Chapter 69

Episode 69: Can You Leave a Little Room for My Butt?

It’s been 10 days since Harin and I entered the mansion of Violet and have been apart from her.

One hour in the Black Gate equals one minute in our ‘reality.’

‘Technically, this isn’t the Black Gate, but it used to be black, so…’

That’s why not much time has passed outside the Gate.

At most, only about four hours have gone by.

During this time, I’ve been wandering around trying to find Harin, but I couldn’t locate her.

‘Where could she possibly be…?’

“Hey, I’m starting to feel uncomfortable here. Can’t we get out of this place quickly?”

Somehow, Chaewon, who felt like I hadn’t seen in ages, popped up to interrupt my thoughts.

“You always sleep comfortably, don’t you? Meanwhile, I’ve been on edge, not knowing when Verdium might come after me, and most nights, I couldn’t sleep.”

“I’m not tense at all.”

Chaewon flashed a cheeky smile.

I tried to cover that smile with my hand, but it didn’t fully hide it, and one side of her mouth curled up in a mocking manner.

“If you’re not tense, then why don’t you go near Verdium and gather some intel? What if I end up defeated again next time we fight?”

“Hmph, weren’t you doing well with that mosquito girl?”

Chaewon and I continued our silent argument while walking down the long corridor of the mansion.

Despite it being a bright morning with the sun high in the sky, there wasn’t a single light in the hallway.

All the windows were either closed or covered with fabric, and only one or two windows were open occasionally, allowing some light to seep in.

“Why is there nobody around?”

Chaewon speculated that the nocturnal vampires were likely asleep in their coffins, but I wondered why the human servants who worked here were nowhere to be seen.

I couldn’t argue with that thought either.

Could this be related to the survivors of the crimson Gate?

I kept walking through the corridor.

As I continued, I spotted one of those rare open windows in this place.

I approached the window that let in the blazing sunlight.

The scene visible from that window was no different from a summer morning in Korea, where we usually lived.

The sunlight was so intense that even I, not being a vampire, felt it was hot.

Yet, there was snow piled up around.

The snow here seemed to melt slowly, like glacier ice.

“What a fascinating scene… The snow isn’t melting in summer weather.”

At night, snowstorms sweep through, but during the day, it’s the opposite.

‘… Glacier ice?’

“What’s with the sudden change?”

I glanced back at the past, pondering how my thoughts might connect.

A place swarming with skeletons.

The first encounter with the black-armor figure.

When I faced his swordsmanship.

His sword…

It looked as if it was forged from eternal ice.

A one-handed sword dripping with frost.

A transparent weapon that appeared to be made of diamond.

– “This is the only weapon in the world my old friend made from ice that never melts.”

– “Is that a type of glacier ice?”

– “Yes. Do you know what glacier ice is?”

– “I’m not entirely sure…but it’s something that has lasted for thousands of years, right?”

– “That’s not incorrect, however… glacier ice means snow that does not melt.”

The conversation I had during the battle with the black-armor guy.

The sensations I felt back then.

They felt similar.

Though I didn’t realize it when I shared stories of my school days with Irlya, looking back now, I can tell.

The cold sensation I felt then, though not exactly the same as the sensation of snow I had with Irlya, was indeed very similar.

‘Is this place…’

“Hey! Look over there!”

Chaewon interrupted my thoughts right at the important moment.

“I was feeling like something was connecting… was it just my imagination?”

“No, look at that!”

“What? What is it?”

She pointed, and I saw Irlya sitting in the garden, drinking tea while directly exposed to the dazzling sun.

“Is she insane?”

Though she’s weak against sunlight, it seemed like being in the shade should be fine.

Irlya sat casually in a chair, drinking tea while staring blankly at the flowers.

“Ugh~ I hope she gets scorched to death~”

“Should I go check on Irlya?”

“Hmph! If you want to do that, go ahead. But do you know how to get over there? You don’t know the way, right?”

“Do you know it?”

“Yeah, if I open the window, I just have to go through.”

“Oh really? Thanks for the idea.”

I moved my hand towards the window to try opening it.

“What? You’re seriously going to just open the window and go over? Can’t you just avoid her? Or do you really have to approach her at all times?”

– Crick!

I put all my effort into opening the window, but it wouldn’t budge, and with one forceful push, it came off entirely.

Ha, with my strength stat at 11, breaking objects has become mere child’s play.

But now, what should I do?

It might have been a good opportunity to feel what it’s like to be a trainer with all six of their tools passed out and losing consciousness.

Maybe that’s why my mind started to deny reality.

“Huh? What did I just say? What the heck is this?”

“Are you crazy?! Aren’t we screwed now?!”

In a panic, I gently placed the broken window down on the floor.

A mindset that the servants would take care of it later.

“F-first things first, let’s get out of here.”

I squeezed my body through the narrow space where the window used to be.

Struggling through to the outside, I inhaled deeply the fresh air.

“Ah…”

“Refreshing?”

“Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve stepped outside in the morning.”

“Oh, I see. Then—”

Chaewon spoke in a tone like she was reading a textbook.

“I feel terribly uncomfortable; can you help pull my butt out of this shitty window frame?”

“That’s just absurd… Aren’t you supposed to be able to pass through walls?”

“That thing makes me dizzy enough to throw up after one use…”

What kind of technique is that?

“Pull me out quick.”

I had never experienced déjà vu.

“By the way, where was it that you had the encounter with so many skeletons… right, didn’t that happen in the library too?”

“I’m seriously feeling really embarrassed right now, so help me out quickly…”

But at this moment… I felt like I was experiencing déjà vu for the first time.

It felt like a rare experience I would remember.

‘… That butt fat, you don’t even need it; shouldn’t I just throw it away?’

Ignoring the whining of Chaewon, who said she’d already passed the time for marriage, I pulled her uselessly large butt out from the window frame.

**********

“Irlya.”

“Oh, how did you find me here?”

“I saw you and came looking.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I just tore down the window to get here.

“Oh, I see.”

I noticed her face flushing even without any actions from me.

‘Is she feeling unwell?’

“Tch.”

Chaewon’s expression and actions while looking at Irlya seemed very displeased from my perspective.

“But what are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? I’m doing what you see, drinking tea.”

“Have you been here since last night?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Of course, I just arrived here not long ago.”

“Then you came all the way here enduring sunlight, though you’re weak against it?”

I relayed that line to quench Chaewon’s curiosity.

Honestly, I was somewhat curious about that part too.

“How did you come all this way enduring sunlight?”

“Wahaha! You also have some foolish points, don’t you?”

I ended up getting called foolish because I voiced Chaewon’s thoughts.

‘You made me look foolish.’

“Why so annoyed? I didn’t even express my curiosity! Tch, I’m not particularly thankful for you asking on my behalf!”

Chaewon said that and left my side, going over to observe the flowers in the distance.

“Wow, wow… this is a flower I’ve never seen outside~ Haha…”

She looked somewhat awkward.

‘What now.’

“Look, isn’t it natural to use an umbrella when you come out? Wahahaha~!”

“Uh… yeah, I guess so. That’s only natural, right?”

I expected she would show some advanced technique, but it turned out to be very normal.

It was surprisingly amusing to realize that there are ordinary aspects even within the ‘world’ inside the Gate.

‘… Wait, the ‘world’ inside the Gate?’

When did I begin viewing it not merely as a dungeon overflowing with simple monsters but as a world of its own?

A sense of unfamiliarity made me break out in cold sweat.

“Ahem… But Irlya, how prepared are you for what we discussed earlier?”

I coughed lightly to calm down the boisterous Irlya and asked.

“Hmm! To kill my father—”

She suddenly stopped talking, startled.

“Ha, no… The preparations for the succession to the throne are nearly complete.”

“Then right now—”

“What’s the rush? We still have some important matters to address… Even if we perfectly prepare the crucial parts, if I do so without care, the other kingdoms will know of my scandalous nature, won’t they? Therefore… a little playacting is necessary.”

“Playacting? Other kingdoms?”

I sat on the chair across from Irlya and asked.

“A properly staged transition of power… There’s a possibility of framing the elves, whose relationships have recently soured, or I could gain the throne officially by becoming stronger than my father.”

“But doing that would…”

“Hmm, that would be taking it too far. So this body thought of a mix of both approaches. How about it?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“It’s not finalized, so take it lightly: essentially, I will assassinate my father using the still unprepared ‘important thing.’”

“What’s next?”

“Next, I’ll act tearfully while searching for the cause of his death.”

“And after that?”

“Shoot arrows at the elves whose relationships have deteriorated due to the parasitic conflict?”

“Isn’t the middle part a bit too vague? Why are elves suddenly involved… Wait a moment, are there elves?”

“Are you stupid? Of course, there are… there are.”

Irlya blew on her tea while sipping it.

Only the sound of a quiet rustling could be heard in the still space.

“… Okay, I accept that. But what is this ‘important’ thing?”

“A drop that exceeds the lethal dose, just one drop of extreme poison extracted from the World Tree.”

Ah, I see.

Hearing about the important means made me understand why she would frame the elves.

“In short, it’s the three-inch poison!”

“But… is that really something that’s easy to obtain?”

“Of course not. Among the elves, there’s one I’m friends with who’ll help me.”

“But if you’re friends with an elf, isn’t framing them a problem?”

“Are you stupid? There are different kinds of elves.”

Ah, I know about this part.

It was written in Latin in a book called ‘The Apocalypse of Betrayers.’

“Dark Elves, Half-Elves, and the basic type being Pureblood Elves, right?”

“Oh, you’re quite knowledgeable! I thought you were severely lacking in common sense.”

“Shut up, you brat.”

“What?! … Anyway, one of my friends is a Half-Elf. So if I frame the elves, it won’t have much of an impact. The same goes for Dark Elves; only the Pureblood Elves will be in turmoil. Those guys are super picky about things.”

“Alright, I’ll leave matters in this area to you. Honestly, I can’t argue about my lack of common sense in this regard.”

“Wahaha! Just trust me and leave it all to me! It’s fine if you lack knowledge! If anything confuses you or if you encounter a tricky situation, feel free to consult with me!”

I decided to confide in Irlya, who was laughing heartily, about something I had yet to reveal.

“Um… But Irlya, I kind of broke the window of your house, what should we do?”

“Huh?”