CHAPTER 55……………………………….
When I chuckled and slipped my hand into the fifth basket—
Fwoosh!
A cool sensation pierced into my skin.
I pulled it out and opened my palm.
An aquamarine, boasting a pure, watery hue, revealed itself atop my hand.
The gem shimmered brilliantly.
‘This is it.’
The power of the divine priest was embedded in this jewel as well. That refreshing clarity was proof. I had expected as much.
‘But why can’t I hear the voice?’
Could it be something else entirely?
I held the aquamarine to my ear and shook it.
Silence.
‘I’ll go back and check.’
The moment I stood up, as if by a lie, a scene unfolded before my eyes.
A vast land spread out in lush green.
Small houses with low roofs were scattered here and there.
The bitter yet fresh scent of grass tickled my nose, and a gentle breeze brushed past my face.
I found myself staring blankly.
An unknown longing stabbed at my chest.
I felt like I might cry.
It was a landscape of perfect peace—
Until a sudden scream shattered the silence.
“AAAAAAH!”
Goosebumps erupted across my entire body.
That hair-raising shriek echoed once more.
I looked around frantically.
Nothing.
And before I knew it, I was running.
Every step carried me through endless greenery.
A place where the vitality of the earth itself testified that it was loved by the gods.
And in the middle of it—
Something horrifying was happening.
Crunch. Crunch.
A man had buried his face into a woman’s soft stomach, chewing on her flesh.
My pupils widened.
The thick red blood staining his mouth burned into my vision.
It was a situation I had never witnessed before—
And yet I understood immediately.
I had seen this.
Through the unpublished mural.
“AAAAAAH!”
It was a boy’s voice.
His eyes were bloodshot as he screamed at the sight of someone being devoured.
“Humaaans! We gave you land to rest your bodies upon, water to quench your throats—
and you repay our kindness with betrayal!
How ungrateful!
I curse you! I curse you!
Even in death, I will hate you!”
A voice drenched in sorrow.
A scream full of rancor.
It was familiar.
That was—
「HUMAAAANS! I HAAAATE YOUUUU!」
The voice that had tormented me yesterday.
Yes.
That voice.
The voice of the power I had absorbed from Aris, wailing in fury.
Not long after, people rushed toward the boy.
Like ants swarming over a fallen crumb.
Blood tears streamed from the boy’s eyes.
A chill ran down my spine.
People devoured him like madmen.
The stench of blood stabbed my nose.
My whole body trembled violently.
The boy’s face, twisted like an evil spirit as it hollowed out—
looked strangely sad.
Tears fell from my eyes.
Then hurried footsteps rang out.
Tatadadak!
Dazed, I turned my head.
From the opposite side, black-haired people appeared, their faces contorting at the gruesome sight.
“You who claimed purity… how dare you…!”
The vision ended there.
The blue sky and green earth drifted farther and farther away until they became no more than a tiny dot.
White temple walls filled my vision.
“…Hah!”
A savage sense of loss, like being expelled from an entire world, struck straight into my heart.
Clutching my chest, I gasped for breath.
My mind was in chaos.
What… was that?
“A human… ate another human?”
「They are not human.」
A chill crawled over me again.
I jerked my head up—
and saw a blue figure.
A snake?
The flickering tongue made it unmistakable.
Behind its translucent blue form, the temple could still be seen.
A semi-transparent spirit.
It resembled Leo—
but it was not him.
「What you now call gods… are beings like me. Spirits.」
There was no time to feel relieved that my guess was right.
All my nerves were seized by the presence before me.
「That expression… stupid beyond belief.」
A harsh tone.
The snake held no goodwill toward me whatsoever.
Then again, Leo had been like that at first too.
“What are you? Did you call me?”
「Yes. I called you all through the dawn…」
The snake stared directly into my eyes.
「Human. Igrein.」
“How do you know my name?”
Its small, gleaming eyes fixed on me before its long tongue flicked out.
「So you are looking for Leo.」
My mind snapped awake.
“You know Leo?”
「Yes. Weren’t you connected to him?」
I couldn’t understand.
“Where is Leo?”
At my question, the snake opened its mouth.
Even in beast form, I could tell it was sneering.
「You seek Leo?」
I hesitated, then nodded hard.
“Yes. I’ve been searching for him. If you know—”
「He is gone now.」
Coldly, it said.
「He lost his existence.」
“…”
「In your place.」
My vision went blank.
My body collapsed as if struck by an earthquake.
As I knelt, the snake slowly circled me, whispering in my ear.
「Human once connected to Leo.
He was the oldest spirit of this land—one of the pieces that sustains the world.
And he wished, with all his power, for you to live again.」
“…Ah…”
「Through the tremor of the world, I saw you.」
“…”
「Spirits like humans.
Perhaps I could understand him keeping you in his heart despite what happened…
But why he went so far as to sacrifice himself, I cannot comprehend.」
Its voice dug deeper and deeper into me.
「There is only one thing I wish to say, human Igrein.」
“…”
「Wipe out every human on this land.
Withdraw from the ground we yielded to you.」
I raised my wet eyes.
Blue eyes glittering with hatred met mine.
「Leo sacrificed himself for you.
So you are obligated to grant our origin’s wish.」
“…”
「We abandoned our human forms. We had no choice.
We pitied you starving, so we sent rain.
We risked danger to shape human bodies for those who feared beasts.
And you… swallowed us.」
The spirit’s eyes flashed coldly.
Within them was a heavy, razor-sharp rage—
directed not only at me,
but at all humanity.
My body stiffened with icy fear—
and suddenly, the snake vanished.
When I looked up, a large hand rested on my shoulder.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Giovanni was staring down at me with a puzzled expression.
The moment I saw him, my narrowed vision returned to normal.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Then his eyes widened.
“Your hair… changed color again.”
Was it real?
Or an illusion?
In that blurred boundary, I asked blankly—
“…Color?”
He lifted a strand of my hair before my eyes.
Truly, the tips had turned blue.
‘So absorbing power changes hair color.’
“Come.”
“Where?”
“To a doctor.”
Giovanni said grimly.
“I’ve never heard of hair changing color so suddenly.”
He looked ready to carry me immediately, so I waved my hands quickly.
My fingertips trembled.
I clenched my fist to hide it and spoke calmly.
“My body is fine. What about the priests? Do they look like they’re coming out?”
Changing the subject, Giovanni answered with displeasure.
“Yes. We need to leave now.”
His gaze dropped to my hand.
“Is that the sacred object you mentioned?”
I looked down as well.
The moment I saw the shining aquamarine, reality crashed over me.
What had just happened wasn’t a dream or hallucination.
I inhaled deeply, my chest swelling.
“I think… I just met a god.”
We moved somewhere secluded.
“So the ancient humans committed the sin of killing a god…”
Giovanni’s jaw tightened.
“That gives weight to the kingdom’s claim that the desert is cursed land.”
“At least… I told you exactly what I saw.”
“Yes. I believe you.”
His easy acceptance made me feel awkward.
Giovanni said nothing more.
I stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts.
“If there were humans who committed the crime, and humans who tried to stop it… then the former must be the desert’s ancestors.”
“…”
“Is it truly karma… that the empire starves now?”
His voice was bitter, but his eyes remained calm.
Yet he didn’t look strong at all.
‘It clears my head too.’
I was deeply shaken.
In Riorza, the Water God Marta is absolute.
Aside from newborns, there is no one who doesn’t believe in god.
Religion was life, culture, and daily existence.
How could any kingdom citizen not be shocked—
to learn that the god they believed watched over them…
was actually a spirit—
and now hated humanity?
“But I don’t understand. Why would they do such a thing?”
“…”
“It was a god. They must have known they would be cursed.”
“Maybe they didn’t.”
Giovanni’s gaze shifted to me.
I met his doubtful eyes and said—
“What if killing a god doesn’t bring a curse?”
“…”
“What if the ones who sinned weren’t the empire…”
“But the kingdom?”
His eyes sharpened.
“What do you mean?”
The ungrateful people who devoured the gods…
might not be the desert.
They might be here.
‘The people of water.’
That word, a source of pride for kingdom citizens, struck the back of my head like a blow.
Riorza.
The blessed kingdom.
The beloved subjects of the Water God Marta.
That was their pride.
But—
「Avenge us. Humans… the humans of this land who devoured us!」
Ziiiing.
A loud ringing filled my mind.
The kingdom people were not the blessed people of water.
Rather—
My heart dropped heavily.
‘If anything… they are the cursed ones.’
