Chapter 86
Chapter 86
“Ugh.”
Lude pressed a hand to his throbbing head as he pushed himself upright. Something soft rustled beneath him, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air. When he finally managed to open his eyes, what he saw was a large room decorated in ornate Rococo style.
“Where is this now… It looks like a hotel. Ah, ough, my head.”
A sharp ringing spread all the way into his skull. Lude clutched his head with both hands and tried to recall what had happened before he blacked out.
He had come for the awards ceremony. Then he heard a strange sound above him. When he went to investigate, the Constellation Baek Jangmi had tried to attack him. He had responded by using the Shepherd’s skill.
“Ha… I really dug my own grave.”
Considering he had used the Shepherd’s skill, this level of backlash was something he should have been grateful for. The skill only mimicked the powers of the Constellations, but because Lude carried the human form of The Lord of Chaos, the effect had been amplified to the extreme.
Naturally, the original version of the skill merely imitated a Constellation’s power. Now that the true Constellation had descended into him, the side effects were unimaginably severe.
More than that, no matter how long they had been together, there was always the fear of not knowing what The Lord of Chaos might do while wearing his identity.
His understanding of Constellations had deepened. In any other circumstance he would never have gone near a skill like that.
[The Lord of Chaos greets you cheerfully and says the outside world was fun ^^]
“You didn’t do anything weird with my body, right?”
[Of course not. The Lord of Chaos says he handled everything neatly, and even brought you a gift. He taps on your status window!]
“How am I supposed to trust you. Huh? A gift?”
Muttering under his breath, Lude grabbed the bottle of water beside the bed and drank deeply before opening his status window. His eyes blinked several times. Logs announcing the evolution of traits and increased understanding of Constellations filled the display.
But the most shocking line was this.
[Your trait is changing its form!]
[Fragment of the First Dream (Mythic) -> ???]
“…What is this?!”
[I was going to evolve it completely, but something interrupted me, says The Lord of Chaos as he pouts.]
A transformation was occurring in the avatar-exclusive trait that was said to be nearly impossible to evolve. According to The Lord of Chaos, because Lude had accepted the Constellation with whom he was contracted directly into his body, rapid growth had become possible. The Constellation even sent a congratulatory message.
“Is this… a good thing…?”
[Of course it is. Do you not like it? Asks The Lord of Chaos as he looks at your face.]
Anyone else would probably have jumped for joy, yet Lude simply stared blankly at the evolving trait.
“It’s just… when this is finished. I mean…”
Once this was completed, the moment to fulfill his promise would draw near. The thought made him bite down on his lip. A year ago he would have celebrated with both hands raised high, but now all he felt was dread.
Perhaps sensing his mood, The Lord of Chaos sent another indirect message.
[So.]
[Do you hate it?]
[says The Lord of Chaos as he watches you and smiles. XD]
More messages appeared in rapid succession. A chill ran down Lude’s spine. He understood exactly what this feeling was.
It was guilt. Seeing the consequences of his choices slowly taking shape right before his eyes made a wave of nausea rise up. His face turned pale as he covered his mouth.
[This is what you wanted.]
[The Lord of Chaos gazes at you :)]
“…That’s…”
Lude’s eyes darted from side to side. The Constellation, who had fallen silent, sent another message.
[Do as you wish, says The Lord of Chaos as he looks at you.]
“What?”
[Did I not explain before the contract that early termination is possible, says The Lord of Chaos.]
Lude froze. He had not expected that. This was an opportunity. But was it really acceptable to take it? He was still thinking when a familiar voice echoed through the room.
“N-Nari. You’re awake?”
Jeong Suho stepped out of the bathroom, hair damp and dressed in casual clothes. He sat beside the bed, still toweling his hair dry.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I-I’m glad. Yeah. You can cancel the avatar now. No one is going to… come in, yeah.”
As he shut his eyes tight, Nari released the avatar. The scattered black spiritual energy around her faded away. With his eyes still closed, Jeong Suho continued speaking.
“They said the situation wrapped up well. No casualties, no injuries, yeah. Considering how big this could have been, it ended almost like a miracle.”
“What about the Guild Master of White Night?”
“She’s alive. Lee Jisung is watching over her with the Guild Master of Sanctuary downstairs. They say her life isn’t in danger.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
“E-Everyone’s fine. Ihyun is fine. I’m fine. Min Jaeyoon is fine too…”
At that, Nari fell back onto the bed. She had no strength left to move a finger. But why were they even in a hotel right now? The thought had barely formed when Jeong Suho answered.
“T-This place. The Hunters went through a lot, so the hotel offered… free rooms. They postponed the rest of the ceremony to tomorrow. They wanted everyone to rest.”
“They’re not cancelling even after all this huh.”
“T-That just means everything ended… without major issues.”
He smiled awkwardly and explained that because there were no casualties and the incident was not an Erosion-type case, investigations would wrap up within the day and the event would resume tomorrow.
Nari lay on the bed and fiddled with her phone. Midnight was approaching. Her screen was filled with messages from her uncle.
Most of them were worried inquiries, so she sent a quick reply saying she was fine. While she typed, Jeong Suho asked in a small voice,
“W-When you get the award tomorrow, what are you going to say?”
“I wonder too. I guess I will get something? What would they give me?”
“The grand prize…! Right? T-The biggest one!”
It would be under the name Lude, not Shin Bitnari. Still, as the first-place finisher she would certainly receive a major award. She recalled the monster’s poetic acceptance speech.
There was no way she could manage something like that. From the beginning, nothing about her had aligned with what others expected.
“It’s strange. I don’t think I’m that kind of person.”
“S-Strange? You’re amazing, Nari…! You stopped the beast from manifesting. I-If it had manifested, Korea would have been… finished, or so I was told.”
His cheeks flushed as he scooted closer. Nari simply stared at him.
“I’m not that amazing.”
“N-No, you are! If you hadn’t pushed the beast that far, we couldn’t have… contained it.”
“I’m really not. Inside I’m twisted and rotten. I can’t be someone who is full of kindness like Min Jaeyoon or you.”
Nari winced and shut her eyes. Seeing her expression, Jeong Suho laughed softly and lay down beside her.
“What are you doing? Gross. Go away.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re amazing to me.”
“I said awful things to you too.”
“You apologized. That alone means a lot.”
He smoothed her bangs with gentle taps of his fingers. She did not seem to dislike it, because she let out a faint sigh while he continued in a quiet voice.
“You always knew what was right, Nari. You always did.”
“That’s nonsense. I’ve done plenty of awful things. I’ll probably do more.”
“I know that’s not true. Even when you tried to take the easy way out, you always turned back to the right path. I thought that was incredible. That’s why, well, even in Wargod… I copied you a lot.”
Nari’s eyes opened to narrow slits as she glanced sideways. Jeong Suho was smiling at her.
The expression made her chest sting in a strange way, so she looked back up at the ceiling.
“I might do something truly terrible one day. Don’t trust me that much.”
“I’ll stop you before that.”
“Kang Ihyun would probably help me turn it into the perfect crime.”
“I’m not Ihyun. And I know you’ll regret it. I don’t want to see you sad.”
“You could die doing that.”
“If I die… well.”
He laughed sheepishly and spoke. If I die, you should be the one worrying, Nari. Hearing that, Nari let out a small laugh and sat up.
“You’re not wrong.”
If he were gone, she knew she would barely be able to stay sane. Hadn’t that happened six years ago already? She stepped off the bed and approached the window. City lights glittered outside.
Even though Korea had nearly faced annihilation, the world carried on as if nothing had happened. Life was too demanding and too busy for people to celebrate or mourn things that had already been resolved.
“You know,”
Nari looked at the night view and ran her fingers across the glass.
“I think… maybe people aren’t as bad as I thought.”
Jeong Suho said the fact that there were no casualties in this disaster was a miracle. It truly was.
People died easily, broke easily. Despite knowing that, Hunters still chose to save them without hesitation. It was considered normal.
People demanded more without even realizing how much sacrifice went into maintaining that normality.
If someone was even slightly different, they mocked them. They laughed at those who could not fit into a group. They failed to recognize their own mistakes.
It was suffocating. Yet after the events of the past few months, a different emotion had begun to surface.
“Not everyone is good, but still… maybe not everyone is bad all the time.”
Honestly, Nari had done very little in this incident. She had handed over one unneeded item and confronted the beast.
Tying down the beast’s legs had been extraordinary, yes, but that was not her achievement. It belonged to The Lord of Chaos.
When she opened her eyes, the situation was already resolved. The truth was that everyone else’s efforts, not hers alone, had settled the crisis.
The two Guild Masters of White Night had offered up their own lifespans to make impossible contracts with their Constellations. Min Jaeyoon had played his part. Kang Ihyun had as well.
Nari remembered what she had felt when she accepted Min Jaeyoon’s proposal. Nothing. She had felt absolutely nothing.
Maybe everyone was saving others the same way, without thinking. If so, then perhaps this world was not as hellish as she believed.
“N-Nari…?”
Sensing something unusual, Jeong Suho approached her. Nari sighed softly as she stared at the night sky, then turned to him.
“If I become nothing at all, will you still stay with me?”
“Huh? Yeah! Of course I will!”
He smiled brightly. Nari exhaled in relief.
Yes. Maybe that was enough. Even if things were hard, if there were people who always trusted her and held her up, then maybe she would be fine. And she no longer had only Jeong Suho beside her after all.
“I, I won’t be hurt by what you… say anymore. Even if you tell me to stay away, I’ll stick with you anyway if I think you won’t be okay. But… Why do you ask?”
“Haha.”
Nari laughed. Normally she would have pushed him away with a cold remark, but now she found herself welcoming the warmth in his voice.
She had to admit it. She had grown as well. She was sturdier than before. Maybe it was time to be proud of that. After a moment of thought, she looked at Jeong Suho again and spoke.
“Can you take me to see the Guild Master? I have something to say.”