* * *
Seo Woohyun still remembered Erdian from his human days.
As the third prince of the Kingdom of Eustis, Erdian disliked noise and chaos.
Before he was forced to the battlefield as a commander during wartime, he lived a quiet life, interacting only with a trusted few.
Now, because he had become a god, Erdian was subjected to the endless prayers of countless followers without even an on-off switch—an unimaginable burden for someone like him.
For 1,215 years, he had waited silently for Ciel to reincarnate, enduring it all.
Despite his affection and efforts to care for Woohyun, seeing him as his reincarnated lover, it didn’t change the fact that Erdian’s situation was a harsh one.
Woohyun knew it was foolish to worry about a god, but he couldn’t help it.
“…Is it hard for you?”
His question, softly spoken, was more cautious than ever.
Erdian blinked in surprise, gazing at Woohyun’s wide brown eyes, filled with concern.
In all his years as a god, hearing countless prayers of desperation, hope, anger, and pleas, very few had ever asked how he was doing.
‘It feels… strange.’
Erdian gently stroked Woohyun’s head, and Woohyun didn’t pull away, letting him.
He blinked slowly, his gaze a mix of worry and care.
Watching him silently, Erdian’s lips curved into a radiant smile.
“Of course I’m fine. I may be flustered in front of you, but I’m a far more capable god than you think.”
“Well, that’s a relief… Oh, right! Malrang said he wants to show you what he learned today. Would you like to see it?”
Woohyun, now visibly relaxed, changed the subject, and Erdian nodded, standing up.
Beckoning Woohyun to follow, he gestured toward the door.
Woohyun naturally fell into step beside him.
Looking at Woohyun, Erdian allowed memories of his distant past—filled with despair and anguish—to fade beneath the warmth of the present.
‘I wonder when my Woohyun will finally accept me.’
Noticing the faint blush on Woohyun’s ear, Erdian felt reassured that he wouldn’t have to wait too long.
The Holy City is home to the Great Temple, the central hub of the Temple dedicated to Erdian, the deity of war and prosperity, silence and beauty.
The city was always bustling with lines of pilgrims, and priests and clerics in their pale violet robes were a common sight.
At the entrance to a narrow alley lined with shops selling fresh meat, fish, and vegetables, a group entered: two clerics in their priestly robes, a boy in an attendant’s uniform, and a knight with a hood pulled low over his face.
The alley was frequented by the clergy living in the Great Temple, so unlike in other territories, there was no commotion or fanfare at their arrival.
Instead, only the calls of merchants enthusiastically hawking their goods filled the air.
“Do you need candles for the prayer room? We just got a new batch of scented candles, and the aroma is absolutely divine!”
“What kind of scent is it?”
When one of the clerics showed interest, the candle shopkeeper leaned in as if to share a secret, whispering with his hand cupped around his mouth.
“It’s a rare find, with only a few left in stock. But here’s the secret—one of the clerics said it smells exactly like the fragrance of Lord Erdian’s descent.”
“Really? Is that true?”
Falling for the merchant’s smooth talk, the cleric almost walked into the shop, entranced, but was stopped by a companion’s firm grip on his arm.
“You actually believe that?”
The man who spoke glared at the shopkeeper, his tone filled with disbelief, and let out a scoff.
“Hey, you. Shopkeeper.”
The glare was so sharp it felt like a dagger piercing the heart.
The shopkeeper, flustered, stammered out a response.
“Y-Yes, my lord cleric?”
“Let me see this candle of yours.”
“O-Of course! Right this way. It’s a rare item; I have just one left…”
The shopkeeper, still pitching his wares, disappeared briefly into the back but returned moments later with a regretful expression.
He’d thought better of selling the candle to this group.
“Ah, how odd. I looked everywhere, but it seems the candles are all sold out. My deepest apologies to you, dear clerics.”
“You’re not even trying to make the lie convincing.”
The tall cleric who had glared earlier crossed his arms and spoke with a languid tone, yet his words carried an unsettling chill.
“If you’re going to pull a scam, at least do it properly. Bring out any random scented candle and insist it’s the one. What happened to the confidence you had when you were selling ‘Lord Erdian’s fragrance’ a moment ago?”
The shopkeeper’s face went pale as he stammered excuses, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“It’s not a scam! I-I really thought one of the clerics said something like that… maybe… or maybe not…”
As the shopkeeper fumbled with his words, the cleric with the calm demeanor—holding the hand of the attendant boy—asked succinctly.
“So, what you’re saying is that you don’t have the candle and you’re not even sure if it smells like Lord Erdian’s descent?”
“…That’s correct.”
“Then we’re done here. Let’s go. We still have plenty to buy.”
At the cleric’s words, the boy, who had been quietly observing his surroundings, chirped up.
“Brother, so was that man lying?”
“Who knows.” The cleric ruffled the boy’s hair absentmindedly.
“By the way, Flan, what else did we need to buy?”
“I wrote it down in my notebook! Just a second!”
As the boy fished out a small notebook and left the store, the tall cleric leaned closer to the shopkeeper, his voice dropping into a low warning.
“Shopkeeper, conduct your business honestly. Scamming people isn’t worth it. Consider this your warning.”
“Y-Yes, of course, my lord cleric! Please travel safely!”
The shopkeeper bowed repeatedly as the group left.
Deciding it was best to close up shop early that day, he hurried to prepare for closing, muttering about the close call with such troublesome customers.
Meanwhile, the voice of Erdian whispered softly into Seo Woohyun’s ear, filled with a hint of amused disdain.
“What a shameless con artist. Woohyun, the fragrance of my presence can only be found in the flowers of my garden. Don’t let yourself be fooled by imitators.”
Woohyun glanced sideways at Erdian, muttering under his breath.
“If it smelled even remotely similar, I might have bought one…”
“If you like the scent so much, why didn’t you say so? I’ll plant those flowers in the garden for you. You can enjoy them all you want when you return.”
The deity’s gentle consideration made Woohyun squirm in discomfort, unsure how to respond.
The scene of two humans, a young hatchling, and a god wandering the Holy City’s market district actually began about an hour earlier.
Following an invitation from Erdian, Cecily and Tartalos—currently residing in the Great Temple—had sent them on an errand to buy ingredients for a simple dish, claiming it was something even a child could make.
Naturally, the hatchling, often called Woohyun’s “shadow,” sought him out to tag along.
“Hyung! Mom’s going to teach us how to make apple pie today! Let’s go together!”
Woohyun, who had been resting and largely ignoring Erdian’s dazzling appearance that day, agreed readily.
After donning a necklace enchanted to make him harder to recognize, Raullett, the knight who took his role as protector far too seriously, insisted on joining them.
Not to be left out, Erdian also slipped into the group.
“So, what’s on the list, Mal?”
Erdian glanced at the little hatchling proudly holding Woohyun’s hand.
Malrang scanned the list scrawled in his shaky handwriting and lit up.
“Red apples! Mom said those are the most important. he said no wormy ones, even if they’re cheap. he told me four times!”
“What about green apples?” Woohyun asked, and Malrang scratched his head.
“Uh… I’m not sure. Mom said red-skinned apples are the best for flavor…”
“Then red apples it is.”
“Okay!”
As the two chatted, Erdian interjected with a conspiratorial tone.
“By the way, did you know…?”
The teasing lilt in his voice made both Woohyun and Malrang look at him curiously.
“Know what?”
Erdian smirked, clearly enjoying their anticipation, before dropping the revelation.
“Cecily is a terrible cook.”
“What?”
While Woohyun blinked in mild surprise, Malrang clenched his notebook tightly, his nostrils flaring in disbelief.
“Mom can’t cook? That’s not true!”
Erdian flicked Malrang’s nose lightly to calm him, grinning.
“You’ve eaten his cooking before, haven’t you? You’d know.”
“Well, uh… actually…”
Malrang’s eyes widened as realization dawned, his mouth dropping open.
“I’ve only ever eaten Dad’s cooking…”
“See? Why else do you think Cecily dumps all the cooking duties on Tartalos?”
Watching Erdian shrug smugly, Woohyun muttered.
“Because she’s bad at it?”
“Exactly.”
“Impossible… Mom can’t cook? I had no idea!”
Malrang looked so stricken that he seemed to lose all enthusiasm for the errand.
* * *
🤣🤣🤣🤣