Chapter 393: Clark(2)
Chapter 393: Clark(2)
After Kate left for the underground temple, I took my time organizing the content for the next volume and the upcoming side stories.
The next volume would cover the aftermath of the war, Lily’s deteriorating condition, and the desperate struggle of Jin and his companions to find a cure.
In his final act of defiance, the Archdemon Diabolus had driven a stake into Lily before his vessel was destroyed. To make matters worse, that stake was lodged right in her heart, creating a situation that even the gods found difficult to resolve.
It wasn't that it was impossible to fix, but rather that the process was the problem. The issue was that the solution inevitably required Lily’s death.
Since her vessel was already so corrupted that it was beyond saving, the only way was to extract her soul, preserve it, and then transfer it into a newborn child.
However, this would lead to the tragic outcome of her losing all her memories. Because of this, the characters tried everything to keep her alive, but even those efforts were hitting a dead end.
First of all, if Lily were left as she was, her entire body would become corrupted, turning her into a demon. This was the same process that birthed the demon race—a corruption so potent that even the World Tree couldn't withstand it.
More importantly, even if a person could be brought back to life, was it right to treat human life so lightly?
If the soul remains the same but every single memory is gone, can that truly be considered the same person?
This was a dilemma fraught with both practical and philosophical problems, leaving Jin and the others in deep agony.
Paradoxically, to save Lily, they had to kill her. But if they did, she would no longer be Lily, but someone else entirely.
They had fought to save people, yet in the end, they were forced into a situation where they had to kill their own comrade.
Naturally, this tragic reality caused a rift within the protagonist's party. Xenon had half-given up, while Jin raised his voice, insisting they had to save her no matter what.
As time trickled away without a proper solution, Jin stayed by the unconscious Lily’s side, refusing to sleep.
But as time passed, Lily’s body began to turn black, starting from her heart. Unable to watch any longer, Jin eventually made a momentous decision.
He had no idea that it would be the prelude to yet another tragedy.
‘If only there were no corruption, her memories could have been preserved.’
One might wonder: if I could maintain the memories of my past life, why couldn't Lily?
The reason was simple. I didn't need purification, but Lily was in the midst of corruption, making purification essential.
Purification is the act of cleansing a soul until not a single speck remains. In other words, it returns the soul to a blank slate.
Of course, my arrival in this world was strictly an accident, so it was an unavoidable circumstance.
Luminous had told me before that the gods of Earth had protested fiercely. They were apparently struggling because the natural order of Earth had been completely disrupted.
To be honest, the gods of this world probably felt quite wronged. It wasn't them, but a demon worshipper who had caused the massive accident, yet they were the ones taking all the heat.
Still, if Clark hadn't twisted the summoning ritual, the Demon War would have broken out, so it was a frustrating situation all around.
‘The story up to the finale is all set. All that’s left is...’
The "insurance" side story and the one I thought of recently. Those two. The insurance side story is essentially an "IF" scenario rather than canon, so I can take my time with it.
However, the recent one—the one inspired by Clark—required quite a bit of planning. The most important factors were the protagonist and the time setting.
I had already envisioned the protagonist’s end. A confrontation between a protagonist struggling to leave behind a shred of hope and the Seven Deadly Sins, who had lost all hope and wished for the world’s destruction.
The tricky part was deciding which of the Seven Deadly Sins they would encounter. For now, the candidates were Wrath and Envy.
These two were beings who had lost everything precious in an instant and desired the world's ruin. Conversely, the protagonist was someone desperately struggling to leave behind even a tiny glimmer of hope.
‘Should I just have both of them appear?’
That wasn't a bad idea. Even if the protagonist couldn't claim victory, it would be enough to showcase the side story protagonist's strength.
The interesting point here was that Clark had single-handedly defeated the high-ranking leaders of the demon worshippers. In many ways, he was a man more extraordinary than any novel character.
Of course, since the underground temple was vital to the demon worshippers, they likely couldn't use their full power. But even so, his martial prowess shouldn't be underestimated.
Now that I had the general outline, I became curious about what kind of person Clark—my inspiration—really was, so I went to see my father.
I knew he was a "passing hero," one who had abandoned his duty as a hero, but I grew curious about the man himself beyond that.
"He was a heavy smoker."
My father answered calmly. I blinked in surprise and asked again, my voice filled with curiosity.
"A heavy smoker?"
"Yes. He was the type of man who would stop to have one last smoke even if the world were ending."
Given that this was the first thing he said when I asked, he must have been quite the chain smoker.
However, in my dream, he had closed his eyes peacefully and returned to the gods' embrace. He hadn't savored a final cigarette like a movie cliché.
‘Did he not have any tobacco then?’
The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. Regardless, tobacco in this world is used both as a luxury item and as medicine.
However, medicinal tobacco, much like cannabis, must be managed by the Temple; anything beyond that is treated as a narcotic and is punishable by law.
In fact, a certain temple was once caught distributing narcotic tobacco. It was an incident that happened before I was born, and I heard it caused quite a stir.
This was possible because the Temple only forbids crimes that are fundamentally inhuman, such as murder or rape.
The gods themselves tend to punish those specific crimes, but other crimes are man-made. Therefore, the gods tend to turn a blind eye to them.
"You said he didn't smoke even when he was active as a knight, right?"
"That's right. He gave all his rations to his subordinates."
Tobacco has been a crucial luxury for soldiers throughout history, regardless of time or place. The fact that it was included in military rations says it all.
Furthermore, the decisive reason tobacco spread so widely in this world was the Race War and the Cold War that followed.
In extreme situations, there are no luxuries that stabilize the mind and body quite like tobacco and alcohol.
Anyway, returning to the present, tobacco is a luxury loved regardless of gender, rank, or race.
Even among the Elves, there are enthusiasts, and there is even tobacco made by drying the leaves of the World Tree.
I heard it's one of Albenheim's main exports because it's used for medicinal purposes. In exchange, it's said to be incredibly addictive.
However, given the era, there are no convenient cigarettes. Only cigars and pipe tobacco exist.
‘I heard there’s a place that specializes in making cigars, like Cuba. Where was that again?’
I couldn't remember exactly where, but I knew it existed. Since it was a luxury item that had spread worldwide even before The Biography of Xenon, the distribution networks were diverse.
And if I released the side story, tobacco sales would likely skyrocket. A final smoke right before closing one's eyes after protecting the last shred of hope.
‘Or should I have him smoke one last time after slaughtering all his enemies, like my grandfather?’
It was hard to choose an ending. If I went with that, Envy or Wrath would have to watch from a distance, and it would be better to set their subordinates as the enemies to be slain.
Just as I was deep in thought about the ending, my father, who had been watching me closely, spoke up.
"Isaac."
"Yes?"
"Are you thinking of taking up smoking?"
I must have been lost in thought for too long. I blinked at my father's question and then shook my head vigorously.
I didn't smoke in my past life, and I had no intention of starting now.
"No. It's not like that. I was just curious about what kind of person Grandfather was."
"Hmm. I see."
"So, besides him being a heavy smoker, was there anything else? His personality, or maybe a hobby?"
"His personality... it's a bit awkward for me, his son, to say this, but he was a cranky man. Surprisingly, his hobby was writing in a diary."
"A diary?"
"Yes. But he burned them all before he left, so nothing remains. He probably wanted to erase his traces as much as possible."
I wore a look of surprise. Usually, people who keep diaries possess a philosophical side.
By looking back at one's life multiple times, one can see what they've experienced, what mistakes they've made, and whether they've grown through them.
Moreover, a diary itself is a record of the events of the time, making it historically valuable.
It was a shame that such diaries were burned, but thanks to that, I could get a general sense of what kind of person Clark was.
"He must have been a deep thinker."
"How do you know that?"
"The act of keeping a diary is a way of recording oneself. Writing in a diary every single day is quite a chore."
"Hmm..."
My father seemed to ponder my words for a moment before looking at me. My face was reflected in his golden eyes like a mirror.
Soon, he chuckled and gently stroked my head with his thick hand.
Even though I was fully grown, in my father's eyes, I seemed to be nothing more than his young, youngest son.
"Perhaps you're right. Even before he left, his final words were an apology for not being a good father."
"..."
"I'd like to have a heart-to-heart with him if he ever returns. I have so much to tell him."
His words were tinged with lingering regret for Clark. I listened to my father in silence.
Grandfather had erased all his traces for my father's sake, but because of that, he hadn't been able to convey his true feelings.
My father also suspected that Grandfather had his reasons, but since he couldn't find any evidence, he had kept those feelings bottled up inside.
I truly hoped this opportunity would resolve the bitterness between father and son.
"I'm sure he had a reason. If he didn't, he wouldn't have even bothered to train you."
"I suppose so. Well, since we're on the subject, let's go train."
"Ah. I have to go write..."
"Haha. Do you think that excuse will work? Stop talking and follow me."
In the end, I couldn't write a single word that day.
*
Around the time Isaac began his special training with Hawk, a slight change occurred in the underground temple where Clark was waiting.
Originally, the investigation team had attacked Clark on sight, assuming he was a monster, but as time passed, they were able to grasp the situation, if only slightly.
This skeleton was far too different from any other specimen. Even if they attacked first, he only ended the fight by knocking them unconscious; he never took a life.
His way of speaking was a bit rough, but aside from that, his actions were quite polite. No one could look at him and think he was an evil being.
Thanks to this, the investigation team gradually calmed down and was able to proceed with a "conversation." Not a physical confrontation, but the real conversation Clark had been waiting for.
[So this is The Biography of Xenon?]
"Ye-yes. That is correct."
Clark looked down at the book placed on the floor, The Biography of Xenon. He heard that they had brought it along in case they got bored during their breaks.
For the record, a knight was still being used as a chair beneath him.
Normally, he should have let the knight go, but the knight's rebellious behavior had been so insolent that Clark was just leaving him there.
The other members of the investigation team wanted to save the knight, but they couldn't. Clark was so absurdly strong that they couldn't afford to give him even the slightest grievance.
[Phew.]
With a cigar in his mouth, Clark picked up the first volume of The Biography of Xenon that the archaeologist had brought. Smoke curled up and drifted into the air.
He had no eyes, yet he could see; no ears, yet he could hear; and no lungs, yet he could breathe.
The same went for his sense of taste. As he took a deep, satisfying drag, the sophisticated flavor unique to cigars reached deep into his chest.
Though he didn't know how, he was in a state where he could experience all five senses. Clark leisurely smoked as he stared at the cover of The Biography of Xenon.
[Something like this should have come out when I was alive...]
Clark clicked his tongue, feeling genuine regret. He hadn't read The Biography of Xenon yet, but he knew through this book how the world had changed.
It had grabbed the demon worshippers, who were operating beneath the surface, by the hair and forcibly dragged them into the light, among other brilliant achievements.
In particular, the part where the fallen cardinal was defeated was immensely satisfying for Clark. Because of that one man, the organization he had belonged to had been completely annihilated.
At the time, he could never have imagined that even a cardinal would be corrupted. He had only the most common-sense thought: how could an apostle of God join hands with a demon?
However, the demon worshippers were far more cunning and meticulous than Clark had anticipated. Consequently, everything had collapsed one by one.
[I should finish reading this before I return to the earth.]
Just as Clark was about to begin reading The Biography of Xenon in earnest...
Buzz— Buzz—
The underground temple suddenly began to stir. The investigation team, which had resumed its work after realizing Clark was peaceful, was getting noisy again, and there had to be a reason.
Sensing a presence, Clark took his eyes off the book and looked ahead.
He narrowed his eyes at the powerful aura felt from the exit of the underground temple. More accurately, the golden light inside his eye sockets compressed into slits.
"You must not fight. That skeleton is different from the others..."
"He is a being who has defied the natural order ordained by God. Furthermore, didn't he ask to meet Lord Isaac and Sir Hawk? He surely has impure intentions."
A woman's voice filled with hostility, and a man's voice struggling to dissuade her.
Clark let out a sigh and quietly closed the book. He had a strong feeling that a commotion was about to break out.
But it didn't matter. The aura was a bit strong, but he could just subdue her like he did the others.
And so...
"Is it that thing?"
"Ye-yes. That's right, but..."
A faithful apostle of God.
[Hey. Chair.]
"Ye-yes!"
[Go over there for a moment.]
And a skeleton resurrected by divine grace finally met.