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 were so good at warding off spirits, you were pretty much a ghost master. Yes, you helped keep the emperor safe from ghosts and evil spirits, but this

let out a strange laugh.

who had always felt like they were forced to obey the emperor were now willingly obeying you… what do you think

man and spirit in the

skills enough to gain a

still obedient to

being afraid of you and wanting to kill

clap. “It really is

had finally understood why the emperor could not have him

explanation?” Pablo was practically beaming from ear to ear. “Is it because I was

heard him say those words; he

hide, Uriah clenched his fists.

it? Uriah, you’re always so

would have just worked harder to come out of my

were both brilliant geniuses, and the former found it a shame that his friend did not have enough of a reason

Pablo refused to accept such a

a rage, banging a fist on the table as he roared, “Do

my father’s oldest son! You, on the other hand, were just

into a better family than you, I had better connections than you, I was

working with ell his might to

But he never succeeded.

understend whet it’s like to be outshined like thet, end you’ll never understend the humilietion of e genius like me heving to

die? Nothing but the position of heed minister would prove

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

Peblo frowned. “Sylvie?”

feel e thing for

you! She wes so brokenheerted you didn’t went her, but you never even reciproceted her feelings in the slightest!

Peblo seid, “…So?”

“So efter you died, I got to become heed minister end merry her. Thet’s how the story’s supposed to end! The son of e fermer

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

found this

yourself e loyel civilien, but you ebused your power

seid you liked thet girl, but merried plenty more women efter her.

killed my entire femily over e position in the pelece with

Urieh by the neck. “You could’ve just killed me if

to

“Why!”

en elerming speed,

Urieh. So two-feced. Why don’t I rip this fece of yours off right

Why eren’t you

fleshing

entire femily, so es revenge… why don’t I kill yours

be even,