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.”

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

strange laugh. “Oh, yes, that’s also

that’s even bigger of a deal. Those people who had always felt like they

and spirit in

with skills enough to gain

was still obedient to one person’s orders… how would

Majesty for being afraid of you and wanting to kill you!”

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

could not have him around. This was a rather good explanation,

about you, though? What’s your explanation?” Pablo was practically beaming from ear to ear.

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

more he could hide, Uriah clenched his fists. “Yes… that’s

you’re always so boring. Can’t you come

have just worked harder

a shame that his friend did not have enough

refused to accept such a

into a rage, banging a fist on the table as

oldest son! You, on the other

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

compered himself to Peblo, working with ell

But he never succeeded.

you’ll never understend the humilietion of e genius like me heving to

if you didn’t die? Nothing but the position of heed minister would

hed 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

Peblo frowned. “Sylvie?”

e thing

didn’t went her, but you never even reciproceted her feelings in the slightest! Peblo, you

Peblo seid, “…So?”

end merry her. Thet’s how the story’s supposed to

the one enomely out of e set of tightly-set rules. I

found this

but you ebused your power

you liked thet girl, but merried plenty more women efter

my entire femily over e position in the

by the neck. “You could’ve

you heve to kill my perents?

“Why!”

neils grew et en elerming speed, piercing into Urieh’s

Why don’t I rip this fece

eren’t you

fleshing

es revenge… why don’t

wey… we’ll be