Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Confrontation of Calamities
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Above the heavens.
Two heavenly calamities faced each other, baring their killing intent.
Vampire Queen, Syria Nosferatu.
Serpent Dragon, Estelle Aragon.
The Ged Mountains were thrown into chaos by these two untimely disasters.
"Le-Leyzon-nim, i-is that okay?"
"No, it's not."
Leyzon stated it firmly while looking at Hanok, who was trembling in fear and on the verge of tears.
That was absolutely not okay.
Leyzon hurriedly leaped out from the shadows.
"Bone Broom."
He mounted the Bone Broom and shot up into the sky at high speed.
Syria and Estelle.
These two undead were on the verge of clashing right then and there.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind blew, as befitting the peak of the Ged Mountains.
Leyzon wobbled, battered by the gusts.
But he paid it no mind and kept maneuvering the Bone Broom.
Even though the killing intent wasn't aimed at him, his skin prickled painfully.
If that murderous aura had been directed fully at Leyzon...
He didn't even want to imagine it.
So before things escalated further, he rocketed toward the pair.
[Syria...]
Hostility leaked from Estelle as her joints creaked noisily.
"Oh? Come on, then."
Red blood began to rise lightly from Syria's body as well.
Both looked ready to lunge at each other any second.
Leyzon quickly removed the mask he always wore.
His black hair whipped wildly in the wind.
His true face and ash-gray eyes were revealed.
An appearance that stood unyielding amid the storm of killing intent.
"Syria, stop!"
Leyzon called out to Syria first.
Syria, who had noticed him approaching, swiftly reined in her bloodlust.
She put on a cheeky, innocent expression, as if to say, "I didn't do anything wrong."
Leyzon let out a sigh of relief.
Sometimes, Syria was as sly as a fox.
Leyzon turned to Estelle next.
"Estelle, you too."
Leyzon tensed up a little.
Dungeon Replay had become a world utterly unlike the game.
Estelle was an undead operating with full autonomy.
And undead could turn on their master if they felt like it.
'Just in case.'
The moment Leyzon eyed Estelle with that possibility in mind.
[...Leyzon-nim?]
To his surprise, Estelle reacted with shock.
As if she hadn't even dreamed he'd be here.
[Wh-what in the world... Why is Leyzon-nim here...?]
It was like cognitive dissonance had hit her upon realizing his presence.
Estelle twisted her body awkwardly this way and that.
'Ah.'
Leyzon felt relief at the sight.
There was no hostility from Estelle.
On the contrary, she was exactly as he remembered.
The shy little serpent, Estelle.
[I-it's not like I was fighting Syria. We just... bickered a little.]
Estelle couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, embarrassed about the scuffle with Syria.
Leyzon's expression softened.
"Estelle, I'd like to talk. Is that alright?"
But Estelle's body suddenly stiffened.
Her eyes locked onto Leyzon's once more.
For some reason, she exuded a different air than before.
Estelle seemed lost deep in thought.
An inscrutable glint in her eyes.
[...When I came seeking answers, you wouldn't utter a word. But now you'll tell me?]
Leyzon froze when Estelle finally spoke moments later.
Seeking answers.
That meant Estelle had come looking for him at some point.
Of course, Leyzon knew nothing about it.
And why would he?
'This is from the last 100 years.'
The stretch when Leyzon had auto-hunt running and never touched the game.
Estelle had visited him during that blank time.
To Leyzon, it was a complete void.
His face grew complicated.
'Playing dumb here and saying I don't know would just complicate things.'
As Leyzon carefully chose his words.
"Estelle."
Syria peeked out from behind him.
"Leyzon-nim lost his memories from the past 100 years."
[What?]
Ah, right.
He'd told Syria as much.
"He got ambushed by imperial forces while turning the dungeon into a city. That's why he's missing about 100 years of memories right now."
[.....]
Estelle stared blankly.
Leyzon nodded along.
"It's true."
He really had no memories.
And the dungeon accident was factual too.
'Possession counts as an accident!'
No lies there.
And moments later.
Clack clack—
Estelle's teeth ground together in fury.
[...Syria. What were you doing while Leyzon-nim was suffering?]
Surprisingly, her rage turned on Syria.
Syria went quiet at the follow-up.
[You were the one supposed to stay by Leyzon-nim's side, weren't you?]
"My mistake. I admit it."
Syria bowed her head and owned up without protest.
But she'd heard from Leyzon back then that she didn't need to stick around.
If blindly following that was a blunder, then so be it.
[You...!]
Estelle started to raise her voice in indignation but clamped her mouth shut.
She gazed at Syria thoughtfully, then sighed.
[...My apologies, Leyzon-nim. I should have guarded your side too.]
Estelle apologized to him.
An awkward one for Leyzon to receive.
"No need. Don't be too harsh on Syria either. It was my error in the end."
He had no idea what went down between Syria and Estelle.
But Estelle clearly didn't care for Syria.
So he tried to mend fences between them as best he could.
[...Then you must not remember what I told you that day either.]
Leyzon nodded.
You couldn't claim knowledge of the unknown.
[....]
Estelle fell silent once more.
"Estelle, could you share the story now?
Maybe I can give you the answer you sought back then."
Leyzon pleaded, and Estelle exhaled deeply.
At that instant, black light poured from her body.
The serpent dragon that had blotted the sky began to shrink.
Soon, she took humanoid form.
Below the pair of massive horns sprouting from her head.
Gray hair cascaded down neatly and calmly.
Thick lashes framing an elegant yet somber face fluttered open.
'Handsome.'
Undead he'd crafted himself, without a doubt.
Yet every one had striking looks.
"This way."
Estelle waved her hand lightly.
Clouds gathered beneath Leyzon's feet.
Seemed like a movement-assist skill.
"Estelle, there's a slave named Hanok down below. Mind bringing him?"
Estelle glanced downward.
She nodded, then dispatched a cloud.
Moments later, Hanok—fur bristling—rode it up.
He hopped onto the cloud beside Leyzon's and fell quiet, lost in thought.
"...Leyzon-nim, do you really need me by your side?"
Hanok murmured gloomily.
He seemed thoroughly intimidated by Syria and Estelle.
"No, I'm thankful to have you there."
Without Hanok, his grip on reality would've slipped.
Syria and Estelle were simply too extraordinary.
Hanok was the normal one.
"More than anything, they're both my undead in the end."
Leyzon knew full well what the Four Great Dungeons entailed.
You couldn't conquer them with undead alone.
If you could, he'd have solo-cleared ages ago.
"So don't worry, Hanok. You're plenty useful."
Leyzon wasn't raising Hanok on a whim.
At the encouragement, Hanok perked up a bit, tail wagging.
Estelle ferried the trio to her lair.
Beneath a sheer cliff no human could scale.
A vast cave loomed, desolate at first glance.
This was Estelle's home.
Following her inside, the scenery shifted gradually.
'Spatial distortion, huh.'
A pristine corridor and doors soon materialized.
Estelle opened one, revealing a moderately sized room.
Bed, furniture.
And stacks of books everywhere.
Looks like she'd organized heaps of research materials.
"Have a seat there."
Leyzon settled where she indicated.
Quality furniture—a plush sofa enveloped him.
Hanok and Syria took the spots flanking him.
Estelle shot Syria a displeased glance but sat opposite soon enough.
"So, Leyzon-nim. What exactly did you come to discuss?"
Estelle cut straight to it.
Her vibe suggested she wasn't thrilled about the gathering.
"Estelle, I've been planning to ascend lately."
Estelle's brows lifted slightly.
"You've finally decided."
Her reaction clued Leyzon in on something.
'Estelle thinks the same as Syria, after all.'
He'd deliberately held off on ascension for his undead's sake.
Not just Syria—all of them felt that way.
Estelle eyed him with conflicted sorrow.
"When I brought it up before, you wouldn't hear me..."
She trailed off.
Remembering his supposed memory loss.
Leyzon chuckled lightly.
He could sense Estelle's caring nature, fretting over him.
"It's fine. The memory thing isn't worth dwelling on."
The truth was pretty different anyway.
No need for Estelle to sweat it.
"My apologies. The empire's been acting suspiciously lately, so I was cautious."
Leyzon's gaze sharpened at her next words.
"The empire's suspicious movements?"
"Nothing confirmed yet. But one thing's clear: they're not persecuting necromancers without reason."
Leyzon had recently snagged intel on the empire.
'The untalented legacy stretching back to the Kaltura Empire.'
Necromancers birthed undead that defied imperial law.
"I'm on the run from the empire myself. Info's scarce for me."
Leyzon's eyes widened.
Estelle had slain a lord.
Was that why they hunted her?
He looked up, thinking so.
"Estelle..."
Just as he moved to ask.
Estelle had gone quiet, staring at her hands.
Her face screamed deep contemplation.
"Leyzon-nim, once Estelle zones out like that, she tunes out everything."
Syria, now lounging against his lap, explained.
"...Impressive focus."
Won't break her out of it easily.
'Something from our chat must've sparked a memory.'
Leyzon opted to quiz Syria instead.
"Syria, is Estelle hunted by the empire for killing that lord?"
"Yep, that's gotta be it!"
Meaning the lord she killed was empire-connected.
But.
'No records anywhere of undead slaying a lord.'
Leyzon had learned from past info droughts.
So he'd shelled out big to compile everything possible.
Among it all.
No lord killed by undead.
More precisely, no lord deaths at all in 100 years.
Syria claiming an undead offed one?
He'd taken it at face value.
But records showed zero dead lords.
Which implied.
'The empire covered up the murdered lord.'
And now pursued Estelle.
So who the hell was it?
"...Leyzon-nim."
Right on cue, Estelle snapped out of it and looked up.
"So you knew the empire's secret all along too, huh?"
Leyzon blinked.
...Uh, no. Just learned it recently?
Somehow, Estelle was jumping to weird conclusions.