Chapter 197: Price
< Chapter 197: Price (2) >
"What do you want to do? We've formed an alliance, and I can't just chase him away. So, I've kept him on standby in an appropriate location. If you dont want to meet him, Ill send him away quietly."
Before I could answer, Ai interrupted.
"Seo-yul. Decline the meeting. It's too dangerous for you to meet him in your current condition. You know what kind of man he is, right?"
"I know its dangerous."
If that man had any malicious intent, I wouldnt be able to confront him in my current state.
It's extremely risky to meet with Unknown in this situation where it's even hard to move my arms and hands.
Normally, I should never meet him, but somethings bothering me.
"Unknown How long has he been waiting for me?"
"He appeared 4 days ago and has been waiting quietly since. Why?"
"4 days"
Given Unknowns nature, this timeline would be like a treasure trove to him.
He spent all this time just waiting?
He must have an extremely important reason.
"Did he have any messages for me?"
"Yes. He said he has something to discuss regarding our shared secret."
A shared secret.
Meaning, the system error.
Something to say about the system error?
"He also mentioned that since the information he provided is now useless, he wants to offer another kind of help."
The information Unknown provided, about the attack on one of Saviors headquarters, is now worthless.
We already had a major confrontation with the Demon God.
I can't think of anything else that the cool and strategic Demon God would do in this situation.
If he were to attack, he would've done it right after our retreat, not wait until we're somewhat regrouped.
"What will you do?"
"Hmm."
I looked gently at Ai.
"Seo-yul. Youre not thinking of meeting him, are you?"
Did my gaze worry her?
Ais eyes trembled.
"I wont meet him."
Ai let out a sigh of relief at my answer.
"Theres no need to physically meet to talk, right?"
"Yes."
Ultimately, what Ai is worried about is the potential harm Unknown might cause to me, especially in my current weakened state.
Then, its simple. I just wont meet him.
"Ini, can you prepare the communication equipment?"
"Yes."
"Are there any risks, like eavesdropping?"
"Hmm. There is an eavesdropping risk from the outside, but it's safe inside the headquarters' barrier."
"Okay. Then, please prepare it."
At my calm request, Ini chuckled.
"Why are you bossing me around like this? Im a Dragon Lord, you know."
She glared at me with a resentful look.
She's probably tired from taking care of me for the past 6 days.
"Ill do anything you ask later. Even in my dragon form."
Ini's shoulders twitched.
"Anything?"
"Anything."
The fatigue on Ini's face disappeared in an instant. Or rather, there was a sudden sparkle in her demeanor.
"Great! Ill prepare the communication device at the speed of light! Just wait!"
With that, Ini disappeared. Not metaphorically. She literally vanished. She must have teleported.
Can you use teleportation without any constraints within the barrier?
Or was my proposal that enticing?
Soon, only Ai and I were left in the room.
"I'll go and tell the others that you've woken up."
"Ah, yes. Thanks."
* * *
About 3 minutes after Ai left the room, I heard urgent footsteps from outside the door.
"Seo-yul!"
The door opened, revealing Heavenly God. Her expression was peculiar. It seemed like she was both moved and sad.
I couldnt quite describe her facial expression.
"Im glad youre safe."
"Yes. Thanks to you, Seo-yul, I survived."
Heavenly God's attire was different than usual.
Unlike the uncomfortable-looking combat outfit, she was wearing a very loose and comfy-looking garment. She probably wore it for maximum comfort while receiving treatment.
"Ah!"
Realizing I was looking at her clothes, Heavenly God's face turned red.
"This, this is because I often had to take off my clothes for the treatment so, for that reason Please dont get me wrong!"
She then hastily tried to explain herself.
Seeing her flustered in this manner reminded me of Yu Hwa, which inadvertently made me smile.
"I know. Your injuries werent something that would heal in just a day or two. And also"
Perhaps it's a reaction to always wearing stiff suits usually.
I was reminded of Yu Hwa, who preferred to wear the most comfortable clothes at home.
"What's wrong with wearing comfortable clothes? When you rest, you should rest properly."
"Yes."
Still, Heavenly God lowered her head deeply, as if she was still feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Uh, how's your body feeling?"
"Hmm. It's much better now."
It feels like I've only been awake for less than 20 minutes, but much of the pain has disappeared. I'm not sure if it's because of the injection that Ini gave, but it's definitely improved.
"I'm sorry. Because of me, you overexerted"
Her head was hung low, so all I could see was the top of her head.
But, for some reason, it looked a bit sullen.
"It's okay. Who could've known that Demon God would become so much stronger so quickly?"
It's natural that it was unexpected.
I didn't know either.
Just then, Ini, who had gone to get the communication device, returned.
"Right. This isnt our fault. It's just unfair that the Demon God is a cheat-like existence."
Holding a mirror-shaped unique device, Ini showed an extremely annoyed expression and clicked her tongue.
"Thinking about it again, it's really absurd. Kang Seo-yul, you know too, right? Once you reach a certain level, it's incredibly difficult to get any stronger."
"I know."
"But that damned Demon God evolved twice in just 7 years? Does that make sense? I initially thought that maybe Adam was favoring Demon God."
Ini placed the mirror on the floor and approached me.
Heavenly God asked Ini with wide eyes,
"Why would Adam favor Demon God?"
Her expression was quite fierce.
"Huh? No, I didnt mean to disrespect Adam. It's just that it was so absurd that I even had that thought. Its like that. Why are you making that face?"
Ini awkwardly scratched her head.
"I understand, but please don't say such things again. Adam is the hope and light of this world. Theres no way someone like him would favor the likes of Demon God."
"Okay~ I get it. With the holy one here, how would I ever doubt Adam."
Ini smirked playfully.
"By the way, Heavenly God, where's Aqua?"
"She went to rest. She said she's truly at her limit. She asked not to be disturbed for about a day."
"She went to work out, didn't she?"
"Yes."
"Ugh, that muscle-loving exercise addict."
"But isn't that what's likable about Aqua?"
"True, but sometimes she overdoes it."
"Hmm. I can't deny that."
The two shared a faint smile.
"Oh, right!"
Then, Ini's lips curled into a mischievous grin, a smile full of playfulness.
"Hey, Kang Seo-yul. Listen. Did he, by any chance, leave something like a last will to you when he died?"
Heavenly God's eyes widened in shock.
"D-d-dragon Lord! What are you saying!"
And then, in desperation, he attempted to cover Ini's mouth.
However, Heavenly God, who had not fully recovered, was not able to restrain the Dragon Lord.
"Dragon Lord? Why did you suddenly become so formal again? Call me Ini' like you did back then."
"That calling you that way back then was"
"I felt good thinking I had made a friend. Hehe~ even thinking about it now is touching. That's why I like you, Heavenly God!"
Ini was laughing uproariously, patting Heavenly God's back repeatedly.
With both hands covering his face, Heavenly God's cheeks turned as red as ripe apples.
"Fate has already changed. Keuh. It's a famous quote~ a famous quote!"
"Ughhhhh"
Looking as if she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole right then, she crouched down and buried her face in her knees.
If it were possible to die of embarrassment, Heavenly God would've already been dead.
"Puhahaha."
Watching Heavenly God, Ini laughed joyfully.
How could she find that so amusing?
"You'll see later."
With gritted teeth, Heavenly God muttered coldly.
Nevertheless, Ini's laughter continued. About 30 seconds passed like this.
"Ah, I've had a good laugh."
Just as tears were about to form in her reptilian eyes, which were stretched wide from side to side,
Ini stopped laughing.
Heavenly God's hands were tightly clenched, and she trembled visibly.
"So, don't leave any last words or anything like that next time. Got it? Next time, I'll really make fun of you in front of the other angels."
Ini stared at Heavenly God with serious eyes.
Feeling the sincere concern conveyed in that gaze, Heavenly God quietly nodded.
"Okay."
Ini smiled brightly as if her mood had lifted.
"Oh, right. There's something I'm curious about from that will."
"What are you curious about?"
Heavenly God's voice trembled with a face full of anxiety.
"You. By any chance, is your real name Yu Hwa?"
The moment Yu Hwa's name was mentioned, my mind went blank.
"Excuse me?"
Heavenly God tilted her head.
Her expression seemed to ask, "What kind of nonsensical talk is that?"
I felt the same way.
"No, at the end, you said that. Yu Hwa. She seemed to like you quite a bit. You told me to pass that message on."
"?"
Heavenly God's head tilted even more.
I quietly listened to their conversation.
"It's frustrating. What I mean is, isn't Yu Hwa' your real name and the confession you relayed to Kang Seo-yul?"
"What?"
Heavenly God was taken aback.
Hmm. Let's think about it.
Before Heavenly God died, she left a will with Ini.
Assuming that will stated, Yu Hwa, she seemed to like me.
"I can see why Ini would think that way."
It immediately made sense to me.
"No, I just spoke about a dream I never had such intentions!"
And as expected, it seems Heavenly God only found out about Yu Hwa in his dream.
It's questionable why she left such a message as her last words, but she probably didn't mean it in the way Ini thought.
"Come on. Why would you talk about a dream right before dying? Does that make sense?"
"About that."
Heavenly God remained silent, unable to respond. Her eyes darted about. Her expression suggested she herself didn't understand why she made such a comment in the end.
"See? You can't answer. Keuh~ I knew it would be like this. Hey, Kang Seo-yul. Am I right? I said this Heavenly God guy seems to have a crush on you."
Heavenly God shouted in exasperation.
"Crush? Such a vulgar term"
"Why? Would you prefer it more elegantly put? Like, fell in love'?"
"No, that's not it!"
"It's not? Aha. So, you dislike Kang Seo-yul? Hey, Kang Seo-yul, she says she doesn't like you."
"That's not!!!!"
Heavenly God looked as if she was about to explode in frustration.
Watching Heavenly God, Ini laughed as if she were the happiest person in the world.
I laughed along.
Ini really knows how to push someone's buttons.
"Fine. Let's just leave it at that."
Suddenly, Heavenly God's face grew serious.
"Oh~ Suddenly so assertive?"
"Yes. On reflection, there's nothing to be flustered about. Is there a problem in admiring a great apostle of the revered Adam?"
Yet, even as she spoke so confidently, Heavenly God's ears turned bright red.
"Hmm"
Ini seemed to be at a loss for words. What went wrong?
"If I hadn't seen the dragon form, I would have silently supported you But this makes it a bit headache-inducing. Should I only root for you when you're not in your dragon form?"
It was just a joke.
I decided to ignore Ini's comment.
"I don't know. It's not the time to think about that now. Let's move on."
Ini shifted her position, standing next to the mirror she had brought earlier, and tapped it lightly.
"This. There's one of these in the room where that man is too. If we connect, we can communicate directly."
"You met Unknown in the meantime?"
"Yes. I told you, I went and came back at the speed of light."
""
I thought that was just a figure of speech.
"So, you mean he agreed to communicate via this device?"
"Yes. Given your physical condition isn't great, he said he understands. He just needs to talk."
"Really?"
That means
Unknown genuinely wasn't planning any mischief against me.
"Oh, he had one request."
"What request?"
"He wants to speak with you alone."
"Why?"
"I don't know. But he said there's something to discuss related to the shared secret between you two. Maybe that's why he wants to speak with just you."
The shared secret between me and Unknown.
System error.
I see.'
If Unknown and I are to discuss the system, we need to be alone. We can't talk about things that go against the system, including its absence, in front of others.
"What will you do?"
Ini rhythmically tapped the mirror with her index finger, looking at me.
"Yes, I'll speak with him alone."
"You heard that, right? Heavenly God?"
Ini, leaning on the mirror, turned her gaze to Heavenly God.
"Then, I'll step out first."
Heavenly God, who had now regained her usual expression, stood up from her seat.
"Oh, right. I was interrupted by Dragon Lord and almost forgot the most important thing."
Heavenly God gave a faint smile.
"Thank you for saving my life."
"You're welcome."
Heavenly God bowed her head one last time and exited the room with dignified steps.
"I should also quickly activate the device and leave."
"Just to be sure, don't eavesdrop, okay?"
"Come on. Why would I eavesdrop on someone else's secret?"
Ini casually waved one hand and brought the other closer to the mirror, infusing it with her magic.
"To begin with, I'm not that interested in your secrets."
The mirror shone with Ini's magical light.
"Let's just talk about Elder Chronos later. I really need to know what happened in the land of extreme cold"
"Oh"
I had forgotten about that in all the commotion.
I had been too preoccupied to remember. The death, the assassination of the Time Dragon Chronos, would have been conveyed to Ini as well. I need to explain this matter to her.
"Got it. I'll tell you right after I'm done talking with Unknown."
"You better. Don't try to change the subject later."
"I won't."
Ini nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Then I'll connect right away."
Then, she placed her other hand on the mirror, inscribing a magic formula. And in the next moment
You kept me waiting for a long time.
"Unknown."
Unknown's upper half was reflected in the mirror.
Ini leaned forward as if to confirm that Unknown was being projected.
"That's good enough."
Then she nodded her head a couple of times and looked at me.
Then I'll be off. Don't forget about our promise earlier and that you agreed to grant a wish next time.
I wont forget.
Good. See you later then.
With that, Ini left the spot.
Are you alone now?
A momentary silence ensued.
Unknown spoke first.
Yeah, I'm alone. So hurry up and tell me what this is about.
Considering it's about the system error, its obviously important.
Why the rush?
Neither you nor I are in a situation for idle chit-chat. Is wanting to get straight to the point considered being in a hurry?
Unknown chuckled.
Fair point. Then I'll cut to the chase.
Through the mirror, Unknown's eyes gleamed.
There's a possibility that Demon God is an entity just like us.
What?
An entirely unexpected statement came out of Unknown's mouth.
< Chapter 197: Price (2) > End.
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