Chapter 522: Metamorphosis (10)

“But anyway...,” the Sage said, grinning as she stared at Eugene.

For a few moments, she carefully scanned Eugene from top to bottom.

She took in his grayish hair, which was just slightly duller than silver, and his yellow eyes, which were closer to the glare of a beast than the shine of gold.

“You’ve got quite the impressive physique,” the Sage said with a light tone of admiration, still looking him over like she was appreciating a work of art.

At these words, Eugene couldn’t help but be startled and unconsciously take a few steps back.

He instinctively sensed something that felt a lot like danger, so he silently looked around for someone who could help him out.

However, there was no one here who could intervene to save Eugene. The one to actually possess the most common sense among all of those present, along with the highest prestige and respect, was Carmen, but she had already entered the ball of roots.

While Sienna might not be considered to have all that much common sense, in any case, she was also occupied, secluded as she was within her flower bud as she attempted to reach the divine realm of magic.

That only left Kristina and Anise. However, would they really be of any help to Eugene in escaping this dangerous situation? Instead, they seemed more likely to find fun in teasing Eugene by going back and forth with the Sage....

While imagining such a fearful scene, Eugene glanced over at Kristina.

However, surprisingly enough, Kristina’s expression was calm and serene. Instead of how she usually behaved, Kristina was keeping her distance with her hands clasped respectfully in front of her as she faced their direction.

There were several reasons why Kristina was acting like this. It was partly out of respect for the Sage, one of the ancient gods from long ago. Kristina also didn’t want to interrupt Eugene and the Sage’s reunion by needlessly making a fuss.

Finally, it was also because she silently agreed with what the Sage was saying. If the Sage had instead been saying something cruel and insulting to Eugene, Kristina would have naturally gotten angry and intervened, but currently....

“Your physique in the distant past was also very impressive, but,” the Sage chuckled, “haha, the current you possesses a very different charm from you back then. No, perhaps it’s not all that different. It might be more accurate to say that you’ve somehow added on to your past masculine charm and compounded upon it.”

Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat, “Ahem....”

The Sage laughed even louder, “Hahaha. I also liked the face you had in the past, but if I have to be honest, I find myself preferring your current face. In the past, you didn’t give off such a cute vibe. Agaroth, do you remember what you looked like back then?”

“Just slightly,” Eugene replied hesitantly.

“Your body was huge and bulging with muscles, and your face was also packed full of masculine charm. Even your hands were rough and thick. However, your current appearance is much easier on the eyes. Your figure is just the right size, and I’m especially drawn to your face,” the Sage said softly with a mischievous smile.

With each word that followed in the same appreciative vein, Eugene’s face grew progressively redder and redder.

Of course, Eugene was also aware that his looks were attractive. He had already developed a self-awareness of his looks by the time he was about ten years old.

However, having his looks discussed so openly by another person, particularly the Sage of all people, was causing him to feel embarrassed and sensitive. To begin with, Eugene couldn’t help but feel an ambiguous sense of closeness to the Sage, Vishur Laviola.

“Indeed, it seems that your personalities are also quite different,” the Sage muttered quietly as she saw how Eugene’s face had turned red, unable to say anything, and how he avoided eye contact with her. “I suppose that it is inevitable. You are indeed the reincarnation of Agaroth, but that doesn’t mean you are the same person as Agaroth.”

“Well... that’s true,” Eugene mumbled in agreement.

“Ahaha! That being the case, there’s no need for you to feel apologetic for not being able to remember me. In the first place, I am the one who is arbitrarily projecting my feelings for Agaroth onto you and stubbornly insisting on calling you by his name. Indeed, the cause of this behavior is my childish greed and foolishness,” the Sage chuckled as she shook her head.

After staring at the Sage for a few moments, Eugene let out a deep sigh and asked, “If it was Agaroth, what do you think he would say in this sort of situation?”

“Hmm?” The Sage shot him a questioning look.

Eugene awkwardly scratched his neck, “Well, I was just curious. Even in his case, my memories of him aren’t all that clear, so....”

“The first thing he would do would be to push me down[1],” the Sage immediately answered without any hesitation.

Eugene’s jaw dropped after hearing this explicit answer that seemed to have left out so much context, “What? Why would he suddenly push you down like that?”

“It would be because I had expressed my interest and attraction to your current form. Agaroth was always very bold and hot-blooded when it came to that sort of thing. He wasn’t all that restrained when he met someone that he found attractive,” the Sage explained.

Afraid to ask anything more, Eugene just kept his mouth shut. He felt like if he insisted on asking any more questions, he might hear some truly embarrassing stories from the Sage’s lips.

[It appears that Hamel’s past life was quite the playboy. He might have been called the God of War, but he was actually just a lustful nymphomaniac. It's fortunate that the current Hamel wasn’t born with that kind of perverted nature,] Anise grumbled to Kristina while eavesdropping on their conversation from a distance.

Kristina just stood there with her hands clasped together in silence as she listened to the conversation between Eugene and the Sage.

But in the privacy of her head, Kristina said, ‘However, I think it would be better if Eugene was just a little bit more lustful.’

[Huh?] Anise gasped in surprise.

As she had said, it was better to leave the past in the past. The Sage knew that the man in front of her was both Agaroth and not Agaroth. Yet even so, ultimately, she kept calling him Agaroth due to her own greed and foolishness.

However, no matter how much she might allow her greed and foolishness to blind her to the reality of the situation, she eventually had to accept the truth. The man in front of her was not Agaroth.

“Young man,” the Sage eventually said. “Tell me your name so that I may hear it. Whisper it to me so that I may remember it.”

Eugene felt the weight of her request. It had been an extremely long time since the last world had ended, and their new world had been born. During all that time, the Sage had existed in the form of the World Tree for the sake of the world, preparing for the day that Destruction would return to destroy the world once more. Eugene felt like all his youthful joys and sorrows could be crushed into pieces by the weight he could hear in her voice.

“Eugene Lionheart,” Eugene whispered.

As the Sage had requested, he gave her his name. He couldn’t help but give her his name.

“Eugene Lionheart,” the Sage repeated in her clear and sonorous voice. “I don’t know why you were reincarnated, and I don’t know why this heavy burden of karma must be bound to you like this.”

“It’s not really bound to me,” Eugene said, shaking his head with a wry smile. “If I really think about it, I could have chosen to abandon it at any point.”

Three hundred years ago, when he was still Hamel Dynas, after losing his parents to the war, he could have chosen not to seek revenge for them. Then, like most other people living in that era, he could have just thanked his good fortune that at least his life had been spared and gone on to live an ordinary life — a life and death that would pass as quietly as that of a mouse.

But Hamel couldn’t do that. He had vowed his revenge. He believed that he had to put an end to this shitty fucking war. He had resolved himself to slay all of the Demon Kings who had started this war, all of the demonfolk who had made this world as shitty as it was, and exterminate all of the traitorous sons of bitches with ties to the demons.

And after he was reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart....

He had worked as hard as a dog all of his last life. He had experienced all sorts of suffering before he eventually died. He hadn’t managed to slay all of the Demon Kings, but even so, the world had become extremely peaceful, partly thanks to his actions.

So Eugene could have lived a peaceful and ordinary life without having to suffer like he had in his previous life. Since he had gone through so much suffering during his previous life, he could have chosen to just live comfortably in this life, and to live solely for himself. Eugene could have even persuaded himself that this was what he deserved.

But Eugene didn’t do that. He couldn’t possibly forget the resolve from his past life. He also couldn’t let go of his worries about his old comrades, whose life and death were unknown. No, more importantly than that, Eugene, he just... he just wanted to slay the last two Demon Kings. He didn’t want to settle for an imperfect peace. He wanted to end the war once and for all.

He had wanted to kill the Demon King of Destruction, the Demon King of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, Noir Giabella, Raizakia, Iris, and all his other enemies.

“Eugene Lionheart,” the Sage said with a smile.

Her lips were drawn into a beautiful smile, but more sadness than joy shone in those vibrant blue eyes.

“Are you sure your intent to kill them is completely your own?” the Sage questioned.

Eugene didn’t know what to say to that.

So the Sage warned him, “Your strong killing intent might be due to Agaroth’s influence on you. After all, you have undoubtedly inherited his throne as the God of War.”

Eugene was also aware of this, but he still shook his head. “I am the one who made my choices.”

Hamel had always held a particularly strong killing intent toward the Demon Kings and demonfolk. There were countless people just like him who had lost someone close to them during the war that had started three hundred years ago. However, even among this vast number of people, Hamel was a particularly special case. Even demonfolk who had experienced any number of battles and wars could still be frightened into retreating by Hamel’s murderous intent. It had even worked on Noir Giabella.

“There are probably several reasons for my strengthened killing intent, from what I experienced in my youth to the characteristics inherited from my previous life. However, in the end, I am the one who made the decision to continue this mission,” Eugene said firmly.

“Haaah...,” the Sage sighed as she placed a hand on Eugene’s shoulders. “In the end, it seems that your fate is an unlucky one. Even in death, you can’t find peace. No matter how many times you die and come back to life, you are still unsatisfied with resting.

“This time will be different,” Eugene told her.

The Sage wrapped her arms around Eugene. Eugene also hugged the Sage back silently. The two embraced each other like this for a few moments.

“Eugene Lionheart, your enemies are far too strong. Not only is the Greater Demon King, that Demon King of Demon Kings, your enemy but there is also the Demon King of Destruction, that entity for whom even the title of Demon King might be an insult. None of the gods, including myself and the God of Giants, were able to hold back Destruction like you could...,” the Sage’s voice trailed off in a whisper. “As such, allow me to grant you my blessing. May this blessing keep you safe as you fight against those terrifyingly strong enemies. I will use some of my divinity to shore up the weaknesses in your godhood.”

Eugene silently accepted the blessing.

“So don’t you forget me either, just like how I didn’t forget Agaroth even after I died. Just like how I have memorized your name here and now,” the Sage’s hands pressed gently on the small of Eugene’s back. “Remember the wizards of the Ivory Tower, my believers, and remember my name, the one who was known as the Sage, Vishur Laviola. Hold these names with you as you carry forth our will. We may have been defeated and died, but we refused to be destroyed.”

“Alright.” Eugene nodded. “I will remember.”

The Sage smiled at his promise.

Then, green light engulfed both Eugene and the Sage.

1. I think we all know what this means, right? ☜

2. The original text uses a term that is more commonly found in cultivation novels. It says that the Twilight Witch practiced magic of the Heterodox Path, as opposed to the Orthodox Path of magic practiced by normal wizards like the Sage. ☜