68 – Maseok (1)
The absolute ruler of darkness looked somewhat surprised at Shasha’s face and glanced at Tienus’s upper priest beyond it.
Or, to be more precise, he saw the conspicuous ‘contract’ traces, visible to anyone who looked at it.
Of course, other humans wouldn’t know, but the absolute ruler of darkness, who had been with that guy for a long time, could easily grasp it, even though he was looking at it from behind the crystal.
After all, the energy emanating from that Tienus’s upper priest was visible to her eyes.
‘…Whether in the past or now, he’s secretly watching from behind.’
As the absolute ruler of darkness pondered with a tongue in cheek, she couldn’t help but frown at the uncomfortable feeling in her chest, without even realizing it.
In that moment of fleeting emotion, the absolute ruler of darkness soon realized what emotion it was coming from.
“…I can’t see.”
It was envy.
The absolute ruler of darkness knew that the contract with the mysterious half-human, half-dragon allowed for a shared consciousness with the other party.
In other words, it meant that unlike himself, the red dragon, responsible for his actions, was enjoying the pleasure of seeing himself up close through someone else’s body, without any responsibility.
“Hah.”
As if irritated, the absolute ruler of darkness soon looked at Shasha.
[?]
Shasha made a perplexed expression.
“…Perhaps, is there a magic for sharing consciousness?”
[…Yes?]
A question that sprang forth unknowingly, accompanied by envy and unjust emotions towards the pleasure-seeking dragon.
“…I believe as far as I know, there’s no such thing as magic for sharing consciousness.”
“Indeed, it seems that it’s not as helpful as the partner on the other side…”
As Shasha spoke in a perplexed manner, the absolute ruler of darkness, although it wasn’t Shasha’s fault, responded with a strangely spiteful tone.
[…What’s that supposed to mean??]
As Shasha wore a perplexed and subtly indignant expression, Adriah, who had already left the absolute ruler of darkness’s sight and reached the upper office, sighed deeply as soon as he entered.
“Haah… Why are you speaking like that, Your Excellency?”
The reason Adrià spoke when she first met Kim Hyunwoo.
It was because, even though temporarily, the Vermilion Dragon, which controlled her body, was manipulating her body to a limited extent.
Knowing this, Adrià did it to create any opportunity to talk with the Lord of Rartania, who admired the dragon, even if it was just for a short time.
Of course, due to the strong wind of fluttering emotions, she immediately changed her consciousness, but…
[Uh, so, something- uh, to talk about-]
“Just?”
[Should I feel embarrassed or not know what to say? Like I’m turning into dust and disappearing on the spot…]
“Your Excellency’s body is with the rare ones…”
[It felt like my spirit was withering away…]
Though she couldn’t utter a single word, Adrià, in response to the Vermilion Dragon’s words, which seemed to say, ‘You burned brightly white like a new bird,’ spoke from her office desk.
“But what if you can’t say a single word…”
[Well, just standing in front of the master makes my head go white…]
“May I ask if it was the same before?”
[Hmm…? Yes, it wasn’t like that 10 years ago.]
“Then, how about sharing your emotions as you did back then?”
[Uh, I can’t do it like back then… Just standing in front of the master now makes my heart feel like it’s going to explode.]
“…”
[Maybe it’s better to just watch silently in that case…]
Adria, listening to the dragon’s voice, which was strangely melancholic, thought with a peculiar expression, and then spoke as if pondering something.
“Well, that doesn’t seem like a good idea. After all, Your Excellency’s goal is to build favor and gain forgiveness from the Lord, right?”
[Yes, that’s right…]
“Then we should start practicing right away.”
Adria, after saying that, made a contemplative sound, as if hesitating once again, and then continued.
“Even if you skip greetings… Ultimately, the reason you couldn’t even greet properly is because you didn’t know what to say, right?”
[Uh, yeah… If I say the wrong thing…]
“Then how about talking about a topic you like?”
[A topic I like?]
“Yes. The beginning of a conversation usually starts by throwing in a topic. If it’s difficult for you to converse like before, start with very simple dialogue like that.”
[Hmm…]
“Next time, it’ll probably be easier for you to talk. Since I’ve heard about the gifts that the Lord likes, I plan to prepare for that. And since the Lord also mentioned that it would be nice for him to meet you, shouldn’t we practice for that?”
[Yeah, Lord said he wants to see me. hehehe… hehehehe…]
“…”
Adria, hearing the voice in her head—this voice of the dragon that fluctuated between melancholy and joy, like bipolar disorder—wondered if everything was okay.
[A topic that a man would like… What could it be…]
With a sigh at her subsequent words, she began her work.
She had to fulfill the dragon’s wish, the guardian at the top, immediately, but at the same time, she had to manage the upper echelons.
####
The study of the Ranmaire Duchy, where numerous barracks were visible at a glance, had become a suffocating and heavy space since Duke Randon returned from the Norba Kingdom.
It’s no wonder, considering that there were already eight deaths of secretaries and maids who made a single wrong word in front of Lord Landon.
That’s why near Lord Landon’s study, the soldiers, maids, and attendants couldn’t even breathe freely.
Lord Landon, who created such a heavy atmosphere, said, “I’m very angry.”
He was meeting someone wearing a crimson hood.
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His appearance was not visible.
The only things that could be known for sure were that the voice coming from the hidden mouth inside the hood sounded like scraping metal, that there was a man inside the hood, and that he was completely detached from the heavy atmosphere created by Lord Landon.
“So, do I look like I’m not angry?”
“No, I think you look angry enough. You were clearly restrained, after all.”
In response to the metallic voice, Lord Landon frowned deeply and said, “Hey, how long do I have to endure such insults? How much longer do I have to listen to the whining of those weaklings?”
Lord Landon growled.
However, the man in the hood still calmly replied, “Just wait a little longer.”
“Huh, just a little longer? Hey, do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
“Of course, I know. You have faithfully followed our orders, starting from the assassination of the late Lord Landon to this day. You have been wonderful, obediently following all of our plans.”
As if mocking Lord Landon, the man who showed a sinister smile with sharp, dark teeth visible through the black hood soon stood up from his seat.
“So just wait a little longer. Yes… a month, a month should be enough.”
“…A month?”
“Alright, let’s start from then, after a month has passed. By then, everything should be ready.”
“…What do you mean by ‘ready’?”
Randal’s question.
The man under the hood still showed his sharp teeth.
“The preparation for you to become a king, and the preparation for us to reveal our presence and dominate the world.”
That’s how the conversation went.
####
About two weeks passed since then.
Long if it was long, short if it was short.
But for Kim Hyun-woo, a month was not that long of a time.
During the past two weeks, there was so much for Kim Hyun-woo to do, and the reason he realized that a month had passed was because of the notification that appeared in front of his eyes, announcing the end of the Labyrinth City.
“[※Attention: Grow a Hero in the Labyrinth Package – 21 hours left!]”
“…It’s not even 24 hours, why is it showing 21 hours left?”
[Sorry.]
“Huh? Why?”
[…I accidentally displayed the notification.]
“…You mean all of them were displayed by you?”
[That’s correct.]
Upon realizing that even the trivial notifications were from Loria, Kim Hyun-woo couldn’t help but make a slightly bewildered expression at the fact that he didn’t even know.
“It’s okay.”
Kim Hyun-woo casually waved his hand at her apologetic gesture as if saying it’s alright.
If it were a genuinely perilous situation, he might have felt a bit dizzy, but the current Kim Hyun-woo was fine.
Naturally, he anticipated the conclusion of this labyrinth package, and, of course, he had made preparations for when it did end.
So.
“Security.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll be giving a speech in the square, gather some people.”
“Understood!”
With these words, Kim Hyun-woo rose from his seat.
“Now, shall we go underground?”
Towards the place filled with an enormous amount of mana stones accumulated so far, he took his steps.