Of course, just being born as the Sky God doesn’t mean you automatically become King of the Gods!
You see, gods are basically prideful beings who don’t bow to others.
Ah, except me. I’m irregular, so…
“Therefore, just because one is born as the Sky God doesn’t mean they can become King of the Gods.”
“Why not? If you’re the Sky God, aren’t you above everything? Wouldn’t that make you fit to be King of the Gods?”
“It’s not about having a good birthright alone. Kingship comes from being entrusted with all responsibilities and duties by others.”
Though there are various processes involved – persuading others or taking power through force – but fundamentally, that’s how it works.
It’s like how someone doesn’t become king just because some weird lady in a pond hands them a sword.
“Hmm… I don’t get it!”
“Yeah, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t.”
After all, even though you’re the Sky God, you’re still a child. It’s only natural you wouldn’t understand these complicated political matters.
“Let me explain it this way then. A king is someone who gains recognition from others, right?”
“Hmm… Yeah! Gains recognition! As a king!”
“But what if most people refuse to recognize you as their king?”
At my words, Baal thought for a moment before breaking into a bright smile.
“Crush them with power!”
Hmm… Is raising this guy to be King of the Gods really the right choice?
He’d likely become a terrible tyrant…
No, no. Let’s believe in the power of education. Even a golden egg like this could grow into an excellent king with proper guidance, right?
Anyone can walk the righteous path with the right teachings.
“What if there exists someone stronger than you, someone you can’t crush with force?”
After pondering for quite a while…
“I don’t know!”
He gave up answering.
“What should I do?”
Looking at Baal’s innocent face asking me, I couldn’t help but smile.
Even if you’re the Sky God, you’re still a child after all.
“At times like that, you need to persuade others.”
“Persuade?”
“Yeah. Persuasion.”
If brute force won’t work, talking things out is the answer.
Of course, just demanding someone hand over their position as King of the Gods won’t work. You have to properly persuade them.
“For example…”
I conjured a small candy in mid-air and handed it to Baal.
“Let’s pretend you have this candy.”
“Candy…?”
“A sweet treat.”
By the way, it was grape-flavored. Classic, isn’t it?
“Can I eat it?”
“Just hold onto it for now while I explain… No, keep holding it!”
“Mmmpf!” (already popped it in his mouth)
Ugh… Anyway, let’s continue the explanation.
Ignoring Baal’s cheek bulging with candy, I continued.
“Imagine you have this candy, and someone else needs it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“This person really needs the candy but can’t take it from you by force since they’re weaker. So they come to you.”
“Talk?”
“Yes. Talk. ‘I’ll give you something I have if you give me your candy.’ Something like that.”
At my explanation, Baal nodded slightly.
“That’s persuasion – convincing you to change your mind.”
“Uh… Sell! Not giving it!”
Suddenly, Baal starts wailing.
“No, it’s just an example.”
“So you’re not taking my candy?”
“Yeah. You can eat it all yourself.”
“Yay!”
Baal beams happily. Hmm…
Well, it probably doesn’t matter anyway.
“Anyway, persuasion means having conversations like that to change other people’s minds. Got it?”
“Hmm… Sort of!”
“Yeah, understanding it sort of is already pretty good.”
Better than not listening at all, right?
“You’ve only just been born, so you’re still weak. Just declaring yourself King of the Gods might make other gods dislike you.”
“Dislike?”
“Meaning they won’t like you.”
Since Baal’s still young, I should use simpler words.
“Especially my children – they’ve existed since ancient times. Just proclaiming you want to be King of the Gods might make them dislike you.”
“Hmm… So it’s not possible?”
“Yeah. Not possible.”
Shamash may be close to the sky thanks to light, but the others aren’t like that.
“Therefore, you need to go visit each of the other gods and persuade them.”
“Hmm… Can I do that?”
Baal looks slightly worried. Seeing this, I smile gently.
“I’ll help you, so don’t worry too much.”
The most suitable candidate for King of the Gods would actually be me, but I personally don’t want to do it.
Would everyone really listen if I just casually nominated this kid?
Besides, we probably need someone to oversee all the gods.
In this Age of the Gods where deities are being born everywhere, if no one steps up to manage things, chaos will surely ensue soon.
“Come on, let’s go persuade the other gods.”
“Yeah! Please take care of me! Gaia!”
“Gaia”… Sounds awkward coming from him, but strangely refreshing.
And so, Baal and I set off together to persuade the other gods.
—
This world is full of gods.
There weren’t this many in the past, but thanks to the current era overflowing with faith, gods abound everywhere.
Even small mountains have mountain gods residing in them, and tiny streams have water gods flowing through them.
Even large trees standing at village entrances have become guardian deities protecting those villages.
Truly, the Age of the Gods.
An era when natural objects gain enough faith to awaken their divine selves.
Of course, to receive worship as a god, one needs to be grand enough or respected enough to attract human devotion.
Hmm… So other humans or animals don’t receive worship because humans don’t worship them?
Even if humans did receive divine power, they probably wouldn’t know how to properly use it. A human god… sounds like it would end up being nothing special, right?
Anyway, getting back to the topic…
This world is full of gods.
Even the smallest gods are stronger than humans.
Gods possess the power to freely wield the element they were born from.
Even a god born from a small stream can splash water on passersby.
If we leave these gods unchecked, the world would descend into chaos.
They would fight among themselves, alter landscapes, and inevitably harm humans.
Therefore, we need someone to manage the gods.
Someone has to.
If the most suitable candidate wasn’t me, there wouldn’t be any problems!
No! I already have too much to do!!! Listening to human prayers, extending the lives of desperate people a little, managing newly born lives, checking underworld workload, helping out when their tasks pile up, scolding Cloud Whale when he slacks off, mediating disputes between races, overseeing Lizardman events, preventing problems by warning overly ambitious humans in dreams, monitoring Dwarf-Elf racial wars, playing with Merfolk gods occasionally, stopping Sylphid’s tantrums-turned-tornadoes, convincing lazy Shamash to do his job, visiting the newly born Giant god only to find he’s an even bigger giant and self-proclaimed “Father Giant” who doesn’t want to do anything…
While other gods do handle their own areas, since they only focus on their immediate surroundings, I end up dealing with most inter-racial issues or anything outside their scopes!
Even with three bodies, it wouldn’t be enough!
And now they expect me to manage all these gods popping up left and right?!
Are you crazy?! Would I do such a thing?!
“Therefore, I plan to give this child the throne of King of the Gods to manage the other gods.”
“Huh?”
“Why have you suddenly summoned our avatars to tell us this… The position of King of the Gods?”
My children: Shamash, Ifrit, Thetis, Sylphid, Sagarmatha, Yggdrasil.
These gods, born from natural phenomena gaining self-awareness even before the Age of the Gods, looked at me and Baal curiously.
Great. Time to start persuading! If I can convince these guys, the rest should be smooth sailing!
“I am the Sky God, Baal!! Destined to become King of the Gods!”
Taking my hand beside him, Baal declared.
“And the future partner of Gaia!”
Ah, this is going to be trouble…
