Chapter 5: Why Are You Suddenly So Quiet?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: Why Are You Suddenly So Quiet?
[Completion of the world: 98.99%.]
[Fill the void as soon as possible.]
[Achieve the perfection of the world.]
Bzzt... bzzzt...
[You must abandon 'Humanity.']
[It is an impurity unnecessary for perfection.]
...Chzz, bzzzt.
[Failure to comply will result in direct intervention by the Counterforce.]
[This is an unavoidable, predetermined causality.]
+++++++++++++++++++
《Watch over them with grace》
+++++++++++++++++++
Pop—
The fuse blew. Just like yesterday, the universe of my mindscape shattered into pieces.
The floating debris quickly cleared, and reality flowed back in.
* * *
I woke from the dream.
A dull throb.
Dammit, the same dream again.
'What on earth is this supposed to be?'
It wasn't like I was a grown man having wet dreams.
Why had I suddenly started having strange dreams after ten whole years?
I felt awful. My back was drenched, as if I'd poured out a whole gallon of sweat in my sleep.
Even without checking, I knew the bed was soaked. What kind of nonsense was this in March, when the cold still sank deep into your bones?
'Completion of the world?'
What was its true meaning?
To me, this world was already perfect right now. And surely I wasn't the only one who felt that way.
The False Gods had been wiped out. The Corps Commanders, who were direct blights upon humanity, had been finished off by my own hands.
Though the world was still suffering from post-war aftereffects, it was gradually recovering. Pain inevitably accompanied the healing of wounds.
Not to mention the enduring stability of Joaquin Academy, and relations with the Demons had entered a relatively stable phase. Whenever minor friction arose, Leon, Hon, or I would take turns stepping in to resolve it.
There were no visible problems.
Yet that unidentified voice kept sounding alarm bells through my dreams. The closing remark bothered me in particular.
'Watch over them?'
Blessing of the Sword God. The day I first manifested the true nature of my ability using the World Tree Yggdrasil as a catalyst, I had seen a similar phrase.
"...Haa."
I covered my eyes with the back of my hand.
Thinking about it by myself won't get me anywhere.
Still, it was fine. Things were different from my teenage years when everything was an unknown. Now that I had become the Heavenly Sword, I had an abundance of human resources. School ties, regional ties, blood ties—I was second to none in the world.
And...
'There's an expert in this field.'
The Saintess, Yoo Se-in.
As a reincarnator, Se-in knew the ways of the universe best—far better than a possessed person like me.
Of course, she didn't lay everything bare for me. Still, she answered my questions faithfully enough. She just didn't go out of her way to volunteer information.
Having gone through reincarnation after reincarnation, she found life tedious. Yet despite that, she always did what needed to be done—quite something, really.
Passive as she was, Se-in fulfilled her role as a mediator of this world exceedingly well.
Come to think of it...
'It's been a long time since I last saw her.'
What was she up to?
What else...
'She's probably playing games all night.'
Yoo Se-in was a severe game addict. Lately, word had it she was obsessed with VR games.
I'd heard through the grapevine that she had gotten an apartment in Wonju, Gangwon-do, and was living like a shut-in. Since it was near the academy, I should visit her soon.
"Ugh."
Swallowing a groan, I sat up. Reaching beyond the bed, my hand grabbed a bottle of water.
Gulp, gulp.
My Adam's apple bobbed. Water trickled down my abs, branching off into several streams.
"Mmm..."
Beside me, Abel, who had been fast asleep, rubbed her eyes and sat up. I must have woken her.
As you can tell from this scene, today was an even-numbered day. To put it plainly, it was Abel's day.
Mm. Since midnight had passed, was it Ryozo's day now? Damn it. I don't even know anymore.
'Let me give up thinking about it.'
My status in this household was like floating duckweed. I respected Abel and Ryozo's opinions as much as possible.
Please don't berate me for having no backbone. Abel and Ryozo were very persuasive speakers.
I was not.
Besides, I wasn't crazy enough to pull out a sashimi knife during a family conversation.
"...Why? Did you have a bad dream?" Abel asked with worried eyes, pulling the bedsheet up to her chest with one hand.
Dangerous, in more ways than one.
"Sorry for waking you."
"It's okay."
Abel tapped her small lips softly as she spoke. She then looked out the large window beside the bed. I turned my eyes in the same direction.
"..."
"..."
It was a cliché expression, but the night sky looked as though stars were pouring down. Yet no celestial body matched Abel's eyes. Her signature feature was a pair of shooting stars.
"It reminds me of that day," Abel spoke first.
"The day we first met?"
"Yeah. Wow, looking back, we were such kids." She giggled.
"We're still kids. We're only in our twenties."
"Why talk like that? You're in your twenties too."
"Ah. Ri...ght..."
Saying it made me wince inside a little.
"Geomma, you're so consistent, then and now."
As I felt put on the spot, Abel's smile deepened.
"In what way?"
"That old soul side of you. Like you said, we're still kids, right? So you're still an old soul in a young body."
"I've heard people say I look old for my age back in my early twenties, but it's been a while since I heard my soul is old."
"That's why I like it."
Coming in hot out of nowhere.
"You know my parents passed away early."
I know. Of course I know.
I was the very person who laid Abel's father to rest after he became the Lich King. I stabbed my future father-in-law with a blade.
"Maybe that's why, but I've always liked men I can rely on."
"That's a father complex."
"Emotions originally stem from inner lack. Sure, maybe seeing a glimpse of Dad in you was how it started, Geomma, but..." Abel pulled her legs up. Nestling her cheek against her rounded knees, she continued. "...Now, I just love you for who you are."
"Abel, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Knowing I get embarrassed by stuff like this."
"Caught me." Abel stuck her tongue out slightly and gave herself a light tap on the head. Watching her made a chuckle slip out.
In the middle of that, a coat hanger suddenly caught my eye. The black overcoat Abel had given me right before my lecture was hanging there. Nodding toward it, I spoke.
"The coat was nice."
"Right? That was pretty expensive."
I didn't ask how much. If Abel called it expensive, well... Trapped between her and Ryozo, I was trying my best not to lose my sense of money.
Reminded by the talk of clothes, Abel changed the subject. With the stars shining in her eyes, she asked:
"How was today's lecture?!"
"...Um..."
Where should I even begin explaining?
I scratched my cheek, choosing my words for a long while.
* * *
A few hours prior.
"The lecture won't cover much complicated theory. Real combat experience is what matters most. That's my philosophy."
The sight of cadets nodding in unison en masse was quite a spectacle. It looked like a religious gathering.
In fact, ninety percent of the cadets gathered here were members of his fan club, the Heavenly Demon Cult. It was virtually no different from a fan meeting.
The cadets were moved to tears seeing their long-time idol right before their eyes. To top it off, taking his lecture?
Everyone felt that clawing their way through blood and sweat to enter Joaquin Academy had been entirely worth it.
"Knowledge is certainly important too. But this is just my opinion based strictly on my own experience."
Kang Geomma pulled out a sashimi knife and held it. The blade spun in his palm like a pinwheel. Even that looked cool.
"The instructors will teach you basic physical training methods, so I plan to conduct class in a different direction."
"What kind of direction?!"
A cadet raised a hand courageously. Jealous glares pricked at the cadet, but they didn't care.
"Good question," Kang Geomma praised.
The cadet was beside themselves with joy, feeling as if wings had sprouted on their back.
However...
"Since the class assignment exam this time was a Subspace Battle Royale, everyone except the Star Class cadets must have died at least once."
"...?"
Clap. Kang Geomma clapped his hands.
In the next moment, the lecture hall was engulfed in a purple barrier.
Without giving the cadets time to react in shock, he drove the nail home.
"First, let's get you used to dying."
...Pardon...?
"For the first week, let's die once, and for the second week, twice. We'll increase it one by one like that. Ten years ago, the Heaven Class died twenty times a day, but I thought that might be too harsh."
Kang Geomma spoke as if bestowing mercy.
Before anyone realized, the lecture hall had been completely swallowed by subspace. From now on, even if one's throat was slashed, their real-world self wouldn't die.
"It might sting a little."
Kang Geomma flicked his wrist. The scabbard of Murasame slid off, revealing its silver edge.
[Manifesting Divine Blessing of Painlessness.]
[Manifesting Divine Blessing of Transfer.]
[Manifesting Divine Blessing of Regeneration.]
Whirrr—
[Operating three blessings to protect the world from the slash.]
[Considering the load on the worldline, manifestation time is limited to 60 seconds.]
+++++++++++++++++++
《May the Blessing of God be with you》
+++++++++++++++++++
Wings were torn away.
* * *
"You just flat-out killed them all?"
"What do you mean killed? It was in subspace."
Abel looked utterly dumbfounded. Then, as if resigned, she shook her head to herself.
"Ah, no... Never mind."
Expecting common sense from her husband was asking too much.
She loved Kang Geomma.
Separate from love, his head had plenty of loose screws. Lack of empathy. This was Kang Geomma, whose martial prowess had reached the realm of gods. An ordinary person like herself shouldn't be placed on the same scale of comparison.
"Though kids these days have weak mental fortitude. Getting slashed once has them screaming and coughing up blood. Back in our day, even if we got stabbed in subspace, we just laughed it off."
Geomma, it seems the school days you and I remember are a little—no, a lot—different. That's fine, I love you anyway.
"You shouldn't compare kids these days with us."
"I suppose. There isn't even a single Corps Commander left now. The Demons cause minor trouble here and there, but with the Dragon Elder holding the line, they can't throw a full-blown rampage."
"And the one who created that environment was you," Abel said, wrapping her arms around his neck. At the lush sensation enveloping his back, Kang Geomma felt a surge of electricity run straight up from his tailbone.
It was at that moment.
Bzzzt—
His smartphone screen lit up.
I gave Abel an apologetic glance to ask for her understanding. At her nod, I checked my phone.
It was a text from Weapon. Abel read the message along with me over my shoulder. It sent chills down our spines.
"..."
"..."
Silence descended abruptly.
Kang Geomma quietly slid his legs out of the bed. Abel let go of him without resistance.
"I'll be back," Kang Geomma said, putting on Abel's gift—the black overcoat. His hands slipped through the sleeve openings.
"Yeah. Go teach those bastards a lesson," Abel answered with deep, intense eyes. "What happens when they mess with our family."
Kang Geomma grabbed his sashimi knife and left the room.
* * *
The entrance ceremony was an event where nobles from all over the world gathered. They visited South Korea to send off their children.
Even after the ceremony ended, staying at hotels in Gangwon-do for a few days instead of immediately returning home was nothing out of the ordinary.
However, this year, the nobles' stay was longer than usual. They had made up their minds. Using this entrance ceremony as an excuse, they intended to make their intentions clear to the current academy principal.
And so, in the dead of night, they held Ryozo hostage with their demands. From her perspective, she had stepped on a landmine.
An oval round table occupying the VIP lounge.
"Principal."
A middle-aged man with a Kaiser mustache opened his mouth. The man was a Marquis of the British Empire. Moreover, he was the core figure of the Anti-Nibelung Faction.
"Isn't it about time we restored the Council of Elders system to the academy? Under your management, Joaquin Academy has achieved prosperity. However..."
What good was polite speech when his mouth dripped with a sneer? Furthermore, the Marquis had a history of confessing his love to her and getting dumped. He had held a grudge ever since then.
'That was right when Geomma and I started dating.'
Ryozo clicked her tongue mentally and gave a slight chin tilt.
"Do go on, Marquis Sade."
"To continue, that system was only possible because you are capable—no, because you are a genius seen once in a century. However, future principals will never measure up to you. Therefore, preparations must be made."
The Marquis swept his eyes over the faces present with a subtle look. The nobles began chiming in one by one.
"Indeed. It is only possible under the Principal's reign."
"Not everyone is as capable as the Principal."
"Please give it careful consideration."
The corners of the Marquis's lips curled upward. He rode the momentum.
"We are not suggesting we copy the old Council of Elders system. Moving away from the ancient, corruption-prone system goes without saying. Thus, we have come up with an ingenious plan of our own. If you would care to hear—"
Ryozo rested the back of her neck against her chair. The ceiling was a drawing paper. On the blank canvas, a face she longed to see flickered into view.
'Geomma, I'm exhausted.'
As long as she was the principal, she couldn't just ignore the nobles' complaints. Dealing with them was part of her job.
Once again, she felt a newfound respect for the former principal, Medea Poison. Medea had endured twenty whole years among nobles who were ten times more overbearing than the ones today.
A migraine throbbed.
Feeling the dull ache in the back of her head, she tightly shut her eyes. The Marquis was still chattering away excitedly.
"Therefore—"
Just before the Marquis's speech reached its climax—
Bang!
The door slammed open violently.
"How dare you raise your voice in whose presence—"
The Marquis turned his head irritably. Ryozo also opened her eyes and pulled her gaze away from the ceiling.
"Y-You are...!"
The Marquis turned pale with shock. His complexion drained so completely that he looked like a corpse.
"My thoughts exactly."
A figure draped in black stood at a slight slant. A dangerous glare smoldered between his bangs.
"In whose presence..."
Quiet footsteps echoed into the room.
"...do you think you're raising your voice at the Principal?"
A dark red energy shot forth. The Marquis's heart was squeezed tight. Rolling his eyes back until the whites showed, he foamed at the mouth and slammed his forehead onto the round table.
Thump!
"..."
Amidst the surging shock—
"Since this is an academy, I will guarantee freedom of speech."
Kang Geomma sat down in the empty seat next to the Principal. Ryozo stared intently at his side profile.
"Why are you suddenly so quiet?"
Because...
"Keep babbling like you were just doing."
...he couldn't possibly be more reliable.