Ch.7Chapter 7 – Seeing Stones as Gold (3)

“The Phantom Divine Thief, have you heard of Ho-hwan?”

The reason I knew where the Philosopher’s Stone was located was because I had created the backstory for one of the characters in my novel <Diamond Fist King>.

A legendary figure known as the god of thievery who could hide even his shadow, and who was said to take the form of a tiger through illusions.

“…First time hearing about him. Is he from the East?”

“Yes, simply put, he’s the world’s greatest thief. There’s a cave called the Divine Thief’s Hidden Cave where he hid all his stolen treasures.”

I thought of the god of thievery as a regular character that appears in almost every martial arts novel, which is why I included him in my novel.

I asked Wolfram to take out the map, then tapped my finger on a mountain range to the east.

“Right here. In the middle of this mountain range… there’s a cave hidden behind a waterfall, and if you walk across the ceiling, you’ll find another space.”

“That sounds exactly like a treasure vault!”

Wolfram clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. I nodded as I watched her reaction.

The Divine Thief’s Hidden Cave was a place filled with various elixirs, martial arts manuals, strange animals from the West, and treasures.

‘I ate every elixir there that was supposed to help with the Severed Nine Yin.’

I smiled bitterly as I recalled the past.

Even after consuming all the remedies commonly found in martial arts novels, my body showed no signs of healing.

No matter how much I consumed, my condition only improved slightly, without providing a fundamental solution.

“Earlier, when you looked at my body, you said my blood vessels were blocked by something other than ice fragments, right?”

“Huh? Yeah. How should I put it? It’s like a substance that doesn’t seem to belong in this world? That sounds strange even as I say it!”

I looked at Wolfram and ran my palm across my face. If she, a renowned alchemist and magician, couldn’t identify the substance blocking my body…

“…Could it possibly be from another world?”

This was the only possibility.

I suspected it might be related to the Outer Gods, a concept from <I was Possessed In Idle Game>.

After all, Azazel Blackheart, who was like a third daughter to me and a saintess of the Outer Gods, had also fallen after making a contract with them.

“No way, you mean those Outer Gods that only exist in rumors? If that were true, I would have died in your presence long ago.”

“……”

She’s right, actually.

The reason I’m trying to find Verdandi now is because I’ve determined she’s essential to saving Azazel.

“So what’s your source for this information? It’s reliable, right?”

“I can’t tell you the source, but I guarantee it’s true. I stake my title on it.”

Since the source of the information was inside my head, I couldn’t tell Wolfram who I’d heard it from.

Originally, this information was supposed to be discovered by Kim Hyul, the protagonist of the original work, through the Hao Sect after the Divine Thief’s death.

“Hmm, to be honest, I find it hard to believe. Getting information about the Philosopher’s Stone this easily?”

“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. I trust people who question everything, even themselves, more than those who blindly believe the words of someone they’ve just met.”

I shared my usual philosophy with Wolfram. I wrote the novel <I Need To Kill The Hero> because I couldn’t understand the common clichés in hero summoning stories.

I simply disliked prologues that start with “Hello, I’m a god!” and stories that begin by killing an innocent person while saying “I’m the tutorial fairy!”

“Is that why you don’t believe in oracles either? Even though they’re the words of the main deity that most people on the continent believe in?”

When I showed a rather friendly attitude toward Wolfram, she tried to ask about my reason for blasphemy that I had mentioned earlier.

She must have cast a spell to dispel her drunkenness, as the scent of wine no longer emanated from her body.

“Whether it’s a main deity or a minor god, I don’t trust anyone who gives power indiscriminately. I believe that power always comes with responsibility.”

To Wolfram, who appeared quite serious, I quoted what could be considered a fundamental line from superhero stories.

The famous quote from the spider hero about great power coming with great responsibility. I’d always wanted to say it at least once.

“Master’s teachings, I, Bi-wol, write them down character by character with brush and ink every night!”

Bi-wol clenched both fists as she spoke. Unlike Wolfram, she seemed proud just to know this fact.

“I told you that’s not necessary.”

“However, even the Analects of Confucius were compiled by disciples recording his words. I believe this is essential for your teachings to be passed down to future generations.”

Despite my advice to stop, Bi-wol’s loyalty to me was almost overwhelmingly intense.

Many of the things I said were mixed with quotes from novels, books, dramas, or movies I had read in the past.

A writer’s input (consuming other works for information) wasn’t limited to just writing, after all.

“Bi-wol… My words often include sayings from ancient sages. Future generations might point fingers at me.”

I hung my head in embarrassment. Although I was somewhat eloquent, I feared having my words recorded and evaluated by future generations.

I was already a failed writer. It would be strange to think that someone like me could gain people’s love through writing.

“Then I shall break all those fingers. How could the fingers of ignorant people shame the sun in the sky?”

Bi-wol said as she unfolded my clenched fist and began unwrapping the bandages wound around my hand.

Like a child unwrapping a gift, Bi-wol, with her eyes wide open, held my index finger with both hands.

“If you fear people pointing fingers at you, Master, I will… embrace you like this. I will turn even bad memories into good ones.”

Her small, rose-pink lips drew closer to my index finger, and soon I felt a soft, moist sensation.

Lick, slurp, smooch.

Bi-wol was gently sucking on my index finger like a baby. The wet sound of tongue and saliva mixing echoed throughout the carriage.

“Bi-wol, what are you doing…!”

Puhaah, she exhaled hot breath, then continued licking and sucking.

“Why are you so surprised?”

Bi-wol’s breath, tongue, saliva, and the strange sensation tinged with twisted emotions traveled up my finger.

“I’m simply treating your injured finger, like how an animal mother licks her offspring’s wounds.”

I tried to wave my hand and pull my arm back, but Bi-wol gripped my finger tightly with a squeeze.

She acted as if nothing was wrong, making my finger slick with her saliva while suggesting that my reaction was the strange one.

“It’s done now. This is a scar you got while protecting me in the past, isn’t it?”

Bi-wol said, opening her mouth wide to show me. As she said, my body and fists were covered with scars from various training sessions and fights.

“Although I was the one being saved… I clearly remember how you sacrificed yourself for me.”

Bi-wol spoke with her head lowered. According to what I had written, she was sensitive to blood and violence.

“You suffered deep wounds on your shoulders, back, hands, arms, and even your neck.”

“……”

“I’ve always wanted to lick away all those scars, but thinking you might dislike it, I indulged in this small desire instead.”

I couldn’t speak. Bi-wol remembered all the places where I had been injured back then.

I had thought she was just an innocent child, but it seemed she had been feeling guilty toward me all this time.

“Please don’t mind what others say. Think of it all as the petty jealousy of those who don’t understand your greatness.”

Bi-wol said as she carefully put down my hand. She bowed her head as if making a formal greeting.

“But isn’t this too much? I didn’t save you expecting this in return.”

I couldn’t help but say something to Bi-wol. Right now, the Tower Master was covering her mouth with her hand, looking shocked.

“My, so openly… You really are a sinful man. How entertaining!”

She even slapped her surroundings with her palms, like a viewer watching an affair scene in a morning drama.

I hadn’t expected Bi-wol to act like this either. Although she had shown obsessive behavior toward me before, she had never been this blatant.

‘Could it be that she’s jealous because of the Tower Master?’

That was the only thing I could guess. I rested my chin on my hand, deep in thought. The moist sensation on my index finger still lingered.

If she was jealous of Tower Master Wolfram, who showed mature qualities compared to Bi-wol who hadn’t yet come of age…

It was entirely possible.

“Didn’t you say that wounds of the heart, invisible to others and known only to oneself, must eventually be treated with medicine?”

“I did say that, but…”

That was something I had told Bi-wol when she was depressed about her friends dying because of her.

“I simply saw the wound in your heart from what you just said and wanted to treat it. Even though I have neither golden wound medicine nor those precious elixirs.”

Having learned under me, she now seemed determined not to lose to me even in conversation.

She spoke calmly yet with pointed words. She left me no opening to exploit, similar to a debate.

“Still, when something like this happens, use words instead of actions. Won’t others see me as a master teaching strange behaviors to his disciple?”

When I tried to refute Bi-wol’s argument with proper reasoning,

“You said you prefer those who change through actions rather than words, so that’s what I did.”

She countered by using my own words against me again.

“Now you’re trying to outsmart your master.”

“There’s a saying that the student surpasses the teacher. I want to exceed you in all aspects someday.”

She counterattacked again with a smiling face.

“All aspects? What does that mean?”

“Of course, it means exactly what it says—everything. I want to make you unable to live without me. To look only at me, desire only me, only me…”

As Bi-wol swallowed her saliva while speaking, I felt goosebumps all over my body. My body automatically took a defensive stance even though she wasn’t emitting any killing intent.

“Ahem, ahem. Why don’t you two continue this master-disciple fight when you get home? I’m still here, you know.”

At that moment, Wolfram cleared her throat and stopped Bi-wol. Seeing that she had taken out her staff, the situation must have been quite serious.

“We’re approaching Wonderhill Village now. It’s better to prepare rather than fool around.”

As she said, houses were beginning to appear in the surrounding landscape. Smoke rose from chimneys, and signs of human presence were becoming visible.

“As you said, I’ve dispelled my drunkenness and wrapped several layers of defensive magic around my body. This should be enough to avoid death when meeting the hero, right?”

“Well, if you’re not evil, then yes.”

I said to the slightly trembling Tower Master. Even I wasn’t certain whether she would die or live according to the original storyline.

I could only hope that the hero’s sense of justice hadn’t been distorted yet.

* * *

However,

Contrary to Bing-yeon’s expectations as he approached her in the carriage.

“I heard the voice of the deity! They called me ‘the Hero of Justice’!”

“…Ve-Verdandi?”

“The fact that I received such an oracle suggests that you, Mother, must be evil!”

At this moment, Verdandi Astraia was holding a kitchen knife to her mother’s throat.