“So, what exactly were you doing?”
Gio responded to Yoo Seong-Woon’s question.
“I was discussing what the wisest course of action might be.”
“Didn’t look like anything that constructive was going on.”
See—Joo-Hyun had already collapsed on the couch, completely drained. For an upright citizen like him, not yet fully adapted to divine logic, spending ti between two evil gods had clearly taken its toll.
Yoo Seong-Woon took Joo-Hyun’s place at the table.
“So if I summarize this... Arzio, already widely known as an ‘evil god,’ is wondering how to befriend the animals in the ‘Animal Kingdom,’ right?”
“Correct.”
Gio nodded.
“Up through the wolf tribe, I felt no sense of crisis whatsoever. I thought Gargar was scared of simply because he’s a bit of a coward.”
“That poor guy must be so wrongly accused...”
“Yes, I misunderstood. It wasn’t that Gargar was cowardly—it’s just that the wolves are especially tough. They accepted so easily that I beca arrogantly confident in my own social skills...”
“And the result of that overconfidence was the fox tribe’s terror.”
“If I’d known this would happen, I would have hidden myself more thoroughly from the start.”
Though he said that, both Yoo Seong-Woon and Gio knew he never would’ve made that choice. This wasn’t true regret—just a flat, one-dinsional lant.
“Hm...”
Yoo Seong-Woon rolled his eyes.
“What about your go-to solution—feeding them?”
“Oh heavens above, it didn’t work.”
“So even your almighty food strategy failed. I always knew you’d crash and burn soday.”
“Maybe my cooking wasn’t good enough, or I picked the wrong nu. No matter how much I tried to coax and soothe them, the fox tribe couldn’t let go of their fear of .”
“That’s pretty normal...”
Maybe not for Yoo Seong-Woon, who was familiar with the mystical, or Joo-Hyun, who was weirdly fearless—but for most sentient beings, it was entirely appropriate to fear a terrifying god of legend. Gio looked deeply wronged.
“But when I fed student Chara—Cha I-Sol’s family mber—her guard clearly went down. I believed in my culinary skills, only to be betrayed.”
“Well, back then no one knew anything about you. But for the fox tribe, you’re like a living natural disaster—soone from the ancient past who ate people, built rivers of blood, and did every wicked thing imaginable. How could good food make that fear go away?”
“I feel wronged.”
“I think the ones who should feel most wronged are the wolves.”
They’d been so tough that Gio had thought, “Ah, this much is fine hehe.” They, who’d seed indifferent to him, had no idea that Gio had never once considered them threatening. They probably thought any rcy from an evil god was just a whim.
“......”
“......”
Into that near-standoff silence, Sankallut spoke up.
“Give up.”
“Who said you get to decide that?”
“For beings as insignificant as these to not fear a divine being recognized by the dinsions themselves as a sacred evil... Even I, who don’t understand how to communicate with intelligent life, think that’s quite a shaless expectation.”
“You get more articulate every ti you insult soone. Is it that your interests and aptitudes finally aligned, Sankallut?”
“Yes, I find it entertaining.”
“Evil god, through and through.”
“You too.”
How wholeso.
‘Terrifying.’
Despite the awkwardness, Yoo Seong-Woon sided with Sankallut.
“I agree, honestly. Even among humans—let alone gods—it’s not easy to comfort soone who’s deeply afraid of you without brainwashing or charm skills. If there’s a historical reason for that fear, it’s even harder.”
“You think so too?”
“If you rush in without giving them space, you’ll just intensify their fear. I’ve said it before, but Gio, you can be... greedy.”
“Isn’t it only natural to want to enjoy everything I can?”
“You might be able to do anything you want, but unless you resort to vile acts like mind manipulation, it’s not going to be easy.”
“...So ti really is the only answer...”
“You’re acting kind of impatient, which isn’t like you.”
Yoo Seong-Woon crossed his arms and asked,
“Is there a reason? You’re not the type to force friendships. Usually you’d just leave people be if they were scared, or accept it if they wanted to grow close.”
“Like you said, it’s just my own selfishness.”
Arzio let out a deep sigh.
“I shouldn’t have let myself think about my family.”
“...Ah, so that’s it.”
Yoo Seong-Woon had heard the story of “Arzio” before.
How he’d grown up in the Black Forest and shared tender tis with beast-like family mbers.
Even if they hadn’t spoken the sa language back then, there was no way he hadn’t loved them. And now, the races in the “Animal Kingdom” revered the evil god as sothing like a parent deity. That ant the emotional connection must have been imnse.
Like an old man who thought all his family was dead, discovering he still had distant blood relatives. And those relatives were children supporting entire households. That might explain why he was so desperate to care for them...
And that “old man” now ran a loan shark business. It made more sense to see his kindness as whimsical than as genuine love.
Strictly speaking, it was ridiculous to even call them “family.” They were too distantly connected. Asking for “benevolent charity” made sense in that context—it was more like being treated °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° as a pet than a family mber or friend.
Still, their bellies were empty. And in such a desolate world, any surviving family would be unbearably precious.
“Hm... I guess being animals at the core plays a part. Even if they’ve gained human-like intelligence, they’re still wolves and foxes, right? Their reasoning and emotions must be far more instinctual.”
“Exactly. The world ended, but only humans died. Isn’t that strange? They could do so many things, but the smarter they were, the dumber their decisions got...”
Clicking his tongue, Arzio lifted himself from the chair where he’d been slumped.
“...It feels wrong to keep scaring them. I’ll give up my greed too. If I, a scary old man who doesn’t even feel like family, go around acting overly friendly, it’ll just make things worse. There’s no way we’d beco close.”
“Did you just read my mind?”
“Oh, how alike our thoughts must be. What joy.”
“...That’s kind of gross.”
Still, Yoo Seong-Woon nodded.
“Try to be objective. I get what you’re trying to say, but to them, you’re not family or a friend—you’re an evil god. Maybe one day you’ll beco sothing else, but not yet.”
“Fair enough.”
Gio admitted he’d been too hasty.
***
The crows were wise.
They rembered the longest histories. They excelled at strategy, wielded magic more skillfully than any other, and created tools to protect their small and fragile bodies.
There was no way they didn’t know about the “evil god.”
“......”
Perched silently on a branch, they observed him.
If he’s not human, why does he take human form?
Valf, the crow chieftain, was the first of the three to recognize Gio for what he was. He had flown tirelessly through the Black Forest, trying to keep the crumbling world from collapsing entirely.
Unfortunately, crows lacked the keen sense of sll wolves and foxes possessed. But their vision was sharp. He saw the small figure in the black cloak, soaked in light and shadow and death, and knew he was not human.
There was nothing human in his appearance... and yet.
Valf saw it.
“......”
The bloody aura.
The divine presence imitating human flesh beneath that noble hide.
Ah. He is a god.
An unexpected guest visiting a ruined world.
Even Valf, with his dull sense of sll, caught the thick scent of blood and felt the burning rage in the red strands of hair. And yet—his voice was soft. His gestures, kind. His steps, deceptively light...
At 114 years old, Valf rembered countless histories. He understood: this was the “Forgotten Wrath.”
He will be the end—or the beginning.
Death or opportunity.
But what to choose?
Would the chance to choose even co?
Valf knew more about the “Forgotten Wrath” than most. Not only did he eat living beings, he demanded constant live offerings from humans and sotis, on a whim, would go hunting and plunge the world into chaos.
A vicious beast. A monster who enjoyed taking human form. A weaver of beautiful, delicate battlefields.
Valf was afraid.
Perhaps we were born from his rage, but that doesn’t an he sees us that way. It’s likely he never even noticed. What kind of affection can exist for life created in a single step?
The only faint hope was that “Gio” had shown interest in beast-shaped lifeforms for quite a while.
What about them had amused him so?
That they could speak?
“......”
Still, perhaps it could be endured.
...Better to beco a slave to the evil god than for these living beings to die. Even if that rcy costs them the future, what matters now is the opportunity. Gargar seems to understand that.
But that was a lesser evil—not the best path.
With luck, maybe they’d gain a better future. But they might end up with collars around their necks, slaves to a wicked divinity. Maybe our generation has no choice, but thinking of future generations makes it feel like a sin.
Gargar, the wolf chieftain, said he would trust the god because he had treated him like a friend. But the crows weren’t as loyal as the wolves. They didn’t cower like the foxes, but they had to be more cautious.
“......”
“You there.”
The evil god below called out to him.
“Yes, you.”
“Caw.”
“So much on your mind.”
“......”
“Why is everyone so thoughtful all of a sudden?”
“...What do you want from us?”
“I want you to be my friend.”
It felt genuine.
But how can one trust anything a god says?
He couldn’t.
To mortals, gods were vast, unknowable forces. Whether they understood or not, things would happen as the gods willed them. Still, Valf thought, pondered, and trembled.
Because a single gesture from the evil god could extinguish their tiny flas of life.
“The word ‘friend’ feels so hollow.”
“Then what words are you waiting to hear from ?”
“Your constant joy frightens . You wear a human form but aren’t human. Your every word feels like fate—it shakes the world.”
“Well then, what if I promise? That I won’t harm you?”
“This lowly creature cannot believe even that. Forgive .”
That gentle face and kind touch—they could be easily faked. They had no right to choose. Destiny would co. The living could only prepare.
And so the crow dared to suggest—
“Please enslave us.”
“What’s the difference from being a slave?”
“Bind us to your soul. Rule us with your tongue. Crush us with your hand. Let us find bliss in a single glance from you. Please contract us.”
“Such frightening words...”
“We beg for a deal, not rcy.”
“Oh, poor thing. You really think that’s a ‘deal,’ don’t you?”
The evil god laughed deeply.
“I understand your fear. Yes, kindness you can’t comprehend is even more terrifying. But when I na a fair price, cowards like you can finally feel at ease.”
For he was wrathful—but rciful.
“So I refuse.”
“......”
“There’s plenty of ti, isn’t there, Valf?”
“...You’re saying we’ll eventually co to rely entirely on you.”
“I was born arrogant and never learned to do things I don’t like. If I’m going to win anyway, why make losing moves?”
“O divine one, have you co to rule this place?”
“I ca because I saw its potential to improve.”
The evil god narrowed his eyes.
“Still, if you’re so uneasy, I’ll ask you a favor. If I do, I’ll owe you. And when the disaster you fear cos, you’ll have sothing to claim from .”
“Speak it, I’ll do as you ask.”
“Find the one who summoned .”
It was the voice of a ruler.
“The one who called back to this desolate, silent holand—find them. They may be a beast, a human you haven’t seen, or sothing hiding and playing dead.”
Who was it that summoned this god again?
That ant soone knew his true na.
A na even Valf, who had lived 114 years, didn’t know.
Soone had summoned this god of war and wrath—and Gio had answered, taking human form to stand here now.
Was this the end? Or the beginning?
“......”
When a god issues a trial, there is no choice.
“...I’ll find them.”
“I look forward to it.”
Valf felt the beginning of calamity as he took to the sky.
***
“......”
Gio rubbed his face.
‘I really do look kind of scary, don’t I?’
This damned face of his.
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