Chapter 169: I… Sometimes… Shed Tears
The entire tavern was dyed crimson with blood. When I was the only one left standing…
Suddenly, a gruff middle-aged voice came from the tavern entrance.
“So, this is what you had me lie about, huh?”
It was Adrang. The man, his right arm and abdomen tightly bandaged, stared at me.
It seems I was under surveillance. Well, considering I withheld details and acted on my own, it’s understandable he’d be curious about my intentions.
“Yes, I did that to deceive this guy.”
I pointed at Hector Cassas, who now resembled butchered meat. Then, I swiped at my blood-soaked face with my sleeve. The coppery smell of blood filled my nostrils.
Aclrang leapt over the bodies and approached me.
“What kind of deception?”
“The illusion that they could snatch the Dragon Slayer from me and have a chance to kill me. The illusion that we were quietly keeping my true identity a secret. The illusion that they could still succeed with the remaining members. Roughly that sort of thing.”
“Complicated, isn’t it?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
I wearily shuffled towards the tavern exit.
Aclrang blocked my way, his shadow enveloping me.
I smiled faintly.
“Are you going to arrest me for murder?”
“Only if civilians were involved. Public and private matters must be kept separate.”
“That might have happened.”
I raised my hands in mock surrender but kept my gaze steady on Adrang.
After a brief pause, I added,
“When I get out, let’s do some business together. Bring a block of tofu and come teach me how to decapitate witches.”
“Ho. So you’ve killed witches, have you?”
I crossed my hands in front of me in a gesture as if inviting arrest.
Half-joking, half-serious.
“I could overlook all this if you just truthfully answer my questions.”
Adrang shrugged offhandedly. I responded with a cynical smirk.
“You mean that? Considering you’re a knight?”
“I would’ve thrown away that knight medallion long ago if I didn’t intend to use it now.”
“Hmph.”
I chuckled weakly and shrugged.
It was as if I was challenging him to do his worst.
“…Isn’t his name Hector Cassas? He was quite terrified of you.”
Ignoring the arrest, Adrang walked slowly into the tavern, sat on a table, and looked down at Hector’s mangled corpse.
“And seeing what you’ve become now… I can somewhat understand why.”
“Does it look so bad? Probably.”
I wrung out my blood-soaked shirt as I muttered, watching the crimson liquid trickle down.
However, Adrang shook his head.
“The mess doesn’t matter when you’re doing knight work. What makes me uneasy is your gaze.”
“… My gaze?”
“It’s not just acceptance of death. There’s an obsession that transcends it.”
“Is that so?”
Transcends death, does it?
Keep going. You’re getting closer to the truth. Good job, Adrang.
I smirked as I wobbled toward the tavern’s exit. I was tired and wanted to rest.
Adrang followed, continuing to talk.
“In just a week, a person can’t change that much. Are you… really Park Jeong-yong that I knew? What made you want to kill witches so desperately?”
At that, my steps halted automatically.
In the bustling night streets of the commercial district, amidst the distant clamor of the pre-Knight Tournament festival, Adrang looked straight at me and asked,
“I’ve felt this sensation before. You’re almost as if… you’ve been living in a different time all by yourself. What exactly are you?”
This genuinely surprised me.
Adrang, who had killed me once out of suspicion, hadn’t gotten this close to the truth.
If I combine what Hector said with your claims, I can probably figure out the truth. I curled the corners of my lips in a complicated smirk.
“Would you believe me if I said it’s because I’m immortal?”
Adrang was silent for a moment.
After some consideration, he slowly nodded.
“Perhaps I might believe it now.”
“…”
I couldn’t help but snort in exasperation.
You would. I snorted unknowingly at how absurd it was.
“Jeong-yong, are you immortal?”
“What’s with that serious face? Of course it’s a lie.”
I brushed it off casually as I shuffled off in the direction of the mansion.
“If you know, what can you do about it now?”
The bus has left. Doesn’t matter if you believe it or not anymore.
Zennon’s death. Gena’s death. Ruci’s death. Nothing changes.
“Shit, it’s fucking cold.”
I muttered cheerfully to myself and rubbed my arms.
The weather was chilly. Winter was already here, and it had rained two days ago, making the air feel as if it was freezing my lungs today.
I quickened my pace slightly.
“Why do you want to kill witches?”
Adrang had already caught up beside me while I walked.
I glanced at him. He was staring at the arena of the Godless Knights.
“You know, I must give you an answer. If you’re serious about doing business with me.”
“…”
“If the answer seems awkward, I’ll give you choices. For the peace of the world. For someone precious. For yourself. Which one is your purpose?”
We both walked ahead, looking straight ahead.
If anyone passed by, they’d probably think we were complete strangers due to our lack of warmth.
I smirked bitterly.
“Is this an interview?”
“It’s an interview.”
I didn’t respond for a long time.
Eventually, we reached the charred gates of the mansion. Adrang blocked my way again.
It seemed he wouldn’t let me in until I answered.
“I’ve never lived for others.”
I eventually sighed and answered.
For the world. For someone else. Screw that nonsense. If I cared about world peace, would I have renewed my contract with the Immortal Demon King?
“I just want revenge. These bastards I killed today were protecting the witch. I want to make her cry bloody tears even in hell. Done?”
As I always did, I went straight forward without hesitation.
Adrang slightly opened the way ahead. He nodded as if savoring my answer.
“100 points. No, 500 points worth of an answer. You’ve passed the interview.”
He looked extremely satisfied. So much so that he even clapped, touched.
Looking relieved, Adrang walked back the way he had come and left me with one last comment in an unusually lively voice.
“I’ll clean up the mess you’ve made and come back. Witch hunter Park Jeong-yong.”
I couldn’t help but furrow my brows. It made me uncomfortable.
I suddenly remembered my fight with Gatrec Ronan.
“… A Geom Rim knight said it. You all are just a group of insane bastards.”
At the mention of Geom Rim, the smile vanished from Adrang’s face.
He stopped and turned to look at me. I stared back with a fierce gaze and said,
“What’s the truth? Judging by your current interview demeanor, it doesn’t seem entirely wrong.”
“Not wrong at all. We only approach those who’ve lost their minds.”
“… Huh.”
“Something only a sane person wouldn’t accept. Witch-hunting.”
What the hell. The man himself admitted it so casually. I scratched the back of my head.
Adrang glanced at my flustered reaction and smirked. He patted my shoulder and slowly walked away.
“7 a.m. tomorrow morning. In the bamboo grove behind the Temple of the Gods to the west.”
“…!”
“There’s someone who’s your savior. I’ll show you everything. What hunting witches truly means.”
As he passed me, Adrang left these meaningful words.
I looked up at him, eyes wide open, but Adrang merely waved his only hand dismissively to end the conversation.
Left alone, I mumbled absently,
“… Bamboo grove…”
Shit. PTSD kicks in.
Could I have messed something up again? I shuddered at the thought.
“Come to think of it… it’s tomorrow morning, isn’t it?”
Back in my room, I immediately unraveled my bag.
The egg, now nearly the size of my torso, emitted a sinister black energy. Its presence was undeniable.
Hatching was imminent.
If it came to it, I might have to bring it when I meet Adrang tomorrow.
I carefully ran my hand over its surface before placing it back inside the bag.
“Isn’t Seop Baek supposed to return tomorrow?”
Come to think of it, it was said that the Qingyan Cave where Seop Baek went would be evacuated tomorrow.
Due to the characteristics of the Knight Tournament progression, low-ranking Knights are very busy. I heard the cave guards’ shift was to be rearranged according to the divine tournament’s personnel deployment.
Seop Baek was scheduled to return as part of that shift.
“Many things… will happen.”
And many things will change.
After confronting Hector and killing Zenon by my own hand, I’ve thought about many things.
When Lucy awakens, and when Seop Baek returns… we planned to see fireworks together, didn’t we?
“I’ve made my decision. I won’t hesitate anymore.”
I feel sorry for Seop Baek who’s reached level ten.
With a complicated heart, I sighed and slumped onto the bed. The fatigue must have beckoned sleep, for it came rushing in.
…Since Lucy died, the nightmares from the Coffin Children haven’t returned.
*
“… It’s almost time.”
Early the next morning, I sat quietly in the still dark room.
The time was approaching. My eyes were fixed on the egg.
[Time until hatching: 5 minutes]
It was a little past 4:40 a.m.
Three days had passed since she turned into ashes right in front of me. Another five minutes, and then one hour until the next checkpoint.
Following the panel’s words, this checkpoint will be the egg’s hatching time.
I held my breath and watched the egg quietly.
“I hope you come out. I have so much to say to you.”
I muttered to myself, filled with resolve.
I won’t let you die in place of me again. Minimum 10-hour booking to the Truth Room, at least.
‘Here it comes.’
The egg’s trembling grew more intense, and cracks spread like a spider web across its surface.
In an instant, they covered the entire shell. As the pitch-black aura reached its peak—
Kerchunk!
The egg shattered into pieces.
Simultaneously, the figure curled inside it sprang up arrogantly and revealed its true form.
“Ah! Aww yeah!”
And there it was—the first words Lucy let out after hatching.
Again, it was that.
“Is that your catchphrase?”
I muttered, scanning her as she emerged from the egg.
Completely naked, Lucy stared at me with bright crimson eyes.
… Seeing this sight again was somewhat embarrassing. I turned my head aside awkwardly.
‘Feels kinda refreshing.’
After three days, Lucy looked exactly the same as before her death.
Her skin was so pale it was almost white, with three adorable horns on her forehead. Her scruffy hair revealed tiny translucent wings flickering in between.
And that ultra-thin black tail.
Her incredible figure remained unchanged. Wow.
“… Huh.”
Then suddenly, Lucy grinned.
Her eyebrows arched into a bewitching curve. Her crimson pupils, like a pull towards an abyss, shone seductively. Then she confidently approached me, stepped on the bed with one foot, and proclaimed arrogantly,
“You are my guardian. You’ve worked hard to protect me, my loyal servant! I personally commend your efforts.”
“… What?”
She acted as if she was meeting me for the first time.
Exactly the same words as the first time we met.
Was she teasing me? Angry because I caused her to die?
She shrugged her shoulders indifferently and boastfully declared,
“Haha! Though I can’t quite remember how I died… So what? What’s wrong with being reborn! No hardship can stop me!”
“Hey.”
“I, the Undying Demon King Rustica Asmodeus! At this moment, I have been reborn here again to reclaim the reign of Paraiso’s heavens! Hahaha!”
“… Are you deaf?”
Well, looking at Rustica’s high-handed, arrogant, lawless, and unruly attitude…
It made me angry just like when we first met. Alongside my anger, an indescribable sense of unease swelled in my chest.
“Hm? Hold on! This smell…”
More words. The Demon King sniffed around me.
Then she stepped back, glaring at me distastefully.
“The foul smell of Celestial Realm gods… Are you, by any chance, a Hero?”
“… Hey. Did I say something weird? What the…”
Before I could finish my sentence, Lucy interrupted it.
Her eyes were filled with disdain as she looked at me.
“Impossible! How could it be that my guardian for this lifetime is contaminated with such a filthy origin? Could it be that the Heroes discovered my egg’s location? Was it the interference of the Second Plane…?”
Wait a minute. Stop there. What exactly is that?
Was this a joke? No, it wasn’t fun. Stop it.
Any more and it’ll be brain-melting. Extremely boring, so please stop. Seriously.
What.
What is this? This situation?
“Huh.”
I let out a low sound that was indistinguishable between a laugh and a sigh.
At that moment, a voice from Lucy that I had forgotten suddenly rang out.
—If the guardian contract is broken when I die, I lose all memories of the guardian.
That’s what Lucy told me when we first met.
—Didn’t we talk about this before? You said you didn’t remember, right?
—I don’t know. Anyway, I really don’t remember. You can’t blame me for that.
That was what the Lucy only I knew had told me.
—Hey, Hero. When you open your eyes next time, will you… remember me?
The last words Lucy failed to finish came back to me.
I chuckled softly, the sound escaping uncontrollably.
“Huh. Hahaha.”
Realizing the memory-retaining Lucy who couldn’t retrieve it no matter how hard she tried… just like the other guardians. And I, too, was forgotten by her.
I belatedly realized that truth.
“What’s going on? Explain yourself, servant!”
“Hahahahah…”
“Stop laughing and explain! Now!”
I collapsed, chuckling endlessly. Lucy approached with an angry face.
The moment she got close enough for us to touch, I abruptly pulled her into my arms.
Lucy was utterly shocked.
“Kyaaa?! You’re insane! What, what’s wrong with you? Let go, let go you bast…! How dare you show such disrespect! You perverted servant! My wrath will get you!”
“Hahaha…”
“What, what is this?! H-how come… I can’t summon my strength? What happened in your past life?!”
Servant?
What kind of barking nonsense! Why am I her servant?
Call me Hero quickly. Call me Hero, like you did before.
“Huh, hahaha…”
Suddenly, Lucy froze.
Looking down at me, she tilted her head in confusion.
“… Are you crying? Why are you suddenly crying?”
“Hahahahah…”
“Ah, um… I, I’m not sure why you’re crying, but let me go! Let’s talk after you release me… Um, I’m sorry! If I pushed you too hard, I apologize!”
Watching Lucy, who turned beet red and was wildly flailing—no, embracing the Unyielding Demon King, I thought:
Leira. You were right to listen.
This world is brutally cruel indeed.
