Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep

Chapter 149: The Gods' Trial (4)

Language is one of the greatest weapons for intelligent beings.

By communicating smoothly with other entities, intelligent beings were able to gain even more.

Language was extremely important for intelligent beings.

Many still did not know that it could also become a weakness.

"Puhahaha! What's this! It's really working!"

I watched the countless debates unfolding among the elves with Baal.

"I just whispered a little in their ears, and they really believe it!"

"If a faint voice is heard when no one is around, they'll believe it's their own thought."

What I taught Baal was how to spread a little rumor.

The reaction of those who heard such a voice varied depending on their mental fortitude.

If someone with strong mental fortitude heard it first, they would dismiss it as an auditory hallucination, but if it persisted, their mind would waver slightly.

For those with average mental fortitude, their minds would waver from the start and eventually succumb.

For those with weak mental fortitude, they would mistake the voice in their ear for their own thought, and if it continued, they would experience mental confusion.

Just by instilling a faint voice, such things were possible.

"By the way, it's really a mess."

"Everyone has their own opinion. It's natural for this to happen when many opinions collide."

Of course, this applies not only to elves but also to gods of this world.

"If you become the king of gods, you'll experience something even greater than this. It will be your job to coordinate and handle them well."

For gods are mostly just lumps of a great ego.

It will be incomparably harder than ruling humans.

"Hmm... Can't I just push them with force?"

"If you rule by relying on force, if a being stronger than you emerges and claims to be king, you'll be overthrown. Of course, you could rule quickly with simple logic, but there would be no small backlash."

Moreover, if you suppress them by force, those suppressed by that force will eventually spring back like a spring.

Unless you can suppress them forever.

"Hmm... I don't really understand."

"You don't need to know right now."

You're not the king of gods yet. There's still about half of the other kids' tests remaining.

"This test... Honestly, I don't feel like I did much."

"That may be true. But it was too difficult a test for you to solve alone."

Yggdrasil went too far. How could they give such a test?

Honestly, it was an impossible problem for Baal alone.

"Anyway, if I keep whispering and guiding them to eat fruit like this, it'll work, right?"

"Yes. That way, you can somewhat fix the elves' meat-centric diet."

Of course, the fact that it's meat-centric won't change. But it's something that they'll start eating fruit too.

"If I had a little more time, I could have manipulated public opinion to make them eat plant leaves too... But a month is too short."

"Plant leaves?"

"Yes. According to Yggdrasil, plant leaves feel no different from human hair. They keep growing, and eventually fall out on their own like hair."

Then, let’s not ask whether plants without leaves are bald.

Baldness itself would be a great sorrow for them.

"Anyway, by manipulating public opinion like this to gradually create an atmosphere where it's okay to eat fruit, you will be able to pass Yggdrasil's test without issue."

"Yeah. But since this is a test given to me... Didn't Gaia help me too much?"

Baal said with a slightly worried look.

Certainly, I did help him almost entirely... But it didn't seem like Baal could have solved such a difficult test alone.

Would it be okay if I hid the fact that I helped him solve it?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Mom. No matter how difficult the problem is, you shouldn't do everything for him like that."

Before the cold gaze of Shamash, I broke out in a cold sweat.

Um. Well. I guess I did help too much.

Even during the Sylphid test and the Yggdrasil test, the tests were so difficult that they were almost impossible to solve. If I hadn't helped, there would have been no solutions to those tests.

In fact, during the Sylphid test, Baal was completely defeated in the one-on-one race, and the test given by Yggdrasil was also one that Baal's mind could not solve.

Even though I knew it was close to cheating, I had no choice but to help.

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And now, that cheating has been exposed like this.

"To be honest, I thought Mom would help a little, but this is a bit too much. It's almost as if Mom solved the test yourself."

"But listen, the problem given by Yggdrasil was so difficult that there was no possibility at all, right?"

"That's why it has value as a test. If Mom helps him too much, what value would the test have?"

Shamash's words were scolding. To be scolded by my own child, how embarrassing. But's true, I can't make any excuses since I was wrong.

"But it seems that Yggdrasil is satisfied."

Yggdrasil, who was watching the elves, was smiling contentedly as some of the elves began to put fruit in their mouths.

"Don't change the subject! Shamash, as the god of light, justice, and law, punish Mom's unfair behavior!"

"Oh dear. My child is persecuting me! When I grow old, I should just die!"

"Your crocodile tears won't work! You're not even going to die in the first place!"

"Tch."

Well, there's nothing I can do. I did commit a foul.

"As a punishment, you are forbidden from talking to that child during the remaining tests!"

"Ah, so that's why you had Baal wait in the next room."

"Yes! And he will stay with us throughout the rest of the tests! While we're at it, you should make lots of delicious things for us! And also... And also..."

"Alright, alright. I'll do whatever you ask, so don't worry."

I can't help it. It seems they were quite upset that I had been neglecting these children.

I can only pray that Baal will navigate the remaining tests well, and take care of these children for a while.

"Anyway Yggdrasil. Have your tests been passed with this?"

"Yes! To see those children putting fruit in their mouths, it's so moving!"

Yggdrasil was genuinely delighted. It was good to see the great worry lifted from their face.

"Honestly, I wanted to fail the test because I helped too much, but since Yggdrasil is so happy, I can't do anything about it."

"Hmm. Then whose turn is the next test?"

At my words, Shamash pointed to themself with their thumb and said,

"The next test is my turn! This test won't be easy at all!"

Shamash spoke proudly, puffing out her body.

Hmm. At this point, it seems they have no intention of testing Baal and just want to give a difficult test. I just hoped for a fair test to see if he was qualified to be the king of the gods, but it seems that's not the case.

"Alright, then I'll bring Baal. I need to tell him what the test is!"

Shamash said that and went to get Baal from the next room.

Hmm. I'm a bit uneasy. I'm worried about what kind of test Shamash will give.

But now that I can't help Baal, I can only hope that Baal will navigate it well on his own.

"Here we are! Now, I will announce the test!"

Suppressing the slight unease in my heart, I looked at Shamash, who had brought Baal.

"The test I will give is.....!!!"

Shamash pulled a scroll of papyrus and unfurled it with a loud sound.

What was written on that scroll was,

"Bring that which has form but cannot be grasped, that which is on the opposite side of light!"

Ugh.

"That which has form but cannot be grasped, on the opposite side of light...?"

"That's..."

"No..."

The expressions on me and the children's faces began to grow cold as we saw Shamash's test.

No, this is clearly a test to bring him, isn't it?

Even if you give such a test, is it really okay? Neither I nor the other children could find it after searching for a long time, and I could only find a tiny fragment of it in the magic stones of the monsters.

You're going to give that as a test? Really? Seriously?

This means you just don't want to make Baal the king of the gods, right?

"Shamash... Do you have a conscience..."

"Ah! I can't hear you! I can't hear! Anyway! This is the test! You've got a year to spare! Even a small clue is fine!!! Mom can no longer help you because of the cheating!! You have to find it on your own!"

Shamash said that and pushed Baal out of the room.

Ugh. So this is as far as making Baal the king of the gods goes.

No, but why are you giving such difficult tests? Couldn't you just give a test that appropriately tests Baal's abilities? Was Baal not to your liking? Could it be that you've noticed that the Gaia he was talking about was me?

I'm starting to feel a bit resentful towards the children who don't understand my heart.

At this rate... in the end, my work will just increase even more.