Chapter 321: Nothingness
Chapter 321: Nothingness
I already knew someone was behind the door, so I quickly reached out and snatched the gleaming horn. When I glanced down, I saw a baby unicorn dangling from my hand, held by its horn. It hung there, staring blankly at my face, before its large eyes began to well up with tears.
“Long time no see.”
“Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu-kkyu!”
I offered a simple greeting. But for some reason, the baby unicorn was deeply upset. It answered with a series of shrill cries and began flailing its four legs wildly in the air. The sheer force of it was impressive, so I bent one knee and set it down on the floor. However, I immediately regretted my decision.
“Kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu-kkyu!”
“Hey, hey.”
“Kkyu-kkyu, kkyu-kkyu-kkyu-kkyu? Kkyu-kkyu, kkyu-kkyu-kkyu-kkyu?!”
“Ah, I get it. Just a second… Hey, hey!”
What the baby unicorn did next was nothing short of astonishing. The moment its hooves touched the ground, it charged as if it had been waiting for this, and it began to cause a ruckus, plain and simple.
Perhaps thinking it was a puppy, the baby unicorn circled me, leaping and jumping around. All the while, it kept poking me with its horn and kicking me with its legs, before finally flopping onto its back and writhing on the floor.
It was just like watching a small child throw a tantrum.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“…It’s probably just happy to see you.”
A gentle voice from in front of me made me look up. Baek Hangyul was standing there shyly. She—no, he—gave me a faint smile as our eyes met and continued in a bright voice.
“It practically refused to eat or drink while you were gone, Clan Lord. Seeing you safe must have been a huge relief… I think that’s probably why it’s acting this way.”
At Baek Hangyul’s explanation, I looked at the baby unicorn with a new sense of appreciation. It was now sprawled out, panting heavily, clearly out of breath. I slowly reached down and lifted it into my arms. Only then did it calm down, nuzzling its face into my chest. I gently patted its soft, warm back.
“Kkyu… Kkyu…”
“Aww… How sweet… It really must like you, Oppa.”
“So cute~. Unie~. I’m here too…”
“Ahem. Let’s head inside.”
Feeling my face flush under their warm gazes, I calmly walked into the Clan House.
As I passed through the garden and reached the lobby, a quick scan revealed that the Clan House was the same as ever. It was proof that they hadn’t neglected its upkeep in my absence.
Pleased, I was about to suggest we head straight to the conference room when I noticed the pleading looks on everyone’s faces. The exhaustion was plain on them, a clear sign they were desperate to rest.
My first instinct was to start a strategy meeting immediately, but I quickly reined myself in. The three who had escaped Mule with me were in dire need of rest.
The clan members who had remained behind must have been under immense stress, and I’d heard they’d been on a forced march for a week straight. Even I was feeling a little tired, so I didn’t need to see it to know how the others felt.
I should just deal with the most pressing issues and let them rest for the day.
Having changed my mind, I looked over at the Vagabonds the clan members had hauled back.
“You all look exhausted, so I’ll just give some simple instructions, and then we’ll rest for the day. For now, leave all the Vagabonds in the lobby. When Ko Yeonju returns, I’ll deal with them personally and lock them in the underground training ground for the time being.”
Relieved at the mention of rest, the clan members began to set down the Vagabonds with looks of salvation on their faces. Their magic circuits were damaged, making them no different from ordinary people, but I still planned to take basic precautions just in case.
But that would have to wait until Ko Yeonju returned. I also had to remember to take care of the old man and Shin Jaeryong.
“And what about you, sir, and Mr. Shin Jaeryong? Would you care for a simple meal, or perhaps a tour of the Clan House…?”
Both of them immediately shook their heads. I had only asked out of courtesy, so I had Lee Yoojung and Shin Sangyong guide them to their temporary quarters.
Eager to finish their tasks and rest, the clan members began to move busily as soon as the orders were given. Watching them for a moment, I slowly sank into a chair in the lobby. A sudden wave of fatigue washed over me.
*
The next morning. After a full day of rest, I went to my office and immediately summoned Vivian.
There was a mountain of work to be done, and I needed to weigh my priorities. The most urgent matter was what to do with the Vagabonds. Vivian had been so confident on our way back, and I intended to hear her out.
1. Deal with Baek Seoyeon and the Vagabonds (information, trial).
2. Construct a prison in the underground training ground (makeshift; if not possible, make it easy to dismantle).
3. Take stock of the Vagabonds’ equipment (distribute to clan members after accounting).
4. The old man and Shin Jaeryong (interview the old man, offer to recruit Shin Jaeryong after the meeting).
5. Assess the current situation (continuously).
I looked at the notes on my desk, twirling the quill pen in my right hand. It was a habit of mine whenever my thoughts were tangled. I had to get these things sorted out before I could decide on my next move, so I resolved to handle as much as possible during the meeting scheduled after my talk with Vivian. Just then…
Knock, knock!
“Kim Soohyun. I’m coming in.”
Along with her characteristically clear voice, I heard the door swing open. I tore my eyes from my notes and looked up to see Vivian striding in elegantly. Her expression was full of arrogance.
“Vivian la Classidus. It’s been thirty minutes since I called for you. What took you so long?”
“Ah, ah. Calm down, Kim Soohyun. I had a feeling I knew why you called me, so I had a few things to prepare.”
“Prepare what?”
“I had some business in the warehouse. But I can’t go in, can I? So I was a little late asking Ko Yeonju for a favor.”
Now that she mentioned it, Vivian was holding something in both hands. I gestured with my chin for her to sit on the sofa by the table, and I rose from my chair and walked over as well.
After sitting down across from Vivian, I got straight to the point.
“Let’s cut to the chase. You said you had a method last time, right? Tell me the details.”
“Hm? Anyway, hold on. Take a look at these first.”
Vivian tilted her head for a moment, then began to pull out several items. I frowned slightly as she placed them on the table one by one: Mavolo’s Training Journal, Mavolo’s Potion Set, and the Rotten Fruit of Yggdrasil. They were all items we had acquired during the expedition to the Magic City of Magia.
After summoning the Ordo of Order, Vivian tapped Mavolo’s Training Journal with the tip of her staff.
“All the answers are in here.”
“What answers? Stop dragging it out and just tell me.”
“Huhu. So impatient. First, I wrote something in the book, so have a read… Oh, wait, can you even understand our language?”
Vivian teased me with a strange smile. I suspected she was thoroughly enjoying this situation where she could lord it over me. I clicked my tongue and picked up the book. Vivian flinched and quickly grabbed the other side of it.
“Y-You can read it? You can?”
“No. I can’t read all of it. Anyway, just give it to me. Even if I can’t read it, I can at least see what you’ve done.”
To be precise, it wasn’t that I couldn’t read all of it, but I mixed in a little lie. She should have known, seeing as I was the one who brought this book back, but Vivian let go with a doubtful expression.
All the answers are in here, she’d said. I examined the book with a sense of anticipation. Vivian had folded many pages, but one spot, where an entire half of a page was folded over, particularly stood out.
I immediately opened to that page and saw writing in a round, bubbly script on the blank space. It was clearly different from Mavolo’s handwriting, so I knew at a glance that she had written it.
Heh. I’m looking forward to this.
With a pounding heart, I calmly began to translate, starting from the very top…
[Kim Soohyun ♡ Vivian]
…
I immediately slammed the book shut. I had no desire to read any further, and for some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do.
Vivian was biting her nails, watching me anxiously. For a moment, I considered smacking her over the head with the book, but I managed to restrain myself and finally spoke.
“Vivian. Let me ask you something.”
“Uh, uh? Uh… A-a-a-a-ask away.”
“You… by any chance…”
“Y-y-y-y-yes.”
“You’re not thinking of ‘training’ Baek Seoyeon, are you?”
In that instant, I saw a myriad of expressions flash across Vivian’s face. She blinked, looking bewildered for a moment, then quickly composed herself and answered.
“Phew. No. That could be one way, but it’s a difficult one. I believe there’s an easier path.”
An easier path.
The moment I heard Vivian’s words, I felt my eyes focus. Come to think of it, she had always been a clan member who pulled more than her weight, and she had never betrayed my expectations. Feeling the dying embers of my anticipation flare up again, I stared at Vivian intently.
“Then tell me for real this time. What exactly are you planning to do?”
Sensing the sincerity in my tone, Vivian swallowed once, then slowly parted her lips.
“Alright. I’ll get straight to the point. First, I can create a potion that will break the mind of that woman, Baek Seoyeon.”
“A potion? You can create a potion that affects the mind?”
“Of course. But wait. Let me say this first: the human mind is not to be taken lightly. A single potion won’t solve everything. I’d like you to keep that in mind as you listen.”
I hadn’t expected that much in the first place. Still, I couldn’t just dismiss the words ‘an easier path,’ so I adopted an attentive posture.
Vivian cleared her throat a couple of times and began her explanation. And what followed was certainly intriguing.
For instance, if we assume the average human has a mental strength of 100, everyone has a different breaking point. A mentally weak person might break after taking a hit of just 10, while a strong person could endure a hit of 50. In short, mental strength varies from person to person, and so does the threshold for breaking their spirit.
“I see. So the game I played with the Vagabonds before would count as a ‘hit’?”
“Yes. According to my explanation, it would. There are many other ways to deliver a hit. For example, the ‘training’ you mentioned is one method. Do you remember when I was a spider?”
“I do. You’re not talking about Jung Hayeon’s sister, are you?”
“Yes. In her case, she was barely holding on when the monsters were having their way with her, but the moment she saw her own belly swell with spider eggs, she lost her sanity.”
Vivian glanced around, perhaps checking if Jung Hayeon was nearby, before continuing.
“But, as I said before, the human mind doesn’t break that easily. That’s because resistance exists. Let’s say, as you suggested, that Baek Seoyeon is an incredibly strong woman who can endure most things. Then, whether you play another game, rape her, or physically torture her, it might be effective at first, but over time, the impact will approach zero.”
“Wait a minute. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be the same for a potion?”
“Of course. That’s why I prefaced my explanation.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
Vivian paused and pointed to Mavolo’s potions and the Fruit of Yggdrasil. I had already checked their information before. Simply put, the potions acted as a catalyst in alchemy, and the fruit was a poison that, when consumed, would cloud the mind and eventually lead to death…
“Ah.”
In that moment, a thought flashed through my mind. Vivian had said she would create a potion. Which meant…
“Are you saying you can create the potion you mentioned with these two?”
“To be precise, the Fruit of Yggdrasil is the key ingredient. I don’t know what Mavolo did, but the currently rotten Fruit of Yggdrasil has completely lost its original potency. Anyway, the recipe is in the book, and the results of its use are recorded as well.”
“And what were they?”
“Mavolo used only four of the twelve pieces, and he split each of those pieces in half, using it eight times. Of course, he used other methods in conjunction with it. But it was one of the methods that helped break the spirit of the Elf Queen, who had maintained her purity for hundreds of years.”
I calmly picked up the fruit. She said he used four pieces, which meant there were eight pieces left. A moment of silence passed. Then, Vivian’s quiet voice echoed in the room.
“If we split the eight pieces in half, we can make a total of sixteen potions. Kim Soohyun. What do you think?”
“…”
“If we feed all sixteen of these potions to Baek Seoyeon at once… aren’t you curious to see what would happen?”