The Old God’s Bargain and the Duke’s Decree

‘Was I knocked unconscious? Otherwise, why am I dreaming again?’

“You wicked sorcerer!”

“I never imagined you’d fail at something so simple.”

“Green, why haven’t you died yet?!”

“I truly regret bringing you into this world.”

‘Why else would I be dreaming of these things again?’

“Ahem, Superman Green, open your eyes. I am Shafu… oh no, I am Anjemuel.”

Through the clamorous din, a gentle, rehearsed female voice rang out clearly, like a pebble cast into a tranquil lake, calming the heart.

Rhine was bewildered.

“Judging by that gaze, you clearly don’t recognize your big sister. I’m so terribly sad.”

‘No, you’re just a humanoid wisp of fog; how am I supposed to recognize a ghost? Even if I used memory-reconstruction magic to review all the people I’ve slain who became vengeful spirits, none of them were like you!’

“Who are you?”

“Yet, every night we had a celestial rendezvous atop the Babel Tower. I never thought you’d be such a heartless man, forgetting your big sister completely after just two days, boo-hoo-hoo~”

“If you’d just drop that rehearsed tone, I might actually believe you.”

There stood Rhine, a disheveled man in his forties, atop the Babel Tower.

Under a sky teeming with stars, a graceful female figure, composed of countless pale purple particles, floated opposite him.

‘Wait, I think I remember now. You’re—that voice from the starry sky? The one who constantly fed me meaningless garbage like ‘Because You’re Too Beautiful,’ ‘Primitive Man Awakens,’ ‘Brother, You Smell So Good,’ and ‘I’m So High I Can’t Stand It’?’

“Precisely! I am the Wanderer of the Deep Blue Star Sea, the Tuner of Worlds, the Sublime Old God, Anjemuel, who embodies both wisdom and beauty!”

“Ah, hello, Anjemuel.”

I waved my hand in a gesture of resignation, playing along with her words.

‘You tell me you’re an Old God or whatever… but I feel no tangible impact. I’ve never even heard of you. This title, even bearing the name of a deity, isn’t half as renowned as the fearsome reputation of ‘Rhine Green’.’

“Can’t you show a little surprise? I’m a god, you know! A GOD!”

“The God of the Holy Covenant alone has already overwhelmed us minor sorcerers quite enough; we can’t possibly stomach any more.”

“Hmph, you mean that… neither male nor female fellow?”

‘Hmm… Although I couldn’t discern her facial expression, I imagined the fluctuations of the particles indicated her exasperation.’

“We needn’t discuss that troublesome do-gooder at present.”

A pale purple, ethereal hand, formed from the glow, pointed towards me.

“Be eternally grateful for my favor, Rhine Green!”

“Can your favor be eaten for sustenance?”

“…It took me so much effort to favor someone, and you disappoint me so thoroughly!”

‘Damn! The Old God dramatically struck a pose that was utterly undignified.’

“Don’t you yearn for the knowledge of the stars? Don’t you long for the secrets of the world’s truth? Don’t you aspire to higher dimensional sublimation? Come to your big sister; it’s like three years of high school exams and two years of mock tests – trust me! The path to godhood lies within!”

I wavered.

Indeed, I wavered for a moment.

“If I were to say yes, if I were to become your chosen, would you truly… take me to the starry sky?”

“Hmph, hee-hee~ Yes, I promise, this is the quickest path to achieving your ideals, you know~ Speak, quickly now, speak.”

“But I refuse!”

“What?!”

“One of the things I, Rhine Green, enjoy most is saying NO and refusing those who believe themselves superior to me.”

“You stubborn brat, you just won’t budge, will you?!”

She stomped her foot in exasperation.

“Becoming my chosen comes with immense benefits! Isn’t touching the magnificent starry sky your dream?!”

I smiled.

“You are right, kind Old Goddess, but I have my own resolve. I will use my own strength, my own eyes, to reach for my ideals. I do not need the charity of others; I am not pitiable.”

The particles swirling around her paused for a moment, seemingly in thought, before she finally nodded at me, a hint of resignation in her gesture.

‘I couldn’t discern the change in her expression, nor could I tell if she was revealing satisfaction or disappointment.’

“A mere native dares to boast so brazenly? A character like yours is bound to suffer greatly sooner or later.”

I shrugged.

“I already have, quite a bit.”

“Hmph, you talk a big game, yet I’m the one who has to clean up your mess. You’ve been unconscious for two days in Duke Cavendish’s mansion. You’ve already experienced the side effects of your soul and body forcibly merging, but I spent these two days stitching you back together, needle by needle. You’ll find it much easier to move now, without that intense pain.”

“This body of yours, an effeminate young boy’s, possesses an astonishing amount of magical essence. It must have been specially prepared for future spellcasting. However, you currently can’t harness any magic, though your situation should improve once you become familiar with the body.”

“While you were unconscious, the Duke’s sorcerers performed a memory scan on you. Your ‘Gate of Memory’ was fabricated so perfectly that they found no anomalies.”

“Oh, and by the way, I placed a student handheld console in your spiritual consciousness space. It can’t connect to the internet, only play games like Tetris and Snake.”

“And also, despite what you say, I believe you’ll have a change of heart eventually. My backdoor will always be open for you, you know~”

“As a form of retaliation, the chance to meet me is one in a hundred thousand. Only when I can’t bear the loneliness will I reluctantly respond to your pleas if you return to the top of Babel Tower at night. Don’t come scurrying over too often, alright? It’s not like I’m expecting anything, hmph~”

‘Hey, is this tsundere behavior?’

I bowed deeply, stepping back half a pace and bending my knee, my left hand behind my back, my right tracing an intricate starry ring.

I offered her what I considered the highest form of respect.

“Thank you.”

I didn’t ask why she had gone to such painstaking lengths to help me; her haughty demeanor likely wouldn’t have allowed for a direct answer.

However, I surmised it was probably because we were both of a kind.

The solitude above the stars held no essential difference from the solitude beneath them.

“I’m about to wake up.”

I closed my eyes, and the pale purple figure waved goodbye to me.

Opening my eyes once more, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Your Grace, the boy has awakened.”

The middle-aged man with gray hair and blue eyes, possessing an imposing presence even without anger, set down his quill and looked towards the stern young man who had come to report.

“Your loyalty is evident to all of Cavendish; there’s no need to be so formal. The decree for the Witch Hunt was abolished three years ago.”

“This is simply my usual conduct.”

“Very well, what is there to report?”

The tall young sorcerer cleared his throat, lowering his wisteria-colored eyes.

“Fourteen years ago, he was born in a village in an outer county. Abandoned by his family due to famine and lack of food, he was fortuitously discovered by a passing High Tower Wizard, who then took him back to their tower.”

“The High Tower Wizard harbored no affection for him, never treating him as kin. They merely kept him alive out of convenience, allowing him to fend for himself at the base of the tower.”

“Having had no communication with others for many years, his linguistic abilities are severely lacking, and his personality is exceedingly eccentric. He refuses to engage in any exchange with me, yet he harbors a certain affection for Sir Ferren, likely because Ferren was the one who rescued him from the tower.”

The Duke nodded slightly.

“I generally understand the situation. Since we brought this child back, we must also bear responsibility for him.”

“As for the specific arrangements, I intend to entrust him to the Knight Order for training and management. Douglas, do you have any objections?”

A look of discomfort flickered across the sorcerer’s face for merely half a second before he subtly suppressed it.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

“Oh?”

“This… child, needs some time to adapt to his new environment. Furthermore, psychologically, he lacks familial education and care, leaving a constant void within him. Sending him directly to that den of uncles… no, the Rimehawk Knight Order, could very well be counterproductive.”

Douglas emphasized the word ‘child’ quite heavily.

“Then what are your thoughts? Speak freely.”

“I… cannot decide.”

At that moment, the young talent, who had been standing respectfully by the table, stepped forward.

“Father, I have an idea.”

“Speak.”

The Duke’s tone was stern, yet tinged with gentleness.

“My younger sister, Audrey… I believe she needs a companion her own age. Otherwise, I genuinely worry about what her personality might become.”

At this, the Duke couldn’t help but rub his forehead.

Their cherished gem, the Cavendish family’s darling daughter, had never been an easy child.

“Precisely. Let’s arrange it thus; otherwise, all the servants around her will soon be driven away. That boy has lived independently for many years, so he should be adept at household chores. Let’s assign him as Audrey’s servant.”

And so, with a simple exchange between the three men, the wheel of fate began to turn, setting a new course for history.