Chapter 21
Veto’s red eyes turned to Ariel which made her stagger.
‘Scary.’
As someone who will be the King of all Gods one day, she naturally doesn’t want to appear intimidated, but she couldn’t help it.
How could she not tremble when a guy who’s black from head to toe stares at her with its bright red eyes?
‘Still, I can’t back down from here.’
Ariel, who was about to say something to Veto, hesitated for a moment.
It was only then she realized that the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting were looking at her with strange eyes.
‘Right, I shouldn’t reveal my identity.’
Ariel bit her lips.
Instead, she cried out in silence with her eyes wide open.
‘I have something to say, come with me!’
Then she turned around and left the Empress’ bedroom.
The Gods could have a conversation without having to speak, so Veto must have understood.
However, even after several minutes of waiting, Veto did not appear.
‘Why isn’t he coming?’
Right then…
“Your Majesty, open your eyes! Don’t let your mind wander!”
“Go and tell His Majesty immediately, Her Majesty is in critical condition!”
The Empress’ bedroom became noisy.
At the same time, the door opened and one of the maids came out and hurriedly ran somewhere.
‘What’s going on?’
Ariel tilted her head and poked her head through the crack in the door.
But what the commotion is all about?
‘…That guy is for real!’
Veto was already reaping the Empress’ soul.
It was clear that he didn’t listened to Ariel’s words.
‘He dares to ignore me?’
Ariel, who stomped her feet in anger, said with cold eyes.
‘I know what you did 197 years ago!’
Only then Veto turned his head.
At first glance, he seemed calm, but his eyes were wavering helplessly.
It was evident that he was very upset.
‘Stop messing around now!’
Ariel grinned and left the room.
She knew that Veto would come along.
Just as expected.
Veto came out, and Ariel walked to find an empty place.
When they reached the secluded garden, they stopped and it was Veto who opened his mouth first.
“What ridiculous nonsense are you going to talk about to make me come all the way here?”
“Ridiculous nonsense?”
“If you’re talking about 197 years ago, you would have been born not too long ago, so what are you going to talk about as if you knew something?”
Ariel, who was looking at Veto with a blank expression, spoke.
“If you really thought I didn’t know anything, why did you follow me?”
“…I just wanted to ask why you came down to earth.”
It was a blatant lie.
If he really wanted to know that, he should have asked as soon as he first saw Ariel.
‘He’s just bluffing!’
As Ariel smiled, Veto asked urgently.
“I’ll hear you out. What do you know?”
“Fabio, who rebelled against Akelon 197 years ago.”
Ariel opened his mouth without hesitation, and Veto’s face hardened.
“How did he get away? How could it escape dozens of Gods? Could there be a traitor among us?”
Veto’s complexion turned black.
It was natural.
She doesn’t know why, but there was three Gods who helped Fabio escape, and one of them was Veto.
Veto hastily tried to deny it.
But when Ariel grinned as if she knew everything, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
Veto, who was touching his face with his hand, asked after a while.
“How did you know?”
“What?”
“That I helped Fabio escape. At that time, you must have been a youngling who knew nothing.”
“Oh, about that?”
Ariel smiled meaningfully.
In fact, Ariel had one special ability.
She has a vision.
Her vision shows her the past and future events.
‘The problem is it will only show me what it wants to show.’
Anyway, thanks to that, Ariel learned about some of the Gods’ weaknesses, and those weaknesses were put into Ariel’s accountability plan.
Once the vision appeared, Ariel could take it out whenever she wanted, so they wouldn’t be able to escape it.
‘Hehehehe, it’s basically a book of shame I have written for over 190 years!’
This day, the book of self-defense made by shedding bloody tears to avenge the Gods who ignored her had finally seen the light of day.
‘I didn’t know that I would finally be able to use something I cherished and treasured.’
Phew—
Ariel sighed in relief and crossed her arms and raised her chin arrogantly.
“This Ariel will be your king. Do you think there are things that this body doesn’t know?”
Veto’s expression darkened.
“Now I understand why Arande goes wild whenever she sees you. You’re so hateful that I want to squeeze you right away.”
Annoyed, he scratched his head and let out a deep sigh.
“So, what do you want? Seeing that you clearly knew that fact but didn’t tell Akelon, you must have wanted something.”
“Naturally!”
Ariel giggled.
“Don’t kill Her Majesty!”
“What?”
“The woman you tried to reap the soul of just a moment ago! Don’t kill her!”
“…Are you threatening me just to save a human life?”
“She’s not just a human!”
When Ariel shouted, Veto gave a slightly puzzled expression.
He doesn’t know how long Ariel has been on the ground, but it probably hasn’t been that long.
But in that short period of time, what kind of affection did she attach to humans?
Just when Veto was curious…
“She’s a woman with very delicious fruits. She’s an incredibly important human being!”
“……”
Veto was silent with an astringent expression.
‘I’m a fool for expecting.’
He sighed heavily and said.
“If I were you, I would have made other terms.”
“Huh? What other terms?”
“Terms like taking you back to the Divine Realm.”
“What?”
“I don’t know why you came down to the ground, but there’s no way that you, who have no power, came voluntarily. So you must have fallen without even knowing it, right?”
“That’s right!”
“And you have no choice but to stay on the ground because you don’t have the strength to go back alone.”
“That’s right!”
Ariel gave him a quick nod.
How did he know about her exact situation?
“Right, that was it! Then take me back!”
Ariel, who had unexpected luck, shouted intoxicated with joy.
But…
“That’s impossible.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Ariel let out a high-pitched scream at Veto’s resolute refusal.
Tsk. Tsk.
He clicked his tongue and immediately nodded his head.
“Instead, I won’t take that woman’s life as you wish…”
“That’s a smart idea, Veto!”
Ariel quickly changed her face and applauded him.
“I will never forget this. I’ll be sure to commend you next time. Well then, goodbye!”
She hurriedly left with a greeting and then disappeared.
“……”
Veto was left alone in the vast garden.
* * *
The Empress miraculously preserved her life, but she was barely breathing, and her illness was still there with no sign of getting better.
‘If it keeps on going like this, I won’t be able to eat belof!’
Ariel, who was full of resentment, ran around the Imperial palace in a huff.
‘Come out immediately, Veto!’
‘Come out!’
But no answer came back.
‘It’s strange. I’m sure he’s watching because he’s afraid I’ll reveal his secret.’
Ariel, who was looking around the air with her narrow eyes, cried out without a sound.
‘If you don’t come out right away, what happened 197 years ago…’
It was only then…
“What are you doing? The contract has already ended.”
Veto appeared.
Seeing that his white-as-flour face turned red, he must have been very angry.
However, in terms of the size of anger, Ariel isn’t losing either.
“What do you think are you doing! You obviously promised to save Her Majesty the Empress! But what is this? Huh? I can’t eat belof because of you!”
Ariel snorted, and charged like a raging bull.
Then Veto took a step back.
“Why is this my fault? I certainly did not reap the woman’s soul as you wished. It is not in my power to cure her illness.”
“Then who has the power! What kind of guy are you!”
Ariel asked indignantly.
She thought she already overcome Veto’s obstacle, but she had another mountain to overcome.
Veto burst out laughing as Ariel almost ran amok.
‘With that temperament.’
Veto clicked his tongue.
“If you want to cure her illness, of course you have to visit the God of Medicine, Pavelov.”
“Ah, Pavelov!”
As if Ariel remembered it just then, she clapped her hands together and ordered.
“Bring him to me right now!”
“……”
* * *
Veto raised his eyes wildly.
How many times is he going to do this just because she knows his weakness?
But what can he do?
Veto’s lifeline was already in Ariel’s hands.
If Ariel changes her mind and decided to tell Akelon, he will be immediately annihilated.
Veto left with a helpless expression and returned soon after.
…Grabbing Pavelov by the collar.
“…Ariel?”
Pavelov, who was holding his breath, looked at Ariel with his eyes wide open.
“Why are you on the ground?”
“I don’t know.”
Ariel whimpered and turned her head.
‘He won’t help even if he knows why anyway.’
She found out through Arande and Veto that they won’t help her.
‘Will he tell me to beg too? Then I’ll just go up on my own.’
Ariel, who had been pouting her lips, waved her hand.
“I need you to do something.”
“……?”
“A human I know has a disease, but it seems that humans cannot cure it. I need you to treat her.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Aside from the reason that you’re trying to save a mere human, is there any reason for me to help you?”
Pavelov tilted his head slightly, and Ariel let out a deep sigh.
She already expected that this would happen, so she also prepared Pavelov’s weakness, but it was bittersweet.
‘How should I tame these things when I become king later?’
Ariel, who had been touching her throbbing forehead, slowly parted her lips.
And when she was about to mention Pavelov’s weakness…
“But I will help.”
“…What?”
“I promise to help.”
It was absolutely unbelievable.
“You’re serious?”
Ariel asked, widening her eyes, and Pavelov nodded his head.
“Instead, I have a condition.”
‘Sure there is.’
Ariel snorted.
She thought it was strange that he’s voluntarily going to help.
‘But I’ll listen to it first.’
“What are the conditions?”
“I also have people I want to save. It’s a human already on Veto’s list, so I can’t help it on my own.”
Laughing bitterly, he made an earnest request while making eye contact with Ariel.
“Tell me about Veto’s weakness.”
……Oh.
“Huh? That’s it?”
“Yes. Just now, he’s acting like an errand boy despite the fact that no one can move him.”
Veto’s expression hardened coldly, and Ariel snorted.
Then she opened her mouth without hesitation.
“Actually, 197 years ago, Veto…”
“…Hey!”
Veto really couldn’t let his guard down against Ariel’s mouth.
