Chapter 313

313 Laughter #3

I bowed my head as low as I possibly could.

I curved my back and didn’t forget to hide my head with both arms.

Anyone who saw me must have thought I resembled a person who had just heard the sound of gunfire. I was burying my head and eyes to such an excessive degree that it felt as though my head might sink into the ground. It was also somewhat ridiculous.

But I had no time to consider such things. On the contrary, I even thought that my current posture of lowering my face wasn’t enough.

Whoosh-haaaaa—!

Even as I concealed my face with every means at my disposal, this freezing light piercing through my eyelids — what on earth was it?

“Our time has finally come… Ziggres, you must be wondering why you are here, and what you need to do.”

Of course, I know who this is. It’s a handsome and deep male voice.

I’ve heard this voice before during an encounter at night with Hippolyte. The identity of that voice is most likely the God of Light, Apollo.

I can clearly tell that a great being revered as a god is in front of me. Probably not just me, but everyone here bowing their heads feels this way, too.

Is it because my eyes are closed?

Other senses, especially hearing, are reacting excessively, so I can perceive the trembling breaths and the scent of cold sweats around me.

Everyone is trembling in fear.

They’re holding their breath so tightly that not even the smallest whisper or trembling sound can escape, trying to remain still like statues.

It was a basic instinct.

The primal instinct for survival.

The existence that has descended before us strips us of the notions of adventurer or hero, reducing us to mere creatures with its overwhelming presence.

I never anticipated that something like this would happen.

Of course, I’ve met divine beings before, but not when I was alone, right?

Meeting such a transcendent existence in front of everyone was new to me too.

When I was feeling disoriented by these thoughts, the elegant voice spoke from the front.

“Ziggres, you don’t need to kneel before me. Look up.”

“…”

Look up?

I was just about to be subsumed by this intense light piercing through my eyelids. If I were to raise my head in this situation, I might just go blind.

Though I’ve seen many unpleasant and terrible things with these eyes, I’ve also enjoyed seeing things through them.

The sight of my eyes is the light of my world.

Because of this, I couldn’t raise my head easily and instead pressed myself further down.

“Raise your head and face the truth you’ve been so eager to learn.”

But then, the next voice slightly shook my resolve. Would lifting my head reveal answers to the many questions I’ve been curious about?

Why am I doing this here right now?

Why did I climb so many stairs to come to the Shrine of Delphi?

Why did I search for the lair of Hydra, facing d*ath?

Why did I travel nearly a month to come to Delphi?

Why did I become an adventurer after being freed from slavery?

Why did I become a slave in the first place?

Why am I here?

My questions traced back step by step, finally reaching the fundamental reason. The answer to the question I’ve been curious about for over two years while covered in dust.

What is this place, and why am I here?

The opportunity to hear the answer to this question was now right in front of me.

Once I realized why I was here, with whatever resolve I had, I slowly stood up.

Swoosh—.

Then, when I finally opened my eyes, my entire vision was bathed in an intense light so strong it felt like it could blind me.

If I say that the light pierced my eyes and scraped against my brain, that would probably be the closest description to how it felt.

However, it wasn’t as unpleasant as I imagined.

On the contrary, it felt like my mind was clearing up, as if I had finally solved a difficult problem.

Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I began to gradually see people kneeling before me, bowing deeply, and lying flat on the ground.

Luna, Hippolyte, Elpride, and Paranoi.

They are exactly like me from moments ago, desperately trying to hide their faces. The pitiful sight made me slightly frown.

“How does it feel?”

In front of me stood a man with brilliant golden hair flowing around him. He was about my size and was draped in clothes white and bright like a fluorescent light, which swirled around him.

Apollo, the God of Light.

A figure so perfectly sculpted that words to describe him would seem inadequate. The countless hymns and songs I had heard in Delphi about the God of Light didn’t do justice to his appearance.

This remarkable figure was addressing me.

“A view everyone bows down to in reverence. People’s backs, the trembling of their shoulders painted with fear—this is the landscape a god sees. How does it feel, confronting the truth?”

“Is this… the truth?”

“Of course, it’s not the answer to what you’ve been curious about. Moreover, your eyes are darker than I expected. Not even my radiant light can pierce their depth.”

When Apollo said that, I subconsciously touched my eyes. And Apollo said something more.

“The quantity of tasks you’ve sent, even in this Delphi, does not allow me much time to remain here. Hence, let’s keep this simple. Listen well—”

At those words, I tensed up and listened intently.

“Ziggres, my brother. You have two paths before you. One involves knowing nothing and returning to where you belong—”

The God of Light, Apollo, reached out a hand towards me.

Within his white and wide palm lay a small blue speck of light, a pomegranate seed. It didn’t take long to recognize it as such.

Apollo was offering me one blue pomegranate seed.

“If I choose to return to where I belong, it means I can go back home, right?”

“Yes, just one opportunity. You will lose everything that you’ve experienced here and return to your original place. And—”

Swoosh—.

Finally, he extended another hand.

“And the second option is to perceive all the truths and belong here forever. However, you will be bound to your destiny for eternity. Forever.”

In this other palm lay a red pomegranate seed with a glowing hue.

“Here, now is the time to choose your fate. A single pomegranate seed can make this entire world yours.”

I…

I fell so deeply into thought that it was as if I’ve never used my brain this much since being born.

If I eat the blue pomegranate seed, can I discard everything here and return to my original world?

My home.

My family.

My house.

The mother’s bean sprout soup—

The health center that smelled musty and damp, where my father, expression always furrowed, brewed some concoctions. My little sister’s laughter. The old, spotted dog.

A cozy bed where I could sleep peacefully without worrying about pickpockets or kn*fe-wielding bandits.

The peaceful days that seemed as though they would continue forever.

Right now, as I stare at this blue pomegranate seed, it feels as though these peaceful days that I once thought I’d never be able to touch again are replaying in my mind.

It was something I had desired so much for the past two years. I had even imagined waking up from a dream, realizing this was all a dream, and waking up to the sound of the alarm on my smartphone.

However, I always sighed in regret after waking up from those dreams.

An escape I long dreamed for but kept out of reach.

Still, my hand didn’t move rashly.

I turned my head to look at the people around me lying on the ground, trembling.

In this savage world that I once thought held nothing good, these comrades of mine made me forget about my original home.

In the past, no matter what they were, if something stood in the way of my comfortable life, I would have cast it aside for my own gain. But now, I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

It’s absurd, I know.

Even I thought it was impossible for me to grow attached to this world, but I have.

There are many people here who cry together, laugh together, and share the burdens of life. They may be foolish, ignorant, and savage, yet I cannot hate them.

They, much like me, have hearts that beat for what they desire and shed tears for answers they long to hear. That’s why, my choice is already settled— the red pomegranate seed.

“Are you sure it’s fine? This kind of opportunity will not come again.”

“Are you sure it’s fine? If I eat this, will I know why I’m here?”

“Not really. It’s a fib to test you. Did everyone see that?”

The God of Light Apollo quickly glanced around. Then, the clouds that had been scattered strangely around started coalescing into human-like forms like cotton candy.

There were twelve in total.

“See, Minerva? I won the bet. I said Ziggres would choose the red seed, right?”

“d*mn it, and I lost to Mars.”

Their murmurs left me utterly confused. It was a test for me? What does that even mean?

So, I can’t return to my original world, and I won’t learn the answers to the questions I want?

As my sight slightly blurred from these thoughts, someone poked me in the chest.

“You have proven yourself worthy. You’ve chosen to be a resident, instead of a wanderer or a visitor.”

It was Apollo, the God of Light.

“And the answers you seek already rest in your heart. We don’t need to provide them because you already know.”

“…”

“Eat the red seed. It will clear the confusion clouding your head. Your vision will brighten, and you’ll gain wisdom befitting the light.”

Wisdom, you say?

At Apollo’s words, I quickly swallowed the pomegranate seed. Then, strange words floated into my mind.

“Blessing of Chaos granted.”

Simultaneously, a clear and refreshing wave washed over my mind. It felt like bathing my brain in cold water.

“Ziggres, your place exists here. The deepest, darkest, and hottest position where all waters and souls reach their end—this is yours.”

“My place…?”

“My name is Apollo, the God of Light, the one who shines so brightly it cannot be hidden—also one of the grand members and spokesmen of Hypnos. I answer your question thus: It was not us who brought you here—”

Whoosh—.

An intense light enveloped me so strongly that it felt like my head would split. I tried to shield my face with my palms, but it was futile.

“An unexpected guest from a foreign land, Ziggres. You will k*ll the family you first gained, the one you loved most, with your own hands. By doing so, your very existence will become perfectly whole—”

Whoosh—!

The intense radiance that had exploded so fiercely began to diminish. When I opened my eyes, the only thing I could see was no longer the God of Light or the peculiar clouds, but a single sentence alone.

“Son, Hassan—”

And this was the answer to most, if not all, the questions I had been asking.

“Wait….”

Honestly—.

—I had my suspicions.

But the more I thought about what I should doubt, the more absurd it seemed. So, I chose to ignore it.

Isn’t it completely absurd?

Who would even think of such a thing?

As the haze obscuring my mind cleared up, everything felt vivid and clear.

The sights, the smells, the sounds, and the wind on my skin—everything was sharper than ever before.

It’s almost as if I had some sort of thin veil covering all my senses this entire time, making me perceive everything with dullness.

With this newfound clarity, it seemed inevitable that I believed in an absurd reason behind how I came to this strange world.

I—.

“My father was a truly strange person after all.”

I realized my fate.

And suddenly, laughter escaped me.

It was as though all the laughter I had suppressed until now came pouring out endlessly, unable to be restrained any longer.

I never knew I could laugh this way until today.

“Ha—”

Even as everyone who was bowing stood up and began looking at me, I couldn’t stop laughing.

“The great gods of Hypnos came to receive me personally…! Fa, Fa, Father Hassan, please don’t forget your promise with Paranoi, sir!”

I was the fool.

And beneath my feet, words seemed etched onto the rock with lightning, glowing.

“Son of the King of the Underworld, Hassan. Escape the shallow chaos and claim your rightful place—.”

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