Only God
Chapter 80 - 72: Pretending to Convert?

Chapter 80: Chapter 72: Pretending to Convert?

King Yarlessto gazed into the distant sea.

Ever since his ascension to the throne, he had devoted himself tirelessly to the Kingdom. Now his body had weakened considerably, far more frail than ever before.

King Yarlessto realized that his life might soon come to an end.

After undergoing the second rational crisis, the Kingdom had gradually stabilized; the people of Logos placed their hopes on Dertulian’s voyage, but King Yarlessto held almost no hope.

Because only he and his father, Al, had witnessed God’s departure.

Although King Yarlessto did not believe that Dertulian could bring God back, he still pointed them in a direction and prayed for Dertulian’s journey.

At that moment, King Yarlessto clasped his hands together and silently recited a prayer.

After praying, King Yarlessto parted his hands and calmly stared at the wave-laden sea.

After an unknown amount of time, the Queen came to King Yarlessto’s side.

"Yarlessto, it’s time to go back, the Priests have said that you can’t stand out here for too long."

In Logos Kingdom, Priests were also physicians, and those skilled in medicine were figuratively called: Witch Doctors.

Facing the Queen’s persuasion, King Yarlessto continued to stare straight at the sea, then after a long while, he said softly,

"Perhaps... I don’t have many days left."

A faint tension flashed across the Queen’s face as she said,

"How can you say that... don’t talk like this..."

King Yarlessto managed a slight smile, and then continued,

"I am aware of my own condition, and... I also want to know what happens to a person after they die?"

The Queen did not respond, silently listening instead.

The sea in front of him was immensely blue, its depth immeasurable by man. King Yarlessto looked at this sea, remembering the arduous journey he had once embarked on with his father, a majestic voyage.

He had encountered the progenitor of the Sea Demon, encountered Unihorn whales, and the grand storm.

After King Yarlessto returned, he took over the throne of the Kingdom and gradually, as time passed and circumstances changed, the Kingdom stabilized, and he returned from that journey to a peaceful life.

"There is no better place than Logos."

King Yarlessto said thus.

The Queen slowly nodded her head, clearly agreeing with her husband’s statement.

"But Dertulian still wants to leave here, to find the whereabouts of God..."

King Yarlessto said sadly, after the severe injury, his body had weakened, and even his eyesight seemed to have faded; he could no longer see far distances.

The Queen was merely consoling King Yarlessto,

"Yarlessto, no one can make decisions for others."

King Yarlessto smiled kindly, saying blandly,

"Yes, no one can make decisions for others."

Then, he pointed towards the distance, in the direction where Dertulian had departed, and told the Queen,

"I used to assign Dertulian to be a Priest in the Pattern Garden. I involved him in politics; every major matter required his consultation. I arranged many things for him because I sensed his confusion.

I hoped he would understand that there is no place better than Logos."

"Unfortunately, you never managed to."

The Queen sighed.

King Yarlessto gazed at the glittering sea surface and slowly nodded,

"Yes, I never managed to."

After that, King Yarlessto said nothing more.

He fell into silence, simply standing there.

No one knew what he was thinking.

Over all these years, King Yarlessto had demonstrated with every action to Dertulian: how glorious the Kingdom of Logos was; how much he cared about him; that there was no place better than Logos.

Even after Dertulian’s imprisonment, King Yarlessto still entered the prison, determined to pardon his wrongdoing, to prevent his execution, just to let him never leave.

Destiny always seems to thwart human desires as if orchestrated by God.

Dertulian still resolved to leave this place.

King Yarlessto recalled Dertulian in the prison and the day of his trial.

He repeatedly wished to keep his brother within the Kingdom.

Yet,

deep within himself,

he yearned to say to Dertulian:

You have your own journey.

In this world, you must establish your own nation.

Yarlessto did not realize why he examined himself, feeling the human heart is profoundly complex, despite spending a lifetime trying to fully understand it.

"Dovlo?"

After a long silence, King Yarlessto broke the quiet and asked the Queen.

Dovlo was King Yarlessto’s eldest son and the future heir to the throne.

Since becoming severely injured, the increasingly weary King Yarlessto had begun relinquishing control of the Kingdom and had his eldest son Dovlo assist in the administration.

The latter had become familiar with the operations of the Kingdom step by step over the past thirty years. Today, he was capable of managing many governmental affairs independently, to King Yarlessto’s great satisfaction.

"He probably went to Pattern Garden."

the Queen replied,

"Are you going back now?"

"Yes, take me back to the Palace."

King Yarlessto said, a cool breeze blowing that made him shiver, his frail body nearly losing balance. Fortunately, the Queen was quick to support him.

"I am about to die. Where do people go when they die?"

King Yarlessto murmured subconsciously.

Hearing this, the Queen felt inexplicably melancholic.

"I found my father at the summit of the mountain, leaning against the tree planted by the Lord before his death. I guess... I guess after death, the soul might head there."

............

............

Antion made a bold and dangerous proposal.

This young Priest planned to feign conversion to the gods to ensure their journey was unimpeded. Once the people of Logos discovered the God who bestowed reason, he planned to immediately renounce the gods from their beliefs.

"Dertulian, this is the only way."

Antion’s voice was low and tinged with a hint of crazed impatience,

"We are not equal to the gods, their divine power is so majestic, overpowered by them, it’s better to convert temporarily, until we... until we find God..."

Dertulian pushed Antion away.

Antion looked at Dertulian with astonishment.

"Impossible, Antion!"

Dertulian gazed directly at Antion and said slowly:

"We cannot bear the consequences of deceiving the gods."

Antion said anxiously:

"But we must try, we are so insignificant, how else can we withstand the trials of the gods without resorting to deception?"

Dertulian sighed and fell silent for a moment.

Antion watched him eagerly, hoping for a nod, an agreement.

"Antion, what you say makes sense."

"But..."

"Have you considered, our generation may not find God, and when that day comes, we can only pass the mission of finding God onto our descendants."