’t work simply because you picked any random card of your liking. The Soulmate you
choose will always reflect your destiny. It doesn’t matter whether you picked a card at random or
whether someone else told you which card to pick.”

“Oof, really?”

“Yes. You would still end up with the same exact card even if you picked again. After all, this is
the color of your destiny.” Arehis paused for a minute to take a deep breath. His cheeks were
slightly flushed, betraying his excitement. Then, he continued, “I’ll start explaining the card’s
color now. The Soulmate’s color reflects the race of the physical body is assigned to your soul.”

“My… race?”

“Indeed. It means little in the world that you’re from, Little Jihoon, but all kinds of different
races live in the many worlds of the Middle Realms. Green refers to elves, who are symbolized
by vegetation; crimson refers to humans, who are symbolized by their passion; black refers to
demons, who rule the darkness; white refers to the divine, who are symbolized by their holiness;
blue refers to dragons, who are symbolized by their nobility; and gold refers to dwarves, who are
symbolized by their craftsmanship. And lastly… perhaps I should explain what it means when
the Soulmate reflects a variety of colors.”

I was still pretty lost. Arehis beamed after running through a list of races that I’d only heard
about before in fiction, and then he pushed another set of Soulmates out toward me. This time, he
only set four cards on the table.

He told me to pick another card when he noticed the bafflement on my face, and I had no choice
but to comply without knowing why I was doing any of this. The card I picked this time was a
refreshing blue that was a deeper shade than sapphire.

Arehis nodded, and if he’d been expecting my choice, when he saw my card. Then, he posed me
a completely random question.

“Were you physically weak or prone to sickness in your previous life, Little Jihoon?”

“What? Um, yes. I was on the weaker side, physically speaking…”

“Have you ever suffered from frequent rains or storms, or perhaps even an unusually heavy
monsoon season?”

“Not really, but it did tend to rain a lot. I think. But what does that have to do with anything?”
I don’t remember if anything similar had happened when I was younger, but I remembered
hearing that Korea had been having exceptionally rainy summers these last few years. The news
had constantly been running stories about how the streets had flooded, or how people had gotten
trapped because the rivers had flooded, or how people had died because of heavy rains.

However, I had no idea why any of this was related to me. I had essentially been told that my
previous life was invalid. What was the point in asking me any of this now? Weren’t we in the
middle of figuring out where I really belong?

“It’s nothing problematic,” Arehis replied, “but it does answer a few questions.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember what I was telling you just a moment ago? Earth is not the only world out
there, and all kinds of races exist across the realms.”

“Yes, I remember,” I said with a nod.

Arehis smiled back and continued explaining, “Among the myriad of worlds out there, there is
one that stands above them all. We call it Arkadon.”

“Arkadon?”

“It means ‘the firstborn,’ and it was the first world to be created in the Middle Realms. It is a
noble and divine place.”

I wondered why he was talking about some world all of a sudden, but I decided to keep quiet and
listen. Maybe it had something to do with the questions he had asked me earlier.

“But I received news that disaster had befallen Arkadon not too long ago,” Arehis continued.
“Apparently, not a single drop of rain had fallen on Arkadon for the past decade.”

“Whoa, a whole decade? That’s beyond disastrous. It’s practically apocalyptic. How has the
world not ended yet if it hasn’t rained for ten whole years?”

“It isn’t quite as bad as you’re thinking. It hasn’t been raining, but it isn’t as though the sun or
climate has grown any hotter. Besides, Arkadon has more options for dealing with these sorts of
things than Earth does. The people have been getting by because the mages there are capable of
creating artificial rain.”

“Mages, huh?”

Mages, like the ones found in video games, really existed? Arehis chuckled, like a grandfather
looking upon his adorable grandson, when I failed to hide my wonder.
“Arkadon is special in that there are many skilled mages there. Not that even they are capable of
resolving everything, of course.”

“Then, what will happen to them? Shouldn’t you do something to help?”

“Of course. After all, Arkadon is one of the worlds that absolutely must not fall to ruin. That’s
why every last god in the Heavenly Realm has been paying close attention to Arkadon and trying
to figure out what caused this disaster. And they succeeded.”

“W-what was the cause?”

Was it because the story was starting to get interesting? This had nothing to do with me, but I
started to grow invested. I couldn’t help but feel bothered and fretful whenever Arehis continued
his tale. He smiled calmly, as though he had been expecting my reaction.

“The spirit kings.”

“The spirit kings?”

“Unlike Earth, which is governed directly by the Almighty, the natural order in Arkadon is
governed by four great spirits. The spirit kings can control the flow of the ecosystem of Arkadon
simply by existing.”

“T-the flow of the ecosystem?”

Arehis looked a little dismayed when he heard my question.

“Ah, right. You wouldn’t understand some of these terms since you’re from Earth. Spirits refer
to pure astral bodies that are imbued within the four elements of nature—that is, water, earth,
wind, and fire. Spirit kings are the greatest among the spirits, and their lifespans can easily
exceed tens of thousands of years. They also possess god-level powers. Actually, they may as
well be considered gods, since they are granted godhood after they are extinguished.”

“Oh, so they become gods after they die?”

“Only the noblest and purest of souls are born as spirit kings to begin with. They are more than
deserving of the right to godhood. But they’re also free to reject godhood and choose to be
reincarnated into mortal lives too, naturally. In such cases, they tend to be reborn into a noble
race, like the dragons.”

“Huh. I see.”

I recalled that Arehis had mentioned the Spirit Realm back when he had been telling me about
the Four Great Realms. I wasn’t certain, but these spirit kings sounded like the real deal.
I nodded back in understanding as I asked, “But you said that the disaster happened because of
the spirit kings, right? Are they withholding the rain on purpose?”

“No. The problem is a bit more fundamental than that.” Sensing my confusion, Arehis continued,
“The Spirit King of Water underwent a generation change recently. A new spirit king is
supposed to be born as soon as the previous generation extinguishes. But, for some reason, a new
Spirit King of Water failed to be born even after the previous spirit king extinguished. That is the
cause behind Arkadon’s decade of disaster.”

“Just because of something measly like that?”

I still didn’t fully understand what the Spirit King of Water was, but was Arehis saying that it
hadn’t rained in Arkadon for an entire decade just because there was no spirit king? That was
ridiculous.

Arehis swiftly nodded back and said, “It’s not a ‘measly’ matter, Little Jihoon. It goes to show
just how mighty the spirit kings are. The ‘Spirit King of Water’ holds all authority and control of
all ‘water’ in the natural order. Arkadon is especially affected by the spirit kings because it is
directly governed by the Spirit Realm.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I’m glad you understand. In any case, there was yet another reason why the gods, who had been
investigating the reason why the spirit king hadn’t been born, were thrown for a loop. It was
because they only realized after the fact that the soul of the to-be-born spirit king had suddenly
disappeared.”

The Guides, who had been standing behind Arehis, suddenly began quivering.2 I could tell that
they had been forced to work overtime when they first realized that the spirit king’s soul had
disappeared. Arehis, too, closed his eyes as though he was reliving a painful memory.

“It was dreadful,” he continued. “Not only it is extraordinarily difficult to create a spirit king’s
soul, but the missing Spirit King of Water had already inherited all of the previous Spirit King of
Water’s powers. Failing to find the missing spirit king would mean that the line of the Spirit
King of Water would be broken forever. The birth of new souls falls under the purview of the
Nether Realm, so we were forced to bear full responsibility for the incident. I sent my Guides all
throughout the realms to investigate, read through every last record pertaining to the past, and
devote every second of my life to the search. And even after all that, I couldn’t find the missing
soul. I was even beginning to think that the gods had been mistaken.”

Arehis smiled, like a load had fallen off his shoulders, after he had finished rambling. Then, he
said, “But I’ve found the missing spirit king’s soul at last today. Thank goodness. All the
hardship I’ve endured these past several years seem to finally be fading away.”

“What? You did? Where was it?”

I was excited. Maybe I’d even get to meet this great spirit king if I was lucky. I couldn’t help but
start looking around my surroundings. I might’ve even asked Arehis to introduce me to the spirit
king like an utter fool if it hadn’t been for what he said next. I was certain of it, especially
knowing me. I would have made a complete fool of myself.

“What do you mean, where? He’s right here. Sitting in front of me.”

“What?”

‘What in the…? The only person sitting in front of Arehis is… Huuuh? N-no way.’

Had I been imagining the haughtiness on Arehis’ face as my mind fell into chaos? He was posing
like a triumphant general as a smirk spread across his lips.

“The second Soulmate indicates how one is positioned among their race. The fact that your first
card reflect different colors depending on the angle shows that you’re a spirit… And the sapphire
blue of your second card proves that you are a ‘water spirit.’ But all of the water spirits in
Arkadon have presently been extinguished. Lesser spirits cannot be born without their respective
spirit king. Accordingly, the only being in existence who can pick the combination of Soulmates
that indicate that he is a water spirit at this time is the Spirit King of Water.”

Arehis looked at me with pregnant eyes as he quickly concluded his explanation. Then, he
continued, “I’ve tried with many other souls that had lost their destiny before you, but not a
single one of them have been able to pick this particular combination of colors. I’ve been
searching for you for a very long time, Lord Elquiness, the Spirit King of Water. I’ve been
waiting for you.”

“Whaaaaaat??”

5.

A long, long time ago, there were four spirit kings who governed the world. They were Ifrit, the
Spirit King of Fire; Minervar, the Spirit King of Wind; Trowell, the Spirit King of Earth; and
Elquiness, the Spirit King of Water. One day, Elquiness sensed that the day of his
extinguishment was near and promptly made his way over to the Nether Realm and passed his
powers down to his successor. Thus, a new Spirit King of Water was born.

So, what do you think happened next? Like the idiot he was, the new Spirit King of Water was
born in the wrong world and began his life as a human.

Isn’t that crazy? He didn’t even know that he was the Spirit King of Water until the grim reapers
of the Nether Realm pointed it out to him. And all that time, people were dying because they
didn’t have water, all because he was missing. I mean, how stupid was this guy?
Ahahahahahahaha!

“Like I’ve said before, none of this is your fault, Little Ji—I mean, Lord Elquiness. You don’t
need to be so hard on yourself,” Arehis said calmly. He had started addressing me as some kind
of lord. He probably couldn’t stand to see me losing myself in fantasyland(?) out of sheer
mortification anymore. He continued, “It was due to an error on our end that you were born in
the wrong place, which makes all the damage that Arkadon has suffered due to your absence our
responsibility as well. But we’ve already taken all kinds of measures to correct that, and
fortunately enough, we were able to find you before the situation got any worse. All that’s left to
do is to set everything back to the way it was always supposed to be.”

Arehis was saying that all there was left to do was for me to be reborn in Arkadon’s Spirit
Realm. It wasn’t as though I wasn’t interested, but I couldn’t bring myself to just accept the
situation because of the anxiety that had sprouted in my heart.

“Are you sure you aren’t mistaken about me? There’s no way that an ordinary guy like me could
possibly be a spirit king…”

I wasn’t exceptionally smart, and I’d never had a girlfriend either because my looks were also
so-so. I couldn’t believe that I was supposed to be someone as amazing as a spirit king. That was
why I had gingerly expressed my doubts, but Arehis flatly shot me down with a solemn look on
his as though I was spewing nonsense.

“The Soulmates were created by the Almighty’s powers. It isn’t possible for them to be
mistaken.”

“B-but you said that it’s been ten years since the Spirit King of Water was supposed to be born.
I’m turning seventeen.”

“That’s not correct. It’s actually been twenty-five years since the Spirit King of Water was
supposed to be born.”

“What?”

“Things were all right for a bit even after the Spirit King of Water initially failed to be born
because the lesser water spirits born under the previous king still existed. The disaster only
started ten years ago after all those water spirits extinguished. Besides, the flow of time isn’t the
same across the realms either. For example, three years here could be ten years, or even just one
day, for Earth.”

“Yeah, but still…”

“Allow me to explain in a bit more detail. You said that you were physically weak as a human,
yes? That was most likely because you were trying to contain a spirit king’s immense powers
inside a human’s body. The reason why it rained so often and why the water damage around you
continued increasing was because the spirit king’s powers within you grew stronger as you grew
older. Do you still not understand?”

‘I-is that what it was? But that means that everyone my age who was born in Korea and was
always on the weaker side physically could also be Elquiness. And I’m sure there’re more than
just a few people who meet those criteria!’

I felt like I fall falling deeper into a labyrinth on confusion the more I tried to understand. At the
end of many minutes of agonizing, however, I ultimately decided to nod back.

‘Anyway, I just need to be reborn, right? I mean, he’s the one who keeps saying that he’s sure
it’s me. What could possibly go wrong? Besides, even if he is wrong, that’s a problem I can think
about later after I’ve been reborn. I’ve already been born in the wrong place once. Why should I
care if it happens a second time?’

I felt myself resigning to fate the longer I pondered. What will be, will be.

“Okay,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sure everything will work out in one way or another.”

“Of course. There’s no need for you to get so worked up over this. Your brethren, the other spirit
kings, are waiting for you, Lord Elquiness. They’re all good… well, in any case, you don’t need
to worry too much.”

“Why did it feel like you stopped yourself mid-sentence just now?”

“Hahaha! Why would I do that? I think you’ve misheard me.”

Was I seeing things wrong too, then? Why did it look like Arehis was avoiding my gaze? Was I
wrong about the fact that he was breaking out into a cold sweat too?

I stared back at him persistently, but he refused to explain himself until the bitter end.

I had a bad feeling about this.

Chapter 2
1.

Arehis had started rushing things as soon as he’d realized who I was. He kept looking at the sky
repeatedly, like he was checking the time, and he looked a little nervous as he stood up.

“Oh dear, look at the time. Shall we bring you over to be reincarnated, now?”

“Huh? Already?”

“People are dying every hour in Arkadon even as we speak. You need to be born as quickly as
possible, Lord Elquiness, so Arkadon can be restored.”

‘Oh, right. I almost forgot how grave the situation was over there.’

I obediently climbed up to my feet too. Then, we left the room and began walking down an
endlessly white hallway.

The empty hallway broke off into multiple other paths, like a maze, and it was difficult to see
where we were going because of the white fog that was filling the area. Arehis and the Guides
either had better vision than me or they had some sort of secret trick up their sleeves, as they
continued walking without an ounce of hesitation.

We only stopped after I started feeling like we’d been walking for nearly a full day.

I realized that we were standing at a dead end. The only reason I wasn’t confused about why
we’d suddenly stopped because we were standing in front of a small wooden door. There was a
small sign above the door that read, “Realm 4: The Spirit Realm,” though I could barely see it
because of all the fog.

“…I’m not gonna be reborn in the Spirit Realm as soon as I walk through this door or anything
like that, right?” I muttered to myself like I was trying to brainwash myself.

‘I mean, there’s no way, right? After all, there was no way that it’s that easy to be born. Right?’

But Arehis’ reply pierced through my efforts like a ruthless arrow. “Oho, how did you know?
This is the Door of Life. Anyone who passes through this door will be born according to their
destiny with their destined station and appearance. You must be extraordinarily quick on the
uptake, judging by how quickly you realized this.”

I didn’t respond out loud. ‘Shit. Why am I always so good at guessing useless trivia like this?’

I felt my face crumple into a bitter expression.

‘Hmm? What did he say just now? Someone about my appearance?’

“Spirits have a physical appearance?”

“But of course. Spirit kings, in particular, are incarnated into the appearance that matches their
soul most closely. Though, they do have to take on a predetermined color that matches their
attribute.”

“A predetermined color?”

“Like the color of their hair and eyes.”

“Oh! Wait, but in that case, does it mean that I’ll keep my current appearance with the exception
of the color of my eyes and hair?”

I hadn’t noticed it until just now, but I still looked exactly the way that I had when I was alive as
Kang Jihoon. If my new appearance was supposed to match my soul, then that must mean that
my current appearance would influence my new one, right? Or at least, that was what I thought.

Arehis, however, sounded alarmed to hear me say that. “I beg your pardon? Of course not!”

“What? I won’t?”

“Perish the thought! Your current appearance in a far cry from your true form, Lord Elquiness.
Your soul’s appearance got warped because of the influence of your physical human body. But
you’ll regain your true form once you return to where you belong.”

“I-is that so?” I replied hesitantly. This wasn’t my true form? I’d never had to consider the idea
before. I was happy to hear that I’d take on my intended appearance once I was reborn, but I also
felt a little sad that I was going to look different. The face that had greeted me in the mirror every
morning for the past seventeen years wasn’t exactly handsome, but I’d still gotten rather attached
to it.

“Please, go in… Ah, right. I nearly forgot.”

I stared back at Arehis quizzically. Then, Freunis, his subordinate, walked up to me and pushed a
steaming hot mug into my hands. I was fairly certain he hadn’t been holding anything just a
moment ago. When had he gotten his hands on the mug?

Anyway, I obviously had no idea what to make of this, so I turned back to Arehis, Freunis’
superior, for answers.

“This is a potion that will help alleviate the pressure you’ll experience as you pass through the
door into a new realm,” he explained as if on cue. “It’ll be better for you to drink it. It’ll also
keep you from experiencing any side effects after reincarnating.”

“You want me to drink this?”

The liquid inside the cup was reddish and had viscosity of lava. Staring at the way it continued to
bubble from deep within made me feel like I’d lose my appetite for the next millennium.

‘Um… Is it really okay for me to drink this?’ I’d reluctantly accepted the mug because I’d had no
reason to refuse, but I couldn’t help but frown.

“It may be a bit bitter, but it won’t be that bad,” Arehis added. He seemed to have intuited what I
was thinking. “It won’t harm your soul either, so please don’t worry and just drink it down. You
don’t think that I would give you something that could hurt you, do you?”

“Ahaha… You wouldn’t do that… right?”

‘Um, Mr. Arehis? You’re so scary that I feel like you totally would.’

I laughed awkwardly and replied halfheartedly because it wasn’t like I could just say, “Actually,
I do,” to his face, but that only made me even more loathe to drink the mysterious liquid. Then,
however, Arehis walked up to me with a wide grin on his face and forced the mug up to my lips.

“Now, now. Why so hesitant? Don’t you know that the best medicines always taste bitter?
Bottoms up. Quickly, now!”

“What? W-wait! What are you… mmph!”

I didn’t even get the chance to protest. The liquid trickled through the crack between my lips. It
wasn’t long before a sticky and mushy sensation filled my mouth. I was so bewildered by it that I
ended up swallowing on instinct instead of spitting it out.

It was terrible.

“Blegh! What the hell?!” I shouted between coughs.

“Oh dear. Are you all right?”

“Did you seriously just ask me that…?! Blegh! Bleghhh!”

‘What was it again? It may be a bit bitter, but it won’t be that bad? I declareth to the heavens
that it was the most bitter thing in the world!’

I retched as an unsettling feeling entered my stomach. It was so bad that I could even feel myself
tearing up. No matter how hard I tried to regurgitate it, however, the liquid refused to come back
up.

‘Did he really just force me to drink that just now?!’

I glowered at Arehis for doing this to me. After all, there was no way that he didn’t know how
the drink tasted. That was probably why he had forced me down my throat.
My glare was borderline bloodthirsty, but he didn’t seem to care at all as he only continued to
observe me. Indeed. He was, without a doubt, ‘observing’ me. Like he was some kind of
researcher waiting for the results of a drug trial.

‘That rotten piece of… Did I just become his human guinea pig?’

‘What if all that nonsense about spirit kings and whatnot was just a distraction, and his real goal
is to experiment on me?’ All sorts of random thoughts were beginning to fill my head.

“Now then, Lord Elquiness, let me ask you a question!”

“A-a question?”

“What is 1+1?”

I stared back in silence. I felt like I finally understood what it meant to be flooded with bloodlust.

‘First, he pisses me off my making me drink a drug so bitter that I thought I was gonna pass
out… And, what? He wants me to answer 1+1 now?’

“L-Lord Elquiness?”

It looked like he’d been thrown off by my chilly expression. I saw that Arehis and his grim
reapers had flinched.

“What did you ask me just now?” I asked through gritted teeth. “Did you seriously just ask me
what 1+1 is…?”

“Yes. I-I did.”

“Wow, seriously? You’re driving me nuts. Do you take me for a pushover or something?! Is that
even supposed to be a question? 1+1? Ha! I was a high school-aged human in Korea, you know?
Did you seriously just ask me something that even a snotty, five-year-old brat could tell you? Do
you really think I’m that much of a pushover? Or that I’m that stupid?”

“Er… My deepest apologies, Lord Elquiness. Though, none of us here are technically human…”

“Ugh! That’s not what’s important right now! Who cares about not being human or whatever!
Or, are you trying to suggest that it’s perfectly reasonable to ask me what 1+1 is because I’m not
human? What the hell?! 2. It’s 2! It’s 2, yeah? Or does 1+1 not equal 2 around these parts? Oh
yeah? Is that how it is? Does 1+1 not equal 2 here? Wow, that’s a first. I guess numbers must
work differently here than in Korea, huh?”

“Hmm, I see. I understand what you’re getting it, so please calm down. I guess it didn’t work.
Huh, what to do…” Arehis said while breaking out into a cold sweat. He looked embarrassed.
But it looked like it wasn’t my rude outburst that was bothering him, but rather something else.
He consoled me as I fumed, and then he went to a corner with his subordinates and began
holding a serious discussion.

“You were right.”

“What should we do now?”

“It’s not like we can have me go through the way he is now…”

‘What are they talking about?’

I crept closer to them because I suddenly had a bad feeling about all of this.

They were whispering for the most part, but there still are few things here and there that I could
make out.

“…like it, but do you think we’ll have to feed him more?”

“He’s probably going to have to drink more…”

“…do you think about having him… until he…?”

‘Crap!’

I jumped away from them on reflex.

I hadn’t heard the rest of their conversation, but what I had managed to hear was more than
enough to tell me what they intended to do. They were going to give me more of that potion!

‘Says who?!

‘One cup of that horrible drink is more than enough for a lifetime! Several lifetimes! You’re
making too light of the human named Kang Jihoon if you think I’ll actually have a second cup of
that stuff! You think I’m really gonna stand here and just let you feed me more of it?’

Their conversation concluded, and I desperately began looking for a place to run as I was six
pairs of eyes turning to me. I looked around frantically until the Door of Life caught my eye. It
all happened ever so naturally.

I knew that the strange liquid was supposed to help alleviate the pressure of moving to another
realm. Something might happen to me if I went through the door without drinking it. But even
still…

“Ack! Wait a moment, Lord Elquiness!”

“Ugh, whatever! It’s do or die! And I’d rather die than drink that stuff again, damnit!”

…Looking back, it felt like I had the tendency to stake my life on gambles over the most
pointless things. But in any event, my ability to think was paralyzed by that horribly bitter drug,
so I fearlessly slammed open the Door before Arehis could stop me and—

“Ahhhh!”

I fell into the Door as a vortex so powerful I nearly blacked out sucked me inside. I felt like I
could hear Arehis shouting something at me, but I couldn’t respond because I lost consciousness
as soon as I was drawn into the current.

That was my last memory as the human named Kang Jihoon.

***

A powerful vortex began to form inside the Door of Life that had swallowed Jihoon. It was
normally serene, and it only turned violent whenever someone went inside. The violent forces
recklessly threatened to swallow everything nearby, but as always, Arehis and the two Guides—
beings of the Nether Realm—remained completely unaffected. After all, the only thing that the
vortex could draw into itself were souls that were about to be born into their next lives.

“Hmm… Did he really hate it that much? To think that he’d just leave like that without so much
as saying goodbye.”

The expression on Arehis’ face hadn’t changed even though Jihoon had opened the Door and
gone inside without warning anyone. He actually looked refreshed. After all, one of the biggest
headaches in the Nether Realm had just been resolved. The Guides beside him, however, were
another story. They looked worried as they turned to their superior.

“What will happen now, Lord Arehis? Lord Elquiness will be born with all of his human
memories intact since the Water of Oblivion didn’t work on him. Won’t this cause chaos in the
Spirit Realm?”

“I agree. What if he’s unable to perform his duties as a spirit king before of his memories of his
past life…?”

Despite their misgivings, Arehis smiled back at them and replied, “Your worries will not come to
pass. He may have lived as a human, but at the end of the day, his soul is fundamentally different
from that of a human’s. His is the pure soul of a spirit king’s. He may experience some pain as
he’s adjusting, but that’s something that he’ll simply have to put up with. Actually, I must
confess that I’m rather excited.”
The Water of Oblivion, which was supposed to have erased Jihoon’s memories of his life as a
human, had not worked on him. The legendary liquid was supposed to have returned him to a
blank slate, unable to do basic addition, remember who he was, or even speak. This was likely
because not only were spirit kings close to the gods but also because Jihoon was Elquiness, who
ruled over all ‘water.’ Actually, the latter was more likely to be the true cause than the former,
especially considering that they had used more Oblivion in the concoction than usual.

Arehis smiled as he watched the vortex subside.

“A spirit king who is capable of understanding humanity… It’s not the most terrible thing that
could happen.”

2.

Fertile soil, clean air, overflowing life water, and ardent flames. Arkadon was a land filled with
vigor and vim.

But the world of Arkadon was no longer as plentiful as it once had been.

It had been long since the earth had dried and could no longer produce fruit, the wind had turned
into dusty storms, and the once-beloved had primed the dry air. The elements devoured more life
with each passing day.

The absence of water.

It all stemmed from the terrible drought that had started ten years ago.

Arkadon had ever been in a state of drought since times immemorial. There had always been an
appropriate level of rainfall, and clear and clean rivers had dotted the land.

But rain had stopped falling from the heavens one day. It had happened without warning. The
people hadn’t thought much of it for the first year or two. They had simply thought it was one of
those things that just happened once or twice in a lifetime. But the drought, which everyone had
thought would quickly pass, then continued into the third and fourth year without any signs of
ending. A decade later, people thought that the world was ending.

It had already been years since the rivers had all dried up.

The people fell into despair and began doing anything they could to end the drought. The drew
up and purified water from the ocean and created artificial rain to moisten the cracked earth.
They had even placed the blame squarely on the head of their king and offered him as a live
sacrifice to appease the gods.
No one knew the real reason why the blessing of rain had suddenly ceased.

The reason why Arkadon had been in a drought for the past decade. It was because the Spirit
King of Water, one of the beings who controlled the natural order from the Spirit Realm, had
failed to be born.

Just because of that.

***

“Minervar.”

Minervar, the Spirit King of Wind, stopped in her tracks and turned around when she heard
someone call her name from behind. She had been on her way to visit the Domain of Water after
sensing a strange omen coming from the domain that had remained silent for the past decade.

Standing behind her were a boy with dark skin and a girl with reddish skin. They were Trowell,
the Spirit King of Earth, and Ifrit, the Spirit King of Fire, respectively.

“You two…”

“Just now… It came from the Domain of Water, right?”

“You felt it too?”

“You too?”

“Yeah.”

The three of them exchanged stiff looks after briskly confirming each other’s intentions.

Elquiness, the Spirit King of Water. It had already been twenty-five years since the new Spirit
King of Water should have been born after the previous generation had extinguished. The
Heavenly Realm, which had only noticed that something had gone wrong after the fact, had sent
out people to investigate, but the investigation had yet to yield any useful results. That was why
the Spirit Realm had been in a state of emergency every day.

It wasn’t only Arkadon that was suffering because of the absence of water. The Spirit Realm had
been ailing too, as it struggled to stabilize the balance that had been lost.

The Four Great Spirits were equals, and they complemented each other perfectly. That was why
the balance among them crumbled readily if even one of them was missing. The three spirit
kings had been exercising their powers to the extreme in order to maintain what they could of the
broken balance. That was why they could not say that the strange omen they had felt from the
Domain of Water was necessarily a good thing.

“Surely, the Domain itself isn’t about to collapse, is it?”

“Don’t say something so ominous, Trowell.”

“I’m just saying that it’s possible.”

“It can’t be. Things are already hard enough as they are. We should be trying to think positively
right now. Why would you even entertain the possibility that things might get worse?”

“Ifrit is right, Trowell. We don’t even know what’s going on yet. There’s plenty of time to be
pessimistic after we’ve had the chance to ascertain the facts.”

Trowell shrugged as Minervar took Ifrit’s side. After all, nothing was more ferocious than when
a gale fanned a budding flame. Trowell was the delicate soil. If the spirit kings of wind and fire
were on the same page, then he had no choice but to back down lest he ended up getting burned.

“Trowell, you… You were thinking something incredibly rude right now, weren’t you?”

“As if,” Trowell said with a grin as Ifrit glowered at him. His smile was absolutely angelic. But
Ifrit had known him for many a year, and she was not one to be deceived by his farce.

Ifrit made a face and sighed in resignation. “Ugh, seriously. Whatever. Besides, that’s not what’s
important right now. We don’t have time for this. We need to go and check out the Domain of
Water ASAP. I’m about to die of curiosity.”

The other two spirit kings nodded back calmly. The ominous feeling coming from the Domain of
Water was only growing stronger as they spoke. The greater spirits refused to even get close to
the Domain and were thrown into chaos. Their rulers, the spirit kings, could feel their fear and
confusion.

“Hmm, I fear that the entire Spirit Realm will become a confused mess at this rate. Do you think
we’ll be able to calm things down?”

“Isn’t the answer obvious? We’ll have to, even if we can’t. Jeez. How does it make any sense
that there’s a place in the Spirit Realm that spirits are too scared to approach?”

“…No, it actually does make sense, I think.”

“What?”

“What do you mean, Minervar?”

Ifrit’s and Trowell’s confused gazes fell upon Minervar.

“The Domain of Water is Elquiness’ private domain,” Minervar replied after taking a moment to
gather her thoughts. “Normally, no one can intrude upon a spirit king’s private domain. Only the
spirits directly under a spirit king’s domain can enter. It’s actually stranger that non-water spirits
have been able to enter the Domain of Water all this time.”

“But there was no other choice. Elquiness, who was supposed to rule over that domain, wasn’t
born. It can barely even be called the Domain of Water anymore. It’s just a dried-up ruin now,
no? There isn’t even a single Naias water spirit left.”

“Yes. You’re right, Ifrit. The Domain of Water lost its function. It’s embarrassing to even call it
a king’s domain anymore.”

“…And yet the original rules of the domain are suddenly coming back into play,” Trowell
mumbled to himself.

Just then, the three spirit kings suddenly exchanged looks as if on cue. The muddled order had
been restored. There was only one thing that could mean, as far as they were concerned.

“Good gods…”

“…No way, right?”

3.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was ‘water.’ There was no other way I knew how to
describe it. Everything I saw around me was composed of the blue color of water. I felt like I’d
fallen into the bottomless deep sea.

I immediately used my hands to cover my mouth and nose on instinct, but I stopped shortly
thereafter. I was breathing just fine. I didn’t feel waterlogged when I moved my limbs either. I
would’ve thought that I was floating in midair if it wasn’t for what I was seeing.

‘Wow… Is this real?’

I’d already known that I was supposed to be the Spirit King of Water, but I hadn’t thought that
I’d experience something so superhuman as soon as I opened my eyes. I was breathing
underwater. I was momentarily overjoyed by the fact that I’d become something amazing, but
then I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide in shock.
I used to have a classmate who was super into fantasy novels. His name was Kim Kyuhyun, I
think? Anyway, I couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if he saw me now. He’d
probably get so jealous that he’d give himself indigestion.

‘Oh, right. My body! Arehis said that I’d return to my true form once I went through the Door. Is
this my real body?’

I quickly pulled myself together and slowly began inspecting my body. The first things I noticed
were my pale skin and slender arms.

‘I’m so pale. And my hands are super pretty. All my scars are gone too.

‘I guess I really did get reincarnated.’

I realized it anew even though I’d already known this beyond all doubt. Still, my limbs felt
awkward even though this was definitely my body. I clenched and unclenched my fists. It felt so
strange, in many senses of the word, to see these hands that I’d never seen before moving in
accordance with my thoughts.

Another thing that sparked my curiosity was the fact that I was clothed even though I’d only just
been born. Stranger still was the inexplicable fact that my clothes had taken the shape of a round-
collared t-shirt and part—my favorite outfit. This felt familiar even though everything else was
so new. I liked it.

‘Huh…?’

I started feeling something strange all of a sudden. It felt heavy, as if a foreign object that I
disliked was entering my space. Something was coming nearer. Multiple somethings, in fact.

I raised my head and looked toward where the feeling was coming from. Then, I saw three
people walking over to me from the distance.

They looked like they were about the same age as me, or maybe a little older. All three of them
were very beautiful and wearing eye-catching garments. They were looking around with great
curiosity.

“Wow, look at that. There’s water everywhere.”

“You’re right. I was doubting it at first, but it really came back.”

“How surprising. The domain was in ruins. To think it’d be restored so quickly…”

They looked around in awe for a bit before they finally spotted me standing a little ways from
them. It didn’t take them very long. They got startled and stopped dead in their tracks as soon as
they saw me. I had no idea how I was supposed to react—they’d gotten here so fast—that all I
could so was stare back at them in silence.
Despite my bewilderment, however, I already had a general idea of who they were. They were
probably the other spirit kings, who shared the same powers as me.

Was that why? I felt like I’d know them for a very long time even though I’d never seen them
before.

“Um, are you… Elquiness?”

It was the youngest-looking boy among the three who broke the ice. He had black hair that just
barely covered his ears, dark skin that looked like he’d been tanning beneath the sun for quite
some time, and glowing golden eyes. His eyes, especially, left quite the impression on me.

‘That’s a guy… right?’

His looks definitely suggested that he was male, but the air about him made me question his
gender. There was something almost sensual about them. I knew that having a tan made people
look sexier, but I’d never met anyone who fit that description to a tee until just now. His eye, in
particular, felt like they had been enchanted to bewitch anyone who looked into them.

His question had been hesitant and confirmatory, and I nodded back reflexively in response. He
suddenly looked incredibly happy.

“I knew it. I’m sorry for showing up here without warning. Wait. Should I be saying happy
birthday first? You’re a bit late. But I’m glad you’re here all the same. Better late than never,
right? Things were starting to look a little hairy out here.”

“Stop spouting nonsense, Trowell.”

“Haha, my bad. I was just so happy that Elquiness is here now.”

‘So he’s Trowell, huh? That means he must be the Spirit King of Earth.’

Was that why he smelled so warmly of dirt? Like the scent of the forest on a mountain that
offered shade on a hot summer’s day.

Then, I turned to the pale woman standing next to him. Her hair fell down past her waist, but it
almost looked transparent at the ends. A gentle breeze seemed to be contained within her
emotionless visage as she calmly looked back at me. It wasn’t difficult for me to guess that she
was Minervar, the Spirit King of Wind.

She was white in color from head to toe. Even her pupils were white. But they didn’t creep me
out in the slightest. Rather, they were so beautiful that I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Wait. Is the new Elquiness feminine?” a shrill voice said. I turned around slowly. My eyes
locked with those of the crimson-haired girl who had been staring at me penetratingly.
The first thought that came to mind when I saw her was, ‘She looks flashy.’ Her thick, curly hair
looked like it was ablaze, her eyes were pink like a rabbit’s, and she looked fancy and eye-
catching even without having to adorn herself with accessories. Even her skin color, which was
pink, was a far cry from looking normal. And yet, nothing about her seemed out of place. She
reminded me of a girl warrior from an anime. Or maybe more like an evil queen.

‘Er, so… She’s Ifrit, the Spirit King of Fire… right?’

There were only four spirit kings. The process of elimination dictated that she was Ifrit.

Unlike the other two spirit kings, who looked happy to see me, she looked rather disgruntled.
Especially because of the way her eyebrows were so sharply raised.

‘Did she just call me feminine? Why? Does she think that I look like a girl or something?’

She thought I looked like a girl. No one had ever said that about me in the nearly seventeen years
I’d lived as Kang Jihoon. I wanted to grab a mirror and take a look for myself, but there was no
way I’d find one in the middle of all this water.

Then, I saw Ifrit’s features crumpling up. Maybe it was because I wasn’t responding like she’d
wanted me to.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you mute?”

“Ifrit.”

“What’s with the silent staring? I know that Elquinesses are known for being rude, but would it
really kill you to say hello?”

‘…Ack. I’m already known for being rude? But why? I’ve never even met anyone here yet. Where
did those rumors come from? Was Arehis badmouthing me or something?’

I could see why Arehis might hold a grudge, especially after I’d refused the potion and run
straight for the Door.

I got flustered and lost my chance to respond in a timely manner yet again. This seemed to anger
Ifrit even more.

“You picking a fight with me?” she said as she raised her voice. “Say something, will you?”

“Uh…”

“What?”

“…Hi.”
I caved and waved at them hesitantly with an awkward smile. Unfortunately, the other spirit
kings didn’t look too happy about my greeting. They stiffened up and looked sour, as if they had
just seen something that they hadn’t wanted to see. I read the room and tried again.

“…Hello?”

A moment of silence ensued. ‘Crap, did I get it wrong this time too?’

The silence was starting to feel heavy. There was nothing I could do except break out into a cold
sweat as I watched the three other spirit kings stiffen up even more.

“Um, well… You guys are the other spirit kings, right? I’m sorry it took me so long to speak up.
It’s just that everything’s so new to me… Um, let me introduce myself formally. I’m the
newborn Spirit King of Water… I think. Unless there was another error somewhere along the
way.”

“…An error?”

“I mean… I’m supposed to be a spirit king and all, but to tell you the truth, I still can’t quite
believe it. It’s weird for me to be this lucky. Ahaha, hahahaha. A-anyway, it’s nice to meet you
all.”

The others didn’t respond. The greeting that I’d worked so hard to say and my futile smile
scattered fruitlessly into the space around us.

I felt like we’d never be able to hold a proper conversation at this rate, and that was why I
gingerly asked, “Er, did I do something wrong?”

Trowell, the Spirit King of Earth, finally snapped back to his senses and grinned. “Oh, sorry.
Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong, per se. It’s just that your personality is so
different from the previous Elquiness that we’re having a hard time adjusting.”

“The previous Elquiness?”

‘…He’s referring to the Spirit King of Water before me, right? He must’ve been pretty different
from me if this is how the other spirit kings are reacting. Is he also the Elquiness who was known
for being rude? Just how bad was he?’

“But anyway, welcome. I hope we get along.”

“Y-yeah, um… M-me too…”

Trowell nodded back at me as he took the hand that I’d awkwardly offered him. But then, his
expression suddenly became weirdly longing.

“Water. I haven’t felt it in so long.”

“…Huh?”

“It feels so nice.”

Trowell was smiling sluggishly. He looked incredibly happy. I didn’t know where I was
supposed to look because of that weird aura around him. I could feel myself losing my senses
even though I knew he was a guy.

His next actions, however, only served to bewilder me even more. Trowell placed my palm on
his cheek and closed his eyes. It threw me in for such a loop that I missed the chance to pull
away or even let go. All I could do was stiffen up awkwardly. I felt like my face was burning up
even though we were underwater.

“U-um, excuse me? Trowell?”

‘Hey. You don’t seem to be aware of your own looks. Could you stop unintentionally seducing
me? Wait, before that—I’m a guy too! Why is my heart skipping a beat?! Get your act straight,
Kang Jihoon!’

“Haha, just let him be, Elquiness. He’s just happy to see you.”

“Huh?”

I managed to keep myself together when I heard Minervar’s timely explanation. She looked
pleased as she watched us.

“Trowell suffered the most among us because of the lack of water. The earth is the most directly
affected by humankind, you see. Not only did he have to tend to the plants, animals, and crops
that continued to die off year after year, but he also had to handle any forest fires, which started
at the drop of a hat. Out of all of us, he’s probably the one who was the most desperate for you to
get here.”

“O-oh yeah?”

“Hmph. Well, sorry about it. Since the forest fires are technically my doing,” said Ifrit, who had
been picking a fight with me earlier, with an audible pout. Minervar looked a little embarrassed
when she saw how hard Ifrit was sulking.

“I never meant to suggest that you were at fault, Ifrit. No need to be so sensitive about it.”

“But fire is my jurisdiction.”

“If we’re pointing fingers, then forest fires only happen when the air is dry. In that sense, you
can say that I’m half at fault too.”

“And the air was only dry because there was no water.”
Was I only imagining the thorns embedded in Ifrit’s retort? I forced a smile when I saw her
glaring at me. A spirit king’s lifespan could exceed ten thousand years. I didn’t want to get off on
the wrong foot with my brethren whom I’d be stuck with for millennia. But the light in Ifrit’s
eyes only became sharper, as if seeing me smile had managed to tick her off even more.

“Quit smiling at me. It makes you look like an idiot. Oh, wait. You are an idiot, right? I mean,
you’d have to be, since you failed to be born on time and ended up wandering around in the
wrong place entirely before finally making your way here.”

“Oof…”

She struck exactly where it hurt most. I lost my nerve and simply took it with my mouth clamped
shut. It was Trowell, who’d been rubbing his face against my palm all this time, who finally
looked up and came to my rescue.

“What are you going on about, Ifrit?”

“Did I say something wrong? Do you know just how stressed out I was while this little punk was
gone? You two are at least compatible with water. But I’m his complete opposite, so when his
powers grow weaker, mine get stronger. Do you know how much I’ve suffered while trying to
contain my powers so that the human world didn’t end up becoming a sea of fire every year?
And it’s all his fault!”

“Stop blaming people like that. The Nether Realm explained that it wasn’t Elquiness’ fault,
remember? The guy in charge of dispatching souls made a mistake that day. Elquiness is a victim
too, just like the rest of us.”

“Hmph. Yeah, whatever. You guys are just overjoyed to see him, aren’t you?”

“Ifrit.”

“Enough. You guys are all the same. I’m going back now. Staying in this stupid domain for any
longer is only gonna make me feel worse. You guys should stay here and have your little fun,
since you’re both so happy about all this,” Ifrit muttered. She looked pretty upset. She shot one
last glare at me before erupting into flames and disappearing from sight. It was almost magical,
but I didn’t even have the time to be impressed. All I could do was stare blankly at where she
had been just a moment ago.

‘Why’s she so angry? Did I do something wrong? Even if I did, how could she just dump all that
on me and leave like that on our very first meeting? Is she an elementary school kid or
something?’

I was apparently not the only one who thought Ifrit was being ridiculous. Trowell and Minervar
were wearing troubled expressions on their faces.

“Oh boy. She’s pouting something fierce. That’s why I keep saying that she’s still just a kid.”
“She can’t help it. All Ifrits tend to be excessively emotional. I’m sorry about that, Elquiness. Let
us apologize in her stead.”

“Huh? Oh, you don’t need to apologize… I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me,” I said
as I quickly waved my hands. The two other spirit kings widened their eyes before settling into
soft smiles.

“It appears that this generation’s Elquiness is very magnanimous at heart.”

“You’re right. What a surprise. And here I thought that every Spirit King of Water would have
the same personality. We might even be able to wash away the bad blood between Elquiness and
Ifrit this time around.”

“Bad blood?”

“Oh, Elquinesses and Ifrits have never gotten along because they have opposing attributes. And
the Elquiness before you was the worst. You’re probably gonna feel the effects of his
relationship with Ifrit for a while. She might keep picking fights with you moving forward. I’m
hoping you’ll be understanding of where she’s coming from, Elquiness,” Minervar explained
calmly.

I, on the other hand, became visibly distressed. To think that our attributes were working against
me. Did that mean that our relationship would never improve no matter how hard I tried?

“Does that mean that I’ll have to get into an argument every time I see the anime queen…?”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Ahaha. Oh, and about the way you’re calling me Elquiness… Could I ask you
to just call me Jihoon instead?”

“Jihoon?”

“What’s a Jihoon?”

“Um…” I replied hesitantly as the two spirit kings became perplexed. “Actually, it’s the name I
used back when I was still human. My family name was Kang, and my given name was Jihoon. I
know that I need to get used to my new name now that I’ve been reborn, but I’m still more
comfortable with Jihoon for now. But you don’t have to call me that if you don’t want to.”

Neither Trowell nor Minervar responded the way I’d expected they would, however. Instead, the
zeroed-in on something else entirely.

“When you were still human? Did you accidentally get born as a human, Elquiness? You weren’t
just wandering around the void between realms?”
“Huh? The void between realms? No, I was just born as an ordinary human…”

“Whoa, seriously? That’s awesome. That doesn’t sound like your average human guise. To think
that a spirit king would actually be born as a human. I guess you never really know what might
happen. You might even go down in spirit king history for that. What do you think, Minervar?”

“…It’s certainly unheard of,” Minervar replied. She was a lot more composed than Trowell, who
could not conceal his surprise. Even still, there was no denying the glint of curiosity in her eyes.
She continued, “Seeing how you have another name with a pronunciation that I’m not familiar
with, you must have been in another realm entirely, yes?”

“Um, yeah. It’s called Earth… though I don’t exactly know how far away it is from here.”

“Hmm. I see. But, how did you manage to be born with your memories of your previous life?
Weren’t you Obliviated back in the Nether Realm?”

“Obliviated?”

“Yes. It’s customary to get the memories of your past life erased before you get reborn. Didn’t
they make you drink some strange water?”

‘Water…? She isn’t talking about that disgusting liquid, is she?’

I recalled its horribly bitter taste, which I’d buried in the deepest recess of my memory, when
Minervar posed the question. Trowell seemed to have pieced together what was going on when
he saw the frown on my face.

“Looks like you did drink it. I do remember hearing that the Water of Oblivion isn’t something
that anyone sane would drink willingly.”

“Are you suggesting that the memories didn’t get erased even after drinking the Water?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious? Elquiness is the Spirit King of Water. The Water of Oblivion is still
water. Elquinesses rules over all water, so there’s no way that it’d do anything. Still, it’s strange.
Normally, they’d try something else if you didn’t lose your memories after drinking the Water.
How did you manage to get born with your past life’s memories?”

I didn’t answer. Surely, there was no reason for me to have to tell them that I’d opened the Door
of Life myself and jumped in headfirst(?), right? Surely.

It finally dawned on me that Arehis had asked me those weird questions back then because he
was trying to check whether or not I’d retained my memories. Essentially, I’d run away from him
for no real reason.

I decided that this was a secret that I’d take to my grave. In any event, no one would know about
that irrational(?) I’d been as long as I didn’t tell anyone.
“Anyway, you wanted us to call you ‘Jihoon,’ right? We can do that.”

“Huh? Really? Is that okay?”

“Well, it’s not like it’s that hard to do. Now, if I could have things my way, I’d love to hear more
about your life as a human, but we’ll have to put that off for later, the situation being what it is.
It’s about to get insanely busy real soon. You’d best prepare yourself,” Trowell replied.

I snapped out of my reverie. “What? We’re gonna be busy?”

“We have to fix the balance of nature that we’ve been haphazardly patching together now that
you’re finally here. That’s our duty.”

‘I-is that how it is?’

Arehis had made it sound as if everything would be fixed as long as I was here. That was why I
hadn’t asked him for more detail about what exactly I was supposed to do or what my duties
were. In other words, I hadn’t been thinking about any of this at all.

The two other spirit kings began looking at me expectantly. It looked like they were waiting
eagerly to start doing something even though no one had told me what I was supposed to do.
Naturally, I had no way of knowing what it was that they wanted from me, so all I could do was
stand there blankly and blink back at them.

“…Don’t just stand there. Hurry up and start,” Minervar urged as she broke the silence,
apparently having grown tired of waiting on me. I guess I won(?) our staring contest. The
problem, however, was that I still had no idea what it was that she wanted me to do.

“What am I supposed to start?”

“Restoring nature.”

“So… what exactly does that entail?”

“…Is this your idea of a joke?”

I flinched when I saw the light in Minervar’s eyes turn frigid. She looked stern to begin with, and
she became so scary that I forgot how to speak when she grew angry too on top of that.

‘You can glare at me all you want, but I still don’t know what I don’t know. You know?’

“Just create some spirits,” Trowell interjected just then as if he’d read my mind.

“C-create spirits?”
“Yeah. Spirits. Naiases, the lesser spirits, will be born automatically upon feeling your presence,
but you need to actively create the intermediary and greater spirits. Wait. What’s with that look
you’re giving me? You really didn’t know this?”

‘I really didn’t know…’

I must’ve been wearing a really stupid look on my face, seeing how Trowell and Minervar
stiffened up just then. It looked like it’d finally hit them that I hadn’t just been horsing around. I
really hadn’t known.

But I couldn’t understand why they were reacting like that either. ‘I mean, I was only born today.
Isn’t it only normal that I didn’t know something that I’d never been taught before?’

“No, it’s not.”

“Huh?” I reacted as I startled and turned around only to find Trowell staring back at me with a
strange look on his face.

“Trowell, did you just…?”

“You were thinking that it’s only normal for you to not know anything just now, weren’t you,
Jihoon?”

“What? Um, y-yeah.”

“Well, you’re wrong. Spirit kings are supposed to be born already knowing how to read the flow
of nature and how to manage it. You’re supposed to already know how to create and disseminate
spirits. That’s ‘normal.’”

‘I-is that how it is? How did he even know what I was thinking in the first place?’

I wanted to interrogate him further, but all I could do was gulp in silence. I felt like he’d seen
clean through me, from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes.

“Jihoon,” Minervar started again after a moment of consideration, “let me ask you just one more
thing. If we told you to create a spirit right here, right now, would you be able to?”

“Huh? R-right now…? I.. I’m not sure. I’m happy to give it a try if you teach me how to, but…”

“Hmm, I knew it,” Minervar said as she nodded back. Her expression looked a cut darker than
before.

“Did you figure something out, Minervar?”

“I think so. I think this is a side effect of Jihoon being born human.”
“A side effect?” Trowell asked, baffled. Minervar nodded back. But it was I who was the most
confused out of the three of us.

‘A side effect?! I wasn’t told about any side effects. It already sucked enough to know that the
past almost two decades of my life was entirely in vain, and now I find out that it came with some
stupid side effect too? That’s ridiculous!’

“He isn’t able to shake off the habits he formed as a human because he still remembers his life as
one. He thinks that some things are just impossible for him from the get-go because he’s human,
and he’s subconsciously setting limits on himself. Simply put, he’s undermining his own
abilities.”

“Hmm, what a headache.”

“This is a pretty big problem. Why in the world did the Nether Realm not make sure that the
Obliviating worked? I’m sure they knew that this could happen.”

‘Ack…!’

My shoulders stiffened up when I saw Minervar sighing.

This was happening because I’d been born with my memories as a human. Which ultimately
meant… that this was all happening because I’d decided to make a run for it, right?

‘I’m an idiot. I’m so stupid! I always knew I’d end up causing some kind of trouble! Argh, what
do I do now?’

I didn’t think that I’d end up with just a beating if the truth got out. Actually, would I even
survive?

Even I didn’t know why I turned to Trowell just then. But I regretted it the very moment our eyes
met. A very pregnant smile appeared on his face.

“…Who can say, Minervar? I wonder why the Nether Realm didn’t use more Water of
Oblivion?”

I desperately tried to look away when I saw his golden eyes curving gently into a smile.

I had a sudden premonition that I was in for a bumpy road ahead.

Chapter 3
1.

There was nothing here but water, but there was still a day and night cycle. There was no sun or
moon rising around here, but it did get dark when night fell.

Interestingly, I could still see perfectly clearly even in the pitch ‘darkness.’ I could even see the
flow of water or even each individual droplet of water, even down to microscopic levels, if I so
willed it.

‘This… is amazing.’

In my past life, my vision had been so poor that I hadn’t even been able to see something that
was right in front of my face. I’d worn a pair of extremely thick glasses, but only because that
had been the best tool at my disposal. It hadn’t changed the fact that I’d still been practically
blind.

My biggest goal at the time had been to save up enough money by working part-time jobs in
order to get LASIK surgery. I’d already had enough money to pay for it too, because I’d paid for
my own tuition and spending money ever since middle school.

But I’d been a minor, which meant that I’d need parental consent in order to get any kind of
surgery done. There was no way that my parents would have ever consented to me getting
LASIK done, and I hadn’t particularly wanted to explain my situation to the hospital staff and
beg them to let me get the surgery either. That was why I’d decided instead to get it after I’d
graduated and reached the age of majority. It had always been my biggest wish.

I’d even had glasses as a ghost too. So, to think that my vision would improve so drastically just
because I’d been reborn. For a moment, I almost regretted(?) the fact that I hadn’t died sooner.

‘Anyway, I wonder what happened to my money? Well, my bank account was under Taejin’s
name, so I’m sure he dealt with it accordingly.’

I’d had many close friends, but Taejin was the only one who had known the full extent of my
personal situation. It just goes to show how much he had worried about me and looked after me
behind the scenes. I was always grateful for that. I didn’t feel bad about giving me all the money
in my bank account. Taejin was a good guy, however, so he probably gave it to my parents
instead of keeping it for himself. Either that, or he donated it to a good cause.

The one thing that I was sure of, however, was that he hadn’t used my money to pay for my
funeral expenses. I knew what he’d been thinking. He probably hadn’t wanted it to look like I’d
saved that money because I knew that I was going to die. I would have done the same too, if our
situations had been reversed.

‘No, stop thinking about things like this. I need the fact that I’m a spirit king to click ASAP.’
I quickly shook my head clear of any stray thoughts. Then, I recalled what Trowell and Minervar
had said to me before leaving.

“Um, so what’ll happen to me now? Will I be unable to do anything forever?”

Surely, this was what it meant for your vision to suddenly grow dark. A spirit king who
undermines his own abilities. I hadn’t thought even in my wildest dreams that my momentary
lapse in judgment could have such dire consequences.

Minervar, however, dismissed my concerns outright. “No, you won’t. You might be lacking self-
awareness, but the fact that you’re a spirit king remains the same. I’m sure that everything will
click eventually with time.”

“Really? You mean it?”

“Yes. But the problem is that we don’t have a lot of time to spare. The situation isn’t looking
good. We urgently need you to use your powers,” Minervar began explaining things to me.

If nothing had been wrong with Arkadon, then the fact that I was lacking self-awareness as a
spirit king wouldn’t have posed much of a problem. But all the water spirits had been
extinguished, so it’d spell trouble if I didn’t figure out how to use my powers right away.
Naiases, the lesser water spirits, could restore small brooks and streams, but it wasn’t possible
for them to revitalize larger domains of water, such as lakes or seas.

“Moreover, there’s more to it than just creating more spirits,” she concluded.

“T-there’s more?”

“First, you need to send rain evenly throughout the entire continent,” Trowell answered. “You
need to work with Minervar to create storms that’ll sweep through the continent as quickly as
possible. Meanwhile, I’ll open the water veins that’ve gotten clogged up in the meanwhile and
absorb all the storm water into the soil. I’ll need you to help me reestablish all the subterranean
waterways too. The earth’s powers have gotten weak because a lot of plants have died out.”

‘What did he just say? Send rain, create storms, and open water veins?’

Everything Trowell had listed out made me feel faint. I’d had no idea that being a spirit king
required so much attention to detail. I had only ever thought of these things as naturally
occurring phenomena until now. Who would’ve thought that they had actually required so much
work behind the scenes? The revelation shocked me, just like it had when I’d learned that all the
props I’d seen on TV had actually been manipulated by a set designer all along.

“You’re probably gonna need to use the full force of your powers for an entire month or two.
Things still won’t be back to what they once were even after all that, but it’ll at least have
recovered somewhat.”
“Um… I have no idea about how to do any of those things.”

“I know. You don’t even know how to create spirits, and that’s the most basic thing. I figured
that anything more difficult than that was out of the picture too.”

“Then, what should I do? What about the g-gods? Don’t the gods do anything?”

“The gods? Arkadon’s ecosystem is under the Four Great Spirit Kings’ jurisdiction. The
Almighty decided that this is our domain, and ours alone. The gods don’t have the authority to
intervene or interfere with the natural order.”

“O-oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Even if we decided to make a completely mess of the natural ecosystem here, that’s our
choice to make. The gods have no choice but to accept it. Well, I guess it’s also why it took so
long to deal with your absence.”

‘Oh, so that’s why no one realized anything until ten years into the drought.’

I had been wondering why it had taken so long for the gods to act in a realm that, supposedly,
absolutely must not be destroyed. This was why. They had probably thought that the spirit kings
had been causing the natural disaster on purpose.

“Don’t worry about it too much, Jihoon. We can take things slowly since it’s come to this.
Things will click eventually, like Minervar said. For now, it’s enough that you were even born to
begin with.”

“Huh? But won’t the drought in Arkadon continue if I don’t start restoring things right away?”

“It will, but that’s okay,” Trowell said sunnily with a bright smile. I was rendered speechless.

“It is…?”

“Arkadon managed to survive this long even though it’s been so long since the last time even a
single drop of water fell from the skies. Things have already gotten better just by you being here.
Besides, it’s not like anyone will thank us even if we rushed things.”

“Trowell, that’s…” Minervar started with a stern look on her face.

“Well, I’m not wrong,” Trowell replied with a shrug. “We could work our asses off, but it’ll still
be the gods who get all the praise.”

“What? Really?”

“The humans think that everything we do is actually the work of the gods. Even when history
states most of the times that the gods have intervened with Arkadon have never ended well for
them. But there’s nothing we can do about it. Humans are so frail, and that’s why they want to
cling to an absolute being. It still annoys me that the gods occasionally get all the praise for our
hard work, though.”

‘…Why does it sound like it happens more often than just ‘occasionally?’’

Trowell was undoubtedly still smiling, but I felt like I could still hear the thorns in his words. I
might have just been imagining things, but it sounded like he didn’t think too favorably about the
gods or humankind.

Minervar, who had been deep in thought, suddenly looked up with a stony look on her face. It
looked like she had made up her mind about something.

“I have a proposal for you, Jihoon.”

“Hmm? A proposal?”

“A way to let you awaken to your powers as quickly as possible. This has never happened before
in spirit king history. And this is the only solution I could think of.”

“Wait? Really? You have a solution?”

“What do you have, Minervar?”

Both Trowell and I were interested in Minervar’s plan. I was so excited to hear her out.
However, I couldn’t help but stiffen up when I heard what she said next.

“Jihoon should learn how to use a spirit king’s powers from us for the time being.”

“…What?”

‘W-wait, hold on a sec. That’s the plan that you were so hesitant to propose? For me to learn
how to use my powers from you guys? But it’s only obvious that I need to learn, since I don’t
know how. Was she not planning to teach me at all until just now?’

I was so taken aback that all I could do was stare back at Minervar. I thought she might be
joking, but she looked dead serious as she stared back at me. Which could only mean that she
had been sincere about her proposal just now…

‘Why in the world did it take her that long to propose something so blatantly obvious?’

I just couldn’t understand. She looked so smart and mature. Was she actually… not?

Alas, my bafflement was only getting started.

“You want us to teach Jihoon? Isn’t that a bit extreme, Minervar?”

I had thought that Minervar had only proposed the obvious, and yet Trowell was voicing his
opposition. Minervar even looked guilty as she replied back to him.

“There’s no other choice. I think we should teach him, as long as Jihoon is okay with the idea…”

“Even still. Isn’t that a bit much?”

“You think so?”

“Of course I do, Minervar. Think about it from Jihoon’s perspective. Do you really think it’s
okay?”

“Well, I…”

‘Is the idea of teaching me something really that big of a deal?’

Watching not only Minervar but also Trowell acting like that threw me for a loop. It made me
feel like I’d become an asshole or something.

Was there some kind of rule in the Spirit Realm that spirit kings weren’t allowed to teach each
other anything? That felt like the most reasonable explanation to me, as absurd as it was. I had no
idea why they were acting like that, but I wanted them to feel less guilty about the whole ordeal.
So, I decided to play along.

“Um, I don’t really get what the big deal is…” I replied, “but I’m okay with it. I think that’s a
great idea, Minervar.”

“…What?”

“Do you really think that, Jihoon?!”

Their responses were more exaggerated than I’d expected. Minervar looked shocked, and
Trowell sounded downright astonished. I nodded back awkwardly when I saw how much they
had stiffened up.

“Yeah, I do. Actually, I was just about to ask you the same thing myself. I’d love to learn from
you guys, as long as you’re good with it.”

“Wow, Jihoon. You’re a really good guy, you know that?”

“Ahaha… I-I guess? I mean, this really isn’t anything to write home about…”

“No. I’m sure this was a huge decision on your part. I’m really glad you agreed. I’m blown away
by how understanding you are about all this. You too, right, Minervar?”

“Indeed.”
Minervar smiled gently and nodded back when Trowell sought her assent. Then, they began
looking back at me even more favorably than they had been before.

I, on the other hand, still had no idea what the heck was going on. Why were they so grateful
about something so trivial? How did this make me understanding in any way? Shouldn’t I be the
one thanking them? After all, they were offering to spend their precious time to teach me because
I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing. I couldn’t help but think that our roles had been
reversed.

It was only later that I had understood why they had acted like that. Spirit kings were supposed
to be inherently ‘complete’ beings. It was unimaginable that they would need to be taught by
anyone else. Accordingly, Minervar’s proposal was actually considered to be exceptionally rude,
even if the situation had necessitated it. To make matters worse, the previous Spirit Kings of
Water had apparently been especially prideful and had absolutely hated it when others meddled
in their affairs.

For example, the Elquiness immediately before me had once been told off by the previous Ifrit
(in other words, not the Ifrit that I knew). In response, he had invaded the Domain of Fire and
completely turned it upside down. They had apparently always found fault with each other
before that too, but none of them had dared to give advice or counsel to the other ever again after
that incident.

In any event this tacit rule amongst spirit kings had come about because of the previous
Elquiness. And it was none other than I, the current Elquiness, who had broken it.

‘Anyway, I start studying tomorrow. Which means that I can fool around to my heart’s content
today.’

It was already quite dark, but it didn’t matter because I could still see clearly. Moreover, spirit
kings were astral beings, like ghosts, so we didn’t get tired or put our lives in jeopardy even if we
didn’t eat or sleep.

In other words, I could start studying just fine tomorrow even if I stayed up all night. Needless to
say, I was quite pleased. I begin surveying my surroundings. After all, this was my new
dwelling.

At first, I’d thought that there was nothing here except water. Upon closer inspection, however, I
found that there were a bunch of daily necessities set up for me deeper underwater. The only
thing of note was that everything here was made from stone instead of wood.

The desk, chair, bed, and even the drawer—everything was made of stone. And none of it looked
man-made either. It looked like the stone had always been naturally shaped like that to begin
with. There was also a bunch of seaweed and shells everywhere. I wouldn’t be forgetting that I
was underwater anytime soon.
I opened the drawer. It was jam-packed with reams of paper (which, strangely enough, weren’t
wet), feathered pens, and other miscellaneous accessories. Then, I spotted a small hand mirror in
a corner of the drawer. The mirror’s surface was smeared with a black smudge, attesting to how
long it had been left unattended.

‘I guess my predecessor didn’t care that much about his looks.’

I was just about to put the mirror back, but then I realized that I still didn’t know what I looked
like and snatched it back up again.

What did I look like? In the moments immediately after my birth, I had still had a lingering
attachment to my old appearance. But I couldn’t help the fact that I’d changed my mind after
seeing how gorgeous the other spirit kings were.

‘I wasn’t that attractive in my past life, even spun in a positive light. I’d be miserable if I look
different from the others when I’m already lacking in other areas to begin with. And, didn’t Ifrit
say that I looked like a girl? My hands and skin look fine, but I do still want to check for myself.

‘I’m okay with looking average. But please, just don’t let me be ugly!’

I contained my thumping heart and gingerly wiped away the smudge on the mirror. And then…

“What the…? What the hell?!” I couldn’t help but scream. My reflection in the mirror was just
too different from what I’d been expecting.

I hadn’t noticed until just now, but my hair was so long that it reached down to my waist.
Moreover, my hair was just a vivid blue that it looked like I’d dyed it.

But that was fine. I actually liked my hair color quite a bit. It was a perfect shade of blue that you
couldn’t achieve with dye even if you paid good money for it. It’s length, however, bothered me
a little, but I figured that I could always cut it later.

The problem, was that…

“My face looks like a girl’s!”

Indeed. That was the problem. Anyone who saw me would agree. My skin was a white as milk,
the lines of my face were so fine they could have been sculpted, my nose was sharp and pointed,
and my lips were as red as blood. Also, my eyes were as large and as round as drops of water.

Simply put, I had the face of a stereotypically pretty girl.

‘Why did I have to be born with a face that looks like this of all things, damnit!’

If I had to be born pretty, then I wished that I could have looked more like Trowell instead. He
also looked young and sexy, but he was also very clearly a guy. I, on the other hand, looked
unquestionably like a girl. And a delicate and pure girl at that. Especially because my hair was so
long. Anyone would mistake me for a girl if it wasn’t for my flat-as-a-board chest. Actually,
anyone who wasn’t too quick on the uptake would just think that I was an exceptionally flat-
chested girl.

‘Hmm? Why does it feel like I’m missing something…?’

I was busy being disgruntled while scrutinizing my new body up and down, and I couldn’t help
but frown when I realized that something felt off. Why did it feel like I was missing something
that I should have? It probably wasn’t all that important, since I hadn’t noticed it until just now.
But, what in the world was it?

I slowly began massaging(?) my body as I tried to figure out the source of my strange sense of
discomfort. Figuring it out was easy. So easy, in fact, that it was stranger that I hadn’t noticed it
right off the bat.

“#$@%#$^&!”

A shock coursed through my being, as though I’d been electrocuted by 100 volts.

“It… It’s… gone! It’s not there! Ahhh—! No way!”

Was this how it felt when your firmest convictions suddenly crumbled away to nothingness?
Surely, I wouldn’t have felt like this even if I got on a one-way express train from heaven
straight down to hell.

“Why did I turn into a girl?!”

2.

“Are you utterly stupid?”

I had despaired all night long after learning that I’d turned into a girl, and my eyes were sunken
and hollow by the morning. I’d become gaunt, not because I was tired but because of my
psychological shock. But Ifrit judged me harshly all the same.

“Ugh! But still!”

“But still what? Minervar told me what happened, but I still doubted it until now. Who would’ve
thought that you really kept your memories of your previous life? How stupid can you be?”

“Stupid?! This isn’t a simple matter! My sex changed! Stand in my shoes for a bit! Would you be
able to keep still if you woke up one day and suddenly became a man?”
“So what? I go around acting like a man every now again even now. If you prefer being a man,
then you can just do that too.”

“You idiot! Acting like a man and actually being one are two entirely different things!”

“What’s so different about it? We spirits are sexless anyway!”

“It’s totally differ… what? What did you just say?”

I had just been about to refute Ifrit’s biting statements, just then I stopped dead in my tracks.
‘What did she say just now? Spirits are what?’

I must’ve been making quite the face just now, seeing by how Ifrit’s expression crumbled even
further.

“Spirits are fundamentally sexless. There’s no real reason to categorize our kind by gender to
begin with. It’s only a matter of having an effeminate or masculine appearance. Have you ever
heard of spirits giving birth? I mean, Minervar and I might look more feminine, but both of us
are flat-chested. Just like you.”

“Ack! N-now that you mention it…”

My eyes reflexively wandered to Ifrit’s chest. She(?) really was just as flat-chested as me.
Besides, it wasn’t natural for women to be as flat-chested as we were.

Any woman from her mid-teens to early-twenties, no matter how underdeveloped she was,
would still at least have a slender waist or shapely shoulders. But Ifrit most certainly had the
figure of a boy.

Ifrit looked flabbergasted by how shocked I was.

“Why in the world do I have to explain all this to you?” she grumbled. “How could you be a
spirit king and not know that spirits are sexless? The previous Elquiness would’ve passed out
and never woken up again if he heard about this. Gosh, this is ridiculous.”

“S-so I… didn’t turn into a girl, then?”

“That’s what I just said. How many times do I need to repeat myself to get into that thick skull of
yours? Are you a goldfish or something? Be honest with me. You’re not actually a spirit king,
are you? You’re actually a human-shaped bird, right? What with that birdbrain of yours.”

A deluge of verbal abuse poured out from her mouth, but everything sounded like heavenly
hymns to me right now. I sank down to my feet in sheer relief.

‘Right. Who cares if I have a pretty face and I’m missing something crucial? At least I’m not
actually a girl.’
The values I’d been holding for nearly seventeen whole years took up more of my psyche than
I’d initially imagined. As far as I was concerned, women were the opposite sex, and being the
opposite sex meant that they were potentially romantic partners. In other words, I didn’t want to
get it on with another dirty man—

‘Ahhh! Stop thinking about this, Jihoon! She said I wasn’t a girl. I just happen to look like one.
Yeah. Strictly speaking, I’m sexless…’

“Wait, no. I still don’t like this! Why do I have to be gendered female?!” I shouted while
jumping back up to my feet.

“Who said you were female?” Ifrit said, confused.

“What are you talking about? You did!”

“I only meant that you look more effeminate than the previous Elquiness. Looking at you now,
I’d say that you can pass off as a male just fine. You look like a boy who hasn’t fully hit puberty
yet.”

“Oh? Y-you really think so?”

“Well, most people would still mistake you for a girl, though.”

“See?!”

‘Ultimately, that means I look more female than male!’

I did my best to shake my head clear of the dreadful thoughts that had seized me. Then, sharp
pain suddenly exploded on my head. Ifrit had punched me.

“Ow! What the hell, Ifrit?! That hurt!”

“That’s the point, you dolt! What’s the point in agonizing over the appearance you were born
with? I’m supposed to be your guest. Are you gonna keeping me standing there while you keep
agonizing over the most pointless things?”

“And that gives you the right to hit me like that? That hurt like hell…” I grumbled while
clutching my head, but then I clamped my mouth shut. I’d finally realized something that I
hadn’t thought to question yet. “Wait a sec. Why’re you even here, Ifrit?”

“What?”

Ifrit’s already raised eyebrows lifted even higher. It looked like the fact that I’d only just now
acknowledged her presence has pissed her off.

“I-I mean… It’s just… You were mad at me yesterday, so I…”

“I still am, you know? What of it? Does that mean I can’t come see you?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Hahaha.”

‘Ack! She’s not here to put curses on me because she’ll still mad about yesterday, is she?’

I gauged her mood anxiously because it sounded more than plausible. Ifrit looked back at me
with pity in her eyes.

“What’s with that dumb look? Do you think I’m here to eat you alive or something? I really
didn’t mean to say this, but how can two Elquinesses be so starkly different? The Elquiness
before you might’ve been a cocky jerk, but he still had this innate elegance to him. You, on the
other hand…”

“…I’m sorry I’m not elegant.”

‘And you think that you’re just overflowing with elegance, huh? You look like some kind of
delinquent.’

Alas, I wasn’t even able to mumble what I was really thinking while I was still in Ifrit’s
presence. After all, I didn’t want to go down as the spirit king who died the day after he was
born. Life was more important than anything else. But more importantly…

‘Seriously, why is this spirit king here? Surely, she isn’t here just to pick a fight with me.’

I guess it was showing on my face, because Ifrit looked at me coyly before bolding announcing
her reason for being here.

“I’ve been put in charge of educating you.”

“…Say what?”

“Wow. I didn’t realize that even spirit kings could go deaf. I’m! In charge! Of educating you!”

I barely kept myself from gasping out loud.

‘Wait, Ifrit’s gonna educate me? Why? It wasn’t gonna be Minervar or Trowell?’

I was shocked. I’d thought that it would either be Minervar or Trowell for sure. Had I failed to
make a good first impression on them? Was that why they’d sent Ifrit, who hated me openly,
instead? All kinds of stray thoughts entered my head in the heat of the moment.

“Oh, stop looking like you’re about to cry. It’s pissing me off. You think I’m here because I
wanted to be? Minervar and Trowell are busy restoring Arkadon. I’m in charge of you because
there was no other choice.”
“…But you’re not busy, Ifrit?”

“W-what did you just say? Of course I’m busy too. Did you really think I had time to spare or
something? I’m so incredibly busy that you couldn’t possibly even imagine.”

“Um, I see. Then, why did you come all the way here…?”

“Hmph. I’m here despite being so busy because I’m just better than the others. I have to do at
least this much, right? Especially since we’re all struggling. And don’t worry. I’ll turn you into a
bona fide spirit king by the end of the week,” Ifrit exclaimed triumphantly.

I stared back at her in silence. I could feel the blood draining from my face.

I felt like I’d been had real good. A ‘bona fide spirit king…’ Would I even still be alive by the
end of the week?

“Don’t you have something to say to me?” Ifrit asked me while shooting me a glare.

“Huh?” I replied while staring back at her blankly.

Then, she grew irritated and shouted back, “Are you seriously deaf or something? I asked you if
you had something to say to me!”

‘Something to say to you? I have lots of things to say to you, actually. For one, can we rethink
this whole deal where you’re gonna be the one teaching me, Ifrit? I know I might look like I’d be
a good student and all, but I’m actually kinda slow and I have a rebellion streak too. You could
employ all kinds of Spartan teaching techniques on me, but at the end of the day, you’re the one
who’ll suffer if I can’t keep up, right? So please, let’s just rethink this whole thing…

‘But you’ll probably hit me again if I actually said that, right?’

And so, I instead smiled back awkwardly and shook my head as I replied, “No, not really…”

“You don’t? You really don’t?”

“Huh? …Oh! Thank you for agreeing to teach me?”

“No, not that!”

“T-then what else am I supposed to say?”

“Wait, you really don’t know?”

‘No ma’am. I really don’t.’

I blinked instead of shaking my head again. Ifrit glared back at me in frustration before letting
out a sigh.

“I heard that you asked Minervar and Trowell to call you ‘Jihoon’ yesterday. How come you’re
not asking me?”

“What? Ohh… That’s what you were talking about.”

‘Huh. Was she bothered about that?’

I looked at Ifrit in pleasant surprise. And here I’d thought that she’d never agree to call me by a
nickname. I’d thought I’d be lucky if she only kept her names for me to ‘you,’ ‘hey you,’ or ‘you
idiot.’ Had she been waiting for me to introduce myself formally to her all this time?

Maybe Ifrit didn’t actually hate me despite what she said. So to think I’d only been thinking
about how I should go about avoiding her. I’d almost ended up hurting her because of a
misconception. I reflected on my actions quietly to myself as I extended a hand to her.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t formally introduced myself to you yet. Let’s get along. And
I’d be happy if you also called me Jihoon like Minervar and Trowell do.”

Unfortunately, I still didn’t quite understand who Ifrit was as a person. It was only after I heard
her reply that I realized this.

“What if I don’t want to?”

I stared back blankly. ‘Hahaha. What? What did I hear just now?’

I froze like a stone statue when I saw Ifrit grinning in front of me. Her eyes curled up like she
was having great fun.

“You still don’t get it?” she continued. “I told you, didn’t I? I’m gonna turn you into a bona fide
spirit king. Jihoon was your past life’s name, right? But do you really think that it makes sense
for you to keep using your old name? I’m gonna call you Elquiness. You should be grateful that
I’m so considerate.”

“…T-then why did you go out of your way to get me to ask you to call me Jihoon?”

“Just for fun.”

‘Isn’t that obvious?’ Ifrit seemed to add wordlessly as she raised an eyebrow.

I pursed my lips together and looked up toward the sky. Whoosh. I felt like an empty breeze was
brushing past me even though there was no wind here.

“Your education starts tomorrow,” Ifrit continued. “I’m not gonna go easy on you, so be ready.”
That was all she said before vanishing in a burst of flame just like she had yesterday. I overheard
her muttering something to herself just before she disappeared.

“I don’t know about anything else, but at least he’s fun to mess around with. Nice. Looks like I
won’t be bored for a while.”

I was speechless. The queen… had just declared full war on me.

3.

Ifrit’s lessons, which had started the very next day, were as difficult as she had warned me they
would be. Callen them ‘lessons’ was a nice way of putting it—it was actually just her shouting
abuse at me nonstop. The smallest mistake would bring her angry rebukes crashing down on me
like bolts of lightning.

“That’s not it!”

“W-what am I supposed to do, then?”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong!”

Her crimson hair spit out flames as hot as lava every time she grew angry. I couldn’t help but
worry that all the water in my domain might boil up at this rate.

“Is your brain made of rock or something?” she continued. “How come you can’t do it even after
I’ve shown you twice? You might not be as good as the previous Elquiness, but you should at
least be able to measure up to the bottom of his soles! Are you sure you managed to inherit his
powers properly? Among the Four Great Spirit Kings, the Spirit King of Water is supposed to
have the best defense and offense. So, how come this is all you can do?! Explain yourself!”

“…Tch. I’d be some sort of prophet if I knew that.”

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. Haha.”

Ifrit wasn’t exactly what I’d call ‘teacher material.’ Not only was she completely incapable of
gauging where her student was, but she was only evaluating things from her perspective. Not
only that, but she also killed my motivation to study by constantly comparing me to others.

What was I supposed to do when all she did during our spirit creating lesson was to create a
greater fire spirit as I watched? She did show me one more time when I still didn’t get it. But as
far as I could see, a spirit had simply appeared out of nowhere.
Wasn’t she at least supposed to explain to me what types of lesser spirits there were or how to
handle my powers or something like that first?! To put things into context, it was like she was
trying to teach me how to write an essay before teaching me the alphabet.

But when I protested and told her that she was expecting too much from a complete amateur, all
she’d said was: “I knew how to do all this from the moment I was born.”

‘…Wow, must be nice.’

What had I even been expecting? My shoulders drooped in dejection.

“It’s weirder that you aren’t able to do this,” Ifrit said with a fierce glare. “You said you used to
be human. Should I explain it to you in human terms, then? When a human baby is born, do you
need to explain to them how they’re supposed to eat?”

“…No.”

“Exactly. They know how to eat instinctively if you bring food near their mouths. This is the
same thing. So, why can’t you do it? I’m even showing you how to do it. Gosh, this is
frustrating! Just what in the world is wrong with you?”

I let Ifrit’s grumbling in one ear and out the other. After all, there was no way that she was nearly
as vexed as I was right now.

I would never have run away day that in the Nether Realm if I’d known that this would be the
result. I would’ve drunk every last drop of that potion even if it was so bitter that my mouth
rotted off.

Recalling that horribly bitter taste sent a shiver down my spine even now. To think that there
would come a day when I regretted not drinking it. Maybe that was why they said that you never
knew what fate had in store for you.

“Why’re you staring at me like an idiot for? Hurry up and try again. Properly, this time. The
previous Elquiness was the strongest and greatest spirit king of all time. You inherited his
powers as his direct successor. It’s not possible for you to be such a moron.”

‘…Do you really have to be so mean about it?’

How many times had she mentioned my predecessor now? They say that it’s possible to get sick
and tired of being complimented, and this wasn’t anything close to a compliment. It was all
Ifrit’s fault that I started resenting the previous Elquiness more and more even though I’d never
even met the guy before.

‘Wait a minute. I thought Ifrit wasn’t on good terms with the previous Elquiness? So why is she
complimenting him at every chance she gets?'
Did she actually like him and was just being shy about it? It felt plausible, considering her
personality. But I immediately shook my head no. Trowell and Minervar had known them for far
longer than I had. Surely, they wouldn’t have suggested that Ifrit and the previous Elquiness had
been on bad terms if that was truly the case.

Besides, there was something about Trowell—and I was just grasping at straws here—but it
almost felt like…he could read minds? I still hadn’t forgotten that pregnant look he’d given me
back when we were talking about Oblivion. He had definitely uncovered my circumstances back
then. And if I was wrong, then it simply meant that he was incredibly sharp on the uptake. In any
case, it meant that there was no way that Ifrit had kept her feelings a secret from him.

‘Hmm. That doesn’t add up. Why would she keep talking about him if she didn’t like him? Or
maybe she saw him as a rival! She didn’t like him, but she acknowledged his skills… or
something like that? Is she just annoyed that a dope like me is her rival’s successor?

‘Oho, that sounds reasonable. Maybe I’m better at inference than I thought?’

I smiled to myself as I tooted my own horn. As if on cue, Ifrit’s rage came crashing down on me
yet again.

“Why’re you grinning to yourself like a foot when I’m trying so hard to teach you? Is this
seriously how you’re gonna act?”

“Yikes. Sorry.”

“If you don’t feel like learning, then don’t. Arkadon is in ruins anyway. Who cares whether we
have to push back revitalizing it for another few centuries because of you? Just the millions of
humans who’ll die along the way, I guess.”

“Ack! No, I’m sorry! I’ll work hard! I mean it!”

Not only did this spirit king have herself a temper, she was also amazing at blackmailing people.
Still, all the blackmailing in the world wasn’t going to suddenly understand something that I
didn’t know.

I turned back to Ifrit, come hell or high waters, and asked, “Um, Ifrit? Can you show me how to
create a spirit again?”

“Again?”

“It’s because I still don’t get it. But I’ll pay more attention this time.”

“…Hmph. Fine. Guess there’s no other way about it. But just make sure you understand this. It’s
not good for Arkadon for me to keep creating more fire spirits here. I’ve already had to create
three more Ignises—greater fire spirits—because of you. You need to create the same number of
Ciquels to balance them out.”
“Ciquels?”

“Greater water spirits. You don’t even know what the spirits serving you are called?”

‘How am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?’ I grumbled to myself quietly while avoiding
Ifrit’s gaze. She was looking at me with pity again. I could already hear her saying how I should
have been born knowing this information if I said something about it.

“Watch carefully.”

Ifrit clenched her fist, and then she pushed it forward while rotating her arm so that the back of
her hand was facing up. An azure flame shot out of her shoulder, coiled down her arm like a
snake, and finally began gathering on top of her fist. The mass of fire that formed grew
enormous and instantly transfigured into a set of blazing scarlet wings.

Tweeet!

—I greet the great and beautiful Ifrit, my king and liege.

This was already the third time I’d seen this, but the sight of an Ignis—a greater fire spirit—
being born still struck me with awe.

Ifrit kept the Ignis perched on her wrist as she looked down at me haughtily.

“Do you get it now?”

‘…Nope. Not in the slightest.’

I predicted that Ifrit would really let me have it this time. But that was only natural. She had
shown me the same exact thing three times now out of the goodness of her heart, and I still
hadn’t managed to understand anything. I grew nervous and began searching her face for signs of
anger, only to find her grinning from ear to ear. Her smile was so captivating that it almost made
me dizzy.

“Hoho, I see. You still don’t get it…”

“S-sorry.”

‘Wait, why is she just rolling with it? Isn’t she supposed to get really mad about now?’

I looked up in confusion, and then I looked away as soon as our eyes met. It was because her
appearance had caught my eyes again.

I had always thought that Ifrit was really pretty. I wasn’t only talking about her face. Her eyes,
her attitude, her gestures—everything about her gave off this mesmerizing aura that seemed to
draw your gaze to her. I’d used to argue with my friends about which female celebrity was the
best. But all of those pretty celebrities together couldn’t hope to be even half as gorgeous or
beautiful as the spirit king before me now.

‘To think that I’m getting private lessons from such a pretty girl. Doesn’t that make me a super
lucky guy?’

I did my best to enjoy the situation a little more. After all, I’d been a healthy Korean guy once.
There was no way that I’d ever dislike being alone with a pretty girl. I felt like I’d be able to take
it happily no matter how much Ifrit disparaged me. …Or I would have, had I not seen her hand
just then.

“…Um, Ifrit?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“What’s that… on your hand?”

“Oh, this?”

Ifrit kept grinning as she raised up her hand. A lump of blue fire was blazing on it. Normally, I
would’ve been engrossed by how her skin remained unblemished even though the fire was all
over her. Right now, however, I couldn’t help but flinch and step back. I felt a strange chill at the
back of my head.

My bad feeling came true.

“It’s fire, obviously,” Ifrit continued. “You idiot! Is your head just for decoration? I’m gonna
burn you to a crisp and vaporize you! Just die! Just die already and let the next Elquiness take
your place! It’ll be a hundred times fasting than trying to teach you anything!”

“Ahhh! W-wait a minute, Ifrit! Relax. Just relax!”

“What do you mean wait a minute. If you have something to say, then just spit it out already! I’ll
at least let you leave behind a will!”

‘Is this your idea of being considerate?!’

I found myself busy running away from Ifrit’s attacks for a while afterward. Everything she
touched erupted into hot flames like a volcano.

And that was how the curtains closed on my turbulent first lesson.
Chapter 4
1.

“So basically, you’re telling me that you’ve made no progress even after an entire day, right?”

I dropped my shoulders instead of responding to Trowell properly. He had been working in the
human world all day and had only come back, having finally finished his work, late in the
evening.

I couldn’t help but feel like a part of me was withering away every time his eyes brushed over
me. It was like a particularly hard to please teacher was going over my homework. Ifrit looked
nervous too.

“I did my best, okay?” she said in a much more ginger tone than she had ever taken with me.
“It’s not my fault. He’s just so stupid that he can’t keep up with me.”

“…You did your best, huh?”

“I did! Do you know how hard I worked trying to explain things to him in a way he would
understand?”

“Oh? Did you now?” Trowell muttered, almost in passing, as he flicked his gaze over to my
furniture. There were small craters on all my furniture, and there were also a lot of black scorch
marks on them. He seemed to be able to understand everything that had happened with just one
look. There was a gentle look of censure in his eyes as he turned back to Ifrit.

Ifrit flinched and hurriedly followed up, “W-we just had a small fight, that’s all.”

“A fight, huh? It only counts as a fight when both parties are participating. This was clearly a
one-sided attack.” Ifrit fell mute, having run out of excuses. Trowell sighed softly and continued,
“I told you to refrain from being too rough, Ifrit. Jihoon doesn’t even know how to defend
himself yet. It’s dangerous for him if you treat him like his predecessor. I’m pretty sure I warned
you about this in advance.”

“I know that too. That’s why I made sure to make my attacks weaker than usual.”

“That’s not the reply that I wanted to hear from you.”

“B-but it’s ridiculous no matter how hard you think about it. He’s just as much of a spirit king as
I am, so why do I have to go easy on him? He might be suffering the side effects of remembering
his past life, but it makes no sense for him to not be able to defend himself from such weak
attacks! He’s so pathetic…”

“Ifrit.”
Ifrit immediately stopped complaining when she heard Trowell’s voice drop. Then, she saw the
unamused look on his face and bit her lips ever so slightly.

“…Tch! Fine,” she grumbled. “I just have to stop, right? I won’t hit him anymore, no matter
what. Is that enough?”

“Yes.”

Trowell beamed. He almost looked like he had a halo shining around him. Ifrit was like a wild
creature, but to think that Trowell could handle her like she was nothing but a young child! He
was incredible. How did he do that? I suddenly found myself respecting him more and more.

Ifrit, on the other hand, looked less than pleased with Trowell.

“You’re like an old man sometimes, you know that, Trowell? Do you really have to pull
seniority on me like that?”

“Hoho, so you’re saying I’m mature, right? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Hmph! You always have to get in the last word.”

‘Wait, Trowell’s older than Ifrit?’

I hadn’t even imagined that could be the case. After all, Trowell looked younger on the outside.

“Anyway, what are you gonna do now? I can’t do this anymore. You and Minervar need to
figure this out. I don’t care if you’re busy.”

“It’s only been a day. You’re giving up already?”

“Teaching’s only worthwhile if your student actually manages to learn something. But that punk
over there hasn’t learned anything! He didn’t get anywhere even after I showed him how to
create a spirit multiple times. I’m only gonna end up spawning an infinite number of new
Ignises.”

“Hmm, that won’t do. Alright, then. It’s too bad that teaching him hasn’t been working. I thought
that something might click if he saw someone else do it.”

I watched nervously as the two other spirit kings conversed. It was unlikely, but I still couldn’t
help but worry that Trowell would also decide to resort to extreme measures like killing me off
so another Elquiness could be born.

“I’m really sorry Jihoon, but—”

“Ack! I’m sorry! I’ll try really hard! So please don’t kill me!” I screamed, frightened out of my
wits, and immediately began apologizing to Trowell as my nerves got the better of me.
Trowell pursed his lips together for one quiet moment before turning to Ifrit and glaring at her
with censure burning brilliantly in his eyes. Ifrit just feigned ignorance, though the guilt was
apparent on her face.

“…Jihoon,” Trowell started again a moment later with a sigh, “I can more or less guess what she
said to you… But you don’t need to worry. None of us will ever hurt you.”

“Y-you mean it?”

“Yeah. We don’t have the authority to hurt to you to begin with. The only time a spirit king can
extinguish another spirit king is if it’s determined that the spirit king in question is a threat to
both the Spirit Realm and Arkadon. And even then, that’s only if the spirit king assertively
dreams of destroying or is actively destroying the realm. No one is going to extinguish you just
because you haven’t been able to awaken your powers. The Heavenly Realm would never stand
for that.”

“Oh.”

‘Does that mean that Ifrit scared me for no reason?’

I glowered at her. Instead of showing remorse, however, she snorted and looked away. I couldn’t
help but feel like the two of us would never get along. All I could do was hope that I was wrong
about that.

“What were you about to say before, Trowell?”

“Oh, right,” Trowell replied with a short nod. “I was going to suggest another way to help you
awaken your powers. If watching someone else work isn’t enough, then maybe something even
more basic might do the trick.”

“Something more basic?”

“Actually feeling it with your own body. Doing ‘something that a human can’t do’ might help
you awaken your senses as a spirit king.”

“Something that a human can’t do?”

“Something like this, for example…” Trowell replied as he glanced over at my stone bed. I
forgot how to breathe for a moment when I saw what happened next. The bed started twisting
and warping until its shape was finally transformed into that of a great tree with many branches.

“W-whoa…”

Trowell looked a little apologetic when I voiced my wonder.

“Sorry about that. I ended up ruining your furniture because rock is the only material I can work
with down here. I only meant to show you an example, so I’ll return it back to normal once we’re
done.”

“T-that’s okay. But anyway, how did you do that just now?”

“I’m the Spirit King of Earth, so I can manipulate anything that’s made of rock or soil. All I did
was to reshape it according to my will.”

“I see. That’s amazing.”

“You can do it too.”

“I-I can?”

Trowell nodded back and turned again to the tree-shaped rock. It immediately transformed back
into a bed.

“You’re the Spirit King of Water, and this is the Domain of Water. You can manipulate many
more things here than I can. For example, you can move around all the water here as you wish.”

“…Really?” I asked hesitantly. I could hardly believe it.

‘Does that mean that I can turn water into trees and beds too?’

“Try feeling the aura of water around you for now,” Trowell said as he patted my shoulder.
“That comes first.”

“The aura of water?”

“He means that you should focus on your surroundings, idiot,” someone interjected sharply.
Naturally, that someone was Ifrit. “You get distracted way too easily. How do you expect to be
able to take responsibility for anything else when you can’t even figure yourself out? A spirit’s
body isn’t limited to the physical form that you can see with your eyes. All the water in the
world, every ocean, river, and lake, and even every last drop of moisture in the air—it’s all a part
of your body. You should be able to move the water here just by willing it, just as easily as how
you’re moving your physical arms or blinking your eyes.”

“E-even if you say that, I still can’t—”

“Stop deciding that you can’t do anything and just try! Why the hell are you so passive? You’re
so frustrating.”

“She’s right, Jihoon,” Trowell comforted me gently after Ifrit had said her piece. “You can take
it slow, so try reaching out with your will. It’ll probably be much easily once you get it the first
time.”
Unfortunately, his kindness only served to put even more pressure on me. I felt frustration filling
my chest. Everything that they were trying to teach me sounded so vague, and comprehending
what they really meant felt beyond my capacity.

Trowell and Ifrit readily noticed how I was feeling. They sighed when they saw me stiffening up,
and then they returned to their own respective domains upon deciding that I needed some alone
time. They were probably just giving me some space because nothing else was working.

“Ugh, seriously. Why won’t anything work?”

I leaned back and let the buoyancy keep me afloat once they were gone. Then, I closed my eyes.
I was hoping to cool down my head and clear my mind of all the many thoughts that were
currently running amok in there. The darkness began closing in, like I was sinking, as the blue
water that was everywhere left my view.

Finally, the curtain of solitude fell around me.

Generally speaking, I disliked being alone, and I disliked it when everything around me with
silent. I hated it, in fact. Back when I was still Kang Jihoon, I used to turn on the music really
loud or go out and roam the busy streets whenever I was home alone. After dying and becoming
a soul, I had been more afraid of the idea that I might have to be all alone in the world forever
than the possibility of being punished in the afterlife.

Now, however, I felt at peace despite the solitude. I had never known before this that the silence
could be so pleasant. Now that I thought about it, I had never once felt truly alone since ever
since I’d ended up here. Was it because I wasn’t used to my new surroundings quite yet?

‘Or… is it because this is where I belong?’

To be honest, the fact that I was a spirit king still hadn’t really hit me yet. I still felt like someone
from the Nether Realm would come and say that they had made another error regarding my birth.

‘Yeah, that’s the issue here.’

Ifrit had been right. I hadn’t even managed to figure myself out yet. It was no wonder that I’d
forgotten my instincts when I didn’t even have a proper sense of self.

‘…Right, it’s supposed to be instinct.’

I sighed heavily as I found myself at a loss once again. Creating spirits was something that spirit
kings were supposed to know how to do instinctively. Ifrit had emphasized the point over and
over again while she was nagging me.

She was my senior as a spirit king, so she was undoubtedly right about it, but a good part of me
still wasn’t fully convinced. However, my headache only grew the more I tried to think about it,
and I wasn’t able to stay lost in thought for much longer.
‘Argh, but I’m breathing underwater just fine. So why can’t I create any spirits?! Aren’t you
supposed to be able to act on your instincts without having to think about it? That’s why it’s call
instinct, right? I’m supposed to be able to create spirits without having to think about it. But how
does it make sense that I’m supposed to be able to do something so important subconsciously?
Wait. Hold on. Both instinct and the subconscious lay dormant in the mind. But your instincts
can be influenced by your subconscious. Does that mean that your subconscious is stronger than
your instinct? Ahh! I have no idea what I’m talking about!’

This was essentially how it was going.

I clutched my head and lamented for a while before I finally stopped floundering. But in any
event, if I could breathe underwater, then it meant that I could do other stuff too. Minervar and
Trowell had said that it would take some time for things to click, but they had never once said
that I’d never get there. I started feeling that actually trying to do something was a better use of
my time than wasting my stamina on useless thoughts like this.

‘I should start with the basics.

‘Let’s try moving around the water.’

I raised my head once I’d found my resolve.

2.

Fortune, unfortunately, did not deign to reward my motivation. Even if, as the Spirit King of
Water, I was supposed to be someone special.

At first, I’d worked tirelessly to try moving the water with my will. I had tried glowering at the
water for minutes on end, reaching out my arms and channeling my power through them, and
had even posed while trying to shoot something out of my palms. I had really tried everything I
could think of.

Despite the show I was putting on, however, nothing had happened even through I’d been trying
for hours. I still had no clue how to ‘reach out with my will,’ as Trowell had put it.

“The aura of water…”

I was sitting cross-legged as I let out another sigh.

Trowell had said that the aura of water was all around me. It sounded pretty obvious, considering
that there was water everywhere here, but there was surely a reason why he had gone out of his
way to point it out.
It was quite unfortunate that becoming a spirit king hadn’t made me any smarter. Thinking too
hard just made my mind spin in circles like a coiled snake.

I gave up thinking and laid back. The water rippled behind me and helped me up like a cushion.
It was a sensation I felt only when I made big movements.

Then, I suddenly realized why the water felt different from air. Water was a liquid, so you could
not only feel it flowing but you could also physically see the flow with your eyes.

Was this feeling the so-called aura of water?

I snapped to my senses and focused on my surroundings. Instead of simply watching, I tried to

concentrate on the ‘flow’ this time.

While it looked still, the water here was actually flowing constantly in one direction. I had a
feeling that I would finally make a revelation if could grasp that flow.

Maybe it was because my focus had grown sharper, but the flow of water, which I hadn’t been
able to perceive until now, began to feel more distinct. At the same time, I also noticed that my
body was also moving alongside that faint flow. The movement felt so natural that I hadn’t
noticed it until now. So natural, in fact, that I would never have been able to perceive it if I
wasn’t going out of my way to be conscious of it like I was doing now. It was like how you only
noticed that there was air around you when you felt a breeze.

Something soft and pleasant like silk was seemed onside my hands, feet, and all the skin on my
body and also wrapped smugly and comfortingly all around me. Then, I finally understood why I
didn’t feel so alone even though I was the only one here.

‘Oh, I see.’

I had never actually been alone. I had always been with the water that was filling my
surroundings. Just being submerged in it made me feel like an immeasurable number of feelings
and emotions were pouring into me. My physical body was undoubtedly still right here, but my
consciousness was stretching out far into the beyond. It was still me, but it was also another
consciousness with its own ego.

All the water is you, and it’s all a part of your body!

‘Oh, so that’s what she meant.’

All the vague things I had been told suddenly started to make sense. Meanwhile, I became
certain that these senses would have been incomprehensible to me back when I’d still been
human.

I gently reached out my hand as something began to fill up my chest. It wasn’t as concrete as if it
was something physical, but I could most certainly feel the flow following my movements.
‘I can move it.’

I imagined the water in front of me becoming spherical. No, I wasn’t exactly ‘imagining’ it. The
water gathering in front of me into a sphere before the thought had even fully formed in my
head. It had all happened ever so naturally, like how I didn’t have to think it through in order to
move my arms.

I kept my eyes on the ball of water, glistening blue like unrefined sapphire, and slowly moved
my gaze. The ball of water left my fingertips and slowly began moving too.

It was rolling like a giant marble. It reminded me of the blue Earth. I rolled the ball of water this
way and that for quite some time.

‘It’s working! It’s really moving the way I want it to!’

My heart was filled with emotions that I couldn’t fully express with words. I was engrossed with
what I was doing, mystified by the action despite having carried it out myself.

Yet, another emotion akin to frustration began surging up from my chest too. I suddenly felt
parched, as if I hadn’t had anything to drink in a very, very long time.

‘What is this?’

I frowned as I touched my throat.

‘I’m so thirsty…’

The excitement that had filled my chest just moments ago had suddenly disappeared. I was
surrounded by an endless sea of water, yet strangely enough, I still felt parched. I was so terribly
thirsty that I felt like I was burning up inside. I need more water. Water that was colder, fresher,
and vaster in quantity than the water that existed now.

‘This isn’t enough.’

I consciously felt that I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what that something was or
where to even start. Meanwhile, my body started to tremble as if I was going through caffeine
withdrawal.

‘This is rough. I feel like I’m dying. This isn’t nearly enough.’

That was the only thought that continued to dominate my mind.

‘There’s no time. I need to do something right now.

‘I have to hurry. This is getting dangerous.

‘I need to …….

‘I have to hurry up and …….’

But what exactly does that entail?

A thought not quite fully formed began to circle my mind. I was overcome with an impulse, like
something would come flooding out the moment I opened my mouth. It kept occupying my mind
as it constantly struggled to break free until finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and opened my
mouth.

“Move!”

Swoosh!

The stilled water suddenly surged. I felt a part of my power leaving my body. It was thrilling, as
though I’d just been electrocuted. The recoil made me stagger.

“Ugh!”

I bit my lips and braced myself. Thankfully, I was able to pull myself back together quickly
despite the initial shock. I promptly looked down at myself, but everything looked perfectly fine.
Nothing was wrong.

‘What just happened?’

I had said something strange just now, if I wasn’t mistaken. It was something that I had done
against my will. An action that had burst out of me without first going through my brain.

I looked up, and then I promptly dropped my jaw. All the water around me was bubbling as if it
was boiling inside a hot pot.

“W-what the…?”

More precisely, it wasn’t a bunch of bubbles around me but rather an infinite number of water
droplets. They came together endlessly while trying to form something, dispersed, and came
together again in repeat. I felt like I could almost make out a silhouette at times, but it would
collapse again so quickly that I couldn’t quite make it out.

“What in the world?”

I could only stare at the scene unfolding before me in mute amazement. At the moment, I had no
way of understanding, much less stopping, the strange phenomenon that was happening. All I
knew was that the frustration in my chest had alleviated somewhat, so I figured that whatever
was going on wasn’t anything dangerous.
The strange phenomenon continued without pause for half a day, from late into the night all the
way until the next morning.

3.

—Nice to meet you. Were you born just now?

—Yup. It’s nice to meet you too.

—I hope we can get along.

—Yeah, me too.

‘What’s that noise?’

I opened my eyes to the sound of quiet chatting. Someone giggled. It sounded like a babbling
creek.

‘Wait, was I asleep?’

I raised my head, flustered. When had I fallen asleep? Then, something large and dark suddenly
covered my field of view.

“Waah?! W-what is that?!”

—Ah! M-my deepest apologies. Did I startle you, my king?

“Huh?”

My…king?

I steadied my startled heart as I blinked dumbfoundedly. Then, I felt my jaw dropping yet again.
There was a giant, bull-sized creature standing right in front of me.

The creature looked wolfish, but it was strangely translucent and seemed to be made of water.
Even its eyes, staring right back at me, was made entirely out of water.

—I greet my noble liege, Lord Elquiness, the ruler of water, the watery wolf said in a deep,
imposing, and elegant voice. I am a Ciquel of the ocean, one who governs the deep sea. I have
been born at your command.

“A-a Ciquel?”
‘As in, a greater water spirit? So, this is what a Ciquel looked like. But before that… Does that
mean that I created a greater water spirit just now?’

But that wasn’t the only surprise I had in store for me. I saw a small figure bowing to me next to
the Ciquel before I had the chance to respond. She was an incredibly cute young girl with long
straight hair who looked roughly ten years old.

‘What’s a little girl doing here…?’

Then, I saw that the little girl’s body was also made of water, just like the Ciquel’s. She grew
flustered when our eyes met and floundered around for a bit before pinching the hem of the dress
she was wearing and curtsying.

—H-hello, o high and noble king of water. I am an Undine, one who governs the essence of
rivers and lakes, and I greet my liege. I have been born at your command.

“An Undine? Are you an intermediary water spirit, then?”

Greater spirits were called Ciquels and lesser spirits were called Naiases, so the intermediary
spirits were all that was left. The little girl, who still looked quite bewildered, nodded back as I
had expected.

—Yes? Yes. I-I am.

‘Huh, she’s cuter than I expected.’

I had thought that the Ignises, the greater spirits of fire, were cool too, but meeting the spirits
directly under my command filled me with emotion. I felt a sort of kinship with them. Maybe it
was because they were water spirits just like me.

“So, does that mean that I created you guys?”

—Yes. We were born at our king’s command, the two water spirits answered in unison.

But I couldn’t help but start doubting myself again. After all, I had no recollection of summoning
them. The Ciquel was one thing, but I hadn’t even known what the Undine was called until just
now.

‘Oh, maybe that’s what it was?’

I recalled the strange thing that I had yelled for some reason yesterday. A bit of my powers had
suddenly left my body at the time, now that I thought about it. That was also when the thousands
of water droplets had started filling my surroundings. They were all gone now.

It had looked completely different from the examples that Ifrit had showed me, but that
phenomenon had probably been what happened when new spirits were created.
Then, for some odd reason, I got the sudden feeling that the two spirits in front of me weren’t the
only new spirits I had created. My senses were reaching out farther then they had been
previously.

To prove my point, the terrible thirst that had struck me yesterday had also subsided. I still felt
like something was lacking, but it wasn’t as unbearable anymore. Moreover, the water felt much
cleaner and fresher than it had yesterday too. I felt like I’d taken my first deep breath after
opening the window in the morning after a misty rain.

‘The greater spirits are called Ciquels, and the intermediary spirits are called Undines. But
where are the lesser spirits?’

I was told that, unlike the greater and intermediary spirits, lesser spirits—the Naiases—were
born automatically from my aura. I couldn’t help but wonder why I had yet to see one.

Then, I heard the trickling of a clear stream. It sounded like it was flowing somewhere far, far
away, and I also felt like I’d heard it before. I continued listening carefully until the noise started
turning into multiple distinct voices.

—Let’s hop on a ride on a cloud heading northeast today!

—I’m so happy that our numbers are growing.

—Listen. Can you hear the humans cheering?

—It’s morning now, so we should get busy making dew.

—Let’s make sure that the plants can grow up to be healthy!

It was the voices I’d heard babbling when I’d woken up. I had thought that I’d only been hearing
things because I was still half-asleep at the time, but I could hear the voices so clearly now that
there was no way they weren’t real.

‘W-what the…? Why does the water sound like a conversation? Have I gone crazy?’

The voices, which continued chattering tirelessly, faded away as soon as they stopped trying to
listen to them. I stiffened up anxiously and slowly began looking around.

—My liege?

—Is something wrong? Ciquel and Undine asked, perplexed by my actions.

“Did you guys hear that just now? It sounded like a bunch of children were talking from that
way…”
That was when an unexpected visitor came crashing in. A giant mound of dirt appeared out of
nowhere before a dark-skinned boy broke out of it. It was Trowell.

“Jihoon!” Trowell exclaimed with a brilliant smile on his face.” You finally managed to summon
more spirits! So much water was created overnight that it was almost scary. You’re awesome. At
this rate, it’ll only be a matter of time until nature’s fully restored.”

“T-Trowell?!”

“Why do you look so surprised?” Trowell asked after a brief pause. He had seen how stiff I
looked. “Were you hearing things or something?”

‘Yes, exactly!’

He had nailed it so precisely on the head that I couldn’t help but drop my jaw. Trowell began
chuckling. He didn’t appear very surprised by my reaction.

“You still aren’t fully aware of the extent of your powers, I see. But that’s okay. The voices you
were hearing belong to the Naiases.”

“Huh? The N-Naiases?”

“Yeah, the lesser spirits of water. The lesser spirits exist all throughout the land and act as our
eyes and ears. You were wondering where they were and what they were up to just now, right?
That’s why you started hearing their voices. It’s perfectly natural, so don’t be so scared by it.”

‘I see. Phew. Thank goodness… or not! What the hell, Trowell! How did you know what I was
feeling in such detail when I never told you anything? Can you really read my mind?’

I stiffened up yet again before I even had the chance to feel relief.

“Aww, don’t be so on guard,” Trowell said with an awkward smile. “You make it seem like I’m
blackmailing you or something.”

“B-but… you just… I mean, even before…”

“You’re talking about how I know things before you tell me, right?”

I nodded back furiously.

Trowell shrugged and replied with a bitter smile. “Well, for starters… you’re right. But I’m not
doing it on purpose.”

“Ack! Y-you can really read them? People’s minds?”

I couldn’t contain my shock. I had already been wondering if he could read minds, but I hadn’t
thought that it was actually true. Trowell looked even more awkward after seeing just how
shocked I was.

“Hmm, how should I put this… It’s more like Insight? I’m not exactly reading minds, per se.
More like I’m really fast at making inferences. Or like I’m really good at reading the room. But
it’s not like I can’t read minds, either. I can if I try hard enough.”

“S-so basically, you can read minds, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. But I can’t read everything.”

I could practically hear the blood draining from my face as I suddenly recalled how I’d thought
that Trowell was really sensual for a guy, how my heart had raced, and all the other senseless
things that I had thought when we’d first met. This meant that he had heard all of it!

“What’s wrong? You turned really pale just now.”

“B-but that’s…! I…!”

“Haha! It’s fine, it’s fine. I said I can’t read everything, remember? Even I can’t read your mind
if you’re trying to keep secrets. There’s a limit to how much of your mind I can Perceive because
we’re both spirit kings. It’s a different story for humans, though.”

…His words sounded like salvation. I swallowed back the sigh that threatened to betray me.

He wasn’t doing this on purpose just to get a rise out of me, was he? He looked so composed that
I couldn’t say for sure.

‘I better be careful about what I’m thinking whenever he’s around,’ I promised myself a few
times on repeat.

“Actually, the crux of my powers revolves around see someone’s past and future. My Perception
is just a part of that.”

“Whoa! You can see the past and future? Does that mean you have the power of prophecy?”

“Yeah, though there’s a limit to how much I can see depending on my target. It’s the Authority
that’s been passed down to every generation of Trowells. Every spirit king has an innate
Authority.”

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

I couldn’t hide my genuine awe. The fact that Trowell was a spirit king was already in itself
incredible, but to think that he could also see the past and prophecy the future. Didn’t that
basically just make him a god? His powers also suited him well, especially thanks to the deep
and calm golden color of his eyes.

‘Wait. Did he just say that every spirit king has something?’

Did that mean that I had some kind of special power too? I turned absentmindedly back to
Trowell just as the thought crossed my mind.

“The spirit king of water’s innate Authority is Regeneration and Healing,” Trowell promptly
began explaining. Had he read my mind? “You can heal any wound as long as your target is
alive.”

“Healing, huh?”

“Yup. I hear that it’s almost as powerful as the greater gods of healing’s powers too.”

I could heal wounds! My Authority was even better than I had been expecting.

“How do I use it?” I asked in my excitement.

“Hmm, I don’t know what kind of advice I can give you if you yourself don’t know. You’ll just
have to wait until it clicks for you.”

“Oh, is that how it works?”

Then again, there was little point in asking other people for advice if this was supposed to be a
special power unique to the spirit king of water. I would have to figure it out on my own.

“Don’t be so depressed,” Trowell consoled me gently when he saw me fall silent. “All your
problems right now are things that can be solved with time, Jihoon. You already managed to
create spirits when you thought you couldn’t, remember? It’s proof that you were able to break
through the limits that you set on yourself. You don’t need to rush yourself.”

“R-really?”

“Of course. I can see the future, remember? Trust me.”

His words gave me more comfort than any other words or encouragement possibly could. I felt
much better and gave him a big nod back. Trowell really was kind. Ifrit, on the other hand,
would probably have already started whipping to hurry up.

“Do spirits even get hurt to begin with, Trowell?”

“Huh? Of course not. The Spirit Realm is a peaceful place. Even if a spirit does somehow
manage to get hurt, it can heal itself automatically given enough time. And when we descend
down to Arkadon, we don’t actually do it in our true forms, so we’ll never be in danger there
either.”

“…Doesn’t that render my Healing Authority completely useless?”

Even the best doctors were ultimately worthless if they didn’t have any patients. What was the
point of having healing powers if no one ever got hurt? A sense of disappointment that I couldn’t
quite put to words began spreading across my face.

“You can just Heal those with physical bodies,” Trowell replied. “Like humans, for example.”

“Huh? I can meet humans?”

“Of course you can. Well, you can’t right now, but later, you can travel all around Arkadon if
you’d like, Jihoon. You just need to make a pact with someone from the Middle Realms if you
want a proper human guise.”

“The Middle Realms? What’s a pact?”

I knew what the individual words meant, but I still couldn’t comprehend what Trowell was
saying. Trowell looked a little troubled when he saw how confused I was.

“You know that the realm we live in is called the Spirit Realm, right?” Trowell calmly began
explaining. “The Middle Realms are the realms where humanoids live. Like Arkadon, for
example. We spirits are closer to astral beings, so humans can’t see us in our true forms. That’s
why we need to construct temporary physical bodies if we want to interact with humankind, and
we do this by forming a pact with an individual from another species and borrowing their
powers. We also have to uphold our end of the pact and help them out too, naturally.

“That’s why you can’t make a pact with just anybody,” Trowell added.

Apparently, it was fairly difficult to supply mana to a spirit, so only those who were qualified to
do so could make pacts with us.

“T-then, how do I know if someone’s qualified or not?”

“You’ll know it at a glance. The qualified have an aura that’s similar to ours flowing through
their bodies. It’ll probably make them feel really familiar to you.”

“Does that mean that I have to go around looking for someone who’s qualified?”

“No. There’s no need for that. There are plenty of individuals from the Middle Realms who are
more than qualified to make pacts with us from birth.”

“Huh. I see.”
Then, Trowell told me that it also wasn’t uncommon for the qualified to summon us first. They
did this by creating a temporary connection to the Spirit Realm through something called a
summoning ritual.

The spirits themselves had taught the Middle Realms the summoning ritual long ago to make it
easier for the spirits to find qualified Contractors. Anyone who was qualified could use the
summoning ritual to summon any spirit of their choosing. But that didn’t mean that the
summoned spirit had to form a pact with the summoner, of course. A spirit couldn’t reject the
actual summoning, but they could decline to form a pact.

“Ifrit really didn’t tell you anything, did she?” Trowell grumbled once he was done explaining.
“Jeez. I should’ve just agreed to teach you myself to begin with. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. You taught me so much. Thanks, Trowell. Oh, right. There was one more thing that
I’ve been curious about…”

“What is it? Ask me anything.”

I smiled bashfully as Trowell calmly waiting for me to ask my question. Our conversation made
me feel like we were student and teacher. Not only was he kind and considerate, but he was also
really good-looking. He was so sexy that students would probably line up starting at the crack of
dawn just to take his classes if he was really a teacher.

“Hm? Am I really that sexy? Thanks for the compliment.”

I coughed. “…Please stop reading my thoughts.”

“I can’t help it. It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose.”

I clutched my head as Trowell beamed back at me.

‘You idiot! It’s only been minutes since I vowed to be careful about what I’m thinking when
Trowell’s around.’

Still, I was glad that he hadn’t started avoiding me or anything after hearing my raunchy
thoughts. My face heated up so much I thought it might burn up, turn to ashes, and fly away.

“Um, anyway…” I said, quickly changing the topic. “I was able to create spirits… but it was
different from what Ifrit showed me.”

“How so?”

“All Ifrit had to do was extend her arm and then an Ignis was born. But when I created my spirits
yesterday, I suddenly felt my power leaving my body, and then a bunch of bubbles appeared out
of nowhere and began boiling. And this happened all night long. I only realized that new spirits
were born this morning.”
“Haha, of course that happened. It was like that because you created so many spirits at once. You
created tens of thousands of new spirits. Of course it didn’t happen instantaneously like it did for
Ifrit.”

“What? I created that many?”

I’d guessed that I had managed to create more than just two, but I hadn’t been expecting to hear
that I had managed to create quite so many. I opened my eyes wide.

Trowell chuckled and nodded at me. “You probably felt that there weren’t enough water spirits,
so you instinctively created enough to start filling the gap. Doesn’t the water feel different on
your skin than it did yesterday? It’s proof that more of your powers have started spreading
throughout Arkadon. So, there’s no need to be worried about it.”

“Oh, okay. Thank goodness. I was actually kinda anxious about it. This weird noise came out of
me against my will at the time too…”

“A weird noise?”

“Yeah. Weird is the only way I can describe it. Was it the intonation? Or the pronunciation,
maybe? I’m pretty sure I was speaking real words, but something about them felt different.
Something sounded really off…”

“Oh, I think I know what you’re talking about.” Trowell, who had been looking a little puzzled,
suddenly looked like a light had turned on in his head as he looked directly at me and continued,
“You’re talking about this, right?”

“Whoa…!” I gasped in surprise.

It was exactly the same. I couldn’t quite explain how it was the same, but what Trowell had said
just now sounded exactly like the strange thing I had inadvertently shouted yesterday.

“W-what was that?” I asked as I dropped my jaw. “What you said just now… how did you do
it?”

Trowell grinned when he saw just how embarrassed I was.

“It’s a Command.”

“A-a Command?”

“To put it simply, it’s a way to manifest your will through your speech. Think of it like each and
every word you say is taking shape before your very eyes. It’s a powerful ability that only gods
and other god-like beings are able to use. And not all Commands are created the same. A
Command spoken by a god will be stronger than any other kind of Command.”
“Huh…”

‘My words taking shape…

‘I really did something so incredible?’

I was happy, but my bewilderment overpowered my joy. There was nothing for me to be proud
about either, since it wasn’t as though I knew how I’d managed to say a Command to begin with.

“I’m pretty sure you can do it again if you want to?” Trowell said quietly just then. He had
probably read my mind.

“Huh?”

“It’s a great sign that you were able to use a Command subconsciously. It means that you’re
close to awakening to your true nature. You’ve already done it once, so there’s no way that you
won’t be able to do it again.”

“But I still don’t know how I did it.”

“That’s just what you think. Try thinking really hard about wanting to create more spirits. You’ll
probably get it right away.”

I quietly gathered my concentration as Trowell had instructed and began mumbling to myself,
‘Spirits. I want to create more spirits. But not too many. I just wanna create one Ciquel.’

To be honest, I had actually been a little wistful about not being able to see my spirits being born
because of all the water bubbles that got in my way last time. There was a big part of me that
wanted to properly see a Ciquel being born.

The inside of my mouth started feeling ticklish just then. It reminded me of how I’d suddenly
gotten the impulse so say something right before the water bubbles had appeared last night.

‘Is this an indication that I’m about to speak a Command?’

I was doubtful, but I carefully let out the words that seemed to be circling in the inside of my
mouth all the same.

“Come forth, Ciquel!”

Splash!

It felt like something was echoing all throughout my body, like the waters receding just before a
great wave crashed against the shore. The strangely ticklish sensation crawled up from my chest,
through my arm, and toward my hand. Then, the sensation gathered in my palm and started
swirling in a small whirlpool.
Swoosh! Splash!

The little whirlpool grew into a humongous water tornado in no time at all. Inside it, I saw
something stumpy forming itself piece by piece. It began looking more and more wolf-like as
time passed. It was a Ciquel, a great wolf of water.

Once he was fully formed, the Ciquel did a back flip in midair. Then, he crouched down in front
of me and greeted me reverently.

— I greet my noble liege, Lord Elquiness, the ruler of water.

“Huh…”

“See? What did I say?”

I could only nod back mutely. I’d probably just made a fool of myself, but there was no helping
it. I was so impressed by what I’d accomplished just now that I didn’t have it in me to care about
what anyone else thought about me.

‘I only had to think it, and it worked. I really managed to create a spirit!’

That one truth was enough to awaken all of my dulled senses. And so, I was finally forced to
acknowledge a certain truth that hadn’t quite clicked more me until just now:

‘I’m really not human.’

Chapter 5
1.

I grew a little more confident after figuring out how to use Commands at will. I also stopped
doubting the fact that I was a spirit king, especially since I’d already created so many spirits.

I was in such a great mood that I continued creating more spirits like I was a child showing off at
a talent show. Every time I did, Trowell smiled at me to let me know that I was doing well. It
was probably pretty boring to watch me do the same thing over and over again, but he never
once expressed his irritation or even frowned in annoyance. (He really was like a kindergarten
teacher in some aspects.) It only served to spur me on even more. I probably would’ve continued
creating spirits all day long for several days straight if it hadn’t been for a certain unexpected
visitor.

“Hey! Quit making so many spirits! Do you not know what it means to do things in moderation?!
Or are you trying to turn Arkadon into one giant ocean?”

The vexed voice belonged to Ifrit, who still looked as haughty and gorgeous as ever.

“Hi there, Ifrit,” Trowell said in good cheer with a wave of his hand.

“Trowell? You were here too?”

“Yup. Look at Jihoon. He’s really great, isn’t he? He’s already become so aware of his abilities,”
Trowell replied while pointing at all the water spirits around us. He sounded so proud he could
have been pointing out his own accomplishments.

Ifrit, however, wasn’t nearly as impressed.

“Hmph! It’s only obvious that a spirit king should be able to create spirits. What’s so great about
it? Besides, I’m not here to fool around with you guys.”

“Then why are you here?”

“My aura is diminishing because so many water spirits are being born at once! I’m here to
complain being it’s pissing me off. You were right here with him all this time, Trowell. How
come you didn’t stop him?”

“Well, I’m cool with it.”

“Ugh! Seriously. The two of you have way too much affinity with each other!” Ifrit protested
vehemently before glaring at the newly born water spirits who were huddled up in the corner.
They flinched heavily under her menacing glare.

“Stop glaring at them. You’re scaring my kids.”

“Who’s glaring? Who?”

“You are, Ifrit. Who else? See?! They’re so scared of you that they’re starting to tremble.”

“Hmph. Shut up. I’m a spirit king. It’s only natural for lesser spirits to be afraid in my presence!”

“They’re my spirits that I created. And I didn’t make them just so they could be scared of you.”

“So what? You wanna fight me right now?”

Flames surged from Ifrit’s entire being as the words left her mouth. The blazing scarlet flames
were obviously intended to be an attack.

Normally, I would have cowered into myself and frozen in place, unable to get in a word. But I
was still riding the confidence boost that acknowledging the fact that I was a spirit king had
given me. In other words, I was blindly confident right now.

“Hah! You think that’s gonna make me back down?” I snorted back pompously as I gathered the
aura of water in my hand like Ifrit had once done. The lump of water in my hand twisted into a
mini whirlpool that tapered to a point as sharp as an awl.

But just as the situation turned dangerously volatile…

The Domain of Water probably would have been razed to the ground in an instant if Trowell
hadn’t said anything just then.

“Hmm. The apple really does never fall too far from the tree, huh? I feel like I’m watching the
previous Elquiness and Ifrit all over again…”

“Huh?”

“What are you talking about, Trowell?”

‘What’s this about the previous Elquiness?’

I was befuddled, and Ifrit looked displeased.

“I didn’t think this at first, Jihoon,” Trowell replied with a shrug, “but you remind me more and
more of the previous Elquiness as time passes. Though, I guess it’s only natural that your
presence feels similar since you’re both Elquinesses.”

“Wait, really? I remind you of the previous Elquiness?”

“That’s ridiculous! How dare you compare them?”

I was simply curious, but Ifrit’s voice sounded as sharp as a knife’s edge. It made me feel
awkward.

‘Wow. Why does that offend me so much? How ‘dare’ he compare us? I get that it’s ridiculous to
compare us, since the previous Elquiness was apparently that amazing. But can’t she at least
word it a little differently?’

My mood took a turn for the worse, and I was scowling as I turned to Ifrit and said, “Hey, Ifrit.
Do you really need to say it like that? I’m still an Elquiness just like my predecessor was. Aren’t
you being a bit too harsh?”

“Hmph. Do you think titles really mean anything? From your looks, to your abilities, to your
personality—nothing about you reminds me of him. It sounds like you think you’re his equal just
because you’re also an Elquiness. You’re mistaken. Drill that into your head already.”

“What?”

“Have you no shame? How do you think it’s even remotely fair to compare the likes of you to
the previous Elquiness? Are you trying to insult him or something?”

Ifrit’s unending barrage of insults made me boil with anger. Why did she hate me so much?
What did I ever do to her that I had to hear her say something like that directly to my face? I just
didn’t understand.

“Yeah, sure!” I yelled back from the unfairness of it all. “I’m sorry I’m so shameless! But why
do you care so much if I end up insulting him? Weren’t you on bad terms with him anyway?”

“W-what?”

“Why are you taking his side so strongly when you weren’t even on good terms with him?! Has
it never crossed you mind that you’re being a little too harsh on me because you’re too busy
thinking about someone who’s already dead? Why are you acting like you liked him or
something?”

I had expected Ifrit to counter with something else. Instead, however, she let out a gasp as the
blood began draining from her face. It was only then that, at long last, everything started making
sense as if the last piece of a puzzle had finally fallen into place.

“…Wait a sec,” I continued as realization hit me. “Did you actually like him?”

‘Huh. So that’s why! No wonder she’s so thorny with me! I’ve got you now, Ifrit!’

I began grinning from ear to ear, as pleased as a peacock, now that I’d finally grasped her
weakness. Ifrit immediately flushed bright red when she saw.
“Y-you’re wrong! Who says I like him? I totally don’t, okay? I was just shocked to hear
someone comparing the two of you, got that?! I’m being purely objective!”

“Hah. Then why are you so adamant about telling me that I’m wrong? You can just deny it
normally. You’re tripping over yourself to make up excuses because you know I’m right.”

“I-I’m telling you you’re wrong! You’re not even making sense, okay?”

“What’s got you so riled up? Have you never heard that a strong denial is actually an
affirmation?”

“Huh? A strong denial is an affirmation? Why would that be?” someone else cut in just then. It
was Trowell, who was looking back at me with curiosity brimming in his eyes.

‘Ugh, why now of all times? Can’t you ask me later?’

I was doing so well, but his sudden question killed the flow of conversation.

Ifrit took the chance to immediately begin her counterattack. “E-exactly! That’s what I’m saying!
A denial is a denial. Why would it actually be an affirmation? Are you being delusional just
because you used to be human? You’re saying the wildest things. It’s because you’re like this
that you can’t function properly as a spirit king!”

“Ugh! There you go going on about that again. You’re trying so hard to ignore me, but you’ve
already acted plenty suspicious, you know that? If you’re so confident that I’m wrong, then why
didn’t you just say so in the first place? Why did you hesitate when I asked you if you liked my
predecessor?”

“W-well, that’s…”

“See? You can’t even answer me properly. The fact that you’re trying to make up excuses is
suspicious in and of itself. If you’re trying to be deceptive, then you should at least make it
believable. Do you think I’m as dull as dishwater or something?”3

“Huh? But you are water, Jihoon.”

“Ugh, Trowell! You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

“What did I do…?”

I was almost on even grounds against Ifrit, but Trowell kept interjecting in ways that made it feel
like he was tackling me back down. I shot him a begrudging look, but he simply looked back at
me and shrugged like he didn’t know what was going on.

Fortunately, however, Ifrit seemed to have run out of fuel. She simply pressed her lips together
and hung her head down. She was obviously conceding defeat.
‘Hoho, did I just win?’

My victory, however, lasted but for a moment. I stopped in my tracks and swallowed back the
words I had just been about to say the moment I saw her. Ifrit was still glaring at me, but now
there were tears beading up in her eyes.

“I-Ifrit?”

People generally didn’t tease other with the intent of making them cry. I was no exception. I
stiffened up at a loss for words as Ifrit finally opened her mouth again.

“I really hate jerks like you.”

I couldn’t respond.

“Get out of my sight. I don’t ever wanna see you again!”

And that was it. She neither flung a stream of curses at me nor began attacking me physically.
Through tears, she simply turned into flames and vanished before I could even do anything. It
had happened in no time at all.

‘Oh crap!’

I had only been trying to annoy her a little and get her to confess. I hadn’t imagined that it could
go this badly.

Trowell, who had been standing absentmindedly next to me, clicked his tongue quietly and said,
“Aww, you made her cry.”

“Oh no! W-what do I do, Trowell? Did I go too far?”

I began fretfully biting at my fingernails. I made a girl(?) cry. It had never happened before in
my life as Kang Jihoon.

‘Should I go find her right now and start groveling on my knees?’

“Groveling on your knees? What’s that?”

“Um. It’s when you plant you head in the ground and apologize with all your… I thought I asked
you not to read my mind, Trowell.”

I stopped explaining myself and dropped my shoulders in dejection.

“Sorry, sorry,” Trowell said with a quiet chuckle. “Anyway, you’re gonna apologize first this
time?”
“Huh? This…time?”

Have I ever quarreled with Ifrit before? I mean, I had, and pretty often to boot, but that was
usually because Ifrit was one-sidedly picking a fight with me. It had never ended quite this badly
before.

I turned to stare at Trowell, perplexed by his strange question.

“I told you that Elquinesses and Ifrits have never been on good terms, right? Previously, it was
always Ifrit who apologized first whenever they got into a fight. After all, the previous Elquiness
was someone who would never fold first no matter what.”

“Oh, I see. But I’m in the wrong this time.”

“Are you, though? From my perspective, you aren’t any more in the wrong than Ifrit is. It’s true
that she was being too harsh on you, after all. Besides, even in the past, it wasn’t like they were
always fighting because someone was in the wrong or anything like that.”

“Then how did they end up fighting?”

“Exactly how you just ended up fighting earlier. Ifrit came over and started picking a fight, got
angry, then started get pushed back and ultimately ended up running away in tears. It’s been a
while since the last time I watched it happen. It was almost kinda refreshing to see it again. It
probably felt new all over again for her, too.”

“…So basically, you’re saying that this is a common occurrence.”

Trowell grinned back without a word. I couldn’t help but have mixed feelings.

‘Wait, then were those just crocodile tears just now? No, wait. It looked like she was crying for
real, though?’

I was uncomfortable as I turned back to Trowell and asked, “Um Trowell? How long did it
usually take before Ifrit apologized after a fight?”

“Well, it depended on the circumstances. Sometimes, she apologized quickly, and sometimes, it
lasted to the tune of years or even decades. There was also this one time where she refused to
speak with the previous Elquiness for over five hundred years.”

“Ack! F-five hundred years?”

“That’s the current record. Sometimes, Ifrit would get so ticked off that she’d start betting that
she’d make Elquiness apologize first. She never won.”
“Wow, five hundred years is an impressive record even if she was doing it for a bet. Is it really
possible to refuse to talk to someone for that long? There are only four of us spirit kings at any
given time.”

Trowell looked at me with a strange look on his face when I said that. I hesitantly gauged his
mood. Had I said something wrong?

“W-what is it?”

“No, it’s just… I’ve never thought about it that way before. There are only four of us… Yeah, I
guess you can see it that way. But we’re not social creatures like humans are. It doesn’t really
matter to us even if we don’t socialize.”

“I-is that so?”

“Yeah. We can generally figure ourselves out as long as all four of us exist. That’s why we tend
to be extremely private. And your predecessor was exceptionally private, even for a spirit king.
He spent all his time in the Domain of Water, and we’d never even see him unless we
specifically sought him out first.”

“Whoa…”

‘Don’t spirit kings live for over ten thousand years? To think that he spent that much time holed
up in the Domain of Water. The previous Elquiness must’ve been one huge loner.’

“That’s the kind of guy she’s crushing on? Ifrit has weird tastes.”

“Huh? Ifrit has a crush on the previous Elquiness?” Trowell asked with widened eyes as if he
was hearing the news for the first time. His reaction threw me for a loop.

“Why are you so confused, Trowell? You were listening this whole time. Why are you acting
like this is something new?”

“I was listening. Ifrit said that you were wrong.”

“Huh? Wasn’t she just lying?”

“Of course not. Spirits don’t lie.”

“Wait. Really?!”

“Being untrue to your feelings is something that humans do. As a species, we spirits are faithful
to our real intentions. Why would we need to hide what we’re feeling?”

‘Wait, so she really doesn’t like him?’

I had no choice but to change my mind when Trowell, of all people—who could Perceive what
others were thinking—, said otherwise. But then, why had Ifrit been so hesitant to deny it? If she
really didn’t like the previous Elquiness, wouldn’t she have just started beating up as usual for
spouting nonsense?

‘But it’s not like I can ignore Trowell’s Authority either. Ugh, what a headache.’

Too many things just didn’t make sense if I believe what Trowell said, but at the same time, my
instincts on the matter didn’t feel entirely reliable either. I knew that talking about other people’s
love lives was always going to be a complicated subject, but I had never known that it would
give me this much of a headache.

‘Hmm, anyway, I should start by apologizing to Ifrit first. I was wrong for making fun of her
about her feelings. Besides, I’d probably end up dying first if I tried to wait out her ire.’

To think that one argument could last anywhere from a few years to a few decades. How was I
supposed to wait that long? It was much better to simply raise the white flag. Right? Right.

I hardened my resolve and boldly clenched my fist. Reality, however, had other ideas…

“Hm? What’s wrong, Jihoon? Weren’t you gonna go and apologize to Ifrit?” Trowell asked
when I froze up on the spot. He had almost definitely read my mind, especially considering that
he knew that I wanted to pay Ifrit a visit before I'd even said anything about it, but I didn’t have
it in me to protest at the moment.

I turned back to Trowell with as much composure as I could muster. After all, he was the ray of
hope that the gods had deigned to place right by my side.

“Er, Trowell…?”

“Hmm?”

“How do I get to the Domain of Fire?”

A heavy silence fell upon us. It was so silent that I almost thought that time itself had stopped.

Pft!

It was a sudden burst of air escaping someone’s lungs that shattered the deafening silence. I
snapped my head around only to find that every last water spirit in the room had turned away
with their eyes open wide. Each and every one of them was doing their best to avoid looking at
me.

‘Those little… How dare they laugh at their boss’ ignorance?

‘Trowell, a spirit king, was standing here just fine while quivering like a leaf, so how dare those
little… How dare they… Wait. What? Trembling like a leaf?’

I couldn’t help but stiffened up again when I turned back to Trowell. He was quivering from
head to toe while pressing the back of his hand against his mouth. And, while I had thought that
he’d been keeping a straight face, upon closer inspection I saw that he was beginning to flush
red.

“Trowell…?”

“…Ah, ahem. Ahem. Yeah? What’s up?”

“…You can laugh if you want to.”

“No, I really didn’t mean… Pft! …Ahem. Sorry, Jihoon. J-just gimme a minute. Pft! Hahaha!”

In the end, I had to stand there and wait for a very, very long time for Trowell to finally stop
laughing so he could teach me the teleportation Command.

Surely, I must be the most unfortunate spirit king the world had ever known.

2.

The Spirit Realm existed in a cross shape with each respective spirit king’s sanctuary at the ends
and a beautiful garden at the center. Unlike the sanctuaries, which only spirits of the same
element could enter, the garden at the center was open to everyone.

The azure sky littered with lazy clouds, the lush grasses and adorable trees, the crystal stream
winding between everything, and the fine breeze. A colorful variety of spirits were frolicking
about inside the garden without any regard for their respective type or rank. That alone made the
gods value the garden highly.

Yet, there was another reason that made the garden special: every plant in the garden was
actually a rare and precious jewel.

Little flowers with sapphire leaves and ruby petals, forsythias made entirely of pure gold,
diamond roses, carnations with petals of flame, and edelweisses made of platinum.

Evas Eden, the Golden Garden. It was known as one of the most beautiful vistas across the Four
Great Realms.
Yet, a certain someone was looking out at the beautiful garden with utter disinterest through a
window while hunched over in her private domain. She was Ifrit, the Spirit King of Fire who
ruled over all fire and flame. An enchanting feminine figure with blazing crimson hair.

“…This isn’t fun,” she muttered gloomily. Then, with a deep sigh, she waved her hand and
dismissed the window she had been looking at. The beautiful garden, which was a popular
vacation spot because it was one of the top 5 most beautiful sceneries in all the Great Realms,
barely even registered in her line of sight. She was too preoccupied with other matters.

She buried her face into her knees and heaved a great sigh.

“…Why am I always like this?” she lamented. “It’s all because of this stupid mouth of mine.
What do I do now? Even he has to be really mad this time, right? I mean, there’s a limit to how
much he’ll be willing to tolerate no matter how nice he is. I was so harsh on him that he might
never want to associate with me ever again…”

The previous Elquiness had never been one to take a joke. It had been standard for him to punish
others on the spot if they were cheeky with him or if they scratched his pride, to ignore someone
for over a century if he ever got into an argument with them, and to never speak to someone he
was arguing with first even if he was in the middle of doing official work for Arkadon’s sake. He
had been so spiteful that Ifrit had tried to beat him at his own game, but she had never once
managed to best him. (Their brethren, however, had seen the both of them as being equally
stubborn and reluctant to concede defeat.)

And yet, there had been just one time that the previous Elquiness had simply ignored Ifrit when
she picked a fight with him.

She could still remember it so vividly when she closed her eyes.

It had started like it always did. Or, perhaps it had been a little different from usual. Elquiness,
who was normally holed up in the Domain of Water, had suddenly decided to visit Evas Eden. It
was an incredibly rare sight to see him there. After all, he had rarely even gone out on walks,
which was nothing to say about going down to Arkadon in a human guise.

‘What’s he doing out here?’

Ifrit had been so happy to see him that she had walked up to him and started talking to him
before she knew it. As always, however, he had ignored her coldly. His attitude had upset Ifrit so
much that she had ended up blowing her top like she always did.

“People like you annoy me so much!”

As always, Elquiness hadn’t responded.

“I mean it! I really do! I hate you so, so much. You know that? Just hurry up and get
extinguished already!”
It hadn’t been the first time she had said that to him, and it honestly wasn’t the worst thing she
could have said either. But the blood had still drained from her face the moment she realized
what she had said. After all, Elquiness, who never failed to respond promptly to any show of
animosity against him, had simply smiled back at her instead.

And then, the very next day…

Ifrit had learned that Elquiness had departed for the Nether Realm. She could hardly believe it.

At first, she had not been able to believe that he had really been extinguished. Especially because
he had never even bothered to say goodbye. She hadn’t been able to see him off either. He had
been selfish until the bitter end.

In her rage, Ifrit had wished in her heart that the next Elquiness would never be born. After all,
there was only one Elquiness as far as she was concerned.

Then, by some flight of fancy of the heavens, her wish had come true. The next Elquiness had
really failed to be born.

Disaster had fallen upon Arkadon. The Spirit King of Water’s absence had been more
catastrophic than anyone could have ever imagined. The calamity had made the spirit kings
finally realize just how important they were to the world.

All the rivers and lakes had dried up. All that had been left was the ocean, which was far too
salty for anyone to drink, and the never-ending desert.

They had just barely managed to stop the world from ending altogether by borrowing the gods’
powers, but nature had been so devastated that everyone had started doubting whether it could
ever be restored even if Elquiness managed to return. Ifrit had felt like everything was her fault,
and it had weighed heavily on her heart.

‘It’s because I told that jerk to get extinguished… No, if only I hadn’t wished for the next
Elquiness to not be born…

‘I wouldn’t be feeling half the guilt I feel now if only I hadn’t.’

Ifrit knew that, realistically, there was no way that any of this had happened just because of what
she had said, but she still couldn’t help but blame herself vehemently.

So, the fact that Elquiness had finally been born after years of silence had been like salvation to
her, even before he had begun restoring nature. That was why Ifrit did not bear any animosity
toward the new Elquiness. In fact, she almost felt goodwill toward him.

She had become so emotional the moment she had felt the water quickening, and she had been so
overjoyed to see life filling the Domain of Water again that she had nearly cried. She had
shivered for the first time in her life when her eyes had fallen upon Elquiness standing so
picturesquely in his domain.

Just like his predecessor, the newly born Elquiness had blue hair, skin so pale it was almost
dazzling, and features so fine he could have been sculpted from stone. Overall, he was rather
androgynous, appearing neither entirely feminine nor entirely masculine, but that, too, somehow
managed to stir Ifrit’s emotions.

Appearance-wise, he looked nothing like the previous Elquiness, but the refreshing air about
him, characteristic of the Spirit King of Water, was exactly the same. No, the new Elquiness’
aura felt even more refreshing and clear. It was a testament to just how pure and beautiful his
soul was. And it only made Ifrit like him more.

But Ifrit couldn’t help but choke up when her eyes had met Elquiness’ for the first time. He had
the same eyes as his predecessor. So much so that she had nearly mistaken him for his
predecessor. And then, with those vividly azure eyes of his, he had smiled as soon as he had seen
his fellow spirit kings.

His smile suited his beautiful appearance and had the effect of making his audience instantly feel
better. Just looking at him made her feel all warm inside. And yet, something about it had
bothered her.

‘Why’s he smiling like some kind of fool?’

Elquinesses were generally cold-hearted. They just were. There was no other way to describe it.
They kept no one by their side except for their spirits, and they also tended to be reticent. They
only ever smiled or were considerate about others once in a blue moon. They only ever cared
about the water spirits, too—they barely cared about any of the other spirits. They tended to rub
everyone the wrong way, even the other spirit kings.

The previous Elquiness, however, had been the worst of the lot. He’d been so bad that the other
spirit kings had tacitly agreed to never strike a conversation with him, save for Ifrit, who had
picked a lot of fights with him.

So to think that someone from the lineage of jerks(?) was capable of smiling so angelically! The
awkward “hi” he had said had been even worse. Since when did an Elquiness say hello to
someone first? Watching Minervar and Trowell growing to like the new Elquiness more and
more had made the emotions bubbling inside Ifrit’s chest finally erupt.

‘Someone like him inherited Elquiness’ powers? I won’t acknowledge it!’

That was why she had made a mess of their first encounter and continued to pick a fight with
him at every turn. She wanted to see him get angry. She hadn’t even given him any proper advice
while he was still trying to awaken to his powers because she had wanted to watch him struggle.
Teasing the kind-hearted Spirit King of Water had been fun at first. It was funny to see him
getting pushed back despite how hard his tried to quip back whenever she picked a fight with
him, and it felt refreshing to watch him floundering as he tried to make sense of her nonsensical
lessons.

It was strange, however, that Elquiness never seemed to truly grow angry with her despite how
much he grumbled. His mood only soured temporarily no matter how harsh she was, and he
would start smiling again in no time at all. It was almost as if he wasn’t capable of feeling rage to
begin with.

It bothered Ifrit. She couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t getting angry on purpose in order to
sneer at her for trying to find the previous Elquiness in him in the first place.

That was why her words had grown harsher by the day. Until finally, she had basically declared
that she wanted to end their relationship altogether today.

She had only realized what she’d done after returning to the Domain of Fire and calming down a
bit, but it was already too late. She had only meant to push his buttons a little, but the situation
had exploded beyond the point of no return. The bad blood between her and Elquiness had
probably formed a rift between them that could never be mended.

“How long will it take this time? A hundred years? Three hundred? It might even last for a
thousand at this rate…” Ifrit muttered to herself as she huddled into herself in her gloom. She
probably would have stayed like that for at least a couple of years if it hadn’t been for the
familiar voice that suddenly called out to her from behind.

“What the hell, Ifrit?! You’re planning to keep ignoring me for a millennium? Hey! I know you
don’t like me, but isn’t that just overkill?!”

3.

The first thing I saw as soon as I arrived was a great, fiery pit.

The floor was entirely black, the color of soot, and cracked, and hot crimson sparks continuously
erupted from the cracks like fountains. Greyish ash drifted all throughout the sky. There were
pillars all around, and a dark red liquid—was it lava?—flowed ever down from above them like
cascades.

It reminded me of the apocalypse as it was often depicted in movies. No wonder Ifrit’s

personality was what it was when she was living in a place like this. Just looking around was
enough to make me terrified. I gulped.

‘…Won’t I get burned just trying to walk around here?’

I cautiously looked down. I hadn’t really noticed it when I was underwater, but I wasn’t wearing
anything on my feet.

It wasn’t hot, and it didn’t hurt either, but I could help but feel psychologically opposed to
walking across the scarlet flames with nothing on.

‘I wish I was at least wearing shoes.’

Then, something shocking started unfolding right before my very eyes. I started feeling ticklish
at the soles of my feet, and then, out of nowhere, I was wearing sneakers!

‘…What?

‘What’s this? I just had to think about them to make them appear?’

It wasn’t actually all that surprising, especially now that I knew how to use Commands, but it
was still quite mysterious. And they were sneakers, too. They looked almost identical to the pair
that I’d used to wear. Just like the rest of my clothes. They had probably been influenced by my
subconscious and formed to look and feel familiar to me.

‘Can I change how my clothes look?’

I concentrated, unable to best my curiosity, and tried to imagine something more similar to what
I’d seen others wearing around these parts. Then, I felt that ticklish sensation again, and the
clothes I was wearing began transforming before my very eyes. My clothes were now long and
loose, just like what everyone else was wearing.

“Whoa…”

I couldn’t help but voice my admiration as I studied my new garb. I almost wanted to try
changing my clothes again while I was already at it. Basically, I’d completely forgotten why I
was even here.

Something red suddenly entered my view just then.

—Um, Lord Elquiness?

“Ahh! Whoa! W-what the hell, Ignis?! You startled me.”

It was an Ignis, a greater fire spirit. It looked like a giant eagle(?) of fire that reached all the way
up to my waist. I pressed down at my racing heart (although I technically didn’t even have one).

—M-my apologies, Lord Elquiness. I couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong because
you’ve been standing here without moving. I beg for your forgiveness—
“Huh? What’s there to even forgive…? It’s fine, so don’t worry about it. More importantly,
where’s Ifrit?”

—My king is currently in her bedchambers.

“Her bedchambers? …And where is that, exactly?”

—To your right and straight down.

Ifrit’s domain was structurally similar to my own Domain of Water. Basically, it was one giant
room that stretched on and on without end. It felt even bigger than a baseball field. In any case,
and to put it simply, the layout was rather simplistic.

Unlike the Domain of Water, which was entirely blue (but also incredibly deep), there were large
rocks scattered throughout the Domain of Fire. So, it wasn’t exactly an open space. I didn’t feel
like finding Ifrit would be easy if all I did was wander around aimlessly.

For now, I decided to walk in the direction that the Ignis had pointed me in. I flinched in surprise
every time a new spray of sparks shot up from the floor as I walked. But I had already come all
the way here, so I couldn’t turn back now just because I didn’t want to walk through a little fire. I
had no choice but to close my eyes and press on.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I started spotting furniture, like a desk and other decorations.
The bedding here looked like red-hot embers, similar to how all the bedding in my domain was
decorated with seaweed and shells. Ifrit was huddled beneath her bed canopy and muttering
something to herself with a pretty dark expression on her face.

‘What’s she up to?’

I walked closer to her quietly, careful to not alert her to my presence. Eventually, I could hear
what she was mumbling to herself. She didn’t sound as vivacious or haughty as she normally did.
Instead, she sounded dejected as she continued to gripe to no one in particular.

Though, the stuff she was saying was still out of the ordinary.

“How long will it take this time? A hundred years? Three hundred? It might even last for a
thousand at this rate…”

I nearly coughed out loud. ‘She’s not saying that’s how long she intends to have nothing to do
with me, is she? She probably knows that she was in the wrong too, judging by how gloomy she
looks. But, a thousand years?! Isn’t that a bit much?! I didn’t even do anything that bad!’

I stepped forward, unable to keep it in any longer, and shouted back, “What the hell, Ifrit?!
You’re planning to keep ignoring me for a millennium? Hey! I know you don’t like me, but isn’t
that just overkill?!”
Ifrit gasped and looked up, startled by my sudden appearance. But it only lasted for a moment.
She began shaking her head as soon as our eyes met, and then she promptly buried her face back
into her knees. She was ignoring me so blatantly, as if she couldn’t stand the sight of me, that I
couldn’t help but start quivering.

‘Why you…! Are you seriously going to make light of me when I’m right here?’

Every intention of apologizing was instantly erased from my mind.

‘Fine! Fine, then, Ifrit. I accept your challenge. Let’s see how far we end up taking this!’

“Ugh! I can’t take it anymore!” I shouted as I pointed my finger at her. “I declare war, Ifrit! I
won’t go easy on you just because you look like a girl!”

“Shut up! Stop spouting nonsense when you’re just a hallucination anyway… Wait. What?
You’re the real Elquiness?”

‘The hell? Did she seriously just call a hallucination just now?’

I couldn’t help but get bewildered when I saw the look of realization and alarm spreading across
her face. My fiery battle mode was quickly switched back off. It was said that it was possible for
people(?) to be shocked out of anger, and that was the perfect way to describe what had just
happened to me. Unfortunately, the unrepentant spirit king in front of me started only glaring at
me again.

“…Why are you here? Didn’t I say that I never wanted to see you again?”

‘Hah, you think that’s gonna be enough to make me back down? I already have an ace up my
sleeve.’

“Trowell told me everything,” I said with a confident grin as I looked Ifrit directly in the eyes.
“You were bickering with the previous Elquiness like this all the time, weren’t you? He even
said that it felt refreshing to see it happening again after so long. So anyway, why’re you pouting
like a little kid just because we had a fight?”

“W-what did you call me? A little kid?”

“Be honest. Did I ever say anything wrong? You do like the previous Elquiness, don’t you? I
might be a little slow, but I’m not blind, you know. Why are you so embarrassed about it?”

“Hah! D-don’t be ridiculous! You still don’t have your wits about you, do you? Who says I like
him?”

“So you don’t like him? Jeez. But that doesn’t make any sense. If you don’t like him, then why
didn’t you refute anything I said earlier?”
“Ugh! T-that’s… S-screw you! Are you here to pick another fight with me? Was our fight from
before not enough for you? I guess Trowell forgot to tell you something important! I won’t
associate with someone I don’t like, even if it means ignoring them for a hundred years!” Ifrit
shouted as she jumped up to her feet as if her legs were made out of springs. She was glaring at
me so fiercely that it looked like she might start spitting fire from her eyes at any time now.

Her sharp attitude made me flinch a little, but I was unyielding and began glaring right back at
her.

“Oh yeah? I didn’t know. A hundred years, huh… But wasn’t it a thousand years just earlier? A
hundred years is a lot shorter than a thousand. Should I just wait a hundred years and come back
later, then?”

“W-what?”

Ifrit shivered as if she had been struck by lightning. She probably hadn’t imagined even in her
wildest dreams that I’d counter like that. I mean, even I was surprised by what I just said. She
probably wasn’t faring any better.

“Don’t even bother! I don’t care if it’s for a hundred years or even a thousand. I don’t want to
see you!”

“Do you really mean that?”

“Y-yeah! I do! Fuck this! Do you not believe me? Looks like you think that I’m gonna apologize
or something if you keep this up. Well, you’re completely wrong!”

Ifrit’s face was already so red (from anger) that it couldn’t get any redder, and she began flailing
around her arms as if she was about to chase me out any second now. And yet, she never quite
managed to say the all-important words—‘get out!’ Instead, she started falling back into
dejection. It was all thanks to the ace I had up my sleeve.

“If you get it, then hurry up and get—”

“I’m sorry.”

I saw Ifrit gasp when she heard my unexpected confession(?).

I lowered my head when I saw her freeze up and completely forget what she had been saying.

“I was wrong, so stop being so mad at me already,” I continued. “It was wrong of me to make
fun of your feelings. I’m really sorry.”

“Y-you… Did you just…?”

“I was originally intending to apologize as soon as I got here, but I ended up getting off track.
Haha. This is just how I am. Sorry.”

‘Huh? But why is she making that face?’

I broke out in a cold sweat when I saw Ifrit’s visage crumple up. I didn’t think she’d exactly be
jumping for joy after I decided to fold first, but I did think that she’d at least be smug about it
and say something like, “Of course you’re supposed to be sorry,” with a shrug. Instead, however,
her bloodlust only grew so potent that her arms began physically trembling.

‘Did I somehow manage to do something wrong again? There’s no way. All I did was apologize!’

To my utter bewilderment, however, even an apology was apparently offensive to Ifrit.

“Why are you apologizing?!”

“Huh? What do you mean, why…?”

“Are you stupid? Why are you apologizing? Don’t you have any pride? You’re supposed to wait
until I come find you first! Why did you come find me? Why are you folding first?!”

“U-uh… Ifrit?”

Was apologizing first really something that I needed to be chastised about? I was so thrown off
by her reaction that all I could do was stand there at a complete loss.

“You’re so boring!” Ifrit continued yelling. “If you get mad, then you’re supposed to keep being
mad! The previous Elquiness would never just let it go like this! Not only would he never come
find me, he wouldn’t even look at me even if we happened to cross paths by pure chance! He
would never budge until I apologized first, even if it took centuries or even millennia! It didn’t
matter who was wrong!”

“Yeah, but I’m not him. So you don’t need to—”

“What are you talking about?! You inherited his powers! You have the same exact aura as him!
Your eyes are the same exact shade of blue, and your hair is the same exact color of water! Why
would you be any different from him?”

“Even if you say that…”

I trailed off because I had no idea how I was supposed to respond. Ifrit only continued to yell at
me with renewed vigor.

“You’re supposed to be super arrogant and act like you’re better than everyone else! Don’t smile
at others. Don’t even talk to anyone! Don’t just take it when someone picks a fight with you,
even if it means you have to render them half-dead! Don’t ever apologize even if it means
ruining your relationships! And extinguish any lesser spirit from existence if they make even the
smallest mistake!”

“…Whoa. Are you trying to turn me into someone with a personality disorder or something?”

“Exactly! Someone with a personality disorder! That’s exactly it!”

I didn’t even know what I was supposed to say to that.

‘Yeah, I get it now. Ifrit…you’re not normal.’

I started regretting ever coming here as I watched Ifrit nodding boldly in agreement. Why in the
world had I come all the way here just to be treated like this? I would’ve just ignored her if I’d
known that things were going to end up like this. It looked like I had a tendency to dig my own
grave.

‘But considering how hard she’s trying to push this on me… Was that really what the previous
Elquiness was like?’

I froze and turned back to Ifrit as the thought crossed my mind. She would never want me to act
like that if she truly intended on growing closer to me. Besides, all of her examples were weirdly
specific despite how vaguely she was describing my predecessor.

I had figured that my processor wasn’t exactly normal either since he had apparently been such a
loner, but this was really something else. And, while the previous Elquiness was one thing, Ifrit
was off the charts for having a crush on someone like him. And if that wasn’t enough, she was
even trying to make me, his innocent(?) successor, adopt his personality…

‘What the hell is going on in your mind, Ifrit?!

‘You were wrong, Trowell. Ifrit totally had a crush on the previous Elquiness!’

“Er, Ifrit? I just want to make this clear. I’m not the previous Elquiness.”

“What? I know that.”

“No, I don’t think you do. I’m a completely different being. I have nothing to do with the
previous Elquiness. There’s no reason for me to have his personality, and I don’t intend on
adopting his personality either. I might not have enough self-awareness as a spirit king because
I’m mixed up in my memories of my past life, but I do at least know that you’re in the wrong
right now, Ifrit. You’re trying to find the previous Elquiness in me. It’s almost like… Yeah, it’s
like you’re trying to force someone with amnesia to remember what they’ve forgotten. Except
that someone is a completely different person altogether who just happens to look a bit like the
person you’re trying to turn them into.”
Ifrit stood there in a silent gaze as I tried to spell things out for her. I grew nervous because
something about her reminded me of a glass doll that could shatter at the slightest impact.

“I-Ifrit?”

‘She hasn’t passed out from shock while standing up, right?’

She wasn’t moving a single muscle. She wasn’t even blinking. I couldn’t help but wonder if she
was still even remembering to breathe.

I looked over her again in my worry, and then I felt myself freezing up. Her eyes had begun
swelling with tears, and they looked like they would spill over any moment now.

‘Hey! Why are you crying?!’

“…You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

“What?”

“Yeah, I think I’m really stupid too. But the thing is… I really didn’t think he would go ahead
and get extinguished like that. I’d never have told him to hurry up and get extinguished already if
I’d known. I didn’t even mean it.”

I coughed. “Y-you said that to him?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it so strange? I definitely liked him. So why was it that everything I ever said to him
ended up being curses or censure? I was too busy fighting him out of pride when I should’ve
been confessing my love. It’s the same even now. I was actually really happy that you came to
apologize. But this is the only way I know how to treat you. I’m a walking contradiction.”

Ifrit looked truly sad for the first time today as she slowly and bitterly shook her head. I almost
wanted to wrap my arms around her shoulders and tell her that it was okay.

Not that I was daring enough to actually go through with it, of course. After all, I was eternally
single and had never even held a girl’s hand before.

‘Mm, what am I supposed to say in times like this?’

Maybe it was better to just stay silent instead of offering empty words of consolation. My mouth,
however, apparently had different ideas.

“I-it’s okay, Ifrit. Everyone’s a walking contradiction to some degree. It’s not just you. There’s a
famous saying about it, right? Humans are creatures of contradiction!”

“…We’re spirits.”
“Huh? Oh, er, right. Hahaha! Well, so what? Who says we always have to be true to our feelings
just because we’re spirits? It’s fine to say that you hate something you like, and it’s fine to hide
your true feelings too. It’s too much of a headache to care about things like that all the time.
Besides, he wasn’t being reasonable about it either. Anyone would hide their true feelings in they
were in your shoes. And more importantly—”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hmm? I was referring to the previous Elquiness. Even I’d have trouble admitting that I had
feelings for someone with a personality disorder like him. I actually have to respect you for that,
Ifrit. You have really weird… I mean, unique tastes. Yeah, exactly. You’re quite the character.”

“What the hell? You wanna die?”

“Haha. I’m just trying to say that you’re incredible…”

“Hmph! The previous Elquiness was still way better than you, got that?”

“What? How?”

“What do you mean, how?! You’re just an absentminded fool! It’s way better to have a firm will
than to be frustratingly wishy-washy about everything! Do you know what I’ve always been
wondering whenever I look at you? I’ve been wondering what the previous Elquiness would say
if he saw you right now. He’d probably be shocked, right? I mean, how could a dense fool like
you come from a lineage of jerkasses?”

‘Tch, I don’t even want to be like that jerk, okay?’ I grumbled to myself as I watched Ifrit insult
me to my face. I’d gone through so much trouble to comfort(?) her, yet here she was, repaying
my kindness with cruelty. Truly, no act of kindness(?) ever went unpunished.

And if that hadn’t been enough, Ifrit even started looking bored of it all.

“Anyway, you apologized to me first, so the least I can do is acknowledge that I’m sorry too,”
she said with a wave of her hand. “Hurry along and go back now. I have stuff to think about.”

“What?”

That was her idea of a sincere apology? She didn’t even say, “I’m sorry.” She said that she
‘acknowledged’ that she was sorry. What the hell? I had a lot to say about it, but I decided to
keep my mouth shut for now. It was because I saw that Ifrit looked a little lonely. After all, the
only thing she’d be thinking about after all this was the previous Elquiness.

She had been trying to use me to make up for his absence, but I’d put a stop to that. She probably
felt incredibly empty right now, even if she didn’t say it aloud. She probably wouldn’t be
regretting it so much if she had confessed her feelings to him at least once. Instead, however, she
had been quarrelling with him until he was extinguished. How much resent and pity must she be
feeling for herself right now?

And the previous Elquiness was probably enjoying his new life about now while being none the
wiser about Ifrit’s feelings. It actually disgusted me a little.

Wait, what? Didn’t spirit kings become gods after they got extinguished? Either that, or they
could choose to be reincarnated, in which case it was incredibly likely that they’d be reincarnated
as dragons, right?

A light bulb went off in my head, and I couldn’t help but ask, “Hey Ifrit, are there any dragons in
Arkadon by any chance?”

“What? Of course there are.”

“Have you heard anything about a new baby dragon being born recently?”

“A baby dragon… You mean a hatchling, right? Hmm. Oh, I think I do remember hearing there
was a new hatching was born not too long ago. But why’re you asking?”

Ifrit looked rather annoyed as she turned back to me. It was pretty obvious that she wasn’t happy
about me lingering around and asking random question after she’d told me to leave.

“Well, that’s just the thing,” I continued, undaunted. “A new dragon might be born after a spirit
king gets extinguished. I was wondering if that new hatchling might be the previous Elquiness.”

“…What? What in the world are you talking about? Why would a dragon be born after a spirit
king gets extinguished?”

“Well, not all of them are reborn as dragons. I heard that we either become gods or are
reincarnated after going to the afterlife. And in the case of the latter, it’s likely that we’ll get
reborn as a dragon…”

“How do you know that?” Ifrit asked with her eyes as wide as saucers.

I dithered. Was she reacting like that because she wanted to know how I knew this despite not
even been fully self-aware about the fact that I was a spirit king now, or was it that she truly
hadn’t known about this? The latter seemed like the better bet if I didn’t want to make myself
miserable.

That was why I forced myself to believe that it was the latter and gingerly answered, “I heard
about it in the Nether Realm. Someone called Arehis told me.”

“Arehis? …As in the God of the Dead?”

“…The God of…? Wait, Arehis is a god?”

It was my turn to be surprised. I’d known that he was probably someone high-ranking because he
had grim reapers (although they called themselves Guides) serving him, but I hadn’t realized that
he was actually a god.

“He’s an intermediary god of the Nether Realm. He oversees the souls of the dead.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. I remember him being someone pretty important.”

“So what did he tell you?”

I told Ifrit about everything that Arehis had told me. She had looked completely disinterested just
a moment ago, but now she was completely focused on every word I was saying.

“Oh wow…” she exclaimed once I was done. “So it was true that spirit kings are essentially
probationary gods.”

“Huh?”

‘What is she talking about?’

“The rumor’s been going around for some time now,” Ifrit began explaining when I turned to her
in confusion. She looked stunned, and she was in a slight daze. “According to the rumor, spirit
kings are actually the souls of gods in their purest form, created by the Almighty in order to
watch over humankind. They serve some time as spirit kings immediately after their creation in
order to adapt to their powers, until ultimately, they’re bestowed their godhood.”

“Huh. Then, I guess I was right. That’s good news, Ifrit,” I said. I genuinely wanted to
congratulate her.

Unfortunately, I was only met with a sharp, “What’s so good about it?”

“Huh?”

“It doesn’t matter whether he ascended into godhood or was reincarnated. I still can’t meet him.
Did you think that the Heavenly Realm was open to everybody? We spirit kings don’t have the
power to visit any realm other than Arkadon! And, even if he was reincarnated as a dragon like
you said. Do you have any proof that he’ll be a dragon from Arkadon? And, let’s even say that,
from some stroke of luck, he was born as a dragon in Arkadon. How am I even supposed to find
him? His appearance and his aura will be completely different now. Are you stupid?”

“H-hey! Why are you always calling me stupid for the littlest things? What did I ever do to
you?”

“Say something that actually makes sense, then! Ugh! You’re messing up my mood even more!
This is pissing me off!”
…How was it that there was absolutely nothing cute about the spirit king in front of me?

“Is that all you have to say after I went through the trouble of trying to figure something out for
you?” I snapped back with a heavy frown. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

“You weren’t even suggesting something possible! Or were you just trying to provoke me?!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, okay? How was I supposed to know that we can’t teleport to the
Heavenly Realm? Huh? Wait a minute. Spirit kings can’t visit any realm other than Arkadon?
Does that mean that we can’t visit the Nether Realm either?”

“Of course we can’t! How is that even a question?”

“Then, what about people from the Nether Realm? Can they visit the Spirit Realm?”

Ifrit’s anger vanished when she heard my question (it was almost like she’d finally given up on
me).

“Actually, they can,” she replied calmly. “Even spirits get extinguished eventually, after all.
Those from the Nether Realm can go anywhere where there are souls of the dead.”

“Oho… In that case…”

“…W-what now?”

I saw Ifrit flinch subtly. She had probably seen how my eyes had lit up just now.

‘Oho, Ifrit. I had a great idea just now.’

There was a grin of satisfaction on my face as I turned to my baffled brethren.

“I think… we might actually be able to at least figure out what the previous Elquiness is up to.”
Chapter 6
1.

“What? H-how?”

Ifrit must’ve been incredibly desperate, seeing by how the shadow over her face had immediately
brightened up into anticipation. I made sure to put up a smokescreen before I answered her.

“First things first. Don’t get your hopes up too high. I’m not entirely sure if this’ll even work.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“I’m only going to tell you if you promise not to get mad at me.”

“…You really wanna die, don’t you?”

‘No ma’am. I don’t. I’ll tell you at once, dear Queen.’

I obediently swallowed back my tears and promptly told her what I was planning.

“…We’ll use the Nether Realm.”

“Use the Nether Realm?”

“Before that, there’s something I want to ask you first. I don’t know the details, but I heard that
spirit kings go the Nether Realm and pass on their powers to their successor once it’s time for
them to be extinguished. Is that right?”

“Yeah, it is. The previous Elquiness went to the Nether Realm to be extinguished too.”

“But that means that the spirit king has to actually be able to visit the Nether Realm, right? How
do they do that?”

“The Guides from the Nether Realm come to pick them up, obviously. The Guides come for a
spirit king who’s about to be extinguished, just like what happens after humans die too.”

“Aha! That means that the Guides can bring others to the Nether Realm, right?”

“Well, no duh…! You’re not thinking…?”

Ifrit dropped her jaw when she finally caught onto my plan. Yes. It was exactly as she said. If
Guides of the Nether Realm could go anywhere they wanted, then we could simply ask them to
take us to the Heavenly Realm.
And even if that wasn’t possible, we could at least ask them what the previous Elquiness was
doing now. Ifrit, however, looked more skeptical than happy.

“It’s a good idea, but I don’t think it’ll work. The Nether Realm won’t look too favorably at us
trying to get him to rekindle a relationship he had in his past life. Especially not when the gods of
fate tend to meddle a lot with the Nether Realm…”

“Yeah, but we won’t know unless we try. Isn’t it equally possible that you only haven’t been
able to meet him again yet because you haven’t tried to? Besides, if all spirit kings eventually
become gods anyway, then those relationships will eventually be rekindled too. Is there a reason
why the Nether Realm needs to stop us from trying?”

Ifrit didn’t reply. However, I was aware that things might not be as simple as I thought they
were. After all, everything else aside, we wouldn’t be getting anywhere until we found a Guide
from the Nether Realm first.

Ifrit simply continued to sit on her bed in a blank daze. I wasn’t sure whether she knew what I
was thinking. Still, it looked like she really did want to see the previous Elquiness again, judging
by how the small light of anticipation in her eyes had yet to fade.

I felt duty-bound and began burning brightly in my desire to make this work. Who would’ve
thought that I’d ever find myself volunteering to play cupid? After all, I had once been the head
of the ‘Third-Wheeling on Love-Dovey Couples Committee.’

“Hmm, this is our biggest problem for now. We can’t even get started without a Guide, but I
have no clue where we’d even find one. And it’s not like I’m going to kill an innocent spirit just
so I can summon a Guide. How in the world do we find ourselves a Guide…”

“I know a way,” Ifrit said out of the blue. It almost sounded like a gripe.

“Huh?”

Ifrit looked calm. She seemed to have pulled herself together. There was hope—something I’d
never seen before from her—spreading across her overjoyed expression.

“There’s a place here where beings from the Nether Realm like to visit.”

***

Before my eyes was a lush meadow and a field of flowers so beautiful it could’ve been a
painting. I was rendered speechless and couldn’t help but stare in silent awe as I saw the first
open sky filled with clouds, the vast land, and crystal-clear stream winding through the grasses
since I’d been born as a spirit king.

The viridescent leaves of the green forest showcased their beauty by waving over the small
round hill, and a sweet aroma filled the area. The flock of fairies flying freely through the azure
sky was undoubtedly a bunch of lesser spirits. I felt ecstatic as I saw how the golden threads of
sunlight kissed the gorgeous scenery.

It was even more incredible up close. After all, all the flowers, whose names I didn’t even know
were… They were all—!

“They’re jewels!”

There were millions of flowers, too many to ever possibly count, and each and every last one of
them was a precious jewel! And they were all brilliantly cut, too.

I was so blinded by how the sunlight glistened off the flower petals waving in the breeze that I
couldn’t open my eyes.

And that wasn’t all. The grasses covering the ground were like the finest silk, and what I had
initially thought were normal pebbles were actually small nuggets of gold and silver. Even the
water in the stream tasted like honey.

“How can such a fantastical place like this even exist?”

I stiffened up in awe before I could relish in amazement. Then, Ifrit very kindly told me where
we were.

“Evas Eden. It’s the Golden Garden that exists only here in the Spirit Realm. Unlike the
sanctuaries, where only spirits of the corresponding element can go, spirits of all four elements
can exist together here in harmony.”

“What? How come you’re only telling me this now?!”

“That’s my prerogative, no?”

I was speechless. I couldn’t even get angry. I decided to let it go and just be happy to have
learned about this place at all. It probably would have been years before I ever learned about this
place if none of this had happened.

‘See? I have such a positive outlook that it’s positively radiant! I’m such a good person, if I do
say so myself.’

“But why did you bring me here out of the blue, Ifrit?” I asked as I took another look around.
I was a little confused because she had suddenly dragged me here without explanation (even
though we could’ve just teleported).

“Weren’t you listening to me at all?” Ifrit asked me in disappointment. “There’s a place here
where beings from the Nether Realm like to visit.”

“Oh. And this is the place?”

“Yeah. Evas Eden is one of the most beautiful places in the Four Great Realms. It’s popular even
amongst people from other realms. Beings from the Nether Realm, in particular, like to come
here for vacation.”

“Vacation, huh? They need vacations too?”

“Of course they do. Do you really expect them to be working all the time, for all that time?”

“…You have a point.”

Then again, guiding dead souls to the Nether Realm, distributing them their next lives, and
reincarnating them was just another day of work for them. According to Ifrit, they had been
especially busy as of late not only because they had been trying to find me but also being of how
many people had died during Arkadon’s decade of drought.

Arehis had looked pretty tired, now that I thought about it. Had that been because he was
working too hard? Everyone there looked like they were inundated with work. I guess the
afterlife wasn’t that big of a deal after all.

A spirit king, in contrast, only had to exist. I guess I was extremely lucky, in that sense.

‘If it only wasn’t for the witch who liked to call me an idiot at the drop of a hat, that is.’

“They probably won’t be as busy anymore now that you’ve been found, so a lot of them are
probably out on vacation. In other words, there’ll probably be a lot of people from the Nether
Realm here right now.”

I slowly took in my surroundings when I heard what the witch—Ifrit—said. The garden was so
vast that I couldn’t take it in all at once, but I couldn’t feel the presence of anything or anyone
that wasn’t another spirit.

“No one’s here.”

“I’m not blind, okay? And it’s not like we have visitors every single day.”

“Hmm. Is there any way for us to know when people are visiting? Is there like a visitor’s log or
something?”
“Not that I know of. Evas Eden is open to everyone, so anyone can come visit whenever they
feel like it.”

“…The hell? Then we’re just supposed to stand here and wait?”

“W-what else are we supposed to do?! Why don’t you come up with a better idea, then?!”

‘Well, even if you say that…’ Unfortunately, I didn’t have any better ideas.

And so, Ifrit and I sat down and waited for someone to visit the garden because we had nothing
better to do. We had plenty of time, after all, and it wasn’t too boring because our surroundings
were so beautiful that we couldn’t possibly get tired of it.

I looked out into the distance and saw a group of lesser wind spirits. They were hiding between
the grasses while stealing glances at us.

“What’s up with them?”

“Who? The Sylphs?”

“Oh, that’s what they’re called?”

They had fine, straight hair and adorable faces, and they were so small they could probably fit in
the palm of my hand. They were translucent, clearly indicating that they were wind spirits, and
they looked so similar to Minervar, their king, that they looked like miniature versions of her.

“Lesser wind spirits are called Sylphs, the intermediary spirits are called Shuriels, and the greater
spirits are called Jinns. Can’t you figure this stuff out before I teach you already?”

“I want to, believe me, but I haven’t even memorized the names of my own spirits yet.”

“Is that something to be proud about, you dumbass?!”

‘Tch, so what if I don’t know them yet? I even forgot my own instincts! What’s a few names in
comparison?’ I grumbled vehemently to myself as I pointed to the Sylphs again.

“So anyway, why are they staying so far away?”

“They’re scared.”

“Scared? Of us?”

“The lesser spirits are instinctively terrified of us spirit kings. Sylphs are actually the bravest of
the lot. The other lesser spirits won’t come even remotely close, see?”

“Yeah, now that you mention it.”

Evas Eden was a place where spirits of all four elements were supposed to gather, yet there were
hardly any spirits here right now. In other words, they had all gone into hiding because there
were two spirit kings here.

“There are probably a few Naiases around if you look hard enough. They’re your subordinates.
Why don’t you say hello to them?”

“Shall I?”

I hadn’t met any Naiases yet. I’d only heard their voices. I couldn’t help but grow excited. They
were born automatically without me having to go out of my way to create them. That meant that
there should be a ton of them, right?

“They’ll probably show up if their king commands it, right?” I continued. “Naiases! Gather
‘round!”

A mysterious sight unfolded before my eyes just then. A bunch of water droplets, like drops of
rain, appeared out of nowhere and began gathering together in front of me. Then, the little water
droplets began transforming into tiny fairies not unlike the Sylphs.

They looked like cute little girls with curly blue hair that fell down to their waist. What made
them different, however, was that their lower halves looked like fishtails.

They also had gill-like fins where their ears should have been. I felt like I was looking at
mermaids, like from the fairy tales.

‘Wow, they’re so cute!’

The Naiases were all huddled up, likely because they were bewildered by my sudden summons. I
heard their familiar voices seeping out from behind their quivering lips.

—We greet our liege, Lord Elquiness, the ruler of water.

It was the same exact voice that I had heard babbling away endlessly back in the Domain of
Water. It sounded a little dispirited, however, maybe because the Naiases were nervous.

“Don’t be so afraid,” I said as nicely as I could so they wouldn’t be scared of me. “I only called
you here because I wanted to see you. This is our first meeting, right? I’ll be in your care.”

The Naiases opened their eyes wide and suddenly began whispering amongst themselves. ‘W-
why are they doing that?’

“Lesser spirits are exceptionally sensitive to their spirit king’s mood,” Ifrit explained when I
fretfully turned to her for help. “Their fear vanished instantly when they realized how much you
liked them.”
“Oh, is that why? Thank goodness.”

“Hmph. That’s not exactly a good thing, you know?”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“The lesser spirits are a bunch of chatterboxes.”

I didn’t really need to think that hard to understand what Ifrit was getting at.

The Naiases, whose attitudes had done a sudden 180, immediately began clamoring away.

—We’ll be in your care too, Lord Elquiness!

—We’re so happy to meet you!

—May I please touch your hair?

—I want to slide down it. May I?

I didn’t respond. ‘So this was why.’

I broke out in a cold sweat as I watched over the Naiases, who were acting audaciously now that
they were no longer afraid. Ifrit winked at me and wished me luck.

‘Tell me these things beforehand!’

They said that girls could use their ability to gossip as a weapon of mass destruction. Apparently,
little spirit girls were no exception. They were chattering away so ceaselessly that I started
wanting to slap them all away with a fly swatter.

‘But I can’t even get mad at them since they’re so cute. Ugh…’

I clutched my throbbing head and forced a smile. The Naiases started staring at me in unison.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

—You’re so beautiful, Lord Elquiness!

—It puffs me up with pride that my king is such a beautiful being!

“Oh, you really think so? T-thanks, I guess.”

My heart felt a little ticklish to hear such an innocent compliment form them that I couldn’t help
but thank them. The Naiases’ cheeks immediately flushed pink like cherry blossoms.
—Kyaah! Lord Elquiness said thank you!

—Lord Elquiness smiled at us!

—Wow, wow! He praised us just now!

—We need to throw a festival of joy!

—Wow! Hurray!

—Me too! Me too!

“What the? Y-you guys?”

I dropped my jaw to the floor when I saw what came next. The Naiases suddenly scrambled to
fly into the air and formed a circle over my head. Then, they each began gathering little drops of
water in the arms and began dropping them on me.

The little drops of water glistened in the sun as they fell and scattered the light everywhere. It
reminded me of fireworks. The light was colorful as it danced about and became as a rainbow
curtain. The Naiases continued spinning circles in the air as they began singing with their
beautiful voices.

—Our noble and divine ruler!

—His name is the eternally beautiful King of Water!

—O blessed Arkadon, the land of plenty!

—O Golden Garden, the roost of spirits!

—Glory be to his name! Glory be to his name!

The little drops of water danced in the air every time their clear and lovely voices resounded. It
was so beautiful that it was a shame that I couldn’t do anything but watch.

“Wow…”

I was captivated and couldn’t take my eyes off the Naiases’ dance. I wasn’t able to remain lost in
wonder for very long, however. It was all Ifrit’s fault.

“Your spirits are simpletons just like you,” she said sarcastically. “They started dancing just
because you said thank you?”

“…Do you really have to word it like that? They’re so pretty.”

“Hmph! My Kashas can dance better.”

‘And your point?’

Ifrit jutted her chin forward when I stared at her because she was being ridiculous. What she said
next, however, shocked me even more.

“Besides, I’m much prettier.”

“…What?”

“It takes one to know one. They only think you’re beautiful because they’re Naiases. Anyone
else would agree that I’m much prettier than you are. You’d be mistaken if you thought even for
a second that you were the most beautiful among us spirit kings.”

“Yeah, sure…”

‘Wait. That’s what got your panties in a twist?

‘Looks like hearing the Naiases praising my looks made her wary. But before that, why do I even
need to be told that I am or am not the most beautiful spirit king to begin with?! I’m not female!’

“Huh? Hold on. I think someone came just now.”

“What? Where?”

I turned around reflexively and immediately spotted a man taking a stroll through the flower
field. I could instantly tell that his aura was different from that of a spirit’s. He was taking in his
surroundings with awe on his face. He must’ve only just arrived.

“You’re right,” I continued. “Where do you think he’s from? I hope he’s from the Nether
Realm…”

“I think he is. Gods and the divine tend to emit a lot more pressure.”

“Oh, do they?”

Ifrit and I exchanged looks for a second, and then we simultaneously turned around to shout at
the newcomer.

“Hey you!”

“Hold it right there!”

2.

Our yelling brought about a bigger disaster than we had expected. The man, who had taken an
interest in a rose that seemed to be made of flames, startled when we called out to him and
burned his hand.

“That’s hot!”

He grabbed his injured hand and began hopping up and down.

I tried to run up to him and apologize, but Ifrit just looked at him with pity in her eyes and
muttered, “…Is he stupid?”

“D-don’t say that, Ifrit. It was our fault.”

“Hmph! Who told him to get so close to a fire flower? It’s practically screaming danger. It’s his
own fault for being so careless.”

“Yeah, but I still feel bad that he got hurt…”

“Then just go and heal him if you feel so bad about it. Healing is an Elquiness’ specialty,
remember?”

‘Screw you. Do you really think I’d be going through all this trouble today if I knew how to do
something like that?’ I glared at Ifrit for multiple reasons, but she only snorted back me.
Seriously, it was like harassing me was her life’s mission or something.

“Ahem…! Um, I greet the spirit kings. You called for me?” the man said after calming down a
bit. I guess the pain from his burn injury had subsided a little.

He had a very bulky physique. Most of the people I’d met since coming here had been slim and
slender, like models, but he looked rough and masculine. His short-cropped hair and bronzed
skin only made the impression stronger.

Anyway, the point was that he was rather handsome.

‘Shit, I wish I could meet someone normal-looking already!’

“Are you okay? It looked like you burned yourself.”

“Ahaha. I’ll be just fine. It’s not a bad burn. Anyway, Evas Eden really is beautiful. I finally see
why my seniors at work urged me to come here for vacation. And to think I was even lucky
enough to meet the spirit kings…”

“Your seniors at work?”

“Oh! I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name’s Euraus. I’m from the Nether Realm, and I’m a
Guide who shepherds the souls of the dead. It’s an honor to meet the two beautiful spirit kings
before me.”

‘Bingo! He’s a Nether Realmer.’

He was a Guide too. Just what we needed. It looked like lady luck had decided to smile upon us.
I was about to return the greeting, but then I saw his injured hand and flinched. He’d said that it
wasn’t a bad burn, but his hand was so red that it looked visibly painful.

Had he grabbed the petals too hard? I kept glancing at his hand, bothered by the burn, until Ifrit
finally chimed in.

“That was no ordinary flower,” she said apathetically. “It’s a part of the fires of hell. It’ll
swallow up your entire body as soon as you touch it, and it’ll even wound your soul. He’s lucky
that he got off with just a burn. His entire hand could’ve easily melted off. Well, not that he’s out
of the woods just yet either.”

‘Oh dear.’ I saw Euraus stiffening up in shock. He grabbed his injured hand and began
muttering, “Did I just touch hellfire…?” to himself.

Then again, Ifrit’s explanation made the flower sound pretty terrifying. To think that it’s fire
could swallow up the body and even wound the soul. Why did a mere flower(?) possess such
dangerous traits? And why was it even here in the garden to begin with? What if the spirits got
hurt because of it?

“Um… Are you sure it’s okay to have flowers like that in here?”

There were Sylphs flying over the flower field as we spoke. I couldn’t help but notice that some
of the spirits were landing on the flowers and rolling around the field like nothing was wrong.
Ifrit remained completely disinterested despite my concerns.

“Sprits possess the attributes of nature elevated to their most extreme. Fire can’t hurt us, even if
it’s hellfire. Why would there be something dangerous to spirits here?”

“Makes sense. Haha…”

“Quit worrying about something pointless and just hurry up and do something about the Guide’s
burn wound already. The heat from the hellfire flower will spread all throughout the rest of his
body if you don’t treat it. He might even die at this rate.”

“What?”

I startled and studied Euraus’ burn one more time. The burn had only been on his palm at first,
but it had already started spreading all the way up his forearm.
“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I-I’m fine…” he replied as he nodded back. He was obviously trying his best not to let the
pain show. What he couldn’t hide, however, was the sweat that was starting to bead along his
bright red skin. I started panicking and grabbed his arm tight while begging Ifrit for help with my
eyes.

“W-what do I do, Ifrit? Do we have any medicine for this?”

“Medicine? Why would we have medicine? Spirits don’t get hurt. And even if we did get hurt,
we have your Authority, Elquiness. Just Heal him yourself.”

“I don’t know how to!”

“It’ll be fine. There’s still some time left before it spreads to the rest of his body.”

‘S-she’s a witch! Is that supposed to give me comfort when someone’s(?) about to die?!’

The burn only continued to spread, and even his shoulder was starting to turn a dark shade of red.
I made Euraus take off his shirt and lay down for the time being. He complied obediently
because he was starting to struggle to remain upright.

‘What was the first aid you did on burn wounds again? Oh, right. You have to wash it with cold
water.’

“Get me some water, Ifrit!”

“…Did you forget who you are?”

‘Huh? What is she… Oh, right. I’m a water spirit!’

I flushed red once it finally hit me. The spirit king who governed all water had just asked
someone to fetch him water. Even I had to admit that was stupid. But…

“I still don’t know how to create water!”

“Just tell the whole world that you’re an idiot while you’re at it too, why don’t you!” Ifrit
shouted back with irritation written plainly on her face. “Create it? You moron! I told you
before! You yourself are the water. You’re already cooling his arm down with water just by
touching him!”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes! And one more thing. Have you forgotten that all the water here is a part of you? You could
make a lake just by gathering all the moisture in the air if you wanted to. Don’t you ever say
something stupid like you need someone to get you water to do something every again! You got
that?”

Her eyes had been sharp to begin with, and the force behind them was really something to reckon
with once the bloodlust entered her eyes too. I nodded back frantically because I seriously
thought that she might kill me at this rate. It was only then that the bloodlust finally left her eyes.

“Good,” she continued. “Keep going.”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

It bothered me a bit that she was giving me orders, but I decided to shut up and inspect Euraus’
wound for now. Was it because of what Ifrit had said? I finally noticed that the burn’s spread had
slowed down. I felt like I’d be able to stop it from spreading to the rest of his body.

The problem, then, was the part of his body that was already being affected. The affected area
was dark red and looked seriously bad. There were even large blisters beginning to form on the
reddened skin.

‘Um, what do I do now?’

It really was a tragedy. Euraus needed care urgently, but I was the only one capable of giving it
to him. It hadn’t even been that long since I thought that I didn’t really need to have healing
powers. To think that I’d end up needed to use it so soon. I couldn’t help but genuinely wonder if
the gods were testing me.

Why did it have to be the Spirit King of Water who had the Authority to Heal?

There were other water spirits too, like the Ciquels, Undines, and Naiases, so why only me?!

‘…Oh! Now that I think about it, hasn’t everything until now worked out one way or another
whenever I sincerely wished for it? Would that work here too?’

I decided to just go for it and grabbed Euraus’ arm while squeezing my eyes shut. Then, I
concentrated as hard as I could and began mumbling quietly to myself.

“Um, so… I want to Heal this wound, I want to Heal this wound…”

“Good gods. Is that supposed to make it work?”

“Hey! Shut up. I’m trying to brainwash myself, so don’t talk to me.”

Ifrit smirked and decided to simply watch me flounder. I knew she couldn’t help, but to think
that she’d even sneer at the effort I was putting in. She truly was one wicked spirit king.
I couldn’t help but forget about my grudge against her completely when I saw what started
happening just then. White foam bubbles, like ocean spume, began frothing up from beneath my
palms where I was holding Euraus’ arm.

The bubbles crawled quickly up his arm, as if they had a will of their own, until they covered the
entire affected area. They, they seemed to seep inside his skin, and then his skin cleared back up
and regained its original color.

“…Whoa!”

“I’m better now!”

‘W-what? What just happened?’

It had really happened in no time at all. A few seconds, at most. Ifrit pursed her lips together in
surprise too. Euraus, who had been groaning as his clutched his injured arm, also opened his eyes
wide.

“M-my word. I can’t believe my own eyes. My burn wound from the hellfire cleared up so
cleanly… Thank you, Lord Elquiness! Truly, thank you!”

“N-no. It was nothing. Anyway, I’m glad you’re better now.”

“Seriously. I’ve heard so much about your Healing, Lord Elquiness, but I didn’t understand how
amazing it was until now! I’m going to brag about it to my seniors at work when I get back. Not
only did I get to meet the spirit kings, they even did something nice for me personally. They’ll be
so jealous. Hahaha!”

“Um, right. Hahaha…”

‘I’m sure they will be.’ He was so nonchalant about it for someone who could’ve died if
something had gone wrong that I was taken aback.

Species with physical bodies might be okay with dying since they still had their souls, but grim
reapers were already just souls to begin with. Wouldn’t dying just spell the end for them? Why
was he acting like nothing was wrong?

Ifrit looked similarly taken aback.

“You’re an even bigger oddball than Elquiness is. Don’t you get it? Your very existence
could’ve been extinguished if Elquiness hasn’t Healed you. You do know that only a greater god
of healing is capable of treating a hellfire burn, right?”

“Haha, of course I know that.”

“Then why are you so nonchalant about it? You nearly died just now.”
“But I’m still alive, no? Maybe it’s because I successfully overcame the danger? The world
seems so beautiful right now. I guess this kind of thing isn’t too bad every now and again. I feel
incredibly lucky today. Haha!”

…This went beyond merely having a positive outlook. Even Ifrit was rendered speechless.

The excessively positive Guide chuckled cheerfully before turning back to me.

“Oh, I almost forgot that I owe you an apology, Lord Elquiness. I heard that you had to suffer
greatly because of a mistake we made. The higher-ups were especially worried because you
weren’t Obliviated properly. But it looks like I can go ahead and let them know that their worries
were baseless seeing by how you were able to Heal me just fine.”

“I don’t really think that necessitates a report…”

“No, it does. Everyone will be overjoyed to hear it. The Arbiter went out of his way to ask us
Guides to make sure we ask you how you’re doing if we ever bumped into you, Lord Elquiness.”

“The Arbiter… That would be Arehis, right?”

“Yes.”

‘Oh, he was worried about me?’

I had already been feeling guilty about leaving without saying goodbye, and this only made me
feel worse. I had ignorantly been resenting him for making me drink that disgusting liquid. I felt
like I’d just become the biggest ingrate in the world. He had only made me drink that disgusting
liquid for my own good.

‘Ugh, the more I think about it, the more it feels like I did something bad.’

I was momentarily lost in my old(?) memories. What Euraus said next, however, snapped me
back into the present.

“In any event, did you need me for something?”

“…Ack! Right! I forgot because I was too busy Healing you!”

I jumped a little and turned to Ifrit because I expected her to call me an idiot about it right about
now, but she was oddly silent. That was when it hit me…

‘You forgot too!’

I saw her face flush red before she huffed and turned away. She really had forgotten. She had
acted all indifferent about it, but I guess she’d been pretty flustered by Euraus’ injury too.
It made me feel so much better, for some reason. Maybe I was pleased to have found this
incorrigible brat’s hidden side. Ifrit, however, looked rather displeased by my satisfaction.

“What’s with that grin?” she shouted at me with a heavy scowl. “Hurry up and ask the dolt!”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Um, my name is Euraus, not ‘the dolt’…”

“Shut up, you! If I say you’re a dolt, then that’s what you are. How dare you talk back to me?
You wanna fight?”

Euraus stiffened up and fell silent as Ifrit unleashed her wrath upon him. Or maybe he was just
feeling threatened by the ball of fire that had suddenly started blazing from her hand.

It didn’t look like any ordinary ball of fire either… Wait a minute. It was that dangerous rose
from before! When had she even picked it up?!

Ifrit laughed darkly as Euraus turned as pale as a sheet and said, “If you’d like, I can take the
petals off one by one and paste them all over your body.”

“N-no thank you! I don’t mind being called a dolt. Actually, you can call me whatever you want!
Please call me whatever you wish, Lord Ifrit!”

Ifrit was threatening someone who was already traumatized by how effective(?) that flower was.
She really was a villain. Euraus immediately became as meek as a lamb. Evidently, even
someone as positively minded as he was didn’t want to go through that kind of pain all over
again.

“Um, you said your name was Euraus, right? There’s actually something we want to ask you.”

“…What is it?”

Euraus was puzzled as he looked back at me. I heard Ifrit gulp. She was doing her best to keep
her dignity, but I could tell that she was clearly nervous.

“I heard that Guides are able to teleport across the realms with other people. Would you be able
to take us to the Heavenly Realm?”

“I beg your pardon? The Heavenly Realm? You can’t!”

“What was that?”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant… I couldn’t take you there even if I wanted to.”
Euraus had initially responded with a grave look on his face, but he had immediately folded and
corrected himself when Ifrit began glowering at him. ‘Yeah, I know how you feel, buddy.’

“Why’s it not possible?” I asked as my heart was filled with empathy for him. “Is it because it’s
against the rules?”

“Something like that. We Guides can travel across the realms freely, but the Heavenly Realm is
the only place where we’re not allowed to go. We need permission from the gatekeeper who
guards the dimensional boundary if we want to enter the Heavenly Realm. But I won’t be
allowed if I’m not going there to shepherd the souls of the dead.”

“So we need permission to enter, huh…”

“It might be possible for the Arbiter to let you in. But if that’s not the case…”

I was at a loss, but I immediately cheered up when I heard what Euraus had said.

“The Arbiter? That’s Arehis, right? He can let us in to the Heavenly Realm?”

“Y-yes. H-he can.”

“Then, can you please take us to him instead? I’ll ask him personally.”

“Um, but it likely won’t be easy. Even the Arbiter isn’t able to visit the Heavenly Realm if it’s
not for official business..."

"Are you gonna take us to him or not?!”

The hellfire flower in Ifrit’s hand suddenly billowed up like a snowball just then. Euraus began
quivering like a leaf when the giant flames billowed up right in front of his face and sank down
to his feet in alarm.

“I-I’ll take you to him.”

Truly, a girl in love(?) was terrifying indeed.

3.

“Oh dear. You’re really putting me on the spot, Lord Elquiness,” said Arehis in the flesh. He was
Ifrit’s and my reason for coming to the Nether Realm. The very man we had wanted to meet.
Ifrit and I were flustered by his abrupt appearance and promptly turned to stare at Euraus. We
couldn’t help but wonder if he had alerted Arehis of our visit in advance. But Euraus looked just
as shocked as we were. He hadn’t been expecting to see Arehis so suddenly either.

“Ahaha, it’s been a while, Arehis… How have you been?” I said as I stepped forward. After all,
it wasn’t as if there was anything else I could do in the moment.

Technically, it hadn’t even been a month since I’d last seen him. Arehis, however, didn’t point
this out and simply smiled and returned my greeting as etiquette dictated.

“I’ve been well. Thank you for asking. I’m glad to see that you’ve adapted nicely to your
original environment, Lord Elquiness. I was actually quite worried after you left, despite what
appearances may suggest. But it seems that my worries were misplaced. Anyone can see that
you’re a spirit king through and through now.”

“O-oh. Thank you.”

“You’ve altered your appearance too. I would never have guessed that you and the boy called
Jihoon from before were one and the same had I not possessed the ability to identify individuals
by the aura of their soul.”

“Haha… Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“But of course,” Arehis replied with a grin.

Then, his expression changed into something more serious. I flinched on reflex when I saw just
how quickly his expression had changed. The look on his face was graver than anything I’d seen
on him before.

“It was incredibly reckless of you to leave your duties as a spirit king behind,” he admonished.
“Have you already forgotten how disaster has fallen upon Arkadon this past decade and change
simply due to the Spirit King of Water’s absence? I can understand that you, Lord Elquiness,
might not be fully aware of the severity of the consequences yet, but I didn’t think that you, Lord
Ifrit, would join him in his recklessness like this.”

“A-actually, about that…”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. It’s fortunate that the two of you are opposing elements. If
only one of you had left, then Arkadon would have suffered yet again right after things managed
to become stabilized. Spirit kings may be considered perfect beings, but there is a good reason
why the Almighty has not permitted you the power of cross-dimensional teleportation. Do you
not understand what this reason is?”

There was nothing I could say for myself. I hadn’t thought about it that way at all. Judging by the
stiff look on Ifrit’s face, however, it looked that she had known that this could happen.
‘Yeah, I really am still lacking in self-awareness,’ I thought to myself. I still had a long road
ahead of me until I could call myself a spirit king ‘through and through,’ as Arehis had put it.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but stare anew at Ifrit, who had decided to come here with me despite
knowing about the potential consequences.

She had come here fully knowing that disaster could befall Arkadon because of us. And she had
done it anyway because she wanted to know where the previous Elquiness was that badly.

Thankfully, it looked like Arehis didn’t intend to rebuke us any further. Instead, he let out an airy
sigh and looked at Ifrit in me in turns.

“In any event, what business do you two have all the way here? I take it that it must be important
enough that you had no choice but to cross into another realm?”

“What? You don’t know? I was so sure you did, since you appeared before us as soon as we got
here…”

“Of course I don’t. I’m not omniscient, after all. I only came to see what was going on because I
felt the aura of spirits teleporting into the Nether Realm and thought it strange.”

“Is that so? Then, I guess we’re in luck. We were actually hoping to meet you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. There’s something we want to ask you.”

There was brief moment of silent as Arehis peered into me before he nodded back.

“…Very well. In that case, let us relocate somewhere else. You may be dismissed, Euraus.”

“What? I-I can just go? I won’t be punished or anything…?”

Euraus, who had been frozen stiff in nervousness, looked incredibly flustered as he finally raised
his head. I felt my heart drop when I heard him mentioning something about being punished. He,
too, had been prepared to face punishment by bringing us here.

It was only then that it finally hit me that I had so thoughtlessly done something so incredibly
reckless.

‘I’ve been a complete nuisance!’

Fortunately, it looked like Arehis was willing to overlook the entire matter.

“While it is no small matter that you’ve brought two spirit kings here,” Arehis said as he shook
his head, “you haven’t gone against any rules either. I will let this slide just this once. But please
keep in mind that I will not be so lenient next time.”
“I’ll take it to heart. Thank you for being lenient with me.” There was clear gratitude and joy in
Euraus’ voice. Then, he sketched a bow to Ifrit and me as well, saying, “I will take my leave
now. It was an honor to meet the two of you.”

“Yeah. Take care, Euraus. And thank you agreeing to our request even though it must’ve been
difficult for you.”

“Not at all. You saved my life, after all. I’m actually sorry that this was all I could do for you in
return. I pray that whatever you’re trying to accomplish will go as you hoped.”

He was courteous to us even as he bid farewell. He sketched Arehis one last bow before leaving
through the door in the corner of the area.

Only one person had left, but a heavy silence fell down amongst the rest of us. Ifrit and I
awkwardly exchanged looks. Neither of us had any idea what we were supposed to do next.

It was Arehis who spoke up first.

“Please follow me,” he said as he turned around.

***

Arehis led us to a white space that I remembered being in previously. This time, however, the
scenery around us changed as soon as we stepped inside.

Once again, the scenery had changed into the room with the tea table over the crimson carpet.
Sitting on top of the table was a steaming hot teapot and three cups. Had this all been prepared in
advance?

Arehis pulled out the chairs and gestured at Ifrit and me to take a seat as we dithered.

“Why don’t we sit down before we start talking?” He then proceeded to pour the hot tea into the
cups before passing them to us. Then, he continued, “Well, then. What did you want to ask of
me?”

“Um, actually… We’d like to visit the Heavenly Realm.”

“The Heavenly Realm?”

“Yes. I heard that you might be able to let us in. Can’t you help us out just this once?”
Arehis’ eyes widened like saucers, and he fell silent for quite some time. He must’ve been
considerably shocked. His expression was colored by bewilderment when he finally managed to
pull himself together.

“What business do you have in the Heavenly Realm…? Even I cannot open the gates to the
Heavenly Realm without an official purpose. Would you mind telling me what you need to do in
the Heavenly Realm in more detail?”

“T-there’s something we want to look into for personal reasons.”

“Hmm? You were only born just recently, Lord Elquiness. What could you possibly need to look
into that requires visiting the Heavenly Realm? You don’t exactly have any connections there.
…Oh. Does this personal reason happen to be Lord Ifrit’s, by any chance?”

Arehis’ gaze turned to Ifrit, who had been taking a sip of tea. He had posed it as a question, but it
looked like he was already sure of the answer. Ifrit, however, neither confirmed nor denied his
unspoken claim and simply continued to avoid his gaze his silence. Then again, she had been
keeping her feelings a secret for so long that it was unlikely that she would suddenly start
confessing them in front of someone whom she had only just met today.

“N-no, Arehis,” I said in a hurry. Who else was here to take the fall for her if not me? “We’re
here for me. I wanted to meet the previous Elquiness before me.”

“You wish to meet the previous Elquiness?”

“Yes. I’ve heard so much about him, and I because so curious about what kind of person he was
that I couldn’t help myself. Ifrit’s only here because I begged her to come with me.”

‘Hahaha. Hear that, Ifrit? I’m sacrificing myself for you. Moves you to tears, doesn’t it?’

I stole a glance at her, but she was only looking back at me like I had lost my mind or something.
‘Wow, what a disappointment. Was my sacrifice all for nothing?’

“Hmm, I see. But how can you say for certain that the previous Elquiness is currently residing in
the Heavenly Realm?”

“What? Oh, well… I can’t. I figured that things would work out one way or another once I
started looking for him and put in some elbow grease. I remembered something that you told me
before, Arehis. Something about how spirit kings either enter the Heavenly Realm or walk the
path of the afterlife after they extinguish. That’s why I thought…”

“I see.”

I gingerly studied the look on Arehis’ face. Was my request to let us into the Heavenly Realm
too personal? I hadn’t expected my little story to change his mind completely, but his reaction
was worse than what I had been anticipating.
Should I just tell him the truth and appeal to his emotions instead?

Ifrit was unable to let go of her unrequited love even after the target of her love had
extinguished. It was possible that it would make things easier if I just came clean. It was the
truth, after all.

I flinched as I felt the air freezing around us. ‘There’s no helping it, I guess. My only path
forward is to find some grounds for compromise.’

“Um, if it’s too much to ask you to take us to the Heavenly Realm, then could you at least tell us
where the previous Elquiness is currently? Or is that also too much to ask for?”

“…Who could say?”

‘That’s a no too?’

I couldn’t hide my disappointment when I saw the awkward expression on Arehis’ face. Were
Ifrit and I really going to return empty-handed after coming all the way here? I couldn’t help but
feel upset when I saw how gloomy Ifrit looked.

‘You’re so cheap! A god should be able to do at least that much, Arehis!’

“It’s Elluen,” Arehis said out of nowhere.

“What?”

I opened my eyes wide. ‘W-what’s that about? Can gods use Perception too? But who’s Elluen?
Is his name actually Elluen and not Arehis?’

I turned to Ifrit because I was confused. She shrugged back. She was just as lost. Arehis seemed
to find us amusing and started chuckling.

“Lord Elluen is your predecessor—the person whom you are curious about. His full name is
Elluen Crino Lusate. You were right, Lord Elquiness. He entered the Heavenly Realm and
ascended into godhood. He’s a greater god of the demonic attribute, and he’s the supreme god of
a realm called Vyton.”

I coughed. “W-what did you just say?”

“Are you serious?” Ifrit was practically shrieking as she sprang up to her feet.

Arehis was completely unperturbed as he nodded back calmly and continued, “Normally, I’m not
supposed to tell anyone, but I’m making an exception for the two of you because you’re spirit
kings. This is information that you’ll find out eventually after you’ve completed your terms as
spirit kings anyway.”
“I-I see. I knew it was possible, but it still surprises me to learn that he actually became a god.
Right, Ifrit?” I asked, seeking my fellow spirit king’s concurrence.

Ifrit only nodded back in a blank daze. She sat back down, but she looked completely stunned.
Then again, even I was so surprised that my heart had skipped a beat. The shock must’ve been
worse for her.

And to think that he had become a greater god, to boot. I had always thought that he would end
up becoming someone amazing. And I’d been right. The greater gods were the highest-ranking
gods in the Heavenly Realm after the Almighty, and they were so rare that there weren’t even
twenty of them.

Just then, I suddenly recalled and old romance novel that I had read when I was young. It was
about a girl whose first love had advanced so far in life that he had become a prince on a white
stead. I couldn’t help but wonder if Ifrit’s feelings were similar to what the protagonist of that
novel had felt. Elluen was a nice-sounding name, too.

‘…Wait a minute. Is Arehis only telling us this because we won’t be able to meet him?’

I’d been prepared for this to be the case, but I couldn’t help but feel bitter about ending things
like this. Ifrit must’ve been on the same page, as she was looking pretty wistful too. I suppose we
had at least been lucky enough to learn about the previous Elquiness’ current whereabouts.

Then, as if he’d been waiting for us to react, Arehis stood up and said, “Well, then…”

I couldn’t help but gasp. Was he sending us back already?

Ifrit and I stared up at him in shock. Arehis broke out laughing yet again when he saw how
flustered we were. Was it really that funny to watch us fidgeting over our lingering regrets? I
couldn’t help but think that he really was a spiteful god.

That was why I almost doubted my own ears when I heard what he said next.

“What are you two doing? Didn’t you want to visit the Heavenly Realm?”

“Wait. What?”

“It’s a good thing that it’s the afternoon. I’m not sure if you knew this, but time runs
concurrently in the Four Great Realms. We won’t be bothering Lord Elluen even if we visit his
palace at this hour.”

“T-then…?”

‘Is he really going to take us to the Heavenly Realm?;

I couldn’t hide my surprise. I had really thought that he wasn’t going to. He had definitely told us
that even he couldn’t open the gates to the Heavenly Realm without good reason, and it was
obvious that my reasons for wanting to visit the Heavenly Realm were trivial at best. (I just
wanted to know what kind of person my predecessor is. How was that not trivial?) So, what had
made him change his mind?

“It’s because I owe you a debt, Lord Elquiness,” Arehis replied gently. It was almost like he had
read my mind.

“What? Oh yeah, b-but still…”

“It’s all right. You had to suffer so much because of our mistake, so this is the least I can do for
you in return. However, I can’t let you stay for too long. You’ll only have enough time to briefly
say hello. And, naturally, this will be the last time that I open the gates for either of you.”

“O-of course! I wouldn’t be shameless enough to ask you to do this for us again. Never! I swear
it!”

I was so nervous that I ended up saying something that I probably didn’t have to. Perhaps Arehis
had found my reaction amusing, as there was a faint smile on his face as he nodded back.

“Very good. Then, shall we? This will be an unprecedented event. Many spirit kings have come
to the Nether Realm in order to visit the Heavenly Realm in the past, but none of them have ever
succeeded.”

‘It’s that difficult of a request, but you’re still gonna take us there anyway?!

‘Oh! I can almost see a halo shining around him as he’s walking away. I take back everything I
was complaining about earlier! How could I possibly think such terrible things about such a
kindhearted god? I’ll never forget what you’ve done for us today! Thank you so much, Arehis!’

“This is great, Ifrit. We can go to the Heavenly Realm!”

“Y-yeah!”

Ifrit was just as excited as I was, and her cheeks were flushing bright red.

“Oh, right,” Arehis said just then as he stopped in his tracks. “I almost forgot to tell you
something.”

“Please go ahead, Arehis!” Ifrit replied. She had apparently become a fan of his at some point,
and she was even saying ‘please’ even though she normally didn’t. I quietly clicked my tongue.

‘Are you gonna end up kowtowing in front of the previous Elquiness or something?’ I could
barely even imagine it, but I felt like she really might at this rate. It actually scared me a little.
But I flinched when I saw Arehis’ face just then. There was a pregnant smile spreading across his
face.

“Didn’t you tell me that it was you, Lord Elquiness, who wanted to meet Lord Elluen?”

“W-what? Oh, I did… But that’s…”

“It’s a beautiful thing to care so much about your brethren, but it isn’t good to lie, Lord
Elquiness.”

“Ahaha…”

‘He’s caught on!’

Then again, I had probably acted a little too boldly for someone who was making a big request.
Ifrit had been so nervous this entire time that it probably would’ve been weirder if Arehis hadn’t
caught on. I forced myself to laugh in the lieu of a proper reply because I was too embarrassed to
say anything.

“Wait, that’s what that was all about?” Ifrit asked as she turned to me. It sounded like she only
just realized what had happened. “I was wondering why you were being so forward about it.
You’re a funny one, you know that?”

“I’m funny…? You’re supposed to say ‘thank you.’ How is that the only thing you’re saying to
me after I was being all considerate for you?”

“Hmph. Did I ask you to do that for me? Well, I guess it doesn’t feel too bad. You can be useful
at times too, huh.”

I didn’t respond.

‘What were you even expecting, Kang Jihoon? You already knew that she’s a witch, remember?
Don’t let her get to you, don’t let her get to you, don’t let her get to… Screw this!

‘Dang it! What the hell? I was being so considerate of you too!

‘Don’t you dare think I’ll ever do something like this for you ever again!’

I began raging at Ifrit inside my heart. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that there would never come
a day that I’d be coming out on top.

***
“Here we are.”

We had walked on and on through a labyrinth of narrow hallways until finally arriving at a small
and remote room. It was windowless and dark, and the interior was completely undecorated save
for a single large piece of furniture. The piece of furniture was hidden under a thick cloth, so I
couldn’t tell what it was.

‘I thought we were going to the Heavenly Realm. Why did he take us here?’

Arehis walked up to the piece of furniture and pulled off the cloth covering it while Ifrit and I
dithered. The dust that had piled up on top of the cloth scattered everywhere (I was actually
surprised that dust even existed here to begin with) as the piece of furniture hidden underneath
was finally uncovered. It was a long and round over-shaped mirror that was taller than I was.

The mirror had been left abandoned for quite some time, if the dust was anything to go off of,
but its surface was as clean as though it had only just been manufactured. It was so clean, in fact,
that it almost looked like there was actually another me standing there in front of me.

I touched it without much thought, but I startled and jumped back when a strange sensation shot
through my fingers. The mirror wasn’t hard and cold as I had been expecting, but instead felt like
I had dipped my hand in a sloshing body of water.

“W-what the…?”

There were actual ripples spreading gently across the mirror’s surface. Was the mirror not make
from glass, but rather an actual lake? I was about to fall into serious thought when I heard
Arehis’ calm voice filtering through my ear.

“This is the Mirror of Connection.”

“C-Connection?”

“Normally, it’s just an ordinary mirror, but its characteristics change when someone ranked as an
intermediary god or greater stands in front of it. You can call it a type of ‘gate’ that leads to the
Heavenly Realm.”

“A gate… You mean, we need to go through it?”

“It’s exactly what it looks like,” Arehis replied as he put his hand inside the mirror. Something
splashed audibly as his entire arm passed right through without any resistance. He drew his hand
back after his little demonstration. Then, he continued, “The passageway only opens for one
person at a time. You won’t be able to see anyone else while you’re inside, so please keep this in
mind. The two of you should go first, since the gate will close once I go through.”

“Um, what’s inside the mirror? Water?”

“It’s just an ordinary hallway. All you have to do is keep walking straight until you reach the
entrance on the other side. Beyond the gate, you’ll find the Divine Corridor, which is also known
as the entrance to the Heavenly Realm.”

‘Wow. Why does hearing him explain it like that make it all seem so much realer?’

Maybe that was why I suddenly started feeling nervous even though I’d been perfectly find just
moments ago. Ifrit, on the other hand, looked excited.

“Hmph. So, I just need to keep walking, right? Can I go first?”

“It doesn’t particularly matter.”

“Alright, then I’ll go first. See you later, Elquiness.”

“Ack! W-wait, Ifrit…!”

She jumped inside the mirror and vanished before I could stop her. Arehis looked puzzled as he
watched me stand there like an idiot with my hand outstretched.

“Are you not going in, Lord Elquiness?”

“U-um… Haha, I just need a minute. It’s because I lack experience, as I’m sure you already
know. I’m not quite mentally prepared…”

“Did you know?” Arehis began explaining with a grin. “The exit on the other end won’t
materialize if I don’t go last, even if Lord Ifrit’s already gone through.”

“What?”

“It’s a little trick to prevent unscrupulous people from trying to invade the Heavenly Realm
through the Nether Realm. Additionally, there’s a time limit on how long the gates will remain
open until I go in after someone else. They’ll close automatically if I don’t enter before time’s
up. In other words, even as you hesitate, Lord Elquiness, the clock is still ticking on how much
time there is for me to enter before the gates close. If I don’t make it in time, Lord Ifrit won’t be
able to find the exit and will end up trapped inside the mirror forever…”

“Ahh! I’m going! I’m going!” I screamed as I quickly ran inside the mirror.

That was when I saw Arehis’ eyes curling into smiles of triumph.

‘Damn it! He was messing with me!

‘I take back what I said about taking back calling him spiteful! Damn it all!’
Chapter 7
1.

The hallway inside the mirror was very long and narrow. It was fortunate that everyone who
passed through the mirror got their own hallways, since it was barely wide enough to fit one
adult. It was a magical hallway anyway.

Why can’t it be just a little bigger? What are you supposed to do if you’re claustrophobic? I
thought pointlessly to myself as I continued forward.

I unexpectedly came to a stop just as I reached the other end. I had thought that there would only
be one exit, but there were two. There were no signs to tell me which one I was supposed to take,
and both doors were the same shape and color.

“…What? He never said anything about this.”

‘Where the heck am I supposed to go?’

Eventually, I decided to take an exit at random. I hoped that both of them would lead me to the
same destination regardless.

Unfortunately, I felt like the floor had vanished beneath me as soon as I opened one of the doors
and stepped inside. There was no ground beyond the door, but I was already plummeting
downward by the time I realized this.

“Ahhh!”

‘Why the hell is there a cliff here?! Are you expected to put your life on the line to visit the
Heavenly Realm?! No one told me anything about this! You never said anything about this,
Arehis!’

Luckily, the drop wasn’t as far as I’d been bracing for, and I landed on the ground before long.
Tragically, however, I had landed on a hill and began tumbling down it before I’d even had the
chance to figure out my bearings.

“Ugh, what the hell…?”

I saw a mysterious forest all around me by the time I collected myself. In any event, it looked
like I had managed to make it here in one piece.

Arehis had only said that I needed to cross through the gate on the other side. I hadn’t realized
that it would end up being so stressful. I groaned as a dull pain spread throughout my body as I
pulled myself up to my feet. I wasn’t injured, but I did feel as though I’d taken quite the beating.

That was how I learned that spirits could feel pain too.
‘But I’m not happy about that at all, Arehis, you gods-damned god! I was nearly about to depart
from the world! You need to tell about these things in advance!’

I probably would have managed to avoid tumbling so disgracefully down the hill if only I’d
known about the drop up front. I grinded my teeth together as I swore vengeance on Arehis.

‘Anyway, where’s Ifrit? Is she okay?’

I began looking around for the brat who had gone first and was supposed to have experienced the
unexpected drop before me. What I found, however, was not Ifrit but rather a great tree.

Calling it ‘big’ didn’t do it justice. Its trunk was so wide that a dozen men could circle around it
and still fail to surround it completely, and its branches were about as thick as the trunks of your
average trees.

There was a snow-white fruit hanging from each of the great tree’s branches. The fruits, like the
tree itself, were also abnormally large. If that was the only strange thing about the tree, then I
would have simply written it off and thought that trees in the Heavenly Realm were just larger
than usual. However, I couldn’t help but drop my jaw when I took a closer look at the fruits. The
fruits’ skin was so thin that it was see-through, which meant that I could clearly see what was
going on inside. And inside the fruits…

“I-is that a person? There are people inside!”

Inside each of the fruits hanging from the tree were unmistakably people, no matter how I looked
at them. And they weren’t babies or children either. They looked like fully-grown adults.

‘What the hell?! Do people grow on trees here? Or is that just a man-eating tree?!’

I fell into a complete panic. I wanted to rescue the people inside the fruits at once, but the tree
was too tall for me to reach them. Besides, I didn’t even know if it was okay for me to touch
them either. And then…

Rustle.

I gasped and turned around on reflex when I heard a noise from behind me. At first, I thought
that it must be either Ifrit or Arehis.

“Huh?”

But I was wrong. Standing behind me was a blonde man whom I had never met before in my
life. He was incredibly handsome, too! I had thought that I’d grown quite used to beauty after
living(?) amongst my fellow spirit kings, but the stranger was so good-looking that he blew
everyone else out of the water.
His platinum blonde hair, which he had tied loosely at around shoulder length and fell below his
waist, glittered as if each strand had been spun from pure gold, and his skin was so pale it could
have been carved from ivory. His eyes, as cold as ice, were the color of water but with an
additional touch of mystery. It was almost… Yes, it was almost as if I was looking at a moving
statue carved from precious jewels.

The beautiful statute was looking down at me apathetically. The way his eyes narrowed ever so
slightly indicated that he was a bit displeased about something.

“Who are you?”

‘Whoa! He has a nice voice too.’

His voice was so deep and sonorous that just listening to it made me feel refreshed. That was
why I couldn’t help but stupidly think that the blatant disrespect in his voice suited him rather
well. I wasn’t even offended. What a fraud…

I quickly pulled myself back together as he continued to stare at me openly.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered as I waved my hands. “I just…”

“What’s a spirit king doing here?”

“Huh?”

“…And it seems that you aren’t alone.”

‘Wow, he’s good. How did he know?’

He began scrutinizing me up and down in displeasure as I froze up in surprise.

“A hot and dry aura, and a humid and dull one… I heard that the gates were opened. Was it the
Nether Realm’s doing?” he muttered to himself before turning around as if he didn’t really care.
“I don’t know why you’re here, but you should hurry along and go back. You’ll cause a
headache for everyone if you’re absent from the Spirit Realm for too long.”

“Ah! E-excuse me. Please wait a second!”

He stopped walking away and turned around to look at me apathetically once again when I called
out to him. The look on his face was clearing telling me that I should hurry up and spit out
whatever I had to say. He was apparently in more of a rush than his appearances suggested. I
forced myself to start talking because I felt like he’d just leave if I hesitated too long.

“I actually have no clue about what’s going on right now.”

“…What?”
“Is this the Heavenly Realm?”

‘Was my question really that strange?’

The man stared at me in confusion for a moment before icily replying, “Indeed. This is the Azure
Chamber of the Heavenly Realm.”

“The Azure…?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No, I just happened to fall here… Wait! Does that mean that this isn’t the Divine Corridor?
That’s where I was trying to go!”

“…You got caught by randomness. Then again, you wouldn’t have been able to come here begin
with otherwise,” he muttered incomprehensibly to himself again (damn him for his grumbling) as
his furrowed his elegant brow. Then, he pointed somewhere with his gaze and asked me, “Do
you see that?”

He was looking at the gigantic tree that I had found earlier.

I nodded back in the heat of the moment and answered, “Oh, the tree with people hanging from
it…”

“They’re not people. They’re celestials.”

“…What? Celestials?”

He frowned again when he saw that I didn’t understand what he was saying, and then he let out a
soft sigh. I broke out into a cold sweat, worried that I was frustrating him.

“Wait here,” he said curtly.

“What?”

He left me behind in my confusion and walked up to the tree. Then, something alarming
happened. One of the ripened fruits began squirming, and then it suddenly fell to the ground.

I gasped. The fruit continued to wriggle even after it had fallen. It was almost as if it had a mind
of its own. The person sitting inside the fruit with their knees folded against the chest, however,
kept their eyes clothes as if they couldn’t feel the fruit moving at all.

Then, I heard a noise as the fruit began ripping apart from the crevasse at the back that made it
look kind of like a peach. Simultaneously, a mysterious liquid began pouring out from where the
fruit was ripping open.
Swoosh!

The fruit’s skin split exactly in half, and then the ripped skin was pushed off to the side. The
liquid that had been inside the fruit spilled out like a deluge. The once-swollen fruit decreased to
half its original size in no time at all. All that was left of it now was its ripped and wrinkled skin
and the person still sitting inside.

‘A-are they dead?’

The person who had been inside didn’t start moving even after the fruit had burst open. I was
terribly worried and tried to run up to them, but the man, who had been watching the entire
process like he couldn’t care any less, stayed me.

“I thought I told you to wait?”

“I know. But we should still check to make sure they’re alive…”

“You say the most foolish things. Of course she’s alive. She was only just born.”

“What?”

‘She was only just born?’

I turned to look at him, silently demanding an explanation. Just before I could open my mouth to
say anything, however, something began moving from underneath the fruit skin. The person who
had been inside had finally come to, and she was slowly starting to get up.

She coughed quietly as she crawled out. She was a lovely young girl with pure-white hair and
pink eyes. There was a strange picture drawn on her forehead. It was a scale with two weights,
with a large snake wrapped around the entire thing.

‘It almost looks like a brand…’

I thought this because the pattern seemed like it had been sunken into her skin. It was the kind of
mark that couldn’t appear on the skin unless it had been scarred like that on purpose. But the
mark on the girl’s forehead was white, instead of the reddish color it would have been if it had
been burned on. It looked rather beautiful instead of looking painful or gross.

I stared at the mark in a blank daze before I snapped back to my senses. The girl was completely
naked. Well, technically, I guess she was still covered by the fruit skin.

“U-um, are you okay? You should put something on…”

“Leave her be,” the blonde-haired man said coldly yet again.
“Look here,” I raged as he glared back at him. “Even if you don’t want to help her, why do you
keep—”

But that was all that I managed to say. Light began bursting out from the girl’s body, and the
fruit skin covering her suddenly began to transform.

Each individual piece of the ripped-up skin began squirming and came together behind the girl’s
back. The pieces of fruit skin looked ugly at first as they all clumped together, but then they
started growing thinner and thinner until they were practically clinging to the girl’s figure. Then,
they reached toward the heavens like they were stretching before finally transforming three pairs
of snow-white wings.

I froze in place wordlessly as I watched. The girl’s figure was familiar somehow. I felt like I’d
seen beings like her before. It was almost as if… As if she was…

“…An angel?”

“Some call them that. It’s only a title, though,” the blonde man said in response to the thoughts I
had uttered out loud.

“I-is this where angels are born?” I asked as I forced my stiff neck to turn so I could look at him.

“Strictly speaking, they’re celestials. I thought I already told you that.”

“What are celestials?”

“…You’re looking at one. The term refers to a race of beings who are born to serve the gods.
They start by slumbering while submerged in lifewater, and they awaken when they sense a god
who requires their service. Just like now.”

“What? Does that mean you’re a god?” I asked in a state of panic.

The blonde man frowned. It was the biggest frown I’d seen him make so far.

“You’re asking the obvious. Can you not tell by the aura emitting from my being? You’re a spirit
king.”

“Ahaha, I happen to be a bit dull…”

“…So it seems. Let me tell you one more thing while I’m at it. Normally, only gods are able to
enter this place.”

“What? R-really?”

“Must I answer that too?”

I pressed my mouth shut. He was very clearly calling me an idiot with his eyes. This god was
just as cheap as Arehis was. It was just a simple question, but he wasn’t nice enough to answer it.

The man walked up to the girl who was struggling to get up as I grumbled to myself.

“Your name shall be Naduel,” he told her as he took off his jacket and placed it around her.

“Naduel…”

“Do you recognize me?”

It wasn’t long before the girl, who had been staring vacantly back at the man, nodded back.
Then, the mark on her forehead began shining blue. It was a beautiful color, as if someone had
grinded up a bunch of sapphires and sprinkled them over the mark.

“I, Naduel, greet my noble master.”

The girl then wrapped her arms around her chest and courteously got down on her knees. Then,
for the first time, a gentle smile alighted the icy and emotionless man’s visage.

“I welcome you, Naduel. My child,” he whispered as he gently placed his hand on the kneeling
angel’s head.

I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know how to describe it. I was only watching over a scene that had
absolutely nothing to do with me, but my heart suddenly choked up with emotion. It felt like the
whole world had been dyed white just then, and that the man and the girl were the only being
who existed.

‘Oh, is that how it is? Gods must see angels as their adorable children.’

It was only then that I finally realized why the man had stopped me from approaching the girl.
What kind of person would let some random guy just go up and touch their precious newborn
child?

The bond between the two of them was something that a stranger like me could not dare
encroach. I hadn’t even known that, and I had simply gotten angry while thinking that he had
been getting in my way when I was only trying to help. How pathetic I must seem to him.

“What is it?” the man asked. He seemed to be wondering why I was still here.

“I-it’s nothing!” In my bewilderment, I ended up babbling the first things that came to mind. “I
just thought it was really nice to see the two of you together. But, um, why are you calling her
your child?”

“She was born from my aura. Thus, she is my responsibility for the rest of eternity. That is why I
call her my child.”
“Huh, I see. That’s really cool.”

“Cool?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything strange by that. How should I put it… It’s like there’s an
unbreakable bond between the two of you? Like the bond between a parent and their child.
Someone that an outsider can’t be a part of. I’ve always wanted to have something like that. I felt
like there was something like that when I was watching the two you for just now. I’m a bit
envious.”

“…You envy the strangest things. As a spirit king, you should also feel something similar toward
the spirits serving you. Do you not?”

“Oh yeah. I guess I do.”

I smiled awkwardly. I hadn’t thought about that.

The man watched me quietly for a moment before, in a somewhat hollow voice, he muttered,
“You’re battered and bruised.”

“What?”

“I’m surprised that someone like you, who looks like a glass bowl on the brink of shattering to
pieces, is the new Elquiness. Who were they kidding? We shouldn’t have been relieved so
quickly just because the Spirit King of Water had finally returned.”

“…We’ve only just met, but your words are pretty harsh. I haven’t done anything so bad that I
need to hear you say something like that to me. I don’t need you meddling in my affairs either.”

“If you say so.” There was a faint sneer on his lips as he muttered. I felt my excitement from
earlier cooling rapidly.

“Besides, why do you keep talking down to me?” I asked in a fit of rage. “You might be a god,
but I’m still a spirit king, you know?”

“And?”

“What do you mean, and?! Have you never lived amongst society before? Maybe you don’t
know because you’ve only lived as a god until now! I may be young and lower-ranked than you
are, but I’m still a king in my realm. Proper etiquette dictates that you’re supposed to give me the
respect that I deserve! It’s unpleasant that you keep being so rude to me!”

“In that case, you can simply be rude too.”

‘Damn, you’re really gonna keep this up until the bitter end, aren’t you?’
The man was looking back at me like he was having great fun. He looked curious to see how I
would react. The inquisitive light in his eyes made me blow my top.

“Damn it all! You think I can’t be rude if I don’t want to? Besides, what kind of god are you
even supposed to be?! Tell me your name! Don’t you know that you’re normally supposed to
introduce yourself when you meet someone for the first time? It’s cowardly of you to not tell me
who you are, especially when you clearly already know that I’m Elquiness!”

“Cowardly? I simply recognized you with my abilities. You should endeavor to do the same, if
you wish to know who I am.”

“What? What the hell?! Anyone can see that I’m a spirit just by looking at me! And there are
only four of us spirit kings! There are only four spirit kings, but there are as many gods out there
as there are grains of sand on the beach. Who do you think is more likely to guess correctly on
the first try, huh? I’m obviously at the disadvantage here!”

“As there are grains of sand on the beach, was it…?”

“Exactly! Besides, I have other important matters to attend to here in the Heavenly Realm! I
don’t have the time to go around guessing who you are, okay? I can’t be away from the Sprit
Realm for too long!”

“That’s your problem, no?”

“…Ugh!”

Why in the world was I wasting my time with this asshole? And I was also the only one getting
angry. He was simply observing my reactions with perfect composure. I felt like I’d become a
circus monkey or something.

A moment later, he patted me on the head while I fumed and said, “You’re an amusing one, I
see. As much as I’d like to keep playing with you, I’m afraid it’s time for us to part ways.”

“What? Who says I was playing with you—?!”

“Aren’t they here for you?”

It was then that I finally heard voices calling out for me from far away. I whipped around on
reflex and saw two familiar figures running toward me from the distance. They were Ifrit and
Arehis.

“Ifrit! Arehis! I’m over here!”

I was so happy to see them that I began waving at them with both arms. Then, the man—who
was still patting me on the head—whispered something to me.
“I’ll give you a gift if we ever meet again.”

“…What?”

‘If we ever meet again?’

Feeling that something was amiss, I turned back around. But he was already nowhere to be
found. Naduel, the newly born celestials who had been right by his side, was also nowhere to be
seen.

“W-what’s going on?”

“Lord Elquiness!”

“Elquiness, you idiot!”

The two of them ran straight to me, grabbed me by the arms, and sighed in relief.

“So this is where you were. Are you all right?”

“You dimwit! How the heck did you even get here? Do you know how long we were looking for
you?”

Arehis was ashen-faced, and Ifrit immediately began telling me off. But what had I even done?
All I’d done was open the door and walk inside, and then I’d found myself here. What was I
supposed to do about it? I scowled.

“In any case, I’m glad we found you,” Arehis said with another sigh. “You don’t know how
surprised I was to learn that you’d been caught by randomness…”

“Randomness?”

The blonde-haired man had said something like that too.

“Lord Haiten, the greater god who governs dimensional travel, is rather mischievous. From time
to time, he likes to mess around with it and make people randomly end up in the wrong place.
We call it ‘getting caught by randomness.’ But he’s never messed with the Gates of Connection
before… Well, you probably went inside the mirror just as he was fiddling around, Lord
Elquiness.”

‘So basically, I just have terrible luck, right?’ I scowled.

“Seriously,” Ifrit said while giving me a pitiful look. “How is it that you can never manage to do
anything properly? You have a strange talent for causing accidents all over the place.”

“How was any of this my fault? I was surprised too, okay?”

“In any case, you were lucky that you didn’t end up straying too far away. Sometimes, if things
go really wrong when you get caught by randomness, you can get trapped in the rift between
realms forever or end up somewhere truly dangerous. It would’ve taken an incredibly long time
to get you out if you somehow managed to end up in Hell.”

Arehis was smiling and his voice sounded nonchalant, but what he said had been truly chilling.
Then, he turned to the two daunted spirit kings standing in front of him and smiled as he
continued, “Anyway, why don’t we leave now? This is the Azure Chamber, the place where the
lifewater of the celestials grow, and it’s a heavily regulated area where only greater gods are
typically able to enter. I asked the guards to let us in because this was an emergency, but we
shouldn’t linger around for very long.”

“What? Only the greater gods can come here?”

“Yes. Is something wrong?”

“Ahaha. Nope. Everything’s good.”

‘Wait. Does that mean that Blondie was a greater god?’

Then again, his presence had felt so majestic that I’d nearly forgotten how to breathe when I’d
first laid my eyes on him (though his appearance had played a huge part in that too). Arehis was
a god too, but he wasn’t nearly as intimidating as that man had been.

And yet, I had been so rude to someone so mighty. I’d gotten angry with him too. I’d even said
something about how there were as many gods out there as there were grains of sand on the
beach, or something along those lines.

“I’ll give you a gift if we ever meet again.”

I suddenly recalled the last words he had left me. Was it only by chance that I suddenly
remembered them just now? I’d ignored him at the time, figuring that it was all just nonsense
anyway, but he had probably meant what he had said. And I was certain that his ‘gift’ wouldn’t
exactly be something good for me.

‘I feel like I’ve just made a big mistake…’

I stealthily wiped away the cold sweat on my forehead. I was so glad that the man had simply left
without a word. All I could do now was pray desperately that I wouldn’t run into him again
while I was here.

2.
The Heavenly Realm consisted of 13 restricted areas, including the Azure Chamber, 189
sanctuaries, 2,069 open areas, and an infinite number of divine palaces. Size-wise, it was on a
completely different dimension from the Spirit Realm, where you could technically see the
whole thing from the center (though, it really was a different dimension).

“Whoa…”

I voiced my admiration as I saw the sprawling hills and beautifully lined streets. I had expected it
to be incredible here since this was where the gods lived, but everything was so much more
beautiful and serene than I could have ever imagined. It even felt like there was a pleasant aroma
in the air.

“Lord Elluen’s palace is just a little farther away,” said Arehis contentedly when he saw how
busily Ifrit and I were looking around.

I stuck right next to him—he’d been walking in front of me—and asked, “Um, Arehis? You said
that every god has their own palace, right? Does that mean that you have a palace here too?”

“But of course. It’s only about as big as a temple, however.”

“The divine palaces come in different sizes?”

“The size of a god’s palace depends on how much divine power they have. That’s why
intermediary gods such as myself only have palaces the size of a manor or a temple. A greater
god’s palace, on the other hand, in incomparably larger.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Do you see that palace over there?”

I turned to look where Arehis was pointing and immediately saw a palace that was surrounded by
giant ramparts. It was located deep within the woods, and there was a narrow path that led up to
the palace’s milky-white walls. It was very picturesque.

“That’s a beautiful castle. Does it belong to a greater god?”

“Yes. It belongs to Flowers, the Goddess of Flowers.4 It’s renowned for being the most beautiful
of the divine palaces. That being said, all of the greater gods’ palaces are equally grand and
beautiful. Lord Elluen’s palace, where we are heading now, is no different.”

Elluen’s palace, which appeared in the distance not too long afterward, was just as majestic and
beautiful as Arehis had said it would be. The road from the gates to the actual castle was about as
long as an entire village was wide, but the road itself was paved with diamonds. A clear and
beautiful sound, like a harp, echoed from the forests on either side of the road every time a
breeze blew past.
A god’s palace was created from their divine powers. The scenery around me was a testament to
just how amazing the master of this place truly was.

“What is Elluen the god of?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s a Goddess of Flowers and a god who governs dimensional travel. It just felt like
every god seemed to have some kind of moniker. I think I heard that you’re also called the God
of the Dead, Arehis.”

“…Hmm. Are you curious?”

Arehis had been collected until now, but a strange light began stirring in his eyes. He seemed a
little reluctant to continue. He had always been so willing to explain things to me that I couldn’t
help but be shocked that he was suddenly so hesitant to answer. It looked like Ifrit was starting to
get nervous too.

“Well, Lord Elquiness,” Arehis continued, “every god is born with their own unique attributes,
for lack of a better word. We largely divide them into two categories: heavenly and demonic. Of
course, there are a myriad of differences within each of those categories as well.”

“I remember. You said that Elluen was a god with a demonic attribute.”

“You can say that heavenly attributes consist of emotions that humankind would call good or
beautiful,” Arehis continued with a nod. “Demonic attributes, on the other hand, are the opposite.
Oh, but having a demonic attribute doesn’t necessarily mean that the god themselves are wicked.
Both kinds of attributes are necessary to govern over humankind. While it is true that gods with a
demonic attribute tend to be stronger and bolder than gods with a heavenly attribute, because
they usually have to deal with more difficult issues more frequently, the attribute we possess has
nothing to do with our actual personality.”

He was saying it in a roundabout way, but I understood what he was getting at. Simply put, I
shouldn’t judge a book by its cover just because a god had a scary-sounding moniker.

‘Just how bad is Elluen’s moniker for Arehis to be saying all this…?’

This didn’t actually surprise me all that much. I had already known that the previous Elquiness’
personality had been something else. I would actually have been more shocked to hear that he
possessed a heavenly attribute. It didn’t look like Ifrit was particularly bothered by any of this
either.

But Arehis’ tone was still ginger as he continued, “Do you remember how I told you that Lord
Elluen is in charge of a realm called Vyton?”

“Yes. I do.”
“There are several realms among the Middle Realms that are directly influenced by the Four
Great Realms. Arkadon, the realm that you spirit kings preside over, is one such example. Vyton
is another such example, and there is a passageway in Vyton that leads directly to the Demonic
Realm. It’s essentially a second Demonic Realm in everything but name.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“…Many greater gods have tried governing Vyton, but they all gave up after only a few years.”

‘Wait. What?’

I looked up, stupefied, only to see Arehis making a face. I couldn’t quite tell if he looked like he
wanted to laugh or cry.

“The demon race used to live here in the Heavenly Realm, once. But they were so violent in
temperament that they were too difficult to handle. They’re almost equally as powerful as the
celestials, but they enjoy blood and murder, and they spend all their time being engaged in
constant bloody battles. Naturally, they wrought havoc everywhere they went. In the end, the
Demon God, their creator, judged that it was impossible to keep them under control, so he
rounded up the lot of them and locked them inside a separate realm. That is how the Demonic
Realm was created.”

“…I think I get the idea about what kind of race the demons are.”

“They truly are something else. I could talk about them for days, and I still wouldn’t be able to
finish.”

In any case, peace had returned to the Heavenly Realm after the Demonic Realm had been
created. The demons could cause as much trouble as they wanted, but it was no problem as long
as they were kept contained in their own realm.

Moreover, the Demon God had erected a barrier so that the demons could not descend to the
Middle Realms unless they were summoned. A demon occasionally to another realm and caused
a few problems here and there, but the god in charge of that realm was usually able to sort it out
on their own.

But they would have been nothing more than a bygone memory if that was all there was to it.

Something astonishing had apparently happened not too long ago. A human mage from a Middle
Realm called Vyton had somehow managed to create a passage from Vyton that led to the
Demonic Realm.

“…Wait, that’s possible?”

Arehis nodded back bitterly when he heard the shock in my voice.

“Humans are a race that was personally created by the Almighty. That’s what makes them
special. They appear to be the weakest and frailest of the races, but they can occasionally display
impossible feats of strength. Among all the races, humans are probably the only ones who are
capable of creating miracles.”

“Miracles, huh…”

“What else would you call punching a hole through dimensional walls if not a miracle?”

The so-called ‘miracle’ had resulted in tragedy. Demons had managed to cross into Vyton using
the newly opened passageway, and then they had begun slaughtering the natives.

The demons occupied Vyton quickly, almost as though out of resentment of the fact that they
had been locked up in the Demonic Realm until then. The god in charge of Vyton at the time had
tried their best to handle the situation, but it had proved beyond their abilities. Eventually, Vyton
had become entirely subjugated by the Demonic Realm before the gods in change of inter-
dimensional connection had a chance to act.

“It was terrible,” Arehis continued. “Every god who was put in charge of Vyton after that
became so stressed out that they began throwing up blood. Not only is it impossible to keep the
demons under control, but they were also charged with protecting the natives of Vyton from
them. What could they possibly even do? To be honest, the Demon God is probably the only god
who is capable of keeping the demons under control. Not only did he create the demons, but he’s
also the strongest among the gods. Oh, but did you know? There are actually two gods who are
tasked with overseeing the Demonic Realm.”

“Huh? Two?”

“Yes—Lord Kanos, the Demon God, and Lord Krazhe, the God of Hell. The demons weren’t
listening to him, so the Demon God reached out to the God of Hell, saying that he would throw
the demons into hell if they continued to cause so much mischief. And then, Vyton suddenly
became what is basically a second Demonic Realm. Do you understand the situation now?”

I remained silent. I most certainly did. I understood so well, in fact, that it was starting to make
me feel sick. Good gods. Vyton was such an incredibly dangerous world, yet the previous
Elquiness was put in charge of it?

The image I had of him in my mind suddenly shifted from that of Prince Charming on a white
steed to that of a newbie detective being harassed by a gang of thugs. Surely, it wasn’t just me.

The blood had already drained from Ifrit’s face.

“H-how is Elluen doing?” she asked as she grabbed hold of Arehis’ sleeve. “Is he alright?”

The way she was clutching her chest with trembling fingers while doing her best to keep her
breathing under control made her look like a worried wife who was asking after her husband who
had gone to war. Arehis, however, returned her question with another question while wearing a
strange smile on his face instead of answering.

“Do you know what ‘Elluen Crino Lusate,’ the previous Lord Elquiness’ new name, means,
perchance?”

Of course we didn’t. Ifrit and I exchanged looks. Arehis, too, looked like he hadn’t been
expecting us to know.

“In the language of the gods, ‘Elluen’ means ‘to destroy,’” he continued a moment later. Ifrit and
I froze on the spot.

“…What?”

“‘Crino’ means ‘to judge,’ and ‘Lusate’ means ‘to break down’ or ‘to bring to ruin and kill….’
That’s what his name means.”

‘W-what the…? What’s with his name?’

It was a terrifying name, and just hearing what it meant sent shivers down my spine. I had
initially thought that it was a very pretty-sounding name. Who would’ve thought that it actually
meant something like that?

Ifrit and I was rendered speechless and dropped our jaws, prompting Arehis to turn to us and
grin.

“Lord Elluen is the greatest among the gods with a demonic attribute, and he wields jurisdiction
over ‘Curses and Punishment.’ It was none other than the Almighty himself who decided that
Vyton was the world most suited for his governance. That is why there’s no need for the two of
you to worry about him.”

“C-curses? And Punishment?”

“Yes, and his powers tend to be more specialized toward Punishment. If I were to add one more
thing, I’ve even heard rumors that the god whom the demons fear the most at the moment isn’t
the Demon God but Elluen of Vyton.”

I was stunned. ‘Tell me that up front!’

I had worried about him for no reason. The first thing I did next was to check up on Ifrit. I
wanted to see what sort of face she was making.

I guess that she really was a lot older than me, because it certainly showed. She was nodding
back with a very philosophical look on her face. It was almost as if Arehis had only stated the
obvious.
‘Is that really what you were expecting from Elluen?! Just what kind of monster did you fall
for?!

‘Will I really survive a meeting with someone like him?’

I was positive that meeting him would only spell misfortune. I felt like the sky itself was starting
to fall down on me.

3.

A ginormous hall awaited us as soon as we climbed up the stairs to Elluen’s palace. The palace
was entirely white and pristine—a testament to its owner’s preferences. Despite its apparent
renown(?), however, it was dead silent on the inside. I didn’t even see any servants around to
keep things clean.

“Is there no one here?”

“No. Lord Elluen rarely leaves his palace. It’s because he detests chaos and crowds. He’s never
attended any of the gods’ banquets simply because he claims it’s too noisy. That’s why hardly
anyone even knew what he looked like at first. And he especially hates those who visit his palace
without his permission…”

“Ack! Will we be okay? Aren’t we also technically visiting without his permission?”

“…Well, I’m sure it’ll work out one way or another.”

‘What’s that supposed to mean?!’

I broke out into a cold sweat when I saw the strangely undecipherable smile on Arehis’ lips.
Even Ifrit looked a little frightened this time.

“You didn’t bring us here with no plan in mind, did you?”

“Um, that’s hard to deny. Truth be told, this is also my first time meeting Lord Elluen since he
ascended into godhood… But I’m sure things will work out. He’s surely already noticed our
presence here, but he hasn’t taken any countermeasures against us yet.”

“Countermeasures?”

“Like throwing a bolt of lightning at us, dropping a cloud of fire on us, or suddenly making the
floor beneath our feet give way—things of that nature.”
‘This was such a dangerous place to be?’

A corner of my heart grew cold as I realized that our stroll here, which we had walked without
much thought, could have cost us our lives. Of course, Arehis promptly told us that the
countermeasures he suggested wouldn’t have been enough to kill us. But didn’t that mean that he
was otherwise okay with the fact that we could’ve gotten hurt? What a bastard!

“In any event, the fact that he hasn’t taken any such measures yet probably means that he’s at
least willing to tolerate our presence, or so it would seem.”

“…Or so it would seem?”

“Ahaha. Never mind. It’s most likely true. One of his angels will probably come to greet us if we
wait here.”

‘What makes you so certain about that?!’

It turned out that Arehis was right. It wasn’t long before we heard a gentle set of footsteps and a
woman appeared before us. She was a beautiful angel with six wings.

“I greet Lord Arehis, the God of the Dead, and two spirit kings.”

Ifrit and I exchanged looks, bewildered, as the angel bowed elegantly before us. The angel
graced us with a kindly smile.

“Lord Elluen awaits you,” the angel continued matter-of-factly. “Please, come inside.”

***

“…Huh?”

The angel brought us down to Elluen’s office. Something struck me as odd as I walked behind
her. There was a small pattern that repeated across the top of the corridor walls, right below the
ceiling.

I couldn’t help but feel like I’d seen it before. I narrowed my eyes, trying to refresh my memory.

“What is it, Lord Elquiness?” Arehis asked with a puzzled look on his face. He was walking next
to me.

“It’s just that… I feel like I’ve seen that before…”

“What? Oh, you’re referring to the divine crest?”

“What?”

‘What’s a divine crest?’

Just then, I suddenly felt stuffy, as if something was caught in my throat. I had a bad feeling
about this. Arehis smiled calmly and continued his explanation when he saw me frowning.

“Every god bears a unique crest that symbolizes them. The white crest of a snake coiling around
a set of scales symbolizes Lord Elluen, the master of this palace.”

“…Hold on a sec. This crest thing doesn’t also happen to get marked on an angel’s forehead or
anything, right?”

‘Right? It surely doesn’t. In any case, I need this to not be a thing!’

I chuckled foolishly as I stared back at Arehis in desperation. Unfortunately for me, his reply
crushed my hopes into tiny little pieces!

“How did you know? You’re absolutely correct. Celestials are branded with the crest of their god
they serve the very moment they’re born.”

“What…?”

“Is something wrong, Elquiness?”

I could feel Ifrit staring at me with a strange look on her face. Maybe she found it weird that I
had stiffened up. However, I was in too much of a panic to care.

“W-wait a minute. Just now… I just started getting a really, really bad feeling about this. Can’t
we just head back?”

“What? You’re saying that now after we’ve come all the way here?”

“No, well… I mean, technically speaking, I have no real reason to meet him, right? You’re the
one who has business with Elluen. Right, Ifrit? Ahaha! That being said, I think I’m gonna turn
back now, so you stay here and enjoy your reunion—”

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to finish talking.

“We have arrived,” the angel said in a secretarial tone as she stopped in front of an antique-
looking door.

‘Ack! We’re here already?’

The angel was already pulling the door open by the time I managed to whip my head around on
reflex. It had all happened so quickly that I never got the chance to stop her.

The door creaked open. It sounded like the gates to hell. I stood there, petrified, as the angel
began whispering devilishly to me in a done that was as serene as the expression on our face.

“Please, go in.”

I couldn’t speak.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and go in.”

Ultimately, I had no choice but to step inside because Ifrit was pushing me from behind.

‘Er, Ifrit? I get that you’re absolutely burning up with love right now, but could you not? My
heart’s probably pounding harder than yours is right now. You might be excited because you
miss your first love, but my life’s on the line here!’

Naturally, the above was nothing more than my heart’s cry, and in reality, I was already inside
the office and steadily surveying my surroundings. The first thing that caught my attention was
the mountain of papers. The mountain was so large that I couldn’t possibly make out where it
started or ended, and the papers were piled up so high they touched the ceiling. I knew that the
angel had said this was the office, but I hadn’t been expecting to see that many pages.

‘They can’t all be work documents…right?’

It was almost strange that the stacks hadn’t toppled over yet. Several six-winged angels were
moving busily around the mountain of paper.

It wasn’t long before I spotted a familiar face: Naduel—the girl with snow-white hair and
reddish eyes.

‘I knew it…’

I peeked over the mountain of paper as my last ray of hope was extinguished.

And sure enough, there was a man sitting slightly askew at the circular desk just behind the
mountain of paper. His hair was a brilliant shade of blonde, and he was so beautiful that it
messed with your mind. He was, without a doubt, the very same god who had toyed with me(?)
in the Azure Chamber.

‘You were Elluen all along!’

The heavens were cruel. Out of all the gods out there, why did it have to be Elluen whom I’d met
back there?
He was holding a quill pen while scowling heavily as if something wasn’t to his liking. He
definitely knew that we were here, but he wasn’t even bothering to look at us.

I felt someone squeeze my arm just then. I turned around to see that Ifrit had frozen up. She had
been putting up a brave face until just moments ago, but now she looked visibly nervous. Her
eyes were wide open, and she was biting her lips. She almost looked a little funny. Was this what
they called ‘having your heart in your throat?’

“W-what do I do? It’s definitely Elquiness. His hair color’s different…but it’s him. I’m sure of
it.”

“I’m Elquiness.”

“Ugh! I’m not in the mood to play along right now, okay?”

“I was only trying to help calm your nerves…”

Ifrit glowered at me as I smiled awkwardly back at her. However, she didn’t start telling me off
like she normally would. This was because of the quiet voice that interjected just as she opened
her mouth.

“Quiet.”

We gasped. The voice belonged to none other than Elluen himself.

Had he been listening all along? It had looked like he hadn’t cared about us at all. He shot Ifrit
and me—we both clamped our mouths shut at the same time—a sidelong glance before turning
to the angel next to him and asking, “What’s the next item on the agenda?”

“It’s about the disturbance in Area 36.”

“Area 36? Isn’t that the slums?”

“Yes, it is. An incident occurred between the human citizens of the area and the demon they
happened across. Here is the report.”

“…Them again? Damned bastards. So, what happened this time?”

I could detect faint traces of irritation in Elluen’s halfhearted responses. He only scanned through
the report he was handed very quickly, making it obvious that he wasn’t particularly interested in
the matter.

“It all started when a young human child accidentally picked up a demon egg. The egg hatched
shortly thereafter, but the newly born demon was malnourished. The demon then proceeded to
attack every human in the vicinity and drink their blood. Naturally, the young human child was
one of the victims. The surviving humans rounded together a militia, and they finally managed to
kill the demon after hunting it down for quite some time.”

“And?”

“Purely by coincidence, a female demon—the newborn demon’s mother—learned about what

happened after the fact. The female demon massacred every last human in Area 36 in a fit of
rage. The damage extended to other nearby cities as well. In total, there were over three thousand
casualties.”

“Has the demon been caught?”

“Yes. She’s been brought to the castle with her magic sealed, and she’s currently being
imprisoned in the underground jail. We are awaiting your orders on how to deal with her, Lord
Elluen.”

“Tch…” Elluen clicked his tongue as he all but threw his quill pen down against his desk. Then,
he continued, “Why was there a demon egg in Vyton to begin with? Aren’t all demon eggs
supposed to be managed in the forbidden lands of the Demonic Realm?”

“My apologies. We don’t really know…”

“…Damn it, Kanos. It’s his doing,” Elluen grumbled with a heavy scowl as he gently brushed
aside the hair that had fallen over his forehead. It was such a simple action, yet even that was
enough to make him look like a TV star acting in a commercial. It needn’t even be said that Ifrit
blushed as bright as a persimmon when she saw.

‘Anyway… that’s a pretty big problem.’

The demon was unquestionably at fault for the massacre, but it was also fair to say that the fault
originally lay with the humans who had murdered her child. In what world would a mother not
be angry with the people who murdered her baby? It was only natural that she had lost her mind.

On the other hand, however, the humans couldn’t have just ignored the newborn demon that was
attacking them either. It didn’t matter how young the demon was. After all, they had only been
acting in self-defense.

‘But I can’t lay the blame on the newborn demon either, since it was only acting out of hunger.’

How would Elluen deal with this situation? My heart raced and I waited eagerly for Elluen to
open his mouth and deliver his verdict. Reality, however, was neither as warm nor as clear-cut as
I had been expecting. I fell a freezing chill come over me from head to toe when I heard what
Elluen said next.

“One thousand lashes. Then, flay the skin off her body and throw her in the salt farm.”
“Yes? But…”

“I can’t have her killed painlessly, given how serious her offense. She took three thousand
innocent lives. She must pay a fair price for that, no? This works out—we needed to set another
example soon anyway. Make sure that she dies in agony as the salt burns her flesh. Afterward,
skewer her corpse on a pole and toss her into the Demonic Realm. This way, no one will dare try
anything like that again.”

“Understood, Lord Elluen.”

‘What the hell?! Isn’t that too cruel? I know that you’re the God of Punishment, but that’s going
way too far!’

I slammed my hands down against his desk. The insides of my head had gone white, and I had
completely forgotten about the situation I was in as I jumped in. The startled angels and my own
friends stared back at me the moment my hands made contact, but things had already been set in
motion by then.

“Have you never heard of leniency?! How could you hand down such a horrible punishment?!”
Chapter 8
1.

“Die, you bastard! Just die!”

I heard a dull noise, and pain immediately began spreading throughout my body. I was so
familiar with this tedious pain, but at the same time, I could never quite get used to it. All I could
do was curl up like a hedgehog with my hands covering my head and scream.

“It hurts! It hurts, Father! Stop it! Please stop!”

“Shut up, damn you! Who are you calling Father?! Just hurry up and die already! Die, and get
your ugly mug out of my life!”

I heard something shattering audibly. A sharp pain spread across my head as the broken shards
of a bottle scattered everywhere. I blinked, dazed, as I felt something hot flowing down. Then, I
brought my hand up to my forehead. There was bright red blood on my fingers when I brought it
back down. Rage, from the unfairness of it all, surged up to my throat when I saw it.

“Why… Why are you doing this to me? What did I even do?”

“Well, would you look at that? How dare you glare back at me? Are you trying to rebel against
me right now?”

“I… I just want to know why…”

“Hah. Oh yeah? You must’ve lost your mind because you want to die so badly! You want to
know what you did? Fine! I’ll tell you!” He rolled back his sleeve, picked up a metal rod from
who-knows-where, and raised it high. The sight of it coming down at me fast was the last thing I
saw before I squeezed my eyes shut. “It’s the fact that you were born to begin with!”

***

“Ugh…”

It’d been a while since I had a nightmare. I clutched my head, which was throbbing for some
strange reason, as I cracked my eyes open. The first thing I saw was a super high ceiling and the
chandelier dangling from it.

‘Where am I?’
Was it because I’d only just woken up? My mind was in a haze, and I couldn’t remember what
I’d been just doing. Why was I here? The only thing I knew for certain was that I wasn’t in the
Spirit Realm. And more importantly, why had I been asleep to begin with?

I shook my head in an attempt to clear it, but my brain still felt blank. The only thing I managed
to figure out was the fact that I had been lying inside a room that I had never seen before.

“Ugh…”

I felt terrible as I tried to sit up. Pain spread throughout my body, incomparably more painful
than my throbbing headache, and caused me to scowl. It felt exactly like whenever I got caught
and my father beat me up…

‘Oh, is that why I had that dream?’

It had happened in my first year of middle school,5 if I remembered correctly. My father had
normally just ignored my existence, but he had tended to grow violent whenever he was drunk.
Then, he would beat the living daylights out of me like he was getting it all out of his system.
Sometimes, he’d even get drunk on purpose. That had also been around the time that I’d figured
out that my parents and brothers truly, genuinely hated me.

“By any chance, were you unable to form a relationship with your parents or siblings?”

I recalled a question that Arehis had asked me before. I quickly shook my head as I felt my mood
suddenly getting worse.

‘Jeez, how long are you gonna keep this up, Kang Jihoon? It’s high time you forgot all about
this.’

It was only because I was hurting. After all, didn’t they say that people(?) grew weak-minded in
the presence of pain? So, this wasn’t my fault. And besides…

‘Why am I in so much pain? I feel like someone beat me up or something… Wait. Someone beat
me up?’

A scene suddenly flashed across my mind. The feeling of the desk trembling beneath my hands
as I slammed them down, the scattered papers flying about, and those sapphire eyes that had
looked directly back at me!

“That’s right! Elluen! That bastard, he…! Ugh…”

I tried to jump up to my feet, but pain coursed throughout my body yet again and sent me falling
back down to bed. I remembered everything now. I knew why I was in so much pain. And why I
was here!

That loud crash. Unlike the angels, who had been startled when I slammed my hands down
against the desk in a burst of anger, Elluen had remained as calm and composed as ever. He had
only cast one displeased look at the scattered pages in the air before resting his chin against one
hand and lowering his eyes.

“Stand down,” he had said. “This isn’t the place for you to be speaking up.”

“What? I mean, I know that I’m overstepping my bounds by speaking up like this, but I need to
protest against your judgment! Explain yourself!”

“Explain myself?”

“This happened because the female demon was angry about the murder of her child. I know that
she committed a serious crime, but you still have to take the circumstances into consideration.
Can’t you just kill her painlessly? Why do you have to make her punishment so cruel? Have you
no blood or tears?!”

“…You’re quite the unreasonable one.”

Elluen had sighed and tossed the documents he had been holding down on his desk. Then, he had
cast one look at the sunlight streaming in from the window and had slowly climbed up to his
feet.

He presence he gave off was one thing, but he was also a full head taller than me. I hadn’t been
able to help but feel pressured by his majesty anew as he stood up right in front of me. His
inhumane (he was, in fact, not human) beauty had made me shrink back on instinct. It had only
been then that my escaped ability to reason finally came back to me and I had hesitantly stepped
back.

“W-what do you want?”

“I told you, in no uncertain terms, to stand down. It was you who decided not to heed my
warning. So, I won’t hear your grievances on what comes next.”

“…What?”

Immediately thereafter, I’d seen a blinding light burst forth from his hand. Simultaneously, I’d
felt the white light closing in on me fast. I’d thought that I heard Ifrit and Arehis screaming
something, but I hadn’t been able to make it out.

That was the last thing I remembered.

“Hah! What the hell? Did I pass out after getting hit by that?”

It was one thing that I’d passed out after just one hit, but how could he knock me out like that
just because I hadn’t heeded his warning to stand down? I mean, what the hell? Ifrit was right.
He really did have some kind of personality disorder!

This time, I ignored the agony coursing through my body and managed to sit up. I didn’t know
where I was, but I felt like I wouldn’t feel better until I found him again and gave him a piece of
my mind.

“Oh, Lord Elquiness. Have you finally come to?”

The door opened just then, and a man came inside. It was Arehis.

“Where are we, Arehis?”

“This is one of the guest chambers in Lord Elluen’s palace. How are you feeling? Ah, perhaps
that was a pointless question. It’s one thing if you’re unconscious, but the Spirit King of Water’s
Healing Authority would be able to get rid of any pain in no time.”

“What?”

‘Oh, right! I have healing powers, remember?’

Arehis looked exasperated when he saw me widening my eyes in realization.

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Ahaha…”

It was only then that I finally began to Heal my body. I felt the throbbing pain be washed away. I
should’ve remembered to do this from the beginning. I guess this was why they said that
stupidity was an affliction.

Arehis looked rather put out as he watched me Heal myself, and then he let out a sigh and said,
“In any event, I’m glad that you’ve woken up. You made me so nervous. Lord Elluen said not to
worry about you since he’d only made you faint, but how was I supposed to relax in that
situation? They say that he’s almost as strong as the Demon God himself. How could he hit you
with that frightfully strong divine power of his?”

“What? Divine power? Is that what that strange white light was?”

“Yes, precisely. It’s the purest form of power at a god’s disposal. It’s fortunate that you only
fainted. You could’ve even been extinguished on the spot had you been unlucky.”

“E-extinguished?” I asked in a fright.

‘Getting extinguished…means death, right?’

“Please be careful,” Arehis replied in all seriousness. “In the Middle Realms, you can borrow a
Contractor’s mana to create a temporary body for yourself, so it doesn’t matter even if you get
hit by a powerful attack. But this is one of the Four Great Realms. You exist here in your original
form. Any attack you take here will directly affect your life. I find that spirits such as yourself
tend to forget about this more often than not, perhaps because you’re so used to being in the
Middle Realms. This is exactly why I was reluctant to bring you to the Heavenly Realm…”

“Um, what happens if I get extinguished?”

“Well, then you’d become a soul, just like back when you were still Kang Jihoon, and then you’d
need to come back to the Nether Realm with me. You might even go down in history…for
having the shortest life any spirit king has ever lived.”

‘I don’t wanna go down in history for something like that!’

Arehis grinned when he saw how I’d stiffened up, and then he said that he was only pulling my
tail.

‘What kind of joke is that chilling? But it really is something he would say’, I grumbled to
myself.

“Anyway, where did Ifrit run off to?”

“Oh, she’s currently in the middle of a conversation with Lord Elluen.”

“Ack! All alone?”

I freaked out. I hadn’t been expecting that. They were conversing! Ifrit’s personality was no joke
either. How was it possible for the two of them to hold a proper conversation? What if she got hit
with divine power and ended up here unconscious too?

I was letting my imagination run wild, but it sounded entirely possible.

“I think she’ll be all right,” Arehis said with a gentle chuckle when he saw me fretting. “Lord
Ifrit got a little worked up when you fainted, Lord Elquiness, but the mood didn’t appear ugly
otherwise.”

“Oh? Y-you mean that?”

“Yes. I was there with them not too long ago. I only came here to check in on you. Shall we go
back and see how they’re doing together, if you’re so worried?”
“Sounds like a plan!” I replied promptly as I jumped off the bed. To be honest, however, I was
less worried about Ifrit’s well-being and more concerned about giving Elluen a piece of my
mind.

He’d attacked me, and then he’d just up and left me here. He was blatantly neglecting me, wasn’t
he? Doing nothing would only make me angrier by the minute.

‘He thinks I’m a pushover! I’m gonna go and break that high and mighty nose of his this time!’

“Please don’t forget. You really might get extinguished if he decides to hit you again.”

2.

I started picking up voices as I walked closer to the office. They belonged to Ifrit and Elluen.

I cracked the door open and carefully peeked inside. They were sitting opposite of each other
with a small tea table in between them. I couldn’t really see Elluen’s face because he had his
back to me. I could, however, see that Ifrit was as red as a tomato.

‘She looks like she died and went to heaven.

‘Your friend was at death’s door(?) just now, yet here you are, blushing brightly with the very
guy who put me there!’

I clicked my tongue and kicked the door open. Ifrit, who had been too busy ogling Elluen until
then, flinched in surprise.

“Y-you surprised me. Wait. Elquiness? Did you just wake up?”

“Are you sad that I did?”

“W-what are you talking about? Why would I be sad?”

I glared at Elluen while Ifrit fumbled over her words, flustered. He simply brought his teacup to
his lips without bothering to spare me even a single glance.

Anger washed over me yet again, and I was determined to settle the score this time.

Before I could, however, Arehis, who had entered the office behind me, gently asked, “Have you
finished talking?”
His tranquil eyes passed over me as he spoke. It was then that I finally recalled the warning he’d
given me earlier.

I might really get extinguished if Elluen decided to hit me again.

I fell silent. As filled with bravado as I was, Arehis’ was a warning I couldn’t ignore. Elluen had
been going easy on me last time. He was more than capable of killing me on the spot if I really
hit a nerve. And I couldn’t possibly put my life on the line just because my pride had been a little
wounded, now could I?

‘Ugh, what the hell?!’

I grumbled to myself as I plopped down on the seat next to Ifrit. Ifrit stared back at me like I was
a werido for a second before she turned her attention back to Elluen. I guess she’d decided to
continue whatever conversation they’d been having before, since I had no clue what they were
talking about.

“Then, you really will reconsider? Right, Elluen?”

“…Who can say?”

“Tch. You got gruffer after ascending to godhood.”

“Rather, I’d say it’s I who’s having trouble adjusting to your change in attitude. You used to pick
a fight with me every time we met.”

“Oh my. Whenever did I do that? Hohoho…”

Elluen didn’t reply. I still had no clue what they were talking about, but it was clear that they’d
made some progress while I’d been out like a light. It made my stomach churn a little to see Ifrit,
who had been shocked stiff to learn that Elluen was the God of Punishment not too long ago, was
now chatting happily away with him as her eyes practically turned into hearts.

‘Besides, that kind of giggling doesn’t suit her at all! This is why women are scary!’

“Haha, what a pleasant atmosphere. As the God of the Dead, it makes me emotional to see the
previous and current generation of spirit kings getting along so well,” said Arehis excitedly. Was
he blind?

Then, the light in Elluen’s eyes suddenly grew frigid, and he placed his teacup back down on the
table.

“I just remembered, Arehis, that there’s something I need to say to you.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Elluen nodded back ever so slightly as Arehis began looking quizzical. The smile on the former’s
face suddenly started looking a bit twisted.

“It really does make one emotional. Is this the first time we’ve met since I saw you back in the
Nether Realm after completing my term as a spirit king? I’ve been wanting to meet you again,
but, as you can probably see, I’ve been so busy. I couldn’t make the time.”

‘Whoa! That all those papers in that giant pile really were work documents?!’

I surveyed the room again, shocked that I’d actually guess right. I’d thought that gods were
basically on vacation all the time and were free to fool around as they pleased. I hadn’t dreamed
that they would be saddled with so much work. Truly, you never knew…

Arehis looked similarly astonished by the sheer of work there was to do.

“I’ve heard before that being a greater god was a difficult job. It appears that really is the case.
But in any event, what business do you have with me?”

“Oh, I’m sure you can guess.”

“I beg your pardon?” Arehis asked as if he really had no idea, but something about the oddly stiff
look on his face told me that he actually did know what Elluen was talking about. Elluen didn’t
miss that look either. His brow furrowed ever so slightly as he laced his fingers together and
smiled icily.

“I hate beating around the bush. If you’ve forgotten, then I’ll simply tell you. You presented me
with two options when I went to the Nether Realm as my time of extinction drew near: to walk
the path of apotheosis, or to walk the path to the afterlife. Did you not?”

“Yes? Ah, y-yes, I did.”

“I’m glad you still remember. Then, surely you also remember what I chose, yes? I truly am
hoping that you’re able to remember this part on your own.”

“…You elected to walk the path to the afterlife,” Arehis answered after a short pause.

‘What?’

I was astonished. Elluen looked like he’d always been born to be a god, yet he had chosen to
walk the path to the afterlife? That aside, then why was he here, as a god?

Ifrit looked just as alarmed as I was. Her eyes were wide open as she looked between Elluen and
Arehis in turns.
“I’m fairly certain I told you that I dislike nuisances. That I didn’t want to become a god, despite
knowing how much authority gods are given, because gods are also responsible for shouldering
so much more. I was already fed up with the responsibility of being a spirit king.”

“Yes, Lord Elluen. And I asked you to reconsider, since no one is more suited for godhood than
you.”

“Yes, you did. But I ultimately declined again. Even if I were to be presented with the choice
again, I wanted to walk the path of the afterlife at least once. You seemed to have accepted my
choice at the time. And so…” Elluen paused for a moment and glared at Arehis with his chilling
blue eyes. Then, he continued, “Why have I become a god?”

“Ahaha… W-well, that’s…”

“I could hardly believe it. It did feel a little strange as I went to where you directed me, but I
simply wrote it off. Yet, when I was born again, I suddenly found myself a greater god… A
greater god who was granted the name ‘Elluen.’ Then, as if they’d only been waiting for the
chance, they appointed me to the Vyton, the land bursting at its seams because of those rotten
creatures. That’s when I started getting eager to meet you again. I don’t mind growing a little
emotional. This is the first time in my life that I’ve missed someone so much.”

Elluen was undoubtedly smiling, but the air around him was wintry. I looked to Arehis, who was
sweating buckets of cold sweat.

‘No way, Arehis, you…!

‘Did you lie to Elluen?!’

If that was true, then all I could do was applaud Arehis’ nerves of steel.

“I can explain,” Arehis said as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his drenched forehead. “I
truly had no other choice. I know that this is too little, too late, but an official directive came
from above.”

“…An official directive?”

“Um, yes. I was ordered to force the unwilling to walk the path of apotheosis because of the
greater god shortage. I’m sure you’re aware, Lord Elluen, but there are currently fewer than
twenty greater gods in the Heavenly Realm. That number would have been at least fifty if every
soul that had the right to ascend had accepted godhood. And even then, that would still be too
few. Yet, everyone was so stubborn about walking the path to the afterlife…”

Souls that had the right to ascend to godhood—in other words, the divine souls—were always
able to make the choice again when one life ended. Simply put, they were free to experience as
many lives as they wished before deciding to become a god. To the contrary, however, it was
much more difficult to be able to walk the path to the afterlife after the soul had already ascended
to godhood.

Thus, most divine souls chose to experience a few more lives before ascending to godhood, and
that was why there were so few gods in the Heavenly Realm. The Heavenly Realm had been
suffering for some time because the work that greater gods did could not be replaced by anyone
else.

Ultimately, it had been decided that every divine soul must ascend to godhood, no matter what
they actually chose with Arehis. Elluen had simply been the first unfortunate victim of the new
system.

Elluen looked astounded for a minute after hearing what Arehis had to say, and then he began
grinding his teeth.

“Then, why was I put in charge of Vyton?”

“It’s the Almighty who decides which realms are assigned to every greater god. The Almighty
judged that your skills were most suited for governing Vyton.”

“…Damn it all,” Elluen cursed under his breath as he irritably brushed his hair back. He was
clearly very angry, but contrary to my expectations, he didn’t really do anything about it.

“Um, Ifrit?” I whispered in my fellow spirit king’s ear. “Is the Almighty really that amazing?”

“Of course he is, you dolt. The Almighty is the god among gods. He created the gods. His word
is the law and truth of the world. Do you really think that anyone could survive going against
him? No—do you even think that anyone would even think about going against him?”

“Huh, I see.”

In the end, even the great gods themselves were nothing but meek little lambs before the
Almighty.

‘Elluen’s actually kinda pitiful too, huh?’

That being said, I still wasn’t about to forgive him for what he’d done to me. Rather, hearing
about all of this made me feel like I’d been cured of ten whole years’ worth of indigestion. My
mood instantly lifted.

“Serves him right,” I whispered so Elluen couldn’t hear.

Evidently, however, I had been underestimating the god. He turned around and pointed his
bloodthirsty gaze at me.
“W-what?” I began babbling as I flinched. “Did I say something wrong? You got what you
deserved. What’s wrong about pointing that out?!”

“…Looks like you truly do wish to die.”

“S-says who? I-It’s not like I did anything wrong. You handed down a punishment that was
unjustifiably cruel. Was I supposed to just stand there and act like it was nothing? Being a god
doesn’t mean that you get to do whatever you want! You’re just a tyrant! A dictator!” I spat out
quickly.

Arehis facepalmed, and Ifrit stared as if I had two heads. Meanwhile, Elluen had tilted his head
to the side ever so slightly and was watching me with a serious look on his face.

“A dictator, you say…”

I thought he was going to hit me with his divine power again, but instead, he suddenly looked
like he was having fun. It was similar to how he had observed me back in the Azure Chamber. It
only served to infuriate me even more.

“Yeah! So, either hurry up and explain yourself, or apologize! You think I was done just because
you knocked me out?! I had to remember something I wanted to forget because of you! I had a
nightmare, and it was the worst! So, hurry up and explain yourself already. If you don’t…!”

“And if I don’t?”

“Huh? …I-if you don’t… Uh, right! I’m gonna get angry! I’m gonna get really, really angry, and
I’m gonna curse you!”

…Yeah, I knew. I knew that I was being childish and nonsensical. My face was starting to heat
up, and I was the one spewing all this nonsense. What would Elluen make of this? Ifrit and
Arehis were simply shaking their heads in utter disappointment.

‘But what else can I even say?! How is a measly spirit king supposed to beat a greater god?!’

I shouldn’t have said anything if this was how it was going to end. Belated regret came crashing
in like the rising tide, but I swallowed back the river of my tears and decided to remain stubborn
until the bitter end.

“A-anyway, hurry up and explain yourself already! Why did you decide to give that demon such
a cruel punishment?! I’ll even forgive you for hitting me last time if I can accept your
reasoning!”

“And you won’t curse me either?”

“Y-yeah!”
“Are you saying that even after knowing that I’m the God of Curses and Punishment?”

‘Oh crap! That’s right!’

I fell silent and heard Ifrit loudly mumbling, “You idiot…” at me.

‘Ahem, can’t you keep it down a bit? You really don’t need to point it out like that, you know?’

An awkward silence filled the office. It was Elluen who broke the ice with a quiet sigh.

“…You know nothing, you’re overly emotional, and it appears that you don’t have the greatest
memory either. Nor do you have the ability to tell when to speak up about something and when
to stand down. Meanwhile, you’re so righteously indignant that you refuse to bend even when
your own life is in danger…”

“Ugh…”

His each and every word stabbed me like thorns.

“There’s never been anyone like you among the entire lineage of Elquinesses,” I heard him
mutter pitifully as I flinched repeatedly without being able to look him in the face.

“I-I’m fully aware that I’m stupid, okay?”

“I never said you were.”

Was he trying to piss me off? How could he deny it after everything he’d already said?!

I was about to fly into another rage, but I missed the chance. It was because Elluen had posed me
a question.

“Why do you think the female demon massacred all those humans?”

“What? Well… Isn’t it because the humans murdered her baby?”

Elluen burst out in laughter as though he found my answer preposterous.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“What are you—”

“Demons don’t have maternal love.”

“…Huh?” I paused when I heard what he had said just as I was about to fly off my handle again.
It was Ifrit who continued the explanation.
“It’s true,” she said. “Demons are a race that abandon their own eggs as soon as they lay them.
They don’t care about their young, and they don’t consider the newborns their children either.
There are even times when they’ll eat their own children to increase their magical powers.
Actually, I think it’s pretty common. It’s so bad that they have an entire system of collecting all
the eggs and keeping them safe somewhere else.”

“Wait. Really? T-then, was the female demon just an exception to the norm?”

“…I’ll add ‘excessively optimistic’ to the list too,” Elluen said with another sigh. I balled my
hands into fists and glared back at him.

“Then why? Why else would she hurt the people who murdered her child?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She just wanted to enjoy herself and commit a massacre.”

“…What?”

“The law was strengthened after I took charge, and that was just her pretext for going against it
so she could harm humans. Or, perhaps she was simply venting her anger because she was
planning to eat the young demon for herself and the humans got in her way. In any case, her
motivations are a far cry from the love-fueled vengeance that you thought she was taking.”

“That’s…”

I was rendered speechless. While I was in a daze, Elluen quietly spelled out the truth that I had
been trying so hard not to say aloud.

“She wouldn’t have abandoned the egg to begin with if she truly harbored any maternal love for
it. Let me tell you this, too, since it seems that you don’t know. An adult demon has to regularly
pour magic into an egg in order for it to hatch a healthy newborn.” I looked back at him in
confusion. Then, he continued, “But the newborn demon in this case was severely malnourished.
To the point that it immediately began attacking any humans that were nearby. That means that
its mother wasn’t taking care of it at all.”

“Oh…”

I suddenly felt the strength leave my body. Had I been misunderstanding everything this entire
time?

Then again, even a god wouldn’t have handed down such a cruel punishment on a whim. Elluen
had a good reason behind his judgment. I had so passionately protested it for no reason.

‘It really wasn’t my place to speak up…’

Had I thought that I was always in the right? Had I thought that the god before me could have
handed down a better judgment? Seriously, I was so stupid. I should’ve known best that not all
parents love their children.

I started to feel so embarrassed that I was almost afraid to stay here. I had no idea what kind of
face to make when I looked to Elluen again.

“Will that explanation suffice?”

“…Ah! I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

Instead of looking satisfied when he heard my rushed apology, he tilted his head to the side. I
looked back at him in confusion as his gaze penetrated me.

‘W-what now? Why’s he looking at me like that? Does he think that I’m being too gutsy to think
that a simple apology was enough to make him look the other way? How much harder is he
about to hit me this time?!’

What he said next, however, defied my every expectation.

“Now that I think about it, you seem to be fixated on the strangest thing.”

“…What?”

“Was it because you thought that the demon was taking revenge for her dead child that you took
her side even though she had nothing to do with you? You look so disappointed now that you’ve
learned that what you thought was incorrect. Most would only be surprised to learn that demons
are so brutal that they’ll even use their own children as tools so they can indulge themselves in
murder.”

“W-well…”

“It happened back in the Azure Chamber too. You said that you envied the parent-child
relationship I had with my celestials.”

Arehis and Ifrit turned their gazes on me. They looked surprised to hear that I had meet Elluen in
the Azure Chamber. I’d thought that Elluen was going to simply ignore our prior meeting, since
he hadn’t acted like he recognized me. Why was he suddenly bringing it up now? If his goal was
to put me on the spot, then I wanted to tell him that he’d succeeded with flying colors. I
awkwardly ignored Arehis’ and Ifrit’s looks and tried to explain myself.

“No, that’s… It wasn’t supposed to mean anything special…”

“And yet I recall you staring rather persistently.”

“A-am I not allowed to? It was my first time seeing a celestial, and it was also my first time
witnessing a celestial’s birth. I didn’t know that celestials were a race that served the gods until
then either. I just thought that a god personally naming someone and establishing a lord-and-
servant relationship with them was curious, that’s all.”

“Curious, you say… I suppose it is curious. I heard that you were accidentally born as a human
while you were lost. In that case, you wouldn’t have received any emotional stability from the
individuals you called your parents.”

“…What?”

Why was he bringing up my parents all of a sudden? I was so thrown off that I clenched my
hands into fists. Elluen simply looked back at me in perfect composure.

“Is that why you’re so desperate to experience parental love in any way you can?”

I gasped and flinched before I could stop myself. I looked up in my fury only to find a pair to
azure eyes staring directly back at me. They were still, and I could not for the life of me see what
kind of thoughts were swirling behind them. That was why I slowly lowered my gaze again.
Then, I heard someone quietly clicking their tongue.

“You’re still such a young child. Will you really be able to stand on your own two feet with that
kind of mindset?”

“H-hey! What’s it to you if I’m still a child?!”

“Who can say? But I was also an Elquiness once, so I do have a stake in this. I take pride in my
past life as Elquiness. And I regret it deeply that you, my direct successor, ended up being so
sloppy. It’s rather troublesome.”

“Ugh…”

I could feel my face heating up.

It was true that I’d been in the wrong, but I’d already apologized. Did he really need to keep
shaming me like that? He really was a bad guy, no matter how hard I thought about it.

“Now then, do you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“I promised you a gift if we ever met again.”

‘Ack! What kind of chaos is he about to cause this time?’

I could feel all the non-existent hair on my body standing at edge. I was frightened and took a
step back away from him.

“I-I don’t need—!”

“I shall be the judge of that. Not you.”

‘How does that even make sense?!’

Gifts were only worthwhile if they made the receiver happy. It was something so obvious, but
Elluen was planning to ignore it all the same.

I threw my arms up defensively in front of me on reflex when I saw his hand move. I thought
that he was going to hit me with his divine power again. What came next, however, was not
immense pain but rather a gentle hand patting my head. Along with it were words that nearly
made me doubt my ears.

“Be my son.”

‘…Huh?!’

3.

I heard a chorus of gasps. Arehis and Ifrit were one thing, but it looks like all the angels in the
room were similarly shocked and speechless.

Yet, I could swear on my life no one present was more bewildered than I.

“What… did you just say?” I asked as calmly as I could even as I felt my eyes opening wider.

“Have you lost the ability to hear too?”

“No, I’m pretty sure I heard you right. You want me to be your son? What does that even
mean?”

“It means exactly what I said. I’m offering to be a parent to you.”

Ack! Now this was a shocker. Did the word ‘parent’ really come out of his mouth just now? I
wiped away my cold sweat and did my best to keep my face from twitching. I felt like my life
had just been cut short by ten whole years.

“That doesn’t even make any—”

“Why does it not make sense? We may not share blood, but you’ve still undeniably inherited a
part of me. You became the next Elquiness after inheriting my power, and in that respect, you are
my heir. In other words, it’s only right for you to see me as your father even without my offer to
be one to you.”

‘Wait, i-is that how this works?’

It sounded strangely reasonable. Just as I was about to nod back, however, I took one look at
Ifrit’s face and immediately snapped back to my senses. Her features had crumpled up as though
she’d just heard the most absurd nonsense in the world.

‘Ifrit’s a spirit king too. If she’s making that face, then…?’

“Um, you said that I’m your heir,” I began hesitantly just in case. “Does that mean that you
consider the Elquiness before you as your father too?”

And sure enough…

Elluen’s expression immediately crumpled into a giant frown.

“Why would I do something that insane?”

I was speechless.

“More importantly,” he continued, “I have never wanted a parent, nor have I ever idealized the
concept of having one. I am already whole and complete on my own. Unlike you.”

‘Damn it all! I knew he was just messing with me!’

He had offered me something that he considered insane! Yet, that still wasn’t enough for him,
apparently.

“And your answer?”

“No thanks! Absolutely not! Is that enough for you?”

“Hmm, so you’re refusing my offer?”

“Of course I am! Did you think that I’d just throw myself down at your feet in gratitude or
something? I don’t need a father either, okay? I’m perfectly fine on my own!”

“And that was enough to make you sulk? It appears that you’re rather timid, too.”

I didn’t know what to say. If pissing someone off with every word you said was a talent, then
Elluen was already a champion in that regard. I turned around and started ignoring him outright
to show him that I no longer cared to play along.
“I was only trying to give you an excuse,” I heard him say calmly after a quiet sigh.

“What?”

“Normally, having a parent is something that you would never be able to experience. So, it
wouldn’t be easy for you to see me as your father, especially if we shared nothing in common.
That’s why, you can simply see yourself as my heir who inherited a part of me. It would make it
easier for you to accept.”

He sounded too genuine to be kidding. I saw the sincerity in his eyes, and it threw me off. Was
he really intending to treat me as his son? But why?

“…Are you taking pity on me?”

Was I really so much of a sloppy mess that he’d decided to take pity on me? To the point that
he’d even make this ridiculous offer?

It would’ve been better if he just ignored me. I bit my lips hard. I’ve never felt so wretched
before. Elluen frowned ever so slightly when he saw. He almost looked a bit embarrassed,
though I could just be seeing things.

‘There’s no way… Elluen, embarrassed?’

I convinced myself that I was surely wrong. Then, I heard Elluen quietly click his tongue.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say in this situation. I have never taken pity on
anyone before.”

I didn’t respond.

“As the God of Punishment, my job is to analyze the situation objectively and mete out judgment
accordingly,” he continued. “There is no room for pity in that process. And that holds true on
other aspects as well. Besides, I was under the impression that ‘pitying’ is something you do for
the pathetic. Do you believe yourself to be pathetic?”

“No,” I replied immediately while shaking my head. I have never once thought that I was
pathetic. Not in this life, and not in my last life either.

My relationship with my family was unfortunate, but in exchange, I’d always been surrounded
by wonderful friends. That was why I had always desperately believed that I was happy. Because
if I believed that I was happy, then I could deceive the people who cared about me and loved me
into thinking that I was happy too. Even if, as someone had previously said, it might make it
seem like I was excessively optimistic.

“Good,” Elluen said with a nod and smirk. “Neither do I.”

“T-then why are you trying to make me your son out of the blue? Especially after you were so
mean to me?”

“When was I ever mean to you?”

“You said that I was stupid, childish, excessive optimistic, and timid! How is that not being
mean?”

“But it’s true that you’re timid, optimistic, and childish. I was simply calling a spade a spade.
Also, you were the one who called yourself stupid, not me.”

‘Crap? D-did I? Actually, I think I did.’

I took a moment to wrack my brains and remember the truth before I resumed glaring at him.

“A-anyway! Why do you want to make me your son?! You haven’t answered me yet! And I
can’t figure it out no matter how hard I try!”

“I said that I’d give you a gift. I simply discerned that a parent is what you need most right now.
Besides, I’ve taken a liking to you.”

“Hah! That’s ridiculous! What about me do you even like?”

“Let’s see. The fact that you respond immediately as soon as I provoke you? I could watch over
you all day, and I still wouldn’t get bored.”

‘Am I your toy or something?! And why are you two agreeing with him?!’

I grinded my molars when I saw both Arehis and Ifrit nodding along to what Elluen had said. It
really was true that you could never trust anyone.

‘Ifrit’s one thing, but you saw me that way too, Arehis?!’

“In any event, you’ve heard my reasons now,” Elluen said as he brushed his hair back with a grin
while I quivered in indignation. “Surely, you’re not about to refuse me a second time, right?”

“What? I-I…”

“Think long and hard about it. If you refuse, then you will need to pay the price for behaving so
rudely to me all this time. Naturally, this includes the price of speaking to me so casually as
well.”

“W-when was I ever rude to you?! And besides, you were the one who told me I can be rude to
you!”

“I said that you can, but I never said that you should.”
‘H-he’s a conman!

‘Is he really about to start nitpicking about stuff like that?! And why’s he only bringing it up
now?!’

And then, I saw it. Streaks of light that were starting to pour out from Elluen’s palm. I had no
doubt that it was divine power. Moreover, the light looked stronger than it had last time. That
meant that it would hit harder too, right?

“U-um?”

“This is your final chance.”

I gulped and slowly stepped back. Elluen reminded me of a grim reaper from hell as he looked
me dead in the eyes.

‘Erm, Elluen? Just hear me out, okay? We’re both capable of speech here, right? And you’re a
noble god. Shouldn’t a god try talking things out first before resorting to violence? You might be
the God of Punishment, but there’s still a line that you shouldn’t cross. I mean, I’m not just
saying this because I’m scared of being hit or anything. I’m just trying to be considerate of your
position here, that’s all…’

I had a lot to say, and all of it immediately started circling in my mouth.

But Elluen’s next question came faster before I had the chance to say any of it…!

“And, your answer?”

“I-I’ll do it! I’ll do it, okay? I’ll be your son! Please be good to me, Father! Fuck!” I cried out
frantically.

Elluen looked satisfied. Then, after turning off his divine power, he reached out and slowly
began patting my head. It felt strangely considerate of him. Was I only imagining things?

His reply was also just as strangely gentle, and I hoped that I was still just imagining things.
After all, I had only accepted him as my new father in the heat of the moment. I didn’t want to
start relying on him already.

“A wise choice, my son.”

4.
“Here we are.”

A new day had already started dawning when we finally returned to the Spirit Realm after our
eventful time away. I saw how Evas Eden bathed in the dawn light before turning back to Arehis
and sketching him a light bow.

“Thank you, Arehis. You didn’t need to bring us all the way back here personally…”

“Not at all. It was my responsibility to see you back safe and sound. I’m glad that you were able
to accomplish everything that you set out to do without much incident.”

“You’re right. I got a bit nervous in the middle of it all.”

I’d gotten caught by randomness and fallen somewhere I hadn’t intended to go, met Elluen, and
even fainted after getting hit by his divine power. A lot a happened in just the course of one day.
I’d even somehow managed to become his son.

Arehis smiled gently, as if he had read my thoughts.

“Congratulations once again for gaining a new father.”

“Ahaha…” I smiled awkwardly as I scratched the back of my head. It had really only happened
in the heat of the moment, and the fact that I had a father now still hadn’t quite hit me just yet. It
felt a little strange to be congratulated about it.

Besides, would I ever even see him again? We lived in different realms, and I had no way of
going to the Heavenly Realm. Which meant that it was Elluen who would have to go out of his
way to come and see me. And to be honest, I couldn’t really imagine him doing it. He had
already seemed to be busy enough as it was.

“I don’t acknowledge it!”

It wasn’t just me. Ifrit didn’t accept Elluen’s and my new relationship either. She hadn’t been
able to get a single word out at the time, and she was only now fuming to herself while biting her
nails.

“I don’t believe it,” she continued. “Why in the world did Elluen decide to do that? An adopted
son… If he wants children, then he can just have them with me after we get married.”

“Whoa, you guys are getting married? Since when?”

They had already made a promise to get married while I was unconscious? Ifrit started looking
flustered when I stared back at her in shock.

“I-I was just saying he can if that’s what he wants. Why would you take me seriously when I say
stuff like that?”
“Wait, so you were just talking about your fantasies?”

“Hmph. Don’t you know that dreams can be made into reality? I heard from Arehis that we can
decide on our sex when we ascend to godhood. I’m gonna become a goddess when it’s my time.”

“Hmm. Anyway, did you manage to confess properly? The mood did look pretty good back
there,” I asked as it popped up in my mind.

Ifrit started flushing like flame. I began worrying that she had only managed to start picking
fights with Elluen again. Fortunately, I was wrong.

“I told him my feelings. I decided not to keep hiding them, since I’d only regret it.”

“Wow, good job. So, what did Elluen say?”

“What do you think he said? He asked me why I was talking about love when I was still wet
behind the ears, and that we could revisit the conversation later after I became a goddess.”

“Wait, how old are you right now?”

“Me? A little over two thousand. Why do you ask?”

I forgot how to speak for a moment while Ifrit looked back at me in confusion. Two thousand. In
human terms, that was more than enough time for history to have changed courses several times
over.

And yet, Elluen had still said that she was wet behind the ears? No wonder he’d treated me as a
young child. I was basically a newborn. I started doubted whether he’d even consider a fully
grown human to actually be an adult.

Despite her grumbling, Ifrit looked pretty content with the situation. Elluen was probably
popular with the goddesses, considering that he was not only a greater god but also had his
incredibly good looks, and he had feigned ignorance with regard to Ifrit’s feelings all this time
too. Yet he had given her a proper answer all the same.

“…So, are you happy?”

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

From my perspective, it looked like he was still ignoring her either way. Actually, wasn’t this a
fair bit worse since he was technically giving her hope? Or was I just mistaken?

I had a feeling that I’d get hit again if I voiced my opinion out loud, however, so I simply stayed
quiet. It wasn’t as if she was going to listen to me even if I said anything anyway. Ifrit was
already off in her own little world.
“Oh, Elluen. You were so cool back when you were Elquiness too, but you got even cooler after
becoming a god. And a greater god to boot! How are you so cool?”

“Your sudden change in attitude is actually starting to scare me. How did you even manage to
keep your feelings to yourself all this time?”

“Shut it, you! Anyway, my goal is to become a goddess and get married to Elluen someday. I
won’t forgive you if you get in my way just because you’re his son now. Got that?”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I wouldn’t even dream of it. Anyway, do gods actually get
married and have children and stuff?”

“Of course they do. They’re not sexless like we spirits are.”

“Hmm… Then, if two gods get married and have a baby, then what does that baby become?
Another god?”

It was Arehis who nodded and began explaining things to me. “Yes. The resulting child would be
born as an intermediary god.”

“Even when the parents are two greater gods?”

“Haha! Yes, even then. Only those who are specially qualified can become greater gods.”

“Specially qualified?”

“First, their souls must have been created personally by the Almighty and be of the noblest
quality, and then they must spend a term as a spirit king. Just like the two of you.”

“…Huh?”

Like us? Does that mean that our ranks don’t get determined during apotheosis? I was so taken
aback that I couldn’t help but ask another question to confirm that I’d understood things
correctly.

“Then…does that mean that we’ll also become greater gods after we go extinct? Is that what you
just suggested?”

“Oh dear, did I not explain things to you all the way? But yes. All spirit kings are future greater
gods. In that sense, I am very touched to hear you say that you wish to become a goddess, Lord
Ifrit. And I hope that Lord Elquiness will also elect to ascend to godhood when his time comes.
It’s so terribly difficult to make up for the workload when people keep turning the option down.”

I didn’t know what to say. Ifrit, on the other hand, looked excited. After all, it was clear that she
would be able to get closer to Elluen once she became a greater god.
Arehis looked pleased for a moment before bowing courteously and saying, “I’ll take my leave
now. I can’t be away from the Nether Realm for too long. It was an honor to accompany you
spirit kings. I suppose I won’t see you again until your respective extinctions. Please be well
until then.”

“Bye, Arehis. Thank you for everything.”

“Not at all.”

Ifrit kept humming to herself, clearly still excited, even long after Arehis had left. I couldn’t help
but click my tongue at her.

“Aren’t you being a little too happy?”

“Tut tut. It’s only natural to be happy when good things happen. And on that note, you should
start calling me ‘Mom.’”

“…The hell?”

“I’m gonna be your future stepmother. So naturally, you need to address me as such. Won’t it be
embarrassing to start calling me your stepmother when the time comes? That’s why should get in
some practice and start now.”

“Are you crazy?”

I’d barely even started calling Elluen ‘Father,’ but now I have to start calling Ifrit ‘Mom?’ The
two of them were dead set on making a fool out of me, weren’t they?

Ifrit sighed wistfully when she saw how baffled I looked and brushed her hair back.

“Phew. There’s just no helping it, is there? It’s not like I wanted to have a grown-up son at my
bright and promising young age either, but that’s what my dear husband wants. I’ll do my best to
address you as my son too, so—”

“Don’t you dare! Just don’t! Don’t even bother trying!”

“Don’t even bother trying what?”

“Ifrit says that she wants to call me her son!” I replied thoughtlessly. Then, I realized that
something was off. “Wait, what?”

Whom had I replied to just now? I thought that it was only Ifrit and me here.

I turned around and instantly saw Trowell, who was standing there quietly with his arms crossed
and with a frigid expression on his face. Minervar was standing next to him, and she looked
equally stern.
“T-Trowell. And Minervar…?”

When had they gotten here? No, more importantly, what was with the looks on their faces? Their
expressions were darker and scarier than usual. It almost looked like they were mad.

I grew confused and stared back at them.

“Where the hell were you two?” Trowell growled quietly.

“Huh?”

“The auras of two spirit kings suddenly vanished at the same time. Do you have any idea how
worried we were?”

I gasped. It was only then that I realized that neither Ifrit nor I had told the others about our little
outing. I had been so focused on helping Ifrit that I’d completely forgotten about everything else.

I, who had gone to reconcile with Ifrit, and Ifrit herself had both disappeared out of nowhere. I
could only begin to guess how worried the other two spirit kings had been.

“Ack! Trowell, Minervar. Y-you see, about that…” I tried to explain myself as I broke out into a
cold sweat. There was a chilly and dull light to Trowell’s golden eyes as he watched me squirm.

“Explain. When did you leave, where did you go, whom were you with, and what happened?
Don’t skip out on a single detail.”

“W-well. T-the thing is, you see…”

I turned around as I tripped over my words and saw Ifrit furiously trying to tell me something
with just her eyes. It looked like she wanted me to figure out how to explain everything on my
own. And so, with little other choice, I took the lead once again and did my best to explain
everything.

The blood drained from Trowell’s and Minervar’s faces as I continued talking. They were
alarmed to learn that we had travelled across dimensions, bewildered to realize that our
destination had been the Heavenly Realm, and astonished to hear that we had met the previous
Elquiness, who was now a god.

“You visited the Heavenly Realm and met the previous Elquiness?”

“Do you have any idea what you two just did?!”

“W-wait. I know that it was unprecedented, but it’s not like it was a big deal or any—”
“That’s not the point! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for spirit kings to travel to
another realm to begin with? Elquiness is one thing, since he probably didn’t know, but how
could you just go along with him, Ifrit?”

The only thing that Ifrit and I could do was stand there in silence and take it, since everything
that Trowell and Minervar were saying was true.

It took over an hour before the two enraged spirit kings’ anger finally subsided. Ifrit and I
listened to Trowell and Minervar nag at us the entire time, and we apologized at every chance
and swore to never do anything of the sort ever again.

Everything came at a price. This was the moment that I took this difficult lesson to heart.

5.

“Hmm. So that’s what happened.”

Even after everything was over, Trowell and I stuck around and talked a little more about what
had happened in the Heavenly Realm. He had been surprised at first to learn that the previous
Elquiness was now Elluen, the God of Punishment, and that he had become my father, but now
he looked like he accepted everything without much of a fuss.

“I’m really sorry, Trowell. I recklessly went ahead with it before consulting you about anything.”

“Nah, I’m not mad about that anymore. It looks like you’ve done plenty of reflecting on what
you did wrong. Anyway, you have a father now. Congrats, Jihoon. I’m happy for you.”

“Mm, I’m actually not sure how I feel about that. Is it really something to be congratulated for?”

“What makes you say that? I’d say that it’s more than something to be happy about.”

“B-but I don’t even know if Elluen actually meant any of it. And it makes me feel like I have to
acknowledge the fact that I’m lacking something compared to the rest of you guys now since I’m
the only spirit king with a father…”

“What’s so bad about acknowledging it?”

“Huh? W-well… I get that it’s only natural that I have to acknowledge it…since it’s true that I’m
lacking, but…” I mumbled quietly.

“That’s not what I meant, Jihoon,” Trowell said with an exasperated smile. “I’ve never once
thought that you were lacking as a spirit king. You’ve been doing really well, and that’s a fact.
Besides, didn’t Elluen say it himself? He decided to be your father so he could give you what he
thought you needed most.”

“Hmm? Yeah, he did.”

“I actually agree with him. You need someone to rely on. Someone who’ll help you stand on
your own feet. Or, more specifically, you need someone who can comfort you so that you won’t
come crumbling down.”

“What…do you mean by that?”

“There are a ton of different races in this world,” Trowell began explaining with a shrug. “Us
spirits, humans, elves, dragons, dwarves, and monsters—and that’s not the whole list. Every race
has their own way of life, and their respective lifespans are all over the place too. You still align
yourself most closely with the human perspective. And humans not only have the shortest
lifespans, but they’re also the most social among all races.”

I was startled.

“That’s why you tend to try to find your worth in your relationships with others,” he continued.
“Not that you seem to be aware of it yourself, Jihoon. But remember, Ifrit wasn’t on good terms
with you, yet you were the one who tried to approach her first. And it wasn’t just because you’re
kind. You were afraid that she’d start ignoring you. Right?”

I didn’t know what to say. I felt like he had peered into the deepest reaches of my heart and was
pulling out the secrets he had found inside. I lowered my head because I didn’t know where to
look.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” Trowell continued gently as he patted my head. “Actually, I
think you’ll go down in history as a warm and kindhearted spirit king because of it, Jihoon. But I
also think that you’ll end up getting hurt when the bonds you’ve forged eventually fall apart.
Especially if you end up having to part ways with someone over something that you can’t do
anything about. For example…like when someone you know dies.”

This was something that I hadn’t considered before.

The fact that someone I cared about could die before me. The fact that I was destined to stay the
same even when a little child I met eventually grew up and became old and sickly.

It sent shivers down my spine. Had I been too optimistic about my current situation? It was
starting to sound like my future wasn’t going to be as smooth-sailing as I’d thought.

“As time passes, you’re going to have to watch as humans who were born much later than you
age quicker and die before you. And you’re going to get hurt and suffer every time it happens.
Your mind will collapse quickly as you’re forced to experience that over and over again. But, did
you know? Spirit kings enter a Burst state when they experience mental shock.”
“A Burst…state?”

“Yeah. They can’t feel, can’t think, and can’t control their own powers. There are only two
things that can be done when a spirit king enters a Burst state: either seal them for a period of
them, or force them into extinction. It becomes too dangerous for the rest of the world
otherwise.”

I felt like I had heard something similar before. A spirit king could only subdue another spirit
king if it was deemed to be for the sake of the world.

It hadn’t even happened yet, but I started feeling scared because I felt like it was about to unfold
right now before my very eyes. I clenched my fist before I knew it, and Trowell gently put his
hand over mine.

“It’s incredibly rare, of course. But I hope that you’ll never have to experience something so sad
if at all possible, Jihoon. That’s why I think Elluen made the right call. He can be your strength
when you’re suffering from loss. He won’t die, and he’ll never betray you either. He’ll always be
there for you because he’s your ‘father.’”

‘Someone who’ll always be there for me…’

I didn’t know why that suddenly brought tears to my eyes. I bit down hard at my lip in an
attempt to hide my sudden onslaught of tears when Trowell suddenly pulled me into a gentle hug
and pushed my head into his shoulder.

“Accept him. You might not think so, Jihoon, but you need someone to rely on. The rest of us
spirit kings can’t be that person for you because we’re your equals. You were probably aware of
that on some level too. That’s why you haven’t been able to rely on us completely.”

“…B-but, will it really be okay? Elluen might’ve just been kidding, so if I rely on him one-
sidedly—”

“You’re wrong. I have no doubt that he was being fully sincere. He never said anything he didn’t
mean even back when he was Elquiness.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. Also, he’s always been the kind to be lenient toward someone whom he’s decided to take
responsibility for. So, you can act as spoiled as you want the next time you see him. He’ll
probably let you do it.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“Hey. You don’t believe me? Everything I said is true, you know?” Trowell asked while opening
his eyes wide and blinking. He had apparently seen the doubt in my own. I almost believed him,
but I had long since decided not to have any expectations on this particular matter.
After all, I was already so happy as I was now that I could hardly believe it.

“I mean it, Jihoon,” Trowell continued. “It doesn’t matter what you do or what kind of trouble
you cause from now on. Elluen will never neglect you. So, don’t be afraid. He’s going to help
you start anew.”

I remained silent. Starting anew…

I thought that being reborn as a sprit had been my fresh start. Evidently, however, it looked like
there was a lot of things that I still had to let go of.

I looked up. My head suddenly started to feel clear.

“I have a request, Trowell.”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“About my name… Can you start calling me Elquiness again?”

“Huh?”

“Er, sorry. I guess it’s a little embarrassing for me to ask that out of the blue when I was the one
who asked you to call me Jihoon to begin with. But I felt like I’d never be able to break free from
my past life if I kept using my past life’s name. I want to start finding my worth from being a
spirit king, just like the rest of you guys. For real, this time.”

Trowell blinked and began beaming brightly.

“Sure thing, Elquiness. It’s no problem at all to call you something else. Actually, this way feels
more familiar to me.”

“T-thanks.”

“Not at all. Oh, wait. But what about this? I’ll shorten your name and call you ‘El’ instead. It can
be your nickname.”

“El…?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it cute? I think it suits you perfectly.”

I coughed in bewilderment. “Cute…?”

Trowell burst out in laughter. The countless Sylphs, who had been sleeping on the flower petals
in the distance, woke up and tilted their heads to the side in curiosity when they heard him.
The little sparks floating around the air were Kashas, the lesser fire spirits. They looked like
butterflies, and they were more beautiful than the stars themselves as they danced beneath the
night sky.

Maybe I’ll look back on all this and think it was only natural one day. I probably won’t be
feeling lonely anymore by then. The very thought was like a spell that electrified me with joy.
My beloved friends and brethren. And my father too…though the word still felt awkward on my
tongue.

“I’ll say it once again. Happy birthday, El. And welcome to the Spirit Realm.”
Chapter 9
1.

My everyday life changed quickly ever since I was given the nickname ‘El.’ I started
accompanying Trowell and Minervar to Arkadon in order to help restore nature. This was my
first time seeing Arkadon with my own two eyes since I was born. The desertification had
progressed more than I’d realized, and the land had been devastated. It was raining regularly now
that I’d created a lot of new water spirits, but that wasn’t enough to rejuvenate the land quickly.
The spirit kings needed to step in personally.

On my first trip down to Arkadon, my limbs had felt so heavy that I hadn’t been able to get
accustomed to it. I had heard that I would only be able to exercise a third of my original strength
when I went down to the human world. The heaviness was one of the side effects of that. I
eventually got used to it with time, but it had initially taken me a while every time I visited to
adjust.

It was during all that when I learned that the civilization here on Arkadon was very similar to
that of Earth’s. I had thought that it would be completely different because elves and dragons
lived here too, but things like how buildings were constructed or what the forests looked like
reminded me of Middle Ages Europe. As too did the clothing of any humans we came across
every now and then.

“Whoa, look over there, Trowell! It’s a person!”

“Haha. Are you really that curious about them?”

“Can I get a closer look?”

“Sure, I don’t mind. It’s not like they can see us anyway.”

Just as Trowell had said, the humans didn’t notice us at all. Not even when I got up real close
and tapped their hands.

“These humans here are pretty tall, huh?”

“You think so? I think they’re pretty average.”

“Whoa! They look like they’re at least 180cm. You’re saying that’s average?”

“Atlyssians are typically born with large physiques.”

“Atlyssians?”
“Human civilization collapsed once after the Golden Age eons ago. Atlyssian is the name for the
new humans that came after. There weren’t too many of them at first, but now that some time’s
passed, most humans today have some Atlyssian blood in them.”

“Huh, I see.”

“Do you wanna hear something funny? Atlyssia is actually a dragon’s name.”

“What?”

“The current human race began when a dragon polymorphed into human form and had a child
with a human woman from back when the humanity was on the brink of extinction.”

That was why there were a lot of humans now who had the talent for magic, or so Trowell
explained. Atlyssia, the dragon that was humanity’s progenitor, was long dead since his lifespan
had passed, and his blood had thinned out a lot by now too, but there were still exceptional
human archmages or spiritmancers born on the rare occasion.

‘Mages… This really is a completely different world from the Earth I knew.’

Another difference was hair color. People here naturally had vibrant and colorful hair of all sorts
of hues, just like Ifrit and me. It almost looked straight out of an anime or movie. The various
natural hair colors made everyone look all the more beautiful in my eyes.

“Well, let’s start working now,” said Minervar.

I nodded back.

The three of us spirit kings began working together. I purified the polluted ocean and rivers and
created new water veins in the arid land, and Minervar created a gale to plant new seeds that she
had received from the gods of trees and flowers. Then, Trowell helped the seeds take root and
supplied them with ample nutrients. To my surprise, the seeds began sprouting the very next day.

I had always thought that it was strange that new seeds would sprout so quickly in such dry and
devastated lands. Turns out, it was all thanks to the hard and thankless work of supernatural
beings.

Clean water and green fields could be found everywhere after two to three months of our labor.
All that was left now was to wait for the newly restored nature to regain its former abundance.

We held a small party in Evas Eden to celebrate after returning to the Spirit Realm. Trowell was
hosting, and he brought out the wine and drinks that he had been saving. He had made them all
personally. Apparently, Trowell’s wine was so delicious that it was considered a rare and
precious commodity even in the Heavenly Realm.
In particular, even I, who had never had alcohol before, thought that the special wine created
from ingredients that could only be found here in the Spirit Realm, like the honey stream water
and diamond lilies, was absolutely delectable. The only issue was that it was highly alcoholic,
but it was still considered ‘water,’ so it didn’t really have an effect on me.

“This is really good, Trowell.”

“Yeah? Have as much as you’d like. I can always make more.”

Trowell was grinning from ear to ear, and he refilled my glass every time it became empty.
There was even a faint smile on Minervar’s face, which was a very rare sight to behold.

“It’s been a while since I last tasted your special wine.”

“Oh, right. My special wine is the only wine that you like, Minervar. I wasn’t able to make more
because the honey stream was all dried up until recently. It’s been ten years since the last time I
made any, I think? Looks like I’ll have to make more.”

“The gods will rejoice.”

“Hmph. I never said that I was gonna share any with them.”

Trowell was grumbling, which wasn’t very like him. Then, he refilled his own empty glass of his
special wine. Ifrit, on the other hand, was quietly downing one glass after another off to the side.

“Anyway, it’s been an awfully long time. We can finally relax and get some rest now.”

“You’re right. Good work, El.”

“Not at all. You guys had to work a lot more than I did.”

It was a really pleasant mood.

And then, an uninvited guest spoke up out of nowhere. “El?”

“Waah!”

I almost doubted my eyes for a second when an outsider appeared out of nowhere. It was a man
with blinding platinum blonde hair and sky-colored eyes—none other than Elluen himself.

“Oh my. Elluen?”

“You… Why are you here, Elluen?” Ifrit’s surprised voice and my own astonished one cried out
simultaneously.
“Am I not allowed to visit my own son?” Elluen asked, apparently baffled, as he frowned ever so
slightly.

“You came to visit? As in, me?”

“You’re stating the obvious. Why else would I go out of my way to make the time to be here?”

‘Actually, that’s exactly the part that I’m not getting?’

Trowell and Minervar were just as taken aback as I was. They looked back at Elluen with
curiosity in their eyes, unable to hide their surprise.

“He really is the previous Elquiness. They have the exact same face.”

“So, it’s true that you ascended to godhood.”

Naturally, Ifrit was the most excited to see him. She ran up to Elluen immediately and greeted
him in full cheer.

“Welcome, Elluen! You came just in time. Come and sit here. We decided to hold a party for the
first time in a while. Wanna drink with us?”

“Is that Trowell’s special wine? Now that’s something I haven’t tasted in a while.”

“Hehe, right? You used to drink it pretty often.”

“Oh, I’ll go and bring another glass, in that case.”

“Guess I need to grab more wine.”

Ifrit showed Elluen to a seat, and Trowell and I got busy bringing over more party supplies.
Meanwhile, Ifrit got busy sitting down right next to Elluen and chatting nonstop about all kinds
of stuff. Anyone could tell that she had a huge crush on him.

Trowell was holding a new jar of wine under his arm, and he looked rather emotional as he
watched over them.

“Huh, so Ifrit really did like the previous Elquiness. I’m actually pretty surprised to see it for
myself.”

“You really had no idea at all? I thought you could read minds, Trowell.”

“I told you this before, but it doesn’t work properly on my equals. I also took Ifrit for her word
because spirits don’t lie. Thinking about it now, though, it was never the case that spirits can’t
lie. I know now that I got stuck in a bad habit. It’s not rare for a spirit to get in trouble because
we assumed that others won’t lie to us just because we don’t.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like it’s a bad thing to trust others either. I would actually say that your habit
is a good thing.”

“You think so? Still, it sometimes puts us in an uncomfortable spot, like what happened with
Ifrit. Oh, that’s right. Want me to tell you something funny that happened regarding this a while
back?”

‘Something funny?’

I nodded back, and Trowell began whispering his tale.

“He’s dead now, but Minervar had a human Contractor once. He was a skilled young human who
was poor but incredibly sincere and passionate. Minervar fell in love with his innocence and
asked him to be with her for the rest of his life as a condition of their pact.”

“Minervar did that?”

“Yeah. Things were okay at first. But their happiness together didn’t last very long. The human
man grew greedier by the day, you see. He was overjoyed about the fact that a beautiful spirit
like Minervar had reached out to him when he was still young and ignorant, but he came to
realize that his ideals weren’t a reflection of reality as he got older. He realized that he couldn’t
marry Minervar or have children with her since she’s a spirit.”

The real problem, apparently, had started a few years later. A daughter of a count had fallen head
over heels with the man and had started courting him aggressively. The young man had ignored
her at first, but his heart was eventually shaken by the girl’s beauty, her household’s riches, and
more importantly, her delicate appearance.

Yet, the young man had never come clean with Minervar even after the girl had already won
over his heart. He knew that Minervar would let go of him if she ever learned that his heart was
no longer hers. The public image that he had built up as a spirit king’s Contractor would crumble
down like sand if Minervar left him. The very thought had frightened him terribly.

“W-what happened next?”

“Well…he lied. As fervently as he could. He said that the girl was pestering him. That he would
never take interest in another girl. That Minervar was the only one for him. Funny, isn’t it?
Minervar doesn’t lie, so she thought that the young man would never lie to her either. She trusted
him at his word. She trusted him so much that she wouldn’t even believe me when I warned her
about him over and over again.”

And then, once that fraying tightrope had finally reached its limit, tragedy had struck. Unable to
stop lying, the young man had asked Minervar to murder the girl.

Not only had he believed that there was no way that Minervar would ever do such a thing, but he
also believed that this was the best way to prove to the spirit king that he did not love the girl
back. Maybe he had even thought that Minervar would take pity on the poor girl and willingly
step back.

Unfortunately, there was something he had forgotten. Minervar was a spirit in a pact with him.
Generally speaking, spirits never went against their Contractor’s wishes, and they almost always
put whatever their Contractor asked them to do as their top priority. The same held true even for
spirit kings despite having strong wills of their own. And to make matters worse, Minervar had
loved this human.

Ultimately, Minervar had murdered the girl, just as her lover-cum-Contractor had asked. Then,
she had personally brought the girl’s corpse before the man to prove that she had fulfilled his
wish.

“Then, the man…”

“He was shocked, naturally. He spat all kinds of curses at Minervar as he stood over the girl’s
cold corpse even though it was his own words that had put everything in motion. He was a
coward who refused to acknowledge the truth until the bitter end. Then, he began telling the
whole world that the Spirit King of Wind was ruthless and cold-hearted.”

“…And you guys just let the asshole be?” I asked stiffly.

I was furious just listening to the tale. How would Minervar, the actual victim, have felt at the
time? Trowell calmly shook his head no.

“The pact was nullified, of course. The jerk lost his most powerful weapon, the girl he loved, and
his reputation all at once. He was crippled, and he roamed the streets like a madman until he
finally died miserably in a dirty, rainy alleyway.

“I made sure to witness his death personally.”

Trowell grinned frigidly, and the light in his eyes was colder than I’d ever seen it before. But he
smiled again, like nothing had happened, when I started getting nervous.

“Anyway, so that’s what happened,” Trowell said as he returned to his normal kinder self.
“Sorry. I said that it’d be funny, but it ended up being nothing but a drag.”

“N-not at all. I didn’t know that Minervar went through something like that. No wonder she’s
always looked a little sad…”

“You think Minervar looks sad?”

“Yeah. There’s something about the light in her eyes, or the air about her… Um, sorry. I guess
I’m being rude.”

“Don’t be sorry, El. I actually agree.”

Trowell grinned and patted me on the head and went back to the party with the wine jar. There
was something about his retreating figure that looked a little lonely.

I dithered for a moment before joining him. Ifrit immediately began telling me off as soon as I
sat down.

“Why did it take you so long to bring back a single wineglass?”

“Haha. I lost track of time. Anyway, what brings you here, Elluen? Aren’t you busy?” I asked
gingerly as I gauged the look in Elluen’s eyes.

“There’s no helping it, since there’s no way for you to come to me,” he said while bringing his
wineglass up to his lips. “We’ve finally become father and son. Wouldn’t it be strange if we had
no contact at all?”

“Huh? I mean, I was okay either way…”

“You may be all right with it, but I am not. I have no intentions on becoming a deadbeat father. I
actually meant to visit sooner, but you seemed busy, so I intentionally waited until you were
free.”

Wow. I didn’t know what to say. I was honestly a bit moved that he was being so candid. My
father had come to see me even though he was really busy. It felt so strange, especially because it
wasn’t too long ago that I had thought that it would be difficult to see him.

“More importantly, why did Trowell call you ‘El’ earlier?”

“Huh? Oh. That’s the name that Trowell gave me. He said it’s my nickname.”

“A nickname. Hmm. Not bad.” He looked surprisingly pleased. And here I’d thought that he’d
immediately say that I was being childish again. Elluen gave me a smile when I chuckled quietly
in embarrassment. Then, he asked, “I heard that you’ve finished repairing Arkadon. Is that true?”

“Yeah, it true.”

“I see. Good work.”

“N-not at all. I barely did anything…”

It was entirely possible that he was just being polite. But, coming from him, I couldn’t help but
feel like he was actually praising me. Elluen patted my head as I grew a little bashful.

“I’ll keep visiting you often. The time will be well-spent if it means we can get closer as father
and son.”
It was Ifrit who replied. Her eyes were sparkling as she got up real close to Elluen and asked,
“What about me, Elluen?”

“What about you?”

“The part about spending time together to get closer. Spend some time with me too!”

“Elquiness… No, it’s El now. El is my only son, and I don’t intend to take in another.”

“No, that’s not what I mean! Besides, I’d be a daughter. Why would I be a son… Ugh, that’s not
it either! I’m a candidate to be your future bride, Elluen!”

Elluen frowned ever so slightly as he listened. “And who decided that? You’ve got guts for a brat
who hasn’t even lived half her lifespan yet.”

“O-once I become a goddess, I mean!”

“Didn’t I say that we would revisit the issue then?”

“Tch, you’re so cheap,” Ifrit grumbled. Fires lit in her eyes as she started glowering at me. Then,
quietly so that no one else could hear her, she snapped at me, “Just you try monopolizing Elluen
just because you’re his son. I’ll never forgive you. Got that?”

“Ahaha…”

Elluen was my adopted father and not my real father, and Ifrit was a ‘candidate’ to become my
stepmother and not even my real stepmother. And yet here she was, threatening me…

Why in the world did my life keep getting so complicated? I couldn’t help but start to wonder.

2.

Elluen visited the Spirit Realm almost every day after his initial visit. His visits grew shorter as
he frequented more often, and I found myself getting used to my new life with him in no time at
all. I guess this was what he’d meant about spending time to get closer to each other. The same
held true for the other spirit kings as well.

They had seemed awkward around him at first, but now they regularly called out to him first and
even exchanged jokes with him sometimes.
Apparently, Elluen had mellowed out a lot since his term as Elquiness. As Elquiness, he had not
only kept a straight face no matter what kind of joke he was told but would also clap back with a
ruthlessly vengeful retort for no real reason.

“Huh, so he was even worse than he is now?”

“He’s actually gotten a lot better. Nowadays, he just ignores you if you’re bothering him. He
wasn’t like that in the past. Before, he would keep harassing you relentlessly until you declared
surrender. It was almost like he had thorns covering his entire being. Every day used to be like
war back when he and the previous Ifrit were together.”

“The previous Ifrit?”

“Yeah. The previous Ifrit was the meddlesome sort and managed to tick Elluen off pretty often.”
Just then, Trowell started looked lonely, as if he was reminiscing over the past, before suddenly
remembering something and asking, “Oh, right. I’m gonna spend some time in Arkadon for a
spell, El.”

“Huh? You’re going to the human world? How come?”

“I’ve been going down in a human guise for the last few years. I’m planning on revisiting that in
earnest now that we’ve finished up what we needed to do here. I’ll still come back to visit you
from time to time, but I won’t be able to come as often as I have been. Contact me through a
Gnome if you need anything.”

“Okay. Anyway, having a human guise involves making a pact with someone from the human
world so you can live amongst the people, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh, must be nice. I wonder when I’ll be able to get a human guise.”

Trowell’s smile suddenly froze stiff.

“…Do you want a human guise, El?” he asked awkwardly.

“Yeah, of course I do! It sounds so fun. Now that I think about it, how long does it usually take
for a spirit king to get summoned? I’d like to go down to the human world in earnest sometime
soon too.”

There was no point in travelling if no one could see me and I couldn’t interact with anyone.
Besides, making a pact with someone felt like such a special thing. I was starting to get excited,
but what Trowell said next was an apology.

“Sorry, El. You…probably won’t be able to go down in a human guise for a while.”
“Huh? Why not? I thought I only had to wait until someone summoned me?”

“Erm, how should I put this? It’s actually pretty rare for a spirit king to get summoned.”

“Oh…”

What Trowell explained to me next threw me for a loop. Unlike with regular spirits, people not
only needed to have a high affinity for nature but also needed to use a life-threatening amount of
mana in order to summon a spirit king. Not only was it rare for anyone to even attempt it, but the
summoning was only successful once every few hundreds or even thousands of years.

But it was something else that shocked me even more. That was—!

“N-no one has ever managed to summon an Elquiness before? Not a single soul?”

“Yeah. The Spirit King of Water’s aura is the wildest among us Four Great Spirits. It’s
incredibly rare for a human to be able to handle it. That’s why there are so few water
spiritmancers.”

“What, no way… Does that mean that no Elquiness before me has ever had a human guise?”

“No, no. That’s not it. What I said just now pertains only to humans. Other races…like the
dragons, for example, can summon spirit kings with no problem. That holds true for Elquinesses
too. That’s why every Elquiness until now has only ever made a pact with a dragon in order to go
down to the human world in guise. And to be honest, it’s better for us that way too. Having a
dragon as a Contractor is pretty convenient, since they not only have a ton of mana but they also
don’t really need our powers.”

“Huh, I see. Wait. Then, can’t I just make a pact with a dragon too?”

“See, that’s the difficult part.”

I stared at Trowell in confusion as he sighed. ‘Why would that be difficult? Did the dragons
collectively decide not to summon the Spirit King of Water or something?’

“Yeah, something like that,” Trowell said.

“What?! Really? Do they hate me because they think I’m an idiot or something?”

“No, that’s not it. They probably don’t even know that you were accidentally born as a human
before this.”

“Then why…?”

“El, do you know which clan of dragons have the water attribute?”
“Yeah, I do. The Blue Dragons and the White Dragons, right?” I answered promptly with a nod.

According to everything I’ve learned so far, there were seven different dragon clans in Arkadon:
Red Dragons, Blue Dragons, Green Dragons, White Dragons, Silver Dragons, Black Dragons,
and Gold Dragons.

Every dragon clan had their own unique attributes, which just so happened to correspond to the
four attributes of nature. Red Dragons had the fire attribute, Blue Dragons and White Dragons
had the water attribute, Silver Dragons and Green Dragons had the wind attribute, and Black
Dragons and Gold Dragons had the earth attribute.

“Then, you know which clan of dragons is the strongest too, right?”

“Yeah. The Red Dragons…I think?”

“You’re right. It’s the Red Dragons,” Trowell replied as he nodded back proudly.

Unlike with the spirits, there was a significant difference in power among the different dragon
clans. The Red Dragons were the strongest and most violent. They were also the most feared.

“The problem lies with this one Red Dragon rascal… He’s been getting in the way of the
dragons summoning the Spirit King of Water.”

“…But why?”

“It’s because he fell head over heels for the previous Elquiness—Elluen, that is.”

I was stunned. ‘W-what in the world?’

Trowell looked a little awkward and began scratching his cheek when he saw just how baffled I
was.

“Yeah, so… How should I explain this? A twerp by the name Lapis Lazuli was born to the Red
Dragons about three thousand years ago.”

“…Lapis Lazuli?”

“Yeah. It’s quite the name, right? Dragons are known as ‘hatchlings’ until they come of age at a
thousand years old, and they live under the protection of their clan until then. Adult dragons
teach the hatchlings about their clan’s history and all the knowledge they’ll need to live
independently. Dragons usually only make pacts with spirits while they’re still hatchlings. They
don’t really need our help once they’ve come of age, you see.”

Normally, a dragon hatchling was only able to summon a greater spirit. Even if, by some stroke
of luck, they somehow managed to summon a spirit king, they would only be able to make a pact
if the spirit king shared their attribute.
The Red Dragon named Lapis Lazuli, however, had demonstrated unusual strength ever since he
was born. And against all notions of common sense, he had managed to summon Elquiness, the
spirit king with the opposite attribute to his own, even as a hatchling. In other words, he had
managed to summon Elluen.

“It was something unheard of, and naturally, the Red Dragons were overjoyed. They were
excited that such a powerful dragon had been born into their clan. Elquiness, on the other hand,
was awfully offended that a mere hatchling who hadn’t even come of age yet had somehow
managed to summon him despite not being the same attribute.”

“A-and then?”

“He refused to make a pact, of course. It wasn’t in his personality to accept a pact that wasn’t to
his liking.”

Unfortunately, Lapis Lazuli had already fallen head over heels for the Spirit King of Water.
Lapis Lazuli grew depressed from the shock of being denied a pact. The adult dragons had tried
to coax him into making a pact with a different spirit king, but Lapis Lazuli was stubborn and
refused to bend his will.

And so, Lapis Lazuli had summoned Elquiness again and again, only to be coldly denied time
and time again.

“There are plenty of dragons other than the likes of you who can be my Contractor,” was what
Elquiness had said the last time Lapis Lazuli had summoned him.

That, however, was the problem. Lapis Lazuli had grown so indignant that he had started
interfering whenever another dragon attempted to summon Elquiness. Lapis Lazuli had been
exceptionally powerful since birth, and no one could dare make light of him once he had come of
age.

His ego was also just as big. It was so bad that even other Red Dragons did their best to tiptoe
around his temper. So, it was only natural that the dragons had tacitly agreed to avoid
summoning Elquiness for the time being.

“Dragons are easily dominated by power. They’ll submit even to a younger dragon if the
younger dragon is stronger. The only dragons who are free from the consequences of his
selfishness are hatchlings, who are protected unconditionally no matter what, but there aren’t any
hatchlings with the water attribute right now. None of the existing hatchlings are strong enough
to summon you, and the adult dragons who could potentially summon you are being stopped by
Lapis Lazuli… And that’s how it is.”

“…B-but I’m not Elluen?”

“You’re not, but Lapis Lazuli doesn’t know that there’s been a generation change yet. I wanted
to tell him, but I haven’t been able to since I stopped hearing about him ever since he went down
to the human world in guise. No one knows where he is anymore. Even I’d be hard-pressed to
find him if he’s serious about staying in hiding.”

“Isn’t it a good thing that he’s gone missing? I can just make a pact with someone else while he’s
gone.”

What Trowell said next, however, completely crushed my hopes. “I don’t think it’ll work. The
dragons are too scared of him. I tried explaining the situation to them a couple times too, but they
only shook their heads at me. I don’t think anything’s gonna get through to them on the matter
until he’s back.”

“…And when will that be?” I asked blankly.

“Who can say…?” Trowell replied with an awkward and apologetic smile. “He left before the
decade of drought began, so he’s been gone for seventeen years now, I think? On the shorter end,
dragons typically stay in human guise for about a century, and on the longer end, they stay for
multiple centuries, so you might be waiting for at least a couple hundred years…”

I was speechless. A couple hundred years?

It wasn’t a couple years or even a couple decades…but a couple hundred years?

‘That gods-damned dragon! Just you wait until I get my hands on you!’

This marked the first time that I’d wanted to kill someone since the day I was born.

And it also marked the moment that my ill-fated relationship with Lapis Lazuli, the
temperamental Red Dragon, began.

3.

Evas Eden was the best place to kill time. It was fun to watch the spirits dancing or listen to them
chatting away, and it was also nice to collect the leaves and petals of the jewel flowers.

The other spirit kings had no interest in finances and had no idea why I was doing this, but I
couldn’t possibly(?) just sit there and do nothing about the bags of money that were right there in
front of me.

‘Even the most precious treasures in the world can only truly shine in the hands of someone who
knows what they’re worth! That’s why I’ll pick the lot of you and treasure you dearly, my
beloved flowers!’
The strange thing about Evas Eden was that no matter how many flowers you picked or crushed
underfoot, they would instantly grow back, and the garden would return to normal in no time at
all. In other words, the garden was practically a trove of infinite treasure.

“Hehehe… I’m totally rich now. Just one of these flowers could fetch me enough to be able to
fool around for at least a couple decades…”

I smiled drearily as I stroked the petals of a ruby rose.

“Tch,” I heard someone click their tongue at me from behind. Then, I heard them say sharply,
“It’s because you keep thinking about things in such human terms that you’re in such a spot right
now. You could be spending your time looking for the dragon named Lapis Lazuli—or whatever
it was. Why are you lazing around here all alone while looking miserable while everyone else is
going down to the human world in guise? You’re future looks pretty bleak.”

It was none other than Ifrit who was looking down at me while clicking her tongue at me in pity.
I must’ve looked pretty miserable collecting flowers here for days on end, considering how often
she was coming here to nitpick at me and tell me off. Even still, she sometimes took the time to
sit with me and help pick off the jewels.

“But he’s in hiding right now,” I grumbled as Ifrit handed me a diamond forsythia. “And going
out to find him would hurt my pride.”

“Wow. You actually have some pride as a spirit king?”

“Of course I do! Did you really think that I’d act like an idiot in front of just anybody? Besides,
you never know, right? Maybe someone who’s not a dragon will manage to summon me.”

“See, that’s what they call ‘chasing rainbows.’ Didn’t Trowell tell you? It’s harder for people to
summon you than it is for them to summon the rest of us spirit kings. No human can possible
have that much affinity for nature and mana in their body. They’d probably dry up and die as
soon as they try.”

“…But humans aren’t the only race in Arkadon, right?”

“You aren’t hoping to get summoned by an elf, are you? Come on, give up already. Do you think
that summoning a spirit king is easy or something? Summoning a spirit king is considered a
‘miracle.’ Elves are a harmonious race. They aren’t capable of creating ‘miracles’ because that
would break the balance in the world. While they are the race closest to us spirits, there are
things that they still can’t do.”

“Ugh. Then I guess I’ll just wait until another water attribute dragon gets born…”

Ifrit shook her head and washed her hands of the matter when she heard the resignation in my
voice. Then, she brushed herself off and climbed up to her feet.
“Whatever. I’m gonna go down in human guise too. Something that I’ve been putting a lot of
work into for several years now is finally about to bear fruit. I probably won’t be back for a
while either.”

“What are you doing?”

“It’s a secret. Don’t you know that it’s rude to ask others about what they do in human guise?
But anyway, I'll be sure to let him know if I happen to run into this Lapis Lazuli. If he’s sensible,
then he’ll have to let things go once he learns that there’s been a generation change, right? Or
maybe he’ll try to summon you again himself.”

“…But I don’t wanna get summoned by him.”

“Are you really in any place to be picky right now? You might end up being the first spirit king
who never got a chance to take on a human guise at this rate.”

‘Tch! How does that make any sense? The dragon must be pretty old by now if he was born three
thousand years ago, while I was born just two months ago. Why would our lifespans be the
same?’

I had heard that dragons usually lived to be just under ten thousand years. In other words, I just
had to wait seven thousand years until he died, and then I could use the rest of my lifespan to go
down in human guise as much as I wanted!

…Not that this made it any better. C’mon, seven thousand years?! I have to wait that long just to
go down in human guise once?! Maybe it would be better to just go and find this Lapis Lazuli
guy and make a pact with him.

“You’ve never met him before, Ifrit? He’s a Red Dragon.”

“Nope. I wasn’t born yet three thousand years ago, and he’s apparently quite the recluse. I’ve
never even seen his face before, much less actually met him. Though I heard that he’s managed
to summon the Ifrit before me once.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Just once, I think, because the other dragons pushed him to. I heard that he looks like a
delinquent. He immediately turned down the previous Ifrit on the spot because he wasn’t happy
about it, or something like that? But anyway, that’s more than enough to tell me that he’s got one
hell of a personality.”

“Whoa…”

I agreed vehemently and nodded up and down. It was really starting to sound like nothing good
would come of getting involved with him. I guess I’d have to start looking into whether someone
from another race would be able to summon me. I’d probably hear some good news within a
thousand years or so, right?

A question popped into my mind just then.

“You said that you were two thousand years old, right, Ifrit?” I asked promptly. “What about the
others?”

“You mean Trowell and Minervar? Trowell’s four thousand, and Minervar’s a little over sixteen
thousand.”

“Whoa! S-sixteen thousand?”

I dropped my jaw. Minervar was older than I’d been expecting.

“That should be right,” Ifrit replied with a shrug, “since she was roughly the same age as Elluen
was before he was extinguished. Oh my. Minervar’s exceeded a spirit king’s average lifespan,
now that I think about it. She might even get extinguished soon.”

“Oh…”

Was it because we were spirit kings? Ifrit was talking about extinguishment as nonchalantly as if
Minervar was simply going over to someone else’s house to play. I, on the other hand, startled
and stiffened up.

“I know you’re close with her, Ifrit, but should you really be talking about her extinguishment
like it’s nothing to you?”

“What about it? Extinguishment is just extinguishment.”

“Yeah, but…it’s sad.”

“Why would it be sad if she’s managed to live out her full lifespan? Actually, I’m pretty sure that
Minervar herself won’t really care about getting extinguishment. Besides, it’s not like we don’t
know what happens when we get extinguished, right?”

“Yeah, but still…”

“But still what? Quit being so scared of stuff that hasn’t even happened yet. It’s not like being
scared of something will prevent it from happening either.”

I had nothing to say to that, so I simply pressed my lips together. Ifrit was right. It wasn’t like the
future would change just because I was scared of it.
I sat there in a blank daze for a while even after Ifrit had left. I was feeling strangely empty and
afraid. No one had even left me yet, but I was already terrified of the future partings I would
experience. Even if those partings would eventually lead to new encounters.

“Your heart is in disarray. What are you doing here all alone?”

I jumped as an unexpected visitor scattered away my uneasy thoughts. I was shocked when I
looked up and found a familiar face. It was Elluen.

“H-hi there, Elluen. It’s been a while.”

He hadn’t been visiting the Spirit Realm as frequently as of late. I hadn’t seen him in days. I
couldn’t help the fact that I was happy to see him again. But my joy quickly gave way to
disappointment when I heard what he said next.

“I’m here to let you know that I’ll be too busy to visit you for a while.”

“Huh? O-oh yeah? For how long?”

“I’ll try my best to finish things up as quickly as I can, but it’ll probably take longer than you’re
thinking. It looks like the others have gone down to the human world in guise. Why don’t you
join them out there, instead of being holed up in the Spirit Realm like this?”

“Um. Well, I want to go too, but…”

“Then go.”

I sighed when I realized that he didn’t know what the issue was.

“Do you remember a dragon named Lapis Lazuli by any chance, Elluen?”

“…Who is that again?”

“What? Er, so, he’s a Red Dragon… There was a dragon who summoned you a bunch of times
and tried to get you to make a pact with him, right? That’s him.”

“A dragon who tried to get me to make a pact with him?” Elluen asked as if he had no clue what
I was talking about. Between the two of us, I think I was more confused.

‘Why does he look so confused? Does he really not remember?’

I began telling him everything that Trowell had explained to me, just in case.

“It happened about three thousand years ago. I heard there was a huge fuss because a Red
Dragon hatchling managed to summon you back when you were Elquiness… Wasn’t there?”
“Three thousand years ago? Hmm. Did something like that happen? It does seem to ring a bell.”

‘Huh?! He really doesn’t remember?!

‘What the hell? I’m unable to go down to the human world in guise because of stuff that
happened before I was even born. But Elluen, the culprit in question, doesn’t even remember
what happened. Isn’t that too much?’

I was rendered speechless—more because I was astounded than because of the unfairness of it
all.

“But why do you ask?” Elluen asked, puzzled.

“Ahaha… W-well, that’s… The Red Dragon is keeping other dragons from making a pact with
me.”

“He must have too much time on his hands. Why in the world would he do something like that?”

‘What do you mean, why? He’s venting his frustrations after getting dumped by you!’

Or so I wanted to say, but I held back and instead grumbled, “I don’t really know either…
Maybe he just doesn’t want others to have something that he wasn’t allowed to have. Though,
more specifically, I think this is just his way of getting petty revenge against you, Elluen.”

“Revenge?”

“I heard that he became really spiteful after you turned down a pact with him three thousand
years ago. He said that he wouldn’t let any other dragon become a Contractor to the Spirit King
of Water until he did. Also, no one knows where he is right now. I’m here all by my lonesome
right now since no one’s able to summon me because of him.”

“So, it’s ultimately my fault.”

Fortunately, Elluen was quick to understand what I was getting at.

Elluen furrowed his brows for a moment, and then he nodded resolutely.

“You said his name of Lapis Lazuli? Wait here for a moment, my son. I’ll go and kill him.”

“What?! Why would you do that?!”

“It’s better to eliminate troublesome folk as quickly as possible. It won’t be difficult to pinpoint
his current whereabouts if I mobilize my angels. Then, I’ll pretend to run into him again by
coincidence and erase him from—”

“Please don’t…”
In the end, I had to spend a considerable amount of time talking Elluen out of carrying out his
plan immediately. Though I did want to see Lapis Lazuli getting in trouble, there was no way
that it was okay to murder a perfectly healthy dragon just so my life could get a little easier,
right? The dragon was annoying, but I could always get my own revenge against him once I
finally got to meet him.

Besides, there was no reason that I needed to go down in human guise right now when I still had
ten thousand years ahead of me, right? I didn’t need to rush. I had plenty of time. It wouldn’t be
so terrible to spend some more time in the Spirit Realm for now.

Naturally, Elluen clicked his tongue and said that I was being too easygoing about this.

***

It was already starting to get dark by the time I finally got back to the Domain of Water after my
psychologically taxing day.

I laid in bed for a little while. Then, I accidentally fell asleep. I only realized that I’d fallen asleep
when I heard a voice calling out to me.

[Elquiness.]

“Mm… What is it…?”

I rubbed by eyes as the voice stirred me from my pleasant slumber. The voice definitely sounded
human. The weird part, however, was the fact that I was hearing it not with my ears but from
directly inside my head. It felt a little similar to listening to the spirits babbling about because the
voice was echoing in my head, but the spirits’ voices had never been this intense.

[Elquiness!]

“Ugh, I heard you. I’m getting up now, so stop calling me…”

Who in the world was calling me at this hour? I still went to bed every night—a habit I retained
from my human days. The other spirit kings knew this, so they always waited until the next
morning if they had business with me. They never called me this late at night. Seeing by how
someone was calling me now, however, I guessed that it had to be something important.

It was easier to get out of bed than I’d expected. I dawdled for a bit until the impatient voice
resounded in my head yet again.

[Elquiness, please!]
I sighed. “I said I heard you! I heard you, so… Ugh, I’m getting up. I’m up, okay?”

‘Wait, that’s weird. Why are they calling me ‘Elquiness?’’

The spirit kings had started calling me ‘El’ ever since Trowell had given me the nickname.
Supposedly, it was easier to say. I didn’t recognize the voice either, now that I thought about it. It
was too low to belong to Minervar or Ifrit, who sounded feminine, and, while similar, it was too
gruff to belong to Trowell.

‘Do I know anyone who sounds like that?’

Just as the question struck me, the voice that had woken me called out to me yet again. It
sounded even more desperate this time.

[Please come to me, Elquiness!]

‘…Come to you? What in the world are you talking about?’

I started getting annoyed, so I shook off the sleepiness that was still clinging to my eyelids and
sat up. To my complete surprise, I didn’t see anyone there when I opened my eyes.

“W-what the…? That wasn’t a ghost, was it?” I mumbled to myself in my bewilderment as I
apathetically scanned the Domain of Water. It was still dark. Then, a moment later, I found
something strange. “Huh?”

A gigantic, donut-shaped ring was wavering like a hologram before my very eyes while shining
gold. The inside of the golden ring was filled with all sorts of complicated shapes. I almost felt
like there was a giant mirror in front of me.

“What’s that…?”

I was certain that it hadn’t been there when I’d fallen asleep. Actually, I was pretty sure that I’d
never seen it before. I was so thrown off that I just froze up and sat there because I’d forgotten
how to move. Then, the voice that had woken me cried out yet again from the circular hologram.

[Please help me, Elquiness! Answer my call! I beg of you!]

I gasped. It was only then that my instincts told me what that circle was.

I barely managed to keep in my surprise as I brought my hand up to my mouth. I still couldn’t

believe it.

“A… summoning circle?”

Side Story: A Day in the Life of Naduel
Hello there. I’m Naduel. I’m an angel serving Lord Elluen, the greater god who governs curses
and punishment. I’m a young celestial who was born not too long ago.

Celestials are ranked according to the number of wings they have. I’m an archangel with six
wings. Ahem.

…Though, to be honest, having six wings didn’t really make me all that special here in Lord
Elluen’s palace. All of the angels here are archangels. Even my big sisters sweeping the floors
over there. In that sense, I’m actually the lowest-ranked angel around since I’m the youngest.

You might not think that this is a big deal, but it actually is. It’s a huge deal. There aren’t many
even among the greater gods who are able to call upon so many archangels.

A god’s first high-ranking celestial is born alongside them, and the rest are awakened from the
Azure Chamber like I was. The awakened angel’s rank depends on how much divine power the
god who awakened them has.

Most angels are born as greater angels, who have four wings, or intermediary angels, who have
two wings. The truly unfortunate are born as lesser angels, who don’t have wings at all.

Usually, a god’s palace is filled with angels of every rank, and there are only one or two
archangels who act as their leader. But everyone here was an archangel. It’s a testament to just
how much divine power Lord Elluen has.

Lord Elluen’s palace is probably the only palace like this, save for maybe the Demon God’s
palace. That’s probably why there are so many bad rumors about Lord Elluen. Like that he’s
cruel, or that he enjoys torturing celestials, or that he catches demons and cooks them for dinner.
Some of them even claim that he’s as ugly as a monster, you know?

Of course, it was all nonsense spouted by people who had never even seen the soles of his feet.
Lord Elluen is actually very beautiful and elegant.

His skin is as pale as rice, his eyes are as blue as water, and his hair is like pure gold! He
could’ve been the God of Beauty instead of the God of Punishment. Moreover, he’s very well-
mannered in speech, and he isn’t mean to his celestials either.

He was basically a crystallization of beauty itself! How dare people compare him to a monster!
It’s a truly infuriating insult.

I get so upset whenever I hear those rumors, but my big sisters don’t seem to be bothered by
them. Instead, they tell me to review another document if I have the time to get angry about
things like that. Lord Elluen, our master, is like that too. That’s why I was the only one who ever
got hung up about this.
“Are you up, Naduel?”

“Yes I am, Big Sis! I’m up!”

The first thing I do when I wake up is to go to the stream outside and wash my face. Then, I go
down to the cafeteria and eat breakfast. Neither gods nor celestials have to eat to survive, but
eating delicious food is an important part of keeping up my mood and vigor.

A god’s palace is created from divine power, so it has an ego of its own. In other words, the
palace itself prepares delicious meals every day. Today, the cafeteria had fresh cloud peaches,
rainbow grapes, and fried ambrosia noodles.

I head straight for Master’s office once I’m done with breakfast. That’s when my day really
starts. All greater gods are given a lot of work to do, but Lord Elluen’s palace is always
especially busy. It was probably because he was in charge of Vyton, where there are a lot of
demons. There’s always a veritable mountain of documents inside his office.

Most of my job has to do with going through documents, now that I think about it. More
specifically, I sort them depending on their contents. My big sisters still won’t let me do anything
harder because I’m the youngest. I’m actually a little sad about that. I know I can do good work!

“You’ve got that wrong, Naduel. Incidents involving demons go here.”

“Whoops! You’re right. Hehehe…”

“Goodness gracious. Be more careful next time.”

“I will.”

Um, I’m sorry. Truth be told, I’m actually lacking in a lot of ways.

My big sisters have always been good at whatever work they’re given, but I seem to make a lot
of mistakes for some reason. I haven’t gotten in too much trouble because of it just yet, since
Master doesn’t seem to really mind, but I’ve really had to do a ton of self-reflecting.

We get a little break after our work for the morning is done. I like to spend this time going out to
the garden and picking and eating the fruits from the trees. The fruits from the palace are filled
with divine power, so they’re the best source of nutrients for celestials like me. This is also the
best way to recover our stamina. And they’re delicious too, naturally.

“I’m sorry, Naduel, but could you run a quick errand for me?”

“Sure thing! What do I need to do?”

It was my big sister Uriel. Big Sis Uriel was Lord Elluen’s first archangel, born at the same time
that he’d become a god. Maybe that was why she was both the most capable among us, and why
she looked like most like Lord Elluen himself. She was also the best at gauging Master’s mood.
She was strict when it came to work, but she was actually really kind. That part of her was like
Master too.

“The Goddess of Destiny sent our master an invitation to a banquet, and this is his reply. Please
deliver it to her palace.”

“Yes, I understand.”

My big sister handed me a letter tucked inside a white envelope. White was the color that the
gods liked to use when sending each other letters.

Otherwise, they used gold for official documents, blue for invitations, red for courtship or
marriage proposals, and black for blackmail or challenges to a duel. Or so I’ve heard. You
apparently had to be really careful when delivering a black letter. Or else the receiving god might
just decide to take out their frustrations on you.

The most famous example happened at the Demon God’s palace. Apparently, there were a
couple gods who were upset at the demons and sent the Demon God black letters. The angels
who had delivered those letters had never made it back home. And the gods who had sent them
hadn’t gotten off easy either, of course.

I’ve been to the Demon God’s palace to deliver official documents too. Fortunately, I’ve never
actually met him in person because he was always away.

In that sense, the Demon God was a truly terrifying individual. According to the rumors, he had
black hair and equally black eyes. And apparently, there was so much magic contained in his
eyes and just looking at him was enough to send shivers down your spine and make your
extremities go stiff.

The demons—his creations—were a testament to his cruelty. I had no doubt that he was just as
horrifying to look at as the rumors claimed. Oh, but that’s a secret, okay? I’m scared of him!

“Welcome, Lady Naduel.”

“Hi there, Erael.”

I was greeted by Erael, a lesser angel with two wings, when I arrived at the goddess’ palace. We
were on friendly terms because we had seen each other several times while exchanging letters.

“I’m here with my master’s reply. Please give this to the goddess.”

“It seems that he’s declined this time too.”

“There’s no helping it. My master hates crowds.”

“I understand. Please wait here a moment. I’ll go and deliver this to the goddess.”

“‘Kay.”

I took in the view as Erael scurried away. The goddess’ palace was also filled to the brim with
delicious-looking fruit. But I couldn’t eat them freely like I could at my master’s palace. Eating
fruit imbued with someone else’s divine power was no different than stealing their divine power.
It was the most forbidden taboo in the Heavenly Realm.

Yet there were a lot of people who coveted the goddess’ fruit even still. This was because the
Goddess of Destinsy’s fruits were famous for letting you see glimpses into the future.

It had happened about a hundred years ago. The Demon God had snuck inside the Goddess of
Destiny’s palace and stolen a fruit. That was apparently why the goddess was no longer on good
terms with the Demon God.

I had no way of knowing if that story was true or not, but it was certainly true that the goddess
hated the Demon God. She would always frown heavily whenever he was mentioned in
conversation. So, I guess that particular rumor was at least partially true.

“Do you covet those fruits too?”

“Huh? …Oh, Lady Radecca!”

I jumped as I turned around. The goddess herself was standing right behind me. Standing beside
her was Erael with an awkward look on her face. The goddess had probably come straight here
after receiving the letter.

“I greet the Goddess Radecca!” I continued.

Lady Radecca, the Goddess of Destiny, was a beautiful woman with jet black skin, white hair,
and golden eyes. I’d once heard that she was just as old as the Demon God himself. Maybe that
was why I could feel her age from the way she spoke or the faces she made even though she
looked like a little girl.

“The future that those fruits show you aren’t set in stone. They show you only the future of your
dreams.”

“Y-you’re mistaken! I don’t covet them at all! I was only looking.”

“Indeed. That is how it should be. It is only dogs and pigs, as blind as a pollack and unable to tell
the shit-filled head of a carp from its tail, who covet them. Lovely children like you should stay
far away.”

…Another thing was that Lady Radecca had a very rough manner of speaking. She looked so
cute, but she spat out curses like they were nothing. I couldn’t tell you how many times her
speech has managed to shock me. Anyway, she wouldn’t have been referring to the Demon God
just now, was she?

“Excuse me, but are the rumors true?”

“Which ones?”

“The one about how the Demon God stole one of your fruits…”

“Don’t bring up that bastard here. I could chew him up and spit him back out, and I still wouldn’t
be done with him.”

Wow. I guess it really was true, judging by how quickly the light in her eyes had turned
bloodthirsty. Why in the world had the Demon God stolen the fruit in the first place? What had
he wanted to do with it? It wasn’t like the gods had any need of it.

“He’s always tended to take things too far from time to time,” Lady Radecca continued. “And
it’s not like he doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions either. No, perhaps it’s worse
because he does understand. He’ll have to pay for his mistakes someday, sooner or later.”

I stayed quiet.

Um, it was actually really scary to hear the Goddess of Destiny saying stuff like that. She wasn’t
normally angry, even if she did have a rough way with her words. I guess she really was furious
with the Demon God.

“Speaking of going too far, your master isn’t any better.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Are you saying that because you don’t know? I’ve sent him fourteen different banquet
invitations now, but he’s declined every last one.”

“Ehehe…”

There was nothing I could do except smile awkwardly.

It wasn’t only Lade Radecca’s banquets that Master’s been declining. After all, he was someone
who had openly declared that he wasn’t planning to attend even the main conferences that all
gods were supposed to attend without fail. Despite what she’d said, it looked like even Lady
Radecca had given up on him.

“That being said, he still makes sure to send a reply every single time. I’m not sure if I should
say he’s sincere or if I should say he’s thorough. In any case, I’m glad that you’re the one who
came to deliver his letter. Someone else came last time, and she was just as stiff and unfriendly
as your master is.”
“Is that so? As for me, I’m a bit sad that I haven’t taken after my master.”

“Hmph. Nonsense. There are already enough little shits running around these parts with rods
stuck up their asses.”

And that was how Big Sis Uriel and my other big sisters suddenly became little shits with rods
up their asses. Not that they’d even care. Neither would Lord Elluen. Hmm, it really was weird
no matter how hard I thought about it. Why am I the only one who’s different?

“Anyway, that’s too bad. I was hoping to ask him about the son he’s adopted. But, alas, his
guard’s up too high.”

“Oh! You already heard about that, Lady Radecca?”

“The rumor’s been spreading like wildfire. How could I not know?”

Then again, I’d heard that it had become a hot topic because it was extraordinarily rare for a
greater god to adopt a child. The gods were probably paying special attention since the rumors
were centered around Lord Elluen, who was infamous for being reticent and reclusive. Of
course, Lord Elluen hadn’t told who his son is because he didn’t want anyone to know.

But here’s the thing. Lord Elluen’s adopted son is actually someone amazing. He’s none other
than Lord Elquiness, the Spirit King of Water himself!

His skin was pale, his features looked sculpted, and his big eyes made him look like a doll. His
looks make him so lovable. Looking at him just made you want to give him a hug. And his
personality was so innocent and adorable too! I totally understood why Master decided to adopt
him, 100%!

The only thing I didn’t get was why Master decided that Lord Elquiness was his son and not his
daughter. Lord Elquiness would have been a very pretty little daughter. But I’m sure that he had
a good reason for it.

“Oh, right! There’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you, Lady Radecca.”

“What’s up?”

“Would you know if adopting a son was always a part of my master’s destiny?”

Huh? Lady Radecca only smiled when she heard my question. Had I asked something I shouldn’t
have?

“You seem to be mistaken about something. Destiny isn’t something that’s decided at birth.”

“What? T-then what is it?”

“All things stem from sincerity. The urgency born from your heart will show you the path you
are to walk. That is why relationships are never forged purely by chance.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Take this, for example. Let’s say that there’s someone who was loved by everyone around them
but wandered the world because they themselves did not know how to love. And let’s say that
there’s someone else who poured out their affections to everyone around them but fell into
solitude because they were never able to receive any genuine love in return. If those two
desperate souls should meet, then it’s only natural that they’ll end up making up for the parts that
the other needs. What would you call a fated relationship if not for something like that?”

Hmm, what Lady Radecca was saying sounded right. But maybe it was still a little too difficult
for me. I wished she could explain things in easier terms so I could understand.

Fortunately, Lady Radecca didn’t look displeased that I couldn’t understand what she was
saying. She simply smiled at me gently as she continued her enigmatic explanation.

“Looking at you gives me a good idea about what this adopted son of his is like.”

“What? How so?”

“You didn’t know? You didn’t inherit your temperament from your master.”

“I-I didn’t?”

“Celestials imprint on the first people they meet, and that’s who their temperament and abilities
are based on. Accordingly, you must have imprinted on someone else when you were born in the
Azure Chamber.”

I gasped. Good gods, Lady Radecca was right. Lord Elquiness had been there too when I was
born. He was also the first person who had called out to me before I managed to fully get my
senses together. Was that why?

No wonder. My personality was just too different from that of the rest of my sisters. But to think
that it was all because of Lord Elquiness!

“T-then what am I supposed to do?”

“What do you mean? Just do as you always have been.”

“B-but I don’t take after my master.”

“And did your master ever have a problem with that?”

“Well, no…”
“Then what does it matter? Your personality might be based on another, but it was still your
master who bestowed you with his divine power and completed you. It doesn’t change the fact
that you are still an angel under his wing.”

Hmm, is that how it was? If so, then that’s a good thing.

Anyway, it was apparently nothing to stress over. Lady Radecca really was a good person,
though maybe I shouldn’t be saying this.

Break time was over by the time I got back from Lady Radecca’s palace. I let everyone know
that I had safely delivered the letter before starting the afternoon’s share of work.

My afternoon work was mostly a repeat of what I’d done in the morning, but it was just a little
different. I also had to tend to the Tree of Wishes.

The Trees of Wishes are trees that give fruit to letters containing the wishes and prayers that the
people from the Middle Realms send to Lord Elluen. There weren’t very many of them at first,
but there were so many trees now that Lord Elluen has more believers.

Most of them were pointless, and I scrapped them on the spot, but some of them were really
earnest or were sent by people who were important to Lord Elluen. The latter had to be collected
and sent to Lord Elluen at once. It was very easy to tell which was which, since the important
letters sparkled.

Boom!

“Kyaah!”

I’d been sorting out letters while humming to myself when I suddenly heard a loud noise from
outside the palace. It was probably the barrier reacting to an intruder. It happened every now and
again.

But I couldn’t help but think that the noise had been louder than usual. And a bunch of light
came flashing down from the sky too. Upon closer inspection, I realized that they were all giant
flaming rocks.

Boom, crash!

Lightning poured down like rain, and the earth began to rumble. The rumbling was so strong that
I could feel it all the way from where I was standing.

“The barrier’s at its highest level…”

It wasn’t unusual for the barrier to go off, but this was my first time seeing it go off at its highest
level. I didn’t know who the intruder was, but I was starting to worry that they’d end up dead.
My legs gave out and I froze right where I was. Then, someone started coming up the stairs. It
was a really tall man with a hood over his face.

“Wow, you’re impossible, Elluen. I almost got hurt.”

Surely, he couldn’t have broken through that powerful trap all by himself, right? The man was
gently brushing himself down, but he didn’t appear threatened at all. After all, not only did his
way of talking sound pleasant, but he was also absolutely brimming with composure.

“W-who are you?”

The man looked up and at me when he heard me. His eyes were as dark and black as the night
sky. Yet, I couldn’t look away. My breath felt like it had gotten caught in my chest, but I didn’t
know why. The stranger was certainly good-looking, but my master was far more beautiful in
terms of appearances.

The man stared openly back at me for a moment before breaking out into a grin.

“Hmm? I’ve never seen you before. Did he make himself a new angel already?”

“Y-yes. I was only just born…”

“Is that so? It takes a considerable amount of divine power to awaken an angel. Guess he was so
busy that he decided that it was worth it. Anyhow, what’s your name?”

“I-it’s Naduel.”

“Oho. Naduel, huh? You’re quite the cute one, aren’t you?”

I saw the man raising his hand while still smiling. He was probably going to pat my head. But he
was stopped by the chilling voice coming from behind me.

“Don’t touch her.”

I gasped. It was my master. I was so surprised. He rarely ever comes outside while he’s working.
I guess the man really was the culprit who had broken past the barrier. Was that why my
reclusive master had decided to come out personally?

“So cheap. I can’t even touch her?”

“You were planning to steal away my angel, weren’t you?”

“Ah, you noticed?”

“You’ve been snatching away an angel from every palace you visit. You pour your own divine
power into them and push out the divine power they were originally imbued with. Is it fun for
you to take away things that once belonged to another?”

“Welp, I got caught. You really are something else. But that only stokes my competitiveness,
you know?”

“Shut up.”

Ehh? He’d been planning to replace the divine power inside me with his own?

I shuddered. I heard my master clicking his tongue quietly. Maybe he saw how I’d frozen up.

“Go inside, Naduel.”

“Yes? B-but…”

“It’s fine. I’ll deal with this rotten bastard on my own.”

And so, I had no other choice but to go back inside. I wasn’t fully sure, but the stranger was
probably a god too. But I couldn’t tell what kind of attribute he had because he was concealing
his presence.

Anyway, it wasn’t long before my master came back into his office. He’d probably chased the
other man away, considering that he’d returned alone. Unfortunately, I had an ominous feeling
that the man would be coming back very soon.

It was finally evening. The day’s work was finally over. The mountain of documents was all but
gone too.

But that didn’t mean we could relax. We’d still have just as much work to do tomorrow morning.
Greater gods were truly busy people.

I was chatting away with my sisters after dinner. I always loved it when my big sisters shared
their stories with me. They knew a lot of mysterious things that I didn’t know about.

Today, we ended up chatting a bit about what had happened earlier in the day. My big sisters had
also felt the barrier materializing before fading away again.

“Wasn’t that the strongest level barrier earlier?”

“Yeah, but it barely stayed up for very long.”

“I’m sure that’s because the intruder gave up and turned back.”
“Oh! It’s actually not, Big Sisters. The intruder came all the way inside the palace. I saw him
myself.”

“What? You saw him, Naduel?”

I nodded back as my sisters turned to me in alarm. I’d been itching all this time just to say this.

“It was a male god. He broke past the barrier like it was nothing.”

“A male god?”

“Yes. I’d never seen him before. He was very tall, and he had black eyes. I don’t know what
color his hair was because he was wearing a hood.”

The blood suddenly drained from my sister’s faces. It looked like they knew who he was. Then,
they starting whispering things that I couldn’t understand.

“He’s back?”

“It’s been so quiet for so long. Things are going to get bloody again.”

“Naduel. If you ever see him again, run away as fast as you can,” Big Sis Uriel said to me. She
wasn’t normally a very expressive person, but she was as stiff as stone right now.

“What? But…”

“It’s all right. Lord Elluen already said we could. You understand, right? You must run away, as
fast as you can. Don’t turn back even if he calls out to you.”

“Um, okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”

It was only after seeing me nod back that my big sisters finally relaxed. The male god must be
someone more terrifying than he looked, judging by how my sisters were reacting.

Now that I think about it, one slip, and all the divine power inside me could have been replaced
with his. It almost felt like a joke, but Master himself was wary of him. That meant that nothing
about this was a joke. Wow, it’s finally starting to hit me. The man was really scary.

Huh? But wait. Why do I feel like I’ve heard this somewhere before? Where had I heard it
again?

All of us angels retreated to our personal rooms once it got completely dark. It was time for
everyone to sleep, except for Lord Elluen, who typically worked all the way until dawn. Only
Big Sis Uriel stayed up until the very last minute in order to support him.
I made a beeline to my bed as soon as I reached my room. I was so tired today. I needed to sleep.
My eyelids were already starting to feel so heavy.

Anyway, today had ended up being a really eventful day.

Sincerely, Naduel.

Goodnight, everyone. Yawn.

Extra: Character Profile – Elquiness
Name: Elquiness

Birthday: March 22nd

Height: 168cm

Race: Spirit

Attribute: Water

Sex: N/A

Apparent Age: Between 15 and 17

Eye and Hair Color: Aqua blue

Other Special Characteristics: Wears a silver circlet with a round lapis lazuli gem right in the
middle
Extra: Character Q&A
Q: When did you meet Ha Taejin? (Please include your age.)

A: I’ve always gone to the same school as Taejin, but it wasn’t until our second year of middle
school6 that we actually met. He was nearby when I was getting beat up by thugs, and he saved
me. Taejin’s really good at fighting. Hehe.

Q: What kind of clothes did you wear back when you were Kang Jihoon, and what do you
usually wear or prefer to wear after becoming a spirit king?

A: I wore whatever I had back when I was still Kang Jihoon. I didn’t really have much of a
fashion sense. I don’t really prefer a particular style of clothes as a spirit king either, but I wear
hooded travel robes pretty often.

Q: Is there something you do or pay extra attention to in order to assert your masculinity or that
you’re a guy?

A: No. I’m still a guy no matter what anyone says!

Q: Is there a title you want to be known as or any adjectives you want to be described as?

A: I want to be known as a cool and powerful Spirit King of Water. Ehehe.

Q: Masculine, feminine, pretty, cute, sexy, blunt—how do you like to be described?

A: …There are many strange words included in your examples. Of course I like being called
masculine!

Q: Is there someone who want to be hugged by, or you want to hug?

A: The person I want to protect in my embrace is Isana, naturally. He’s so tender-hearted that I
can’t help but worry about him. There isn’t anyone in particular whom I want to get hugged by.
Though maybe that’d be a different story if there’s a cool big sister-type somewhere nearby.
Sigh…
Q: How old do you think you look?

A: Hmm. Who can say? Sixteen, I think? Haha, hahahaha, hahahaha…

Q: If you could go to the beach with your current friends right now, El, what’s the first thing
you’d do?

A: I’d throw the lot of them in the ocean and tell them to bow down before the great and mighty
Lord Elquiness! I’d only fish them out after they did, bwahaha! …Or something like that?

Q: It somehow feels like you’re starting to take after a certain someone more and more…

A: No way. You’re just imagining things.

Q: El, do you feel good or bad during the rainy season? Is it any different for you since you’re
the Spirit King of Water?

A: It feels good. I feel like I have the whole world wrapped inside my arms.

Q: What would you do if Elluen suddenly started acting all cutesy?

A: Um, hello? You’re a therapy patient, right? Excuse me, but I think you need help…

Q: What would you do if (and I know it’s a one-in-a-million chance) Elluen died?

A: Hmm. I don’t wanna think about that, even if it’s only a one-in-a-million chance. But if it
ever happened, I’d be really sad. I’d probably be depressed for a really long time.

Q: What would you do if everything was just a dream?

A: Oh my god! It was all just a dream? Get out here, Author. Imma fight u!
Extra: 4-Panels
Index
↑ According to the Korean education system. He would be a high school sophomore (10th grade)
in the US.
↑ No idea why they’re suddenly standing when the raws clearly said that they were sitting on the
sofa before.
↑ The raws contained a play on words that doesn’t quite translate well into English.
Elquiness/Jihoon is asking, “What do you take me for?” or more literally, “What do I look like to
you?” (내가 뭘로 보이냐) but with a bit of a slang accent (내가 물로 보이냐). 물 is also the
word for water, so more literally, he says, “Do I look like water to you?” I’ve done my best to
localize it out.
↑ Not a typo.
↑ 7th grade in the US school system.
↑ 8th grade in the US school system
This volume was translated by Rainy Translations.