The Great Mage Returns after 4000 Years – Chapter 200 – Hitume Ikar (4)
Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko
There were a lot of things that Frey wanted to ask when he finally got to meet God. Questions from 4,000 years ago.
However, Frey put aside his numerous questions. First of all, he had to confirm whether the being in front of him was truly god or not.
“Are you Dauns?”
[You could say that.]
Frey felt like he was standing in front of Lord. However, the entity in front of him had basically denied being Lord.
Frey thought so too. They looked similar, but his aura was not the same as Lord’s.
[I’ve long wanted to meet you.]
“You say that like you’ve known me for a while.”
[Oh. Of course I did. It’s impossible for me to not know you. You are the third candidate! You don’t know how thrilled I was when I first sensed your presence.]
Dauns smiled brightly.
Frey furrowed his eyebrows.
“The third candidate?”
[Unusual events require swift action. That’s why I came here personally. Congratulations, you are the first human to meet God face to face.]
Frey couldn’t figure out what Dauns was trying to say.
This wasn’t because he couldn’t understand him. Instead, it was because Dauns didn’t seem to pay any attention to his words.
“I am a Wizard.”
[So?]
“This means that unless I witness something with my own eyes, I will not be able to believe it.”
[Now that you mention it, most Wizards are atheists.]
His smile didn’t go away as he said these words.
[So? You want me to prove that I am God? Haha. What a blasphemous guy.]
“…”
[But it makes sense.]
Frey was speechless.
‘He doesn’t feel like a god.’
This thought couldn’t help but appear in Frey’s mind the more he heard Dauns talk. His attitude was careless, and he spoke freely.
It was at that moment that Dauns started laughing and nodded.
[Everyone always expects us to have an outrageous attitude. Naturally, it’s not hard to live up to those expectations. I could show the image of an absolute being who transcends the world. But I don’t. Do you know why?]
Frey didn’t answer this question.
Instead, his expression hardened.
“Was reading the thoughts of other people without permission one of the things you wanted to show?”
[It makes it easier for me if I can understand what the other person is thinking. Like this. Don’t you think that it’s more likely for me to be God now?]
He truly did have a slight thought like that.
After all, even if he had formidable insight, it would’ve been impossible for Dauns to tell Frey’s inner thoughts. This was naturally since Frey’s mental power, which had been tempered by his numerous hardships, far surpassed that of normal humans.
He couldn’t confirm whether this being before him was God or not, but that was certainly something that mortals couldn’t even hope to imitate.
“You said ‘us’ before. That means there are multiple gods.”
[Well…]
“Are you proclaiming yourself as God without having a firm grasp of your identity? I’m starting to doubt who you are now.”
Frey’s snide remark only made Dauns shrug.
[Not even the most eloquent speakers could ever hope to properly explain the word God, but fine. I’ll answer your little question. Every ‘God’ that exists in this world refers to me.]
His statement seemed vague at first glance, but Frey could see the truth behind his words.
‘Don’t tell me this is…’
Dauns laughed.
[Haha. You truly have transcended mortals. I can’t believe you managed to guess my identity after such a simple clue.]
“…I see.”
Frey sighed.
“So you are the ‘law’.”
The Law of the World. Or its will.
The huge chunk of energy from which the Demigods fell. That was the identity of the being in front of him who called himself God.
‘Is this Dauns?’
When Frey had asked this question, he’d replied that ‘he could say that’.
He wasn’t lying. But it wasn’t entirely true either.
This existence was the very source of divine beings.
It was clear now that all the religions on the continent, and the various gods they believed in, were all derived from this being.
However, this didn’t answer all of his questions.
Instead, the biggest question still remained.
[But… he said the will of the world had no consciousness.]
These were Riki’s words, and Frey didn’t doubt them.
Dauns nodded.
[You probably heard that from the beings you call Demigods. It’s not entirely wrong.]
“What?”
[Hmm. How should I explain it…]
As he said these words, he held his chin as if he was thinking deeply.
This caused Frey to feel even stranger. This was because such an attitude felt too human.
Frey didn’t believe in God, but he thought if He existed, He would be an absolute, perfect, and omnipotent being.
However, this being standing in front of him seemed far from that.
[To put it in a way that you would understand…. Right. You can say that I’m usually absent.]
Just before, Frey had been able to guess his identity with only a small hint, but now, he had no idea what he was thinking.
Frey asked back in a soft voice.
“Absent?”
[Because I’m busy. I can’t afford to control everything in the world. I just set the laws so that it wouldn’t fall into the depths of destruction. After that, my style has been to leave it unattended.]
“That’s irresponsible.”
[Hmm. That’s true. So I will not try to argue with you.]
This was said in a very uncaring tone.
Looking at him with a solemn gaze, Frey said.
“What about the prophecies that you give to the Great Medium? Is that also part of the laws you set?”
[It’s more efficient than telling them the solution after the incident has occurred. Because, the best way to stop a disaster is to prevent it. Sometimes, such people are born. Those who can feel my presence more clearly. So it’s possible for me to show them what dangers the continent will face ahead of time.]
God did not directly inform the Great Medium about the dangers of the continent. If the ‘law’ which always monitored the continent detected a threat beyond a certain standard, it would send a warning to someone like her.
That was the truth of ‘God’s revelations’.
What kind of expression would the Great Medium have if she heard this?
Frey had this thought for a moment, but he pushed it aside for even more important questions.
“You must be aware of the current situation in the continent.”
[Right.]
“…The Demigods have revealed their fangs. They are thinking about using a metal called Illuminium to avoid the law’s punishment and subjugate the mortals.”
[That’s right.]
It seemed he already knew all of this.
Frey clenched his fist.
“Then do you plan to just watch them do that?”
[You said it yourself. They are avoiding the law’s punishment. Therefore, there’s nothing I can do.]
For the first time since they started talking, Frey became truly angry.
“Some religious people believe God will only give humans trials they can overcome.”
Dauns had a hint of interest in his voice.
[That’s a pretty plausible statement.]
“Then why are you not making a move? Is it because you think the continent needs to face such a bloodbath? Or is it that you think it will not reach the level of a disaster?”
[That’s a very human opinion. Don’t try to force your thoughts upon me. I have no intention of getting involved in this world I created.]
Frey became speechless for a moment.
This was because Dauns’ voice had become serious for the first time. The playfulness that he’d displayed so far was no longer visible.
[‘Dauns’ is revered as the God of Creation in the island country Hitume Ikar. Right. I am the God of Creation. I created everything in this world. Do you understand? Everything. Not just the humans. Even the Demigods were created by me.]
“…so whether it’s the Demigods or the humans, they are things you created. And that’s why you won’t choose a side?”
[I created this world a very long time ago, and in that time, many species have appeared and disappeared. What’s interesting is that few of them failed because they failed to adapt or failed to evolve. Most of them went extinct at the hands of other species.]
“Does that mean that it is now the humans’ turn?”
[That might not be true. Huhu. This is how it is. I’m not sure how to make you understand. I don’t care about what is done or how many species are destroyed. All I care about is the world itself.]
“…”
The moment he heard those words, Frey couldn’t help but feel that this being might actually have been God.
After talking for so long, Frey was now able to grasp a bit of what the other was thinking and his mindset.
This, in itself, was amazing as even the Great Medium, who had been alive for hundreds of years, had been seen through by Frey immediately. However, despite their lengthy conversation, he was still unable to fully understand the other.
Instead, the more they talked, the more questions he seemed to have. It was clear that the root of their thoughts was completely different.
“…why did such a busy being like you decide to reveal yourself to me? Does it have something to do with the candidate thing you mentioned before?”
[As I expected, you’re easy to talk to.]
Playfulness returned to his voice.
[Listen closely. There are three worlds in the universe. They are closely connected because they are ‘neighbouring worlds’, and it’s possible for them to interfere with each other as long as certain conditions are met.]
“…by neighbouring world, do you mean the Demon World?”
[Right. Exactly. Hmm. But have you ever heard of the Celestial World?]
The topic was sudden, but Frey shook his head without being shocked.
“This is my first time hearing about it. But I assume you are referring to Heaven.”
Frey knew a bit about Heaven as he had been interested in the afterlife. It was said to be a paradise to which only the souls of those with good characters could go after death.
A world where you could feel fullness and restfulness just by staying still, without ever experiencing boredom. Where you could have all kinds of fruits, foods, and alcohol.
That was the definition of Heaven that Frey knew.
[The Celestial World and Heaven are different. Then I’ll change my question. Do you know Angels?]
“They are the inhabitants of Heaven.”
[That’s not it. Well. It’ll take too long for me to explain little by little, so listen carefully. In the past, I created three worlds in this universe. The Mortal World, the Demon World, and the Celestial World.]
“…”
The Mortal World referred to the world to which Frey belonged. The Demon World, also called Hell, was the land of the Demons. But this was his first time hearing about the Celestial World.
‘Moreover.’
Why was he suddenly telling him this?
Frey wondered this, but he didn’t open his mouth. After all, this being could read his thoughts, so he probably knew what Frey was thinking about already.
‘I’m sure my questions will be answered if I continue listening to him.’
Frey’s prediction was correct.
[Just like the Demon World, there were six great beings who watched over the Celestial World. To be precise… there were supposed to be. The Celestial World. That would have been the case if this world, which I had put the most effort into, didn’t have a fatal flaw.]
Dauns spoke in a sad voice and slowly shook his head.
[…this ‘flaw’ eventually led to the destruction of the Celestial World, and the mighty souls that belonged there were sucked into a vortex of will. And as I said, I was busy, so I couldn’t afford to pay attention to it at that time. This vortex of will then spat the souls out of the Celestial World. Unable to return to the Celestial World, these fallen souls fell to the Mortal World.]
Frey felt a chill down his spine. It was as though a bolt of lightning struck his head and traveled down to his feet.
What he’d heard before and what he was hearing now combined, and he was naturally able to draw a conclusion.
“…no way…”
[They are outcasts. For whatever reason, they were kicked out of their own world. That’s why it’s not strange that they mistook themselves as fragments separated from the will of the world because they lost their memories when they fell to the Mortal World. So it’s not completely wrong.]
Frey looked at him with wide eyes.
He didn’t get chills anymore. Instead, they were replaced by a suffocating feeling.
[The Demigods were originally the beings who were supposed to rule over the Celestial World. And the one you call Lord is special among them. It is possible for him to hear my voice directly through space and time. If it wasn’t for the setbacks, I would have favoured him more than anyone else in the universe, and I gave him a special name as proof of this.]
Dauns voice was calm as he continued.
[The one closest to God. The Archangel Michael.]
(TL: ……………………….)