Chapter 68

68th Episode: It Was A Shitty Comedy

For a while, we stood silently facing each other.

Minerva had been smiling all the while, and I awkwardly gestured at her with my finger.

“You, you… YOU! Yooou! Youu!!”

Flustered, I started stuttering excessively.

It’s bad enough that a person randomly goes haywire at night, but meeting her now is really inconvenient timing.

My mind was already a mess, and the pain in my gut that I had barely managed to ignore began resurfacing.

What is she up to now that feels like a test for me?

“Why don’t you show a little more excitement? I specially put that woman to sleep so I could have a conversation with you and manifested here in this world. I literally squeezed some strength out of nowhere, just to help you.”

“Excited? Go freeze to death…”

Of course. It was too suspicious how Seop Baek suddenly fell asleep. It was Minerva’s doing.

Minerva soon waved her hands and adjusted her expression.

“Well, we’re both short on time so let’s cut the word games. Let’s get straight to the main point.”

Or is this my imagination?

Her eyes seem unusually darker than usual.

“How is your relationship with the undying Demon King? Have you two become better acquainted?”

“Hmm, yeah. We can exchange jokes and stuff.”

“Oho.”

Minerva gave an enigmatic laugh in response to my answer.

What meaning lies in that exclamation? It’s a complicated feeling – I want to know but don’t really want to.

And indeed, just as I predicted. Her question confirmed it all.

‘They all knew. The lesser gods knew everything.’

They knew that Eldritch and the Immortal Demon King would interact.

They even knew that the Demon King had already hatched.

And they also knew he’d reach a point where he couldn’t collect mana.

They’ve known everything, hence why she’s asking this.

So, it’s correct to think they intentionally accelerated Ruci’s hatching.

‘Fuck… This pisses me off.’

I refuse to keep being manipulated by their agendas any longer.

I ask Minerva, who seems lost in thought.

“Why did you rush Ruci’s hatching and stick her with me?”

“… Ruci? Oh my. Now you’ve even given the Immortal Demon King a nickname? You guys must be planning your honeymoon next.”

“Does that little brat have time for jokes anymore? Must’ve gone and died by now.”

At my words, Minerva fell silent.

Continuing to smile, she then said,

“No, there’s no time for that. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not just making jokes.”

“… What? Am I really going to marry that white-haired guy? Should I schedule a meeting of families?”

“Not exactly marriage… but it’s true that I hoped you might help control her to some extent.”

“…”

“And I think you’re doing a great job of that. Actually, you’re doing even better than expected. Good job. I commend you.”

With a look of pride, Minerva glanced at me.

Absurd. I immediately flipped her off. You’re not fooling anyone.

As I continued to glare at her, she awkwardly scratched the back of her head and said,

“Uh… Everything is going according to plan, but there’s been a bit of an… impurity introduced. To be honest, it’s created some difficulties. I’d like to minimize variables.”

“An impurity?”

“Yes. That woman over there.”

Minerva eagerly nodded and pointed somewhere. I immediately turned my gaze.

There, Seop Baek was sleeping soundly.

For a second, I lost control of my expression. Despite being somewhat colleagues, I couldn’t help but flare up a bit.

“What do you mean by ‘impurity’?”

“Oh my… Look at that glare. I just stated a fact, yet why are you so upset?”

“I’m not upset. Just checking if your mouth is connected to your ass since it smells like it’s full of shit.”

“… This is getting irritating… sigh.”

Though Minerva initially flared up, she quickly calmed herself with a sigh. Not the reaction I’d hoped for when I was trying to provoke her.

Anyway, instead of getting angry, she continued speaking.

“The reason I’m here is to ask you about that.”

“About what?”

“That woman. Seop Baek, right? I’m advising you to avoid her.”

“Why?”

“She’s the Heavenly Executioner Star.”

The Heavenly Executioner Star. Someone born under a celestial sign destined for bloodshed.

Is this really the same “Heavenly Executioner Star” I’ve heard of? Does this suddenly make this story sound like a kung fu drama?

… No, that doesn’t make sense. Thinking about it, Seop Baek does seem like someone from that kind of world. So it’s not so sudden after all.

“Pfft. What a load of crap. If Seop Baek is the Heavenly Executioner Star, then I must be the Blood Sect Master known as ‘Han the Sky-Shredder’.”

Naturally, I burst out laughing after saying this. It was a hollow laugh, like air escaping from a punctured lung.

But Minerva’s reaction was colder than ever.

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’re having, but the Heavenly Executioner Star doesn’t just refer to someone who willingly kills.”

“Then what does it mean?”

“Someone who unconsciously causes the deaths of those around them… eventually wiping them all out. That’s what she is.”

“…”

“To be honest, I’ve never believed in the fortune-telling stuff humans do regarding celestial events… but seeing her made me a believer. I realized the stars might not be completely off.”

“… Is it that serious?”

Is Seop Baek really someone who drags such misfortune around?

I couldn’t help swallowing nervously and glanced at Seop Baek’s sleeping face.

Noticing my demeanor, Minerva suddenly smirked and asked me softly.

“Have you realized why you died this time?”

I couldn’t answer.

Instead, I raised my eyes and glared at Minerva as if threatening her to spill the truth.

Minerva feigned surprise and waved her hands.

“Here’s that glare again. Don’t look at me like that. I don’t know the exact reason either.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“All I know is that this woman, in some way, was related to your death… that’s all.”

“…”

“The connection is clear. That’s why I’m taking the risk to warn you.”

The blinding white explosion that filled my view… it was connected to Seop Baek?

Absentmindedly, I glanced at Seop Baek once more before responding to Minerva.

“… If I leave her behind, am I guaranteed survival?”

“Hmm… while some retries might be necessary, at least it won’t be a guaranteed death like now.”

In other words, this means I’m doomed right now?

Does it mean there’s no escape from death, no matter where or how I run?

This isn’t as simple as leaving the city, is it?

“Alright. What are you hesitating about? Did you form some sort of bond?”

Minerva’s voice cut through my tangled thoughts. I suddenly looked up.

Minerva’s eyes pierced through me with unusual coldness. Unable to hold her stare, I averted my gaze.

“Yeah. I formed a bond. We’ve been together for nearly two months. Of course, I’d have grown attached.”

“Hmm.”

“So my answer is no. I’m refusing. I’ll find a way to survive together.”

In truth, it’s not just about emotional bonds.

Tonight, she was supposed to make me an unusual proposal.

The so-called “If You Undress, I’ll Undress” episode. Now that I know she holds some sort of emotional debt toward me, cutting ties would make me look like too much of a pushover.

Hearing my answer, Minerva shrugged with a glimmer in her eye.

“So, what are you going to do? Do you have any plan?”

“We’ll have to start devising one from now.”

“With the current members?”

“…”

“An incompetent Demon King with no strength. A girl who brings nothing but misfortune. Wow, you’ve really assembled a great party.”

I was momentarily speechless, scratching my head. To outright state the facts so bluntly—how despicable.

But I can’t just sink without a fight. I immediately retorted to her.

“If things go south, I’ll just explain the space-time regression to Seop Baek and have her help devise a plan. She’s smarter than me. If we brainstorm, something should come up.”

“Tell her? Pfft. You’ve got big dreams.”

Minerva openly mocked me. It was the most genuine laugh she’d shown so far.

I flared in anger and immediately shot back.

“What? Seop Baek would do anything I say. She trusts every word I tell her.”

“Ah, is that so? Sure, sure. That sounds very convincing.”

“Seriously. So revealing time regression won’t be a problem. She’ll believe me.”

“That blind trust fundamentally differs from genuine trust.”

Did I imagine it, or did Minerva’s voice suddenly grow much heavier?

Looking up, I saw her staring at me with an indescribably sorrowful gaze.

“I’ll guarantee this. That blind trust will not help you in any way. If anything, it might bring harm.”

Her tone didn’t feel like mockery or worry.

It sounded more like a prophecy. As if she was certain this was to come.

I clenched my teeth and turned away, clicking my tongue.

“Fine. That’s enough. Leave already. I have nothing more to say.”

“Alright, as you wish. Anyway…”

Minerva backed off with a nonchalant look, glancing elsewhere.

Reflexively, I followed her gaze, then my eyes widened.

“It doesn’t matter how much advice I gave; it seems none of it will save you now. I should’ve taken a much more aggressive approach.”

Minerva’s lament beside me only reinforced my fear.

That light.

It’s a mysterious explosion.

“Fuck! Seo-bae Ae-ae-aeek!”

I immediately woke Seop Baek and frantically urged her to activate a defense skill while I hastily summoned a magical dragon from the Demon King for protection.

After that, memory fades.

It’s all white.

Click. Upon opening the Box of the Dead, I glanced at its contents.

[Holy crap next-life Jung Yong! You’ve got this, alright!]

“…”

A single note lay inside.

For a moment, I fixated on the note, speechless, as if my soul had momentarily left my body.

“Hey, Mr. Jung Yong? Why the sudden change?”

“Um… uh?”

Seop Baek finally caught up, her hand clutching my collar with worried eyes.

For a time, I stood there, an empty shell of a person, uttering nothing but dumbfounded exclamations.

“What the hell’s with this Japanese language joke in this situation? You’re out of your mind…”

I threw a weak rebuke at my past self.