233-Word of agreement




 Arcana turns her clean eyes on me.
 Her face is as transparent as usual, yet somehow I remember the words Misha said to me.

 A dry craving.
 It's like wandering forever in a waterless desert--

Hmm. What does that mean?

Every god becomes a selective god by choosing a selector. I have forgotten the name of the God I had before I became a selector.

 Quietly, Arcana speaks.

'What I remember is that I wanted kindness,'

 Sorrow seemed to spill out of his muttered words.

"I wasn't nice to you.

 His eyes, tinged with melancholy, stare into the distant past.

'....God is order. He has no feelings and does not live. That is why I have given up my name, I think. In exchange for God's name and the memory of it, I think I got the heart. But the human heart, especially love and kindness, is out of order. What I got was chaos, which God should not have gotten.

 As if it were a sin, says Arcana.

'Without realizing it, I, as a nameless god, brought light into the depths of the earth. The light of salvation. I knew I had to do it, for I was a God who had no name, and I brought the light of salvation to the depths of the earth. I knew that if I had kindness in my body, if I had a deep love for others, I could break free from the confines of order and save more.

 The divine race obeys the order, and its supreme purpose is to protect it and maintain it.
 So they have abandoned their names in order to escape the control of that order.

'In the depths of the earth I have wielded the miracles of God, and saved as many as I could save unto men. I have saved a thousand lives and saved ten thousand hearts, and so one day I met To the congregation of Geordal, whose daughter was murdered and who wish God vengeance.

 As if remembering the past, Arcana looked up vaguely overhead.
 There was no sky there, but a canopy covered the earth's depths.

'His daughter was a selector, and after a holy war, she returned her life to heaven. In Geordal's teachings, the root that died in the holy war is redeemed in God. Most gladly and most blessedly. But my daughter told him just before she died.

 Arcana's eyes glaze over sadly.

'He would rather be with his father than go to God,' he said. He mourned, disobeyed his teachings, and hated the selectmen who had killed his daughter. He begged me for help. He pleaded with me to hang on. That the Chosen One would be judged and die forever. That's our salvation, he said.

 To save him, you'll have to put the man who killed her to shame.

What's the matter with you?

'At that time I was not a selective god, but only a nameless god. I cannot pass judgment on the selector. I tried to persuade him, and he said to me, "Vengeance will not produce anything. Vengeance yields nothing. My daughter's life cannot be restored. I wish you to live happily ever after, and I hope she dies too.

 Arcana cut off her words once, then opened her mouth again.

'I told you that if you wish, I will bring back your dead daughter.

Didn't the root cause perish?

 Arcana looked down and shook her head from side to side.

'No amount of gods can revive him then.

If you distort the order of the Moon of Creation, you can create the same person. He is of the same mind, body and memory. His daughter will come back. At least for him.

.... hmmm. You lied to me.

 Nodding his head, Arcana said.

'If he does not know, it will make him happy. So I thought, and with the power of Artyrtnore, I created his daughter.

 Arcana stares into my eyes.

'He was glad of it. I thought I could have saved him.

 'That was a mistake,' her face complained.

'A few months later, he hung himself to death. 'My sobbing daughter said to me. He said that the one who had been chosen to act on his behalf after a selective tribunal had told him that his daughter was a sham. That person was the man who killed his own daughter.

 Arcana closed her mouth as she bit her lip.
 She remained silent for a while, a dark expression on her face.

'Who killed him?'

 As if to ask himself, Arcana says.

'Is it the agent who told him the truth to mock him? Or is it his own fault for being vengeful?

 Slowly, as if in denial, Arcana tells him.

'No. I killed him. I tried to save him by creating a false daughter. But I didn't save him, I only sowed the seeds of despair.

 The voice that seemed to squeeze out seemed to cut her off.

That is my iniquity. I have committed a wrong that I should never have committed as God. I have thought. What could I do to save his heart? Should I take my revenge? But even though his heart was saved, this time his agent died, and the one salvation was gone.

 As for killing his daughter at the selection tribunal, well, originally, that was God-initiated.
 Nor can we say that it is right to punish those who kill.

I have finally realized that all of this is connected. It's all connected. It's not just about this. One kind of salvation can lead to the unintentional loss of another. If you save someone, someone else will spill over, and not even this palm of God can carry all your desires on it.

 Arcana says.

'No one is omnipotent. Not even God is omnipotent. He cannot save everything.

 That was probably the conclusion she came to at the time.

So I hoped that I was wrong, and I wanted someone to overturn my answer. I wanted someone to overturn the answer I had given. So when I came to earth, I knew you.

 She smiled thinly, as if that was her salvation.

'A tyrannical demon king who destroys God. If, indeed, you are beyond the power of God, then I thought you might be able to answer my question.

 So, you flew a grimoire and bothered to ask me.

"Nonconformist Anos Voldigord. You are surely out of order. I am the judge. You are the one who has been chosen to be God's representative to the Almighty.

 Arcana quietly reached out and touched my sword of the Almighty, the Levine Girma.

'How can he be a god if he can't save everything?'

 As if to herself she says.

'How can I be God if I cannot save the wicked, the iniquitous, the foolish, even the devil? God's only rule is to keep order, and this will not save anything.

 I let go of her hand and she held the sword horizontally.

'I wanted to be the gentle God who saves everything. A real God.

 A single drop spilled from her eyes.

'I thought so, and then I dropped the name. 'Maybe, maybe not.'

 Arcana gripped the scabbard in her left hand and the hilt in her right.

'It was a mistake. Therefore, this defeat you have given me is my punishment for my sins, and at the same time, my salvation. And at the same time, it is my salvation.

 Gulp, she puts her right hand into the air.

'Goodbye. I hope you win.'

 Silently trying to pull out the Revein Gilma, Arcana put more power into her hand.
 Just as the Almighty's sword was about to obliterate her roots, I grabbed her right hand to stop her.

 Curiously, Arcana looked at me.

'You can see what I would do with that irredeemable man that not even God can save, once and for all.

 Arcana nodded, showing a pretense of confusion.

'It's about time you came back. What will this man say about abandoning his faith? I hope he doesn't disappoint you.''

 Ahide, who is asleep on his back and having a nightmare, is enchanted with the  The severed limbs grow back and the wounds are completely healed.

 As if in a flash of realization, Ahide opened his eyes.

''What do you think, Dodger? After being betrayed by God so often, have you gotten used to denying Him? Hasn't faith gone clean out of your life?

 After my words entered his ears and he thought as he examined them, Ahide huffed out a breath.



 With a chuckle, Ahide whimpered and picked himself up.

'Huh-hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! We're back! I'm back!

 Perhaps it's because of the nightmare of being betrayed by the gods a thousand times, but the sense of freedom that came back to reality seems to have knocked Ahide off his rug.

''Hm. Are you out of your mind?

I am sane. I haven't given up my faith.

If you do not renounce your faith, you will never wake up from your shackles and collars.

 Ahide grinned at those words.

'So, because I believe in God, I gave up my faith from my heart. Don't you understand? It's the same as what you just said. If you can master the sword of the Almighty, then I am the one with the heart of the Almighty. I have renounced my faith, yet at the same time I have embraced it.

 A smile breaks out at the corners of my mouth as I look at the man who is still rotting away after a thousand nightmares.

'You never fail me, do you? Then, as promised, I will show you the last nightmare.

 I threw a few words at Arcana, who was watching us from a little distance.

'It's about hindsight. You can tell me. You're this selective judge, and who you're going to choose.

'I'm afraid this is not the time to keep you company. I have been given a new oracle.

 Discarding, Ahide turned to Arcana.

'My God Arcana, let us retreat for a moment. We have already seen his power. And that he is a fool who does not understand that giving death in holy war is salvation. With the power of a new God, we can defeat this heretic. Now.

 Ahide reached for Arcana.
 But she took one look at it and told him matter-of-factly.

'I can't do that.'



 Ahide exclaimed.
 But as if to mend it, he gave a drawn-out smile.

''And you can't do it, my God? Of course, we can take on any challenge. Let's change our minds and this time we will bring salvation to the people. Please give us an oracle.

 To Ahide, who knelt and prayed, Arcana said.

'My congregation, I say to the oracle Ahyde Alobo Agatse. I have tried to save thee, and I have chosen thee as my selector. Because you are unsaved, I thought you were worthy to obtain salvation.

I give my deepest thanks to God for his selection.

But it was a mistake.

 Ahide stopped praying and looked at Arcana with a look that said he couldn't believe his ears.

..........?

 He repeated, as if he didn't understand the meaning.

'What do you mean? What do you mean, that God would make a mistake...

'God can be wrong. God is never omniscient or omnipotent. I made a mistake. I should not have chosen you. Therefore, Arcana, the God of Selection, according to the pact, has the last word for the oracle.

 Arcana turned her pitying gaze on the selector.

'You are never worthy to be God's representative. I choose him who has overcome the judgment of the Almighty, Anos Voldigord, the Nonconformist. Ahide, I give you judgment. Go back to being a believer and live hard.

 The red fire disappears from the selection pact pearl in Arcana's hand.
 It's as if Ahide had lost his eligibility to be a selector.

 Ahide, who had been watching it dumbly with powerless eyes, let out a small breath.

...!

 Ahide laughs with his eyes full of madness.

'Huh-hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I see. You said "a thousand times" to set me up. Yeah, it's a pretty stupid move. It sounds like something a heretic would think.

'Ahide. That's not right.

 Ahide snickers at Arcana's words.

Shut up," he said. It is not the gods who are in control of the order of things, but you are not to tell me what to do," he said. You know what? I don't believe in God at all. I'm just using him for my own convenience.

Hmm. You're a big leopard.

It doesn't matter how much it hurts, how much it looks like reality, as long as you know it's a dream. In fact, it's a much easier world to live in, because you don't have to put on that stupid act of believing in God.

 Ahide used the magic of the Azepto Summoning Possession and then drew the magic circle of the Transfiguration (Gatom).

 <He must have possessed his body with something that could be used to transfer (gatom).

Maybe he wanted to torment me and make me despair in a world where I had to renounce my faith, but it is a shallow wisdom. I had no faith to begin with, and this dream is not even a nightmare in any way.

 He laughs, his expression twisted in madness.

'Well, for the hundred and one times. "Well, for the 101st time," he says, "do you want me to confront the idiot believers who believe in God and the pope who usually rests on his laurels that there is no such thing as an almighty glitter. I hope they wake up quickly.

 <The only way for the shackles to awaken is to go around their country, Geordar, spouting that there is no God. He will do this a thousand times.

 I made it more difficult by increasing the number of people who had to listen to the message, for example, each time I went through the process.
 After continued trial and error, Ahide would have become proficient in the art of confronting people with the absence of God at the earliest.

 It would be interesting to see how he would show off the virtuosity of his cultivated skills against the real Pope and Geordal.

''It will be hard work. I'm sure it will be a difficult task, unlike the past.

 When I uttered that, Ahide glared at me as if exasperated.

'There is no point in saying more to you in your dreams, but if you are listening, remember, nonconformist Anos Voldigord. I will never forgive you, I will never forgive you. I will send you to the depths of hell by any means necessary. I'm sure you'll be looking forward to this awakening. Hmph, hahahahaha--

 His figure disappeared as the magic circle was filled with magic power.

''--Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

 He left behind such a high smile.

'I'm sorry, Ahide, but that nightmare will never awaken.

 He clears his throat and I laugh.

 He goes around the country blasting the whole country that there is no God, trying to figure out how to wake up from his dream. It's not hard to imagine that the act would escalate.

 He will become increasingly frustrated that he will not wake up no matter what he does, and he will experience a veritable nightmare.
 But the real hell is when you realize that this isn't a nightmare, it's reality.

 What kind of despair will we experience?
 It's all about what you deserve, though.

As you can see, Arcana.

 I'm going to tell Arcana, who still looks worried about the end of the irredeemable man, very clearly.

"I'm not a god. I do not intend to be a god. I won't save the irredeemable man for every single time.

 I stepped out loosely and stood before her.

'If you want a real God, a gentle God who saves everything, then don't expect others to do it for you. Not all of us are capable of forgiving resentment. Not all of us are unwilling to fight. Not all of us are as heartbroken and kind as you are. I am the best of them. For I will not be satisfied unless I knock the fools down to the depths of despair once and for all.

 I say, looking into the eyes of the pure Arcana.

'If you still want a gentle god to save everything, you can be one.

"I have committed a sin that I should not have committed.

 Arcana says blithely.

'God to be punished.'

'Who has the right to inflict more punishment on those who wish to punish themselves?

'He did something more cruel than taking a life. With a false life, you have thrust his heart into despair and brought him no relief, only destruction.

 Arcana dismissed it with self-conscious eyes.

'Who will believe in a God who has made a mistake? Who will forgive a God who has harbored sin?'

 If anyone can be forgiven, it is the man who laid down his life.
 But what has been destroyed cannot be turned back. It's impossible.

In that case, I will forgive you.

 Arcana rolled her eyes at those words.

'I will forgive you for your sins. Arcana, the god of selection. If there is someone somewhere in the depths of the earth who denounces you, then I will be their shield.

 Stunned, Arcana listens to my words.

'A sin committed can never be pretended that it never happened. Even if he comes back to life, even if you go back in time and pretend that all this never happened, your sins will not disappear. The fact that you disappear here does not erase your sins.

"...what do you think I should do?

'If you've admitted a mistake, pay for it. And for the rest of your life.

 She shushes, then asks again.

'Can you make amends?'

You should have seen it in action. You saw Emilia. The students of the Academy for the Brave.

 Arcana nodded.

'You got me back on my feet.'

That's not true. It is not true, they have admitted their sins and have come forward to atone for them. The mistakes they had made in the past would continue to torment Emilia in the future. Nevertheless, she realized that she had no choice but to move forward, one step at a time. As long as the sins cannot be erased, there is no choice but to do so.

 Arcana looks straight back at me.

"There is no one who does not make mistakes. That's how all people and demons live. Then how can you, God, escape from sin?

 I held out my hand to Arcana, who tightly gripped the Almighty's sword.

'Let me ask you. What is your atonement? Arcana, how do you want to atone for that sin?

"...I am...

 A slight glow of strong will lit up from eyes full of self-awareness.
 It flared up as if on fire and appealed strongly to me.

'I want to get rid of the selective judges. This order is not kind to people. It is a sacrificial ritual, made for God's convenience. His daughter's death and Geordal's attack on Azation all started with the Selection Judgment. If this continues, there will be another conflict. Again and again, people will die.

 Another teardrop spills silently to the floor.

'Nonconformist Anos Voldigord. You can do it. With you, I can finish this ritual.

 With tears welling up in her eyes, she said.

'Please let me make it up to you.

 I gently take the sword in her hand and draw a magic circle on my palm.
 My selection of pact beads I received from Arcana appeared there.

'I will trust you. I will never doubt your kindness.

 I believe in God.
 It is the way of the pact.

"Be my God, Arcana. If you are willing to make amends for your sins, I will forgive you your sins.

 A dimly red fire is lit in the center of the pact.
 It's a covenant flame that represents a vow to God.

 We only have one vow.

"We will destroy the Selection Tribunal.

 It was a word of forgiveness and atonement exchanged with the God who had sinned.