I Support Evelyn
I Support Evelyn
I first put up the Salvation Holy Knights members in a nearby hotel. I could've headed straight to Kara with them, but there was something urgent I needed to check first. Anyway, the fragment of the Anvil of the Absolute in Kara was probably already taken by Evelyn, so there was no rush.
Does Sabondia really have a way to save humanity?
According to the info Alfredo Monk deciphered from the Book of Death, gathering all the fragments of the Anvil of the Absolute would somehow lead to humanity's salvation.
If that's true, it'd be like a dream come true. Humanity being saved means I get to survive too. Hell, I might even die of old age if things go right—exciting just thinking about it.
I needed to meet Evelyn right away. The Book of Death belonged to Sabondia, and Evelyn was her subordinate. Talking to her might give me the details.
The problem was how to find her. Armida sis and Shura hadn't returned to Kara yet, so they were probably still hanging around the Divinum Cathedral area keeping tabs on things. But I had no clue where exactly.
"Ah!"
I shot up from my seat. I'd figured out how to reach Evelyn. She was likely lurking near Armida sis or Katrinah, or had planted bugs like before. She had to monitor their movements, after all.
I headed straight out into the night streets of the Divinum Cathedral.
My destination was the Prague Hotel, where Katrinah's group was staying.
I could've gone to the Darkness Hotel where Armida sis and Shura were, but there was a low chance of bugs there. I'd threatened Evelyn pretty hard about it last time. But Katrinah's place? Definitely bugged.
At the hotel, I asked the counter staff to call Katrinah's group.
"Baekmyeon?"
Ignes Princess came down to the first-floor lobby to greet me. I waved casually out of politeness.
"Hey."
"What brings you here?"
"Got business."
"What kind?"
"Not with you, so don't worry about it. Where are you guys staying?"
"Third-floor suite."
"Lead the way."
I went up to their suite with Ignes Princess. Bursting through the wide-open door, I spotted Katrinah lounging on the sofa in her underwear, munching on snacks. Empty plates and food scraps littered the area—she'd clearly spent the whole day lazing around stuffing her face.
And she doesn't even gain weight? Valkyries are unreal. If she were human, her same-sex friends would've iced her out hard.
Katrinah blinked at me for a second before yelling in shock.
"Hey! What the hell, barging in like that!"
"Sorry, just here to grab something."
While Katrinah scrambled for her clothes, I eyed the magic lamp on the ceiling.
Evelyn's bugs were mana-concealing magic tools. No one would notice them anywhere, but the ceiling was the prime spot.
Even if the concealment glitched, the lamp's mana flow would mask it.
I gave Katrinah a quick once-over, then climbed onto a chair and unscrewed the lamp.
"Got it."
Now fully dressed, Katrinah exploded.
"Brat! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"
I pocketed the bug and hopped down, grabbing Katrinah's hand.
"Congrats."
"On what?"
"You finally did something useful for the world. Good girl."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Ignoring her glare, I looked around.
"Where's Sierra Princess?"
Ignes Princess, standing behind me, answered.
"Training at the Divinum Cathedral's practice grounds."
"This late at night?"
"Yes."
I clicked my tongue.
"Those who suck at studying can't even tell when to rest and when to grind. You think scores go up just by sitting at a desk? Manage your focus properly. Sigh. Who's gonna marry that dimwit..."
"Don't say that about Sierra Princess."
"What, about studying?"
"No. Who's gonna marry her."
I rolled my eyes. Sierra Princess had tragically lost her fiancé two years ago, and the Lobros crown prince she'd been matched with got executed as mist from the old Bastain duke's rebellion.
Anyway, Bastain's king had royally screwed up her life.
"Ah, sorry."
As I apologized and turned to leave, Katrinah grabbed my shoulder.
"Brat, where you going?"
"Gotta bounce quick."
Fire lit in Katrinah's eyes.
"Brat. You think you can barge into ladies' quarters without permission and just walk out scot-free?"
I scanned the room thoroughly, then met her gaze shamelessly.
"Ladies? Where?"
"Hey!"
"I'm in a rush. Save the chat for Kara later. Spar, deep talk on manners—whatever. Later."
I bolted out of the lady-adjacent room. Katrinah tried to chase but got held back by Ignes Princess.
Outside, I pulled out the bug from my pocket and spoke into it.
"Evelyn, meet up. Urgent. Same restaurant spot as last time. Hurry."
Then I rushed to the Rain Premium Restaurant. She'd know the place—we'd met out front before.
The night deepened. Pacing in front of the shuttered Rain Premium Restaurant, I stomped my feet impatiently. I'd been waiting ages, but no Evelyn.
"Damn woman. Did she hear me or not?"
As I pulled out the bug again, a familiar voice echoed from a dark alley nearby.
"Baekmyeon. Aren't you messing with our ops too much?"
I whipped around toward the alley.
"It was urgent. I'll treat you later."
"Treat? After all the hassle planting those bugs?"
Evelyn hobbled out on crutches, her whole body wrapped in bandages.
I widened my eyes. She was seriously hurt.
"Whoa. That bad?"
"Yeah. Botched an assassination a few days ago."
I blinked hard. Evelyn failing an assassination? Unbelievable. She was the world's top assassin before going dark.
"Who the hell was it? Valkyrie level?"
Evelyn wrinkled her nose.
"Valkyrie? I'd have handled that easy. Got taken down by some worthless country bumpkin geezer. Tch. Didn't know he was that strong."
"Who?"
"You know him. Alfredo Monk."
I blinked rapidly.
"That conspiracy nut?"
"Yeah. Fell for his face and act. Turns out the old fart's a 9-Cycle holy mage."
"No way."
"Yup. Right as I went for the kill, he mind-attacked me. Couldn't move when he reached out."
"No... fucking... way."
Evelyn gritted her teeth.
"Tch. Should've known when he said, 'Who goes there?'"
"Why?"
"I'd hidden my presence and used invisibility magic. He still spotted me."
I swallowed dryly. I couldn't even detect her stealth or invis.
"Holy shit. How'd you survive?"
"Guy's got a soft heart. Let me go, no questions."
"Really?"
Evelyn shot me a sharp look.
"But you knew, didn't you?"
"Knew what?"
"Otherwise, why plant Alon as a spy in that bumpkin cult?"
I averted my eyes, at a loss. Couldn't exactly say it was because of future events.
"Kinda... But didn't know Alfredo was that strong."
"How the hell do you know so much about them? Even gutting info guilds, nobody knows shit about Alfredo or the Salvation Holy Knights."
"Sharp instincts and cool judgment."
Evelyn pouted.
"You call that an answer?"
"What can I say? Can't explain human gut precisely."
"Sigh. Whatever. Why'd you call?"
"Questions."
Evelyn held out her hand.
"Consulting fee."
"Lots of 'em. I'll pay in bulk."
"Fine. Shoot."
"First: Why target Alfredo Monk?"
"He knew about the Anvil of the Absolute. If that info hits Chronos, we're screwed."
I nodded. Just as I figured. But her answer had a blind spot.
"Then why encode Anvil and apocalypse stuff in the Book of Death?"
"Simple. Master wanted humans to save themselves, not her doing it."
"Themselves?"
"That's what she said. Salvation comes from within. Never from others—especially not heavenly beings."
I narrowed my eyes. For a rogue Valkyrie buddy of sis, she knew way too much about the world.
"So why step in now?"
"Humans failed till the end. Clung to heavenlies, trapped in their framework, no growth. Master had no choice. Doing nothing isn't a sin."
I chuckled dryly.
"Nosy Valkyrie."
"Tell me about it. Questions done?"
"Big one's just starting."
Evelyn eyed me steadily.
"Heard something from Alfredo?"
"Yeah."
"Gonna cost ya."
"Money's fine. Just want straight answers."
"Deal. It's public secret now anyway."
Probably about Alfredo cracking the Book's cipher. If Chronos got that, rogue sis's plans would be exposed.
I took a deep breath and asked.
"Can the Anvil of the Absolute really save the world?"
Evelyn narrowed her eyes.
"Not asking about doom? Thought you'd start there."
"Heard from Alfredo. Heavenly gods descend, open dimensional rifts."
"Yup. But you believe him?"
"Cut the crap. Answer: Can the Anvil save us?"
Evelyn shrugged.
"Nope."
I grimaced in disappointment. I'd dared hope for survival.
"Then what's the point of what you're doing?"
"Buying time."
"Time?"
"Yeah. Remember? Valkyrie mission ends when era's oracle points to doom."
"Yeah."
"That's heaven's signal to descend gods here. Doom era incoming."
I nodded. I could've guessed that much.
"Got it. So?"
"To descend, they need to activate 'God's Descent' in Chronos. Needs massive mana. That's why sky city Chronos is desperate for Chaos Pieces."
"How much?"
"Unimaginably."
I frowned. They seemed to hoard a lot, but market prices hadn't spiked much. Mostly my doing.
"Where the hell they getting that many?"
"Ocean floor. Most monsters live there; their Chaos Pieces sink and pile up over eons. Chronos collects 'em."
"Ah."
"But even that's not enough for God's Descent. Needs the 'Valkyrie Queen's Key' made of soulstone too. It's got killer tracking magic—can't steal and hide it. Gotta destroy it. And only the Anvil can."
Steal and smash the Valkyrie Queen's Key? Sounded like a nightmare mission. Infiltrating sky city Chronos? Near impossible. Valkyrie HQ.
Still, hope, however slim.
"So smash the key, we're saved?"
"Said no earlier."
"Why? No key, no activation."
"Gods come personally. Takes decades. Then doom era."
I sighed deeply. Decades extension? Meh. Nice, but short. My real dream: die shitting on a wall.
"We all die anyway."
"Nah. Post-doom, some survive. Few hundred thousand?"
I stared at her.
"How?"
"Build arks, leave this world. That's why the decades."
Most die, but some live.
But I glared, pissed.
"Hey? Hundred thousand?"
"Yeah."
"One-seater's quicker. Why bother with huge arks?"
Evelyn half-lidded her eyes.
"No guilt for other humans?"
"Nah, hundred thou or one—same diff. Most die anyway."
"Fine, say one-seater. You board first. Me?"
I rolled my eyes awkwardly.
"Two-seater then."
"Just us two?"
"Or generous hundred-seater."
"Sure. But no spot for you. Busy with org members."
I shut my eyes tight. Human nature. Me first, us over them.
"Sigh. Fine, stick to plan."
"Right? What's the point if just us? Humanity needs hundreds of thousands."
I gritted my teeth, nodding. Techless losers wouldn't survive anyway. Why I push tech. Money without it? Dead.
"Yeah. Ngh."
"No more questions?"
"Nope."
"Bill later. Thanks."
Evelyn limped toward the dark alley. Watching, I overtook her and offered my back.
"Hop on. I'll carry you home."
Evelyn blushed faintly.
"You sure?"
"Tough, but I'll try my best."
She sharpened her gaze.
"Wanna die?"
"Not stamina. Something else."
"What?"
I rolled my eyes. Awkward to say.
"Pride. Don't give rides easy."
"Heh. Fine."
Evelyn awkwardly climbed on. Walking, I said,
"And come anytime for funds."
"Really?"
"Not free. Bring useful tech."
"Heh. Got it."
"And build that ark solid. Reserve my spot."
"Ark comes after smashing key and ousting Chronos. Can't while they're there."
"Anyway."
"Fine. I'll hustle."
I turned my head from her face.
"Oh. Noodles at home? Hot broth sounds good."
"Die?"
"Pass then."
Pouting, I gazed wistfully at the night sky.
Faint hope sparked. Oust Chronos, smash key, build massive ark—but I'll cheer Evelyn on hard.
Her and her crew can pull it off.
I Support Evelyn
I Support Evelyn. End