The God’s Chosen and the Skeptical Inquisitor

Yelica tossed two piles of documents onto the table. “Here, your proof of identity and information on the Eternity Society.”

“Mmm, you’ve worked hard.” Yodel dragged the documents closer, casually flipping through them.

His attitude was far better than Yelica had anticipated. She had expected to be ordered to do something outrageous, but so far, Yodel’s demands hadn’t crossed her bottom line.

“I never would have thought, you evil god’s kin are quite polite.”

“Evil god’s kin? Where?” Yodel looked up, glancing around, only to find Yelica nearby.

“I’m talking about you! Stop pretending, I saw you communicating with that evil god; that fellow is clearly on your side.”

‘That fellow? Evil god? Could she be talking about the God of Death?’

‘While death is certainly disliked by mortals, that doesn’t automatically make the God of Death an evil god, does it?’

‘In Yodel’s opinion, though she occasionally indulged in dark humor, she generally maintained the order of death, saving some and taking others, essentially remaining neutral on good and evil. How could she be called an evil god?’

Instinctively wanting to defend the God of Death, Yodel momentarily forgot the main topic and retorted directly:

“Are you misunderstanding something? Invading my memories was your initial mistake, and then you were punished by my boss. I can understand a few complaints, but to call her an evil god is simply going too far.”

“No, does she look like a benevolent deity to you? All dark and shadowy, radiating an ominous, evil aura. Just seeing her fills me with revulsion and dread from the bottom of my heart. If that’s not an evil god, then who are you trying to fool?”

Having rattled off that statement at lightning speed, Yelica instantly regretted it. The kin of evil gods were people whose souls had been corrupted and brainwashed; reasoning with them was like casting pearls before swine.

‘Her own life was still in someone else’s hands; insulting the other party’s master like this would only lead to her own suffering in the end.’

“Wait a minute, are we talking about the same person… the same god? While she might appear a little haggard, she’s hardly terrifying, is she?”

‘In fact, Yodel believed that once the God of Death removed her dark circles debuff, her beauty would absolutely be able to grind any celebrity or model from his previous life into dust.’

“Is there something wrong with your aesthetic… Oh, I get it now.” Yelica suddenly understood.

‘She understood, she completely understood. Yodel’s perception must have been corrupted by the evil god, which was why, in his eyes, that evil god was probably a great beauty!’

Now it was Yelica’s turn to look at Yodel with pity. ‘Tsk, tsk, tsk, how pathetic. If he ever discovered that the goddess he yearned for was actually an unspeakable monster, he would probably collapse on the spot.’

‘Yodel understood, he completely understood. Yelica must be jealous of the God of Death’s beauty, and, coupled with being cursed by the God of Death, she harbored resentment but dared not openly defy her, so she resorted to badmouthing her behind her back!’

‘His inner thoughts were simple: the God of Death was beautiful and kind-hearted, she revived him, made him a God’s Chosen, and bestowed all sorts of rewards and abilities freely. She said he would work for her, yet she only ever assigned one task, and there was no punishment for not completing it. How could someone so good to him possibly harm him?’

Since both believed they understood, they tacitly avoided the topic of the God of Death’s appearance.

“Alright then, just as you say, your deity is beautiful and kind-hearted, but what kind of deity is she exactly?”

Yelica wanted to find out which deity had cursed her, so she could apply the right remedy, thereby greatly increasing her chances of breaking the curse.

“She is the God of Death.”

Yodel stated it openly and honestly. With the curse already upon Yelica, he wasn’t afraid of her leaking any information.

“The God of Death? I’ve never heard of her. Is that true?”

Yelica’s perplexed expression seemed genuine, which puzzled Yodel.

Whether in the supernatural or secular realms, death was an unavoidable topic.

Precisely because death was so universal and profoundly significant, even if the God of Death herself didn’t actively seek followers, surely some would spontaneously worship “Death” or “the God of Death,” wouldn’t they?

Yet Yelica had never even heard of the God of Death?

“So, are you saying there’s no God of Death in the world?”

“As far as I know, whether orthodox or cultist, no denomination worships the God of Death. Even if the God of Death truly exists, she probably doesn’t have a single follower,”

Seeing Yodel’s face filled with disbelief, Yelica added, “Don’t look at me like that. If you don’t believe me, just go ask anyone on the street; it’s true, no denomination believes in the God of Death.”

Watching Yodel fall silent, his face etched with suspicion and confusion, Yelica understood once more.

‘Yodel must have been deceived by the evil god! The God of Death was fabricated by the evil god to trick Yodel, and she doesn’t exist at all.’

‘However, it seemed Yodel wasn’t deeply corrupted by the evil god; he could still harbor doubts about her, which meant he still had a chance.’

Yelica glimpsed a sliver of hope. Although she had to obey Yodel’s commands, as long as she could keep him stable and prevent him from issuing overly outrageous orders, the curse’s influence would be significantly weakened.

‘That death curse, though planted by the evil god, targets both Yodel and me. If I can help Yodel break free from the corruption, perhaps the curse can be lifted.’

‘Given this, I must sow discord, making him doubt the evil god more profoundly and liberating him from his superstition.’

Yelica’s fighting spirit soared; she felt like she had transformed back into the inquisitor she once was.

“If there’s anything you can’t figure out, you can tell me. I’ll help you analyze it; after all, I am a cleric.”

Yelica shifted her chair, closing the distance between herself and Yodel.

Yodel’s contemplation was interrupted, but considering that Yelica, being a church member, likely possessed more knowledge about deities, he agreed to her suggestion.

“You? Hmm… alright, I want to know, how do deities generally choose their God’s Chosen?”

“I don’t know. The God’s Chosen are selected purely based on the deity’s preferences; there’s no specific standard. However, there are clear standards for the God-Favored.”

“What’s the difference between the God-Favored and the God’s Chosen?” Yodel asked.

“The current Saintess is a God-Favored. She passed nine trials to finally earn the favor of the Goddess of Holy Light.”

“The status of a God’s Chosen is far superior to that of the God-Favored. The God-Favored are merely the deity’s darlings, while the God’s Chosen are the deity’s representatives in the mortal world.”

“If the trials for the God-Favored are already so difficult, I can barely imagine the trials for the God’s Chosen.”

Yelica sighed with emotion as she spoke. The Saintess becoming God-Favored was already an example and idol for all hymn worshippers; becoming a God’s Chosen… that was only possible for legendary figures, surely.

“Is it that hard? I’m a God’s Chosen, and I didn’t undergo any trials.”

Yelica was so startled she nearly slid off her chair. Her first reaction was that Yodel was spouting nonsense.

“Stop joking around. Do you think a God’s Chosen is like a dog strolling everywhere, just claiming to be one?”

“But I really am a God’s Chosen, and let alone trials, she even had to entice me with benefits just to get me to agree.”

“No, buddy… are you really a God’s Chosen?”

“If my ‘boss’ hadn’t acknowledged it, do you think I’d dare to call myself a God’s Chosen?”

Yodel watched Yelica’s eyes and mouth widen into perfect “O” shapes. It seemed she wouldn’t be able to process the shock of “God’s Chosen” anytime soon.

A moment later, Yelica closed her mouth and silently pulled her chair back a bit.

‘Hahaha, that guy is a God’s Chosen! And here I was, thinking of sowing discord. What a joke. I might as well go home, wash up, go to sleep, and wait for death.’

‘Come to think of it, I invaded the memories of a God’s Chosen, and that evil god didn’t instantly strike me down. In that light, she’s actually quite merciful.’

‘If it had been the Goddess of Holy Light, even if I had only invaded the memories of a God-Favored, that venerable old deity would absolutely have annihilated the invader on the spot.’