1.
It had been two weeks since I introduced my family to Raviel. A lot had happened since then. We met with the emperor and made several secret treaties between the empire and the Tower. However, putting aside this turbulent history—
I first did what I had to do.
Because I still had an epilogue to complete.
"Shiny."
[Shiny replies, Yes, warrior.]
In Raviel's and my bedroom, a sword rested on the large bed.
"Eat up."
The thing that had once torn away my lover's heart.
The sword that locked up this world in an eternal 10-day cycle.
The Prayer Sword.
My Holy Sword spat out white light toward that wicked thing.
[The Guardian Goddess absorbs a piece of herself.]
White light touched the Prayer Sword. Shake! Immediately, a red aura arose from the Prayer Sword. The bloody red mist shot out from the blade like it was trying to fight back the white light that threatened to devour it.
[The Prayer Sword is horrified.]
[The Idol Sword tries to persuade her sister.]
The white light and red fog tussled. However, the mist was a little thicker. As the red was about to overpower the white, another color spilled out of the Holy Sword.
[The Compassion Sword also tries to persuade her sister.]
Black wastewater. The second fragment of the Holy Sword that I collected joined the fight.
The tables turned. The white light swallowed the mist, as did the black water. The red mist was overtaken in an instant.
[The Prayer Sword is shocked by the betrayal of her sisters.]
[The Prayer Sword says that she cannot serve a master other than Lefanta Aegim.]
I opened my mouth.
"Do you know why Lefanta Aegim is killing Constellations?"
The red mist paused.
The mist did not have eyes, but I felt like we were facing off as I stared at the mist. There was a cool tension between us.
"At first, I didn't get it at all. I only understood after my experiences in this world. Those who are called Constellations try to invade and take over other worlds and rule those places depending on their personal preferences with no consideration to the natives' opinions."
His method was different, but it was the same for the [Corner Librarian].
The Librarian didn't wish to rule the world but to observe the characters.
He designated the people who were living their lives as [characters]. He was a voyeur to their stories. And, same as the other Constellations, the Librarian watched over the worlds to suit his taste.
In a word—
"It's public harm."
It was violence.
"Lefanta Aegim was once an emperor. He must have thought deeply. 'Rather than coveting the Constellations' powers, I would rather kill them.' I think that was his plan. This world probably had a Constellation too, but Lefanta Aegim killed them."
[...]
"But your original wielder made a mistake."
I drew the tip of the sword.
"When a Constellation dies in a world, another is born. Look at it! On the continent where the 'Guardian Goddess' was sealed, the 'Devil King of Fall Rain' appeared. In this world, the 'Silver-Plated Heart' arose. Frankly, your master isn't solving problems. He's causing bigger ones!"
[Lefanta Aegim is…]
"If I'm wrong, tell me no."
The sword wrapped in the scarlet mist was silent.
"Maybe I don't have as much experience as your master. Sure. Your master may have suffered a great deal, known a lot more than me, and, after much thought and effort, taken on the work of being the Constellation Killer. But I can tell you something for certain."
I spoke sincerely.
"If you've done something wrong, you need to take responsibility for it until the end."
[...]
"There's a world that was put into an eternal winter because your master deigned to kill a Constellation. The people of that world were dishonored as they became moving corpses… Even if Lefanta Aegim acted with noble intentions, that can't be forgiven. Take responsibility."
Then.
The red mist accumulated in one place. After a while, the mist took on a human shape.
A child whose whole body was stained with blood.
[My name is Prayer.]
The sword in the form of a red child opened her mouth.
[My original role is to listen to people's prayers.]
[Lefanta Aegim had made a wish. 'I will kill all the Constellations so that nobody will ever be manipulated by them again.' His prayer is noble. It is significant. It is immense. So I entrusted my existence to Lefanta Aegim.]
[What prayer do you have, human?]
I looked down at the child.
"To not run away from anything."
Then, I continued, "I won't turn away from what happens before me. I won't make excuses. I'll take responsibility for what I say and do. I won't look over things that are wrong and claim that's just how the world works. As long as I live and my sword can cut."
[Ah…]
The red child looked up into the air.
[The road to hell is always paved with good intentions.]
[All I can do is bless your good intentions and join you in hell.]
It was a deep lament.
[My ability is to test.]
[Those whose hearts are pierced by me will be tested on their wishes. Were their wishes sincere? Would they sacrifice everything for their wish?]
[My cursed ability is to make others give up their wishes.]
The child became a red mist again and dissipated.
[Our new master.]
[May you prosper in hell for eternity.]
Srrk—
The mist was sucked into the Holy Sword.
[The existence of the Guardian Goddess has become more pronounced.]
Finally, I exhaled the breath I was holding.
"Hoo."
With this, I was pretty much done with what I had to do before moving to the next stage. The empire and the Tower still had much to discuss, but… That was in the realm of politics. My wife was more active in this area than I was.[1]
"Is it over?"
When I came out of the bedroom, Raviel was waiting at the door. One of her maids was accompanying her.
"Yes, Raviel. It's all done. No Constellations or fragments can bother this world anymore, at least not for a while."
"Three apostles allied to attack us, but they failed miserably. Don't worry. Not even fools will invade here after seeing your work."
"..."
The maid standing next to Raviel made an unpleasant expression. It was natural. The maid who was accompanying Raviel was none other than the Lady of the Golden Silk, one of the invaders.
"…It sounds like you're saying this for me to hear, Your Excellency. Am I mistaken?" muttered the Lady of the Golden Silk. To the others, she was the [young lady who was possessed by a cunning devil and attacked this world with a hammer]. She was made out to be a victim, not a perpetrator.
However, the rumor that she had been possessed by a devil tarnished her honor, so she ended up serving Raviel to cleanse her name for the time being. It must have been painful for the Lady of the Golden Silk, who wanted to marry the prince, to act this way.
Well, the Lady of the Golden Silk also seemed to be seriously contemplating marriage now.
"Your ears are sharp. I did speak for you to hear. Continue regretting your foolishness. Once you've repented enough, I will use my connections with the church to restore your reputation. Until then, keep your mouth shut and work for us."
"Ugh…"
The Lady of the Golden Silk, wearing a maid uniform, bit her lip. I felt sorry, but she could never rebel against us. She would immediately disappear if I stopped using the [Hundred Ghosts Reincarnation].
"..."
This was the ending I reached.
Looking at the scene, I slowly opened my mouth.
"I'm going to the next stage now, Raviel."
"Mm. I guess you must."
Raviel's eyes met mine.
"I would like to follow you to visit another world, but the empire needs me. Just as I have my work, you have your own. Do as you will, Gongja, and come back to me. If you feel tired and want to be comforted, come back anytime. I'll be here."
"Yes. But…"
After thinking a bit, I spoke.
"Uh, the 20th floor of the Tower is my land. I want to build a house for the two of us there. That is, if you want it, Raviel."
"Oho? Indeed. Will that become our family home in the future? In a new home, instead of being the Duchess of Ivansia, I can just be your companion."
Raviel smiled.
She read my mind like it was natural.
"I'll look forward to it."
Raviel took out a handkerchief from her bosom. A silver thread was embroidered over the white cloth. She opened my hand and softly put the handkerchief in it.
This was…
"This is the handkerchief I usually carry with me. My perfume has been placed on it semi-permanently using the power of magic."
"Perfume?"
"It's that one."
Raviel stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear.
"The lily scent I used when you first fell for me."
"..."
"Whenever you try to calm yourself, you touch the hilt of your dagger. It's a horrid habit. Stop it. Instead, whenever you're upset, smell the scent on my handkerchief."
Aaah.
"Gongja. Staying as you are shouldn't be an unhappy thing. It isn't painful. I wish it wasn't. Your love and memories of me. I want happiness to help you stay yourself. Will you grant my wish?"
"…Yes."
I swallowed the swelling, choking feeling in my heart.
"Yes. I promise I will, Raviel."
"I love you."
"I love you."
My lips met with Raviel's. I hoped this moment would last forever. But soon, our shadows parted ways.
"—Transmit," I said.
Light covered my sight.
2.
When I next blinked, I was already in the Grand Library.
I saw the Hunters who had been waiting for me, having returned to the library in advance.
"Come here, Death King."
Their representative, the Black Dragon Master, opened her mouth. I could tell that her mood was off as soon as I saw her. Her words may have been friendly, but there was a crease in her eyebrows.
"Um. Is something wrong?"
"It would be nice if I could tell you nothing was wrong, but…"
The Black Dragon Master sighed.
"Yeah. Something happened. It's quite serious, too."
Then again, something was weird here. Only top rankers were around, including the Black Dragon Master. Normally, other Hunters like the Alchemist would be around.
"Wait a moment. Where are the other Hunters?"
"They were shooed away because there's something we need to talk about between us. What we say now is of a secretive nature. Well, our conversation will also be broadcast live to the Tower, but…"
The Black Dragon Master's voice grew quieter and quieter. Ominously.
"Just what in the world is going on?"
"Aha."
The person who answered was not the Black Dragon Master but the Heretic Questioner. He had taken off the dress he wore on the last stage and was wearing his normal priest garbs.
"To sum it up quickly, it's like this. Death King! You've been too successful!"
"What?"
"Think about it. In [The Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon], you showed off your humble and noble side toward your master! Your appreciation of the martial arts and devotion to your sect members made countless Hunters' hearts thump. After [The Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon] was cleared, thousands of martial artists from the outside world entered the Tower every day for a while!"
The Crusader took over and said, "Someone spread the live broadcast in the Tower to the outside world. Well, we actually allowed it to happen. Death King, your success is fantastic for advertising. There was no reason to refuse."
"But even so." The Count held her fan. "We may have been just a tad bit too easygoing."
"Too easygoing…?" I asked.
"Your character. No, the impact of your status as an [icon]."
What the heck? I looked at my colleagues, unable to understand their logic. Everyone looked so serious. The Heretic Questioner, who was always smiling even in serious situations, responded:
"113,654 people."
"What?"
"That's the number of people who entered our Tower yesterday alone!"
"..."
I couldn't understand the Heretic Questioner's words.
After a while, I realized that he said 'yesterday alone.'
"Yesterday, in just one day?"
"Yes! About that many people enter the Tower when there is war outside or a country is destroyed. But no wars have occurred recently except for small-scale, local battles! Ahaha. No country fell, either! Even though it was [peaceful], the amount of entries to the Tower increased!"
"This is a flyer from the outside world."
The Count handed me a flyer.
My face was painted like a presidential election poster.
Below it, the following sentences were written.
+
The King of Death shall be our king!
Head over to Utopia!
+
I slowly opened my mouth.
"The King of Death can't be…?"
"Of course, it's your title. It's referring to Death King. This sort of flyer is being distributed in countless areas. Just so you don't misunderstand, we're definitely not behind this. People from the outside world are making these on their own."
"..."
I didn't know how to react.
"I don't know if you've guessed it from the flyer, but…"
The Crusader smiled wryly.
"These days, flyers are rarely used for advertisement. You understand, Death King? You only use flyers when you want to reach people who don't use the internet."
"…What do you mean?"
"People who live in areas without good internet access. Poor people in poor countries. Areas of conflict. War zones. A myriad of poor people and refugees are entering the tower. They're flocking to the Tower of Babel, abandoning their [countries] and [citizenship], leaving behind their [lives] in the outside world."
Like we had done, the Crusader said.
"Hmm."
The Venomous Snake crossed his arms.
"Those people. They're wearing black hats and shirts as they enter the Tower. Saying that they want to enter the Demonic Sect… To be more precise, they just saw you and came in."
"It's not just the poor and the refugees," said the Black Dragon Master.
"People with great assets came in as well. Scientists, sociologists, and professors who come along, saying [I will help create a new society in the Tower]."
"Kim Gongja."
The masters of the great guilds looked at me.
"You didn't just conquer the stages. Not from the outside world's perspective. People everywhere want a hero. The courage to face challenges. Respect for humans. A commitment to love. As it goes, nothing excites people more than a virtuous hero who puts his life at stake."
The Black Dragon Master pulled out her smartphone and showed me her screen.
"You have become our banner."
On the screen was the hologram that always floated at the center square in Babylon.
+
Rank 1. Sword Saint
Rank 2. Death King
Rank 3. Black Dragon Master
Rank 4. Heretic Questioner
Rank 5. Count
Rank 6. Venomous Snake
Rank 7. Babel's Linguist
Rank 8. Kwangyeok Messenger
Rank 9. Crusader
+
Second place in the Hunter rankings.
That was the new position the Tower put me at.
My heart was beating like crazy.
"Death King."
The Black Dragon Master took back her phone and looked straight at me. She was serious. More than ever before.
"Are you ready to become our king?"