chapter 29
Asilia’s questions were all small and simple things.
What he liked or disliked.
His hobbies and what he did in his spare time.
Whether he had really lived for over a thousand years.
If he was a god, then what kind of god.
And Creteth answered every single one of them without skipping a beat.
“If you’re the god of death, do you govern over death itself?”
“Generally, yes. Though now I’m just an old god who’s lost his power and been pushed into the back room.”
At his mention of lost power, Asilia glanced at Creteth.
In that moment, a monster appeared behind him, and just as she opened her mouth in shock, Creteth flicked his fingers.
Snap! With a sharp sound, the monster behind him vanished without a trace.
“…You said you lost your power?”
To her pointed question, Creteth shrugged, as if to say that what she saw was still the result of a weakened god.
“Do you know a lot about gods? I figured Renoah would’ve taught you.”
At the mention of Renoah, Asilia involuntarily furrowed her brow.
But after a quick cough, she composed herself and answered.
“I never asked, so I never learned.”
Since coming to the Imperial Palace, her only goal had been to kill Creteth.
She hadn’t even thought to learn more about Moria, nor had she been curious.
Everything she knew about Moria and Creteth had been what Isaiah had investigated, thinking it might help in killing him.
“There’s really not much to learn, anyway.”
“…?”
“When you hear ‘god,’ you expect omnipotence and greatness, but it’s not like that.”
According to Creteth, gods aren’t much different from humans.
They just possess immense power and near-eternal lifespans.
“If your lifespan is close to eternal… then even if you’re attacked, you won’t die?”
“Oh, we die. It’s just that modern human weapons and technology aren’t strong enough to harm a god.”
At that, Asilia quietly clicked her tongue in thought.
No wonder—despite all her efforts to kill him, it never worked. The standards of death for gods and humans were simply different.
“What, still full of thoughts about killing me?”
Creteth asked with a teasing tone. Asilia rolled her eyes and carefully picked her words.
The emperor’s order that came from Revilla.
She was starting to question whether obeying that command was truly right.
“Not full of it.”
“…”
“There’s still some. You’re just annoying sometimes.”
At that, Creteth burst out laughing. Without even realizing it herself, Asilia smiled faintly in return, just enough not to be seen.
It felt like the walls she’d built around her heart toward Creteth were starting to crumble—just a little.
“There’s no end to them.”
Asilia clicked her tongue, pulling back the bowstring.
She had assumed there would be a good number of monsters, which is why she went on the subjugation herself—but there were more than expected.
Kill one, and another appeared from somewhere. Sometimes, four or five emerged at once.
“We should head back soon if we want to regroup with the others,” Creteth said casually.
She looked up. The sun had not yet set.
After a moment’s thought, Asilia shook her head and kept moving. It was better to deal with as many as she could now, for the sake of tomorrow.
“Your Majesty, how do you feel about camping outdoors?”
“I don’t prefer it, but if I’m with you, I don’t mind.”
Creteth seemed to understand the implication in her question, and said no more about going back.
Eventually, the sun set.
Asilia lit a small fire and leaned against a tree.
Though she sat down with a tired sigh, a sense of refreshment followed.
Back at the palace, walking was the extent of her physical activity.
After years of traveling and working missions, palace life had felt stifling to her.
“I’ve heard the power of a god is immense—don’t you have the strength to wipe out all the monsters at once?”
She looked at Creteth, who sat not far from her.
He seemed to want to sit closer, glancing around at the space near her.
“Not when you’re a weakened old god pushed to the back room.”
“For someone like that…”
Asilia recalled the strength he had shown.
True to his words that he only came to help in case of danger, Creteth didn’t interfere in the subjugation directly.
He only stepped in when monsters suddenly attacked her or when she seemed truly at risk.
“I’m already using more power than I should.”
“If it’s that hard, you don’t need to push yourself. I can take care of myself.”
“For someone who says that… hmm, never mind.”
Creteth trailed off and avoided her gaze. Then he burst out laughing.
Seeing him laugh so easily, Asilia couldn’t help but smile along without realizing it.
“I’ve been smiling more often.”
She touched her lips and gave a soft cough.
“Well, does it matter?”
She’d never learned that smiling was a bad thing. In fact, they say smiles win people over.
She just wasn’t the type to smile easily. But somehow, near Creteth, she found herself doing it more.
Surely it was because of his un-emperor-like goofiness.
“Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow. I’ll keep watch.”
Creteth frowned at her declaration that she’d stay awake.
“…Should’ve brought Sir Monique with us.”
He looked displeased.
He wanted to tell her to sleep, but he knew she wouldn’t listen.
She’d say it wasn’t knightly to sleep so carelessly in the woods.
Knowing her, Creteth leaned against a tree, arms crossed.
“I’ll keep watch. Why don’t you sleep first?”
“You’re the weakened old god pushed into the back room, remember?”
“…”
“Weak gods should get their rest.”
At her remark, Creteth narrowed his eyes. He looked annoyed but sat across from her like he intended to hold out.
But it didn’t last long.
After an hour or two, the lack of conversation made him drowsy, and before long, he nodded off with his head resting against the tree.
“Even gods can’t resist sleep, huh?”
So he really wasn’t much different from a human.
Asilia chuckled silently, then turned her gaze to the campfire.
Creteth had created it by snapping his fingers. What would have taken her more than ten minutes, he did in an instant.
A god, huh…
A being beyond human limitations.
Why would someone like him go so far to keep her by his side?
Does this have to do with what Renoah said?
She had called Asilia “the one blessed by the God of Life.”
Even if Asilia didn’t know much about gods, she at least knew that those blessed by gods usually became priests.
“The God of Life…”
Was there a specific reason Renoah named that one god?
Could the one who died be the God of Life?
The thought crossed her mind, but she shook her head.
If that god were dead, how could she still be receiving their blessing?
“Ugh…”
While she was deep in thought, she suddenly heard a voice stifling pain.
A monster?
Startled, she looked around—but the sound was close.
“…Your Majesty?”
The one groaning wasn’t a monster.
It was Creteth.
Was he in pain?
She rushed over in concern, only to find him gasping for air.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
She shook him, trying to wake him, but he only sweated coldly with his eyes still closed.
He kept scratching at his chest like the clothes were suffocating him.
“Do you even know what state His Majesty is in right now…!”
Something was wrong.
He had fallen asleep beside her many nights, but this was the first time he’d looked like this.
“Your Majesty…”
She reached out and placed a hand on his forehead, and Creteth leaned into her touch.
“Haa…”
The moment her hand touched him, he let out a hot breath.
And just like that, he began to calm down, his erratic breathing growing steady.
“…Was it a nightmare?”
Asilia tilted her head and began to withdraw her hand.
No, she tried to.
But as she started to move away, Creteth’s hand reached out and pulled her close by the waist.
“Your—!”
Just as she opened her mouth to call him, he tightened his grip and pulled her into his arms.
In an instant, Asilia found herself embraced.
Creteth, who had been drenched in cold sweat just moments ago, now looked completely fine.
“…Was he faking it?”
