Tower Of God: Life As Hoaqin

"I've decided to stop by the Khun Family main house and form a treaty. I'll go personally."

"What?! Are you insane?!"

Orca noona slammed her hand on the office desk with a bang and shoved her face right up to mine, shouting in disbelief. She was so angry that I was starting to feel wronged instead—it wasn't like I'd said I was going to tear through the Ha Family main house. I was just going to stop by the Khun Family main house to see Mascheny. And negotiate while I was at it.

"N-no... I'm just going to the Khun Family to form an agreement and come back. You're overreacting, noona."

As I subtly pushed my chair back to distance myself from her, noona watched me and scoffed, then looked at Heron. Yes, Heron! I'd thought my ever-reliable ally Heron would surely support me... but judging by his expression, it didn't look promising.

"Hahaha! Wow, Heron! Did you hear that?!"

"Well... Branch Leader, didn't they say you might end up meeting the head of a great Family? You've decided too hastily. There's a reason none of the other branch leaders or rulers volunteered."

I nodded, conceding Heron's concern to some degree. True, it was dangerous. When I'd heard that envoys from hostile Families who met the Khun Family Head rarely returned alive, I'd felt a chill for a moment.

However, upon looking into it, all those envoys had been heralds and the like—people who didn't hold particularly high positions.

"Of course, the Khun Family is our hostile Family, so it's not as if there's no danger... but I'm a branch leader and ruler who enjoys Father's favor—a core fighting force of the Family. The Khun Family can't recklessly touch me either. Well, even if Eduan zaps me with electricity once, I'll regenerate right away."

"Of course... given your position, Branch Leader... they wouldn't dare touch you recklessly, but if you were to meet that rugby-ball-headed Family Head... there's always a 'what if.'"

I was silent for a moment, then spoke to him.

"Heron, there is always a 'what if' in all things. If we only think about the worst case and keep avoiding, what will we ever accomplish?"

Heron smiled bitterly and stepped back. Okay, Heron persuaded. When I turned toward my next target, Orca noona, a frigid gaze was glaring at me. The moment I tried to open my mouth, she clamped it shut.

"Mm."

"Our dear little brother will at least consult with this noona and the other capable people here from now on, won't he? Hmm?"

Her expression—smiling yet not smiling—was so intimidating that I kept widening the distance while earnestly nodding at her. No, in the end I bowed my head deeply and apologized.

After all, noona was the one who'd come to help me of her own accord back when my branch was a branch in name only. Deciding things on my own without consulting her had indeed been a bit much.

"...Of course. I'm sorry, noona."

"This kid suddenly apologizing so obediently, how unlike him. Well, fine. What's done is done. When are you going?"

"I've already sent a letter to the Khun Family, so I'll go when the okay comes through. If there's no response after a week, I'll just go anyway."

Surely they'd respond within a week to an official letter sent by an Arie Family branch leader and ruler.

...Or so I'd once hoped.

.....

One week later.

Ignoring a letter from the Arie Family for an entire week? And not even an ordinary herald's letter, but one where a branch leader requested to come 'personally'?

"It seems the Ha Family contacted them before we did. For the Khun Family as well, we're both a potential threat and a potential ally they could join hands with. They appear to have moved a bit faster than us and made their play."

"I don't know—knowing the Khun bastards' personalities, they might just be deliberately ignoring us."

"...Hahaha, I think I was being too concerned with etiquette. Why would the strongest of the 10 Great Families be reading the room, sending letters ahead and waiting for permission? I should have just gone."

At my words, Orca noona and Heron both looked at me simultaneously. Their expressions said 'you can't be serious about barging into the Khun Family,' but my thinking was a bit different.

"If the Ha Family contacted them first as Heron says, then we too need to get to the Khun Family as quickly as possible and present a new deal. And if noona is right and they're just ignoring us... shouldn't we make contact before the Ha Family does? Too much time has already been wasted."

I'd already notified them by letter that I was coming.

"I'll just go visit them today."

"S-suddenly?"

"Yes, suddenly. They won't expect me to show up out of nowhere, so I might be able to get things done before they can even respond... and above all, there's a saying that opportunities aren't found but seized. I saw that quote in a book in the study yesterday."

At my words, Heron chuckled lightly, while Orca noona scratched the back of her head in bewilderment.

"I've seen that quote somewhere too... but is this really the right time to use it?"

"That's up to whoever's using it. Anyway, dragging this out any longer won't do any good. So with that understood—"

Knock knock.

Just as the conversation was winding down, the sound of someone knocking came from outside. Was it Cain hyung? No, if it were Cain hyung he'd just open the door and walk in. Same for Belsian.

"Who is it?"

When I called out loudly enough to be heard outside, an unfamiliar yet not entirely unknown voice came from beyond the door. One of the Rankers stationed here?

"Branch Leader, I've brought a letter sent from the main house."

"Enter."

Creeeak.

The door opened, and sure enough, a Ranker who appeared to be of Arie branch lineage bowed her head and carefully passed between Heron and Orca to reach me.

"Excuse me, Branch Leader. As I mentioned, the main house has sent a letter to our 78th Floor branch. Here..."

I took the letter from her, unfolded it, and read through its contents one by one. Before long, my expression gradually hardened, and Orca noona, puzzled by my reaction, leaned over to see the contents.

"Let me see... oh my, has it already been this long?"

The letter read as follows:

Recipient: [Arie Hoaqin], currently holding guardian status over [Arie Hagipherione]

The date for the first round of Princess of Zahard selection has been determined. As one of the current candidates, [Arie Hagipherione] is to undertake the selection examination. The recipient of this letter is requested to send the candidate to the main house by the date specified below.

As noona said—had it really been this long already? I wished time had passed a bit more slowly. Hagipherione was already eleven, so this was something that would have come eventually.

Since it supposedly took nearly ten years from the first examination to the final one... watching and waiting was probably the right call for now. Heron had told me that Harpe herself wanted to do it, after all.

But still. It still didn't sit right. Harpe, and those beside me—they didn't know. How tragic and ugly the Princess of Zahard system truly was. Of course, it wasn't as if there were no advantages at all... but even if Harpe was originally destined to become a powerful Princess of Zahard, even if Harpe herself wanted it, was it right for me as her brother to let her walk that path when I knew full well what kind of path it was...?

I felt like asking a guide for directions. I smiled bitterly and slowly rose from my seat.

"On that date, I'll personally take Harpe up to the main house. Well then, I'll be heading out, so everyone get some good rest. You there, the one who brought the letter—you may withdraw as well."

Cain hyung would handle all the remaining work. It might look like I was dumping things on him, but I'd already gotten through a considerable amount of work myself, and bringing Cain hyung in to split the duties was the whole point. I gave a light wave to everyone in the office, then opened the door and stepped out.

Flutter flutter.

"...? You want to come with me too?"

The butterfly, which had been so quiet lately I'd suspected it might be dead, was for some reason fluttering around me. Nice to see it looking lively.

I still didn't know the true identity of this wondrous butterfly—received twelve years ago as a thank-you gift from a child I'd briefly helped on the way to Mascheny's royal investiture ceremony at the Zahard Palace—but I had figured out a few things. One of which was that it possessed various mystical abilities.

"Perfect timing."

For instance, like this—

When I gently touched my fingertip to the wings of the butterfly fluttering around me, it began emitting a soft white glow, gradually changing from purple to white. Then, as if self-replicating, the butterflies multiplied into countless numbers, covering my body with their white, fluttering wings.

The butterflies scattered in every direction, sprinkling soft light—and where they dispersed, I was no longer there.

Flutter flutter flutter.

On a distant plain far from the branch, hundreds of beautiful butterflies appeared from somewhere, clustering together to form a whirlwind of butterflies, and from within it I emerged anew. In an instant the butterflies dissolved into particles and vanished, leaving only a single butterfly that alighted on my shoulder.

One of its abilities—spatial teleportation. Unlike spatial distortion, which drained my stamina with every use, this had virtually no drawbacks, which was great... but the butterfly was never around when I actually needed it, so I'd rarely gotten good use out of it. The range and destinations I could travel to were inconsistent too.

Anyway, the reason I'd gone so far as to use the butterfly's teleportation to come here was nothing special. I just wanted to enjoy the Tower's wondrous natural scenery after a long while, and to set off for the Khun Family main house.

"...Nice view."

In contrast to the rugged mountain range covered in perennial snow visible in the distance, this area was a verdant plain full of lush grass. Taking in the scenery that somehow reminded me of an old computer desktop wallpaper, I found a good spot and pulled out my Observer.

Click—

— To Luf: Photo taken on the 78th Floor, stop by sometime

— Luf: lol I miss you hyung, I'll visit soon. Saving the photo haha

Luf was always so responsive to messages, but Hwarang—that kid's replies were always sporadic. I'd worried more than once or twice that he might have been caught by the Yeon Family and something had happened to him. But since he did eventually reply, I could feel somewhat reassured. And considering that miraculous flame of his, he didn't seem like someone who'd be caught easily.

Switching my Pocket back to invisible mode, I continued taking in the scenery. Watching it reminded me of traveling with them while climbing the Tower as a Regular. Stopping at beautiful places like this, fighting deserters from the 10 Great Families, eating delicious food—small but happy memories.

'Master, you're being sentimental all of a sudden.'

"Haha, I've always been the sensitive type. Shall we get going now, Heuk-rin?"

Calling out to Heuk-rin, who slumbered deep within, he slowly began to stir, eyes half-open.

[Grrrrr.....]

The reason I'd come all the way to this plain—Heuk-rin was so enormous that fully revealing himself in the branch or a city was impractical. But in this open field with no people or buildings, there was nothing to worry about. Unlike Evankhell's fire, there was no risk of damaging nature either.

Shwaaaa—

As if I'd become the eye of a typhoon, black mist erupted from around me and blanketed this vast, sprawling plain. The ground that had been filled with green was painted over in black, and within that mist, crimson eyes flashed.

Ancient Species Heuk-rin — Full Release

A dragon's head surged upward, four wings spread wide open, blood-red claws drove into the earth, and gradually Heuk-rin's entire form began emerging into the world. And finally, his full body revealed.

[You dare use me like a floating ship...?]

"Don't be like that. I just figured you'd be the fastest way to get to the Khun Family, that's all. Please, I want to see Mascheny soon too."

[Love with a Princess of Zahard—you truly are a wretched one. Clinging to the impossible, how laughable.]

"...Haha, well. Just answer me—are you taking me to the Khun Family or not?"

[Ha, getting angry over that? I'll take you. That much is appropriate given our transactional relationship.]

Heuk-rin lowered his body slightly—just slightly—and I leaped high onto his back. Heuk-rin glared at me with his crimson eyes for a moment, then spread all four wings wide and soared high into the sky.

"Heuk-rin, go straight 300km then turn left."

[Don't talk to me like you're operating a floating ship!!]

.....

Khun Family Main House

The Khun Family—said to be among the most powerful of the 10 Great Families alongside the Arie Family and the Ha Family—had a main house and capital that looked quite different from the other two.

The capital where the Arie Family's main house, Baekhwa Sword Palace, was located—'The City of White Silver'—received praise as a beautiful city overflowing with dignity and restrained elegance, thanks to its Renaissance-esque classical architecture and buildings uniformly constructed in pristine white.

The capital where the Ha Family's main house, the Crimson Moon Taeguk Palace, was located—'Changcheon'—was regarded as a city of mystique, owing to its Eastern architectural style with blue-black roof tiles, rare deep-sea creatures that inhabited only the Changcheon vicinity, and the crimson wind lanterns filling the city.

By contrast, the capital where the Khun Family's main house, the Typhoon Wave Palace, was located—'Dionis'—didn't particularly possess any unique charm such as being beautiful or mystical. It simply had massive ramparts encircling the city's perimeter, built from durable materials mined from Cherry River and other excellent mining regions, with buildings in dreary colors like gray and navy blue packed densely together to form the city.

Thanks to the enormous ramparts and dark buildings, Dionis received assessments of being 'majestic' and 'imposing,' but never 'beautiful.' The reason the Khun Family's capital bore this appearance compared to the other two Families was simple.

"I hear we used to be just as grand as the other Families in the old days. Waterfalls of wine flowed, and blue floating islands decorated the Tower's ceiling—it was apparently so beautiful. That's what my senior told me."

A Khun Family guard at the main house gazed up at the ceiling as if reminiscing about an era he'd never even experienced, having only heard about it secondhand, and took a drag of his cigarette. Watching him, a junior guard tilted his head.

"But why is it like this now..."

"I'm about to explain, you brat. Don't interrupt when your senior is talking..."

"Ah, sorry sir."

"When the city was first built, it was constructed just as splendidly as any other Family's. The problem is, our Family Head's personality is rather... unconventional, and the power he wields is something else. Every time he's in a bad mood, storm clouds roll into the capital bringing thunder, lightning, and typhoons—so the city keeps getting wrecked."

The guard finished his cigarette, dropped it to the ground, crushed it underfoot, and continued.

"The Khun Family architects tried hard to restore it at first. But doing that dozens or hundreds of times a year wears you out mentally and physically, and the costs were astronomical, right? So they finally came up with a brilliant solution."

Since Eduan didn't care whether the city was pretty or not, and building the city beautifully had been purely to elevate the Family's prestige, they ultimately made a compromise. Abandon beauty, embrace practicality. The current city of 'Dionis'—built entirely of thick, massive ramparts, monotone colors, and durable materials—had this background behind it.

Well, at least our city's the best when it comes to defense—

WEEE-OOO WEEE-OOO

— Alert, alert. Unidentified flying object approaching from 100km out. Guards on the outer ramparts, verify anti-air weapons status and maintain aerial surveillance.

"What the hell! Hey! I'm going to check the anti-air guns in Sector 3, you head to Sector 2!"

"Y-yes sir!"

At the sudden alarm blaring through the guards' Pockets, the guards who had been leisurely patrolling the outer ramparts quickened their pace. Khun Family Rankers from the main house began heading toward the ramparts, and the countless warships and floating ships hovering in the sky turned their hulls in one direction.

About twenty minutes later, the voices of warship and floating ship crew members expressing bewilderment poured through the Pocket communications one after another. The Khun Family Rankers who had come to the ramparts stared intently in one direction with furrowed brows, and shortly after, the guards too could spot something approaching from the distance.

"...Black... mist?"

[GRAAAAAAAAAH]

"....!!"

At the roar echoing from beyond the black mist, everyone who heard it froze in an instant. The roar reverberated through the city, and after a brief silence, those who belatedly regained their senses began moving in unison.

"Fire anti-air guns!"

"Warships, floating ships—volley fire!"

"Spear bearers! Prepare to throw!"

The guards activated the automated shinsu anti-air cannons, the guns of the military warships and floating ships hovering at the ceiling blazed in unison, and the Khun Family Rankers lined up along the ramparts pulled blue spears from their inventories and hurled them with all their might.

Countless attacks spewing multicolored light were fired toward the black mist approaching from the distance. They struck dead-on, causing a massive explosion. Blocking the shockwave that radiated from the distance all the way to the ramparts with shinsu barriers, the guards and Rankers focused their gazes on the spot where the shinsu storm had formed.

"Don't let your guard down! Prepare for a second barrage! The moment visibility is secured, commence attack!"

"".....""

Despite some time passing, no black mist emerged through the shinsu storm. Rather, the shinsu storm subsided first, and the cleared sky above held nothing. The ramparts fell instantly silent once more.

One of the new recruits, who had been blankly staring at where the black mist had been, inadvertently uttered the forbidden phrase.

"...Did we get it?"

Every Ranker and guard on the ramparts stared at the new recruit with expressions mixing horror and irritation. Eventually, his direct superior smacked his helmet hard and shouted furiously.

"Will you shut the hell up, you lunatic?!"

"S-sorry sir!"

BOOM!!

At that moment, a thunderous sound from somewhere shook the ramparts violently. Only then did everyone's heads turn toward the source of the sound, and they belatedly realized that the black mist had landed on one section of the ramparts.

"Damn it! Surround it!"

""Yes sir!!""

Everyone rushed toward Sector 5 of the ramparts where the massive black mist was churning, forming a circle to surround it. Soon, something began gradually revealing itself from within the black mist.

[Grrrrr....]

"Wh-what on earth is...."

Four black wings that spread wide then folded again, a black tail sweeping along the ramparts, crimson eyes flashing as the black mist cleared, red claws, and hellfire dripping from its mouth. To the Khun Family soldiers, it was nothing less than a demon.

"R-report to the branch leaders at the main house..."

"Haha, everyone, quite the warm welcome you've got."

"...?!"

From atop the massive demon, a white-haired boy lightly dismounted. He surveyed everyone with a relaxed, sly expression, then smiled and gave a light nod of greeting.

"I'm Arie Hoaqin, Arie Family branch leader and ruler of the 78th Floor. I sent a letter before visiting, so... this shouldn't count as trespassing, right? Haha, pleasure to meet you all."

"Th-the Arie Family...?"

"Yes, yes. Could you report this to the main house, please?"

After the boy who'd introduced himself as a branch leader finished his introduction, those who belatedly came to their senses frantically pulled out their Pockets and began reporting to the main house like mad. Hoaqin merely smiled as he watched them scurry about.

.....

"Are you insane? Barging in so recklessly like that—"

"Here, Mascheny, your fresh fruit grape juice is ready."

"Ah, thanks."

Mascheny naturally took the fruit juice and put the straw to her lips. Watching her like that, the corners of my mouth rising on their own, I too took a long sip of my peach fruit juice.

"Mascheny."

"What."

"Where do you want to go next?"

"...Hoaqin, didn't you say you came to form a treaty with our Family?"

When she asked suspiciously, a tiny angel and devil bearing my likeness appeared beside my head. The devil spoke first.

'Negotiate? What negotiation? Let's just stay like this. It's fun and nice, right?'

Then the angel spoke.

'Yeah. Being with Mascheny feels great. Let's keep this up.'

After hearing both their opinions, I deliberated profoundly for about one second, then answered Mascheny's question.

"Hm? Negotiation? Did I? I can't remember. Let's hit a restaurant first."

"...Sure."

Well, even if I said that, it wasn't as though I could negotiate right away anyway. There was still plenty of time.