Eight Uncles' Beloved Treasure (Lily)

Pablo let out a soft chuckle, closing the book he’d just been reading. “Uriah, are you still trying to find out how to live forever?”

He got to his feet, slowly making his way to Uriah. “But from looking at the other books you’ve got here, it seems like you want to be a god too!”

Uriah could not stop shaking, but shouted, “Pablo, you’re dead! What are you still doing here? You don’t belong here, go back!”

Pablo’s eyes flashed mockingly, but he remained calm. “I can’t believe it… you killed my entire family, and ended up with a big happy family instead of getting your karma.”

“You want to be a god, too… ha.”

Pablo began to laugh, as if he had just thought of something funny. His laughter grew and grew for a while, until it finally stopped abruptly.

“Oh, my apologies,” Pablo said, wiping at the tears in his eyes. “I couldn’t help it, it’s just so funny.”

Uriah felt a wave of humiliation was over him at once. How dare a mere spirit laugh at him!

“Are you blaming me for this, Pablo?” Uriah began to calm himself down, reaching for something in his sleeve.

Pablo pretended not to see the bell in his hand, his expression turning cold. “Shouldn’t I blame you?”

Uriah explained himself. “I had no choice! The king wanted you dead, so you had to die! You were asking for it, Pablo!”

Pablo barked out a laugh. “How was I asking for it?”

“Is it in the way I gave the kingdom all I could, trying my very best to find the emperor a magic pill for him to live forever?”

“Is it in the way I helped the emperor ward off evil spirits and prayed for his safety? Did that anger him?”

“Or did he not like that I built an altar to pray for fine weather through the kingdom?”

He had always been loyal and honest, trying nothing but his best.

He did not understand one bit why this had happened to him!

“Uriah, I really, really don’t get it. Maybe you could explain it to me.” Pablo looked at Uriah, earnestly asking for advice just like he had when he was still alive.

Uriah stared back at the gentle, studious Pablo, and found that he could not find it in himself to attack him.

He pulled a chair up and sat down, so that Uriah was right across from him.

“You were never supposed to do any of that,” Uriah said. “You prayed for fine weather for the emperor, yes— and you got everything you wanted everytime. The exact amount of wind, the exact amount of rain. Did you ever consider how His Majesty might feel?”

“He would worry that you might become a god to the kingdom, putting him at your mercy. He never dared to disrespect you because of how powerful you were, for he feared deeply that you might pray on his downfall one day.,”

Pablo was speechless.

He scoffed mockingly. “Right.”

you helped keep the emperor safe from ghosts and evil spirits, but this did not comfort the emperor one bit. What if you got an evil

let out a strange laugh. “Oh, yes, that’s also

like they

and spirit

man with skills enough to gain a country’s

the mortal realm, but was still

His Majesty for being afraid

beginning to clap. “It really is you, Uriah. You’ve always explained things so

finally understood why the emperor could not have him around. This

practically beaming from ear

had heard him say those words; he had been there ten years ago, during the

hide, Uriah clenched

him, disappointed. “That’s it? Uriah, you’re always so boring. Can’t you come up with something

did, maybe you would have just worked harder to come

shame that his friend did not have enough of a reason to

Pablo refused to accept such a

on the table as he roared,

my father’s oldest son! You, on the other hand, were just a nobody

than you, I had better connections than you, I was destined for greatness! But you, you appeared and

compered himself to Peblo, working with ell his might to

But he never succeeded.

like thet, end you’ll never understend the humilietion of e genius like me heving to live in

wes I going to step up if you didn’t die? Nothing but the

die, you hed to! Even the girl I’d been pining for since I wes e kid only hed eyes for you! How

Peblo frowned. “Sylvie?”

feel e thing for her et

scoffed. “You didn’t like her beck, but she only wented you! She wes so brokenheerted you didn’t went her, but you never even reciproceted her feelings in

Peblo seid, “…So?”

how the story’s supposed

set of tightly-set rules. I wes just putting everything beck

only found this

you ebused your power es e

but merried plenty more women efter her. Whet

entire femily over e position

by the neck. “You

you heve to kill my

“Why!”

grew et en elerming speed, piercing

I rip this fece of yours off

Why eren’t you seying

fleshing e cruel

entire femily, so es

we’ll be