blueteamnovel Chapter 637
Chapter 637
Chapter 637 【Tales of the Gods 32】Conversation God Hedulg Gonelson, Reincarnation Goddess Li, Record God Melokiho-kun
* * *
The discussion between the gods of Earth and Ardyst has begun.
Souls were abducted from another world.
This is unforgivable.
They demand the safety of the abducted souls, as well as an apology and compensation.
That is a summary of the demands of the gods of Earth, led by Hikari.
“I heard that you’ve become the victim of a wicked soul poaching incident. As someone who is involved in the management of this world, I cannot ignore this, even if it happened in another world! My condolences!”
On the other hand, the stance of the gods of Ardyst was summarized in this statement made by Hedulg.
“...You say ‘poaching victim’... but you’re the ones who did it, aren’t you?”
Takanami, dumbfounded, managed to say that, but Hedulg, his lips quivering in frustration, continued to make his point in a trembling voice.
“No, that’s preposterous! That’s a big misunderstanding, Takanami-dono! The ‘35,486th Isekai Reincarnation Soul Auction in Ardyst’... The auction of the souls hunted from your world was certainly held in our Ardyst... but! That was not a business led by us. It was hosted by the multi-world company ‘Hat Heart Hunt’, which operates across worlds, and we merely provided the venue!”
“Ha...?”
“‘Hat Heart Hunt’, you must know them, right? They’re a very famous multi-world company. That’s why! We never imagined that their lower-level employees, probably, would be involved in soul poaching! Ah... how terrible!!”
“............”
“If we had known that those souls were victims of poaching, we wouldn’t have held the auction! Oh, how frustrating! In other words, we are, in a sense, victims of the wicked poachers, as well-meaning third parties!”
With theatrical gestures, Hedulg finally frowned and held his head in his hands.
“So... what are you saying?”
To such a Hedulg.
Hikari, her voice trembling with anger... but trying to remain calm, asked.
“You’re saying that you were deceived. That you’re not to blame. Is that what you’re saying?”
The long table trembled—Katakata.
Divine power is overflowing from Hikari.
Even though she’s consciously trying to stay calm, Hikari couldn’t control her emotions.
“Don’t screw with me!!”
Hikari was furious.
“Even so, you ‘bought’ the souls of my friends... of the people of our world, didn’t you!? What do you think human lives... souls... are!?”
“Calm down, young lady.”
Hedulg, however, didn’t care about Hikari’s anger.
He made a ‘Oh’ face at Hikari’s use of the word ‘friends’, but quickly erased that expression.
He raised the corners of his mouth, smiled gently, and, while adjusting his curly mustache, calmly refuted her in a gentle voice.
“I’ll say it again, but we didn’t kill the people of your world. It was the soul poachers. We, the gods of Ardyst, bought those souls without knowing that they were illegally collected... Why should we be blamed for that... Ah, but I see, the souls of the victims were related to you, young lady. That’s... I offer my condolences again. However. As I’ve said many times, the ones who should be punished are the poachers.”
The conversation god, Hedulg’s, mouth is moving—Blah, blah, blah.
While he’s eloquently presenting his argument, if you focus on his mouth... you’ll see that he has two tongues.
Hedulg has twice the number of tongues as ordinary people, so he can talk twice as much...!
“It’s truly frustrating... I understand how you must feel! But rest assured. We won’t just stand by and watch. Now that we know that the person in charge of that auction was involved in poaching, we can’t let it go! I promise you that we will immediately organize a punitive force, led by the God of Punishment, and make that villain pay for his crimes!”
Gesturing dramatically, Hedulg’s speech heats up!
“Please wait, Hedulg-dono. We...”
Takanami tries to calmly interject, but Hedulg’s two tongues won’t stop!
“Don’t worry, Takanami-dono! Our world’s God of Punishment is outstanding! He was originally created as an angel, and his combat power is now on par with a dragon! I promise you that we will make the evil soul poacher pay for his crimes with his life! No, your assistance is not needed. This is our way of showing sincerity, hahaha! Because your ‘Earth’ is going through a lot, isn’t it? After all, you even allowed poachers to invade. Hahaha, please leave the retaliation to us, and focus on improving your security system. Do you understand? Your Earth, frankly speaking, is quite...”
BANG!!!
It was then!!
Suddenly, the long table in front of Hikari and the others shattered.
Why?
Because ‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’, who had been sitting on a pipe chair with his legs crossed, smiling and saying nothing, suddenly kicked the long table.
“What did you say?”
Still smiling, grinning.
But now, he’s not hiding his immense divine power... and anger, letting it flow freely.
“What did you say about ‘my’ Earth? Hmm?”
‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’ quietly asked Hedulg.
“............”
Hedulg’s face turned pale, and he opened and closed his mouth—Pakupaku.
He can’t speak.
‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’ had perfectly concealed his divinity as a super-high-ranking god.
Hedulg is an intermediate-level god.
He couldn’t see through that concealment.
He thought the other party was, at best, an intermediate-level god.
So he misjudged how to respond.
...He insulted the world belonging to a super-high-ranking god, calling it ‘an inferior world that can’t even protect its souls’.
He had done it.
SUUPANN!!
The next thing that echoed in the meeting room was the sound of something being severed.
And the sound of something heavy rolling on the floor—Gorori.
What rolled was Hedulg’s head, which had been talking so smoothly until just a moment ago.
...The Reincarnation Goddess, Li, who had remained silent and motionless with her eyes closed, had swiftly cut off Hedulg’s head with a hand chop!
“Hih...!?”
“They were robbed of their lives on Earth. At the very least, I want them to live happily in their next lives, don’t you think?”
Here, Takanami interjected.
“It’s also necessary information for determining the amount of compensation.”
He said.
“Hmm...”
Hedulg stroked his mustache and exhaled quietly.
It’s a claim he can’t understand.
The gods of Ardyst have already bought the souls.
Even if they were poached souls, as long as they paid the mana, those souls already belong to Ardyst.
Isn’t it Ardyst’s right to have those souls live whatever lives they want?
It’s not something that should be judged by the gods of Earth.
“That’s... interference in another world, isn’t it?”
Hedulg inadvertently muttered that, showing his discomfort.
Hikari glared at Hedulg.
In the oppressive silence, sparks flew between the gazes of the two gods...
“Then at the very least, just let me see them? I won’t say anything troublesome.”
Here.
Surprisingly, the one who made that proposal, compromising, was the god of Earth, ‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’, who had been silently watching the progress of the discussion.
“Eh, Yuki-sama!?”
“I understand your feelings about disliking interference from other worlds. But I want you to understand the feelings of our young one, at least a little.”
He silenced the surprised Hikari with a smile and continued.
“Even after becoming gods, there are many things we have to swallow, right? For Hikari-chan, this incident is one of them. If, by any chance, her relatives are suffering, she will make me make her swallow it. I won’t let her interfere. So, just let her see them, even from a distance... I want you to let her meet them.”
There will be no interference.
Just seeing them...
That’s the demand that ‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’ is making.
“But that Takanami-dono said... he would use that information as material for calculating the compensation.”
“Ah, that’s fine.”
“What!?”
Takanami, who is usually calm and collected, raised his voice in surprise at this sudden change.
On the other hand, Hedulg, touching his mustache, silently pondered.
‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’s’ proposal is a significant concession.
Under those conditions... of course, measures such as limiting her divine power output will be necessary, but it’s not unacceptable to grant the request of the little girl in front of him, called Hikari.
However... he doesn’t understand.
Why did the god before him, presumably a super-high-ranking god, suddenly propose such a concession?
For the growth of the young goddess?
Is it really just that?
“How about it? Won’t you let her meet them? Her relatives... the owners of the 29 souls.”
‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’ continued, speaking to Hedulg, who was unusually silent, without moving his mouth.
In response, Hedulg...
...Tilted his head.
“29... is it?”
And he turned to the Reincarnation Goddess, Li.
Then, the huge book floating behind the Reincarnation Goddess, Li, moved in front of her, opened—Pakari—and the pages flipped as if blown by the wind...
When that was over, the huge book closed—Patan—and the Reincarnation Goddess, Li, with her eyes still closed, turned to Hedulg and nodded slightly.
“Not 28?”
Then, Hedulg asked ‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’ that question.
“No, we have confirmed the disappearance of 29 souls from our world.”
“No, no, that’s impossible...”
In response to Takanami, who stated that fact with a puzzled face instead of ‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’, Hedulg also had a troubled expression.
“According to the records, the number of souls auctioned off at that auction was 28 cons. Also, as the Reincarnation Goddess, I have the authority to confirm that all of them have already been reincarnated. I declare, on my name, that this is not a lie.”
Li interjected calmly.
The Reincarnation Goddess, Li, is a high-ranking god who governs reincarnation in Ardyst.
Li had declared that, on her name.
This proved that the three gods from Ardyst who came to this negotiation weren’t hiding anything.
“In other words... what does that mean?”
Hikari was confused... and tilted her head, crossing her arms.
...As they looked at each other, ‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’ gazed upon them with a gentle smile plastered on his face.
However, contrary to that smile, his eyes... were unreadable.
They were the color of the deep, deep sea... so dark and cold that no one could see through them.
Without any wind.
The hair of ‘Snow Falling on the Deep Seabed’, visible under his hood, wriggled.
Like tentacles.
The is Arc 28.
It will take some time before updates resume.
TL Note: Arc 28 was completed recently, I will release first chapters for it in a couple weeks.