Chapter 123

“I do not contemplate good and evil.”

The man wearing the bones of a beast spoke.

“I am not one to ponder such uninteresting things. I am aware that I am whimsical and self-centered. I always do only what I might enjoy.”

“…….”

“Is a thinking being without greed not a corpse? I am faithful to my instincts. I become greedy for what I want, I get angry at those who have angered me, and if I cannot protect my beliefs, I do nothing at all.”

The clothes he wore were made of bone and feathers, giving them a primitive look, but he was also wrapped in a splendid cloth that high-status humans might use, making him look old-fashioned as well.

The man wearing a mask made from a sheep's skull laughed.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s an interesting life.”

“Oh, yes, you and I are on the same page.”

“Life should be enjoyable.”

Jio, wrapped in a black cape, nodded his head.

“Have you ever killed a person?”

“I must have killed quite a few, for there were so many people who were angry with me.”

“Why were those people angry at you, Argio?”

To that, Jio’s second Apt, ‘Argio,’ answered.

“They said I was the source of all evil in the world.”

Through the bone mask, golden eyes curving deeply could be seen.

“They say I am a monster, don't they?”

“…….”

Inside the palace made of bone and blood, Jio muttered.

“That is a very abstract metaphor.”

“I think so too, friend.”

When ‘Argio’ laughed, a growling sound, like a tiger's cry, was heard.

“Is it not truly troublesome? If they are angry, I wish they would tell me exactly what they are angry about. They should tell me what I did to them, and what part of me they are angry about.”

“Why is that?”

“So that I too can be angry with them. I can clash with all my might, exchange emotions, and create a better situation. Would that not be the most powerful force that anger possesses?”

On the messy and splendid throne decorated with all sorts of silks, feathers, and leathers, ‘Argio’ put on a feigned look of exhaustion.

He spoke as if he was troubled.

“But most people could not do so. They were all fools who were eaten up by their own anger, not knowing how to control it. If they are swayed by emotions that are a part of them, how can they be said to have the qualifications of a human?”

Soon after, he smiled again.

“Thus, all those many people must have been beasts.”

“Oh….”

“Is that not so?”

“It is a new way of thinking, but I respect it.”

“It’s a good thing to be respected.”

With a vivid smile, ‘Argio’ rested his chin on his hand.

His long, sharp fingernails, like those of a feline beast or a bird of prey like an eagle, came into view.

Jio, quite bravely, did not hold back his curiosity.

“Do you grow your fingernails?”

“…Ahahahahaha!!”

‘Argio’, who burst out laughing, answered with a voice full of amusement.

“Oh no, well. If you call it growing, then it’s growing, but there wasn't any particular cosmetic purpose.”

“They go so well with your current fashion that I thought you intended it.”

“It is not that I groomed my nails after dressing like this, but rather that I styled my clothes because this is my natural body.”

“I have no fashion sense, so I only wear black clothes. I’m truly envious.”

“…Oh dear, you don’t know how to adorn yourself? Are people from Earth usually like that?”

“Seeing as how people who want to dress up do it well on their own, it seems to be my personal problem.”

“…….”

His smile vanished, and ‘Argio’ sent a gaze as if looking at a pathetic opponent.

“…I believe that your plain personality will get a little better if you are with me.”

“Do you dislike my current attire that much?”

“Even if I were to bring any random beast, it would have a more diverse flavor than you.”

“I was told that if you wear monochrome, you’ll at least be average.”

“Unless there’s a cultural reason, you're not even performing a ritual, so what's with all the black?”

“I couldn’t help it because I like the color black.”

“The black color that has been taken advantage of would cry, how pitiful.”

‘Argio’, who clicked his tongue, returned to the previous topic.

“My fingernails are one of the abilities I have possessed in my body since I was born. If you join me, you will eventually have to utilize it, so it would be good for you to listen carefully to my explanation.”

“I will focus.”

“A good posture. To explain simply, the power I possess is the power to imitate beasts. I can imitate the claws of a predator like now, or the large wings of birds flying in the sky, or I can avoid danger by imitating the keen senses of prey.”

“How can it be this covetable?”

“I too truly cherish this power, but strangely enough, my family feared such a power greatly. In the family, they called me a curse and drove me out into a forest full of dangerous beasts.”

“…….”

Jio kept his mouth firmly shut. ‘Argio’ asked.

“You look like you have a complaint?”

“I just don't understand why all the people named ‘Jio’ bring up a heavy personal story on our first meeting.”

“That too is a unique thought, was this place not created for that very purpose in the first place?”

‘Argio’ laughed as if it were amusing.

“Or do you wish to synchronize with me without any explanation?”

“Now that you put it that way, I think it’s better to hear the explanation.”

“That’s right, seeing your actions, you won’t act foolishly and meet a foolish death.”

‘Argio’, who nodded his head, introduced himself.

“So I’m telling you, I am a curse without a name. A descendant of a royal family that once ruled a great nation, a nature that grew up with bright and dangerous beasts as family, and a ‘Jio’ who was eventually struck down and killed by the humans’ iron mace.”

He added.

“In the end, ‘Argio’ is a name that is not my name.”

“Is there a meaning to the word ‘Argio’?”

“In an ancient, primitive language, Ar, cruel. Jio, beast. In a word, it means cruel beast.”

“Beast….”

Jio scanned his counterpart seriously.

“You certainly do look strong.”

“Though the meaning was probably stronger in contempt than in pure admiration.”

“You seem to have a lot of muscle, too. If you join me, can I use that strength as well?”

“If you prefer a body like this, why haven't you been exercising all this time?”

“I didn't want to sweat for anything other than farming.”

“…….”

Soon after, ‘Argio’ nodded his head.

“When we synchronize, may I be in charge of your physical management?”

“By any chance, are we synchronizing into a different ego?”

“No, it won’t be like that. I worry that I shouldn’t be in sync with that lazy mind.”

“I don't exercise, but I don't see myself as that lazy.”

“Then what are you diligent in? Farming? Well, I don't really like that sort of thing….”

Even though he was hidden by a mask with only eyeholes, one could feel that ‘Argio’s’ brow was furrowed.

“Do you enjoy fighting?”

“There are so many things to enjoy in the world, why choose that of all things?”

“I had a feeling when I was summoned here, but this is truly disheartening.”

“Why must one go out of their way to experience conflict?”

“At the very least, shouldn't one know how to be justly angry at a conflict that comes their way?”

“I do get angry.”

“Have you ever harvested the tongue and teeth of an opponent who was spouting nonsense?”

“On Earth, you get arrested for that.”

“Hmm, certainly, law and rules are an important part.”

“Now that’s an unexpected answer.”

Jio was impressed.

“I thought you were so belligerent that you wouldn't be bound by law and morality.”

“I don’t think I’m particularly bound by morality.”

“Ah?”

“But that's not to say I deny the necessity of goodness and rules.”

In a cool tone, ‘Argio’ continued.

“I am quite whimsical. On some days, I want to get drunk in a village full of smiles, and on other days, I head towards a hell rampant with screams with a clear mind.”

“…….”

“Have you never wanted to act like a beast without reason? Never wanted to throw off all your cumbersome clothes? Never wanted to cheer and scream, smell the sweet scent of blood, and fight until your whole body crumbles?”

“I have not.”

“I understand that way of life of yours as well. In the end, what I wanted to say was that for a whimsical person like me to enjoy everything satisfactorily, good and evil must coexist in the world, and peace and chaos must be together.”

For that to happen.

“In the end, it means that people who believe in good and people who abide by the rules are necessary.”

Only then can I enjoy what I want on that day, at that time.

“It was inevitable that I came to be called an evil god.”

“Am I here now to become one with an evil god?”

“Quite surprisingly, that’s about right.”

“May I leave now?”

“You cannot leave unless I permit it, my kind Source.”

“This is unreasonable. I believe I should have a choice as well.”

“It is truly pitiful, but your authority extended only to entering this place.”

‘Argio’, who laughed cheerfully, continued.

“So for now, how about you listen to more of my story?”

Because it was bound to be quite exciting.

***

There was one great family that ruled over the humans.

In this family, there was a curse that had been passed down for generations, which was that one of the children of the family would become a wicked beast upon turning 10 years old.

“Therefore, my family encouraged having as many children as possible. If they had only one child and that child became a wicked beast, they would surely have to be killed, so it was a way of having another contingency plan.”

The child who revealed their terrible true form upon turning 10 was abandoned in the filthiest and most terrible hell among the spaces humans could reach.

It was a great rainforest called the ‘Black Forest’.

“I was praised for my beautiful appearance and excellent drawing skills, but when I turned 10, a horn grew on my forehead. That was the cause. The story that a monster lived in the ‘Black Forest’ was famous, but I never thought the monster there would come from my family… I was abandoned without knowing the reason.”

The place where he was abandoned was indeed a dangerous place, just as the rumors said.

“In the darkness where the sun never rises, dangerous beasts and insects vigilantly seek a chance to devour your flesh. Everything has such a strong poison that you can't easily drink or eat anything, and from time to time, an ear-splitting scream, as if vengeful spirits are screaming, would echo.”

But he did not die.

“Am I not a beast as well? Knowing I was not human, I acted instinctively and greedily like a beast, and fought with my forest family for prey on an equal footing. I was able to make a new family without difficulty.”

And he learned a surprising fact.

“Deep in that forest, there were traces of a worn-out dynasty. I learned that the power I had was not a curse but a blessing, and that the monsters who had been abandoned here until now were actually saints who would block the dangerous disaster of the Black Forest.”

There was too much evidence left to dismiss it as a fabrication by ancestors who had gone mad in the dark forest.

“It's just that people had forgotten it over a very long period of time. Forgetting that the reason for offering a child was to prevent a disaster, they regarded the heterogeneous power we possessed as a curse, and said that the ominousness of the Black Forest was not because of the disaster but something we had created.”

Of course, it didn't matter.

“What would change just by knowing?”

It wasn't that he wasn't angry at the family that had cast him out, but ‘Argio’ had gained a new family.

He drew pictures on the walls of the great old dynasty, obtained what he wanted like a beast, and sometimes shared, passing the time.

“In that process, I sometimes ran out of the forest, but….”

Well?

“I swear on a warrior’s spirit, I have never harmed an innocent person. Of course, I won't say I haven't harmed anyone. How could I leave those who attack me alone?”

The problem was what came next.

“A rumor began to circulate that I was the source of a certain epidemic.”

The humans were enraged.

“Before I knew it, I had to watch my home burn. Yes, they didn't have the confidence to fight me directly, so they decided to burn down the entire forest. In that process, I suffered severe burns, lived on a little longer, and eventually died in the arms of my family….”

It wasn't that ‘Argio’ wasn't angered by that indiscriminate outburst of rage, but.

“Hey, you remember, right? The Black Forest existed in the first place to prevent a disaster that would destroy the world. The wicked beasts that appeared at least once every generation were the forest keepers to help with that… and were also like a final barrier.”

Now, it had burned down, so there was no forest, and no forest keeper to protect in its place.

“In the end, the disaster that had been hidden since long ago revealed itself. The beasts came to possess intelligence like humans, they began to speak, and they came to harbor more segmented and more intense emotions.”

Among them, ‘Argio’s’ family burned with vengeance towards the humans.

“What do you think happened to the world?”

For countless ages, humans had bred and slaughtered beasts for consumption.

But not only was their food gone, but those very beasts started talking to them, cursing them, and began a terrible ‘exchange’ with humans.

There was no way the world of humans could be maintained.

“In that process, I became an evil god. To be precise, you could say it is a collective of all the wicked beasts who were abandoned in the Black Forest until now, the saints who were not recognized for their worth and met a terrible death.”

It was a truly pitiful affair.

“Almost all humans seemed unaware that ‘Argio’ was a single crowd. However, referring to this source of all evil, people whispered and created the being that is me.”

The evil god who caused disaster and led a massacre from the Black Forest.

“The Cruel Beast.”

It was ‘Argio’.

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