Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Became the Gallery's Only Reptile
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[Then I'll grab it.]
-El, be careful!
"Say something if anything seems off!"
Nod.
Eventually, after convincing everyone, it was decided that I would be the one to grab the demon sword.
Even so, with Cheong and Silpi worrying about me from behind, along with the wolf spirit beast subtly gauging the mood, I cautiously moved my tail to grasp the demon sword.
Flinch.
The moment I gripped the demon sword, a thick malice swept through my entire body.
Even for an ego weapon, I wondered if it was possible to harbor this much malice.
-Huh? What now.
And just like with the golem, the moment I grabbed the sword, it became aware of me.
But just to be sure, maybe I should test it a little.
[Can you hear me.]
Hm. At least it's properly aware of me.
The language is a bit rough, but the fact that we can communicate is what matters.
I could feel two burning gazes from behind for some reason... but let's ignore that for now.
The important thing right now is resolving this through conversation with the demon sword.
-Man, why is my sword life like this! I thought I could finally relax and live out my days in peace, but first a rock touches me! Now a sneaky snake grabs me!
However, the demon sword was displeased with something again, venting its anger in a irritated voice.
[Ahem. Hey, first off, what's your name.]
Snake head...
Not wrong, but it somehow feels offensive.
Tempted to just drop it due to the demon sword's relentless cursing, I recalled the information I needed from it and asked a different question.
[Then why are you here.]
[Not cooperative at all.]
"Should I just smash it?"
-Cheong? Calm down first.
The demon sword's words provoked a stronger reaction from those around me than from me.
The wolf spirit beast was glaring at the demon sword with an obviously uncomfortable expression, and Cheong was smiling, but her raised right arm was tense, ready to smash it at any moment.
Silpi was angry too, but shocked by Cheong's reaction beside her, she was trying to calm her down and thus more composed than the other two.
[Watch your words.]
[You might not realize it, but there are others here besides me. They're not happy with your attitude right now. So before something unexpected happens, watch your words and actions.]
To the demon sword complaining why I hadn't mentioned it sooner, I replied confidently.
[Even if I told you, you couldn't hear or see the others anyway?]
[How the hell do you even know that phrase.]
Isn't that something that shouldn't exist in this era?
Flabbergasted by the anachronistic response, but noting it had become a bit more subdued, I proceeded to satisfy my curiosity properly.
[Calmed down now?]
[Tell me your identity.]
Rakea.
I know this name.
Yeah, no point hiding it.
The name Rakea... is the name of a sword that appears in Jijiyong.
But why didn't I think of Rakea when seeing this demon sword?
Simply put, from its appearance onward, the fundamental nature of the sword itself is completely different.
The Rakea before my eyes is heavily rusted and brimming with malice, a demon sword that leads its owner to ruin.
And the Rakea I remember from Jijiyong is a sword of the galaxy etched with a beautiful star, one aspect of a holy sword that leads its owner to become a hero of the era.
'Is this Rakea the same sword as the one I remember?'
Dismissing it as just sharing a name feels off somehow.
Maybe because its appearance is so opposite to what I recall.
Yeah, this feeling is like the sense of disconnect I felt when seeing Silpi and recalling her from the Spirit King era.
[Rakea, are you really a demon sword?]
Yes, it admits itself to be a demon sword.
Is it just my misconception?
[I grabbed you because it seemed related to the wraith above you.]
Rakea, unable to perceive anything around except me, asked in a voice full of doubt.
[That's what we want to ask. Isn't it related to you?]
For now, the wraith is showing hostility toward Rakea.
If Rakea were a living being, it would snap its neck right then and there.
'But Rakea itself doesn't know the reason.'
Something's up.
The wraith remembers, but Rakea doesn't.
And it's probably related to the malice flowing through Rakea, with high likelihood.
[In that case, wraith. Rakea says it doesn't know anything related to you.]
-...
[So explain it yourself. What happened with Rakea. Why you're lingering here.]
However, the wraith didn't respond to my words this time either.
Unlike before, where it at least showed some reaction and emotion, it was still fixated entirely on Rakea.
[I believe there's a reason since it's something the Black Despair is doing.]
"But why have you been calling El 'Black Despair' since earlier?"
[Because the Black Despair is the Black Despair?]
Ignoring the three chattering behind me, I eventually narrowed my eyes and shot flames toward the wraith.
Roar.
[Keep ignoring me and you think I'm an idiot.]
The reason I sought out the wraith in the first place wasn't some righteous intent to resolve its grudge.
A being called a wraith is nothing but harm to the living.
Erasing it right here poses no problem at all.
[Sorry, but I'm not a hero who acts for justice, so no issue.]
Perhaps sensing something from my bold declaration that killing the wraith was no problem,
Rakea spoke to me in a noticeably softer voice than before.
Sizzle.
"Yes! Yes! It's going well~."
A dark space where not a single ray of light enters.
In darkness so thick you couldn't know what's right in front of you without reaching out, one being conducted research with great familiarity.
Clink. Squirm.
Clink. Squirm.
Clink. Squirm.
Along with the clinking sounds from within and strange noises like something wriggling, a satisfied voice, as if beholding a long-labored creation, filled the space.
"All three have normal life signs! Lucky none died!"
A being cloaked entirely in darkness, with black wings wrapped around its waist to avoid interference.
Having never revealed its name to others, it called itself X.
"You're the first. You're the second. You're the third!"
X smiled at the three eggs before it.
Finally, liberation even in this darkness.
To make these eggs, it created a lightless space, extracted the purest essence of evil, and prepared dozens, hundreds of things.
"But until they hatch, I guess I have to keep it like this?"
Not wanting to ruin all its results due to a careless mistake, X suppressed its desire to go outside immediately and decided to endure this life a bit longer.
Clink. Creak.
"Then the experiment was a complete success, now time to name them."
X stroked its chin area while looking at the three eggs huddled together.
Since these children would be the masterpieces of its life, it pondered deeply even over names.
"Hmm. What names have I given so far..."
Basilisk. Dragon Knight. Cerberus. And more.
"Ah, Rakea too."
Unlike the previous ones, an ego weapon with a soul housed in a sword.
As its first and last ego weapon, just recalling the name vividly replayed those memories.
"I wonder if Rakea is doing well."
It had sold Rakea to a human dreaming of revenge at the end, and heard it gained quite the notoriety.
Recalling the human whose eyes turned red with madness under the name of revenge while holding Rakea back then, X soon had a realization.
"Ah, maybe I should've retrieved it?"
It had been over 100 years since selling Rakea to that human.
Even if still alive, the thirst for revenge would have faded by now.
"Eh, whatever. It's already left me, so it'll live well on its own. You don't worry about kids who left home."
And, though it might sound odd to say,
Among all of X's creations, Rakea was quite special.
"Forget the well-living Rakea. Now, naming these kids, geez, even I..."
There were three prepared eggs. So three names needed.
X, gazing fondly at the eggs while blocking their emanating poison, thought of their parental entity and clapped.
Clap clap clap.
"Yes! These names will do!"
Sky too. Sea too. Land too.
May they sink their fatal fangs into the world and make their names known!
"Nidhogg. Jormungandr. Hydra!"