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“Wait? You’re saying the gods can be reincarnated as humans? Isn’t that unprecedented?”

After wrapping up my conversation with Baal, I conveyed the details to Thanatos, who reacted with great surprise.

“True, it is unprecedented, but I don’t believe it’s impossible.”

“Well… if we treat a god’s soul the same as a regular creature’s soul, it might be possible. However, considering how souls interact with bodies, they would likely be reincarnated with abilities far superior to ordinary humans. So, we can’t ignore the possibility of other issues arising from that.”

“Other issues… such as?”

Thanatos paused to think before responding.

“The real question is whether the soul of a god, having been reincarnated as a human, can be judged by the same standards as other humans after death.”

“Hmmm… since it’s a god’s soul, shouldn’t it be judged by different standards than a regular human soul?”

“Exactly. Even though it’s a god’s soul, if it were to be judged by the same standards that apply to other humans due to its reincarnation, it could create significant problems. Therefore, for godly souls, we’ll need stricter standards that befit their abilities.”

Hmmm… Definitely, if we consider the potential of a god’s soul, judging it by the same standards as humans would be an issue of fairness.

We will need to pay special attention to that aspect. Or maybe, since it’s a god’s soul, we might have to apply even more stringent criteria.

As for what those new standards should be… Perhaps I’ll need to consult with other gods of the underworld.

It’s possible that aside from Baal, other gods have also been forcibly cast down from their positions and reincarnated as humans.

So, appropriate preparations must be made for that.

“When it comes to cases of gods reincarnating as humans, let’s establish new standards. Unlike ordinary souls, they will inherently possess superior abilities, so stricter criteria are necessary.”

If a human possesses a god’s soul, they’ll likely have abilities far beyond a regular human. If such individuals commit crimes… surely they will incur penalties vastly more severe than those of ordinary humans.

Thus, they must be penalized accordingly.

“Understood. If you set these standards, I’ll discuss them with the others and come to a decision.”

“Hmmm. If you need help, I’ll join in as well.”

“Even though you’re busy, I appreciate your willingness to help. If you provide a rough set of standards, I’m confident Hades and I can handle the rest.”

“Hmmm… Is that so?”

“Yes. Once the issue of how to handle godly souls is resolved, the rest will flow smoothly.”

Hmmm. As expected, experts in their field are trustworthy.

Then again, they’ve been judging as gods of the underworld for quite some time. Those experiences are invaluable.

“Then, I’ll leave the rest to you. Also… please take good care of Baal’s situation.”

“Count on it.”

I really want to cheer up that gloomy guy somehow… but I feel like saying anything now could backfire.

All I could do was hope he could use his human life to rest… and that his weary soul would recover.

Until that day comes, Baal’s divine throne will remain vacant.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“Is the investigation going well?”

In the room that Huang Dong-gyeong prepared for investigating the king of the gods, countless notes were plastered on the walls.

Every day I spent here, sifting through numerous tomes to find clues, but I was struggling without significant progress when Huang Dong-gyeong dropped by.

“As you can see… I managed to find a few small clues, but it’s not enough to grasp any leads.”

I discovered faint hints in dwarven fairy tales or legends about the sky, typically portraying it in a villainous or bystanding role, but there was no indication it was related to Baal.

While researching dwarven legends was quite enjoyable, I was starting to get bored, with the number of tales reaching the hundreds or thousands.

At this pace… I’d just be continuing a fruitless investigation. I needed some kind of turning point…

“Well then, what about these?”

Huang Dong-gyeong gestured to the servants standing at the back, and they laid down hefty stacks of neatly bound books in a corner of the room.

A significant amount of old books. Even with my limited knowledge, they seemed to boast an extraordinary history.

Seeing these books, which would be more fitting in a museum, left me momentarily speechless.

“By the looks on your faces, I take it I did a decent job sourcing them.”

“What are these books…?”

“I brought these from various places due to your lack of progress in the investigation. I focused on texts from before the founding of the empire and some local legends. I wasn’t too keen on asking the elves, though.”

Books held by the elves? Now that I think about it, there were a few ancient volumes made of parchment mixed in the stack.

Considering the elves’ characteristic tendency not to use plant-based materials, books made from such parchment surely came from them.

If these were accounts penned by elves, who can live for a thousand years… they might even contain facts predating humanity’s recorded history.

“If that’s true… most human historians would pay a fortune just to read even a line from those books.”

“Right? They were quite expensive, indeed. Anyway, I put in my best effort to obtain them. Just make sure not to damage them. If we return the books safely, the purchase would be converted to a loan, and part of the cost will be refunded.”

This level of book acquiring must have been a significant expenditure, even for Huang Dong-gyeong.

“Thank you.”

“Hmmm. If you’re grateful, make sure to find me some leads. I can’t afford to invest in you indefinitely.”

Nodding slightly at Huang Dong-gyeong’s words, I realized that after receiving such an investment, I ought to produce even a little result to maintain my pride as a man.

As I gazed at the mountain of books piled up, I made a mental vow.

……

A month later.

“What is this…”

I swallowed hard as I looked at the threads connected to the pinned notes.

“If this is true, it’s going to send shockwaves through the academic world.”

What started as a search for a god bearing the title of king was now leading to significant revelations for both theology and history.

The notes connected to each other listed countless names of gods.

A number that far exceeded those currently recorded in the Divine List.

These were gods who lived in an era said to be when the gods walked the earth.

The Age of the Gods.

But the truth was different.

The Age of the Gods was not an era when the gods walked among us.

To be precise, the Age of the Gods was a time when countless gods thrived on earth, only to vanish due to some event.

“Calling it the era of the gods’ downfall would be more accurate.”

And perhaps… it’s reasonable to assume that the god known as Baal, referred to as the king of the gods, also succumbed to the effects of this downfall.

But.

“What caused the downfall of the gods? And how did some gods survive that downfall to continue residing in the Divine Hall?”

Those questions still lingered unanswered.

If something could bring about the downfall of the gods… I could only think of their kind or perhaps dragons.

Did the gods wage war against each other? Or did they fight against dragons?

I don’t know. I genuinely don’t have a clue. It feels like I’m missing pieces to fit it all together.

There aren’t enough clues. More, I need more decisive clues. Otherwise, any claim I make in professional circles will only be met with ridicule.

And if I were to hastily present my findings, the implications of undermining the authority of the Divine Hall would ensure I’d never see the light of day again.

So, the presentation must be cautious, armed with undeniable clues, and unleashed in one go.

If that happens… my name will etch itself into history.

“First, I should conduct further research.”

The alliances of gods from various cultures recorded in the books written by the elves. And the gods ruling over those alliances.

Numerous gods, all claiming to be the king of the gods.

They shared many commonalities. Most claimed to be gods of the sky and wielded powers akin to lightning.

Could it be that the original figure among them was the sky god Baal?

It’s a bit of a wild theory… but if I assume that, many pieces start fitting together.

That the sky god Baal ascended to the throne of gods while worship of him spread across the world, merging into local mythologies and becoming a different god altogether probably explains a lot.

Just as the warrior god with a cow’s head from ancient Minoa, Asterios, was absorbed into the charge of Guardian Deity Sirius in the Divine Hall, later spreading around the world until it transformed into the belief of the Chief of the Lizardmen Tribe in the East, merging into various regional mythologies.

Wasn’t Baal’s worship similarly transformed and lost over time through that exact process?

Wait… Asterios’ worship?

A faint idea brushed through my mind for just a moment.

The cow-headed god… the belief in the Chief of the Lizardmen Tribe. The warrior god of Minoa…

In addition to that, countless other warrior deities featuring cow heads popping up all over the world.

I felt something start connecting in my brain.

Surely, the era when the Minoan warrior deity and the belief in the Chief of the Lizardmen Tribe proliferated was… the Age of the Gods. It must have been an era remarkably close in time.

Hmm… or maybe not? Am I just speculating wildly? Yet, I have a hunch that there’s some connection between the two, even though my mind insists otherwise.

Ugh… What should I trust more, the wealth of knowledge I’ve built over time or instincts?

I don’t know. I really don’t.

But not knowing isn’t a reason to give up.

Once again, I picked up the book beside me in search of more reliable clues.

 

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