Chapter 459: Choice. The Great Hero? Or Magna Carta?
Chapter 459: Choice. The Great Hero? Or Magna Carta?
White. The world was a sea of pure, unadulterated white. White light rippled through the air while a gentle white mist flowed across the floor. Small motes of light appeared and vanished before my eyes, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
—Who… are you?
As I was quietly surveying my surroundings, a serene voice drifted from the air.
I turned my head to the right, searching for the speaker, but I saw no one. The voice had sounded close, yet there was nothing but empty white space in every direction.
It was then.
—Ho. I did not think a mere human could enter this place…? No, wait.
This time, the voice came from my left. If the voice from the right was that of a calm, unwavering woman, this one was the deep, low, and resonant voice of a man. However, the voice itself seemed to tremble and waver, making it slightly difficult to understand, as if he were speaking with a mouthful of water.
I stopped looking around. It seemed they were aware of me, but I couldn't see their forms. Continuing to search would be pointless.
Just as I had that thought, the voice from the left spoke again.
—Pray, forgive my impudence for failing to recognize you. I, Magna Carta, the Dragon of the End, humbly offer my greetings. O bearer of the primordial fire, for what purpose have you graced this place with your presence?
Huh? Magna Carta, the Dragon of the End? Bearer of the primordial fire?
Though the sudden honorifics caught me off guard, I suspected it had something to do with Eternal Flame and called out to her.
Eternal Flame?
—Hmph.
The only reply was a petulant snort. It seemed she was still angry.
I clicked my tongue and placed a hand over my heart. In any case, I’d gleaned two pieces of information. First, the voice on the left knew Eternal Flame’s true identity. Second, that voice belonged to Magna Carta, the Dragon of the End.
This meant the voice on the right was likely the Great Hero the man had spoken of.
Having sorted out the situation to some extent, I turned to the right and spoke.
“I came here at the request of a certain man. Are you the one they called the Great Hero?”
—Hmm… A human who receives the reverence of a dragon. How strange. In any case, if you are looking for the Great Hero that man spoke of, that would be me. By the way, a man’s request? What did he ask of you that led you to seek me out?
The beautiful voice echoed gently through the air. I paused for a moment in thought. Before conveying the man’s request, I felt it was necessary to explain the current situation—Magna Carta’s revival, the ascension of the souls, and everything else.
As I spoke, the Great Hero’s reactions changed with every detail.
She expressed worry when I spoke of the dragon’s revival, awe when I described how the souls of her comrades had awakened to fight it, and shock when I told her the souls had ascended after the dragon was defeated. Finally, when I added the story of the Sword of Oaths and how Magna Carta’s curse had been completely lifted, she let out a sigh of relief.
—Phew. I see. So Magna Carta’s curse is broken, and my comrades have gone where they were always meant to go…. I’m so glad. Truly, I am.
Her reaction was perfectly understandable, but for some reason, it rubbed me the wrong way. Regardless of the circumstances, what the Great Hero had done to her comrades was something even I found deplorable.
The man’s words suddenly echoed in my mind.
‘Thousands of years. It was a difficult time. Truly terrible.’
‘We were prepared to die when we entered the mountain range, but we had hoped that in death, at least, we could return to the homes our hearts longed for…. We never wanted to live on as wretched phantoms, even after death.’
Having heard the story from the man’s perspective, her tone, which sounded slightly relieved of guilt, was deeply unsettling. Besides, I couldn’t understand why the Great Hero was in this place to begin with.
Still, what was done was done. It wasn’t my place as a third party to judge. I just wanted to finish this conversation and leave.
I spoke quietly.
“Before he ascended, the man made a request. He wanted me to ask you why you had to do it, and if it was truly the only way.”
The Great Hero didn’t answer immediately. Though I couldn’t see her form or read her expression, the silence that hung in the air seemed to speak volumes about her state of mind.
After a short while, her voice finally echoed.
—I… feel sorry for what I did to my comrades. But it was a choice I had to make.
Her first words were an excuse so pathetic I almost scoffed.
“A choice you had to make…. So, is that what I should tell him?”
—You seem to disapprove of me. But as I said, it was a situation where I truly had no other choice. The Stele of Wishes, which borrows the power of Ganesha-nim, the god of language and wisdom, certainly wields a potent divine authority, but it also comes with significant restrictions.
“Restrictions?”
—Yes. There are many, but… two are most important. First, it grants only a single opportunity to state a wish. Second, the wish is not guaranteed to be granted. If a human’s personal greed takes precedence in their wish, Ganesha-nim will not grant it, no matter the reason.
“If personal greed takes precedence… he won’t grant the wish?”
—That’s right. I was called the Great Hero, but I was also an ordinary human woman. Do you think I didn’t want to leave the mountains, bask in the glory of our victory, and live with the one I loved? No. I wanted that desperately. But I couldn’t. The chance to make a wish came only once, and the wish I truly desired would most likely have been driven by my own greed. In that situation, I couldn’t take the risk. Do you understand now? Why I had to make that choice?
Is that so? Was that how it was?
If what she said was true, it changed everything. I hadn’t expected such a restriction. I slowly crossed my arms.
But even after mulling it over, my opinion didn’t change. The abilities displayed by the souls of the man and the woman were incredible, even by my current standards.
“Still, it seems like a hasty decision. It was certainly a choice made for the sake of humanity, but if I were you, I would have trusted my comrades more. I would have revealed the truth and worked together to break the curse, or found some other way. You acted first and told your comrades later. As a result, they had to suffer a terrible despair for thousands of years, even after death.”
—I know. My decision was undeniably and clearly an autocratic one. But you have no idea what that era was like. Once Magna Carta, our common enemy, was gone, how long do you think humanity’s noble convictions would have lasted? I was worried about what would come after.
Humans are beings that are constantly changing. I had always believed that myself, so I could sympathize with a part of what the Great Hero was saying. Of course, that didn’t mean I fully understood.
In any case, I considered the man’s request fulfilled. I could tell him what I’d learned the next time I summoned him with the Sword of Oaths. Feeling no need to remain here any longer, I was about to turn and leave.
—O Mother. The Great Hero is lying.
The voice, still trembling but immeasurably deep, echoed through the air. Magna Carta, who had been listening in silence, had finally spoken.
For a second, I wanted to say, I have no memory of having a son like you, but I calmly turned my gaze to the left. I knew the word “Mother” wasn’t directed at me.
“What do you mean?”
—It is as I said. While she did not lie about the events that transpired, her inner thoughts are another matter entirely.
—Silence, Magna Carta. Though countless years have passed, your vile plan never came to fruition and has been shattered as of today. You have lost.
The Great Hero was quick to dismiss his words as the barking of a loser, but Magna Carta paid her no mind and continued.
—Although you shattered my last chance at revenge, it was done by the will of the Mother. I would not dare express discontent. But consider this. I wanted every human who entered these mountains, or their descendants, to suffer. Yet for some reason, despite choosing the former, the Great Hero alone slipped away into this place. The very place where I was sealed.
“It’s true that the Great Hero’s soul wasn’t mixed in with her comrades. I was also wondering why she was here alone.”
—On the surface, she spouts eloquent words about acting for humanity’s sake, but I believe I know the true intentions of the one called the Great Hero. You must have seen the seven steles erected around the coffin when you ascended to it.
“Seven steles… you mean the Stele of Wishes? Wait a minute. Coffin? Not an altar?”
—That is correct. The conditions to activate the Stele of Wishes are still met in this place, and what you saw was not an altar, but a kind of coffin in which the Great Hero’s body is cryogenically frozen. Under the pretext of worrying about the curse I left behind, the Great Hero sacrificed all her comrades, yet she herself chose to remain in this place, to be sealed for eternity alongside me. Do you now understand what this means, what her wicked intentions are? The Great Hero has left a path for her own resurrection, in preparation for a successor who might one day find this place.
I scoffed again. It was certainly a plausible interpretation. But the chances of Magna Carta’s words being true were very low, and besides, for a being named the Dragon of the End, he sounded incredibly petty.
—What ridiculous nonsense! If that was truly my intention, I would have simply left on my own after everything was over that day!
The Great Hero seemed to feel the same way, as her indignant voice made the floor beneath me tremble. But Magna Carta merely laughed at her with his characteristically wavering voice.
—Kekek. No, no. You were afraid to leave alive and alone. You wouldn’t have had the courage to face the families and friends of your comrades. And I remember when we first met. You persistently asked me which of your comrades I had cursed, didn’t you? I recall how relieved you looked when I gave you the answer.
—It seems that even after thousands of years, your true nature hasn’t changed. O bearer of the flame. Surely you don’t believe the ramblings of this loser, do you? We sacrificed everything for our descendants. The reason I am here is to watch over Magna Carta in case he tries anything, nothing more, nothing less. So please, do not listen to this insane loser’s…
At that moment, I calmly raised my hand. It was a signal I sometimes used during clan meetings, a way of telling everyone to quiet down when things got too noisy. A habit, of sorts.
But strangely, the increasingly heated conversation between the two beings came to an abrupt halt.
I stood in silence for a moment before quietly turning to leave.
As I said before, I came here because of the man’s request. It was to repay the kindness he had shown us, not to argue about who was right or wrong.
Besides, I am a User. A User of the Hall Plain. If there was no profit in it for me, there was absolutely no reason to remain here any longer now that my objective was complete.
As I turned, I saw an entrance about two meters high directly in front of me. I assumed that going through it would return me to the original space. I was about to take a step forward.
—O Mother. Are you leaving already?
Magna Carta’s desperate voice stopped me in my tracks. For a moment, I considered ignoring him and leaving, but I changed my mind and turned back.
“What is it?”
—It is presumptuous of me, but I wish to make a request before you depart.
“A request?”
—Yes. My revenge has already come to an end, so…
I scratched my head. If it was something that concerned me, fine. But I’d been patiently listening to their nonsense, and my irritation was starting to build.
“If it’s going to be a long-winded story, just forget it. I’d appreciate it if you just got to the point.”
The Great Hero’s voice echoed from the side for a moment, but I ignored it and stared to my left.
After a moment, Magna Carta’s voice followed.
—Personally, I wish to finally enter eternal rest, I wish to continue my revenge against the Great Hero, and I wish to see.
Eternal rest, revenge, and a wish to see. Could these three desires be fulfilled at the same time? And before that, what did he mean by ‘see’?
Frowning slightly in confusion, Magna Carta immediately continued.
—I wish to see the human world. The one question that lingered throughout the war was why humans were so intent on rejecting us. We dragons coexisted with humans and wished to continue doing so, but it was the humans who refused. I want to see for myself what kind of world humans have built after casting us out.
—Ha. Magna Carta. Coexistence, you say? You who reigned over all races, including humans, demanding sacrifices and…!
Sensing another fight brewing, I raised my hand again. Then, I spoke calmly.
“It sounds like you want to be freed. That’s funny. Humans went to great lengths to seal you away. Give me one good reason why I should invite that kind of danger upon myself and release you.”
—It is I who fails to understand your words. Danger? Revenge against the world is impossible; I have already given up on it. The revenge I speak of is against the Great Hero. Furthermore, my physical body has already withered and been destroyed beyond recovery. And in this era, is the Mother not present? Why do you fear me? The Mother is the fire that created the world, a being who embraces and watches over all existence. Though I bear the name of the End, my origin is that of a Flame Dragon, born from the primordial fire. All Flame Dragons who have attained the light of wisdom revere the Mother. Although you appear in an incomplete state now, what child in this world would dare to challenge their own mother?
—Fucking bullshit.
At that moment, Eternal Flame finally spoke. I almost burst out laughing but managed to restrain myself with superhuman patience.
—Just thinking about when I raised that troublemaker… What? What child would challenge their mother? What a load of fucking bullshit.
Eternal Flame continued to grumble. I suppressed my laughter and spoke nonchalantly.
“I understand what you’re saying. The being you call Mother is indeed within me, but I am not the mother you speak of. I’m human. A human male. So, I’d appreciate it if you kept that in mind and stopped calling me Mother. I am, unequivocally, a man.”
Magna Carta had mentioned her ‘incomplete state.’ That meant he likely already knew what had happened to Eternal Flame, so I decided to reveal it myself.
And even if Magna Carta did attack, I had already defeated him once, almost single-handedly. I had Elixirs. If I worked with my comrades and took a few risks, I was confident I could subdue him.
After I spoke, a quiet silence fell over the dreamlike space. But it was brief. In place of Magna Carta’s silence, another voice immediately shattered it.
—O bearer of the flame. Surely you are not considering listening to that dragon, are you? You can’t be.
I didn’t answer the Great Hero. I simply stared at the space where I believed Magna Carta to be. If the dragon had a functioning brain and any understanding of humans, he would have understood the meaning behind my words.
—I see. I understand. However, even if you are a mere human, the fact that you bear the Mother within you does not change.
When Magna Carta’s voice finally came, it was still deferential. Realizing anew just how high Eternal Flame’s status was, I spoke quietly.
“So.”
—To consider that you are human. I understand what you mean. Then how about this?
At that moment, a strong gust of wind seemed to brush past me, and then three or four messages scrolled up in the air.
『Magna Carta, the Dragon of the End, acknowledges User Kim Soohyun!』
『Five of the Dragon’s Authorities are bestowed upon User Kim Soohyun.』
『Magna Carta, the Dragon of the End, was regarded as both the strongest and the worst in history. As you have received the acknowledgment of such a dragon, the Authorities are also extremely powerful. However, with User Kim Soohyun’s current Player Status, you cannot fully utilize all of them. The number of Authorities you can use, as well as their power, will be limited.』
『Therefore, you can currently use a total of two Dragon’s Authorities…』
—How is this?
Magna Carta had pinpointed exactly what I wanted.
—Hnng. Well, it’s not bad.
The Dragon’s Authority, huh? I’d have to look at the details, but since even Eternal Flame acknowledged it, it certainly didn’t seem bad.
I quietly spoke to her in my mind.
What do you think?
—About what?
About releasing Magna Carta.
—That’s up to you. But if you’re asking for my opinion… like he said, in a way, that guy is my child. Seeing him like this doesn’t exactly make me feel good.
Although she said it was up to me, it seemed Eternal Flame was subtly hoping for Magna Carta’s release. I’d need to hear more before deciding, but I felt myself leaning in one direction.
When I shrugged as if to ask if that was all, I heard Magna Carta chuckle.
—This is my limit for now. However, if you listen to my words and release me, I have one more gift I can offer. As I mentioned earlier, this place is equipped with a device that can operate the Stele of Wishes.
“Are you saying you’ll help me use it?”
—Precisely.
“Oho.”
The Great Hero had said the Stele of Wishes could only be used once. And right now, besides me, there were twelve other clan members here.
This meant that, regardless of whether it worked or not, we could make a total of thirteen wishes. The thought made the offer incredibly tempting.
It was then.
—What do you think you’re doing?!
A voice filled with panic struck my ears. It was the Great Hero.
—We, we! We sacrificed everything for you people. What you are about to do is turn that noble sacrifice into nothing…
“I don’t care about your personal revenge or your desire to see the world. In the end, you just want to enter eternal rest, right? And I’m not from this world to begin with. I’m someone who crossed over from another world. In other words, the noble sacrifice you’re talking about has absolutely nothing to do with me.”
—W-What did you say?
“Hah. It would have been better if this world had just been destroyed back then…. Then I wouldn’t have had to come to this shitty place. Anyway, as long as the profit is right, there’s no reason not to do it, so cut the crap.”
I meant what I just said. If the world had been destroyed back then, would there have been any reason for me to come here?
In any case, I didn’t resent the Great Hero, but I didn’t sympathize with her either. The man had left her fate in my hands anyway. And as I’ve said repeatedly, I was a User, not a Resident of this world.
Whether she was dumbfounded or simply at a loss for words, I heard nothing more from the Great Hero. I looked to my left, where I presumed Magna Carta was. I spoke calmly.
“You want to see the world, you want your revenge, and you want eternal rest. I’d like to hear how you plan to achieve all three of those requests. Oh, and just so you know, I’m only going to listen and then decide.”
The moment I finished speaking, though I couldn’t see him, I somehow felt that Magna Carta was pleased.
—That is only natural. Of course. But before that… to build a more solid trust between us, would you please take out the object you have in your pocket?
The object in my pocket? I reflexively felt around and soon found something small and round.
At the same time, a faint smile touched my lips.
I had a good idea of what Magna Carta was planning.
*
Fwoosh!
A brilliant light filled my vision before quickly returning to normal. When I came to my senses, I saw the gray hall, faintly illuminated. My hand was still resting on the altar—no, the coffin.
Suddenly, I felt countless gazes from below.
Turning only my head, I looked down to see my clan members staring blankly up at me. I had thought they would be worried since I’d been gone for a while listening to the story, but their expressions weren’t of concern. Just like when we first entered this place, their eyes were filled only with curiosity.
In that instant, I understood what had happened. It seemed time in that other space flowed at a different rate than in reality. No matter how much time passed there, only a few seconds would pass here. It made sense, considering it was a sealed space.
“Clan Lord! Are you alright?”
As I stared blankly, Shin Jaeryong waved his hand and shouted. I nodded once or twice, then looked at Ahn Sol. She was also looking at me, and our eyes met instantly.
I calmly raised my hand and pointed at the coffin.
About five seconds passed as we held each other’s gaze. Ahn Sol, who had a question mark floating above her head, suddenly widened her eyes with a look of, “Ah!” Then, her mouth fell open, and she began nodding her head frantically, so much so that her short, neck-length hair whipped back and forth.
?
For a moment, I was confused about what she meant, but seeing her nod like a madwoman, it couldn’t mean she was against it.
With that, I had confirmed the reaction of Ahn Sol, whom I had considered my final bastion(?). Feeling the last vestiges of doubt in my mind disappear, I turned my gaze back to the top of the coffin. Where my eyes landed, seven pale green orbs were arranged in a neat row. Looking at them, I calmly searched my memory.
‘If you look on top of the coffin, you will likely see seven orbs. The operation is simpler than you think. First…’
The moment I recalled it completely.
‘Please press the leftmost orb once.’
Without hesitation, I moved my finger and firmly pressed the orb on the far left.