Although he didn’t know the reason, Orma, whose mood had improved, began selecting only expensive accessories and adorning Ban from that point on.
At first, even when wearing a bunch of flashy things, Ban digested them amazingly well without any feeling of excess, but when the bracelets on both arms exceeded ten and two rings were fitted on every finger, the thought ‘this isn’t right……’ naturally came to him.
Except for his ears, which barely escaped adornment thanks to sharing earrings with Orma, Ban had somehow become a rather bizarre sight sparkling with all kinds of jewels from head to toe. Only at that point did Orma finally burst into refreshing laughter.
“Are you a crow?”
“……Orma-nim made me like this.”
“No. Pretty, pretty.”
As if this appearance is pretty. And what’s the point of constantly calling a man pretty…… Is he mimicking me sarcastically because earlier I could only say the ring was pretty? Ban glared slightly at Orma, but couldn’t bring himself to collapse Orma’s face that was beaming with such good mood.
Orma made Ban into a walking accessory storage and casually grabbed a couple large magic stones within reach and a visible sword before heading out of the cave.
Coming outside and receiving sunlight, the jewels draped on Ban’s body sparkled, or rather, flashed blindingly. Jaena, who had been running over with an excited face from afar saying he’d finished touring the island, stopped upon seeing that sight, squeezed his eyes shut and made a fuss saying “My eyes suddenly flashed! Ah, I can’t see ahead! I think I’ve gone blind!” Only then did Ban hurriedly remove the accessories with a flushed face.
“Hahaha, I think I’ve laughed several hundred years’ worth today. Hahahaha!”
Oh god, are you pleased making your Apostle like this? ……Right, laughing means you’re in a good mood. If sacrificing this one body made the god happy…….
Ban deliberately thought positively and stuffed the accessories into the empty food bag. Gail, who had been watching this bizarre scene, looked at Ban with sparkling eyes as if amazed.
“It’s my first time seeing Orma laugh like that……”
“……I see.”
I didn’t know I had talent for comedy either. Physical comedy at that.
As embarrassment washed over him and Ban awkwardly stiffened his face, Gail, who had quietly approached, handed him something. For something given secretly to avoid being caught by Orma, it was a small notebook that didn’t seem particularly special. When Ban tilted his head as if asking what it was, Gail whispered.
“If you write in here, it connects to the notebook I have so I can read it too. Next time, wouldn’t it be better to call me with this instead of that cold and noisy conch shell?”
“Aha, but why are you giving this to me? Wouldn’t it be fine to give it to Orma-nim?”
“……Do you think that bastard would exchange written correspondence with me?”
No. Quickly convinced, Ban took the notebook and put it in the bag together.
“Besides that, you can ask me anything if you’re curious.”
“If I’m curious……?”
“Well, things about Orma?”
Is that okay? If I’m curious about something, shouldn’t I just ask the person himself? Even earlier, when asked what his previous eye color was, he readily answered it was green.
“If that’s your intention, it seems to mean it’s unnecessary. Haha, how did Orma end up with an Apostle like you?”
“I don’t know what you mean, but I was the one who first asked Orma-nim to become his Apostle.”
“……Why?”
You weren’t threatened? Gail’s blue eyes shook intensely as if he couldn’t believe it. Well, I can’t say I don’t understand……
In fact, Ban rather wondered why Orma had readily come out of Hell with him. But it felt awkward to ask for the reason, so he was just curious by himself…….
Did he give me the notebook to ask about things like this? Though it doesn’t particularly seem like Gail would know either.
“Ahem, I also have no intention of carelessly blabbing about Orma’s weaknesses or things he doesn’t want to talk about, so don’t worry. But wouldn’t it be good for you to know what those are when necessary?”
“You’re saying you can avoid a trap if you know what it is. I understand.”
He thought he knew Orma well, but the more he actually met him, talked with him, and spent time together, the more he felt a disconnect between the broken Orma in the game and the real Orma before his eyes. His god still had many fears, worshipped death, and appeared stronger and colder than anyone, yet was more fragile and breakable than anyone.
In truth, Ban wanted to know Orma’s weaknesses and at the same time didn’t want to know. He wanted his god to be confident to the point of arrogance and beautiful, but also wanted him to rely on and lean on him alone.
If not…… it seemed like he had no particular value to Orma.
“What were you talking about with that guy? You badmouthed me, right.”
Unable to hold back, Orma approached and sharply looked back and forth between Ban and Gail. At his appearance, as if interrogating whether he’d been unfaithful, Ban chuckled and slowly shook his head. However, Orma probed once more with a sharp gaze.
“What did you talk about?”
“Mm, it’s a secret.”
“A secret?”
My Apostle keeping secrets from me…… Orma stood stock-still as if shocked, looking at Ban. At his gaze full of meaning asking how he could do that, Ban raised his hand and affectionately tidied Orma’s hair instead of answering.
“Still, I’m relieved. It doesn’t seem like Orma-nim has lived entirely wrongly without a single friend.”
“What?”
“I mean Gail-nim. If Orma-nim were to fall, it seems he’d fall together with you…… Does that displease you so much?”
“I’m not close with that guy. We just hung out together a bit since we were born.”
“Generally people do call that a friend though.”
In Korea, they even express it aggressively as a ‘damn friend,’ well. Do you want to get rid of even that kind of friend and become a total loser stuck in a corner of your room…… no, stuck in a corner of Hell?
At Ban’s words, Orma huffed but couldn’t deny it further. Even to himself, he might have felt it was stranger to say that a dragon of the same age who had hung out since childhood and still lived on his island wasn’t a friend.
Before Orma could ask again what he and Gail had talked about, Ban smiled brightly and extended his hand first.
“Shall we return now?”
“……Yeah.”
* * *
As if visiting the dreamlike place called Sky Island had been a lie, upon descending to the ground, Jaena whined that he was dying of thirst. It must have been that place, thanks to Orma’s divine authority, escaped from the disaster and gave a feeling like paradise.
They say the feeling when entering and leaving the bathroom is different—even though they had stuffed gold and treasures everywhere including the food bag, it was useless before the hot heat and stinging sunlight the ground gave.
“If you endure a little more, we’ll arrive at Siol. There doesn’t seem to be a village nearby.”
“Uuugh……”
“If you’re dying of thirst, wouldn’t it be better to keep your mouth shut?”
“Does Orma-nim know thirst?!”
“I do have a thirst to kill you.”
“……”
If he’s going to quietly shut his mouth like that anyway, why does he consistently talk back to Orma? Jaena has quite a stubborn personality too. Moreover, Orma’s words weren’t entirely wrong either. If it were me, I wouldn’t even have the energy to chatter like that…….
Ban lightly let the unproductive conversation between Jaena and Orma flow past while looking down at the increasingly parched road. Since Siol was the sanctuary of Banan, the god of water and abundance, it was also called the City of Water. Yet seeing the ground not only cracking but gradually showing sand, it seemed destruction was progressing faster than expected, making Ban worried.
“Siol isn’t that far. Originally, under Banan’s influence, this area should be covered in lush greenery and the sound of clear river water flowing should be heard……”
“There’s been nothing like that, just the same scenery for days.”
“Aha, I get it. Could Banan have already died unable to withstand the disaster? That’d be nice. The secret to dying with a god’s body, I want to know it too.”
That pessimist and suicide addict, of course. Watching Orma sincerely wishing for and envying Banan’s death, Ban shook his head.
And that’s when it happened.
“Stop right there! If you hand over all your horses and belongings, we’ll spare your lives!”
Against the backdrop of the slightly cool and darkening sky as night approached, a new group of bandits appeared and triumphantly shouted at Ban’s party.
“That bandit has a water bottle at his waist. Looks like they just plundered it!”
“Kill them. Kill those things right now. I won’t let it slide if you waste time again this time. Don’t you dare pick up another noisy thing like this.”
“……Ha.”
Whether it was Jaena’s thirst feeling like his throat was burning, or Orma’s thirst for destruction surging up, Ban finally gave up at the appearance of very delicious prey that could satisfy at least one side. Orma pointed at the bandits who were flustered, sensing something strange, and said with a wicked smile.
“You know what? Let’s send them to a good place.”
“A good place…… you say?”
“Yeah, so good they’ll just die.”
Grinning and gesturing to slit throats, is this…… truly a god? And my god at that. Ban swallowed a sigh and answered.
“……I’ll send them to heaven.”
“That’s right. You’re finally catching on.”
This much is, well, cute for our Evil God-nim. It strangely feels like I’m being corrupted along with him, but that’s probably my imagination, right?
Ban drew his sword without hesitation…… and began hunting the bandits who turned pale and tried to flee.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
yesss fall into the abyss together