4.
Thus, reassured by the fact that my reliable comrades were guarding the rear, I was ready to ascend the tower again—- I would like to say.
But there was still work left to do around the 1st floor.
"Where are you going? There are hundreds, thousands of interviews that have been put off. It was already a burden being cautious of the press, but this is a good opportunity. Let's settle this now."
From Anastasia's gaze, it seemed like there was quite a bit of work remaining.
"And there's this too, Kim Gong-ja. There's going to be the first marriage between our hunters and the Goblins."
"What!?"
"Yes, I had the same expression when I first heard the news. It seems too fast, but it's certainly something to celebrate, right? The wedding hasn't happened yet. Since you are the oldest friend and a god to the Goblins, go and give them your blessings. ...Wait, just a moment! Wait! Interviews come first! Hey! Kim Gong-ja! You bastard!"
I rushed over to congratulate them.
The Goblins have a unique marriage culture. Each partner rakes out their own hearth at home, and transfers the burning embers to a lantern. At the wedding, they combine the flames they each brought into one.
Guests also bring empty lanterns to the ceremony. Once the couple's flames merge, the guests convey their congratulations and transfer some of the fire to their lanterns.
Guests then carry this newly kindled ember back to place in their own hearths. [It signifies that all guests vouch for the birth of the couple.] In homes without a hearth, they at least kindle a campfire.
It's a pretty spectacular wedding for the fire-worshipping and group-honoring Goblins… but naturally, there's a problem.
"We, we don't have a hearth at home! What do we do, Death King?"
The hunter from the couple looked gloomy.
That's right.
Our citizens, enjoying the pinnacle of modern, no, future civilization, naturally don't maintain hearths.
"Ugor. I don't obsess over such things. Isn't love enough?"
"Oh, my love! But I am interested in the customs of my love's people too! Surely a good idea will come to us if we press our foreheads together!"
"My love...! Your heart is more delicate than the dew-dropped flowers at dawn!"
Hmm.
Indeed.
Only a couple this much in love would be the first among their races to marry. Yes, that's right….
"Aha. This is a fine moment indeed."
I felt the sweetness gushing from my stomach, refluxing up to my throat, but I forced a smile.
"Gasp! I've shown something I shouldn't have in front of the great Kerkke, Ugor! Please be understanding!"
"It's okay. It's only right that I, who came uninvited to the couple's home, should endure this."
"That's right. That's why I told you to be understanding."
"...So that's how it is, huh."
Like Uburka and my children really lack the grace in treating a god.
"Being the first of its kind, this marriage is bound to attract a lot of attention. The major guilds are even planning to promote this as a harmony between races. But that might make you uncomfortable, right?"
"Ugor? Is that so?"
The Goblin tilted his head, but the hunter next to him cautiously nodded.
It's just cultural differences. I knew it. It was good that I came running.
"I'll make sure to keep the journalists away from the wedding venue. Who needs miscellaneous people interfering in the sacred union of flames?"
I spoke as if I was talking to the Goblin, but first I reassured the hunter.
"And on this occasion, I'll set up a sacred flame right in the middle of the square."
"Ugor, a sacred flame…?"
"I'll personally use my aura to prepare the embers. I'll install a device like an Olympic torch relay stand in the square to keep my flame burning continuously."
I turned to look at the hunter.
"Then you can take the ember from there and bring it to the wedding. From the Goblin's point of view, it's as good as carrying a god's flame, more than enough. Of course, whether you respect the Goblin's marriage culture or not is entirely up to your agreement."
"Ah, um… Thank you for your consideration!"
The hunter bowed repeatedly, almost excessively.
I gave a bitter smile. After all, it was an issue I had to address sooner or later, so I actively jumped into it, but from that person's point of view, it was as if the number one ranked individual had stepped up for them.
Having someone immensely high-ranking block the media and set something up right in the middle of the most expensive square in Babylon was bound to be overwhelmingly burdensome.
'It reminds me of when I married Raviel….'
Back then, renowned nobles from across the empire had flocked to the ceremony.
Compared to Raviel, my social and class status was lower, so much so that I needed to be adopted as a foster child by the Chamberlain of the imperial court.
Even now, in the empire, it's more convenient to conduct official business under the title of [Duke Ivansia's wife] rather than [Lion World's number one ranked hunter]. Am I the only one? The Black Dragon Master and the Heretic Questioner also each have nominal noble titles.
That's the difference between worlds.
"This is all I can do for you."
In the end, it was my choice whether to see it as Raviel's consideration or accept it as my burden when Raviel used her power to call the Imperial Chamberlain and have him go through the adoption process.
I support the couple in front of me. If two people, transcending differences in status and even race, are involved, they will undoubtedly navigate their future wisely.
"I will prepare a etiquette that is impeccable from the Goblins' perspective and keep the media as quiet as possible. However, there will certainly be difficulties that you must face yourself."
"Ah, um… What about… the media? How will you handle that?"
"Well. It's simple."
I grinned broadly.
"If you throw them an even bigger scoop than an inter-racial marriage, that will be enough."
5.
「Shock! A New Race Encountered!」
From the day before the wedding, the media was ablaze.
「It's proven that sentient beings are living in a city on the 5th basement level!」
「A glamorous city was hidden on the 5th floor's basement, previously considered a normal hunting ground!?」
「An unexpected encounter. What are the entities of the underground city like?」
「Was the urban legend true?」
「It's said that it's darkest under the lamp, but this lamp's bottom is extremely strong!」
「Black Dragon Master, upon hearing the news, stated, 'It's shocking but I welcome them.' 」
The media really flared up.
"Die! Please just die, you crazy freak!"
As proof, Anastasia was currently barging into my lodging in real-time and choking me.
"Gah, can't breathe…!"
"I'm going crazy! Do you want to see me collapse from overwork and die!? As it is, my workload is like Everest, and you throw this massive event on top of it to ease your mind!?"
Anastasia was shaking my neck violently up, down, left, and right while holding it tightly.
This wasn't a joke. Anastasia's grip was filled with a dark aura. She was a hunter who wouldn't be outdone in aura by anyone, not even by me.
"Please, I'm dying… can't breathe, seriously… going to die…"
"Yes. Die. Just die. After all, you've died before anyway. Just die and go back to yesterday before this mess started and fix everything right now!"
"Help… help me…"
It wasn't until I was almost on the verge of departing this world that Anastasia finally let me go, gasping heavily as if sending me off to the afterlife.
"Haaa… Alright. I'll listen to your excuses. No, how did you even know there was an underground civilization on the 5th floor in the first place?"
I caught my breath and replied.
"Phew… Well, I met a Constellation called Mutia on the 62nd floor."
"Mutia?"
"Yes. Its formal alias is [The Ox that Harvests Ruins]. It has the ability to regress people, understanding what kind of lives they can lead and the various possibilities they hold."
The Black Dragon Master slightly furrowed her brows.
"What? ...That's cheating, isn't it?"
"Yep. A total cheat character. Anyway, this cheat had fought with me and pulled all sorts of tricks."
If the Flame Emperor had not obtained [The Returner's Clockwork Watch], it was a world that would have been established on such a hypothesis.
There, I had forged my future without being stripped of my life by Flame Emperor. By roaming relentlessly between the 2nd and 9th floors, I ultimately discovered a city hidden underground on the 5th floor, thanks to a combination of coincidence and luck.
"Mutia showed me my possibilities, which incidentally led me to discover the 5th floor's underground civilization. Now that I know about it, I might as well make use of it."
"...I understand the situation, but you should have blown this up later. At this rate, our guys might not be able to handle the work and will collapse."
"Um. Actually, that's part of what I was aiming for."
"Huh?"
Anastasia asked with a look of disbelief on her face.
But I was serious.
"The heads of the guilds, like us, fully trust each other now. But it's different for the guild members under us. They've been fighting tooth and nail for years; do you think they'll suddenly start cooperating and laughing together?"
"...That's…"
"Yes. For now, they'll restrain themselves from fighting, if only to keep an eye on us guild leaders. But this is a matter of emotions."
The top-ranked hunters had chosen the path of cooperation after countless stages of turmoil.
But it's different for ordinary guild members. They hadn't been actively involved in conquering stages past the 12th floor. [Sharing hardships together] was an experience they lacked.
"You're right, Anastasia. We're busy. As if we weren't busy enough, we've now encountered an underground civilization on the 5th floor. Now, no single guild can handle their tasks alone."
So, I deliberately created an experience.
"To avoid dying from overwork, the guilds must cooperate. Only by all guilds cooperating fully can these hellish tasks be completed.
"Oh my god…"
"Past conflicts? Old grudges? They're all fine. But just imagine having to pull an all-nighter for nine months to see the end of these tasks. Do you think the guild members don't want to sleep or go home? They'll have to cooperate, no question."
"You really are a devil…"
Anastasia had a horrified expression.
I just shrugged my shoulders.
"In essence, for the next few months, all the major guilds will operate as if they were [one company]."
"That's all well and good, but how are you going to alleviate our guys' stress?"
"There's an easy target for stress relief. Just reveal that I was the one who discovered the underground civilization. All guild members will unanimously condemn me, and it'll all end with me taking the heat."
"So you're the scapegoat…"
"Yes. After all, that's also a leader's responsibility. Besides, dropping crumbs for the guild members to pick up is also my role, as I'm the one conquering stages alone."
In a way, I am an object of love and hate for the members of the giant guilds.
They despise me because I significantly increase their workload, and they love me because they gain benefits from many stages thanks to me.
'If someone has to take the heat, it's better if I do it.'
Don't want to work? Then just quit the giant guild. Leaving behind numerous rights.
Even now, hunters who would gladly work like oxen are pleading just to be hired by the giant guilds.
Only hunters who can move relatively freely beyond the 11th floor are essentially members of the giant guilds.
We strictly regulate hunters' entries to minimize the shock they experience in other worlds, making it quite difficult for hunters from minor guilds to seize opportunities. There are hunters like [Alchemist] who have succeeded purely on their own skills.
"If the joke that you live longer the more you get criticized is true, Kim Gong-ja, you're going to live a very long time…"
"Not just a long life, but it seems I'm set to live forever."
"Huh?"
"I'll explain later."
I turned my head and looked at the laptop screen.
Articles enthralled by the discovery of the 5th-floor underground civilization scrolled by.
Among the flood of summer articles, there was one small, modest article floating:
「The first marriage between a Babylonian and a Goblin takes place! A modest but beautiful ceremony. The citizens bless....」
I smiled and closed the laptop.