Under Rahman's Piercing Gaze
Under Rahman's sharp gaze, Haneul continued her once-in-a-lifetime dilemma. Should she rush to the mountaintop right now and tear that worm to shreds? Should she just chew up and swallow all those outer gods and whatnot beside it? The Azure Dragon was going to die anyway. Now that Haneul was here and it was still alive, she would definitely go kill it. There was no option of failing. It was just a matter of when.
"Revolution..."
At first, she'd tried to turn this world into a pretty decent place. Since Haneul had to leave anyway, she wanted to make it one that could keep running smoothly without her. For that, a world ruled by nobles wouldn't do. Even if she conceded a hundred times and some nobles remained, they had to be ones with a true spirit of noblesse oblige, not the corrupt kind. She'd wondered if such nobles even existed, but hearing that Rahman was the eldest son of the Basker ducal house had given her a glimmer of hope. The Rahman in her memories could become a fine noble. Hell, he might even be better off as king. When Haneul left, the Azure Dragon would die, leaving the top spot vacant anyway.
On the flip side, the Imoogi could reign as this world's new divine being. Haneul didn't think that was a bad idea either. Like Rahman, that Imoogi was kind-hearted and loved humans deeply.
Either way, the current system needed smashing. She had to awaken the minds of people living as slaves without even realizing it, let them reclaim their lives. Whether a new king or god, that had to come first. But it was getting harder to hold back. Even now, she itched to bolt out and stomp that worm flat. Forty thousand eight hundred thirty-six methods to make it happen flashed through her mind. She considered tossing out forty thousand for simplicity and picking from the remaining eight hundred thirty-six, then dropped it.
"Yeah, revolution sounds good. Honestly, I was planning one myself."
"What?"
"Taking care of the slaves? That was 'cause they're the ones who want revolution most. Bringing the victims into this house as servants? Same reason. They were all nearly killed by noble tyranny anyway, right?"
Rahman watched Haneul silently, offering no reply.
"What's the best spark for a revolution? Probably when the people under nobles start dying endlessly. If you try to stop it and knights start dying too, the lower ranks can't help but resent their superiors. And the perfect way to make that happen?"
Rahman still said nothing, but Haneul pressed on undeterred.
"Call in monsters. If those once-a-month visitors come dozens of times a day, slaves die, commoners die, knights die, and eventually nobles too. Start division from inside the city, let it all crumble together."
That was how Haneul had escaped her slave status and fled the city in the past. Monsters had suddenly surged, slaves died by the thousands, and even knights stopped returning. That's when Haneul resolved to escape. Those born slaves never even considered "escape," but for someone from the modern world, it wasn't hard.
"Then a savior appears somewhere. Heals the wounded, shares bread and milk with the starving, teaches knowledge to strangers. Naturally, everyone follows him."
Nobles must defend the city. Lose it, and they lose their wealth—and with it, honor. A noble without a city is no noble. So they stake everything to protect it. But the lower folk have nothing left to lose. Their goal is simple: drag down the nobles. A lifetime of bowing means they can only think it, not act—until an awakened savior shouts. One brave cry, and commoners and slaves will swarm upward, monsters be damned.
Then nobles face monsters at the gates and their own people rising. But they can't kill people. Without commoners and slaves to sustain the city, nobles cease to be nobles. Sure, some egomaniac might fancy himself noble without city or subjects, but those die before slaves. Point is: mass death makes revolution easy. There are far more commoners and slaves than nobles. And for mass death? Monsters must invade. Those monsters answer to the Azure Dragon, and only Gallael can communicate with it.
One might wonder if Gallael summoned all those monsters back then. Spotting his son's ambitions and realizing he couldn't hold out, maybe he called the spark himself. Reasonable suspicion. But Haneul knew it was impossible. The Azure Dragon wasn't that generous to grant every plea. Still, it granted some. After all, it was a god to its followers. But gods don't answer prayers directly. Courage? They give chances to show it. Love? Chances for it to arrive. Hope? Moments needing it. Gods offer opportunities.
The Azure Dragon did the same. So for "make my son happy," what did it give? Rahman, Gallael's son, craved revolution—guilt and pain at humans suffering under nobles. So the Azure Dragon likely granted him the chance to succeed. Many paths to revolution exist, but the surest? Haneul's: summon monsters, kill people. It amuses the Azure Dragon's eyes too—no reason not to.
"What do you think? Wanna do it?"
"Summon monsters? I'm prepping revolution to save people, and you want me to kill them for it? Does that even make sense?"
Haneul laughed in disbelief. So righteous and soft—unless it involved his father.
"I'm here thanks to countless citizens. I have a duty to protect them and this city. Not just me—every noble here should. Those who won't... aren't needed anymore."
Such a just, good man, toyed by divine whims until stabbed by those he protected. Was this truly a better world? Her thoughts heated up again. Haneul shot to her feet for one final ponder. Final, really final, ultimate final, finale, end, truly end, absolute ultimate end. Truly, absolutely last.
If she left now, someone dies—Rahman or Gallael, maybe both. The Azure Dragon held them hostage. But rage twisted her thoughts. So what if they die a few times? Rewind time, revive them. Try infinite retries? But Haneul, is that human? Why stay human then? Monster from the start would've been easier. Using power's fine, right? But you saw families revived with kids' genders flipped. That's why you swore restraint. Restrain now? When you wanna rip it apart? Just smash it all, rebuild? You could. Why agonize over that worm?
As her thoughts neared conclusion, her eyes met Baek Hye-seo's peeking from the door. Somthin' wrong? I'll help. Her lips mouthed silently.
Then it hit Haneul. Right. I have a friend. She'd forgotten, surviving alone across worlds. Haneul had come with Baek Hye-seo. Formally, aligned interests; simply, someone to trust her back to.
Baek Hye-seo glanced around, struck a side-chest pose with reliable confidence. Adorable at 29. The black and white voices in Haneul's head linked arms amiably and left. River-like peace settled in her heart.
"Alright."
"Alright? What's got you so happy—"
Snap— Haneul flicked her fingers; Rahman collapsed unconscious. Baek Hye-seo gaped from the door, but Haneul ignored her, laying father and son side by side cozily.
"Now that's a sight."
This picture should've come sooner. They deserved it, had the right to happiness. Watching them long, Haneul spoke.
"Gonna step out a bit. Hye-seo, stay here and help me out?"
Baek Hye-seo shuffled in, fists clenched tight.
"Of course! Just say it! But... where to?"
"Hiking."
The purple-dyed evening sky blanketed the mountain range.