“The king, after much deliberation, finally knelt before the queen and Asterios to beg for forgiveness.”
“Asterios looked on in bewilderment, unsure of what to do as he watched the king’s actions.”
“‘Well, well, look who has the audacity to show their shameless face now!’”
“It seemed the queen had no intention of forgiving him easily.”
“‘Queen…’”
“‘You ignored me every time I spoke, and now you think I’ll accept an apology? Did you really see me as nothing more than that kind of woman?!’”
“The king stood silent like a honey-fed bear, unable to utter a word.”
“If the king had any conscience at all, surely he wouldn’t be able to say anything right now.”
“‘But how could I have known my grandmother was a cow beastman? Your Majesty never even hinted at such a thing.’”
“Hmm. No conscience, huh? And yet, he still speaks amidst all this.”
“Does holding the position of king make one so shameless, or is this man simply brazen by nature?”
“‘Even so, how dare you view me, your wife, as some adulterous woman! To you, am I merely worth that little?!’”
“‘B-but back then, when I saw that monster… No, when the child was born with horns… I was just shocked…’”
“‘There you go again! Calling this child a monster! He’s YOUR SON! Where in the world does a father call his own son a monster?! You fool!!’”
“At the queen’s rebuke, the king fell silent.”
“Truly, there are those who can govern a nation but cannot manage their own household.”
“‘Alright, then let’s wrap this up. Shall we excuse the third party from this scene?’”
“I grabbed the restless Asterios and said.”
“‘Then, according to our agreement, I’ll take Asterios with me.’”
“‘Wha- What?! What do you mean?!’”
“‘It’s a promise made with your husband. In exchange for resolving the issue, taking this child along is part of the deal.’”
“My words left the queen utterly flustered as she turned her gaze back to the king, shouting once more.”
“‘What do you mean?! Why did you make such a promise?! This child is only 14 years old!’”
“‘No, it’s just… Well…’”
“‘Stop stuttering! Spit it out clearly! What exactly is going on here?!’”
“The queen glared at the king as if ready to devour him. Seeing the king squirm now made me feel a bit sorry for him. Perhaps it’s time to intervene.”
“‘Look, even if I take him, I’ll just have him travel around the world as a companion. After about a year or two, once we’ve seen enough, I’ll bring him back. No need to worry.’”
“‘But… We’ve just reunited after so long… Can’t you give us even a little more time?’”
“I left the crestfallen queen behind and addressed Asterios directly.”
“‘Your mother says this. What do you think?’”
“Despite his towering size, Asterios hesitated nervously, replying in a small voice.”
“‘If it’s alright… I’d like to spend some time with Mother. Even just a few days would be nice.’”
“Hmm. Though bigger than most adults, his thoughts remain those of a child.”
“Of course, having been thrown into the labyrinth at such a young age, he must miss the embrace of his parents.”
“In that case…”
“‘I’ll give you seven days. After that, you must come with me.’”
“‘Seven days…’”
“Asterios nodded slightly, though the queen appeared dissatisfied.”
“‘We’ve waited years to meet again, and now you’re giving us just seven days…’”
“‘If you don’t agree, I’ll leave immediately.’”
“Faced with my seemingly heartless statement, the queen reluctantly nodded.”
“‘Though it’s not enough time to catch up after years apart, rescuing this child from the labyrinth should be enough satisfaction. Very well.’”
“Finally, the queen seemed to accept the situation. There’s no point in continuing complaints anyway.”
“So then…”
“‘I’ll return in seven days. Until then, prepare to leave. Oh, and don’t overdo punishing the king.’”
“After all, this fool must have thought long and hard, enduring much mental anguish.”
“The result of his contemplations just led to the worst-case scenario.”
“With that, I left Asterios behind and exited the palace.”
“—–”
“One week’s time.”
“Short if you think it short, long if you think it long.”
“In granting this much time to Asterios, I…”
“‘Shamash.’”
“‘Yes! Mother! You called?’”
“Shamash appeared as if waiting for the call, prepared to respond instantly.”
“‘Long time no see.’”
“‘About 300 years, but not too long, right?’”
“‘Right. It’s been 300 years. Impressive that you figured out where I was.’”
“‘Of course. It’s your business after all. And… Last year, during the trial of the rat beastmen.’”
“During the rat beastmen trials?”
“Ah, I remember. That was when judgments were passed under Shamash’s name.”
“‘I noticed your presence nearby while observing the trial and assumed you had reasons for not calling me, so I stayed quiet.’”
“‘I see.’”
“After all, Shamash likely keeps tabs on most trials. If I’m nearby, she’d notice quickly.”
“‘So, how have you been?’”
“‘Good. Busy, as always. The human population keeps growing, sinners keep multiplying, and overseeing all the trials is exhausting. I wish I had three bodies.’”
“‘Everyone dreams of such things.’”
“Actually, I created fragments to offload work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the leisure for hibernation.”
“‘How’s the Divine Hall?’”
“‘Hmm… Bad news and worse news. Which would you like first?’”
“Bad news and worse news? Usually, it’s good news and bad news.”
“‘Then let’s start with the bad news.’”
“‘The bad news… Baal has shattered into many pieces.’”
“‘Hm? What does that mean?’”
“Why Baal? As the king of gods, shouldn’t he be diligently working?”
“‘Let’s see. It started with something called fragmentation, splitting divine essence into several parts.’”
“‘Why would he do that?’”
“‘Seeing how you fragmented yourself and worked as the Goddess of Life inspired Baal to try the same.’”
“Hmm… Would fragmenting oneself really cause problems?”
“Dividing divinity shouldn’t create issues… unless… Ah.”
“‘My case is different from Baal’s.’”
“‘Yes. Mother was already a powerful entity before becoming a deity. Splitting divine essence causes no problems since even the divided power remains minuscule compared to your main body—like a grain of sand in a vast desert.’”
“‘But Baal isn’t like that.’”
“Baal, born from faith directed towards the heavens, has the vast sky as his core essence.”
“That sky holds no power, merely stretching endlessly.”
“Naturally, Baal, born from the gathered faith of that sky, weakens proportionally when his divinity is split.”
“‘Baal divided his essence to create fragments and distributed them among the factions of gods.’”
“‘Among the factions of gods? Like Olympus and others?’”
“‘Yes. Olympus, Ennead, Aesir, Lokapala, and others received them. However, an error occurred during division. The total divine essence given to the fragments equaled what remained within Baal himself.’”
“‘What?’”
“To divide divinity equally like that… Then…”
“‘If the fragments rebelled, Baal wouldn’t be able to suppress them, correct?’”
“‘Yes. Baal believed the fragments wouldn’t unite, which was true until other issues arose, causing trouble.’”
“What a fool.”
“But another problem? More issues arose?”
“‘Where is Baal now?’”
“In this situation, regardless of other matters, we must resolve it somehow—by force or persuasion. We need to suppress Baal’s fragments and reunite them.”
“‘Here’s the worse news. Baal… Currently, with scattered divinity and lost faith, only the godly soul remains.’”
“‘What?!’”
“No, why would he? What happened during my slumber? Was the world on the brink of destruction? If not, why is Baal in such a state?!”
“‘Many things happened while Mother slept. Among them, a massive explosion occurred deep beneath the sea.’”
“‘Under the sea?’”
“‘Yes. Deep beneath the ocean. Luckily, thanks to Baal and Thetis, we combined forces and prevented a great calamity.’”
“Shamash shook her head slightly and continued.”
“‘We managed to endure, but Baal, weakened by fragmentation, couldn’t hold up completely. Despite repeated warnings to retreat for our safety, that stubborn fool insisted…’”
“Shamash sighed deeply.”
“‘Saying he had to protect this land of yours, he pushed himself too far. Eventually, he shattered into pieces, barely preserving his godly soul.’”
“‘Tch…’”
“I could only release a small sigh.”
“‘As a result, the world was saved, and strangely, a new continent emerged from the sea. But the cost was immense. The throne of the king of gods has been vacant ever since.’”
“‘If something this significant happened, it should have reached my ears even in hibernation.’”
“‘Everyone kept it secret. Spreading rumors of near-world destruction would unsettle others. And we managed to stop it, after all.’”
“‘Though Baal sacrificed himself.’”
“Shamash nodded.”
“‘That fool also had bad luck. Due to his weakened state from fragmentation, he couldn’t withstand the pressure. Had he not divided himself, he could have endured it.’”
“At Shamash’s words, I sighed once more.”
