Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Rosario Appointment
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"Brother. First, allow me to apologize about Liang Xian."
The massive man, Ben-Hur, offered a formal bow.
He followed up with an awkward excuse on his face.
"She’s not the type to act like that normally. I regret the clash."
The final assault of the Necromancer King.
Ju Gonghyeok and Liang Xian had fought each other to the death despite being on the same side.
It appeared Liang Xian had launched the first strike unilaterally, so Ben-Hur, a Company delegate, had come in person.
"She up and returned to Deus on her own and went into seclusion. What in the world was she thinking! I’m utterly embarrassed!"
"Lord Jehman, please don’t get so upset. Wasn’t she always impossible to pin down?"
Marcus, from the lowest seat in Rosario, soothed the rigidly principled Jehman.
The three delegates from the Company.
They were the elites of "Mother" Christina—Rosario’s 13 seats.
"No, as the top seat in Rosario, the one called our master, she needs to act accordingly!"
The legalistic rabbi in charge of judicial affairs in Deus grumbled.
"If it were up to me, I’d grab her by the hair right now and make her apologize to you in person! None of these Rosario bastards are any good!"
"Now, now, calm down..."
"This is something to stay calm about? Why did Christina appoint such an irreligious woman as top seat!"
Marcus placed a hand on the furious man’s shoulder.
"Lord Jehman. I know you’re angry."
"But don’t speak of Mother so carelessly in a place like this."
Jehman’s voice quieted under the sharpened gazes of Marcus and Ben-Hur.
Gonghyeok inwardly chuckled at the perfectly timed farce.
The two who had restrained Jehman were renowned loyalists within Deus.
"Ha ha, sorry for letting the conversation veer off. Lord Jehman insisted on apologizing to you in person."
"Ahem."
The calmed Jehman cleared his throat.
Then he gazed at Ju Gonghyeok with utmost seriousness.
"That’s not all. I wanted to see with my own eyes the new member joining our Rosario."
"I feel the same."
Marcus nodded in agreement.
Ben-Hur glanced around the room for a moment before pulling out a prepared box.
"So, here’s the main point."
Inside the box were two rosaries.
The thirteen differently colored gems symbolized Rosario’s members and the thirteen cities within Babel.
"Fine craftsmanship."
He lifted one rosary as if seeing such an item for the first time, marveling at it.
[Ju Gonghyeok’s 11th Seat Rosary (A++)]
- Ju Gonghyeok’s name is engraved on the rosary.
- Slightly increases resistance to 13 schools of magic.
- Breaking the rosary opens a gate to the nearest rosary bearer.
[Ha Yeonsi’s 12th Seat Rosary (A++)]
- Ha Yeonsi’s name...
"Let me be direct. We want to formally accept you and her as members of Rosario."
Ben-Hur and the other two fixed their gazes on Gonghyeok.
Gonghyeok rolled a bead between his fingers as he spoke.
"Understood. I’ll take them right now."
Their eyes swiftly exchanged signals at his ready acceptance.
‘This seat is beyond me.’
‘I’m affiliated with another city, you know?’
No need to complicate things with such responses.
They had come prepared to accept it all, and there was much more to be done.
He’d considered playing the "this is too much for me" card, but no need to drag things out.
There was much more to be done.
"Ha ha ha! Refreshing as ever. With these two seats filled, just one remains."
"The 10th seat... no telling when that’ll be filled."
That seat would never be filled.
They’d all be dead before then.
Originally, Savior Yulia was meant to take it.
‘But I killed her myself on the second floor.’
It was Yulia who had given him the handy brainwashing skill.
Marcus rose with a smiling face.
"Then, upon joining Rosario, you must take a few oaths."
He held up the rosary and spoke gently.
"Given the setting, we’ll do a simplified version."
The former Catholic bishop closed his eyes, setting a solemn atmosphere convincingly.
"Brother, do you swear as a member of Rosario to cherish one another and never betray?"
"Yes."
No sooner had he answered than the GM’s warning rang out.
[Stealth skill ‘Let Not the Left Hand Know What the Right Does’ confirmed in use.]
[User: Marcus]
[Avatar use detected; cannot specify due to stealth and detection interference skills.]
Marcus was covertly using an avatar without Gonghyeok knowing.
"Do you swear, alongside Mother Christina C. Mahadeva, to exterminate the Demon King?"
"Yes."
The second question followed.
Gonghyeok answered obediently.
Marcus’s ability was lie detection.
To Marcus, YES and NO signs would now float above Gonghyeok’s head.
"The final oath."
He took a breath before speaking.
"Do you swear, from past to future, never to contract with a devil?"
A sharp glint entered the eyes of the previously relaxed Ben-Hur and Jehman.
All three questions were crucial.
Would he betray them? What was his loyalty to Mother? Any ties to devils?
They intended to decide Gonghyeok’s fate based on the results.
Gonghyeok gave a faint smile under their blade-like stares masked as kindness.
"I swear. I’ve killed so many contractors already. A devil contract? Ridiculous."
YES and NO.
What had it shown?
Marcus nodded and turned around.
The other two watched his face intently before bursting into hearty laughter.
"Brother! Welcome to Rosario!"
"This calls for it. We should go fetch that Ha Yeonsi girl soon."
Pleasant chatter filled the reception room.
And twenty minutes later.
"May I step out to check on the Company branch? It’s modest, but I’ll likely be the next branch manager."
"I need the restroom myself."
Marcus and Ben-Hur rose from their seats.
"If it’s the branch, shall I guide you? You’re not familiar yet."
"Now, now, where do you think you’re going? You need to study more Torah with me!"
Jehman grabbed Gonghyeok and spoke in one breath.
"Reading the Torah and praying fills you with spiritual energy. During the past subprime mortgage crisis, Israel overcame the economic downturn because the Haredi diligently studied the Torah..."
Ben-Hur gave a wry smile.
"Lord Jehman seems to have much to discuss with Brother."
"We’ll see you shortly."
Leaving the ranting Jehman and Gonghyeok behind, the two exited the room.
Ben-Hur asked as he closed the door.
"What was his intent?"
"All the oaths were ‘YES.’"
Meaning no lies in the oaths.
He stroked his goatee.
"I see. I’ll head back in shortly. You’ll be at the Company from now on, so work wisely with your sister."
"Understood."
Marcus walked down the corridor, leaving Ben-Hur who entered the restroom.
As he walked, he thought.
‘Another one’s joined.’
One by one, Rosario’s seats were filling.
At first, he thought they were here to aid Mother’s great undertaking.
But now, his thinking had changed.
‘None of them are any help to Mother.’
This Easterner was no different.
He was closer to trash than anyone Marcus knew.
Lost in thought as he walked the corridor, Marcus spotted a familiar man in his view.
The Eastern man from the room, Ju Gonghyeok, spoke to him.
"Why did you lie to Ben-Hur?"
Leaning against the corridor wall, Ju Gonghyeok smiled as he asked.
"I answered ‘NO’ to everything inwardly."
"The one in the room is a clone, and this is the real you?"
The affable expression on Marcus’s face turned icy.
"Where did you learn of my ability? What’s the reason for seeking me out like this?"
"I came because I like your ability."
"You like my ability?"
"It communicates well. No need to doubt my true intentions no matter what I say, no time wasted on clumsy probing."
"What are you getting at?"
"Something like this."
Gonghyeok shrugged lightly.
"I’m going to find Liang Xian and kill her."
"Liang Xian..."
"Yes. Rosario’s first seat. I want to kill her as soon as possible, so I’d like your help."
Marcus’s shoulder was coiled by the avatar ‘Eden’s Serpent.’
"We swore brotherhood just ten minutes ago."
The vertically slit reptilian eyes pierced Gonghyeok as if appraising him.
Marcus could see it.
The ‘YES’ floating above Gonghyeok’s head.
"You mean it."
"Shall we talk on the way?"
The two men strode briskly down the Company headquarters corridor.
No emotion could be read on Marcus’s face, as if he wore a mask.
"Why do you want to kill her?"
"I can’t go into detail. But I won’t be satisfied unless I do."
"Because she’s a fake?"
A strange smile crept onto Gonghyeok’s lips.
First time. Someone who even vaguely sensed the ‘future being’s’ existence.
"How long have you known she’s a fake?"
Politeness vanished from Gonghyeok’s tone.
"About a month. Once I suspected, given my ability, it was easy to confirm."
Marcus’s serpent flicked its tongue at Gonghyeok.
"Are you a fake too?"
"Who knows. What do your eyes see?"
"......."
"So, shall we make a deal?"
Gonghyeok clasped his hands behind his head.
"I want to eliminate most of Rosario, Liang Xian included."
YES.
"No telling what happens later, but if our goals align, I’d like to work with you."
YES.
"If things go well, I’ll share the rewards. I know about the 40th floor rewards. You’ll flip when you hear."
YES.
Eden’s Serpent judged them all true.
Marcus quietly spoke.
"One piece of advice."
"What is it?"
"The Rosario oaths in the reception room. One was ‘YES.’"
Their eyes met for the first time.
"I don’t know where you learned my ability or what you are, but don’t get arrogant. You’re just another human who can’t face his own heart."
"Is that so."
"Those who do face it become heroes."
Marcus stopped at the end of the corridor.
"Like Mother."
"Marcus."
"If it’s more empty hero talk, get lost."
"........."
He was sick of trite hero lectures.
Even Marcus, who preached such nonsense to others, had betrayed Mother to the point of nausea.
Thirteenth of thirteen.
Thus his moniker: ‘Rosario’s Serpent.’
Marcus spoke again.
"I’ll steer Liang Xian your way depending on the situation. We’ll talk the rest later."
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me."
His cold eyes bored into Gonghyeok.
"I was just looking for trash like you."
"I’m glad Rosario has trash I can talk to."
"She’s fake, but strong."
"Even the weakest Liang Xian was scarier than the current one."
Marcus gave a small scoff and left the headquarters.
Gonghyeok waved goodbye and pulled out a pipe from his pocket.
As he packed it with tobacco, he recalled the first Liang Xian.
‘You have no talent.’
Words Liang Xian spoke while teaching him, after just three days.
‘At least your memory and rote repetition are decent. Keep practicing, and you might grasp the fringes of martial arts.’
She puffed on her signature pipe.
‘Not everyone needs to pursue the pinnacle of martial arts. If you hone it in battle and fulfill your role as a tool for survival, that’s not so bad.’
Gonghyeok, who had become her disciple solely through Christina’s connections, asked with envious eyes.
‘Master. How can I become as strong as you?’
‘Hmm. About a hundred years?’
Ah. Meaning impossible in this lifetime.
That’s what he thought then.
"Master. And three hundred years have passed."
Because she said he had no talent, he trained and trained again.
In just a hundred years, he reached the Yanggao Haenggeuk, her Seven Ultimate Techniques.
And then another life.
The fifth her said.
‘You’ve stagnated, refusing to change.’
It was after that he began learning the beastmen’s martial arts to advance further.
He owed her much.
From martial arts to mindset.
Without a master named Liang Xian, he wouldn’t have come this far.
‘Especially in the eighth life.’
Eighth life.
Ju Gonghyeok had abandoned everything and fled.
If someone saw his life, they’d think once or twice: It’s unbeatable anyway. Give up, live freely with the remaining time, and die.
Facing insurmountable despair, he could no longer move forward.