Chapter 163

I flinched.

The child of the traitor.

Those words rooted me to the spot.

Words that saw right through my being.

'The Demon God of Pride from the Bares family also seemed to know who I was.'

But how was that even possible?

What could they possibly see in me to make them think I was a descendant of Arsene?

Was this something a God could easily discern?

However, that was impossible within the realm of my understanding.

...Then how?

I tried to recall Miriam, possessed by the God of Gluttony, wondering if I was missing something.

"Child of a traitor, I don't know what you're talking about."

[Hmm? How can that be, shouldn't the person involved know?]

"..."

I closed my mouth.

Continuing this conversation would only reveal my hand further.

It seemed like the Demon God of Gluttony was already certain that I was a descendant of Arsene.

[Don't even think about lying to me. As if you could hide that awful stench from me in the first place?]

Stench?

Where on earth was this smell coming from?

I had just taken a thorough bath, so there was no way I reeked.

As if sensing my question, the Demon God of Gluttony shook her head.

[That stench emanates from your very core. You can't hide it. It's a smell that only Gods can perceive, so no need to worry about it.]

"...What kind of smell are you talking about?"

[A thick, acrid smell. The kind that smells like it's about to betray someone?]

I frowned at the Demon God's amused voice.

What kind of smell was that?

But the God of Gluttony only muttered in a drawn-out voice.

[Child, I'm not talking about your immediate ancestors. To be precise, hmm, how should I put it? It's true that your family inherited the bloodline of traitor, but...]

"..."

The more the God of Gluttony rambled, the less I understood.

What was he trying to say?

Anyway, the God of Gluttony said that only Gods could immediately recognize my true nature.

So, it wasn't something to worry about right now.

The ones I had to deal with were not Gods, but humans made of flesh and blood.

Subtly, I turned my gaze to my wrist.

[...]

Samuel was unusually quiet.

I tried to wake him up by channeling mana, but there was no response.

Maybe he fell asleep.

Or perhaps the Demon God before me had done something to him.

For now,

"Get to the point."

[My, how bold.]

"I know you have no intention of killing me."

[And why would you think that?]

The Demon God of Gluttony grinned, taking a step towards me.

Thump.

With that step, the pressure emanating from Miriam's body intensified.

Sharp thorns pricked at my skin.

Enduring it, I opened my mouth.

"There are two reasons."

[Good. I'm listening, so explain.]

The Demon God of Gluttony urged me on, his voice sharp.

I continued my explanation.

"You've already tested me."

[I tested you?]

The Demon God of Gluttony questioned, feigning ignorance.

But I saw through his act.

He was intrigued.

"I placed my hand within the Gate of Thorns, and you allowed me to enter the chapel."

[And how does that make it a test?]

"If I hadn't placed my hand inside, you would have killed me."

[...]

The Demon God of Gluttony fell silent.

I slowly looked around.

This was no ordinary basement.

Before entering the chapel, Samuel and I had passed through a massive 'maw' that had split open.

Which meant,

This entire chapel was a giant mouth.

If I had refused the God of Gluttony's proposal, we would have been chewed to death.

I wasn't sure if he would've killed Samuel, the successor of Gluttony, but I would have died for sure.

"From the moment we entered this place, our lives were in your hands. Am I not right?"

I said to the Demon God, a smirk playing on my lips.

Then, laughter erupted from the Demon God.

[Haha, correct! I'm starting to think I made the right choice not to kill you. At the same time, I'm also convinced I should kill you.]

"...I'd prefer it if you refrained from the latter."

[Kekeke, right. I've gotten a rough idea of what kind of person you are. You're remarkably similar to 'that person'. Your personality, your way of speaking, even your aura.]

That person?

Someone who resembled me?

I immediately questioned the God of Gluttony.

"By 'that person', you mean...?"

[It's not like I can't tell you. I'm talking about your ancestor. The one who betrayed the Demon Realm and went to the Human Realm. Well, 'betrayal' might not be the right word. 'Desertion' might be more accurate?]

My ancestor.

I had seen my ancestor.

In the Orgon prison camp, my ancestor had been reduced to a skeleton, bound by massive chains.

Did the God of Gluttony know Arsene's ancestor?

"What was your relationship with my ancestor?"

[What should I call it? The bastard who seduced my younger sister and ran off with her on a love escapade?]

"You had a younger sister...?"

[Shut up! It makes my blood boil just thinking about it.]

"..."

The God of Gluttony suddenly burst out in anger.

I closed my mouth.

[Looking at you brings back those memories, both intriguing and infuriating. How did you even inherit that person's power?]

"What power are you talking about?"

This conversation felt like it was going in circles.

He kept talking about things I didn't understand, leaving me unable to ask the questions I wanted to ask.

As if it were nothing, the God of Gluttony continued with what she wanted to say.

[Chaos. You inherited Chaos, didn't you?]

"......!"

At the unexpected word that escaped the God of Gluttony, I couldn't help but ask,

"You know about Chaos?"

[...]

For a moment,

Miriam's face contorted at the question.

It was as if his thoughts had come to a standstill, caught off guard by my inquiry.

Then, the God of Gluttony erupted into laughter once more.

[I see! So that's your karma!]

"What do you mean by that...?"

[Kekeke, to bear the burden of your ancestor's karma, you poor thing. That's why they held both affection and resentment towards you lot.]

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

[You don't need to understand. You'll find out naturally when the time comes. Chaos, Chaos, I see. The reason you inherited that power must be because of karma.]

The God of Gluttony brushed off my question lightly and began to mutter to himselff.

Since it was clear he wouldn't answer any other questions, I decided to focus on this one.

"At least answer me this. What is Chaos, and how do I use it?"

The God of Gluttony stopped laughing at my question.

And in a cold voice, he began to speak.

[You will have to find out for yourself. That power is too dangerous. You need to understand its gravity and its weight. However, if I were to offer a small piece of advice...]

[I would say it's 'possibility'.]

Possibility?

That felt like a significant hint.

But before I could ask anything more, the God of Gluttony started muttering to himself again, seemingly finished with our conversation.

[Time is running out in this world. My power, and that of the other Gods, is reaching its limit. Fulfill the karma you carry, descendant of the traitor.]

The God of Gluttony sounded like he was about to leave.

Miriam's shoulders trembled once.

She was really,

About to leave.

But I still had one unanswered question for the God of Gluttony.

"The truth. What was the truth you promised to tell me?"

Wasn't that the reason I came to this chapel in the first place?

But once again, the God of Gluttony only left me with cryptic words.

[The past, the present, and the void. That is the karma we bear, and the truth... and what you must carry forward.]

I couldn't understand what he meant at all.

Just as I was about to ask another question,

[When you reach that truth, you will have to make a choice... You need to stay alive until then, so I'll give you two gifts.]

Saaaaa-

The moment the God of Gluttony finished speaking, two more lines were etched onto my wrist.

They appeared right next to the marks the God of Pride had given me.

Since I had used one line before, there were now four lines on my wrist.

Thud.

Then, a statue fell at my feet.

Saaaa-

Light emanated from the statue and flowed towards the pendant hanging around my neck.

What,

What just happened?

'...I need to wake Miriam up.'

Maybe I could get some answers about the God of Gluttony's words from her.

Who was the 'younger sister' who ran away with Arsene's ancestor,

What did 'possibility,' the advice about Chaos, mean,

What was the 'statue' he gave me as a gift,

And what was this 'karma' that I had to carry?

And I had absolutely no clue about the truth of the world.

"...I feel like I've been told a lot of things."

But nothing remained in my head.

Therefore.

"Wake up, Samuel, Miriam."

I tried my best to wake the two who were out cold.

However,

[...]

"..."

Neither Miriam nor Samuel woke up.

I gently placed my hand under Miriam's nose. She was breathing faintly; she didn't seem dead.

Considering a God had just descended upon her, it would probably take a while for her to regain consciousness.

If Miriam hadn't possessed the abilities of a priest, she might have died.

So, was Samuel alright?

"Wake up..."

Why wasn't he waking up?

The feeling of being left alone in the chapel filled me with unease, forcing me to wait for what felt like hours for them to wake up.

'...When are you two going to wake up?'

The chapel was starting to scare me.

Neither Samuel nor Miriam showed any signs of stirring.

It felt like I was completely alone in this eerie place.

The statue, covered in countless thorns, seemed to amplify my fear for some reason.

The chapel was enveloped in a gloomy chill.

I couldn't help but swallow nervously.

And then,

[Keugh...]

Samuel let out a groan.

He thrashed around, his thorns lashing out as if resisting immense pain.

But I couldn't feel any pain myself, leading me to a natural conclusion:

Samuel was also affected by the God of Gluttony in some way, or perhaps he was reacting to the horrifying vision he had just witnessed.

So, what was the God of Gluttony telling Samuel?

I doubted he would tell him the same things she told me.

A sudden surge of curiosity washed over me.

As I waited for Samuel to wake up,

[...!]

Samuel finally gasped for air, as if he had been holding his breath this whole time.

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