Chapter 102: After the Cataclysm (2)

“What’s going on? Why did you stop?”

As I froze at the entrance, locking eyes with Dua, Wald’s face popped out beside me.

“Are you kidding me? Isn’t that the Small Queen, Dua, the guild leader of the Nokjukdan Guild?”

Wald’s eyes widened as he took in the scene inside the Adventurer’s Guild building.

“…Nokjukdan? Small Queen?”

What are those weird names?

Is that the name of Dua’s guild and her title?

“Have you seriously never heard of them? Since the appearance of Rudera’s Second World, they’ve climbed more floors than anyone else. They’re hands down the strongest guild in this world!”

Is that the kind of guild they are?

I had been too busy dealing with the aftermath of the Cataclysm to properly check the community, so this was my first time hearing about them.

“And that woman over there, the one who’s being tossed in the air? She’s none other than Dua, the leader of that guild.”

Wald pointed a finger at Dua, who was trying to stop the guild members from tossing her into the air.

“When she first founded the guild, people underestimated her because of her weak appearance. But then, with her unbelievable mercenary skills and incredible magic control, she became the strongest mage and the strongest guild leader at the same time.”

…All this happened while I was too busy to hang out with Dua.

I feel guilty for not giving her more attention.

“Why are you acting shy, Guild Leader?”

“Stop! Put me down!”

“Hahaha! Come on, put her down! No matter how many Minotaurs she’s crushed on her own, she’s still just a young girl at heart!”

“Hahahahaha!”

So, those are Dua’s guild members.

They all look rough, but seeing them laughing and playing like that, I could sense the strong bond of trust between them.

It felt like uncles playing with their niece.

“Hey, heading to the bathroom?”

One of the guild members asked Dua, who had just been let down from the toss.

“No!”

Bang!

Suddenly, he was slammed into the floor by a powerful force—Dua’s magic.

“Haha! Didn’t I tell you to stop teasing the Guild Leader?”

“Have a safe trip, Guild Leader!”

Leaving the noisy guild members behind, Dua walked over to me.

“BOTHE…!”

Dua almost called me “Dad” out of habit but stopped when she saw the direct message I had sent her earlier.

“I didn’t expect to see Dua here.”

“O-older brother? Albus! You know the Guild Leader Dua?”

Wald asked me in shock.

Know her?

We live together.

Of course, I couldn’t tell him about Dua’s real identity or the fact that I was the GM. 

It would take forever to explain everything, so I decided to keep her true identity a secret from my friends.

“There are too many people here. Let’s move to that corner for a bit.”

Dua, my friends, and I found a table tucked away in a corner of the Adventurer’s Guild building and sat down.

“So, you two were childhood friends?”

I made up a story, saying she was a child from a knightly family in our territory.

Now that Dua had become famous even in Rudera, I figured this was the best cover story for my identity in this world.

Perizet, sitting next to me, studied Dua’s face, tilting her head in confusion. 

She had seen Dua’s face before.

I didn’t think she’d recognize her, though, since Dua had used her divine powers back then to make it seem like a dream. 

Plus, Dua’s appearance and aura had changed quite a bit since that time.

“I never imagined Dua would be doing so well here.”

“…Are you mad?”

“No, why would I be mad? I’m proud of our Dua for achieving so much.”

“R-really?”

“If I had known things would turn out like this, I should’ve asked Dua to play games with me sooner.”

I feel like a failure as a dad for being so focused on work that I didn’t give Dua enough attention.

“Let’s do it! Dua wants to play games with Daddy—no, I mean, with you, big brother!”

Dua bounced excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.

Wald looked frozen, overwhelmed by excitement, while I shook my head.

“No. Dua has guild members she needs to take care of.”

“They don’t matter! You’re more important to Dua!”

Wald gave me a look as if asking, “Are you really just childhood friends?” 

Even Perizet, sitting beside him, raised her eyebrows in suspicion.

“No, Dua. Do you remember what I told you before? The people who follow you…”

“The people who follow Dua, the ones who believe in her… I must not betray them…”

I had said that to make sure Dua wouldn’t stray down the wrong path as a god. 

Never did I expect she’d become a guild leader before even fulfilling her role as a deity.

“More than that, I want to hear about what Dua has accomplished. Can you tell me?”

“Sure!”

Dua nodded eagerly, clenching her fists in excitement.

“That’s how it all happened!”

“…You’re amazing, Dua.”

“Hehe. It’s nothing special.”

Dua puffed out her small chest with pride.

Even though she couldn’t use her divine powers or abilities as a god in this world, she had managed to climb to a level where she could singlehandedly defeat top-tier monsters.

I guess with that kind of power, it’s no wonder top players would want to follow her.

…Or maybe it was Dua’s cuteness that won them over.

Either way, she rose to the top, surpassing all the competition as just a regular person.

“You’re better than me.”

I felt small compared to her. 

All I had been doing was hunting wild boars with my friends.

“Come to think of it, wasn’t your party looking for someone to fill the tank role?”

Dua asked, her eyes glimmering with curiosity.

“I’d love to step in as the tank with my shield magic, but you know, I can’t.”

“Dua…”

“I know, I know! I’ll run our guild properly, just like you said. I owe it to the people who believed in me. I was just kidding, you know.”

Dua as a tank?

No matter how much I play the role of a ranged dealer, how could I, as her father, ever hide behind my daughter?

If that situation ever arose, I’d open up my GM privileges and stand in front of Dua to protect her, no matter what.

“Is there someone you’d recommend?”

“Recommend?”

“Yeah! You’ll like him… I mean, you’ll like her, big brother!”

Is this really okay?

The room was dim, lit only by a few flickering candles, making it difficult to make out much of the surroundings.

Several robed figures sat around a long table, which had clearly been arranged for meetings.

“Thank you all for gathering here.”

A soft, melodious voice echoed from the figure seated at the head of the table.

“Despite the sudden summons, I’m glad everyone could make it.”

“Well… it is the leader’s call, after all.”

One of the robed figures joked playfully, making a light gesture with their hand.

“Everyone is busy, but we’ve gathered today because we have a new companion joining us. I wanted to introduce them.”

A low hum of magic gathered in the hands of the woman known as the leader, Empress Leah.

The magic, as beautiful as a crystal, slowly took shape.

“Our united goal is to destroy the Evil God GM, the one who has thrown the continent into chaos.”

It was the Tower of the Labyrinth that had existed since the beginning of Rudera, and a new tower had appeared as well.

“To do that, we need to climb to the top of the tower faster than any country or organization and confront GM.”

‘To reclaim my darling, Albus, I must bring GM to ruin,’ Lea thought, reminiscing about her encounter with Albus, who had once been an avatar known as Jang.

After breaking free from the control of the Cataclysm Guide, she hadn’t been able to find him anywhere in Rudera or the continent.

So, she concluded that GM must have kidnapped Albus.

“Everyone gathered here has suffered at the hands of GM. Together, we will punish him.”

Thus, she had gathered the strongest individuals from across the continent who shared the same purpose of ascending the tower.

“I definitely have a reason to seek revenge on GM,” muttered one of the robed figures in a rough voice.

“The tower. We must ascend it.”

Another robed figure nodded in agreement.

And yet another.

All of them were formidable individuals who held grudges against GM, and they were the best of the best, carefully selected by Leah, whose identity needed to remain hidden.

“And now, I’d like to introduce our new companion, Akuyuham.”

The undead lich Akuyuham, who had been listening quietly, turned his head at Leah’s mention of his name.

“I’ve heard that you, too, were forcibly taken and exploited by GM.”

“…That’s right.”

Akuyuham slowly pulled back the hood of his robe.

“An undead?”

“An arch-lich?”

The rest of the liberators, except for Leah, couldn’t hide their shock.

A lich at the pinnacle of dark magic, and an arch-lich at that—such beings only appeared in legends.

“I, too, was kidnapped by GM and endured countless hardships.”

“Then join us, Akuyuham. Together, we will defeat GM.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, having an arch-lich on our side! This is incredible!”

“Welcome, Akuyuham!”

Leah and the liberators began to discuss their detailed plans, coordinating the schedule to climb the tower.

‘The enemies of GM, huh?’

Akuyuham watched the scene unfold, deep in thought.

‘Even though GM sacrificed himself to save everyone, these ingrates show no gratitude.’

Not long ago, the leader of this group had contacted him, proposing a plan to destroy GM.

When Akuyuham reported this to GM, he had told him to infiltrate the group as a way to take a break from his usual duties.

Initially, Akuyuham had planned to confirm the identities of everyone in the group and eliminate them all in one swift strike.

‘They’re all weaklings I could handle alone. But…’

Leah, the one in the leader’s seat, was different.

Even for someone like Akuyuham, who had mastered the truth of dark magic, dealing with her wouldn’t be easy.

‘For now, I’ll observe the situation.’

Akuyuham decided to gather more information while pretending to cooperate with them