Chapter 9: Gil… Shi… Luke…

“Heh heh, look at this guy?”

Eugene was dumbfounded by the dagger’s sudden change in attitude.

At first, it tried to chat casually and then clammed up completely, but now breaking the silence for fear of getting a dent in its divine body was rather pathetic.

Still, since the primary goal was achieved, he retrieved the throwing stars and hammer.

“Finally starting to talk, huh?”

[Speak like a civilized person! Intimidation belongs to barbarians!]

A mere dagger debating civilization and savagery.

Though scoffing at such a trivial object, Eugene was curious about its true nature and cut to the chase.

“So, who are you?”

[And you?]

“Hmph, I’m the one asking the questions here.”

As he picked up the throwing stars and hammer again, the dagger responded.

[I am a god!]

The brat—if you’re going to speak politely, at least behave accordingly.

‘A god, huh?’

That was an intriguing answer.

The most famous gods on this continent were roughly the twelve deities centered around the goddess worshipped by the Holy Empire.

Other faiths differed only in which of those thirteen gods they emphasized more.

‘Could it be that one?’

The one everyone kept trying to link to the hero.

“The Goddess of Light, Lucia?”

The name alone sounded like a creator deity.

[Who’s that?]

“You don’t know Goddess Lucia?”

What kind of creature was this?

She was a relic dating back four thousand years.

That would place her in the era when the elves recorded the gods’ physical presence on Earth.

‘You don’t know the creator god?’

“You’re not a god but a mere spirit, aren’t you?”

Of course, the spirit inside the dagger bristled.

[How dare you insult me!]

“Then who are you?”

If you don’t even know the creator god Lucia, you’re certainly not one of the other twelve.

That meant this was definitely a heretic god outside of the Holy Church’s pantheon.

He hadn’t studied any heretic beliefs.

[Well…]

“?”

[I don’t know.]

“What?”

What kind of idiot claims to be a god but doesn’t know their own name?

Even a shady traveling medicine vendor wouldn’t run a scam that stupid.

“This won’t do. You’re going to the forge.”

Melting you in molten metal will probably dissolve whatever is possessing you, too.

[I swear this is the truth! I just can’t recall the name!]

“Leaving that aside, your attitude doesn’t sound very godly.”

You’re acting so meek I don’t even believe you’re truly a god.

What kind of deity gets scared when someone says they’re going to hammer you?

Usually, gods are dignified and wise, aren’t they?

Sensing the rebuke in his tone, the dagger answered in a sulky voice.

[I did not choose this fate willingly. The last thing I remember is that long ago the King of Hellhas betrayed me, and because of that betrayal, I was split into many fragments and sealed.]

“The King of Hellhas?”

That name was familiar.

No, it was more than familiar—it was deeply connected to him.

It was the city ruled by the Demon Lord a hundred years ago.

“The Demon Lord sealed you?”

So whatever was sealed inside the dagger, god or spirit, was the work of the Demon Lord himself.

What on earth was its true identity to make the Demon Lord betray and shatter it?

Hearing the question, the dagger sneered.

[Demon Lord? So the King of Hellhas is now called the Demon Lord? Well, he was a rude bastard anyway.]

Pick one—sophisticated or coarse tone.

“Anyway, did the King of Hellhas really seal you?”

[That’s right.]

“Why?”

If the Demon Lord ruling the Demon Realm did something, it wasn’t without reason.

Especially betrayal happens for some gain.

Did this thing possessing the dagger hold some powerful ability?

‘Could it be worth looking forward to?’

To see if it could break this absurd immortal curse.

The dagger sneered in response to his question.

[If I knew the reason, I wouldn’t have called it betrayal.]

“Cut the crap.”

Ga-ga-kak…

Eugene scratched the table with the throwing star on purpose, startling the dagger.

[Ugh! Can’t you give up such barbaric means!]

“Let’s cooperate so I don’t have to use barbaric methods.”

Now that he thought about it, the conversation partner was from at least 4,000 years ago.

It was truly a mystery how they could communicate.

Of course, most relics carried at least one inexplicable mystery like this.

[I truly do not know. In fact, many memories are missing, and I myself am confused.]

Had the Demon Lord shattered its memories while sealing it?

No modern magic could split body and mind simultaneously.

This conversation alone conveyed the legacy of the Age of Myth.

“What else do you remember? Tell me everything.”

If only fragments remained, he had to gather them and forge something out of it.

[That is…]

The dagger hesitated, then continued.

[… My power as a god.]

“What power?”

[The power to grant wishes.]

Wishes?

If it’s the same “wish,” then—

A god that grants wishes? That was unheard of.

‘Of course, many faiths say if you are favored by a god, your wishes will be granted.’

But that meant the god’s power manifested partially.

Never had he heard of a god who governed nothing but the fulfillment of wishes.

Not even in the Eastern Continent across the sea was there such a tradition.

‘What was there 4,000 years ago?’

Before he could fully process it, the dagger added an explanation.

[And my power requires a significant offering but can realize all desires.]

“How significant are we talking?”

It seemed this power came with a condition.

Granting wishes was an overwhelmingly powerful ability.

So it made sense that some kind of price was paid to manifest it.

If he could find out that price, maybe his own wish could be realized.

[Sorry, I don’t remember that part.]

“Ugh.”

He’d guessed as much.

Nothing in this world ever came that easily.

Feeling his disappointment, Eugene pressed on.

“Can you use your divine power now?”

[If I could, I wouldn’t be talking to someone like you.]

“True enough.”

Still dissatisfied with the attitude, he struck the dagger with a throwing star.

Clang!

The possessing spirit screamed, apparently sensing the pain directly.

[Argh!]

‘Noisy.’

Changing his question to the screaming dagger, Eugene asked again.

“Is there a way to find the fragments?”

In its current state, the dagger was a useless chunk of scrap.

Being shattered and sealed meant there were other sealing vessels like this dagger.

At least the fragments should resonate with one another, so detection should be possible.

Surprisingly, the dagger answered.

[… I still feel them.]

“What? Where?”

There were other fragments like this dagger nearby?

Then he had to go out immediately and collect them all.

Gathering the fragments would reveal more about the god sealed inside.

‘If I gather them all, I can use its divine power.’

Then he could wash away the immortal curse.

He wouldn’t be trapped in meaningless eternal life as an undead anymore.

His hope growing, he awaited the dagger’s answer, but it mocked him.

[Fool, do you not realize?]

“What?”

The dagger seemed to point at him as its divine body gleamed.

[Isn’t one of the fragments inside your body?]

“… What?”

His scalp tingled.

One of the sealed fragments was inside him?

How had he not known for over 120 years?

‘Since when… ah.’

The question was soon answered.

Demon Lord, 4,000-year-old relic, and sealing.

Three clues came together into a single answer.

‘My immortality is caused by this very god sealed in the dagger.’

The day of the Demon Lord’s defeat, the treasure handed over by the hero at the Demon Lord’s castle,

It was a flawless, clear violet jade.

‘And the curse began the moment I received it.’

Never would he have guessed that the jade was the sealed fragment of that god.

After nearly a century, he finally understood.

And by coincidence, the relic he received from the emperor today had helped him realize it.

‘Coincidences are truly foul.’

Of course, his mood wasn’t entirely foul.

Thanks to this, he gained a few insights.

First: the power of the god sealed inside the dagger was formidable.

‘A single fragment alone achieved absolute immortality.’

The immortal curse etched on his body was unlike any other in the world.

Even if struck by an annihilation spell that reduced matter to particles and incinerated souls,

This curse defied inevitable destruction and forcibly revived the target.

‘That’s why there’s still no way to kill me.’

If one fragment could produce such a curse,

The entire set of fragments could surely grant any wish.

No matter how much time passed, it was worth finding the dagger’s fragments.

And,

This dagger could sense its fragments.

Though its detection was weak and only worked nearby,

Having any means of detection was a huge advantage over having none.

‘But only it can sense them.’

That was a worrying factor.

If what he needed existed only in someone else, a dependent relationship was inevitable.

Certainly, the presence inside the dagger would try to manipulate him using this weapon.

‘If I want to take control,’

He had to share senses with it.

Only then could he be alert to any lies the dagger told him.

Besides, murmuring to the dagger outside would draw unwanted attention.

Sharing senses silently without raising a scene was,

‘The only way.’

He picked up the dagger.

[Uh… what are you doing?]

“It’s something good.”

Then he reversed the grip and pointed the blade toward his heart.

This was possible because he couldn’t die anyway.

[W-what are you trying to—]

‘Noisy.’

He stabbed the dagger into his chest.

Thunk!

All he felt was the cold metal piercing flesh and muscle, reaching his heart.

Before he could feel any sharp agitation, his body stiffened instantly.

To an ordinary person, this would have been fatal.

But

Sss…

Black smoke rose from the stabbed wound.

This was the immortal curse sensing death or fatal injury and healing it,

And after living and dying for a hundred years, the curse had learned a few tricks.

‘Soul Synchronization.’

At the moment of resurrection, the soul reenters the body.

If a thrown weapon is exposed to the soul as it reenters,

You can see and hear from the weapon’s perspective.

‘I’ve used it often on throwing stars, but it’s the first time with a relic.’

Well, worst case, I just die.

The immortal curse made him indifferent even to such challenges.

[Stop it!]

The dagger struggled, realizing his intention,

But without a body to move, it could only scream.

Just as the soul synchronization with the relic seemed to proceed smoothly,

Gil… Shi… Luke… great eternal…

‘Huh?’

Mysterious words whispered in a foreign language near his ear,

And countless unfamiliar scenes flickered in his vision.

Too much information for a brain that had endured 120 years.

‘Countless troops, dazzlingly colorful cities, scenes of slaughter, dust-covered ruins.’

And the cycle repeated, again and again.

Only the people’s clothing and city architecture differed.

Prosperity and downfall, new birth, prosperity and downfall, new birth.

Civilization was a continuous cycle of seeds sprouting, blooming, and withering.

“St-stop…!”

The overwhelming flood of images, too much for a single person’s eyes and brain to handle,

Brought a terror beyond death, a fear of mental collapse.

Even if resurrected by the immortal curse, the mind’s breakdown would remain.

[You foolish mortal!]

Then, with a familiar voice, his consciousness went dark.