Chapter 301 - Tartarus (1) (1/2)

Chapter 301 – Tartarus (1)

Team: HH, thursdays, Yahiko (300(0)/12)

『……Everything must go smoothly. This is your last chance to prove your loyalty. Understood?』

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

『I hope you’re useful this time.』

The conversation finally ended. However, Aether couldn’t move. His clenched fists were shaking.

‘How long do I have to suffer this humiliation?’

After failing to get the Trismegistus’s Tablet, he was treated like a wanderer.

He still had his position as a member of the Senate of Elohim, but he was being held responsible for the death of Ione.

In the Devil Army, he received the 9th bishop position, but he was restricted by Kindred from doing anything, so there wasn’t much he could do.

In the end, he became a good-for-nothing, unaffiliated with any group.

That wasn’t the image he wanted.

In Elohim, he wanted to be respected and admired and have people consider him the next Consul member.

In the Devil Army, he wanted to become a servant of the Heavenly Demon and have the power of the Heavenly Emperor in his hand.

He had dreams to reach the peak of both groups and rule the Tower.

But where had things gone wrong?

He couldn’t even hope for something like that; right now, it was difficult to even maintain his current position.

From what he heard, the inheritor of the Family of Life after Ione, Paneth, was suspecting him.

‘S***, s***!’

Aether clenched his teeth. His eyes became bloodshot. He had come here by betraying his comrade and his twin sister. He couldn’t fall so futilely like this.

But he didn’t see how he could get out of this danger.

Elohim’s watch became tighter, and his connection with the Devil Army could be caught at any moment.

From the Devil Army, Kindred urged him through telepathy to finish what he had ordered him to do.

He tried telling Kindred that his position was in danger, and he had to lay low to avoid the storm for the time being.

However, Kindred just scoffed.

He said that was Aether’s problem and wasn’t his business. He said that if he couldn’t handle the bishop position, he should resign.

And just now, Kindred sent the last communication message.

-A new godly order will descend upon Elohim soon. See what it is, and take it into your own hands if possible.

‘He’s…..telling me to betray Elohim completely.’

Of course, he didn’t have any lingering feelings for Elohim. No matter how much he tried, he had the blood of a betrayer. However, he knew that he wouldn’t gain anything from backstabbing his comrades.

But the same went for the Devil Army. He pretended like he was faithfully following the Heavenly Demon, but the only reason he had joined them was because of the humiliation he felt in Elohim. He didn’t want to cross over to their side completely either.

‘I’ll forever be a bat. Haha! Hahahaha! Jeong-woo, you were right. You really were.’ [TN: Bats are considered two-faced, not fully dedicating themselves to one side of the other. Here’s a link with more information. ]

Aether considered it a curse that Heaven Wing’s ghost had left him.

That was why he had regretted things. Would he not be in this foolish position if he didn’t give in to the temptation and remained in Arthia?

‘No. Then I would’ve fallen like Heaven Wing. I made the right decision. I chose the right path. What’s wrong is the dirty world!’

He clenched his teeth. His eyes flashed violently.

“I’ve already come this far….. I can’t go back. I’ll bet everything on this. Everything…..!”

He had already crossed the river and couldn’t turn back. It wasn’t that hard. He just had to do the same thing he did before.

The only difference was that in the past, he betrayed Arthia, and now, it was Elohim.

‘The question is how I’m going to approach Paneth.’

Once he organized his thoughts, his mind cleared up. Plans naturally took shape in his mind.

However, there was an important condition to succeed in his plans.

How was he going to convince Paneth, who looked at him with suspicion all the time?

Paneth was the adopted daughter of Ione, and she was a new growing power of the Protogenoi species. She was also considered to be one of the next Consul members after three positions were opened from their loss to the Spring Queen. If he couldn’t get her trust, all plans would be useless.

He was deep in thought for a while, but things were solved in a way that he never would’ve imagined.

“Miss Paneth wishes to meet you.”

A message suddenly came for him in the middle of the night.

The messenger introduced himself as an errand boy for Paneth.

“The head of Life sent you?”

“Yes. She said she wishes to see you away from anyone’s eyes.”

Aether narrowed his eyes. Paneth had never requested to meet him like this.”

He felt wary, but the messenger just stood there silently, as if he didn’t know anything and only came to receive his answer.

“Fine. I’ll meet her at one in the morning.”

The messenger disappeared in the wind after bowing to him.

Aether swept his hair. The trigger was pulled. He no longer had anywhere to fall back to.

* * *

The Protogenoi species.

Long ago, they were great gods, but they fell to the lower world after losing their holiness. As time went on, their bloodline became fainter, and they even lost their supernatural strength.

Still, they ruled as an important group within Elohim. It was because they had the noble personality and grace of those who had divine blood.

In that aspect, Paneth was the most outstanding person in Elohim.

She had been born to the Family of Birth, and after becoming the adopted daughter of the Family of Life, she naturally became the head of both families.

Also, the divine blood in her head exuded holiness that was close to that of her ancestors.

Naturally, when Paneth was born, the expectations of many people were placed on her.