The Queen's Obsessed Servant (2)
The rift eruption was approaching. This time, most observations were hopeful. ‘Seoul will be able to perfectly block the eruption.’ Self-proclaimed experts who weren’t Awakened appeared in media interviews and made grand claims that Seoul could achieve cosmic defense instead of the Association. In fact, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Seoul had a track record of handling the previous eruption quite well, and after that, over 300 Awakened had come from China. An overwhelming force. Enough to defend not just the capital region but even the satellite cities.
“Mirien, can you check inside the rift?”
Mirien’s house-arrest period had ended that morning. When I visited the Tower of Rebellion, she cried and begged for forgiveness, but it was nothing more than a passing incident. After a brief commotion, Mirien finally calmed down, climbed onto my lap (which made Selene furious), and closed her eyes. Then she looked up at the ceiling and began searching for the disasters inside the rift. Mirien’s detection magic was advanced enough to roughly perceive the disasters within the rift.
“Mmm.”
However, Mirien’s reaction was rather subtle. A moment later, she furrowed her brow and opened her eyes. A magic circle in the shape of a hexagram floated in her pupils.
“Actor, I can’t tell.”
“What do you mean you can’t tell?”
“There’s something like a hazy fog inside the rift. It’s blocking my view.”
“So you can’t detect anything?”
“Yeah. But Actor, you should know this isn’t because I’m incompetent. That fog is…”
“That is incompetence, magic sack.”
“Shut your mouth.”
I sighed and scratched the back of my head. This was the first time Mirien had failed to detect inside the rift. When I turned to Karne, she simply shrugged. Karne was skilled in tracking magic, but that was purely due to her excellent senses. She couldn’t peer inside the rift with magic like Mirien could.
“What do you think is the reason, Mother?”
“If something anomalous has occurred, it is not that child’s fault. The source of the problem lies with the object, not the subject.”
She sure had a complicated way of putting things.
“So the rift itself is the problem?”
“More precisely, the uninvited guest inside it.”
“Asteria.”
“Correct.”
Karne smiled gently and called out Esakta. I frowned in frustration. The Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria, was currently inside the rift and rejecting even Mirien’s interference. I had no idea what she was planning.
People naturally fear the unknown. My thoughts grew complicated.
“Selene, you said Asteria sees me as her servant. Is that right?”
“Yes. That is correct. That woman shamelessly seemed to believe she had formed a lord-servant relationship with My Lord.”
“Do you think she still feels that way even after breaking her crown?”
“I am sorry. I do not know that much.”
Selene answered with a strange expression.
“Asteria… was the most difficult person to deal with inside the base. She was always expressionless and spoke very little. I could never tell what she was thinking.”
“…Yeah. That feeling was definitely there. Actor, I think it’d be easier to just kill that woman.”
“The magic sack is correct. Asteria is a woman with a black heart. We should cut off her head as soon as possible to avoid future trouble.”
Mirien agreed with Selene’s words, and Selene immediately echoed her. Just moments ago they had been ready to tear each other apart, yet now they were perfectly in sync. Still, there was no time to dwell on it.
“Anyway, it’s highly likely Asteria is the cause of the current situation.”
If Asteria, like Karne, resented me and wanted revenge, then being unable to see inside the rift right now was quite dangerous.
“Mirien, Selene. Secure your positions before the eruption begins. Move to locations where you can provide support as quickly as possible.”
“Actor, do we really have to go that far?”
“It might not be necessary, but…”
I let my words trail off. There was one thing I had realized while living with the disasters. If you assume the worst-case scenario, you’ll almost always end up facing it.
“I’m just uneasy. It’s a gut feeling.”
At my answer, Mirien tilted her head as if puzzled.
And so the next day dawned.
[The rift is erupting.]
[You can collect various disasters from the rift eruption.]
[Defeat the disasters and dominate them. The dominated disasters will strengthen your base as loyal servants.]
[The eruption will end in 6h.]
The familiar messages appeared before my eyes. Standing on the roof of the Association building, I watched the disasters pouring down from the sky. And among the smaller disasters, entities with particularly massive auras revealed themselves…
“Shit.”
As expected, two 4★ disasters had appeared in this eruption. And both were named.
“We’re screwed.”
It was an unprecedented situation.
*
When news of the powerful disasters’ eruption spread, the Association fell into panic in an instant.
[Nam Juyeon! What should I do?!]
Yu Junseo contacted me urgently via radio, forgetting that he was the Association president. I ignored him appropriately and ran down from the roof. Seo Ye-rin, who was holding a camera, didn’t follow me this time either. She also had her own duties as a team leader.
[Actor, what should we do?]
While descending the stairs, Mirien’s telepathy echoed in my head. Since I had no way to reply directly, I answered through Karne, who was hiding beside me.
“Mother, dealing with the 4★ disasters takes priority. However, if Mirien and Selene reveal themselves directly, the city will fall into even greater chaos. So…”
“You want me to assassinate them.”
“Yes. Without anyone noticing.”
Since the opponents were 4★ named disasters, it was a difficult request. But the one standing before me was an extraordinary disaster that no one could match in stealth. The Mother of Ill Omens, Karne, nodded as if it were nothing.
“I can handle the Ashen Knight. But…”
Karne looked at the massive tree-shaped disaster visible through the window.
“That giant will inevitably stand out.”
“It seems so.”
The Thorned Giant Tree Terrakath. A named disaster with tree attributes. It possessed overwhelming tanking power and all sorts of utility skills, making it a versatile all-rounder. I said, “I’ll handle that one.”
“Won’t it be dangerous?”
“No. It shouldn’t be particularly dangerous.”
As could be seen from how highly Selene’s unique trait of ignoring elemental advantages was valued, even the buffed Storm Dragon Tempestra had been taken down by a single sprinkler, not a long-range stone. In Disaster Order, elemental advantage was extremely important. It wouldn’t be strange to call it an elemental disadvantage game.
“I have something useful.”
Karne tilted her head, and I took out my radio. Coincidentally, there was a very suitable disaster owner in the Association who could deal with that giant tree. Namely…
“Association President, respond.”
[Uh, u-uh?]
At my call, Association President Yu Junseo responded immediately. It seemed he had been clutching the radio tightly.
“Forget about crawling into the air-raid shelter and come out to the location I tell you right away.”
[N-no, Nam Juyeon, they’re 4★ named disasters. Wouldn’t it be better to preserve ourselves first?]
I had half-expected this, and sure enough, Yu Junseo was trying to run away. I sighed and said, “If you run, I’ll reveal to the media that you ran away alone from the tower last time.”
[Where should I go?]
Yu Junseo immediately changed his attitude.
*
“Nam Juyeon, you don’t mean you want me to catch that thing, right?”
Yu Junseo’s face turned deathly pale as he looked at the 4★ disaster rampaging madly in the middle of Mapo-gu, the Thorned Giant Tree Terrakath. It was understandable. A tree the size of a five-story building was moving and destroying everything in sight. The Awakened who had been in charge of this area had already retreated, and the Chinese Awakened, including Leihu, were only barely managing to contain its movement.
“I don’t think I can beat that…”
“It’s a 4★ disaster no matter how you look at it. There’s nothing difficult about it.”
“No… it’s named, you know…”
“Don’t worry.”
I placed my hand on Yu Junseo’s shoulder. Surprisingly, the success or failure of this eruption rested on this man’s shoulders.
“Now, think carefully, Association President.”
“Uh, u-uh.”
“Do you see that tree clearly?”
“Of course I do.”
“Doesn’t it look like it would burn well if set on fire?”
“…Huh?”
Yu Junseo blinked several times. Soon, he seemed to understand what I was trying to say.
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. That’s kindling.”
I continued before Yu Junseo could reply.
“And this is an opportunity to prove that the Association President is an S-class among S-classes. The media will start writing ‘Flame Emperor’ before ‘Dragon Emperor.’ It’s worth that much.”
“…”
“Think about it. If you obtain that giant tree, you’ll instantly become a superstar on the Korean Peninsula. You might even surpass me. How about it? Are you still afraid of that tree?”
At my subtle persuasion, Yu Junseo shook his head vigorously and his eyes lit up.
“Screw it, let’s give it a shot.”
I smiled in victory, and Mirien, who had been watching, added one more thing.
[Actor, you’re a total pro.]
It wasn’t that I was a pro. It was that Yu Junseo was easy.