The Perfect Plan (4)
The entity known as Calamity had slumbered in this land for eons. Having lived through endless ages, it was no longer a mere monster. It possessed wisdom close to that of a sage. And so, it had come to a realization: exactly how it should devour despair from humans. The only problem was that this wasn’t a method it could use under normal circumstances. After all, for a being that was itself a calamity, being sealed away was an exceedingly rare occurrence.
Sixty years ago, the man who had defeated it possessed a rather peculiar power. Even then, it had required an enormous sacrifice. But for the calamity, the seal had instead become an opportunity. It first bestowed vast resources upon the land, raising its own value. At the same time, it ensured the seal would be maintained. If it disappeared, all those resources would vanish as well. And that method worked remarkably well.
Humans blinded by greed chose to maintain the seal by sacrificing a small number of their own. Naturally, there were a few who opposed this, but their voices were thoroughly ignored. Because it wasn’t profitable. Before long, the calamity’s seal had become something that had to be protected at all costs, for entirely different reasons. And so, Salen had been preserved until now.
What the entity demanded was a sacrifice. A truly precious one. Just as expected, an overwhelming wave of despair and sorrow flowed into its maw. To have to offer the life of someone precious with their own hands—what a pitiful, tragic soul. The calamity wore a sneer.
But that sneer didn’t last long.
The clever creature understood immediately.
It realized that if it didn’t emerge, it would truly perish.
Isaac slid his sword back into its sheath. The bisected body of Behemoth turned to dust and scattered into the empty void beyond. Everyone who had been watching the scene stood frozen, unable to utter a single word.
The nameless hero had truly slain Behemoth. Even if it had been weakened, the opponent was one of the Three Great Calamities. It was not an existence that some half-baked hero could face. And to defeat a calamity in a single strike? Something even a great hero would find nearly impossible—Isaac had done it.
Reality itself felt distant. Was this truly happening? Had Behemoth really been destroyed? No one could open their mouths. The entire situation felt like nothing more than a dream.
Isaac said nothing either. He simply began walking slowly. Eventually, he stopped in front of Kain and Yuliana. Only then did his tightly sealed lips part.
Kain’s blunt voice rang out like a victory declaration. Only then did the Holy Knights breathe sighs of relief and lower their weapons.
Zeek, whose body had finally begun to move, immediately sprinted toward Isaac.
‘Ugh?!’
‘I feel like I’m about to die right now…’
It was truly strange. His body hadn’t budged an inch under the Holy Knights’ attacks, yet when Zeek came barreling into him, an incredible shock ran through him. How was this even possible?
‘But before that.’
Isaac gently pried Zeek off him. No matter what, he had no interest in hugging another man. Instead, he placed a hand on top of her head. This much should be fine.
Thanks to Zeek shouting at the top of her lungs, Isaac had no choice but to cover his ears and nod.
Meanwhile, the Holy Knights had also lowered their weapons. They had been carrying a heavy burden all this time. Now, they could finally set it down.
Yulis watched the scene in silence. He couldn’t say a word. What right did he have to speak? The fact that he had tried to offer not only his wife but even his daughter to a monster would not disappear. Even if the reason had been to protect the world, it could only sound like an excuse now.
Perhaps he had read Yulis’s heart. Isaac, who had approached at some point, asked quietly.
Yulis stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. Saved? By whom? By me?
"…"
There was no longer any reason for Yulis to take his own life. After all, a spark of hope to keep living had been born. But he still had to take responsibility. And Yulis was not the kind of man to run from it.
Among everyone except Isaac, the first to notice Yulis had vanished was Yuliana. She looked around frantically, but Yulis was nowhere to be seen.
At Isaac’s words, Kain finally began looking around just like Yuliana.
Isaac, who had been deep in thought for a moment, nodded as if he had figured it out.
Kain, having wandered for years and accumulated countless experiences, and Yuliana, a sharp-witted girl, immediately understood what Yulis was about to do.
‘Huh? That’s it? I thought he was going to the Pope State to be punished?’
In truth, Isaac had been thinking something else entirely. After all, Salen was the Pope State’s greatest source of wealth. They had deliberately maintained Behemoth’s seal while ignoring the sacrifice of a few for that very reason. There was no way the leadership of the Pope State didn’t know the truth Isaac knew. In the original story, it was even described that way—the calamity that visited Salen was a man-made disaster born from human greed.
So of course he had assumed Yulis would be punished for failing to protect the seal. But that wasn’t the case. Yulis intended to receive judgment from the people of his own territory.
Just as expected, Yulis was inside the temple. Even the brief descent of Behemoth had turned the territory into a disaster zone. It looked as if a massive earthquake had struck. The castle walls and houses had collapsed. Thanks to the temple Yulis had prepared as a contingency, the residents had avoided casualties—but that was the extent of it.
The people’s anxiety and fear spread like wildfire. Yet Yulis did not avoid that fear. Instead, he chose to face it head-on. Just like his stubbornly upright personality, he explained everything.
In truth, the residents had probably sensed something was wrong from the beginning. Bountiful harvests every year, abundant medicinal herbs, and a paradise overflowing with resources—how could such a place exist? But they had deliberately turned a blind eye. They told themselves this was paradise and ignored the questions in favor of the benefits right before their eyes. And this was the price.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely their fault.
Their anger was justified. After all, they had never been told that this land sealed a monster. But if things continued like this, Yulis would be judged. And he had no intention of avoiding it. That was why Isaac decided to push things just a little.
Isaac’s thunderous shout completely overwhelmed the voices of the residents, which had been filled with rage and betrayal. A momentary silence fell over the territory.
No one could answer Isaac’s mocking question. Yulis had never forcibly detained the residents. On the contrary, he had encouraged them to leave the territory whenever possible. While serfs had restricted freedom of movement, this land was filled with immigrants. In other words, they were not bound serfs but free people who could leave whenever they wished.
Yet they had not left. Why? It was simple. Because this place made them money. They could freely cultivate ownerless land. They could process and sell the resources that came from here as they pleased. The lord placed no restrictions on any of it. As long as they paid a small tax and fulfilled their modest labor quota, everything else became their own property.
"…"
It was sophistry. But at the same time, it was also true. This argument, mixing both, momentarily silenced the residents. However, he couldn’t leave it at that. He had to present a plausible solution.
With those words, Isaac naturally raised his finger and pointed at someone. The person his fingertip indicated was none other than Yuliana.
Yuliana understood Isaac’s intention.
Kain tried to stop her, but Yuliana shook her head. She would never run from her duty. Instead, she would face it and move forward. That was who Yuliana was.
She walked slowly forward. Isaac said nothing and simply handed her his sword. She gave him a small bow, then turned around.
"…"
The daughter he had tried so desperately to save had finally been rescued. In turn, he could now receive judgment for his sins. It was the best possible ending, and Yulis was willing to offer his neck gladly.
But Yuliana did not draw the sword. Instead, the sound of metal hitting the ground rang out. Yulis felt a warm presence envelop him. Am I… dead?
But he wasn’t. The warmth that felt like the embrace of heaven was his daughter’s hug.
Just as Yulis was making a dumbfounded face at the unexpected situation—
"…!!"
He still could not forgive himself. What a stubbornly upright man. And so, the girl who wished for her father to find even a little peace spoke clearly.
Isaac, who had been watching from behind, nodded with a satisfied expression. Yes, it was forced. But it was also true that Yulis had suffered and made sacrifices all this time. So surely this much could be overlooked.
With the situation having come to this, no one voiced any further complaints. Except for one person.
When he felt a tug on his pants leg and turned around, there stood an angry Zeek.
Zeek had every right to be angry. To a child who had lost her parents to goblins, Isaac was more than just an admired hero. So how could he do something as insane as charging in without a weapon?
Isaac lifted his head. Following his gaze, Zeek looked up as well. There, the father and daughter were embracing each other and sobbing. Isaac spoke as he watched them.
Just as his own family was precious to him, other people’s families were precious too. That fact had to be respected.
Zeek turned her head again. At some point, a gentle smile had formed on Isaac’s lips.
‘Why… does that scene from before…’
Suddenly, the image from that time replayed in Zeek’s mind. The sight of Yuliana and Kain kissing. Why was that scene coming to mind now? The child couldn’t understand. Her face grew hot, her heart pounded, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at her master’s face. In the end, Zeek lowered her head.
‘Ugh! I said it myself but I’m totally screwed. I just wet myself.’
Meanwhile, Isaac was completely lost in the words he had just spoken.