episode_0103

[Sunae Tower 25th Floor]

As expected, the newly arrived 25th floor was rather uneventful.

It wasn’t that there was nothing there, but rather that the view was already seen from the 15th floor, so the impact was minimal.

“It’s just another city here.”

Information about this place was also known through the senior members of the Mechanic Guild.

Regular gatherings from the 21st and 24th floors, as well as the 26th and 29th floors, were partially relocated here to supply them.

Therefore, the Incubuses residing on the 25th floor were not as aggressive.

However.

“Vote for Candidate 1, BL & TS! Lately, there are too many people rejecting our wall! Let’s come together and defeat the evil forces trying to reject us!”

“Look over here, everyone! I’m Candidate 2, Bochu! If you’re an Incubus, you should be a boy! Isn’t that something we can all agree on!? Who doesn’t like shotas!! Let’s unify our appearance with shotas! Let’s unify!”

“Candidate 3, SM, is also running! The ecosystem of the tower is messed up these days! We need to clean up the lower floors and re-educate them on manners! How dare a female, and a Succubus at that, walk around with her head held high against Incubuses! I couldn’t even dream of such a thing when I was born!!”

“Those crazy people! Candidate 4, Jilnaesajeong Party! Whether Succubus or whatever, different genders but the same union! Fighting is not the answer! Getting along, sharing and exchanging energy is the shortcut to world peace!”

“Children are the future! Candidate 5, Dad! Looking for Incubuses to build a happy family together with the lower levels~!”

“Here we have Candidate 6, Unicorn! Mental exchange is more important than sex! We believe our union can be a perfect unicorn in that sense! Please support us! Mixing bodies in sex is endlessly miserable! Let’s enjoy cerebral sex with clean bodies!”

“……….”

Incubuses in suits shouting loudly in the middle of the road.

Below them, followers were helping with the election.

Not only me, but even the intellectually dressed Incubuses were deeply contemplating while stroking their chins at the spectacle.

“Which side should we support this time?”

“I don’t want to fight with our colleagues. So, I won’t vote for number 3.”

“The radical factions are going too far. It’s not realistic to fight with the same union over a wall that we’re not even well-received in.”

“But the Unicorn party… Are they… compromising our essence?”

“Definitely the Jilnaesajeong Party. They handled the incident on the lower floors well, so I want to leave it to them.”

“How about we gather opinions to interact more with the lower floors? I saw the 15th floor and they seemed to be doing well, so it would be nice to see each other more often.”

“I agree with that.”

“Human women are fine, but it’s better to be friendly with everyone. It’s good to help each other in times of need.”

“I don’t go to the lower floors often, but I heard they are very maternal there?”

“They are. Actually, I haven’t seen my mother in a long time because I’m originally from the human world.”

“Oh, you’re an apprentice? You must miss your mother.”

“Yeah. But these days, with all the chaos in the tower, it’s hard to get permission to move between levels-”

“Originally, we were supplying apprentice Incubuses from there. It wouldn’t hurt for us to go down occasionally and help with childcare, right?”

“That’s a good point. Seeing us only bring the kids up on special occasions makes it seem like we’re all about the kids.”

They exchanged such conversations while drinking coffee.

They were so calm.

Such an election is laughing as if it’s not just once or twice.

Just as I was about to move my feet, thinking that the safe zone is a completely different class.

-『DISCO LADY~♪ DISCO LADY~♪』

-『DISCO LADY~♪ DISCO LADY~♪』

Cheerful music coming from somewhere.

A beautiful knight appeared behind the blue van truck that appeared while shouting disco.

“Wow!!! Long live Sunaedang! Glory to Sunae!”

“Support the Unicorn Brigade fervently! No rape! Love & Peace!”

“Destroy the brain cells of male-female couples! Strongly oppose breaking up Sunae with concentration camps!”

“Let’s all get along and love each other~~!!!”

He danced while waving two fans with unicorns drawn on them.

He was a knight.

Moreover, he was not just any knight.

He was a knight who was engaged in political activities riding a truck.

*

“Violation of election law reprimand! Rider Kick!”

“Blackout!”

We met again shortly after.

The knight of Sunae took my dropkick and rolled on the asphalt, and the system window that hadn’t been seen for a long time greeted me.

[The seat ‘Knight of Sunae’ welcomes you pointing to the area hit!]

[Welcome!]

[Welcome!]

[Sincerely!]

To be happy even after being hit like this.

Indeed, the people in this tower seem to have nothing normal about them as I laughed bitterly, Sunae stood up.

“Oh, oh! Challenger~! It’s been a long time! Did you really wander around the 25th floor at this early hour? Unexpected things happen no matter how prepared you are!”

“That’s what I’m supposed to say! Why is the seat, a nobleman from the feudal era, riding a truck for political activities? What about the gate! Did you really go out for a drink with the Lily Knight?”

“Hahaha! Of course I did! I went on a long journey for nearly a month, rolling in the vineyards, resetting dopamine! I enjoyed the beauty of the world to the fullest and came back!”

From his bosom, more precisely from the gap in his helmet, he took out a photo.

……….

…Why is that?

The shot of the Lily Knight wearing a dress over her armor, and similarly, the shot of the Sunae Knight wearing shorts over his armor caught my eye.

Against the backdrop of windmills, the vineyard stretched out, creating a truly beautiful landscape that two people ruined.

“It’s the village of Bojolais in France. Oh, this place is so stunning at sunset! We were so engrossed in the scenery that we didn’t realize it was already night! Ahaha!”

“You went outside the tower?”

“…Huh? Yeah, yeah. What’s wrong with that?”

Sigh.

I want to dislocate and break those shoulders.

Knowing full well why I was surprised, he pretended not to know and changed the subject.

“The gate still has time left, so I left it unattended. Since we’re back at the tower, shouldn’t we engage in our usual activities of love? I heard there’s a commotion on the 26th floor, so I was promoting and supporting you all.”

“What does causing trouble on the 26th floor with a damn unicorn fan have to do with anything?”

“A damn unicorn! This is a sacred being from our Unicorn Clan! It was created to show off the splendid figure of ‘Chastity Daydream’! How can you speak such disrespectful words!?”

“It’s not about being damn, it’s a crazy harmful accessory, you idiot!! Show yourself before me if you dare! I’ll slaughter you right away!”

“You’re really hot-headed! Not only during our first meeting, but jokes never seem to work with you! This world is so boring, how do you even live like this!”

Tsk tsk tsk!

He tried to stick his tongue out at me, so I immediately kicked his thigh.

“Ouch!”

“Forget the small talk. What does the 26th floor have to do with that?”

As I questioned him again, he started to tremble with anger.

“Ch, Challenger, but weren’t we on the same side until we break through the 20th floor…? Why are you suddenly so aggressively demanding answers, I really want to ask sincerely…?”

“Look here, Sir Knight. You won’t forget about the skill I forced you to use, will you?”

“Ah… Ah…!”

I realized why I was getting annoyed and angry, it was because of Flying Dogeza.

“Sorry! But it’s not a bad skill! It will be needed later, so I only forced you to use it!”

“I know, but shouldn’t you explain it to me?”

“It’s just a joke! Just a little joke! You’ll understand my intentions later and be grateful, so I thought it wasn’t necessary to explain~!”

The knight smiled and laughed while trying to smooth things over.

Realizing that I couldn’t stay angry anymore, I crossed my arms and listened as he continued.

“26th floor…? Do you know that there is a prison over there?”

“I was planning to go there next.”

“Then let’s talk quickly~!”

He led me to a bench near the entrance of a coffee shop.

“As you know, Challenger, the 25th floor, like the 15th floor, is a floor for those with reason. They absorb the negative energy from the lower floors to maintain their daily lives.”

He continued.

“But the 26th floor, although not managed by them, is a floor that definitely consumes negative energy. If the opinion to abolish the prison here arises, the prisons from the 26th to the 29th floor will disappear, and both hunters and civilians will be rescued.”

“If the prisons disappear, will the negative energy decrease?”

“Not at this stage. The hierarchy has been restored, and as you can see, the rotation rate is so high after the 14th floor that it’s just a place of disgust. There is enough negative energy to survive, so they don’t want to provoke the hunters and civilians by going that far.”

“Weren’t you a high-ranking officer of the invading side?”

“High-ranking officer?”

Sometimes I forget, but the Tower is definitely an invasion facility.

They may show us kindness, but if left unchecked, they will take everything, even our country.

The fact that someone from such a place talks about peace-

“But just because we belong to the same organization doesn’t mean we have to follow the same beliefs. As you can see, both the monsters and humans have reason, so as long as we control ourselves well, we don’t have to resort to killing each other. It’s difficult because there is no one to mediate.”

He shrugged off my suspicions.

His voice lowered even more.

“It’s been quite a while since the Tower was built, wandering between this world and that world. Now that the Tower and the atmosphere of the monsters have stabilized, it’s time to settle down. The Tower Master is the type to indulge in past pleasures, so it’s not helpful. It’s rather a hindrance. Even now, he’s probably laughing at the victims somewhere in the hierarchy.”

Wandering.

Stabilizing.

He let out words that shouldn’t be said and then raised his voice again.

“So I have no choice but to act~! The 6th Guild is a guild that can communicate! If we can somehow connect with the outside world and receive regular supplies like blood transfusions, facilities like the prison will definitely disappear!”

“It would be good if we could resolve it through dialogue. I don’t know how to react to this.”

It was surprising that the knight of mercy was hoping for the conquest of the Tower and peace.

He always had that attitude, but I never thought it was sincere.

“In that sense, it might be good to sweep through this opportunity.”

Like when he took out the picture earlier, he pulled out a blueprint from the helmet’s hole and handed it to me.

“What is this?”

“It’s the underground section of the last prison on the 29th floor. No matter how superior their map is, they wouldn’t have been able to dig this deep.”

I quickly compared it to the items of the Institute Guild.

…It’s real.

“There, in the innermost red cell. The room painted in crimson is a special detention center, so look carefully.”

“Who could be here to warrant such a place-?”

“Who else. Obviously, someone who got caught trying to bypass the system.”

Ah, a Ranker!

I never thought I’d end up tracing their footsteps like this again!

“Be careful if you want to bring down the upper detention center, as it will collapse together with us.”

I sensed malice in those words.

If I do well, I might avoid being rescued and end up being drowned.

He handed this over as if he had done his part and then got up, leaning against the back of the truck again.

“Where are we going?”

“I told you. I’m busy with peace activities here. Challenger, I know you have a lot of questions for me, but unfortunately, I can’t answer them all. Don’t forget that.”

“Ah.”

“Still, once you have the map in your hands, it’s all good. You’re a really greedy man.”

He shouted at the unknown driver in the driver’s seat of the truck to start the engine.

Once his anger subsided, he asked politely again.

“Wait, just one more thing!”

“What is it?”

“Do you think I can clear the 30th floor from your perspective?”

-Hmm.

“This one might have some lower difficulty levels, but considering your situation, you might not even clear it with your eyes closed. Just keep that in mind, as the rewards won’t be great either.”

They all said the same thing.

I’m not worried because I know the content.

“Alright! Let’s go! …Haha! See you in ten days then!”

The knight of pure love departed like a migratory bird from across the continent.

I’ve always thought so, but he truly was an enigmatic Pontiff.