I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 51

—–CROW—– 

-Ah, I seem to have used a provocative word without realizing it. I apologize for my mistake.

-S-Spirit King-nim!

“Does he usually apologize so easily?”

-No way! Spirit King-nim, please lift your head! We’re fine!

Silphy and Sirin were startled by his bowed head.  It was understandable; they probably hadn’t expected their King to lower his head so readily.  But more importantly, there was the matter of Ceres’s “disposition” that he had mentioned.

[So, I’d like an explanation now.]

-Of course. To get straight to the point… we Spirit Kings decided to select a representative to speak with Ceres-nim, and the final decision will be made based on the representative’s judgment.

[That means…]

-Yes. If Ceres-nim is not the evil we perceive her to be, there will be no problem.

To be precise, the criteria wouldn’t be “we” but “you.”  Selecting a representative and deciding based on their judgment… That meant the potential dangers ahead would be determined by the Wind Spirit King’s judgment.

[So, a conclusion hasn’t been reached yet?]

-No. The discussion concluded before you arrived.

-Spirit King-nim, then…

Seeing Silphy’s worried expression, the Wind Spirit King offered a reassuring smile.

-She is a very benevolent being.  We should be thanking her for taking care of this place.

-You praise me too much, Lord of the Wind.

-Haha. I’m not joking.  Even we Spirit Kings couldn’t act like Ceres-nim.

So that meant… Ceres was safe?  The atmosphere had become so light that I wondered if it was okay for things to be resolved so easily.  But what could I do? The Wind Spirit King himself had just acknowledged her benevolence.

“But why did you, the Wind Spirit King, come here? You don’t look well.”

-Hey, watch your language…!

-It’s alright, Sirin.

Looking at Cheong, who was looking up at him, the Wind Spirit King smiled again, as if it were no big deal. But that smile… it felt strange, like he was looking at his daughter’s friend.

-Since the domain I govern is wind, I can move faster than the other Spirit Kings, so I think that played a big part.

“Aha?”

-And Silphy is here, along with her friends, so I strongly appealed to become the representative because I wanted to meet you all.

It was true that Silphy, a future Spirit King, already showed promising talent, so he would naturally be interested in those around her.

‘But that injury… it’s been bothering me.’

That wound, where the wind leaked out unnaturally, like a loose thread, kept catching my attention.  Did the Wind Spirit King notice my gaze?  He looked at me with a rather surprised expression.

-El-nim, you’re very perceptive.

[I fought other wind spirits before coming here.  I took a closer look because I was bothered by what they said, and it seems they weren’t wrong.]

-Wind spirits picked a fight with you?

-Ah! That’s right! Before, three low-ranking wind spirits ganged up on El and attacked him!

-Is that so…

Did he not know about this?  Seeing the Wind Spirit King’s increasingly serious expression, he dropped the friendly demeanor and, with the air of a King leading his people, ordered Sirin,

-Sirin, look into this matter thoroughly.

-Understood.

-It seems our children have caused you trouble.

[It wasn’t much trouble. It was just a light warm-up.]

I subtly implied that I hadn’t been seriously injured in that fight, but that I had been a little upset. The Wind Spirit King immediately understood and nodded slightly.

-Is there anything you’re curious about? I’ll answer to the best of my ability.

And what I gained was access to the Wind Spirit King’s knowledge.  Since he had been the Wind Spirit King since ancient times, his knowledge must be on a different level. For example…

[Then do you know much about the Goddess?]

-The Goddess… you say?

About the Goddess.

[Yes. The four Goddesses. I want to hear about them.]

-…!!

The only one who fully understood my words was the Wind Spirit King in front of me. The others just tilted their heads, seemingly unable to comprehend what I had said.

“Four? Isn’t there only one Goddess?”

-That’s what I know too.

-Maybe Dad knows something different?

Was only Raine known as the Goddess, even in ancient times?  Then their reactions made sense.  But the Wind Spirit King reacted to the phrase “four Goddesses.” Unlike the others, he knew that there were three other Goddesses besides Raine.

*Click.*

[Ancient Wind Spirit King]

-Author: DragonSnack

(Picture of the Wind Spirit King clad in wind)

The Wind Spirit King who has held his position since Silphy, as we know her, was still a low-ranking spirit.

I have a chance to ask the current Wind Spirit King about the Goddesses.

Everyone, hold on.

I couldn’t monopolize this information.  I posted on the forum and waited for the Wind Spirit King’s reaction. He stared at me blankly for a moment, then looked up at the sky, glanced around, and nodded.

-Is that your question? You can still change it.

[I’ll stick with this question.]

-…Then I understand.

*Whoosh.*

‘A wind barrier?’

The Wind Spirit King created a thin membrane of wind from his hand, encasing the surrounding area.  Was this to prevent the sound from leaking out?

[Is this necessary?]

-It’s best if there aren’t too many listening ears.

Currently, there were five of us in this space: me, the Wind Spirit King, Ceres, Cheong, and Sirin.

-Spirit King-nim, if it’s classified information, I’ll excuse myself.

-It’s alright, Sirin. I trust you.

“So, the current situation… there’s more than one Goddess?”

-Ah, probably?

With the wind barrier now actively blocking sound, the others began to look confused.  It was understandable; they had always taken it for granted that there was only one Goddess, Raine, and now the number had suddenly quadrupled.

-But even I don’t know much.  So, El-nim, could you tell me what you know?

[It’s not difficult.]

So I shared the information I had learned from History Buff about the four Goddesses:  Raine of Light and Order, Irine of Darkness and Chaos, Kishine of Creation and Destruction, and Sahine of Time and Space.

-…You know a great deal.

-Oh my. Is that true?

“That’s El for you!”

-I’ve never heard those names before.

The Wind Spirit King was impressed that I knew more about the Goddesses than he had expected. The other three were shocked that I possessed such information and that it wasn’t false.

-First of all, what El-nim said is all correct. There are four Goddesses, not one, and each governs a different concept.  The reason why there are no Light and Darkness spirits is because there are higher beings, Goddesses, who govern those concepts.

[I heard that Sahine gave her body to the other Goddesses. Do you know why?]

-…I’m curious how you know that, but to answer your question, yes.

He knew?

[Then tell me quickly.]

-…Alright.

I naturally asked for more information, and the Wind Spirit King, after a slight hesitation, nodded and began to speak.

-Before I talk about Goddess Sahine, there’s something you need to know.

[Something I need to know?]

-Yes. It’s called the Dimensional Rift.

The Dimensional Rift.  That term had appeared in the explanation when the PvP system was updated in the support device.

-The Dimensional Rift.  Also known as the Hole of Destruction.

[The Hole of Destruction?]

-That sounds dangerous.

“I agree.”

I added the information about the Hole of Destruction to what I would later post on the forum and focused back on the Wind Spirit King’s words.

-The Dimensional Rift is a place that connects countless dimensions and allows passage between them.

“But why is it called the Hole of Destruction?”

-Because being able to cross dimensions isn’t something to be taken lightly.  Let’s say a being from another dimension comes to our dimension. Then our dimension bears the full brunt of the aftereffects caused by the dimensional crossing.

“Is that a problem?”

Cheong asked if it was really that serious.  We didn’t know about the repercussions of dimensional travel, so we quietly waited for the Wind Spirit King’s answer.

-It’s a very big problem.  If we’re not careful, that aftereffect alone could completely distort the current ecosystem.

—–CROW—–