#1263 Lord of the Forbidden Land 

I’ve been busy lately with the Farm Kingdom and raising kids. 

Every now and then, though, I find a rare break in the schedule.  
And when I’m just zoning out under the eaves of the house... 

“Lord Saint, Lord Saint.” 

It's Sensei, the Lifeless King, paying me a visit. 

Hey there, Sensei.  
It’s been a while since we’ve had a calm little chat like this. 

The kids are napping right now, so why don’t we enjoy some tea and just relax? 

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about an exam.” 

An exam?  
That’s sudden. 
Ah, could it be your students at Farm School? 

That’s happened before.  
I remember watching one of those exams, and the content was so insane that I nearly lost it even as a spectator.  
I can’t imagine what kind of trial the current crop of students are about to face. 

“No, no, the one taking the exam is me.” 

Huh... Huh? 

Sensei himself?! 

The Lifeless King, undead monarch, over a thousand years old, taking an exam?! 
How in the world did it come to this?! 

“The talk’s been around for some time now...” 
“We were the ones who did propose it, aye.” 

Whaaat?!  
A new character just jumped in?! 

You’re...! Hermes, the messenger god of the heavens! 

It's you again?!  
Whenever something weird happens, nine times out of ten you’re behind it somehow! 

“Cease! Treat me not as some base trickster!” 

...Whoa. 
Why’s he snapping now?  
This god’s sense of timing for getting mad is impossible to read. 

“I descend as herald of all the gods this time. I come to deliver unto this immortal king a proposal.” 

A proposal?  
For Sensei? What kind? 

“It’s been debated for a while now. The fact is, this Lifeless King calls upon the gods far too easily.” 
“Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho...” 
“Come now, laugh it not away—such a trick gets thee nowhere with me.” 

Well, that’s true. 
Sensei can summon deities with his overwhelming undead power. 

He makes it look so effortless that people forget how absurdly impossible it really is. 
Even if you gathered a thousand top-class human mages, it still couldn’t be done. 

Not enough magical energy, no way to control the delicate flow, and besides, only a being who’s shed humanity’s shackles and set one foot into the spirit realm—like a Lifeless King—could send their voice all the way to the realm of the gods. 

Sensei himself is already a mystical existence, with skills and power far beyond mortal limits. That’s why this unnatural feat is possible. 

I’d heard once that in the Demon Kingdom, they tried a ritual to summon elder spirits, the “lower-tier equivalents” of gods. Even then it took dozens of the most elite demon sorcerers working together. 
Compared to that, what Sensei does is downright beyond human. 

Hermes explains further: 

“Long ago, the gods passed freely betwixt heaven and earth. Yet at a certain time it was forbidden, by covenant amongst the gods.” 

And why was that? 

“Perchance because we gods were far too wanton. Should one espy a fair maid, he would descend to sport with her... and lo, when a child was born, the goddess’ jealousy did wreak misery upon the innocent soul and turmoil upon the folk roundabout.” 

Wasn't that more like the handiwork of one very specific god? 

“Forsooth, the revels of a certain sire grew so excessive that heaven, earth, and sea convened. Thus was it agreed no god should set foot upon the mortal realm. That father of mine offered little protest, mayhap thinking he might slip unseen. Yet Lady Gaia herself laid a grievous ban, such that descend we could no more.” 
“Pretty careless of him, eh.” 

So, the whole rule was written to keep that guy out, and yet he still went along with it. 

“From that day forth, not only that father of mine but also the gods of sea and underworld were barred from earth. Only I was granted leave, for as messenger I must pass betwixt the realms.” 

So says Hermes. 

But recently, something...or someone has made that whole restriction meaningless. 
That’s right, it’s Sensei. 

“By the immortal king’s summons, gods may now descend again. A loophole, if thou wilt. For gods must watch over mortals, and at times lend aid. Thus, the system endured, that if mankind truly yearned, we might yet be called. Albeit ’tis no simple thing.” 

And so, the gods can only appear on earth if Sensei summons them.  
But even if it’s a loophole, it’s still breaking the spirit of the rules. 

And loopholes eventually need to get closed. 

“Thus hath Sensei’s existence long stirred debate amongst the gods.” 
“Oh, to think my little hobby has caused such trouble. How embarrassing.” 
“Nay!” 

Hermes waves his hands, rushing to reassure him. 

“We blame thee not! We gods ourselves did seize upon the loophole, delighting in our return to the mortal sphere. ...Yet still, such merriment may not endure forever.” 

It does feel a bit late to be saying that now, but I guess even gods have their own struggles. 

Every time they were summoned, they seemed to have the time of their lives. 
Mostly by feasting on the farm’s cooking, of course. 

Well, as long as they weren’t doing it for something sinister, like Zeus used to, I didn’t mind either. 
But yeah, I get that it couldn’t last. 

“Aye, to dwell over close with mortals breedeth troubles of its own. Though our time on earth hath been wondrous merry, the consensus of the gods is that it must soon end.” 

I see. 
For us, it’s just gotten livelier lately, with Hades and Poseidon popping up more often. Thinking we won’t see them anymore... that’s surprisingly sad. 

But then, how exactly do you stop the summoning? 

“The system of summoning must remain. For who knoweth when mankind shall sorely need divine aid? That was ever its purpose.” 

A fair point. 
So if the system stays, but they want to stop this easy, casual god-hopping... 

“Yes, that means the one who must change is me,” says Sensei. “It’s only because of my ability that gods can be summoned so casually. No one else in existence could manage this.” 
“Exactly. Nowadays, thou can even summon deities from other realms. Thou hath become frighteningly powerful.” 

In the end, the problem all circles back to Sensei. 

...Hold up. Does this mean they’re planning to do something to him?! 
That can’t be...?! 

“Assure thyself, for we plot not the dire fate thou dost imagine.” 
“Your concern is most kind.” 

Really? 
Coming from the gods, I can’t say I fully trust that. 

You really won’t do anything shady to Sensei? 
If so, then I can breathe easy. 

“Verily, we gods possess some measure of good sense. Though a few of us have sullied our name, never would we wrong the ever-wise and virtuous Sensei.” 

Yeah... that’s true. 
Bad reputations spread fast, and a few bad apples can taint the whole bunch. What an awful world this is. 

But then, what exactly are they going to do? 
The whole issue is that Sensei himself is the summoner.  
And yet they claim they’re not going to hurt him. 

What’s their plan gonna be, then? 

“Mm, the proposal we bring is this:” begins Hermes. “We would welcome Sensei as a new deity.”