The Moon Is Beautiful
"Well, what on earth is this now."
SecretLab nearly lost her mind on the spot.
The moment it came to light that Veritas was Korean, chaos broke out everywhere. In virtual reality every language was automatically translated, but the part of his mouth that the mask didn't cover had been moving in Korean — and that alone was enough to expose him.
And so, from every corner of the net, these utterly absurd posts began pouring in.
Electronic Witch said with a snicker. SecretLab glared at her with a sullen expression.
"That's exactly the problem. A man like him is not someone who should be mentioned in trashy clickbait like that."
"I can't exactly say you're wrong."
Since ancient times, humanity has prayed to transcendent beings to solve the problems that befell them.
Alchemists are rational. Depending on the era and the ingredients available, a potion's effect can vary a thousandfold; depending on how a kit is handled, the same substance can be poison or medicine. It is a discipline that cannot afford to be anything but rational.
And yet, precisely because they are rational, there exists a being they cannot help but believe in.
SecretLab believed that being was Veritas. Every one of his achievements had earned its worth a thousand times over.
America had Vaccinium, the domain of the gods. If so, then for alchemists to believe in him was only natural.
Good grief.
Electronic Witch watched it all and laughed. At first she had thought she was simply lending him a hand, but every move he made was quietly aiming at a single hierarchy.
And yet, truthfully, Electronic Witch was pleased.
She was bound to Veritas regardless. Restoring her physical body in the real world required his help absolutely.
"You didn't know?"
Electronic Witch spoke, mixing in a lie or two.
Veritas was in danger right now. Far more Villains and demons were gunning for him than anyone realized.
That was why she was pouring most of her capabilities into a single campaign: sowing discord between the demons and the Villains, flooding the net with false intel so that no one could pinpoint Veritas's whereabouts.
"It's nothing sinister. How should I put it — think of it as an authentication of faith."
SecretLab gave a faint smile and headed deeper inside.
The moment she saw the room beyond, Electronic Witch froze solid.
The interior was laid out like a church. And the walls were papered over with photographs of Veritas. It looked like a place built for the worship of a being called Veritas. No — it was unmistakably exactly that.
"I suppose you'd call it a cathedral dedicated to Lord Veritas. Oh, we have holy relics too — would you like one?"
SecretLab smiled slyly and raised the emerald wristwatch bound around her arm.
"My word! I was told we were to arrive early, and yet someone has beaten me here."
A familiar man's voice. A man approached SecretLab with confident, unhurried steps — the Saint of Alchemy, Master.
Not long after Master entered the cathedral's inner sanctum, a great stir of presences followed. Al-Mags, who had staked his very life on forging the Philosopher's Stone, and Zermeng, the potion magnate who held a colossal share of the industry — one after another, figures whose influence reached beyond the world of alchemy and into the currents of global affairs.
"Ah, Electronic Witch. So you've come as well?"
"Now that I think to ask — is it true that Veritas has taken SecretLab as his disciple?"
"Hmm. Then I can hardly oppose SecretLab's appointment as bishop."
"Hm? Were you not informed?"
"Electronic Witch is still only in a cooperative arrangement with 'Him,' you see."
"Ah, I see. Quite so."
"Well then — shall we begin today's vespers as well?"
With eyes tinged somewhere along the border of madness, they gazed upon the statue carved in Veritas's likeness and offered their silent prayers.
"All things, for the sake of true Truth."
"Veri———men."
A scene that, had Lee Seoha witnessed it, might well have knocked him out cold from sheer vertigo, was quietly unfolding without his knowledge.
Epic World.
The scene of Kim Seohyun staring with hollow eyes at a world gone to ruin.
Humanity had perished — wiped out by the beings that descended from beyond the stars. Every last trace of mankind had been erased, and the species called human had gone extinct on planet Earth.
That was the ending every player was guaranteed to see the first time they played Epic World. No matter what strategies they tried, there was no escaping that outcome. Whatever they did, the first playthrough always ended with this credits roll —
as if to say that breaking free of it was their task.
At the intermediate tier of skill, one could save roughly a million of humanity's survivors. Those skilled enough to be called veterans topped out at an achievement of saving thirty percent of mankind.
And I was the one who'd done it.
Honestly, all I could say was that I'd been lucky. Ask me to do it again, and there was no chance in hell.
I looked down at Kim Ara, who lay with her head pillowed on my knee.
I couldn't fathom why she reacted to me like this. Honestly, it felt good. How could it not?
On the outside, she was simply a woman a little on the tall side, a beauty who made men turn their heads twice whenever she passed. More than anything, her looks sat dangerously close to my ideal type.
...But I had no time to spare for romance. It wasn't as though I'd gone neutered or anything — every so often, desire flared up to a frankly dangerous degree. Probably the effect of this body being made young again.
I had swallowed the urge to rest, sleeping barely three hours a night, training without fail every single day. Romance, in other words, was a luxury I couldn't afford.
"Seoha...?"
"Yeah."
Except — at some point, I had realized I'd fallen rather deep into this world. Kim Ara's confession had shaken me more than I cared to admit.
"What is it?"
Erciel looked at me with an unmistakably flustered tone.
"A-a-a-are the t-two of you d-dating?"
"No, it's nothing like that."
I answered with a dry smile.
"I called you because of the demon-beast disposal. You're all right with that?"
"Compared to what you do for me, Seoha, it's nothing at all."
Erciel said this, then shot a sidelong glance at Kim Ara.
"If you truly feel sorry, then perhaps next time you could set aside some private time for just the two of us. I'm more than capable of entertaining you properly, you know."
Erciel's golden eyes curved into crescents, smiling sweetly.
"...What exactly are you two to each other?"
"We're the sort who can't exactly tell other people."
Which was true enough — after all, my identity as Veritas was supposed to be a secret.
"And why is Kim Ara lying in your lap, Seoha?"
"Because Seoha gave it to her."
I'd offered it as a condition in exchange for handing over the demon-beast materials. Frankly, if a single lap pillow was the price for those ingredients, it was an absurdly good deal on my end.
When Erciel looked at me, I simply shrugged.
Then, after a brief survey of our surroundings, she spoke to me in a low voice.
"The movements of the demons and the Villains have grown unusual lately. I'd advise cutting back on demon hunting for a while."
"...You noticed?"
"It's already circulating like an urban legend. They say a masked devil has been killing off Villains. And you do hate demons, Seoha."
"Was I that conspicuous?"
"You were. Though what convinced me was the ball, last time."
She meant when I'd run into the Heavenly Demon's zealots, presumably.
"The look in your eyes when you dealt with those fanatics stayed with me. It was the look of a man clearing trash off the roadside — honestly, quite striking."
"Is that so."
"It is."
Erciel smiled.
"The ball?"
"We have those, you know. During the break, we carved out a little time and spent it among ourselves."
...Erciel was provoking me without a shred of hesitation.
"The demon-beast dismantling should be finished soon — care to join me for dinner?"
"No, I'm fine."
Erciel was a British noble. What she called a meal was colossally inefficient. Spending two whole hours of one's day on eating alone was a bit much.
"What a shame. Then I'll go see to the demon-beast."
"You're doing it yourself?"
"Not personally, but my mere presence at the site keeps them from any funny business. Besides, it's a gift for someone — I ought to see it done properly."
Erciel gave a sweet smile and trotted off toward the work area with quick, light steps.
"Erciel's pretty."
"Is she?"
"Yeah. Even her mannerisms are graceful."
—Unlike me, she seemed to swallow the rest unsaid, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"It's all right. Ara, you're pretty too."
"......"
Even as I said it, embarrassment climbed up my neck, and I tilted my head back to look at the sky. A deep indigo vault, the moon hanging there in sharp relief.
"The moon's beautiful tonight."
"...Huh?"
"Hmm?"
Kim Ara's reaction to my offhand remark about the moon was strange. Her face flushed crimson, and her eyes flicked rapidly from side to side.
"...?"
What was wrong with her? The moment I tilted my head in puzzlement, Kim Ara's expression went abruptly cool.
"Looking closely, Seoha-nim, you rather resemble the gumiho of the old legends."
"Husband, might I suggest you cling to a little fidelity."
I flared up at Heukcheon's words — then swallowed it. There was nothing confirmed yet.