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Chapter 319: Star, Gaia’s Curse (1)

She put one of her hands on her forehead and the other one on Chang-Sun’s, comparing their body temperature. They were so close that Chang-Sun could feel her breath. The first thing he noticed was its fresh minty scent, which was just like Ithaca’s.

Chang-Sun became certain that the woman in front of him was Ithaca. She was the person he had been desperately missing, and yet could not meet. However, they had been reunited in the most unexpected way.

Despite his reputation for heartlessness, Chang-Sun’s heart ached painfully. He felt as if a hundred apologies would be insufficient to express his remorse. She had been in his vicinity, but he had not recognized her at all. Although they had already met several times, he had not realized it until now.

“It’s weird. It looks like your fever is gone, so…!” Ye-Eun began.

“…Ithaca,” Chang-Sun suddenly said, choking up.

After looking into Chang-Sun’s eyes for a moment, Ye-Eun smiled and hugged him tightly. She replied, “Awww, did you miss me that much? You’re called all kinds of cheesy nicknames here, like ‘the merciless Tyrant’ and ‘Overlord of the Century’, but I see my Sun has become very soft-hearted.”

Right at that moment, Chang-Sun felt as if all the fatigue that had been tormenting him disappeared. He was a little worried about feeling awkward around Ye-Eun, because she was a little—no, a lot different from the Ithaca he had known. Even her way of speaking differed.

In contrast to Ye-Eun, who spoke roughly, Ithaca was usually very quiet, although she had her moments of intensity. However, fortunately, it seemed that Ithaca’s original personality remained strong in Ye-Eun. Her minty scent and warmth were the same as Ithaca’s.

“Ithaca…” Chang-Sun repeated, hugging Ye-Eun back as if he was never going to let her go. As he sat, he seemed to be holding his head against Ye-Eun’s chest, but she gently stroked Chang-Sun’s head as if it did not matter.

“Yes, yes, my baby. Do you want to say something to me?” Ye-Eun asked jokingly.

“You smell like a cigarette,” Chang-Sun replied.

“…Do you have a death wish?” Ye-Eun asked with a frown..

“I hate the menthol smell.”

“I don’t smoke cigarettes with menthol.”

“You still smell like that.”

“…The packet I had ran out yesterday, so I borrowed one and it happened to have menthol.”

“That’s an excuse.”

“Hey!” Ye-Eun exclaimed, pushing Chang-Sun away in annoyance and nearly snapping at him.

“Urgh… My whole body aches…” Chang-Sun groaned, grabbing his arm and feigning sickness.

Ye-Eun opened and closed her mouth, feeling too dumbstruck to speak any further. After a while, she asked, “…Where did you learn to do that?”

* * *

“Have your memories caused any confusion?”

“I get migraines from time to time, but I’m fine otherwise.”

“Good.”

Chang-Sun and Ye-Eun sat next to each other in the hospital room and talked for a while. From the conversation, Chang-Sun learned that Ye-Eun was the one who had rescued him and brought him to a hospital after he was thrown out of R’lyeh. She had to have been feeling unwell due to [Gaia’s Curse], but she had sorted out all the chaos.

It seemed that her more capable side belonged to Ye-Eun, not Ithaca, so Chang-Sun was a bit concerned. She currently had the identities of both Ye-Eun and Ithaca, so even if they shared the same soul, the two different personalities could end up conflicting. After all, Chang-Sun had fought his past incarnations, including Odin.

However, Ye-Eun concisely answered that she was fine. She experienced Ithaca’s memories as if she were retrieving her own lost memories, so she did not really feel any confusion regarding her identity.

Thus, it was easier to talk about their lives after they had been separated. Chang-Sun explained how he had become ‘Divine Twilight’, lost the <Myth War>, and subsequently returned to Earth from the <Underworld>. On the other hand, Ye-Eun explained her current life as Cha Ye-Eun.

“…What? <Olympus>?” Chang-Sun repeated in surprise.

.

He thus found out that Ye-Eun had been born with divine blood and was a direct descendant of the ruler of <Olympus>. In other words, her biological father was Saturn, the Celestial of death and time, who had led <Olympus> into a golden age before Jupiter took power. When Chang-Sun heard about that, he became extremely shocked.

Saturn was currently in seclusion, so his whereabouts were unknown. Even though he had been such an exceptional king during his reign that he earned the title of a Celestial King, traces of him had appeared here, of all places. Meanwhile, Ye-Eun’s mother was Ops[1], Saturn’s wife and the previous queen of <Olympus>.

In other words, Ye-Eun was an heir among heirs, who had the right to challenge the throne of <Olympus> if she wanted.

Chang-Sun reflexively looked up at the sky.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ awkwardly scratches her cheek with her index finger.]

[The Celestial ‘War-Loving Fighting Deity’ nods, saying that she is an adorable aunt for whom he once changed diapers.]

[The Celestial ‘Sky and Earth’s Connecting Wing’ smiles gently.]

[The Celestial ‘Madness Infuser’ gets sidetracked and asks you if there is anything else you can blow up the way you did in ‘Doomsday City’.]

…

All the <Olympus> Numen who met Chang-Sun’s gaze confirmed that what Ye-Eun said was true.

“Huh…!” Chang-Sun chuckled dryly after finding out that unexpected fact.

Ye-Eun was the aunt of Minerva, Mars, and the others. What kind of messed up family tree was that?

“Hey! Mars! Don’t lie! You’re too scared to come down here because you’re worried about your brothers finding out!” Ye-Eun cried out as she threw a punch in the air, clearly disliking one of the messages.

[The Celestial ‘War-Loving Fighting Deity’ looks away, saying that he has no idea what she is talking about!]

…

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ is surprised at the fact that you met her and the others\' gazes.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ congratulates you for the complete restoration of your Divine Class!]

Silently expressing his gratitude for Minerva, Chang-Sun turned to look at Ye-Eun. He asked, “Then why are you…?”

“Why am I infected with [Gaia’s Curse]?” Ye-Eun replied. Chang-Sun nodded, and Ye-Eun continued, “I don’t know.”

“What?” Chang-Sun exclaimed, his eyes widening when he heard the unexpected answer.

Ye-Eun just shrugged and said, “Father says I was born ill.”

“That’s…!” Chang-Sun began.

“At first, he thought he might have passed the curse onto me because he isn’t on good terms with Grandma,” Ye-Eun explained.

Everyone in <Heaven> knew the <Myth> of the young Saturn fighting against Gaia to take power in <Olympus>. Gaia was the Mother Terra Celestial, who was an Ancient and Conceptual Celestial; as Saturn had fought and defeated such a figure, it was not a stretch to assume that her curse could be passed down to his children.

“So Father really blamed himself a lot… But now I know that my illness was because of my incomplete reincarnation,” Ye-Eun said with certainty.

Due to her plummeting, Ithaca’s soul had already been seriously scarred, but it had continued to wear out after Hsan put her through samsara again. That was why, when Ithaca had reincarnated as Cha Ye-Eun, a gap had been created between her body and soul, where had [Gaia’s Curse] sprouted.

Holding Ye-Eun’s hands, her father had apologized profusely to her with heartbroken eyes. Recalling that moment, Ye-Eun smiled bitterly. She said, “Anyway, that was why my Divine Class was sealed ever since I was little and I was raised as an ordinary mortal… And now here I am.”

That was how the Iron Witch, who was blessed by the <Olympus> Celestials even though she had not chosen any specific Guardian, had been born.

“Give your hand for a moment,” Chang-Sun said. He grabbed the hand Ye-Eun held out and felt her pulse. Her mana circuit was empty.

“There’s nothing, isn’t there?” Ye-Eun asked.

Chang-Sun nodded with a heavy heart.

“I was really surprised when I first woke up. How in the world did you do it? All my Divine Class and divine power are sealed, and I can’t even unlock this. Thanks to this seal, my mana is completely sealed too,” Ye-Eun grumbled, although she was still smiling.

She had been ready to embrace death, so the fact that she could still walk around on her own two feet was equivalent to a blessing. On top of that, [Gaia’s Curse], which had been tormenting her whenever an opportunity arose, was locked up tightly and did not budge, so she could not help but smile.

However, Chang-Sun found it difficult to answer Ye-Eun’s question. The look on his face was serious as he fell deep into thought.

Although he had somehow stopped [Gaia’s Curse] using [Peter’s Key] for the time being, he also knew that it was not a permanent solution. A Celestial who could not unlock their Divine Class or use their divine power was no longer a Celestial. On top of that, Ye-Eun’s mana was also sealed, so she was basically a civilian and no different from a Celestial who had plummeted.

‘Even if the soul erosion is the source of [Gaia’s Curse], someone else left the seed of the curse. I can’t tell right now whether Gaia or Antares was the one responsible… but I’ll have to dispel the curse in the end.’

Another issue was the question of how long [Peter’s Key] would remain effective. The best case would be if it lasted permanently, but if the seal loosened in the slightest, Ithaca could immediately fall into danger.

Chang-Sun gritted his teeth. [Gaia’s Curse] was so lethal that even he had been unable to dispel it; the only possible countermeasure at present was the Effect of [Impervious Body]. The problem was that he could not use that for Ye-Eun right now.

‘In the end, the only remaining method is…’ Chang-Sun thought, looking in a certain direction.

[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ observes his student!]

‘...the Changgong Library…?’

The library, which was also known as the Akashic Record, was where all the events of the many universes were recorded. <Deus Ex Machina> had certainly said that he would increase Chang-Sun’s clearance level in the future, so the thought of finding a solution there crossed his mind.

‘Even if that weren’t the case, Mephistopheles might be able to create a path for me.’

Chang-Sun came to a decision. He said, “Ithaca.”

“Call me Ye-Eun. It’s my name now,” Ye-Eun replied.

“…Ye-Eun. Just wait…” Chang-Sun said.

“You want me to wait for a moment?” Ye-Eun asked, tilting her head.

Chang-Sun nodded and said, “I think I’ll be able to find a way.”

“I thought I’d finally have fun with my old boyfriend, but you’re already going somewhere?” Ye-Eun remarked with a quiet sigh. Narrowing her eyes, she continued, “You aren’t going somewhere dangerous again, are you?”

Chang-Sun was about to say no, but he could not due to the memories suddenly flashing through his mind.

“What? Who in the world is this guy?”

“The fact that you hauled ass without cleaning up first already pisses me off! You’re all dead meat!”

His golden machine eye blazing with light, <Deus Ex Machina> had beaten up Odin and the other past reincarnations. When Chang-Sun recalled that temper… he could not be sure whether he could really say that he was going to a safe place. He wondered if he would be able to come back in one piece, and cold sweat formed on his back.

He replied, “…Maybe?”

“What’s with the pause?” Ye-Eun asked.

Chang-Sun calmly shook his head to reassure her.

“Phew… Should I believe you or not?” Ye-Eun wondered with a sigh, scratching the back of her head.

Then, she suddenly grabbed Chang-Sun by the collar with both hands and pulled him closer. Although it happened in the confusion of the moment, Chang-Sun could see the seriousness in her eyes.

“Listen to me carefully, Lee Chang-Sun,” Ye-Eun said.

Chang-Sun nodded without saying anything else.

Ye-Eun continued, “It took us a really long time to finally meet again, so I’ll never let you go again. Even if you run away from me, I’m going to chase you to the ends of the multiverse, and then I’m going to smack you in the back of the head and drag you back by force. You hear me? You’re mine for the rest of our lives, so take care of what’s mine well, okay?”

That tough side of her was quite unlike her past self, but…

“I’m not sure about the other parts, but I think I do know one thing,” Chang-Sun answered quietly.

“What?” Ye-Eun replied.

…Chang-Sun did not dislike this side of her—no, he actually liked it, because he was able to tell how much she loved him.

“I think this side of you is sexy,” Chang-Sun said, smiling faintly.

Ye-Eun quietly giggled. She asked, “Do you want to see something sexier?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled Chang-Sun’s collar closer. Their lips naturally met, and their eyes closed.

The moment lasted for a long time.

1. The Roman name of Rhea.