episode_0118

All the situations surrounding me were incomprehensible, and I merely continued to wander in the snowy winter. In those days, I was like an extra on a broken stage. What should I live for? I didn’t know. There was nothing to protect, and nothing I wanted to protect. Because of that, I repeated self-destructive days, aimlessly wandering through snow-covered plains.

“Haa, haa…” It was the same that day. I was covered in crimson blood from head to toe. My body was so tattered it was indistinguishable from a corpse. A trail dragged along the ground. Leaving a long bloodstain behind, I pushed through the blizzard with mechanical steps. At the end of that journey, what I found was a silver-haired girl.

“……So you were here.” A calm remark. For the first time that day. I gained one reason to live.

***

The air flowed chillingly. The chaotic atmosphere that had just been present sank gloomily, and at its end, only the snake and the monarch continued their standoff. The two thrones, one white and one black, created a contrast of light and shadow. We maintained silence. The first to speak was none other than the elder.

“Doesn’t it bring back old memories?” A submerging gaze. The old voice murmured as if reminiscing. “That day too, we were staring at each other like this… the day you brought down my kingdom.”

Perhaps he was seeing the past superimposed. As I quietly chewed on the sentences the elder uttered, faded memories suddenly flickered across my own vision. Those memories held a particularly cold winter day. The monarch smiled faintly. “Has it already been three years?” “……” “Sometimes, I miss those days.”

“Let’s get straight to the point.” “Oh my… how cold.” I did not lower my guard. Outwardly, the elder smiled slyly, but within him, hundreds of venomous snakes writhed. The one sitting before me was the leader who controlled the underworld. He was also the only person who had nearly killed me in the past four years. As such, my nerves were inevitably on edge. My gaze grew cold. “I am sick of your deceitful tongue.”

“You’re a snake, yet you resent deceit?” “Because I’ve learned that sometimes, there are people more serpentine than snakes.” You probably wouldn’t say you don’t know. Because you were the one who taught me that. I said, “Anyway… I’d prefer to start with the main point.” “If you wish.”

The elder shrugged. His voice, which had paused for a moment, soon began the main conversation. “The atmosphere in the Empire lately is unusual.” “To be precise?” “It’s like the dawn before a storm… outwardly, it’s perfectly peaceful, but in reality, disaster is approaching.” “It must mean something colossal is on the horizon.” “I’ve already detected omens here and there.” “Omens, you say.”

My interest seemed to incline. As it was, the original story was slowly getting on track. Whether I liked it or not, the continent was about to face upheaval. I remembered most of the events from my past life, but having altered so much of the past, I couldn’t be certain of the future. Only then did I listen intently, requesting further explanation. The elder continued, “The one we should pay attention to first… is probably the businessman.”

The businessman. One of the main villains representing the original story. According to records, he was one of the wealthiest individuals on the entire continent, a wicked man who committed all sorts of dirty deeds with his immense fortune. He was also the target of revenge for the fox who had lost everyone, including her master.

“His movements are unusual.” “That’s surprising.” The businessman hadn’t shown any particular movements until now. Except for an attempt a few months ago to ally with the monarch, which was thwarted by my intervention. I recall that since then, the businessman and the monarch had become complete enemies. The elder’s gaze deepened.

“It seems… they’ve allied with the cultists.” “Are you referring to Baobab?” “Who else would it be?” “That’s strange. I understood that their interests didn’t align. Didn’t the businessman’s side already refuse cooperation offers several times?”

“He refused, saying he didn’t want to get involved in a messy situation.” “But why would he accept the offer now?” “Wouldn’t it be because he’s in a desperate situation?” A desperate situation. The monarch pointed a finger at me. “Thanks to your interference, his business completely crumbled.”

“Interference… that would be the incident from a few months ago.” “Originally, I was going to make a deal with him. He asked me to get him involved in the kingdom’s drug cartel in exchange for funding.” “You would have accepted, of course. Given it’s you.” “From my perspective, it was a profitable deal, so there was no reason to refuse. Anyway, as a down payment, I was to receive high-grade slaves, drugs piled in boxes, and various luxury goods. It was enough to fill that large ship, so he must have pushed himself.” “And I intercepted that ship.” “Precisely.”

It felt like the puzzle pieces were finally falling into place. For mere cooperation, a ship the size of a football field was mobilized, with hunting dogs waiting inside, and even the kingdom’s greatest power, the Unknown, on standby. At the time, it felt excessive. But hearing the story, it certainly had investment value. The elder burst into laughter, as if thoroughly amused. “Hehe… Who would have thought you’d even meticulously take the ship?” “It seemed quite useful.”

“Thanks to that, we’re just receiving unnecessary hatred. He still doesn’t know you were involved in this matter.” “He probably thinks it was a betrayal unilaterally carried out by the Unknown or yourself.” “It doesn’t matter since I already have many enemies… but where did you spirit away that large ship and its goods?” “It’s mine now.” “Of course.” The elder nodded. I briefly summarized the conversation, then asked about the most important part.

“Well… I understand the general pretext. The businessman must have wanted to compensate for his losses. And coincidentally, the cultist’s offer fit that situation.” “He was ambitious from the start, after all.” “It seems the cultist side skillfully exploited the timing and conditions.” “Even those rats have their shrewd side.” “So far, this has been about the circumstances… but is there any actual evidence to prove their contact?”

“I knew you’d check that first.” “Because the person I’m dealing with is completely untrustworthy.” “Hehe… take this.” Thump. Suddenly, an envelope fell from mid-air. It was meticulously sealed. Inside, it was filled with encrypted documents. Tearing it open roughly, I saw records of the businessman’s financial movements, recent activities of dark mages, and other detailed elements. The elder gestured with his chin. “If you examine them in order, you’ll understand why I reached that conclusion.”

“I’ll check them later.” I tossed the file into the shadows. The mist that had spread around absorbed the envelope like a sub-space and vanished. The elder, who had waited until then, soon resumed the conversation. “Then… let’s move on to the next matter.”

The conversation continued for a while. Although it was a short time, I was able to hear quite valuable information. For example, News that the Duchy of Venity’s movements seemed unusual, or that the Church was also slowly recognizing the rise of the cultists. Additionally, there was a warning that there might be a traitor within the academy. It seemed that traces of collusion were discovered during the process of tracking dark mages. I listened calmly. And so. The conversation continued for several hours. Only after tossing a few more documents into the shadows was I able to conclude the conversation.

The elder subtly asked with a sly smile. “Well? Was it of some help?” It was hard to deny. Though I didn’t like his subtly boastful expression, I had no intention of acting childishly in this matter. I nodded plainly. “It was helpful.” “That’s a relief.”

“However… from now on, I’d prefer you not to appear before my associates. If you have business, let’s discuss it directly.” “You’re probably the only one who treats me so heartlessly.” “There won’t be a second warning.” “What do you mean, ‘won’t be’?” “I’ll have to cut off your breath.” “You cannot kill me.”

The monarch retorted slyly. A cunning smile spread across the old man’s lips. It was. “Because of course.” A grotesque adult’s smile that I had forgotten I’d ever seen. “Because I am still useful to you.”

An irreplaceable part is not easily discarded. Like it or not, the elder was such a part. Among the cards in my hand, he was the most unsettling, yet also the most capable and versatile. The reason I had kept him alive until now was also the same. In short, he was ‘necessary’. It was a world where even lives were valued differently. The snake and the elder calculated each other’s worth.

-This is a deal. At the moment the war, filled with the stench of blood, came to an end. I did not kill the monarch. Instead, I assigned him a role in exchange. The kingdom’s vast drug cartel, its influence reaching every corner of the continent, its overwhelming military power comparable to a nation. I ordered him to use such power to protect the Empire’s underworld. The cultists who were rising throughout the continent. The reason they could be suppressed for the past four years was precisely because of the monarch’s help. Because his existence had unified the continent’s underworld.

“Isn’t he too valuable a card to discard?” “……” This was why he was annoying. The elder had a talent for unsettling his opponents. The conversation always proceeded precariously. But. “I’ll take my leave now.” I wouldn’t be swayed. I had experienced far too much to be swayed by mere wordplay like this. My mind remained cold, without the slightest tremor. As I calmly rose from my seat, I heard a voice clicking its tongue regretfully. Yet, the elder wore a satisfied smile. “You won’t even respond.”

“Isn’t it a provocation I’ve grown sick of experiencing? Rather, I think it would be strange if I reacted.” “Hehe… that part of you is truly amusing.” “Heed my warning.” “Since you call it a warning, I cannot disregard it. I’ll warn my subordinates separately, so don’t worry.” “I hope we can meet in a peaceful atmosphere next time.” “I pray for that.”

As I was getting up from my seat then. A question from the elder, as if he had just remembered, pierced my ear. It was an inquiry about someone’s well-being. “Oh right… Is that child doing well?”

A halt. I stopped in my tracks. It was a reflexive bodily reaction. The elder continued slyly, regardless. “I’m talking about Neria.” “……” “I wonder if she’s living well after betraying her master and leaving.”

“You’d do well to watch your words.” “Or else… will you kill me?” “It means don’t cross the line, a mere component. I merely left you alone because it was bothersome, but I can still kill you at any time.” “Isn’t that an overly sensitive reaction to merely asking about someone’s well-being?” “Hah.”

Merely? If you remembered what you did to that child, you’d understand this unusually cold response. Our chilled gazes locked. “Perhaps calling her by name was the problem? Then I’ll call her something else.” “I clearly told you to be careful with your words…” “Disloyal.” “……”

A deafening silence enveloped the surroundings. For a brief moment. The winter four years ago, colder than any other, flashed quickly before my eyes. The name spoken by the elder remained like a scar. ‘The one who did not dedicate herself, the disloyal.’ She was the last person the monarch had taken as his royal guard, and the past time she no longer remained by the tyrant’s side. At the same time, it was a name I had saved with these fingertips. Neria Lightni. Called ‘Disloyal’ by the specters of the past. It was the life of a girl who had been forced to live in this cruel world until she met me. I released my suppressed killing intent. The atmosphere of the entire area was crushed by the suffocating aura.