The World’s Greatest is Dead

『Uwaaahhh—!!!』

Yu Chun-gil’s large fingers held the Child Spirit aloft. The spirit dangled from them, swinging somewhat violently, possibly due to the movement of Yu Chun-gil’s hand.

Whether it was the unwanted swinging or Yu Chun-gil’s fearsome face that the spirit disliked, the Child Spirit began wailing madly. The sound that filled the room genuinely resembled a baby’s cry.

“Heh… Heh-ulk!!”

In response to the situation, the shaman known as Fortune Maiden gasped in shock.

“Young one… Why, why are you doing this!”

『Huaah… Huaaahhh—!!!』

Although Fortune Maiden desperately called out to her Child Spirit, the crying did not cease.

“… What’s wrong?”

Murong Yungsun, noticing Fortune Maiden’s odd demeanor, asked with a bewildered expression. Naturally, she could not hear the cries of the Child Spirit; to her, it merely looked like the shaman was suddenly having a fit directed at thin air.

‘Ah, geez.’

For me, it was causing a cold sweat. ‘That crazy old fool,’ I thought, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand as if I were hot. In truth, it wasn’t heat but cold sweat.

What could be so problematic about a crying child? But…

『Huaaahhh—!!!』

Whooong—!!!

As the child wailed, vibrations began spreading through the space. I inwardly shrieked in alarm as I witnessed it.

‘… Damn. I think I’ve got to get out of here.’

The Child Spirit was not just any spirit; it was literally a god. Do you know the difference between a typical ghost and a god that people worship?

You could point out several distinctions, but the most significant would be,
‘They can exert a direct influence.’

No matter what it was, it was significant that they could directly exercise their influence.

From my experience, the level of influence varied dramatically with the rank of the deity, but to give an example,
‘I think there was a time a building got destroyed when I inadvertently offended a high-rank god.’

Once, I had moved on something and ended up offending a high-rank god, causing several buildings to collapse. Fortunately, I managed to evacuate people in time, preventing any casualties.

‘… It was absolutely chaotic.’

It was an experience I never wanted to repeat. After that ordeal, I had tried my best to avoid entanglements with those called gods.

I realized then, ‘I don’t get along with gods.’

More accurately, the beings referred to as gods did not seem to particularly like me. Thus, I tried my utmost to avoid any involvement with them.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Yet here I was, tangled up with a god, and in a notably unfavorable way.

『Knuhhh. Knuhhhh—!!』

The more fiercely the Child Spirit cried, the stronger the vibrations in the air became.

Woooong–!!!

“You-young one! Please calm down!! Please calm!”

Fortune Maiden earnestly attempted to soothe the child, but there was no way the spirit would listen. Observing this, I grasped one fact.

‘That shaman can’t see Yu Chun-gil.’

It seemed she could only see the trembling Child Spirit, and not Yu Chun-gil, who was the one shaking it.

‘What should I do?’

While it was somewhat fortunate, the energy storming through the air was certainly no blessing.

‘Ah, this is seriously messed up.’

Even though the Child Spirit was only a low-rank god, a god was still a god.

The spirit, which should have been born with innate divine connection, had died without being born, thus becoming a Child Spirit.

If it so decided, it could emit spirit qi and exert some influence—who knew what that could lead to?

‘… It isn’t merely a low-rank god either.’

Judging from the spirit qi it emitted, it wasn’t a mere low-rank god. It could be aspiring to reach the level of a intermediate-rank god.

‘Tsk.’

What was I supposed to do? Was the building going to collapse?

At this rate, involving itself with the fates could become possible. Fate came in many forms, but in simple terms, it meant accelerating things that were bound to happen.

What the high-level deity had done to bring down a building was a similar situation, magnifying the flaws of a structure bound to crumble undoubtedly.

Though unable to manifest influence on what had never existed, events destined to occur could indeed be swayed.

Should the Child Spirit decide on something, it would likely follow such a course.

With cold sweat running down my back, I contemplated what to do.

‘What should I do?’

The simplest measure was putting it to rest. Clearing a god from sight—that was the easiest approach.

‘… I’d really prefer not to do it.’

In a past life, I had once attempted to put a high-rank god to rest and endured a great ordeal. Ultimately, I succeeded, but had to work arduously to cleanse the karma accrued in the aftermath of it. Killing a god carried such weight.

‘Tsk.’

However, there was no other way. Something had to be done; otherwise, any unpredictable disaster could ensue.

Just as I moved my finger to begin writing glyphs in the air—

『What a noisy cry that is.』

Thump-!!

“!!!”

I practically jumped out of my skin at what unfolded next. Yu Chun-gil frowned, curled his large hand into a fist, and gave the Child Spirit a hefty thump on the head.

That lunatic had struck a god.

『Kuh… Kuh…?』

The Child Spirit, having been struck, ceased crying. Not comprehending exactly what had happened to it, the spirit looked at Yu Chun-gil with a teary face. As time went by…

『Huueee.』

The Child Spirit realized it had been hit and was about to burst into tears once more when—

『Hey!』
『Hick!』

Yu Chun-gil’s stern shout startled the Child Spirit into silence.

『You fool! Should a man cry in such a way? Must I scold you again for you to come to your senses?』

『Sob… Sniff…』

When Yu Chun-gil scolded him, the young god whimpered and shut his mouth. Watching this scene, I couldn’t help but pinch my thigh repeatedly.

‘… What on earth is that?’

Why was a deity being scolded?

‘How is he even managing to scold those arrogant entities?’

Gods, as they were called, were universally haughty. Rather than simply being arrogant, it was more accurate to say that they considered humans to be no more significant than pets or companions.

‘Among them, they must have particularly poor relations with ghosts.’

Even among spirits, these deified beings held contempt for ghosts formed from lingering regrets. It was as if they believed they were on entirely different levels. In such a situation…

‘… Scolding a young god?’

I was astonished by Yu Chun-gil’s actions. Not only was a ghost scolding a deity, the deity was actually accepting it.

‘… No, it seems like the deity is just frightened?’

The deity seemed scared of Yu Chun-gil. It was an utterly absurd situation.

『Do you think glaring at people’s faces is acceptable?』
『… Uugh…』
『I asked if it is acceptable.』

When Yu Chun-gil asked once more, the young god shook its head.

『Indeed, it is not acceptable. Do you understand?』
『…』

Nodding without words, the deity flew into the arms of the shaman.

“Child, are you finally calmed-”

At that moment…

Vroooom—!!

“Gasp!!”

The shamaness, Fortune Maiden, suddenly trembled and bowed her head.

‘… Oh dear?’

Seeing this, I covered my mouth in surprise.

‘Look at that clever child…’

The young god had redirected the backlash it experienced straight onto the shamaness, and it seemed the Fortune Maiden had momentarily lost consciousness from the strain.

“… What is this?”

Naturally, it was Murong Yungsun who was startled by witnessing this scene. She came for a fortune reading, yet the shaman was acting strangely.

“Excuse me. Hey. Snap out of it.”

“Gasp!”

With a voice dripping with annoyance, Murong Yungsun called out, and Fortune Maiden immediately woke up. The issue was…

“This… this…”

Suddenly, she glared at me with piercing eyes.

“You… evil spirit!”

“What?”

“You… get out, you evil spirit!!”

“… Excuse me?”

The shaman began to hurl curses at me, labeling me an evil spirit.

“… Maiden?”

I attempted to soothe her, unsure why she behaved this way.

“You have been possessed by a god. You are the evil spirit! What did you do to him?”

“No. I mean… it wasn’t me who did anything…”

The reaction seemed as though she had been told something peculiar by the young god, and it was infuriating.

I was unjustly accused for something I didn’t do. Seeing that she was extremely worked up, I tried to calm her down.

“Right away… Right away, I will!”

Fortune Maiden, seemingly unable to calm herself, angrily opened her eyes wider, and as she readied to throw her fan at me…

Snap-!

Murong Yungsun grabbed Fortune Maiden’s wrist.

Then…

“Evil spirit?”

A chilling voice spilled from her lips.

“Say that again.”

“… Hee… Hui…?”

“Who are you calling an evil spirit?”

Murong Yungsun addressed Fortune Maiden with a voice soaked in coldness.

“You.”

The grip on Fortune Maiden’s wrist visibly tightened.

“Want to die?”

“Wow.”

Yu Chun-gil let out an exclamation at the menacing words.

“… A fearsome young woman.”

Even Yu Chun-gil himself seemed taken aback. Witnessing Murong Yungsun continuously emitting a chilling aura, I realized something.

‘Ah, it seems…’

The fortune-telling session was truly ruined.

* * *

“That damned woman for real.”

These were the words escaping Murong Yungsun’s lips as soon as she stepped outside. Grinding her teeth, she seemed extremely angry.

“… Calm down.”

I sighed as I spoke to her. Despite having already thrown a fit at the fortune-teller’s, she continued to fume.

“Calm down? How on earth can I calm down?”

“What if you don’t calm down? Didn’t you see? Because of you, that person trembled in fear.”

The shamaness had cowered helplessly in a corner due to Murong Yungsun’s intimidating demeanor.

Considering she was supposed to be a shaman serving gods, her expression of fear under Murong Yungsun’s presence was notable.

“She deserved it. Who dares to call me an evil spirit?”

“… It was me who was cursed, so why are you reacting this way?”

Anyone would think she was the one accused of being an evil spirit. I was the one insulted, but it was Murong Yungsun who became enraged.

“I went through the trouble of making an appointment for a reading, and why did she ruin it all? If she had just kept quiet for a moment…”

“Are you crazy? Do you think I can just let that slide? And, knowing you’d foolishly let it happen, I stepped in.”

“It’s not foolish, it’s rational. There’s no point in fighting in there.”

“Sure, you’re always right. I’m the only one who’s being irrational.”

“… That’s not what I meant…”

Pausing in mid-sentence, I realized it wasn’t the time to snap back.

“… Just, thank you.”

Thank you for getting angry on my behalf.

This was the moment to convey those words.

“…”

Murong Yungsun’s shoulders trembled slightly upon hearing my words.

After that, she snorted and turned her head away.

That gesture meant that she was no longer angry. It was surprisingly simple when it came to me.

Murong Yungsun turned her head as much as possible, as if she didn’t want to show her face, and spoke to me.

“… And why are you casually using informal speech? You said we should act like strangers the next time we met.”

“Ah.”

That’s right. I had said that.

I realized belatedly.

“I’m sorry.”

“… Yeah. Whatever.”

There was an air of disappointment, but I chose to ignore it.

“So, are you really okay? You mentioned you wanted to see something specifically.”

“… Never mind. There’s nothing worth seeing in that damned place.”

“What exactly were you trying to see?”

Murong Yungsun looked at me.

“There are some things like that.”

“…”

From her eyes, it seemed she would never tell me.

“Sigh.”

I let out a deep sigh. Her disappointment was evident.

“Seriously. How did it come to this with someone like you…”

“I can hear you.”

“I said it for you to hear. So, hear it out.”

She clicked her tongue, her long legs strolling across the courtyard.

Judging by her quick steps, she seemed quite angry. I followed her as we walked. We intended to head back to the Blue Moon Sect, but after a long walk, Murong Yungsun suddenly stopped.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

I replied when she called me. She pointed at something with her hand.

“Buy this for me.”

“… Pardon?”

Curious, I looked over and saw jewelry laid out at a street stall.

Among them…

“A necklace?”

“Yes, that one.”

It was just an antique necklace. She wanted me to buy that?

“Why?”

Why should I buy it for her? I asked because I couldn’t understand, but Murong Yungsun’s face twisted fiercely, like an evil spirit.

“If I ask you to buy it, just buy it. Why do you have to talk so much when it’s the last time?”

“… No…”

My legitimate question was only met with a scolding look. Still feeling wronged, I scratched my cheek and told the vendor.

“Please give me the item she pointed to just now.”

The vendor handed the necklace to me with a delighted expression.

It was outrageously expensive.

It was obvious that it was a rip-off, but I decided to just pay for it.

‘If she wanted something, she could have chosen something nearby.’

Next to the necklace Murong Yungsun chose, there was something that looked like a ring emitting some extraordinary energy.

As the aura intrigued me, I asked the vendor.

“… How much is the one next to it?”

When I showed interest in the ring, the vendor’s face lit up with excitement.

Fortunately, the ring wasn’t expensive.

It seemed to have been lying unsold for quite some time.

“Well, I’ll make good use of it.”

Murong Yungsun wore the necklace immediately and spoke in her characteristic tone. Hearing her talk, I handed over the newly purchased ring.

“Take this too.”

“… What?”

Murong Yungsun flinched upon seeing the proffered ring.

“Why this?”

A tint of caution laced her voice.

“Pardon?”

“You’re trying to ask for something in return, aren’t you? Like never come again, keep your distance, or don’t show up because you’re bothersome. Isn’t that it?”

“What a strange…”

I trailed off, closing my mouth.

It was because she listed things I had once said.

“That’s not it…”

“Then what is it?”

“Why are you suspicious when I say I’m giving it to you?”

“Because you wouldn’t give me something like this.”

“…”

She wasn’t wrong.

I scratched the back of my head and spoke candidly.

“It’s a birthday present. Today is Lady Murong’s birthday, right?”

“…”

Now it was Murong Yungsun’s turn to fall silent.

As if caught off guard, silence lingered before she spoke again.

“… You knew?”

“Not immediately. I remembered during the day.”

“Is that why you followed?”

“Sort of?”

“…”

Through the veil, I could see her lips pressing together.

“Muttering something…”

I heard her muttering something and just tossed the ring.

Murong Yungsun caught the ring that floated in mid-air.

As soon as she caught it, she yelled at me.

“Are you out of your mind!? Why would you throw it!”

“Well, should I have put it on your finger?”

“That’s what you’re supposed to do, isn’t it?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want. If you don’t like it, just throw it away.”

With that, I turned and walked ahead.

“Seriously annoying…”

As I passed by, I heard Murong Yungsun murmur.

A feeling of unease welled up within me.

Indeed, staying uninvolved with her whenever possible was best.

It was true when we were children, and it was true today as well.

TL’s Corner:
Aside from the ‘little’ mishap at the start. The end of the chapter was surprisingly wholesome. Harem flags are getting planted left and right. Tsk.